Apr 28, 2025 at 6:12 AM Post #79,966 of 80,144
I'll help you mention the review has no AI involved too. 😉

This is actually a good topic to bring up!

I truly dislike how AI has completely destroyed a lot of reviews! Makes it super difficult for a new starter to make an impression now because most just slap a prompt in an AI generator, slightly tweak it and call it a day. Feels like a lot of love in audio has lost its love.

Its why I truly value community and community to create knowledge for those seeking it.
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 6:42 AM Post #79,967 of 80,144
Now, I am not saying that so called "professional reviews" are always a bad thing, or even an indicator that they are "shills", or simply not interested... @o0genesis0o used to frequent here a lot, and was genuinely interested in earbuds (personally), but would post some VERY professional reviews, that were terrific. But he was/is part of the flathead family "as it were".
"Professional reviews" of people loving earbuds and being personally invested are great and highly appreciated. Luckily it is mostly easy to tell apart the pure advertisement reviews from real reviews. @JAnonymous5150 was another one writing great reviews and impressions for the community here. He was still around when I started to get into earbuds, but has since disappeared from this thread sadly.
If they don't respond to people calling them out if theyre with penon, it's likely they are.
This, or they are simply done with their advertisement work having posted on here. They simply don't bother any more, for them it would be a waste of time to react to any accusations beeing raised in this thread. Both options are telling...
I'll stop now with the ranting. It is polluting this thread nearly as much as the fake review. Sorry!
Just couldn't help getting angry about the Penon gang (again! 🙄).
 
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Apr 28, 2025 at 9:56 AM Post #79,968 of 80,144
Looks like Kaisheng is going to release the X3S ahead of the rumored X1 (or maybe instead of), looks like it uses the same cover as the DB1E and the DM7. The tuning is said to be a younger version of the Titanium Bell P according to this post that Kaisheng reposted on Weibo, not sure exactly how that is supposed to be translated.

X3S Box.jpg
X3S Shell.jpg
X3S Cover.jpg

Hufi Super Topic Kaisheng DM7 New Edition & X3S New Edition Unboxing Review
In his daily life, Kaisheng has accumulated a lot of metaphysics and applied it to DM7 and X3S.
Therefore, the new version of DM7 has a higher quality, and there will be no sense of disobedience even when paired with a flagship player. With a slight reverberation, the sound base is very smooth, and with the excellent quality, it is very versatile and easy to listen to.
The tuning direction of X3S is the younger version of Titanium Bell P, with a very high sense of quality, emphasizing the texture of the line vocals. If you like the tuning that tends to be analytical, then this earplug is not to be missed.
If you insist on asking me to choose, I will choose the new version of DM7 with my eyes closed!
(Machine translated from Chinese)

I'm interested in this earbud especially since it claims to be an analytical tuning, hopefully it doesn't cost too much more than the standard X3. I wonder how this will compare to the DB1E and DM7, I thought about getting the DM7 but the price, stem design, and lack of reviews kept me from pulling the trigger.
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 10:12 AM Post #79,969 of 80,144
Looks like Kaisheng is going to release the X3S ahead of the rumored X1 (or maybe instead of), looks like it uses the same cover as the DB1E and the DM7. The tuning is said to be a younger version of the Titanium Bell P according to this post that Kaisheng reposted on Weibo, not sure exactly how that is supposed to be translated.

X3S Box.jpgX3S Shell.jpgX3S Cover.jpg
Hufi Super Topic Kaisheng DM7 New Edition & X3S New Edition Unboxing Review
In his daily life, Kaisheng has accumulated a lot of metaphysics and applied it to DM7 and X3S.
Therefore, the new version of DM7 has a higher quality, and there will be no sense of disobedience even when paired with a flagship player. With a slight reverberation, the sound base is very smooth, and with the excellent quality, it is very versatile and easy to listen to.
The tuning direction of X3S is the younger version of Titanium Bell P, with a very high sense of quality, emphasizing the texture of the line vocals. If you like the tuning that tends to be analytical, then this earplug is not to be missed.
If you insist on asking me to choose, I will choose the new version of DM7 with my eyes closed!
(Machine translated from Chinese)

I'm interested in this earbud especially since it claims to be an analytical tuning, hopefully it doesn't cost too much more than the standard X3. I wonder how this will compare to the DB1E and DM7, I thought about getting the DM7 but the price, stem design, and lack of reviews kept me from pulling the trigger.
Oooh nice find!

I'm trialling Ascii's Mascara this week - it's supposed to be a neutral set with good dynamics, so maybe that piques your interest?
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 10:13 AM Post #79,970 of 80,144
Looks like Kaisheng is going to release the X3S ahead of the rumored X1 (or maybe instead of), looks like it uses the same cover as the DB1E and the DM7. The tuning is said to be a younger version of the Titanium Bell P according to this post that Kaisheng reposted on Weibo, not sure exactly how that is supposed to be translated.

X3S Box.jpgX3S Shell.jpgX3S Cover.jpg
Hufi Super Topic Kaisheng DM7 New Edition & X3S New Edition Unboxing Review
In his daily life, Kaisheng has accumulated a lot of metaphysics and applied it to DM7 and X3S.
Therefore, the new version of DM7 has a higher quality, and there will be no sense of disobedience even when paired with a flagship player. With a slight reverberation, the sound base is very smooth, and with the excellent quality, it is very versatile and easy to listen to.
The tuning direction of X3S is the younger version of Titanium Bell P, with a very high sense of quality, emphasizing the texture of the line vocals. If you like the tuning that tends to be analytical, then this earplug is not to be missed.
If you insist on asking me to choose, I will choose the new version of DM7 with my eyes closed!
(Machine translated from Chinese)

I'm interested in this earbud especially since it claims to be an analytical tuning, hopefully it doesn't cost too much more than the standard X3. I wonder how this will compare to the DB1E and DM7, I thought about getting the DM7 but the price, stem design, and lack of reviews kept me from pulling the trigger.
My intuition here X3S will be female poison bright, idk why from reading multiple reviews of Kaisheng auto-translated it feels certain. I am actually interested in the new version of DM7 given I have DM7Ti and I've read multiple auto-translated reviews comparisons of the two before the new one
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 10:43 AM Post #79,971 of 80,144
Oooh nice find!

I'm trialling Ascii's Mascara this week - it's supposed to be a neutral set with good dynamics, so maybe that piques your interest?
I did take a quick look at it and I am interested, just want to wait and see what happens with this tariff BS before buying anything from abroad. Granted the UK hasn't been hit nearly as hard as China but with the de minimis exception being lifted I really don't want to be unexpectedly on the hook for additional customs fees.

My intuition here X3S will be female poison bright, idk why from reading multiple reviews of Kaisheng auto-translated it feels certain.
That makes me want it even more, as it sounds somewhat similar to how I would describe the DB1E as even if it does lean towards the so-called "female poison" tuning Kaisheng was able to tune the DB1E just right where you get most of the benefits without many drawbacks of that tuning. It's still by far the best vocal-focused earbud by quite a bit over the other earbuds in my collection but that vocal greatness comes at the expense of lack of bass quantity and impact as well as slight harshness on some songs.

I am actually interested in the new version of DM7 given I have DM7Ti and I've read multiple auto-translated reviews comparisons of the two before the new one
Yeah I was surprised they would release an updated version of it so soon, maybe they ran into issues with the original version? There haven't been a lot of English reviews for it so it's a little harder to know whether there was an issue with it or not. I'll have to do some digging and see if I can find anything on a couple Chinese audio forums. I looked at the pictures of the DM7 in that post and they don't look different to the original so maybe it was something to do with the tuning?
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 11:31 AM Post #79,972 of 80,144
Estos auriculares aiwa son muy buenos, cuando los compre el foam que traían se desintegró... Mejora mucho si se le colocan unas. Yo los encontré a muy buen precio y los compré por qué eran muy baratos... No me hubiera importado tirarlos incluso si eran malos pero la verdad que no... Ahí tienen su Lugarcito. Sonido amplio, voces muy agradables y sobre todo cómodos.
a fellow argie.
 
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Apr 28, 2025 at 12:18 PM Post #79,973 of 80,144
I am actually interested in the new version of DM7 given I have DM7Ti and I've read multiple auto-translated reviews comparisons of the two before the new one
Edit: Nope that same person has listened to the DM7 before so there must be some other changes and not just a different color shell.
I'm wondering if the "new" version of the DM7 is just a different color shell, as I found a blue version of the DM7 that's being sold by The HifiCat even though that's not what the post's pictures show. I actually like the look of the blue version better than the silver, it might just convince me to give it a try I just wish the included cable had blue plugs:

DM7 Blue.jpg
 
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Apr 28, 2025 at 1:31 PM Post #79,974 of 80,144
Hey all. Seems to be some heat around newbies in this corner of the hobby, so I've been reluctant to post to this thread (but I've been lurking for a while).

Quickly wanted to say I've finally pulled the trigger on my first "big boy" set of flatheads with the Aful PolarNight. I've had them for a few days now. Since I am new to flatheads, I'm in no position to comment on how they sound yet and would only be able to compare them (unfairly) to full-size headphones and IEMs.

That said, getting the fit right is a bit of a beast. I imagine it gets easier with time and experience. I've got some additional foams and a set of silicone rings on their way to play with. For now, I've noticed just how ridiculously sensitive these are to subtle shifts in position, direction, and depth. And switching between the included donut foams and no foams is like two completely different headphones. Any pointers for getting fit right for a newcomer?
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 2:05 PM Post #79,975 of 80,144
Thank you for your review! But:
Practically no one of the regulars on this thread owns a Penon bud. There are 8 reviews for the Conductor now, and basically none for any other earbud that is widely appreciated around here. Also these reviewers never post anything else here but their glowing reviews, which shows that they usually don't enjoy buds all that much, which in turn puts a big question mark behind the reliability of those 5 stars reviews.
We have talked before about Penon and how they try to push their products.
Apart from your review there seems to be a general upsurge of posts from other people about Penon buds, which makes me think this is a concerted effort by Penon to gain traction in this thread.
I will certainly not buy anything from Penon and hope others won't either. I am frankly appaled at Penon's marketing tactics.
It is a bit sad, because their products might actually be good, but I'll never know!
Excuses if you find my post to be offensive, it might be the case that you and some others are actually getting into earbuds more/again at the same time and this is but a coincidence. After all the world is a strange place!
Also I have been hanging out in this thread for only two years, it might be that Penon buds where a big deal in the earbud community before I joined this thread?
Hey,

Thanks for sharing your point of view, I totally understand where you coming from.

Just to be clear, my review was just based on my own experience with the product. I'm not connected to any marketing push or anything like that. I just tried it, liked some parts and thought it would be nice to share it here, like everyone else does time to time.

And to be honest, personally I haven't faced much with Penon before, so I really don't know too much about what stories going around. I just shared my first impression and full review purely based on what I felt after using it. No one told me to say anything good or bad about it.

One more thing, before I review anything, I usually dig a bit into the product and if I feel like it's worth my time, then I spend time on it. Otherwise, lot of stuff just stay aside, I don't even review them if I don’t like it personally. So whatever I shared was just my honest take, nothing more.

I get your concern about sudden increase of posts, it can feel a bit suspicious sometimes. Honestly, I’m not even a regular reviewer for any brand, I just like to share whenever I find something that feels worth talking about.

At the end of the day, everyone got different taste, and what sounds good to me might not work for someone else and that’s totally normal. I really respect everyone’s opinion and it’s nice we can still discuss openly like this.

No offense taken at all. Appreciate you keeping the community real.
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 2:34 PM Post #79,976 of 80,144
Any pointers for getting fit right for a newcomer?
Firstly, welcome! Don't feel like there's undue heat on newcomers! We are all a friendly, albeit sometimes passionate, folks :)

Secondly, regarding fit: yes it's tricky and finicky. One key piece of kit is a shirt cable clip, like this: https://amzn.eu/d/jiUXNTu. This will help to keep a slack between the clip and the two earphones so that the weight of the cable doesn't pull the shells out of your ears.

Finally, if you're finding the shells are too small, consider adding a silicone ring underneath the foam.

Hope this helps! Check out my document for more useful info: https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/wired-earbuds-best-of-the-best-recs/42597/242

Welcome down the rabbit hole!
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 2:43 PM Post #79,977 of 80,144
This will help to keep a slack between the clip and the two earphones so that the weight of the cable doesn't pull the shells out of your ears.
Any pointers for getting fit right
It won't pull if you place buds like IEMs. With the cable around the ear. That's the best way for me.
Sometimes I have cable with hooks, and that's the only way in that scenario.

Playing with the fit is a necessity with the buds, unlike with the IEMs.

Cheers!
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 2:52 PM Post #79,978 of 80,144
Hey all. Seems to be some heat around newbies in this corner of the hobby, so I've been reluctant to post to this thread (but I've been lurking for a while).

Quickly wanted to say I've finally pulled the trigger on my first "big boy" set of flatheads with the Aful PolarNight. I've had them for a few days now. Since I am new to flatheads, I'm in no position to comment on how they sound yet and would only be able to compare them (unfairly) to full-size headphones and IEMs.

That said, getting the fit right is a bit of a beast. I imagine it gets easier with time and experience. I've got some additional foams and a set of silicone rings on their way to play with. For now, I've noticed just how ridiculously sensitive these are to subtle shifts in position, direction, and depth. And switching between the included donut foams and no foams is like two completely different headphones. Any pointers for getting fit right for a newcomer?
I see @ttorbic has already served you... 😉
Welcome!
Hey,

Thanks for sharing your point of view, I totally understand where you coming from.

Just to be clear, my review was just based on my own experience with the product. I'm not connected to any marketing push or anything like that. I just tried it, liked some parts and thought it would be nice to share it here, like everyone else does time to time.

And to be honest, personally I haven't faced much with Penon before, so I really don't know too much about what stories going around. I just shared my first impression and full review purely based on what I felt after using it. No one told me to say anything good or bad about it.

One more thing, before I review anything, I usually dig a bit into the product and if I feel like it's worth my time, then I spend time on it. Otherwise, lot of stuff just stay aside, I don't even review them if I don’t like it personally. So whatever I shared was just my honest take, nothing more.

I get your concern about sudden increase of posts, it can feel a bit suspicious sometimes. Honestly, I’m not even a regular reviewer for any brand, I just like to share whenever I find something that feels worth talking about.

At the end of the day, everyone got different taste, and what sounds good to me might not work for someone else and that’s totally normal. I really respect everyone’s opinion and it’s nice we can still discuss openly like this.

No offense taken at all. Appreciate you keeping the community real.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my accusations. Some, none or all of them may have been false.
I simply have a certain aversion against the way Penon conducts their marketing, my anger flared up and you became the victim of that. Sorry.
And yes, we all try to keep it real around here! 😉
 
Apr 28, 2025 at 3:05 PM Post #79,979 of 80,144
Firstly, welcome! Don't feel like there's undue heat on newcomers! We are all a friendly, albeit sometimes passionate, folks :)

Secondly, regarding fit: yes it's tricky and finicky. One key piece of kit is a shirt cable clip, like this: https://amzn.eu/d/jiUXNTu. This will help to keep a slack between the clip and the two earphones so that the weight of the cable doesn't pull the shells out of your ears.

Finally, if you're finding the shells are too small, consider adding a silicone ring underneath the foam.

Hope this helps! Check out my document for more useful info: https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/wired-earbuds-best-of-the-best-recs/42597/242

Welcome down the rabbit hole!
Sweet. Thanks. Part of the strangeness of getting used to earbud fit is that I don't actually know if they're too small or too big (or just right). No points of comparison or experience to draw from. So far, just based on what feels comfortable and sounds best, letting them rest in the farthest edge of the spout-shaped catch between my tragus and anti-tragus seems best and most consistent. Stable while walking and moving around. Just requires cranking up the volume a bit more than I would otherwise.

It won't pull if you place buds like IEMs. With the cable around the ear. That's the best way for me.
Sometimes I have cable with hooks, and that's the only way in that scenario.

Playing with the fit is a necessity with the buds, unlike with the IEMs.

Cheers!
Haven't tried that yet, but the stem of the PolarNight is relatively large, so it seems to fit only in one orientation (downward) in my ear. But I don't get much of a tug from the cable with the PolarNight. Cable is pretty lightweight and the shells seem to rest securely in that outer "pocket" of my ear. It's more the positioning (depth vs shallowness and directional orientation) that are throwing me for a loop.
 
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Apr 28, 2025 at 3:09 PM Post #79,980 of 80,144
Sweet. Thanks. Part of the strangeness of getting used to earbud fit is that I don't actually know if they're too small or too big (or just right). No points of comparison or experience to draw from. So far, just based on what feels comfortable and sounds best, letting them rest in the farthest edge of the spout-shaped catch between my tragus and anti-tragus seems best and most consistent. Stable while walking and moving around. Just requires cranking up the volume a bit more than I would otherwise.


Haven't tried that yet, but the stem of the PolarNight is relatively large, so it seems to fit only in one orientation (downward) in my ear. But I don't get much of a tug from the cable with the PolarNight. Cable is pretty lightweight and the shells seem to rest securely in that outer "pocket" of my ear. It's more the positioning (depth vs shallowness and directional orientation) that are throwing me for a loop.
Does this how to video help?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkmygrcP9hq/?igsh=a2hoaWlkYzRzbDhk
 

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