[40760]

Anyone able to share a comparison between the Kube 2.0 vs 1.0? I really like the 1.0 and am thinking if the 2.0 is an upgrade? Will be great if anyone who owns or have heard of them can chime in... Thanks!

 

[GREQ]

Anyone able to share a comparison between the Kube 2.0 vs 1.0? I really like the 1.0 and am thinking if the 2.0 is an upgrade? Will be great if anyone who owns or have heard of them can chime in... Thanks!

Personally I consider V2 a downgrade.
The bud shells are physically larger so for my ears they are very difficult to position correctly, and are less comfortable.
Upper mids and treble is too quiet compared to the mids and bass which is I consider to be too overpowering. It's a very warm, dark sound.

Here's a link to my non-scientific-but-still-trying-my-best measurements using a miniDSP EARS jig.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-2615#post-14727108
The channel imbalance below 100Hz for the Kube V1 is most likely inconsistency with seal, and not driver variation, just one of the problems when trying to measure anything.
I actually made a 2nd measurement later after I got some more practice measuring buds, and that time I got more consistent results between channels, but I'm having difficulty finding it in the thread history.

 

[40760]

Personally I consider V2 a downgrade.
The bud shells are physically larger so for my ears they are very difficult to position correctly, and are less comfortable.
Upper mids and treble is too quiet compared to the mids and bass which is I consider to be too overpowering. It's a very warm, dark sound.

Here's a link to my non-scientific-but-still-trying-my-best measurements using a miniDSP EARS jig.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-2615#post-14727108
The channel imbalance below 100Hz for the Kube V1 is most likely inconsistency with seal, and not driver variation, just one of the problems when trying to measure anything.
I actually made a 2nd measurement later after I got some more practice measuring buds, and that time I got more consistent results between channels, but I'm having difficulty finding it in the thread history.

Thanks and that is very interesting read. I do like the EK 1.0 quite a bit and I'm thinking about getting another spare pair.

Can you think of any Chi-Fi pair of earbuds that you think are similar or better than the EK 1.0 in the same price bracket?

 

[Willber]

Thanks and that is very interesting read. I do like the EK 1.0 quite a bit and I'm thinking about getting another spare pair.

Can you think of any Chi-Fi pair of earbuds that you think are similar or better than the EK 1.0 in the same price bracket?

I have written this before (!) but I find the Fengru Silver to have a similar signature to the Kube v1 but with more clarity and refinement:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32687542028.html

I'm not the only one to recommend them, either.

 

[seanc6441]

Personally I consider V2 a downgrade.
The bud shells are physically larger so for my ears they are very difficult to position correctly, and are less comfortable.
Upper mids and treble is too quiet compared to the mids and bass which is I consider to be too overpowering. It's a very warm, dark sound.

Here's a link to my non-scientific-but-still-trying-my-best measurements using a miniDSP EARS jig.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-2615#post-14727108
The channel imbalance below 100Hz for the Kube V1 is most likely inconsistency with seal, and not driver variation, just one of the problems when trying to measure anything.
I actually made a 2nd measurement later after I got some more practice measuring buds, and that time I got more consistent results between channels, but I'm having difficulty finding it in the thread history.

Kube v2 driver in an mx500 (v1) shell would be interesting. Might be the same driver, or not.

 

[BillyX]

Liebesleid has more mid bass as well as overall quantity. Chaconne has less bass but reaches down deeper. I won't consider Liebesleid to be a neutral sounding earbud, but Chaconne is closer to being one, though has a richer and ever so slightly warmer tone.

Will you put Chaconne into your top tier favorite in terms of SQ?

 

[GREQ]

Kube v2 driver in an mx500 (v1) shell would be interesting. Might be the same driver, or not.

There's a thought... I would try it if I didn't only have one, I don't want any untimely demises.

 

[ClieOS]

Will you put Chaconne into your top tier favorite in terms of SQ?

It is too early to draw any conclusion as Moondrop recommends at least 100 hours of burn-in and I barely have 10 hours on it. But I can say at this point I am probably still prefer Bell-Ti over Chaconne just a little more.

 

[assassin10000]

Anyone here interested in my ME80 in the us?

Thought they were smaller diameter like the EBX but they're mx500 size.




150hrs burn-in using the jlab file (mix of noise/sweeps with silence intervals).

 

[ounwx]

Just received the TY Hi-Z HP-32 today from AE, the first of 8 buds I ordered earlier in the month. I'm trying out various options to replace my Senn MX365s, which were recently discontinued. Before this I'd grabed Edifier H180, FAAEAL Snow-Lotus 1.0+ CE, and FAAEAL Datura X via Amazon Prime... none of which ranked better than the trusty MX365s for my uses (mainly listening to hard rock at high volume on the go).

First impressions of HP-32: without foams, I was a little worried. Bright and slightly tinny. Definitely a different signature than I've grown used to. Putting on the foams made a world of difference: still a bit bright, but very clear/detailed, and awesome bass. The low end is so punchy compared to any of the other buds I mentioned above. This is the kind of V-shape-leaning EQ I was hoping for when I first started my search for new buds. Soundstage is relatively wide. Efficiency/volume driven by my phone is great, on par with the MX365s which also get loud. Cable thickness is better than any of my other non-braided pairs, and the L-jack is welcome for mobile use.

Compared to Edifier H180: the HP-32 is cleaner, extends lower and higher, and with far better bass. Both have wide soundstage. Both are on the bright side, but somehow the H180 doesn't manage the clarity you'd expect with that. I see no reason to prefer the H180 in any facet so far.

Compared to MX365 and Snow-Lotus 1.0+ CE (I consider these very similar): the HP-32 is again brighter and cleaner, definitely more V-shaped. The MX365 is probably a bit more forward in some respect with less of a wide soundstage. But overall, the MX365 sounds kind of muddy and boringly mid-centric in a direct comparison.

Finally, these seem to be in the ballpark of what I'm actually looking for. After using these for a few hours, I doubt I can ever go back to the MX365s and be happy again. I'd also return the H180 and SL1.0+ ($13 apiece from Amazon) if I could, as these $6 beauties mop the floor with those, at least for hard rock. If there's anything I'd improve on the HP-32, it would be to make it more forward (in-your-face soundstage wise) and slightly less bright. Maybe one of the other pairs on their way from AE will manage that, but if not, I'll be plenty happy to order 4 more pairs of the HP-32 for the car, office, etc.

 

[subwoof3r]

Just received the TY Hi-Z HP-32 today from AE, the first of 8 buds I ordered earlier in the month. I'm trying out various options to replace my Senn MX365s, which were recently discontinued. Before this I'd grabed Edifier H180, FAAEAL Snow-Lotus 1.0+ CE, and FAAEAL Datura X via Amazon Prime... none of which ranked better than the trusty MX365s for my uses (mainly listening to hard rock at high volume on the go).

First impressions of HP-32: without foams, I was a little worried. Bright and slightly tinny. Definitely a different signature than I've grown used to. Putting on the foams made a world of difference: still a bit bright, but very clear/detailed, and awesome bass. The low end is so punchy compared to any of the other buds I mentioned above. This is the kind of V-shape-leaning EQ I was hoping for when I first started my search for new buds. Soundstage is relatively wide. Efficiency/volume driven by my phone is great, on par with the MX365s which also get loud. Cable thickness is better than any of my other non-braided pairs, and the L-jack is welcome for mobile use.

Compared to Edifier H180: the HP-32 is cleaner, extends lower and higher, and with far better bass. Both have wide soundstage. Both are on the bright side, but somehow the H180 doesn't manage the clarity you'd expect with that. I see no reason to prefer the H180 in any facet so far.

Compared to MX365 and Snow-Lotus 1.0+ CE (I consider these very similar): the HP-32 is again brighter and cleaner, definitely more V-shaped. The MX365 is probably a bit more forward in some respect with less of a wide soundstage. But overall, the MX365 sounds kind of muddy and boringly mid-centric in a direct comparison.

Finally, these seem to be in the ballpark of what I'm actually looking for. After using these for a few hours, I doubt I can ever go back to the MX365s and be happy again. I'd also return the H180 and SL1.0+ ($13 apiece from Amazon) if I could, as these $6 beauties mop the floor with those, at least for hard rock. If there's anything I'd improve on the HP-32, it would be to make it more forward (in-your-face soundstage wise) and slightly less bright. Maybe one of the other pairs on their way from AE will manage that, but if not, I'll be plenty happy to order 4 more pairs of the HP-32 for the car, office, etc.

Nice, thanks for your impressions!
I can see that those HP-32 have a lot of DIY friends on Earbuds Anonymous group I would like to give a try too
Is this seller the only one to get HP-32 from aliexpress?
*edit*: found from Penon audio, a better source for sure, and cheaper. Link HERE

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Just wondering why the rankings were removed. I was thinking if I couldn't get nice earbuds from aliexpress.

 

[HeadlessChicken]

RY4S 300ohm has "meaty" bass, in contrast to the NiceHCK ME80. Really enjoying the RY4S for rock, pop. surprisingly some orchestral as well
using full VE foams on both buds. sources are V20 and R3 in my sig
brief impressions since I haven't had much time to listen recently

 

[mbwilson111]

Just wondering why the rankings were removed. I was thinking if I couldn't get nice earbuds from aliexpress.

You can get many nice earbuds from aliexpress. If you were hoping for a list ranking all the buds available,that would be impossible. There are so many now and we would not all agree.

Just do some reading in the thread to get an idea about what is available. Have fun

 

[ounwx]

Nice, thanks for your impressions!
I can see that those HP-32 have a lot of DIY friends on Earbuds Anonymous group I would like to give a try too
Is this seller the only one to get HP-32 from aliexpress?
*edit*: found from Penon audio, a better source for sure, and cheaper. Link HERE

Nice. For reference, this is what I ordered: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32976364034.html

Apparently the first gen HP-32s without the L-jack were a little different, but those don't seem to be for sale anymore, so I assume everything on the market now matches my description.