[luckyeights]

Can anyone describe and compare the sound of the willsound mk32 vs the mk2. ?

 

[Alex.Grimm]

Can anyone describe and compare the sound of the willsound mk32 vs the mk2. ?

MK2 warm, air, slightly bright, the middle is slightly clamped, musical
Mk32 v1 2019 warm, no air , more bass, wide stage, musical, vocals are a little blurry
MK32 v2 2020 less bass wide stage, air
MK32 v3 2020 more neutral sounds, air

 

[fonkepala]

I cant find anything out about kube buds when I do a search is there a review on how they sound?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3076#post-15330380

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-2908#post-15060176

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-2904#post-15055122

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-2904#post-15055048

Lots more...try looking in the EA group on Facebook as well.

 

[mochill]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3076#post-15330380

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-2908#post-15060176

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-2904#post-15055122

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-2904#post-15055048

Lots more...try looking in the EA group on Facebook as well.

I would buy the ying-yang and white gold

 

[noknok23]

MK2 warm, air, slightly bright, the middle is slightly clamped, musical
Mk32 v1 2019 warm, no air , more bass, wide stage, musical, vocals are a little blurry
MK32 v2 2020 less bass wide stage, air
MK32 v3 2020 more neutral sounds, air

How to know which mk32 version I have? I bought it in March 2020.

 

[Alex.Grimm]

How to know which mk32 version I have? I bought it in March 2020.

Probably MK32 v2 2020

 

[Saoshyant]

@Danneq @golov17 Good to see you both. Now I'm curious about the C Major.

 

[Slater]

Would you be happy having $150 to spend but then only forking out around $20 for the ME80?

That would leave me $130 left to buy a good bottle of single malt scotch and a couple of nice thick steaks for the grille. So, yes

 

[Nool]

@cqtek thanks for the clarification, I didn't realize your scores weren't universal.

As always opinion on audio is mostly subjective; here are the other posts I referenced in making my decision to go with the Rambo II:

ST-10S Black Gold is absolutely stunning, but it required a decent source with a bit of power. Driving it from a weak source, while still sounds good, won't likely going to be its best. In comparison, ST-10 is slightly drier - think of it as closer to ER4S tuning while ST-10S Black Glod is somewhere in between ER4P and ER4S.

It is a ToTL on its own right. While the original ST-10 might sounds a little dry for some, technically it is almost as good as any earbud. ST-10S Black Gold just improves upon its by a slight retuning that gives it just enough warmth without taking away the neutralness, with also an improvement on a more immersive soundstage.

Don't have any RY4S to compare to, but Rambo II has sort of the same flavor as QJ21, though not as upfront / fun / energetic, essentially more laid-back with better soundstage. Overall, I'll call its mildly warm sound that is rich and somewhat smooth. Bass is pretty good, but definitely not something I'll call bass-heavy.

QJ21 has a laid-back and warmish sound, if not more on the smooth and unassuming side of the presentation. By far the best build quality of all the earbuds I ever own, bar none. But by sound quality, I feel it is technically very strong though just a little too laid-back for its own good. It lacks just that something that could have made it shine over others - one quality that often defines ToTL earbuds over the rest. I'll rank it perhaps top of the second tier or even a lower end of the first tier.

[Referring to the Rambo II] I thought it probably can rival some of the big boys on the $150 region. The build quality alone already makes it feels like a $150+ earbud (as you can see with the comparison next to QJ21, which is almost $250). But the point is that it is only $70, so that makes it a real bargain in my book.



It is not a particularly difficult to drive earbuds so you should be fine to use it with a smartphone. Then again, it also depends on how good the smartphone's output is.

Been really enjoying the Rambo 2's and Smabat ST-10 black/silver. They actually share a lot of similarities -- good bass and great extension in the highs, very detailed.The Smabats have more bass than the Rambo 2's but not significantly more. I actually prefer the Rambo 2's bass, faster and cleaner bass than the Smabat. The rambos also have a slight bump in the 250-500hz range, compared to the Smabats (2dB-ish). The Rambo's also have a bit more presence in the brilliance range.

Not sure what I prefer more. They are both excellent purchases, but if I had to choose one, at this point, I'd pick the Rambo 2's because they are cheaper.

From what I remember, the st-10s reach deeper but I prefer the quality of the Rambo's bass. The mids are better. There is also a slight bump around 500hz on the Rambo's compared to the Smabats. I could be wrong though. I'm waiting for my iec711 coupler to arrive then I can verify.

I agree, the Rambo's are more balanced and they are more coherent all across the mids and treble during complex orchestral music (Ie. Beethoven 9th with chorus).

I wasn't going to post any graphs of earbuds until I get my iec711 coupler, but since that's coming from aliexpress it might take several weeks.

These were generated with the Dayton imm6 at 10mm. Note, readings are horribly inaccurate below 50hz and above 5khz.
The Rambo's are my favorite of the bunch, with the Smabat's a close second. I have cleaned up the PK2 with the eq on my v60 but they aren't listened to very often.

one more with the Harman target compared and PK2 removed

...After these it seems there's only the realm of $250+ wired earbuds, at which point I'd rather just buy IEMs or headphones, or even speakers.

Edit: sorry for the massive post, I thought it'd collapse the quotes. I'll delete it if necessary.

 

[rprodrigues]

@Nool
Great post!

 

[Nool]

Also asked the seller what material the diaphragm is on the Rambo II, "Titanium composite".. will probably have to email ISN directly to get any more details.

@rprodrigues thanks, though I'm probably trying to justify my purchase a bit too much here.. should really wait until I hear it first. I'll post my impressions when it gets here in a few weeks.

Also for anyone reading, note that SamL is referring to the 40ohm black/silver Smabat ST-10s, NOT the 150ohm black/gold. If you're a basshead with the proper gear to drive it the black/gold might be the best choice.

 

[rprodrigues]

@cqtek Once Rambo II is at half the price of the ST-10s black/gold, would you say Rambo II is a no brainer?

 

[fonkepala]

thanks, though I'm probably trying to justify my purchase a bit too much here.. should really wait until I hear it first. I'll post my impressions when it gets here in a few weeks.

Looking forward to your review/impressions of the Rambo II. I do intend to get it sometime in the near future as it seems to be a clear set up from all of my current earbuds.

 

[fonkepala]

I would buy the ying-yang and white gold

Interesting. Both seems to use the original Kube v1 drivers with no modifications in the tuning, at least that what it says in the description. Do you have any experience with the Kube Plus?

 

[golov17]

@Danneq @golov17 Good to see you both. Now I'm curious about the C Major.

sounding interesting although on the bright side in vocals, you can contact ClieOS for details. I use them with thick foams