[baskingshark]

Don't like the shell but I'd be interested to hear (pun intended) about how they sound!

I think this Cat Ear brand is relatively new, haven't seen them churn out earbuds before. I'll probably be buying this earbud at the next sale if the discount is good enough (and must hide it from the wife when it comes!)

The Cat Ear brand did release an IEM recently called the Cat Ear Mia: https://hifigo.com/products/catear-mia

One of the rare reviews here: https://www.audioreviews.org/cat-ear-mia-review-kmm/
Seems to be a V shaped IEM and from reviews, looks meh (haven't heard it though, but gave it a miss after reading reviews). Interestingly, for this Cat Ear Mia IEM, they were mewing (no pun intended) about using -196℃ cryogenic treatment for the cable, connectors and driver units. Smells gimmickish. While diehard audiophiles are doing "burn in" for their gear, this company is doing "freeze in" LOL.

 

[wskl]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001949287345.html

Cat Ear Mimi earbuds
$15 USD





Anybody tried this set? Looks affordable enough to do a blind purchase. May get it at the next sale.

A few reviews here:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/cat-ear-audio-mimi.24833/reviews

 

[The3DCie]

Ok, coming back to my first post here, I thought it might be the time to show of how I'm wearing almost all of my earbuds, the exception being the JCALLY EP-05, which is too big to be worn as the others in my collection and even sounds better worn "the classic way" as it's too bassy otherwise.

So here are a couple of photos of the various buds in my ear (sorry, I'm not a top-model!) :

Spoiler: My ears with a lot of different earbuds!

Faaeal Iris CE:

Better have a transparent shell with the MX500 style as you will look weird in the street!

Faaeal Datura Pro:


HeadRoom MS16:


K'S LBW:

That's why I prefer earbuds without stem, they are the most comfortable for the way I wear them, and they sound great!

MEMT T5:

The "Earpod style" can be worn cable down without a problem but you get better bass this way, at least that's the case for me.

NiceHCK B40:

The shorter stem of PK shell is more comfortable for me.

TMusic Beryllium:

Again, almost no stem=winner!

Yincrow RW-777:

Love those!

And, for the record, the weirdest looking earbuds when worn cable up, Apple Earpods themselves!

Those have tremendous bass when worn this way, don't forget to put a beany on your head if you're out in the street!!

That's it for now, hope it can help some of you that would think, like me the first time I used earbuds, that they lack bass or everything!
It was an eye-opener for me and I wouldn't want to go back after that.

P.S. : Sorry for the long post and all those photos of my ears, I'd have much preferred to find another way to show this wearing style!...

 

[WoodyLuvr]

P.S. : Sorry for the long post and all those photos of my ears, I'd have much preferred to find another way to show this wearing style!...

Great post; thank you for sharing! If you feel a post is a bit too lengthy you can always re-edit and insert a clickable Spoiler... maybe just above the first pic... that way the pics are hidden until the Spoiler is opened (clicked) by the viewer.

 

[furyossa]

Ok, coming back to my first post here, I thought it might be the time to show of how I'm wearing almost all of my earbuds, the exception being the JCALLY EP-05, which is too big to be worn as the others in my collection and even sounds better worn "the classic way" as it's too bassy otherwise.

So here are a couple of photos of the various buds in my ear (sorry, I'm not a top-model!) :

Faaeal Iris CE:

Better have a transparent shell with the MX500 style as you will look weird in the street!

Faaeal Datura Pro:


HeadRoom MS16:


K'S LBW:

That's why I prefer earbuds without stem, they are the most comfortable for the way I wear them, and they sound great!

MEMT T5:

The "Earpod style" can be worn cable down without a problem but you get better bass this way, at least that's the case for me.

NiceHCK B40:

The shorter stem of PK shell is more comfortable for me.

TMusic Beryllium:

Again, almost no stem=winner!

Yincrow RW-777:

Love those!

And, for the record, the weirdest looking earbuds when worn cable up, Apple Earpods themselves!

Those have tremendous bass when worn this way, don't forget to put a beany on your head if you're out in the street!!

That's it for now, hope it can help some of you that would think, like me the first time I used earbuds, that they lack bass or everything!
It was an eye-opener for me and I wouldn't want to go back after that.

P.S. : Sorry for the long post and all those photos of my ears, I'd have much preferred to find another way to show this wearing style!...

Thanx for these photos. Good timing
Right now I'm working on my DIY coupler for imm-6 mic and your photos are good references. They make it easier to see the driver's orientation towards the ear canal. 30-60% of the sound goes directly into the ear canal, and in most cases where there are side vents, 50% of the vents is blocked by the ear, for example MX500 shells (one side is free and the other is blocked)

 

[rprodrigues]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001949287345.html

Cat Ear Mimi earbuds
$15 USD





Anybody tried this set? Looks affordable enough to do a blind purchase. May get it at the next sale.

Here...

 

[The3DCie]

Great post; thank you for sharing! If you feel a post is a bit too lengthy you can always re-edit and insert a clickable Spoiler... maybe just above the first pic... that way the pics are hidden until the Spoiler is opened (clicked) by the viewer.

Done, thanks, it's much better like this!

 

[TnV26]

Hi guys, I need a suggestion which earbuds to buy.

First of all, sorry if my English and explanation is messed up.

I normally use IEM and headphone but now looking for the earbuds for listening before bed and can aware of the surrounding. I just bought VE Monk+ for test, it's quite OK but I want something sound better and smaller shell is a plus.

I listen to many genres but mainly rock. The budget is around 100$ - 200$ or lower.

The sound signature I am looking for are:
- can feel some sub-bass (I know it kinda hard for earbuds)
- good bass impact
- quite flat (no boost in any region too much)
- good on note separation and micro details

As a reference, my gears are
Source: Dethonray DTR1, Lotoo P6k, Qudelix 5k
IEM/HP: InEar PP8, ER2XR, Hifiman Ananda.

Please provide the recommendations, anything on par with ER2XR is good for me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Toom]

Hi guys, I need a suggestion which earbuds to buy.

First of all, sorry if my English and explanation is messed up.

I normally use IEM and headphone but now looking for the earbuds for listening before bed and can aware of the surrounding. I just bought VE Monk+ for test, it's quite OK but I want something sound better and smaller shell is a plus.

I listen to many genres but mainly rock. The budget is around 100$ - 200$ or lower.

The sound signature I am looking for are:
- can feel some sub-bass (I know it kinda hard for earbuds)
- good bass impact
- quite flat (no boost in any region too much)
- good on note separation and micro details

As a reference, my gears are
Source: Dethonray DTR1, Lotoo P6k, Qudelix 5k
IEM/HP: InEar PP8, ER2XR, Hifiman Ananda.

Please provide the recommendations, anything on par with ER2XR is good for me.

Thanks in advance.

Fiio EM5. Outside your budget, but I can recommend them totally.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

I received my DQSM Audio Turandot (16Ω); 2.5TRRS Balanced earbuds (112 dB/mW; 13.5mm Carbon Nanotube Dynamic Driver; Zinc-Magnesium Alloy PK Style Shell; 2.5mm Balanced Plug) from Jim @ NiceHCK Audio Store. Very speedy delivery as always!

via FiiO BTR5 2.5mm balanced output​

These earbuds are aptly named after the Puccini (Alfano) three act opera Turandot which includes the best-known aria "Nessun dorma".



Slippery boogers when trying to fit 'em with foams, most especially if donuts... oh my what a chore as my fingers are none too nimble! A very well made earbud; extremely comfortable to wear; and they sound exceptional. Their sound reminds me a little bit of my Blurs but not as mid-centric... definitely more mid-forward the DQSM Audio Turandots are neither overly bright nor overly warm, although perhaps they can be a tad aggressive. The midrange and treble initially sound similar to the Sennhesier HD600/650 but with time you can tell they are actually mid-forward... slightly thicker in the lower-mids and dry sounding (which can come across boring to some)... inoffensively more prominent in the middle-mids... aggressive in the upper-mids... and noticeably peaky in the treble but again not necessarily sibilant or overly bright. They offer a very large soundstage and good timbre (especially in the separation of instruments). Sub-bass and bass of course is no where to that of the Smabat ST-10S as it lacks some heft in the notes (it has no punch/impact, like most earbuds), but the bass is still very defined, clear, and enjoyable. Truly an all-rounder for most music genres. I have been using them now for over five months and there has been absolutely no fatigue to speak of which was exactly what I was after... thank you @ClieOS for, yet again, another spot-on recommendation.

Spoiler: Turandot Porn

DQSM Audio Turandot via balanced 2.5TRRS Balanced output on a FiiO BTR5 USB BT DAC headAMP

Fiio BTR5 USB BT DAC headAMP specs:
DAC: Dual ESS 9218PC
BT: CSR8675 BT 5.0
USB: XMOS XUF208
Single-Ended Ouput (3.5mm SE): Max Output (Vrms): 1.6V; 80 mW @ 32Ω; 8.5mW @ 300Ω
Balanced Output (2.5mm TRRS): Max Output (Vrms): 2.8V; 240mW @ 32Ω; 26mW @ 300Ω

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Hi guys, I need a suggestion which earbuds to buy.

First of all, sorry if my English and explanation is messed up.

I normally use IEM and headphone but now looking for the earbuds for listening before bed and can aware of the surrounding. I just bought VE Monk+ for test, it's quite OK but I want something sound better and smaller shell is a plus.

I listen to many genres but mainly rock. The budget is around 100$ - 200$ or lower.

The sound signature I am looking for are:
- can feel some sub-bass (I know it kinda hard for earbuds)
- good bass impact
- quite flat (no boost in any region too much)
- good on note separation and micro details

As a reference, my gears are
Source: Dethonray DTR1, Lotoo P6k, Qudelix 5k
IEM/HP: InEar PP8, ER2XR, Hifiman Ananda.

Please provide the recommendations, anything on par with ER2XR is good for me.

Thanks in advance.

Smabat ST-10s

 

[TnV26]

Fiio EM5. Outside your budget, but I can recommend them totally.

Thanks for the suggestion. I maybe looking for the used one.

Smabat ST-10s

Very interesting. Just search and found that it have 2 versions (40 and 150 Ohm).
Does it sound different?
Is the 150 Ohm is better due to it pricier?

 

[The3DCie]

I received my DQSM Turandot 2.5TRRS Balanced (16Ω; 112 dB/mW; 13.5mm Carbon Nanotube Dynamic Driver; Zinc-Magnesium Alloy PK Style Shell) earbuds from Jim @ NiceHCK Audio Store. Very speedy delivery as always!

Slippery boogers when trying to fit 'em with foams, most especially if donuts... oh my what a chore as my fingers are none too nimble!

Ha ha, I know what you mean, I had the exact same problem with my Faaeal Datura Pro, which are made entirely of metal (unlike the Datura X, which have a rubber ring in addition to the plastic front shelf) and are slippery as hell!
I even bought rubber rings on AE to help keep the donut foams in place.


Edit: And I'd love to hear those DQSM Turandot, they look gorgeous and I really like the PK style shell!
But they are still a lot pricier than what I can shell out for a pair of buds, plus I have to admit those I already own fill more than what I need!

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Very interesting. Just search and found that it have 2 versions (40 and 150 Ohm).
Does it sound different?
Is the 150 Ohm is better due to it pricier?

Price is not the answer here but rather the effect of impedance. Many believe the Black-Gold 150Ω requires an amp to sound its best. So if you are planning to use it from a mobile source like a smartphone or a weak DAP then we would recommend the 40Ω model instead. The following are some nice comparisons between the models posted by our resident expert (god-tier level earbud authority) known as @ClieOS

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.

As for ST-10S Black SIlver - it is more like a smoothed down ER4P. But last I heard, Smabat might be doing a small reversion to improve its treble so it can be closer to the original ST-10 tuning, as requested by many of ST-10 original users.

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.

 

[mtl171]

Thanks for the suggestion. I maybe looking for the used one.



Very interesting. Just search and found that it have 2 versions (40 and 150 Ohm).
Does it sound different?
Is the 150 Ohm is better due to it pricier?

There's a full comparison between the gold and silver somewhere in this thread, though I can't find the actual post right now. From what I remember reading, the black gold is warmer but requires a amp to reach full potential.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3197#post-15619341

I do own the Smabat ST-10s black/gold and comes close to your criteria for sound signature. However, it is slightly rolled off in the treble and it definitely has a warm tilt. I can't speak for if its comparable to your ER2XR. Though I will say it was good enough to not have me reaching for my ER4XR and HD650.