[assassin10000]

Seems like it is always a given for IEMs to come with detachable cable. Maybe the earbud brands need to look into it.

Even the FiiO EM5's cable is attached with swappable plugs. The few TOTL earbuds I can think of with MMCX is RW-2000 and 2pin for Rose Maria. Yinman 600 is discontinued.

Yeah, but not so great for those of us with smaller ears. MX500/15.4mm drivers are uncomfortable for me.

As most TOTL earbuds will be used in a domestic environment and not on the go, the requirement for replacement cables due to wear and tear is much less important. A well implemented cable and driver synergistic design will give consistently high quality results for the life of the earbud. This is more important to me than "cable rolling."

I use mine both in the house and for walks or shopping as I prefer to be able to hear the environment around me. Granted I'm not doing a serious listening session when out of the house.

I think the people coming over from IEMs will usually feel the need for swappable cables and such.

Seasoned earbud users don't really care or maybe are already pretty used to fixed cable since the beginning of time.

Same as when people switching from IEMs want even more isolation when they have their initial experience with earbuds.

More the lack of 3.5mm on new high end phones. Been using them for decades now lol.

But the more important the reason is that in the unfortunate event that the cable died, I will be able to quickly and safely fix it by swapping cables.

Secondary reason I think expensive buds should have detachable cables.

I think you have to keep the best of each thing, interchangeable cable is a good thing, and you can do it for a relatively low cost, why give it up? I do not know, it is my opinion.

Agreed. It's not that much more and a fairly insignificant amount of difficulty.

They just need to not choose the cheaper/poorer quality MMCX connectors.

Yep agreed with this, the reasons for having a detachable cable are the following:

1) Better longevity - I've used IEMs for around 16 years, none of them had driver failure but 3 - 4 of them died at the cable (non detachable). So in my experience, non detachable cables are generally the first point of failure down the line. One of my non detachable IEMs died as it suffered an awkward yank, so that's really what I'm afraid of when a TOTL IEM/earbud doesn't come with detachable cables.

2) Use of BT adapters - some of us wanna convert the earbud/IEM to a BT dongle for more convenience.

3) Use of balanced cables or even to cable roll (for cable believers).



I've asked some earbud makers about why some of these TOTL sets don't incorporate detachable cables.
A few reasons they gave me:
1) They claim the tuning was made in mind with the cable in question - for non cable believers, move on. But for cable believers, hmm, even if this is so, I don't believe putting an aftermarket cable will give a night and day difference in sound, unless we are talking about a very crap stock cable with high resistance.

2) putting an MMCX socket on the earbud will sometimes cause the weight and centre of gravity of the earbud to shift from its initial design. I think this is a possible reason, indeed some lighter earbuds, once modified with an MMCX socket that is heavier, may give poorer fit as the stem is now the heaviest part of the earbud.

3) to cut costs. For cheap earbuds in the sub $10 region, eg KBEAR Stellar, Vido, Tingo TC200 etc, a MMCX connector will definitely add costs to the already cheap earbud. Fair enough, but that's no excuse for TOTL earbuds costing 10 - 20 times more for not incorporating an MMCX that is a fraction of its price.



Well, never ending debate here. Some folks do find MMCX may also be problematic with frequent cable changes, and would prefer a non detachable pair, and anyways most of us use earbuds at home due to the subpar isolation, so lesser chance of snagging a cable as such.

Yep.

More #2 (BT conversion) than #1 (cable dying) for me.


As far as #2 of reasons why they don't use MMCX, that seems like poor reasoning. The MMCX weight change is tiny compared to the pull of cables, especially when moving/walking. And if you do a short or no-stem design earbud, you can use much more stable over ear cables.

 

[RikudouGoku]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001291270773.html

Is there anyone that have heard both the standard and the bass version of this?

 

[furyossa]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001291270773.html

Is there anyone that have heard both the standard and the bass version of this?

Very nice spec. with wide freq. range 8Hz-40kHz.
It looks like it uses an "old-school" driver with 17 holes in the back side.
All in all beautiful pair of buds. Comfort king

 

[RikudouGoku]

Very nice spec. with wide freq. range 8Hz-40kHz.
It looks like it uses an "old-school" driver with 17 holes in the back side.
All in all beautiful pair of buds. Comfort king

Specs like the frequency range is absolutely pointless as long as it is 20hz-20khz.

 

[Smasher]

Well, here are my impressions for the Moondrop Chaconne:

Before I get into the sound, I will just mention that it passes my comfort and study test, seeing as I didn’t have any problems with comfort nor sound (not fatiguing) using it while studying for around 2 hours. Although the comfort isn’t as good as some other buds due to it having some more weight to it, it didn’t bother me too much but it could be because I am used to iems (they generally weight more than buds).

Setup: Schiit Asgard 3, full foams (NOT STOCK FOAMS)

Bass: Typical bud bass in pretty much every aspect, low quantity and high quality due to it being very fast and tight but lacking extension and rumble. Mid-bass texture is pretty good though, but sub-bass is lacking a lot of texture, quantity and rumble. Nothing really special here, you have heard this kind of bass from a bud if you have heard other buds already.

Mids: Male vocals do have some warmth and it does sound very natural due to the timbre. But as with most buds, it still lacks some warmth, it is very clean however. Female vocals…. are epic, they are really good. Clean and very detailed without being fatiguing at all.

Treble: Extension is great without being peaky at all. Very non-fatiguing but still very clean and detailed.

Tonality: Very well balanced but is slightly leaning towards warmth. The timbre is as you expect from a bud, very good.

Technicalities: Imaging, instrument separation and details are extremely good. Soundstage is huge, probably the biggest out of all my buds.

Conclusion: Is it worthy of having TOTL status? Yes, absolutely. If you love mids/treble and don’t mind low bass quantity, then this is probably endgame material. Also, if you have the Moondrop VX Classic, this is a true upgrade to that. Sounds very similar to it in tonality but refined on all aspects.

Worth the extra over RW 2000?

 

[RikudouGoku]

Worth the extra over RW 2000?

Will probably review both of them when I have time. So take this with a grain of salt.

I say they are both performing on a similar level, its up to personal preference to decide which one is better for you. If you want a more bass-boosted-neutral bud, then the RW-2000 is better. If you want a more "bud-like"/ warm-neutral sound, then the Chaconne is better.

 

[Smasher]

Will probably review both of them when I have time. So take this with a grain of salt.

I say they are both performing on a similar level, its up to personal preference to decide which one is better for you. If you want a more bass-boosted-neutral bud, then the RW-2000 is better. If you want a more "bud-like"/ warm-neutral sound, then the RW-2000 is better.

2nd one is the chaconne I assume?

 

[RikudouGoku]

2nd one is the chaconne I assume?

Yes you are correct, my bad lol.

 

[Alex.Grimm]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001291270773.html

Is there anyone that have heard both the standard and the bass version of this?

I heard only bass version

 

[40760]

I heard only bass version

I’m curious, is it any good?

 

[Serge Bernamej]

F.... it ! This earbud thing is too awesome. It just NEVER fatigues me. I think I’ll be collecting all the top ones. I’m even very impressed with the relatively cheap Rosemary from Faaeal.
After the Bell-ti, my latest order is the Fiio em5.
I’m not looking for THE best, but it will be a joy to have so many different presentations.
I’m still in shock about how enjoyable the earbuds are. Thank God we still have affordable prices, unlike the craziness going on with the big boys (the over ears. I really don’t know the IEM world, as I can’t stand them).

 

[baskingshark]

Well, here are my impressions for the Moondrop Chaconne:

Before I get into the sound, I will just mention that it passes my comfort and study test, seeing as I didn’t have any problems with comfort nor sound (not fatiguing) using it while studying for around 2 hours. Although the comfort isn’t as good as some other buds due to it having some more weight to it, it didn’t bother me too much but it could be because I am used to iems (they generally weight more than buds).

Setup: Schiit Asgard 3, full foams (NOT STOCK FOAMS)

Bass: Typical bud bass in pretty much every aspect, low quantity and high quality due to it being very fast and tight but lacking extension and rumble. Mid-bass texture is pretty good though, but sub-bass is lacking a lot of texture, quantity and rumble. Nothing really special here, you have heard this kind of bass from a bud if you have heard other buds already.

Mids: Male vocals do have some warmth and it does sound very natural due to the timbre. But as with most buds, it still lacks some warmth, it is very clean however. Female vocals…. are epic, they are really good. Clean and very detailed without being fatiguing at all.

Treble: Extension is great without being peaky at all. Very non-fatiguing but still very clean and detailed.

Tonality: Very well balanced but is slightly leaning towards warmth. The timbre is as you expect from a bud, very good.

Technicalities: Imaging, instrument separation and details are extremely good. Soundstage is huge, probably the biggest out of all my buds.

Conclusion: Is it worthy of having TOTL status? Yes, absolutely. If you love mids/treble and don’t mind low bass quantity, then this is probably endgame material. Also, if you have the Moondrop VX Classic, this is a true upgrade to that. Sounds very similar to it in tonality but refined on all aspects.

Bro how does the Chaconne compare to the NiceHCK EBX21?

 

[furyossa]

I’m still in shock about how enjoyable the earbuds are. Thank God we still have affordable prices, unlike the craziness going on with the big boys (the over ears. I really don’t know the IEM world, as I can’t stand them).

As a music lover, I really respect everyone's thoughts, criticism and decision in choosing different models, whether they are IEM, headphones or earbuds.
Probably there will never be a universal model that can be said to be the best, ie it meets everyone's needs, because as we are all different, there will always be different requirements. Constant improvement and new achievements in the field of technology, design and many other things, make this hobby very attractive.

I am personally interested in industrial design and the variety of models is what attracts me the most in earbuds (especially if they are handmade like say these models #1, #2 by @uairekko ) compared to IEM, whose shape cannot vary much. Headphones are already a story unto themselves and require a lot more knowledge and effort to craft and tuning.

 

[RikudouGoku]

F.... it ! This earbud thing is too awesome. It just NEVER fatigues me. I think I’ll be collecting all the top ones. I’m even very impressed with the relatively cheap Rosemary from Faaeal.
After the Bell-ti, my latest order is the Fiio em5.
I’m not looking for THE best, but it will be a joy to have so many different presentations.
I’m still in shock about how enjoyable the earbuds are. Thank God we still have affordable prices, unlike the craziness going on with the big boys (the over ears. I really don’t know the IEM world, as I can’t stand them).

Value goes like this IMO:

Earbuds > iems > headphones

Bro how does the Chaconne compare to the NiceHCK EBX21?

Chaconne has bigger soundstage, better timbre, slightly more bass quantity and lower extension, mids are more natural, airier and more extended treble and yet less fatiguing, overall tonality is slightly warmer, slightly better imaging.

But details and instrument separation are similar.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Well, I decided to compare the Chaconne to the Tanchjim Oxygen (iem) since that is probably my best transducer for acoustic/vocal focused music.

And damn, going from the Chaconne to the Oxygen was like going from an open-back hp to a closed-back hp.

Besides the bass, which obviously is better (lower extension, more rumble and higher quantity) on the Oxygen since its an iem. The treble is a lot airier and doesnt sound as bright and fatiguing, the Chaconne has like zero fatigue. Mids are a bigger surprise, since the Chaconne makes the Oxygen sound like it has 3rd rate timbre lol. Resolution and imaging/instrument separation are fairly similar, might be a bit better on the Oxygen though. But the soundstage on the Chaconne is....making the Oxygen sound narrow lol.