[RikudouGoku]

Okay, so I have several ear buds coming my way. This is the order that I purchased them starting with the most recent: the EarBuds Anonymous Ear Buds, the Fengru Cat Ear Audio Mimi, the Fengru DIY Tingo TC200, the VE Monk Lite 120 Ohm, the QianYun Qian69, and the Yincrow X6.

I was attempting to get a representation of several ear bud shell shapes and fairly well reviewed examples That didn’t cost too much. The Yincrow, QianYun, and TC200 are presently stuck in customs while the Mimi and Monks are on the boat. The Earbuds Anon I just ordered so I assume it will be a while on them.

I want to do a shootout that has some credibility to it and I’d appreciate suggestions from the contributors here on how to conduct it. Should I burn all these in for some time before even starting? Is there a good way to ‘reset’ my hearing in between the listening tests (like using a fairly neutral can like the HD650)? I am open to any and all suggestions And I’m more than willing to send some of these on a tour afterwards.

Thanks in advance

The best way IMO to reset your hearing. Is to just go to sleep and do the rest of the comparisons the next day.

 

[headenvelopedinsound]

Is there a big difference between M1Pro and M2Pro modular solutions? Is the use of the DIY driver easier and is there a difference in sound?

Yeah man those cables are amazing. I am planning on getting another balanced for my Planars. Feel like they may be to bulky for buds but maybe not.

Ok Smabat M1Pro is just about as flat as you are going to get. A little more warmth than my Fearless S6Pro and LSR305 studio monitors. Very comfortable set.

Smabat M2Pro is imho the sweet spot between the M1Pro and the ST10/s series. The driver in the standard, non DIY, M2Pro is identical to the ST10s silver. You get about 3db to much in the 2-3khz range but it's easily overlooked by the aural sensations you get from the openness of sound and more high end detail/extension.

I ordered the gold driver as well but just isn't my thing. Not heard it in a long while but I gave it a fair go and just wasn't impressed. They are actually in my ST10s silver shells currently.

Smabat M2Pro DIY - recommend to just stay away unless you are just buying for shells. They send you the black plastic face driver which is what they call the "Vocal" driver and it is by far bottom of my driver collection... it just sounds bad. Since M2Pro is already modular you can just swap out the drivers. What I ended up doing is just harvesting the little silver rings off the "DIY Vocal" drivers and that all you do is snap those onto the back of any 15.6 driver you have. Just pry gently with a smaller screw driver or a guitar pick.

And as far as working with them, you are a seasoned DIY bud builder, it is all very easy.

Smabat M2Pro standard version is the buy to make. After that you can snap off the little backs and try out other drivers if you feel like it. The stock tuning discs are my favorite as well.

 

[furyossa]

Yeah man those cables are amazing. I am planning on getting another balanced for my Planars. Feel like they may be to bulky for buds but maybe not.

Ok Smabat M1Pro is just about as flat as you are going to get. A little more warmth than my Fearless S6Pro and LSR305 studio monitors. Very comfortable set.

Smabat M2Pro is imho the sweet spot between the M1Pro and the ST10/s series. The driver in the standard, non DIY, M2Pro is identical to the ST10s silver. You get about 3db to much in the 2-3khz range but it's easily overlooked by the aural sensations you get from the openness of sound and more high end detail/extension.

I ordered the gold driver as well but just isn't my thing. Not heard it in a long while but I gave it a fair go and just wasn't impressed. They are actually in my ST10s silver shells currently.

Smabat M2Pro DIY - recommend to just stay away unless you are just buying for shells. They send you the black plastic face driver which is what they call the "Vocal" driver and it is by far bottom of my driver collection... it just sounds bad. Since M2Pro is already modular you can just swap out the drivers. What I ended up doing is just harvesting the little silver rings off the "DIY Vocal" drivers and that all you do is snap those onto the back of any 15.6 driver you have. Just pry gently with a smaller screw driver or a guitar pick.

And as far as working with them, you are a seasoned DIY bud builder, it is all very easy.

Smabat M2Pro standard version is the buy to make. After that you can snap off the little backs and try out other drivers if you feel like it. The stock tuning discs are my favorite as well.

Thanks for this extensive explanation. I see you've become a doctor for Smabat modular system.
It would be nice, of course when you have free time, if you could make some presentation with images about using DIY drivers with a Smabat modular shell.
I think it will be interesting for the other members. You can post on the DIY earbuds thread

 

[Dany1]

Same experience here too, no way theres a tinge of berylium sound in it. Even my cheap MX500 sounds better.

Exactly my thoughts. How would i know what magic beryllium is doing, when there's not even an ounce of decent bass present in the overall sound. It's not even a fit issue, even if i really try to put these deep in my ears, the bass is still really weak and the treble region just sounds bit harsh because there's nothing present in the low-end to balance and add warmth to the sound.

I believe there are some unit variations and quality control issue with their beryllium diaphragms. I have heard over 6 really well recommended earbuds and they despite being much cheaper are sounding much better and enjoyable because they have better low-end. My JCally EP09 unit in its current state is really not usable. I try listening to them and then i wonder why am i even trying to force myself to like these. The sound is clearly not good on these.

Anyway, I'll give them a 50 hours burn-in and see if things start to change. I really hope they do otherwise i'll just keep these as a showpiece in my collection. The build quality is quiet good on these and the cable looks and feels amazing.

 

[waynes world]

Truth!

This guys cables are awesome. I ordered a braided copper for my S6Pro for my live performance needs and could not be more pleased. He even included a really nice grey case and 8 core cable along with it that is nicer than the standard lot of upgrade cables you see on Ali. This is the one I chose https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001738129525.html?spm=2114.13010708.0.0.3a994c4dzjUs0v

Thanks! Yes, that cable looks nice. I really like the fabric casing. And I like the 4 core for less bulkiness/weight.

Is the cable fairly flexible and supple? Many of my cables end up getting stiff which is annoying.

And I wonder if it could be made without the earhook bend. I would be using it for the ST10's, but I like to wear them cable down. I'll ask them.

I'll have to check out what other cables they have!

 

[RikudouGoku]

Thanks! Yes, that cable looks nice. I really like the fabric casing. And I like the 4 core for less bulkiness/weight.

Is the cable fairly flexible and supple? Many of my cables end up getting stiff which is annoying.

And I wonder if it could be made without the earhook bend. I would be using it for the ST10's, but I like to wear them cable down. I'll ask them.

I'll have to check out what other cables they have!

Yes, you can ask him to remove the hooks. Actually, you can ask him to create an entirely new cable for you if you want. Thats how this cable got created.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002350509830.html

Its a cable I designed and they liked it enough to sell it lol.

 

[waynes world]

Yes, you can ask him to remove the hooks. Actually, you can ask him to create an entirely new cable for you if you want. Thats how this cable got created.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002350509830.html

Its a cable I designed and they liked it enough to sell it lol.

Nicely done! I wonder why your cable costs less than the 4 core?

 

[axhng]

Exactly my thoughts. How would i know what magic beryllium is doing, when there's not even an ounce of decent bass present in the overall sound. It's not even a fit issue, even if i really try to put these deep in my ears, the bass is still really weak and the treble region just sounds bit harsh because there's nothing present in the low-end to balance and add warmth to the sound.

I believe there are some unit variations and quality control issue with their beryllium diaphragms. I have heard over 6 really well recommended earbuds and they despite being much cheaper are sounding much better and enjoyable because they have better low-end. My JCally EP09 unit in its current state is really not usable. I try listening to them and then i wonder why am i even trying to force myself to like these. The sound is clearly not good on these.

Anyway, I'll give them a 50 hours burn-in and see if things start to change. I really hope they do otherwise i'll just keep these as a showpiece in my collection. The build quality is quiet good on these and the cable looks and feels amazing.

It could be unit variations and QC for sure since they are still on the cheaper side of things. For my unit, I think the bass quantity is pretty typical for earbuds (which is to say pretty light), but maybe it's a bit too tight? The decay seems a tad too fast so it lacks the extra warmth that other earbuds, especially those with MX500 shells seems to give in the mid bass region? Detail retrieval does seem better as a result. But my personal issue with it is probably more in the midrange rather than the treble. In tracks with vocals that hits the right frequencies, they sound a bit honky and congested. It's a somewhat weird tuning to me in the sense that there is a small rise at around 800Hz to 1KHz, then it dips noticeably till ~1.4KHz before rising again sharply to 3KHz. For some tracks it still sounds okay, but in some tracks it sounds a bit off to me. I think it's still listenable most of the time, but not my favourite or most natural sounding for sure. But YMMV of course since different folks have different hearing, different preference, different choice of music, etc. Also for me some earbuds sounds better with a snug fit, some (faael iris CE, nicehck b40) sounds better if I loosen them a bit or tilt them slightly, and make them "not fit as nicely". But either way, the EP09 for me isn't a pair of earbuds that I will actively choose to listen to since I have a bunch of other buds that I enjoy more.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Nicely done! I wonder why your cable costs less than the 4 core?

No idea. I personally won't buy a cable above 40 usd as that is too expensive for a cable.

 

[Sam L]

Been using my Smabat ST-10 Silvers for a few months now and after EQing them I don't think I'll need to buy any new headphones/buds for a while, very happy with them right now.

I used to use open back headphones but had to stop using them because I would get acne where the pads would sit on my face, so I moved to IEMs. Really missed that open feeling from open back feeling from my old headphones, so I when I was looking around for alternatives I found this thread which has been very helpful for me.

Not really much of an audiophile don't even use an amp or DAC because I'm lazy lol, so maybe I can't hear some of the finer details that people have critiqued on these buds. I'll just say that I'm very happy with my purchase.

what is your source?

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Yes, you can ask him to remove the hooks. Actually, you can ask him to create an entirely new cable for you if you want. Thats how this cable got created.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002350509830.html

Its a cable I designed and they liked it enough to sell it lol.

That is so, so purdy! I am really liking my new custom 2.5TRRS Headphone Extension Cable that XINHS made for me. Amazing quality (materials and workmanship) for the price.

 

[furyossa]

That is so, so purdy! I am really liking my new custom 2.5TRRS Headphone Extension Cable that XINHS made for me. Amazing quality (materials and workmanship) for the price.

That's why I post this kind of comments

You are lucky because you find one pair that suit your needs.
BTW... Don't stay on this thread for long, because you will probably end up with the whole Smabat lineup

And guess who is the "fire starter"?

 

[WoodyLuvr]

龙谣音曼 Longyao (Dragon Ballad) Yinman DR09 (32Ω)

I enjoy watching the evolution of earbud design especially cabling, terminations, and accessories offered.

This is Longyao Yinman's newest flagship the DR09

 

[0b0d0]

Indeed, the Trig Rain Thins, as suggested by @furyossa, are of excellent quality.

Bought 10 black and 10 blue ones and oddly, blues died pretty quickly. I recommend only the black ones from this experience.

About the JCally EP09, having a hard time to believe those bought by axhng and Dany1 are the same 1clearhead and i got. He and i can not disagree more on this one but it looks like that we (may) be talking about the same thing. There should be some drivers variations involved here.

In tracks with vocals that hits the right frequencies, they sound a bit honky and congested.

This, i got too. Big time.

A "pure" V shape in buds I think is impossible to get. of what I have tried, perhaps the 1008 is the closest thing.

Would the RW-9 be looked at as a good or even better illustration of a V-shaped bud?

Try Ostry kc08t wthout color marks.

golov17, would you please tell me how the soundstage is on this one ? I'm now pretty sure that's quite the big matter to me in general.

On the EBX. (Yes it's a bit hot and fatiguing). Is there here a consensus on the quality of his soundstage?

Oh and one last thing, not so much have been said on the Rose MariaS, mearly nothing on the second one. Any more input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Oh and one last thing, not so much have been said on the Rose MariaS, mearly nothing on the second one. Any more input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

If you speak of 2020 - Rose Technics Maria II (14Ω; 16mm & 14.8mm) there have been some discussions but not many... they be "bright" which turns a lot of people off immediately when it comes to earbuds.

Here is a nice brief from @ClieOS regarding the Maria II

Regarding 2019 - Rose Technics Maria (14Ω) here is a nice measurement by @ClieOS as well as a review by @davidmolliere