[jogawag]

In @ClieOS's last list of Earbuds rankings, one of Shoonth's early flagship models, the "Shoonth ESP-01B", was ranked 31st overall, and he commented that
"Possibility even better bass quality and extension than VE Zen 1.0. Slightly warm, good soundstage, but a little grainy on the top vocal. Very stiff cable and hard to drive.".

 

[furyossa]

In @ClieOS's last list of Earbuds rankings, one of Shoonth's early flagship models, the "Shoonth ESP-01B", was ranked 31st overall, and he commented that
"Possibility even better bass quality and extension than VE Zen 1.0. Slightly warm, good soundstage, but a little grainy on the top vocal. Very stiff cable and hard to drive.".

That's what I predicted about the cable. FURUKAWA cables are thin and stiff, but not easy to break.
This is still 32ohm driver and adding 120ohm resistor will not change SQ.
I like a little warmth with a touch of graininess, especially in winter

 

[axhng]

These came in the mail today. Gotta give it to Shopee this time round for their shipping. Ordered on 1st July morning, got them 6th July afternoon. 5 days to ship from China to Singapore with free shipping.

Anyway, not my cup of tea for sure. I'm using full foams btw. Spent a bit of time listening to them, and the tuning.... sounds weird to me. There seems to be a lot of mid bass, to the point where male vocals can sound like they're being drowned out. Bass also doesn't seem to reach super deep, and sounds boomy too? Drum strikes sounds more like dull thuds to me, and when there are a lot of fast drum strikes they just kinda sound smeared together.

Vocals sound a little weird to my ears too. There is a pretty noticeable bump around 2-3 kHz maybe to try and push some of the vocals forward from the mix from the bass? but to me it sounds like some vocals end up being too forward, some end up still being drowned out by the lower frequencies. Then some instruments that are supposed to be in the background feels like they've been pushed more forward in the mix too, and my guess is that they just happen to be in that frequency range where that bump is?. There is a bit of elevation somewhere in the lower treble, and then it's just rolled off after that. Staging and imaging isn't particularly great even for earbuds, detail retrieval is pretty meh, tonality and timbre sounds a bit off to me too. (this bump is also why I don't like them with donut foams too)

Maybe it's just not made for my ears or preference? Maybe the seller (JieTu from shopee) replaced the driver with something worse to increase profit (since the packages for these earbuds are rarely sealed) and it's not direct from VE's site? But I highly doubt so though since most of the things I've bought from them were fine (including the nicehck me80, k's lbbs). Maybe it's a QC issue? (I can be pretty unlucky when it comes to these things.) But either way, this pair of monk plus (standard edition) that I have here is not something I would listen to after this. I probably enjoy the Vido, iris ancestor, nicehck traceless, kbear stellar, k's nameless, more than this. And all of those are cheaper on Shopee. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

OH, and another thing is the colour. To me it's always Red = Right, Blue = Left. But here on the monk plus the blue side is the right channel. Am I the weird one for thinking that Red = Right?

a photo of the inside of the monk plus that I have, so maybe someone can see if it looks roughly the same as theirs or not.

 

[sfrsfr]

These came in the mail today. Gotta give it to Shopee this time round for their shipping. Ordered on 1st July morning, got them 6th July afternoon. 5 days to ship from China to Singapore with free shipping.



Anyway, not my cup of tea for sure. I'm using full foams btw. Spent a bit of time listening to them, and the tuning.... sounds weird to me. There seems to be a lot of mid bass, to the point where male vocals can sound like they're being drowned out. Bass also doesn't seem to reach super deep, and sounds boomy too? Drum strikes sounds more like dull thuds to me, and when there are a lot of fast drum strikes they just kinda sound smeared together.

Vocals sound a little weird to my ears too. There is a pretty noticeable bump around 2-3 kHz maybe to try and push some of the vocals forward from the mix from the bass? but to me it sounds like some vocals end up being too forward, some end up still being drowned out by the lower frequencies. Then some instruments that are supposed to be in the background feels like they've been pushed more forward in the mix too, and my guess is that they just happen to be in that frequency range where that bump is?. There is a bit of elevation somewhere in the lower treble, and then it's just rolled off after that. Staging and imaging isn't particularly great even for earbuds, detail retrieval is pretty meh, tonality and timbre sounds a bit off to me too. (this bump is also why I don't like them with donut foams too)

Maybe it's just not made for my ears or preference? Maybe the seller (JieTu from shopee) replaced the driver with something worse to increase profit (since the packages for these earbuds are rarely sealed) and it's not direct from VE's site? But I highly doubt so though since most of the things I've bought from them were fine (including the nicehck me80, k's lbbs). Maybe it's a QC issue? (I can be pretty unlucky when it comes to these things.) But either way, this pair of monk plus (standard edition) that I have here is not something I would listen to after this. I probably enjoy the Vido, iris ancestor, nicehck traceless, kbear stellar, k's nameless, more than this. And all of those are cheaper on Shopee. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

OH, and another thing is the colour. To me it's always Red = Right, Blue = Left. But here on the monk plus the blue side is the right channel. Am I the weird one for thinking that Red = Right?

a photo of the inside of the monk plus that I have, so maybe someone can see if it looks roughly the same as theirs or not.

Jietu store is surely one of the most trustworthy chinese audio stores out there. I've bought about half of my earbuds and gear from Jietu. The service is always excellent and they promptly answer any of my questions and requests.
The most likely answer is you've got the real Monk+. Deal with it!

Btw. how do you find the K's LBBS now? Does the sound signature resemble the K64S? And what is actually the difference between K64S and K64?

 

[chinmie]

Anyway, not my cup of tea for sure. I'm using full foams btw. Spent a bit of time listening to them, and the tuning.... sounds weird to me. There seems to be a lot of mid bass, to the point where male vocals can sound like they're being drowned out. Bass also doesn't seem to reach super deep, and sounds boomy too? Drum strikes sounds more like dull thuds to me, and when there are a lot of fast drum strikes they just kinda sound smeared together.

Vocals sound a little weird to my ears too. There is a pretty noticeable bump around 2-3 kHz maybe to try and push some of the vocals forward from the mix from the bass? but to me it sounds like some vocals end up being too forward, some end up still being drowned out by the lower frequencies. Then some instruments that are supposed to be in the background feels like they've been pushed more forward in the mix too, and my guess is that they just happen to be in that frequency range where that bump is?. There is a bit of elevation somewhere in the lower treble, and then it's just rolled off after that. Staging and imaging isn't particularly great even for earbuds, detail retrieval is pretty meh, tonality and timbre sounds a bit off to me too. (this bump is also why I don't like them with donut foams too)

that sounds about right for a monk+

 

[Ronion]

My SMABAT M2s Pro will be here soon I am just about ready to send a bunch of Ear Buds out to whoever wants them. I need to have several grand listening sessions first. for the last 3 days it’s been nothing but the ShoonTH, so I’m pretty sure those won’t go anywhere, same goes for the EA Ear Buds and possibly my X6. It may go, but I really like it for ‘on the go‘ music production. It has a signature that works well for writing lo-fi beats and even playing VST pianos, but I am going to trial the EA Ear Buds for that too. Who knows how I’ll like the SMABAT… If anyone come is interested in getting on the list earlier just PM me.

 

[jogawag]

Jietu store is surely one of the most trustworthy chinese audio stores out there. I've bought about half of my earbuds and gear from Jietu. The service is always excellent and they promptly answer any of my questions or requests.
The most likely answer is you've got the real Monk+. Deal with it!

Btw. how do you find the LBBS now? Does the sound signature resemble the K64S? And what is actually the difference between K64S and K64?

I think LBBS has a very high sound quality that is totally incomparable to K64.

Also, I don't know about the K64S because I don't have it and I can't seem to find it on AliExpress. So, why don't you ask your trusted Jietu store?

 

[nymz]

My SMABAT M2s Pro will be here soon I am just about ready to send a bunch of Ear Buds out to whoever wants them. I need to have several grand listening sessions first. for the last 3 days it’s been nothing but the ShoonTH, so I’m pretty sure those won’t go anywhere, same goes for the EA Ear Buds and possibly my X6. It may go, but I really like it for ‘on the go‘ music production. It has a signature that works well for writing lo-fi beats and even playing VST pianos, but I am going to trial the EA Ear Buds for that too. Who knows how I’ll like the SMABAT… If anyone come is interested in getting on the list earlier just PM me.

Also waiting on mine... And on lbbs. EU vat regulations screwed the customs queue on my country... the golden driver (150ohm) got here first..

 

[axhng]

Jietu store is surely one of the most trustworthy chinese audio stores out there. I've bought about half of my earbuds and gear from Jietu. The service is always excellent and they promptly answer any of my questions or requests.
The most likely answer is you've got the real Monk+. Deal with it!

Btw. how do you find the LBBS now? Does the sound signature resemble the K64S? And what is actually the difference between K64S and K64?

Yeah, same here. I've bought from them from a number of times already, so I doubt that to be the case too. It's probably way too much effort too for little gains. Which leaves it down to QC or just my personal preference I guess since I tend to prioritise mids more than anything else.

no idea what's different about k64 and k64s apart from the different cable though.

For the LBBS, still kinda want to give them more time in my ears before I come to a conclusion, but my thoughts at this point is that the LBBS don't quite resemble the K64S' sound signature to me. I'm using a single full foams and they have a bright-ish neutral tuning to me with an overall more airy/open presentation. I personally don't find the bass quantity lacking, but there is a bit less bass quantity overall especially mid bass, slightly more forward midrange with more elevation in the upper mids and lower treble, and a bit more treble overall. they are not as smooth to listen to, and probably less "fun" if you like some warmth and a bit more bass, but I still really enjoy them for different reasons. the detail retrieval and clarity is quite addictive. even though there isn't a ton of bass quantity, the quality sounds great to me. Tight and well controlled. The upper mids and lower treble might be a bit much for some folks, but for me it's fine, and I can still listen to it for hours without issue. Nice amount of treble, but something like the nicehck ME80 probably has a tad more elevation at around 9-10 kHz, so cymbals (and probably any instruments with a similar metallic nature) has a bit more of a natural sounding decay (to my subjective perception at least, but the difference is really tiny). I noticed it because of this pretty popular performance of autumn leaves, and at around 0:47 someone drops a coin into what sounds like a violin case with some coins already inside, and on the ME80 the sound of the coin hitting other coins in there sounds slightly more organic? It's a strange thing to pay attention to i know. lol.

But anyway, I think it has better clarity and detail retrieval over the ME80 as well, which makes orchestral music really shine for me, especially those with wind instruments, and violins. I feel like the airier presentation helps in making it sound more spacious too. Imaging is excellent as well. That said, because of good technicalities, I find them enjoyable even when listening to Billie Eillish's Bad Guy or Tove Lo's Habits. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(these can probably be considered to be epic music too?)



I've found a ton of enjoyment over these tracks in particular even though I don't listen to them that often. Anyway, as you can probably somewhat tell, I really enjoy them. But because of the leaner presentation, leaner mid bass, and perhaps bright-ish sound, some folks might not enjoy them as much, but that can be somewhat helped by using full foam + donut foams. Though no matter what the sub-bass still isn't going to be as good as the ME80 though. I personally prefer single full foams, because i find that it dulls the treble a bit, which takes away a bit of what I like about them. So far, i feel like they're worth the 44 SGD asking price on shopee at least.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Before I start, understand this as my personal opinion. I have no intention of hype this product line


ESEP-01BL is the good entry level buds which shows its uniqueness and true character of the ShoonTH lineup. IMO, the price is just right. I'm not a fan of the cable, but even if you cut the cable, I will buy it again By saying this I mean that this driver (32ohm) alone is the strong candidate to be in range $10-$20


Now looking at the ESEP-01BLE and reading product description we see some differences, enhanced driver and cables. They tested each driver and resistor to find a pair
with approximately equal impedance. Also, all of this requires additional driver tuning. The next thing that raises the price here is the cable, of course the beautiful look (my subjective opinion) is not the only reason for that. I personally like how they match plug and Y-splitter with "wasp pattern" snake skin.
I use FURUKAWA silver plated copper cable with my DIY PK1 150ohm "red film" driver and I noticed small improvement in driver performance comparing it with other cheap cables. This cable is thin but rigid (can be good or bad thing, I don't mind that much), and it feels strong.
And now the main question: Is all this worth 4 times the price of previous model?
Well... for overall effort: enhanced driver (150ohm), tuning, quality cable wire and parts, attention to the details, richer package with accessories, the price around $100 would be a complete hit, $120 ...hmm...maybe ok


ESEP-01BU ... what can incense the price $100? This is a hard one if you ask me, and correct me if I'm wrong.
This is not so important, but I need to mention, the package looks a bit downgraded in comparison with ESEP-01BLE.
As for the driver, I think that they probably chose the best samples of the previous version here with some additional tuning.
Looking at the cable, we see that they use the same plug and Y-splitter, the snake skin has a different pattern.
The main difference is the wire. It's thinner and braided, which may indicate two things: softer cable and no microphonics.
Is asking price ok? I will not agree here. Upper limit will be $200 but $150-$170 is a much more realistic price for this model.

BTW... this lineup is not so new and the TOTL model is not mentioned anywhere in the reviews, which may mean that it was not sold as much.
The only solution I see here is to lower the price and send one pair to @RikudouGoku for testing

They got an interesting shell at least. But I doubt @Penon would send me one.

 

[furyossa]

They got an interesting shell at least. But I doubt @Penon would send me one.

You will enjoy in comfort with them. DP100 shell has way better fit and comfort then MX500.
Try again, this time be nice, maybe they can send you whole lineup

 

[wskl]

Yeah, same here. I've bought from them from a number of times already, so I doubt that to be the case too. It's probably way too much effort too for little gains. Which leaves it down to QC or just my personal preference I guess since I tend to prioritise mids more than anything else.



no idea what's different about k64 and k64s apart from the different cable though.

For the LBBS, still kinda want to give them more time in my ears before I come to a conclusion, but my thoughts at this point is that the LBBS don't quite resemble the K64S' sound signature to me. I'm using a single full foams and they have a bright-ish neutral tuning to me with an overall more airy/open presentation. I personally don't find the bass quantity lacking, but there is a bit less bass quantity overall especially mid bass, slightly more forward midrange with more elevation in the upper mids and lower treble, and a bit more treble overall. they are not as smooth to listen to, and probably less "fun" if you like some warmth and a bit more bass, but I still really enjoy them for different reasons. the detail retrieval and clarity is quite addictive. even though there isn't a ton of bass quantity, the quality sounds great to me. Tight and well controlled. The upper mids and lower treble might be a bit much for some folks, but for me it's fine, and I can still listen to it for hours without issue. Nice amount of treble, but something like the nicehck ME80 probably has a tad more elevation at around 9-10 kHz, so cymbals (and probably any instruments with a similar metallic nature) has a bit more of a natural sounding decay (to my subjective perception at least, but the difference is really tiny). I noticed it because of this pretty popular performance of autumn leaves, and at around 0:47 someone drops a coin into what sounds like a violin case with some coins already inside, and on the ME80 the sound of the coin hitting other coins in there sounds slightly more organic? It's a strange thing to pay attention to i know. lol.

But anyway, I think it has better clarity and detail retrieval over the ME80 as well, which makes orchestral music really shine for me, especially those with wind instruments, and violins. I feel like the airier presentation helps in making it sound more spacious too. Imaging is excellent as well. That said, because of good technicalities, I find them enjoyable even when listening to Billie Eillish's Bad Guy or Tove Lo's Habits. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(these can probably be considered to be epic music too?)



I've found a ton of enjoyment over these tracks in particular even though I don't listen to them that often. Anyway, as you can probably somewhat tell, I really enjoy them. But because of the leaner presentation, leaner mid bass, and perhaps bright-ish sound, some folks might not enjoy them as much, but that can be somewhat helped by using full foam + donut foams. Though no matter what the sub-bass still isn't going to be as good as the ME80 though. I personally prefer single full foams, because i find that it dulls the treble a bit, which takes away a bit of what I like about them. So far, i feel like they're worth the 44 SGD asking price on shopee at least.

Nice write up on the LBBS, I have the white LBB and your post pretty much describes the sound of mine. The elevated upper mids do smooth out eventually, like after a few hundred hours .. lol

 

[axhng]

Nice write up on the LBBS, I have the white LBB and your post pretty much describes the sound of mine. The elevated upper mids do smooth out eventually, like after a few hundred hours .. lol

Thanks! I'll probably be using them a ton anyway. For me I think because the detail retrieval is good, i'm happy with the upper mids even as they are now actually. So instead of finding them shouty, I think they just sound really clear. With the few reports here about QC issues, I'm just hoping that I can get a few hundred hours of play time out of them

I wonder if that has to do with how short the stem is too. For shells with longer stem it's a lot easier to remove them by grabbing the stem. But on the LBBS, it's mostly just wire. If one pulls on the wire to remove the earbuds too often, that would probably place more stress on the solder points (or drivers?) if there isn't a proper strain relief internally. I'm trying my best to always remember to lift the earbuds from the stem first to loosen them, so i can get a better grip on the shell to pull them out of my ears. But sometimes i still pull it out by the wires out of muscle memory.

 

[ya1950]

Thanks! I'll probably be using them a ton anyway. For me I think because the detail retrieval is good, i'm happy with the upper mids even as they are now actually. So instead of finding them shouty, I think they just sound really clear. With the few reports here about QC issues, I'm just hoping that I can get a few hundred hours of play time out of them

I got the LBBS based on the suggestion of @jogawag who recommended them as an upgrade to the NiceHCK MX500. Your post describes very well what I'm hearing as well. To my ears they are bright neutral with very good details and impactful bass which satisfies my sound preference. I'm just getting used to them so this might change with time.

Initially I found them shouty on the verge of being fatiguing. Based on another post by @jogawag I added a donut foam to the regular full foam. For me this tamed the treble considerably and changed them from shouty to very enjoyable. I'm not sure why the change was so dramatic but I suspect that I am getting a much better fit with the double foams and this is effecting what I hear.

 

[furyossa]

I got the LBBS based on the suggestion of @jogawag who recommended them as an upgrade to the NiceHCK MX500. Your post describes very well what I'm hearing as well. To my ears they are bright neutral with very good details and impactful bass which satisfies my sound preference. I'm just getting used to them so this might change with time.

Initially I found them shouty on the verge of being fatiguing. Based on another post by @jogawag I added a donut foam to the regular full foam. For me this tamed the treble considerably and changed them from shouty to very enjoyable. I'm not sure why the change was so dramatic but I suspect that I am getting a much better fit with the double foams and this is effecting what I hear.

Cut the round piece of medical mask and put that, then full foam, optionally donut. Here I play with different things, but see tuning paper shape. That mod will reduce treble even more