[fonkepala]

well this doesn't bode well for K's durability.. less than 24 hours later the titanium sleeve on the 4.4mm jack just pops off when you push towards the plug. It should be ok for the most part since most of the time you're pulling the plug out and in the opposite direction but haha yeah.. just not a great experience. If you were in my shoes would you open a dispute for this?

Oof. For that amount of money, I would.

 

[n00b]

Yeah I just sent them a friendly message asking for help before escalating, we'll see what happens. I ordered from VS Audio Store. I'm also worried about channel imbalance -- I briefly heard the left side louder than the right, but it was when I inserted them into a dongle for the first time and noticed the sleeve came off. So my thinking is that as I was inserting the Bell into the dongle, I pushed the sleeve off slightly and it stopped the plug from inserting completely, leading to channel imbalance. Once I tried other plugs and the same 4.4mm knowing it was inserted all the way, I tested with a tone generator and there was no imbalance. Just kinda.. worrying for the price haha. And would be disappointing because they sound unreal otherwise

 

[DBaldock9]

well this doesn't bode well for K's durability.. less than 24 hours later the titanium sleeve on the 4.4mm jack just pops off when you push towards the plug. It should be ok for the most part since most of the time you're pulling the plug out and in the opposite direction but haha yeah.. just not a great experience. If you were in my shoes would you open a dispute for this?

As a cosmetic, rather than functional issue - my first instinct would be to just glue the sleeve back on with some "super glue" - taking care to first cover the contacts on the plug with tape.

 

[Carrow]

F in the chat for my Sony MDR-434 set. I got them recabled (solving the annoying J-cable issue) and reterminated so could reap the benefits of MMCX. They lasted all of two weeks. Drivers had a heart attack overnight, looks like. I'm sad. I think I can save the shoelace cable (from Vic Hernandez at Stiks Audio) but fairly sure these are cooked. o7

Cooked, calling it. Time of death: 10/09/21, 6:34pm GMT. o7

 

[Ronion]

@Carrow, sorry to hear about your buds man, but you are hilarious Seems like you are taking it well.

@n00b, that stinks! You’ve got a lot of nice buds. If this doesn’t work out to your satisfaction I’d recommend trying a set of Blur. They are definitely more resolving that the SMABAT (assuming yours are similarly resolving as mine, but it’s hard to say with how differently we hear the various permutations of them lol), and you don’t have to tweak the tone at all. Just tell Wong what you are looking for and Bam, he nails it.

 

[Carrow]

@Carrow, sorry to hear about your buds man, but you are hilarious Seems like you are taking it well.

@n00b, that stinks! You’ve got a lot of nice buds. If this doesn’t work out to your satisfaction I’d recommend trying a set of Blur. They are definitely more resolving that the SMABAT (assuming yours are similarly resolving as mine, but it’s hard to say with how differently we hear the various permutations of them lol), and you don’t have to tweak the tone at all. Just tell Wong what you are looking for and Bam, he nails it.

I'd be a lot more pissed if I didn't have a lead on a pair of genuine endgame-level vintage buds

 

[shenshen]

Mail day!

LBBS and newbsound X

 

[n00b]

Can any Bell Ti/Onmyoji owners weigh in: would I be asking for trouble wearing the Bell Ti over the ear? I get the most comfortable and secure fit this way but I worry it might strain the cable near the stems. The curve is pretty gentle as is, and I'm hoping the stem is enough strain relief.. what do you think? This is always my worry about buds with non-detachable cables.

 

[shenshen]

Mail day!

LBBS and newbsound X

Initial impressions:

LBBS: What more needs to be said? These deserve all the praise they get, they punch far above their weight in terms of price. Very nice, balanced tuning with impressive technical ability. These being my first bell earbuds, as with all shell types I have encountered thus far, they fit well and I have no problem using them for extended periods of time.

newbsound X: Wasn't quite sure what to expect from this, but I was optimistic given the few reviews/impressions I could find being positive. I am glad to say that they deserve the praise they get! This pair is tuned very tastefully on the warm side and the low end is very well executed. Above average subbass quantity and good speed to go along with it. Despite the warm tuning and smooth tonality, detail is not lost on these and soundstage is also quite good. Notes have a considerable weight to them. These are a very fun pair of buds and make a good addition to my growing collection. I am happy to recommend them to anyone that can get them

 

[assassin10000]

Can any Bell Ti/Onmyoji owners weigh in: would I be asking for trouble wearing the Bell Ti over the ear? I get the most comfortable and secure fit this way but I worry it might strain the cable near the stems. The curve is pretty gentle as is, and I'm hoping the stem is enough strain relief.. what do you think? This is always my worry about buds with non-detachable cables.

No more so than hanging down. Perhaps less actually.

Do you use those silicone ear hook/guides as well?

 

[shenshen]

I see you have the Blur, too. Mine is the 266 MX64 aPs so a quick comparison with the Newbsound X will be much appreciated.

I'm not sure how close our MX400 aPs and MX64 aPs are, but compared to my MX400:

newbsound X is much more warm leaning than the MX400 aPs which sounds slightly bright. Where the newbsound X has a fun, U-shaped sound, the MX400 aPs is a mid-centric, detail monster. They're almost opposites in that sense. Don't get it twisted though, the newbsound X executes its sound excellently. They are just such different earbuds imo.

 

[n00b]

No more so than hanging down. Perhaps less actually.

Do you use those silicone ear hook/guides as well?

nope, no need for silicone. Just a full foam and it sits securely and comfortably in my ear and can withstand me looking around or the weight of the cable going into my pocket, etc.

The wire doesn't look strained or anything right?

 

[assassin10000]

nope, no need for silicone. Just a full foam and it sits securely and comfortably in my ear and can withstand me looking around or the weight of the cable going into my pocket, etc.

The wire doesn't look strained or anything right?

Forgot about the longer stem vs the LBBs. Possibly a slight bit of strain where it enters the stem.

 

[n00b]

hmm.. when i wear them down, i need to wear them sort of diagonally so there’s a similar bend going into the stem too. but its less stable and yanks around a bit more which might be even worse. i wish i didnt have to baby these things.. theyre $700 and made of titanium x____x

 

[fonkepala]

@Carrow, sorry to hear about your buds man, but you are hilarious Seems like you are taking it well.

@n00b, that stinks! You’ve got a lot of nice buds. If this doesn’t work out to your satisfaction I’d recommend trying a set of Blur. They are definitely more resolving that the SMABAT (assuming yours are similarly resolving as mine, but it’s hard to say with how differently we hear the various permutations of them lol), and you don’t have to tweak the tone at all. Just tell Wong what you are looking for and Bam, he nails it.

I concur with ronion’s rec of Blur earbuds, @n00b. you should give Wong a shot. There’s a reason a very small boutique maker like him has gained such a loyal following throughout the years. Not as expensive as the Bell-Ti, but probably just as capable of making your nipples erect, I wager. Perhaps even more.