Hi guys, I'm back and I'm sorry for the sudden appearance, I've been busy on the DIY earbuds thread since and some stuff IRL so I haven't interacted that much in this thread. I'll just share my reviews on some various prebuilts that I currently have right now and I hope some of you might find it helpful!~
Earbuds shootout
I wanted to review some of the prebuilts that stayed and visited me throughout the year, so I thought of sharing some of my experiences with you guys. I will only give short reviews/impressions for them because making longer paragraphs will bore the reader even more, most of them have the same qualities (esp. the build and packaging) so omitting most of those details would be more efficient and I’m just really lazy so three birds in one stone I guess?
Some parameters:
- I like my earbuds on any signature, as long as it has sufficient bass performance. I want them to be at least well rounded in the bass region.
- I always put foamies on my earbud whenever possible (with exceptions such as the Motorola earbuds that I’ll discuss later on). I believe foams are vital to the fit and bass performance of the earbuds.
- I will use my Zishan U1 and Aune BU2 (for balanced pairs such as EB2) for the source and power. Rest assured, they drive these pairs very well and I don’t need the “scalability” excuse for an earbud that is not even hard to drive, spec-wise
- I will omit some of the details that you might expect with a full review. I want to make it simple and short, but if you want to know more I am willing to answer your questions!
- In terms of foamie types, I will use the usual foamies with other models EXCEPT VE earbuds since I wanted to use it with its stock foamies as much as possible.
- There are some models that I recabled and refurbished, especially Kube pairs with its crumbly tuning foam inside due to stock quality or my refurbished TY Hi-Z 32ohms, but rest assured, the sound changes are minimal at best.
- I will try to compare and reference some models mentioned here, and further expand on models with early versions such as Monk Plus MP5, which I had the experience with the previous version.
- Here is most of the music I listen to test these earbuds: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble
- [NEW] This megapost will be continously updated with new earbuds, and I'll try to review alot of them as much as I can so stay tuned!
List of Earbuds:
Kube 1.0 Orange (replaced the crumbly old tuning foam)
DIY TC200 (recabled, old ver)
Headroom MS16 (recabled)
TY Hi-Z 32ohms (reshelled, recabled)
FAAEAL Snow Lotus 1.0 CE Edition
K’searphones K64
VE Monk Plus “MP5” version, standard smoke translucent shell
VE Monk GO
Yincrow X6/Vido
Willsound MK2
Nicehck EB2
Not-by-VE Motorola earbuds
Built like a bundled earbud, thin orange cable on Orange 15.4mm MX500 shells, also very old pairs so I recommend changing the crumbling tuning foam inside if you are skilled to do so.
Very warm V-U shape in signature. One of the most boisterous bass responses I’ve ever heard in a prebuilt, even reaching sub-bass levels. The mid-range is mushed with warmth although it makes for a smooth listen. There is energy in the treble section but cuts off early at the lower treble. Soundstage is below average for an earbud, a bit claustrophobic at times.
The stock mic cable form of this earbud is so horrible that it even turns the drivers into a microphone, so I had to recable it. Uses metal open back 15.4mm shells.
Warm-midcentric signature. Bass is just “there” with mid-bass focus. The midrange is a bit smoothed out. Treble rolls off early but the open back design really helps with the sense of “air” and atmosphere in the music. The open back shells contribute to its wide sense of soundstage although it could’ve used a bit more depth.
I kinda played around with the stock form of this and put the drivers in different shells, but I missed how it sounded stock so I “restored” it with a new shell and cable. Uses 15.4mm MX500 shells.
Almost a lean U-shape signature, some have even called it neutral and it’s understandable. Good bass extension with good mid bass and sub bass amounts. Minimal warmth in the midrange section. Treble is where this shines, it extends very well and gives it a very energetic listening experience, although some people might find it sibilant for their ears. Soundstage is above average, with good width but decent depth of the scene.
The build basically consists of thin TPE cable on glossy black 15.4mm MX500 shells with the name of the brand on the stems. It’s very easy to open up and re-cable for yourself.
Sports a neutral-bright signature that extends both ends tastefully. Bass is mid bass focused but reaches sub-bass levels when the music calls. Midrange is lean but never dry. Treble is extended but never overwhelming, with the treble focusing on the upper ranges. Soundstage is average for an earbud.
- FAAEAL Snow Lotus 1.0 CE Edition
Long, sheathed TPE cable on bright blue 15.4mm MX500 shells. Don’t try to recable this pair because the glue on FAAEAL models like these are a pain to take care of. I have the old version with the straight metal 3.5mm plug so variances should be expected.
A smooth neutral signature, much more non-offending than the K64, very good for chill listens, not so much for energetic stuff, might as well be boring for some. Bass is just there, mid bass focused but I wish I could ask for more extension. Mid range is lean and smooth. Treble is just there, but not enough sparkle and air for my ears. Soundstage is decent with more width than depth.
- VE Monk Plus “MP5” version
Smoky translucent 15.4mm MX500 shells on a TPE cable. Seems like they're using a better and less translucent shell material for this new version.
It has a balanced signature, finally with extended highs and lows compared to the boring midcentric mush of its old version. Bass is mid bass focused and slams when it calls. Midrange is lean but I can still feel a bit of cuppiness in it, and it puts me off on some tracks. Treble is extended and well dosed till the upper regions. Soundstage is average with more depth than width.
Glossy black 15.4mm MX500 with the same TPE cable as Monk Plus. The shell feels and looks like an opaque version of the Monk Plus shells.
It has a neutral bright signature. Bass is rolled off early till the mid bass. The midrange is lean and almost thin sounding. Treble is extended but only till the lower treble. Soundstage is average.
It’s a Vido with a slightly better cable, and sounds like a Vido too. I would rather buy the Vido than this and replace the cable at some point.
It has a dark V-U shaped signature. Bass is lifted and mid-bass focused. Midrange is kinda sunken, and has a warm tone. Treble is rolled off giving it darkness. Soundstage is average.
- Not-by-VE Motorola Earbuds
Built like a bundled pair of earbuds for phones, but none of that J-cable thing going on, normal TPE cable, the mic setup acts as a splitter and the 14.2mm shells sports a bass vent and an unusual faceplate that makes it hard to use and fit properly even with foams (so no foams are used in the testing for this one).
It has a thin treble-centric sound but the bass is there if you shove it hard on your concha. Bass is almost nonexistent, but given that you have a good fit, it has a pretty good mid bass focused extension. Mids are lean, upper mids are noticeably elevated but not to the point that it’s hard to listen to. Treble is quite extended, you really feel the thinness of the sound signature with the treble performance, and almost nearing sibilance sometimes. Soundstage is below average, feels claustrophobic despite sound leakage.
This feels like a DIY work rather than a bog standard prebuilt. Bulky L-shape plug, supple and ergonomic 4-core cable with a splitter that ends shorter than usual with the white 15.4mm MX500 shells that has the Willsound logo on it. I like the thought of making the splitter length short to avoid tangles around that part.
This sports a rather upfront U-shape signature, the signature can be tiring for some but I quite like this. Bass is extended well reaching sub bass levels. Mids have a little tinge of warmth and excitement from the upper mids. Treble is extended till the lower treble and doesn’t overdo it. Soundstage is average, more on width than depth.
Has a custom 14.8 Bell-shaped shell, with a 2.5mm BAL plug (in my unit) and an SPC cable with a metal splitter/chin cinch combo. Uses the 32ohm Yuin PK3 drivers that were also used in Panda PK2s.
It has a dry balanced signature with an upfront presentation. Bass extends well with mid-bass more on the focus. Mids are lean and dry with some excitement from the upper mids. Treble is extended until the border of the lower and upper treble. Soundstage is so compressed that it can be claustrophobic to some listeners.
I put DIY in there to indicate that this is the “TC200” that can be bought from Fengru/Girftu/CKLewis/Jietu, and IS NOT the real TC200 that was manufactured by Tingo themselves. Sports the same bootleg Oyaide cable that the Tingo TG38s has, and a similar Silver 15.4mm MX500 shell.
It has a warm signature, and goes almost flat from the upper mids till the upper treble. I wanna call this a “warm-neutral” signature but people are gonna call me out for that. Bass is just there but has enough slam and kick for a lot of tracks. Mids are quite warm and have enough excitement from the upper mids. Treble is almost flat in response but has enough air and sparkle. Soundstaging is above average with more width than depth.
Notes:
- In this whole list, my top picks are K64, Willsound MK2 and TY Hi-Z 32ohms.
- For the bass (quantity wise, top 4 picks), Kube>Willsound K64>TY Hi-Z 32ohms=Nicehck EB2
- For the treble (quantity wise top 4 picks), Not-by-VE Motorola>Monk GO>TY Hi-Z 32ohms=K64
- In the list, there are three 64ohm models. I liked the K64 the most. It’s the most competent pair among the other models I mentioned.
- VE has improved their tuning on the Monk Plus with the MP5 and has quite surprised me with the Monk GO tuning, but it honestly still has a long way to go compared to K64 as the most superior neutral focused earbud among the neutral earbuds mentioned in the list. It doesn’t have the weird cuppiness that MP5 has, very good slam and kick to the bass, isn’t as thin sounding and not in limited stocks as Monk GO.
- I think if you want to increase the bass and warmth factor on MP5 or the GO, I suggest trying normal foams for it, but at the expense of treble performance…
- The Not-by-VE Motorola earbud has some potential in the sound, if it wasn’t hindered by the crappy faceplate. It needs some modding on the front holes of the faceplate, or replace it with a more suitable one.
Thanks for reading!
