[RikudouGoku]

I know they're old, I know they're not reference class but my god I absolutely love the CCZ Emerald. Melody and Coffee Bean are meh, they blow my old BLON BL-03 away too, and with the nicehck cable they sound even better. Hell they even sound good with KZ-A09 adapters. They fit beautifully, they look great.... they don't do anything especially outstanding but just do everything so well.

I've never really bothered reviewing IEM's but I think I'll go back and revisit some of the ones I've still got kicking around....kb ear ks1, lark, CCA CSN, hzsound heart mirror... I forgot how much IEM's blow Bluetooth TWS away, especially at the crazy prices.

Anyone recommend any other bargains that have just been released?

Oh yeah, review on the emerald here: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ccz-emerald.25486/reviews#review-28273

Wrong thread.

(CCA CRA is the answer though.)

 

[Sam L]

Good News ！Get this PAC Earbud for FREE when you order any selected products now.

Specification
Audiophiles earbud
Driver: 15.4mm PET Composite titanium diaphragm
Impedance: 40 ohm
Sensitivity :106dB
Frequency response: 20-20Khz
MMCX connector

https://penonaudio.com/pac-earbud.html

Aww... Only for new registrations.

 

[mt877]

@samandhi, I think you'll like this killer combo.

FiiO UTWS5 & Yincrow RW-3000

 

[WoodyLuvr]

80€ on aliexpress

Yeah, that is a tad too high in my opinion. You'll need to scout around a little harder to find a better deal... here is a pair with the more expensive Type-C termination for around USD $68 ( https://www.soundproofbrosaudio.com...y_id=&sub_category_id=&sub_category_lv2_id=86 ). Though local to me I think it proves that you can find better pricing with some patience. Or simply wait for VE to reopen their operations again but that could be a ways away.

Next monday will return work, shippments will continue.

Fingers crossed and though I remain hopeful the situation is not at all promising with the continued delay in lifting of lockdowns and restrictions across the region and in other cities across China (now at 23 plus cities) e.g. Shanghai

 

[Penon]

Aww... Only for new registrations.

Free for new and old registrations

 

[BCool]

What are some good 'beginner' buds to look into? (ie. less than $100, don't require an amp)
I've tried the Iris 2.0s and the RY4S MMCX, but was curious what the next step is. The *** PT2021 looks interesting but there's 4 different versions and it's not clear what the differences are in sound. Similar are the Smabat M2s Pro, but there's conflicting information on the fit and the different driver options.

I'm not looking for a specific recommendation per se, just looking for some pointers and clarity. I have 7Hz Timeless for 'serious' listening and I consider it to be endgame until I have a lot more disposable income as it sounds great for the music I listen to (some rock/pop/indie/hip-hop and a lot of electronic) but I still have a bit of bug having discovered buds haha.

 

[rprodrigues]

What are some good 'beginner' buds to look into? (ie. less than $100, don't require an amp)
I've tried the Iris 2.0s and the RY4S MMCX, but was curious what the next step is. The *** PT2021 looks interesting but there's 4 different versions and it's not clear what the differences are in sound. Similar are the Smabat M2s Pro, but there's conflicting information on the fit and the different driver options.

I'm not looking for a specific recommendation per se, just looking for some pointers and clarity. I have 7Hz Timeless for 'serious' listening and I consider it to be endgame until I have a lot more disposable income as it sounds great for the music I listen to (some rock/pop/indie/hip-hop and a lot of electronic) but I still have a bit of bug having discovered buds haha.

PT2021 @ 365 Ohm is good, but bright.
Soundwise, I'm not sure they fit everyone.

 

[DivineCurrent]

I've been experimenting with some EQ on the VE Monk (Plus) and wow... I'm actually extremely impressed by how much you can improve the sound. I made an EQ profile that raises the sub bass, gets rid of the upper bass bloat, reduces lower treble/upper mids forwardness around 4kHz, and increases the upper treble above 10kHz. Granted, it's a lot of EQ and the sub bass still isn't good, but the mids and treble especially are so much improved that it's far more natural sounding. I've also got a Yincrow X6 and NiceHCK DIY MX500 on the way, so we'll see how those compare too.

 

[daoxuat]

Just got pair of LBBs + shipping fee for 31 usd. Unbeatable for this price.

 

[DBaldock9]

I've been experimenting with some EQ on the VE Monk (Plus) and wow... I'm actually extremely impressed by how much you can improve the sound. I made an EQ profile that raises the sub bass, gets rid of the upper bass bloat, reduces lower treble/upper mids forwardness around 4kHz, and increases the upper treble above 10kHz. Granted, it's a lot of EQ and the sub bass still isn't good, but the mids and treble especially are so much improved that it's far more natural sounding. I've also got a Yincrow X6 and NiceHCK DIY MX500 on the way, so we'll see how those compare too.

Which device / app are you using for the EQ?

 

[DivineCurrent]

Which device / app are you using for the EQ?

Equalizer APO for desktop, and the Qudelix 5k built in parametric EQ for portable.

 

[samandhi]

@samandhi, I think you'll like this killer combo.

FiiO UTWS5 & Yincrow RW-3000

That has been the goal (as well as with other buds/IEMs). I have yet to see them available anywhere here in the US. I am still hoping they will come back in stock at some point, though I have all but given up hope at this point.

That seems like an absolutely delicious solution for wireless, and open back all in one. Of course there is no need for the ambient mode they finally added to the UTWS5 is there?

Being over-ear, how do you find them as to staying in your ear (and in the right spot) and sound quality? Can you wear these all day, or is it one of those "they're great, but don't move" scenarios?

 

[mt877]

That has been the goal (as well as with other buds/IEMs). I have yet to see them available anywhere here in the US. I am still hoping they will come back in stock at some point, though I have all but given up hope at this point.

That seems like an absolutely delicious solution for wireless, and open back all in one. Of course there is no need for the ambient mode they finally added to the UTWS5 is there?

Being over-ear, how do you find them as to staying in your ear (and in the right spot) and sound quality? Can you wear these all day, or is it one of those "they're great, but don't move" scenarios?

According to FiiO, should be available in the US this month. These seem to be in demand so could be off the shelves quickly, gotta be quick to get a set. My AE order came in faster than expected.

Yep, there is "built in" ambient sound mode with buds, but the electronic assisted ambient sound mode might still be useful, haven't tried it yet though.

So far only tried them with the RW-3000's. No problem with fit or comfort and the buds stay in place. The sound quality is top notch, plus you can set volume, balance, EQ in the FiiO control app to fine tune the sound if needed. I've only tried this setup for a couple hours at a time doing stuff around the house (not sitting still) and no problems.

 

[waynes world]

According to FiiO, should be available in the US this month. These seem to be in demand so could be off the shelves quickly, gotta be quick to get a set. My AE order came in faster than expected.

Yep, there is "built in" ambient sound mode with buds, but the electronic assisted ambient sound mode might still be useful, haven't tried it yet though.

So far only tried them with the RW-3000's. No problem with fit or comfort and the buds stay in place. The sound quality is top notch, plus you can set volume, balance, EQ in the FiiO control app to fine tune the sound if needed. I've only tried this setup for a couple hours at a time doing stuff around the house (not sitting still) and no problems.

The UTWS5 will probably be great (I have the fiio btr3k and love it). Too bad it doesn't support LDAC though.

 

[mt877]

The UTWS5 will probably be great (I have the fiio btr3k and love it). Too bad it doesn't support LDAC though.

At least LHDC was included in the latest firmware update v1.4. FiiO may still be trying to work on LDAC support(?). I think if they could get LDAC working they would include it.