Earbuds Round-Up

[samandhi]

I'll be pretty much only listening to these two buds this week. Good job @FiiO! Excellent earbuds that are wonderfully complementary -- so the only real option between these models is to get them both.

Is that the UTWS3, or the 5? How do the FF5 sound with these? Have you compared wired with this setup for the FF5?

Edit: OH, and I couldn't agree more about getting both. They are very complimentary to each other IMO.

 

[Sam L]

Is that the UTWS3, or the 5? How do the FF5 sound with these? Have you compared wired with this setup for the FF5?

Edit: OH, and I couldn't agree more about getting both. They are very complimentary to each other IMO.

UTWS3. I haven't done any comparisons between the FF5 on the adapter vs. wired, but they sound fantastic on the UTWS regardless. I actually prefer the FF3's cable over the FF5. The FF5 cable is a bit stiff, so I put them on the bluetooth adapters pretty quickly.

One thing I noticed about the UTWS3, I've heard of people complaining that they can't drive some power hungry iems very well. And while this is true, I can't help but wonder if some people aren't aware that the UTWS3 has an independent volume setting inside the app. Turn that fully up and in nearly every case, no more power issues.

 

[samandhi]

UTWS3. I haven't done any comparisons between the FF5 on the adapter vs. wired, but they sound fantastic on the UTWS regardless. I actually prefer the FF3's cable over the FF5. The FF5 cable is a bit stiff, so I put them on the bluetooth adapters pretty quickly.

One thing I noticed about the UTWS3, I've heard of people complaining that they can't drive some power hungry iems very well. And while this is true, I can't help but wonder if some people aren't aware that the UTWS3 has an independent volume setting inside the app. Turn that fully up and in nearly every case, no more power issues.

Very cool. I wanted to get the UTWS5 when they were newish (not first out, but later when they weren't available). I waited so long, I simply lost interest. However, I may revisit that from reading how good these little things sound.

Plus, I like the idea of having total awareness of my surroundings, but also being wireless. I don't care much for "transparency" mode on any of my TWS because they have a horrible tonality, making it hard to understand words, and stuff like that (for me).

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tromick]

Hello! Me again... You can remember me as hoe who is looking for headphone like TC300 then leaving people with question marks about NiceHCK E2BS.

I have bought every characteristique earbuds which I found interesting to me. (Not anybody else because I have specifique like(s).) The device I have tested has flat EQ respond and acceptable stereo crosstalk etc. It has bright presentation like Sansa Clip+, iPod 5.5th, iPhone 6s, Note 9, Dell 7567 and almost every new devices. On these devices HD6XX, PX100, E2BS sounds metallic, bright unacceptable in some ways. IF YOU WANT ME TO TEST MY EARBUDS on devices which got more natural output like i9500, s7 Edge Exynos, Dell XPS L502X, Acer Aspire 5739G, 751h. Then ask me with quotes!

Disclaimer: Even though I have awareness about the devices' tonality this does not mean I have correct ears. I am human like everybody else. Plus, even though I like to make detailed reviews, in this review I won't mention if sub-bass can be heard in everyday life, or only in silent places, won't mention depthness or anything like that. I will write only the things you will directly hear when you buy it. Please read this with thinking about it.

*OC = One Cushion
*DC = Double Cushion
*BI = Burn-IN Happened
*NBI = No Burn-IN Happened, Listened Directly

P.S. = Burn-in does smooth the trebles and mids get more shouty/open. Everything, all the peaks on mids, treble eras get smoothen except bass. I had opportunity to test 3 years old MDR-1R, TC200, PX100 and many MX series.

-------------------------------------

FAAEAL Snow-Lotus 1.0 BI/OC : Mid-bass peak, upper-bass thump so very warm and dark presentation. Mids are so forward without shouty-ness so very very intimate vocal but we cannot talk about any detailing in instrument seperation because it is too dark and warm. Trebles... There is a little bit resolution at upper-trebles so you can hear effects, hi-hats, cymbals without problem but you can feel that the top is grainy which is okay cuz it would be so disturbing if there was peak at low-trebles. Overall sounds very warm, dark with little bit trebles to give dynamic approach. We cannot talk about instrument seperation or anything like that. (This goes so well with devices got bright output and if you are going to use this on outside, crowded places, bus and want something warm and dark with mid-bass thump, turnin' up the volume all the time, the veiled top will prevent you to get ear ringing.) (This is my most favorite earbuds, full stop.)

NiceHCK B40 NBI/OC : Bass is colorless, there is no any thump so sounds too neutral which is amazing to me hear this from earbuds. Lower-mid is also flat. The top is flat too. (Okay Tromick, what does that mean? Are you mad?) There is no any emphasis on any frequence. I wish it was more dynamic on upper mids though because whoosing effects sounds dull a little bit but I know any tweak would be resulted as losing this neutral, colorless sound. Male vocals never sounded this good before in the earbuds. You can feel synth-bass without leakage from bass era due to it's flat and there is no peak/thump. Like I said before upper-mid needs resolution because instrument seperation gets soup-like on very crowded passages of the songs but that would cause losing that neutral presentation. Otherwise it is very above of avarage!

EDIT : This is more upper-mid range focused if we compare it with Snow-Lotus 1.0. This is the upper-bass thump removed and better controlled mid-bass version of Snow-Lotus 1.0. Little bit howl feeling in crowded female falsetto vocals but if you think this brightness as plus, amazing male vocal performance without any color of brigtness. Amazing tunning for male vocals.

NiceHCK EB2S BI/DC : There is mid-bass thump, also little bit emphasis on upper-bass so it presents a warm sound. Mids are there but feels like mixed vegetable purée hot soup. If this was not there, it would sound very V-shape so it is a good thing to have this kind of mids because it gives musicality to overall presentation. Mostly very upper-mid centric presentation and can be the best female vocal presenter. Very clear sound at the top yet no sibilance or anything like that. It is also dark. Little bit having hard time on instrument seperation in crowded passages in the songs but other than that it is very similar to HD6XX's sound only on upper-mids and higher frequencies and musicality. We cannot compare them in other frequencies because mids are not the same and this one got upper-bass peak.

EDIT : Tried this with my Snow-Lotus 1.0 on my Dell L502X which got natural output instead of bright, clear outputs which all the new devices has. It also has two headphone outputs. This is literally ungrainy version version of Snow-Lotus with little bit of loss of the bass. Do not forget that EB2S is DC. (I cannot believe that I have bought X6, B40, Vido for nothing because I already had both of these from start.)

Yincrow X6 NBI/OC : Sub-bass thump, kicks sound boom boom! I can feel there is little bit peak at upper-bass due to thump at overall the bass era so it sounds warm-ish and soup-like boomy mixed presentation at bass part. Mids are okay, can be little bit recessed (needs burn-in I guess) and little bit colorness due to whole bass part thump. The top is open clear yet veiled. No sibilance, you can hear everything, nice instrument seperation on crowded passages BUT SOMEHOW there is something between you and this earbud, sounds like dead, even that bass thump does not help it. Claps sounds thin, there is no body in the sound.

FENGRU DIY Tingo TC200 NBI/DC : Sub-bass thump and mid/upper-bass peak and very well controlled. There is no soup-feeling like at bass part. You really feel the sub-bass even in silent office-like places without losing any details in bass-era. (This can be the best earbuds ever I heard, just talking about sub-bass part.) Mids are recessed so this is a V-shape earbud. The top is unnaturally bright with little bit sibilance. Too much energetic and fun sounding to me. I am not into V-shape earbuds but when I do flashback about 2000's DJ headphones, this is what I remember about them.

Vido Black No Mic from Greendio Audio Store NBI/OC : Very similar to X6's sub-bass but less emphasised and instead of that, there is mid-bass thump. It is a little bit better controlled compared to X6 bass era. Mids are very close to B40 but not neutral like that because of peak at bass and top frequencies, so we can say that this is the upgraded version of B40 with losing neutral presentation. Amazing instrument seperation, widest soundstage, background-focused and the only one I got in earbuds world I can say. (I do not count the ones left me.) On crowded passages of the songs, it handles very well which I have not heard in a long time in earbuds. (Again, I do not count the ones left me.) Higher frequencies also very well controlled. There is no clarity like E2BS yet still feels like it. This can be the most acceptable flat earbuds with losing B40's neutral presentation and having a little bit musicality.

EDIT : Started to use with double cushions since I have realized that low-trebles causes to ear ringing in the short period of time. You cannot hear timbre of female vocal's and in crowded passages you cannot understand or analyze the background female vocal's lyrics. Too much howl... We can say that B40 is much better in terms of any type of vocals, especially so much better timbre of female vocals. No howl.
---------------------

Conclusion: Each one has own success. B40's amazing vocal perfomance, Vido Black's amazing instrument seperation, TC200's amazing sub-bass reaching, E2BS' amazing spacious and emphasised upper-mid presentation. B40 has HD6XX like upper-bass/mid seperation and male vocal performance. E2BS has HD6XX like upper-mids/top frequencies musicality and female vocal performance. AND I KNOW that, in the earbuds world, we cannot make them up in one earbud because when you try to improve higher frequencies on earbuds in the factory, the top starts to sound fake which mostly what happen in all of these earbuds. They do not sound real. Then you try to improve mids, now it starts to sound soup-like. It so hard reproduce sound in earbuds...

I do not have any favorite at the moment because I am very confused and all the earbuds I have laying down behind me on the bed.

EDIT TO CONCLUSION : It is EB2S for natural output devices, Snow-Lotus 1.0 for bright devices.

Those edits you have seen were comparisons with the mentioned earbuds on my L502X which got two natural sounded headphone outputs so THESE EDITS ARE MORE IMPORTANT TO EARBUD REVIEW ITSELFS. Because instead of testing them apart I have putted them to my ears in the same time with reversing the sides of earbuds to kill errors.

Detailing/Seperation Winner : Vido Black

Vocal Timbre Performance (on Natural Output Devices) : EB2S > Snow-Lotus 1.0 = B40

Vocal Timbre Performance (On Bright, Almost All New Devices) : Snow Lotus > EB2S > B40

Bass Quality : TC200 = B40 = Vido Black = EB2S > X6 = Snow-Lotus 1.0

Bass Quantity : TC200 = X6 > Vido Black > B40 > Snow-Lotus 1.0 = EB2S

I suggest people to read this because I made so much important edits. Sorry to interrupt you with this again but I ended the whole earbud testing era. NO MORE NEW BUYING!

 

[samandhi]

I suggest people to read this because I made so much important edits. Sorry to interrupt you with this again but I ended the whole earbud testing era. NO MORE NEW BUYING!

Keep in mind about the EB2S that there seems to be some deviation from the OG ones (according to others on here that have purchased them). Either that or the people that have reported this got faulty ones. The thought is that they "cheaped" out and started using a different, cheaper driver later in production.

This is unconfirmed though as I have not gotten a second pair to test with. I got mine actually right before they were released to the public. Anyone that has these might agree that thesea are a fantastic earbud for budget buds. Most of the reviews you will see (that are also very good) are based on this "first" version.

 

[Tromick]

Keep in mind about the EB2S that there seems to be some deviation from the OG ones (according to others on here that have purchased them). Either that or the people that have reported this got faulty ones. The thought is that they "cheaped" out and started using a different, cheaper driver later in production.

This is unconfirmed though as I have not gotten a second pair to test with. I got mine actually right before they were released to the public. Anyone that has these might agree that thesea are a fantastic earbud for budget buds. Most of the reviews you will see (that are also very good) are based on this "first" version.

When using them with double cushions which stock ones, they sound exactly the same with Snow-Lotus 1.0 without SL's grainy treble problem. Exactly, directly the same with losing some bass quantity. Impossible to differ them apart timbre, mids-wise!

I am so sad that I have bought for nothing these X6, B40, Vido because I already had both of these.

If they could produce EB2S with more bass quantity, that would be more than dream itself.

 

[syazwaned]

When using them with double cushions which stock ones, they sound exactly the same with Snow-Lotus 1.0 without SL's grainy treble problem. Exactly, directly the same with losing some bass quantity. Impossible to differ them apart timbre, mids-wise!

I am so sad that I have bought for nothing these X6, B40, Vido because I already had both of these.

If they could produce EB2S with more bass quantity, that would be more than dream itself.

I think Yinman 600 ohms is the better version of eb2s, albeit much more expensive

 

[Tromick]

I think Yinman 600 ohms is the better version of eb2s, albeit much more expensive

If you could compare them, what would you say?

 

[samandhi]

I think Yinman 600 ohms is the better version of eb2s, albeit much more expensive

Definitely better, but different tuning altogether IMO.

 

[samandhi]

If you could compare them, what would you say?

Compared to the EB2S? Super bassy, warm, smooth, but great detail retrieval. Note weights are not as thin as the EB2S. Pina gain is not boosted more than it needs to be so it isn't fatiguing at all. Technicalities are also way superior. Having said that, you would need some decent power (probabaly an amp capable of 1W or more) to drive them properly (in order to get all of this goodness), though they do also sound pretty good from a lower power source...

@syazwaned, your turn (I assume you also have both).....

 

[Tromick]

Compared to the EB2S? Super bassy, warm, smooth, but great detail retrieval. Note weights are not as thin as the EB2S. Pina gain is not boosted more than it needs to be so it isn't fatiguing at all. Technicalities are also way superior. Having said that, you would need some decent power (probabaly an amp capable of 1W or more) to drive them properly (in order to get all of this goodness), though they do also sound pretty good from a lower power source...

@syazwaned, your turn (I assume you also have both).....

With one cushion, this is what I felt.. Thin, no body on whole sound presentation. When I put second ones... Oh my gosh. This is it... This is baby HD6XX. If you have chance to use them with their stock foams with double wearing, you will understand what I am talking about. I have never seen a better earbud is made for using it with double cushions yet so far.

Literally same sound with Snow-Lotus 1.0 with losing some bass quantity and with fixing that grainy top. I have tested them on devices at the same time putting them together. It even made me curious if they got same driver because it is impossible to be that same.

 

[syazwaned]

I find both eb2s and yinman has the same signature. Warm and smooth. Only yinman has better treble extension, deeper imaging.
I sold eb2s after I got my Yinman.

 

[fooltoque]

Is that the UTWS3, or the 5? How do the FF5 sound with these? Have you compared wired with this setup for the FF5?

Edit: OH, and I couldn't agree more about getting both. They are very complimentary to each other IMO.

I have been using my 5 with the 5. I haven't listened to them much wired since I got the bluetooth adapter, but I didn't really notice any difference in quality. I mean I'm sure there is, because bluetooth does compress even with the better codecs, but it's not something that I noticed compared to say, different headphones or EQ.

However, the quality of life upgrade is significant. Convenience of having the controls up behind your ears where it is easy to reach at any time, and not having wires to pull the buds out of place when you're out and about is really great. The FF5's long stem is a good fit as well to the UTWS5. I tried the RW3000 with UTWS5 and it does not fit as well.

Personally I rank convenience and sound at pretty much the same level (fashion is a close 3rd ), and UTWS5 + FF5 is a fantastic combination.

 

[samandhi]

I have been using my 5 with the 5. I haven't listened to them much wired since I got the bluetooth adapter, but I didn't really notice any difference in quality. I mean I'm sure there is, because bluetooth does compress even with the better codecs, but it's not something that I noticed compared to say, different headphones or EQ.

However, the quality of life upgrade is significant. Convenience of having the controls up behind your ears where it is easy to reach at any time, and not having wires to pull the buds out of place when you're out and about is really great. The FF5's long stem is a good fit as well to the UTWS5. I tried the RW3000 with UTWS5 and it does not fit as well.

Personally I rank convenience and sound at pretty much the same level (fashion is a close 3rd ), and UTWS5 + FF5 is a fantastic combination.

So, they sound good worn "over ear" as is the way it has to be if using the UTWS5?! I know some buds don't sound nearly as good when worn over ear (is the reason I was asking I suppose)...

 

[samandhi]

I find both eb2s and yinman has the same signature. Warm and smooth. Only yinman has better treble extension, deeper imaging.
I sold eb2s after I got my Yinman.

That is very interesting to hear, and I wonder if you have/had one of those that (I suspect) are maybe different versions than the ones originally released?! Because with my set they sound absolutely nothing like the Yinman... LOL They actually sound more like a Smabat bud (the M2s Pro w/40ohm stock driver to be precise) to my ears. Which is to say that they are good sounding (although not AS good as the Smabat), but just different signature altogether.

Edit: Or maybe I have a different version, since I got mine before the official release (from a grab bag from the NiceHCK store on AE).