[fooltoque]

If you get a chance to try them at e-earphones for fit and a little listening it'll be nice to get your thoughts.

Sony has had other open earphone designs in the past, and we all know how Sony is. Once they latch onto an idea, they will pursue and perfect it as only they can. The "Walkman" is a prime example, from portable cassette players to their modern DAPs. I have and enjoy a couple of their DAPs and while they aren't at the top of the list for output power, they are great sounding and their industrial design is outstanding. I think something Sony prides themselves in.

I had tried some of those other ones as well. They were... pretty crappy, even though they looked cool. I wish that Sony would try making an actual TWS flathead instead of trying these other inferior designs. I know it won't happen though, cause flatheads would be seen by the masses as a step back instead of pushing boundaries, which is what Sony wants image wise.

 

[mt877]

I had tried some of those other ones as well. They were... pretty crappy, even though they looked cool. I wish that Sony would try making an actual TWS flathead instead of trying these other inferior designs. I know it won't happen though, cause flatheads would be seen by the masses as a step back instead of pushing boundaries, which is what Sony wants image wise.

That's true. Sony did make some of the most coveted great sounding flat head earbuds back in the day. I guess some of them are pretty rare and expensive on the 2nd hand market now, if they're even available. I wonder how many people didn't know that they had some real earbud gems in their hands and just threw them away and moved on to newer headgear when it was time to upgrade.

 

[atlatl]

just got a yincrow x6 (iron man colors) and initial impressions are: it's been years since trying out new earbuds and wow, these just drop in ear, and they sound great!

Now this is the first time using donut foams and I have a few questions about them: the holes of the included foams were punched way off center to the edge, will this alter the sound too much? Are donut foams supposed to cover the outer perimeter (holes) of the face of the bud? (asking because I may buy extra foams and hole punch my own donuts.) What's the general consensus on good replacement donut & full foams? Are Faaeal foams good quality? (they are easy to get where I am). Thanks!

 

[jogawag]

just got a yincrow x6 (iron man colors) and initial impressions are: it's been years since trying out new earbuds and wow, these just drop in ear, and they sound great!

Yincrow rw-9 sounds greater than X6.

Now this is the first time using donut foams and I have a few questions about them: the holes of the included foams were punched way off center to the edge, will this alter the sound too much? Are donut foams supposed to cover the outer perimeter (holes) of the face of the bud? (asking because I may buy extra foams and hole punch my own donuts.) What's the general consensus on good replacement donut & full foams? Are Faaeal foams good quality? (they are easy to get where I am). Thanks!

HieGi donut foams: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832456516124.html

 

[Kyonnie]

Now this is the first time using donut foams and I have a few questions about them: the holes of the included foams were punched way off center to the edge, will this alter the sound too much?

They will affect the presentation and positioning of sound significantly.

Are donut foams supposed to cover the outer perimeter (holes) of the face of the bud? (asking because I may buy extra foams and hole punch my own donuts.)

It depends on what you're trying to achieve; hole sizes and foam thickness will alter how much treble is perceived and how much bass is preserved.

What's the general consensus on good replacement donut & full foams?

Like @jogawag recommendation Heigi foam is a really good, well-made foam cover.

Are Faaeal foams good quality? (they are easy to get where I am). Thanks!

As far as I know, Faaeal sells and uses generic foam covers like many other brands.

 

[atlatl]

Yincrow rw-9 sounds greater than X6.


HieGi donut foams: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832456516124.html

thx for the recommendations. seems the rw-9 are more v-shaped by comparison. i found a squiglink comparing both buds too and looks like the results are similar to yours; except the labels are swapped. I'm replacing my earpods which are only listenable with silicone sport covers and eq-ing up the bass.

 

[atlatl]

They will affect the presentation and positioning of sound significantly.

It depends on what you're trying to achieve; hole sizes and foam thickness will alter how much treble is perceived and how much bass is preserved.

Like @jogawag recommendation Heigi foam is a really good, well-made foam cover.

As far as I know, Faaeal sells and uses generic foam covers like many other brands.

thx for the info! what about NICE HCK foams? similar to Faaeal?

 

[jogawag]

thx for the info! what about NICE HCK foams? similar to Faaeal?

NiceHCK's foam was advertised on X (formerly twitter) as being manufactured in the "same factory (lol)" as the factory that manufactures Hiegi's.
I tried to buy it but it is not as good as Hiegi's.

 

[ObserverOfEmpty]

NiceHCK's foam was advertised on X (formerly twitter) as being manufactured in the "same factory (lol)" as the factory that manufactures Hiegi's.
I tried to buy it but it is not as good as Hiegi's.

You just sold me some pairs from them, fam. Hopefully these solves the issues that I have with the RW-4000.

 

[Sam L]

bump... might be helpful for people wondering how the Rose Maria II graphs. For some reason, I missed this (even though I've search numerous times for a graph of the maria II.)

Rose Maria II Frequency Response Graph
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3645#post-16392123

 

[Sam L]

and yes, that 2k spike is a bit much.

 

[Kumonomukou]

Just received Faaeal Iris Ancestor (Red blue), as add-ons for leftover coupon which came out <$1. It just makes me questioning this hobby once again. While not the most technical one (no s**t lol), it's quite adequate for average listening sessions. Applied a simple bright preset wavelet EQ on these, what else do we need really? Time to sell more IEMs!

 

[anli]

what else do we need really?

To be free from EQ.

 

[h8uthemost]

When the A-Bells were first released I picked them up on a whim and found I really liked how they sounded, so much so that I sort of enthusiastically promoted them. Only after some fine folks here got a set did we discover the cheap mmcx connector which may become loose and pull out if you're not careful when removing a cable. @samandhi also experienced a buzzing driver, but he was able to get a free replacement. Another thing, not everybody that got a set liked how they sounded, which is par for the course around here (head-fi, that is).

Having said all that I would still suggest the A-Bells because they do have a sound which is very engaging utilizing a piezo + dd dual driver combination which is pretty unique in a low cost earbud. The only catch is that the A-Bell's don't come with a cable, so you'll need to have you're own spare mmcx cable or buy one which drives up the cost.

I've never owned or heard the rw-9, so can't comment on them.

Well thank you for all that great info. I've got several mmcx cables laying about so the price will still remain low. I'm gonna roll the dice and get a pair. Cuz once I connect the cable it's going to stayconnected until the cable goes bad. So I probably won't be messing with the connections for quite a while. Just hopeful for a pair with no buzzing or other faults.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Strictly speaking, the FF3 are actually a top tier bud, even though they are priced at mid tier. Generally speaking, and notwithstanding some exceptions, top tier for flathead earbuds generally consists of more than $100. The ones we have seen on here that can reach into the kilobuck territory are not indicative of standard top tier. Those are representative of makers that are

Just got these!

used to IEM pricing or are taking advantage of those that aren't aware that earbuds just don't cost that much. If you are already aware of this, then apologies for repeating the information.

Having said all of that, there really is nothing that can stand against the FF3 in the mid-tier area (even DIY buds being sold aren't usually as cheap). The exception to this is the FF3S mentioned. Though I haven't heard them, I trust the ears of those that have suggested them, and for the same reasons.

As for the Yinmans, they are priced at, and are indeed top-tier buds. I also agree that they could be a good solution for you depending on the volume you listen at. The point is that with the limitation on power output you face, the Yinman would not reach their potential sound at any sort of higher volume level. On the other hand, if you listen to them at low volume as @sofastreamer mentioned, they are actually really easy to drive.

Here is an example of what you would need to run them at 80dBSPL (just to show you that you will get their full potential at lower volume levels)

• .35VRMS
• .20mW

and assuming that the power output is at least close to linear as the impedance rises, here is what your Hiby can give with the Yinman specs (600ohms @87dB/mW):

• 3.48VRMS
• 20.47mW

So, after doing the calculations I see that you could actually get up to about 100dBSPL before you start skewing these. This is what would be required of your DAP at this volume level:

• 3.46VRMS
• 19.95mW

With all of that said, these are calculations on paper only, and don't account for any sort of voltage swing. And then there is also those sets of head gear that "scale well with more power", which means that they sound even better with more power even if driven fully at lower levels of power. The point is that I was only trying to illustrate that when we mention the Yinmans, there is no need to be nervous/wary about them. They sound tremendous even from lower powered sources.

This (though I actually get much more use from the Yinmans; but the FF3 don't collect dust either).....

I would go one step further and say that you really can't go wrong with either set. And if you are worried about being able to power the Yinmans, please read my reply above.

Have you tried asking @WoodyLuvr? I am sure he would know.

I agree with @mt877 on these. He is actually the one that got me interested in them. They are made by the sister company of Smabat. They have the DNA that is the Smabat sound, without the 20dB+ boost in the presence region. They are very comfortable (my first true bell as well). As long as you don't have any issues out of the box, they are actually built like tanks.

Another tip (because of the known issues with the MMCX connector): never try and pull the cable off by hand..... Always use one of those MMCX tools, and you should not have any issues with this. This is especially important with budget buds with MMCX because they tend to use cheaper connectors.

Here is a great post from our own @baskingshark on the issue (albeit with IEMs, it is the same thing). And here is the video he posted showing you how this tool works (and it does indeed work VERY well). I was actually sent a couple of these tools as a free extra on a couple IEMs I have ordered in the past.

And thank you for your thoughts as well!

I kind of had the feeling that I would be recommended the bells over the rw9 for some reason. And they look like they're built like tanks. So hopefully I get no trouble out the box. I'm not familiar with smabat so I don't know they're sound. But I have seen them mentioned over and over so I'm guessing the house sound is well regarded.

Thank you once again to the both of you

Just got these!

And congrats to you on your new shiny's! How are you liking them? Nicehck puts out some good buds(the excellent Traceless). These were in my eye sight when Ali was doing their sale. But I decided to not get them. Now seeing them again I'm kind of regretting that... Lol

 

[Kumonomukou]

When the A-Bells were first released I picked them up on a whim and found I really liked how they sounded, so much so that I sort of enthusiastically promoted them. Only after some fine folks here got a set did we discover the cheap mmcx connector which may become loose and pull out if you're not careful when removing a cable. @samandhi also experienced a buzzing driver, but he was able to get a free replacement. Another thing, not everybody that got a set liked how they sounded, which is par for the course around here (head-fi, that is).

Having said all that I would still suggest the A-Bells because they do have a sound which is very engaging utilizing a piezo + dd dual driver combination which is pretty unique in a low cost earbud. The only catch is that the A-Bell's don't come with a cable, so you'll need to have you're own spare mmcx cable or buy one which drives up the cost.

I've never owned or heard the rw-9, so can't comment on them.

A-Bell shells alone worth the price to me. I don't buy bunch of earbuds, and this set is lying in my storage box, in case one day I want to use them for DIY projects. It was like a little consolation prize to me, cuz I couldn't justify putting money on Ksearphone Bell-Ti oh well.

They're alright, somewhat warm, not bad but nothing to write home about. I actually preferred another budget buds I got around the same time (Fiio FF1). That's just me though. As OP pointed out, the MMCX connection is a major SUS. They're ridiculous tight to my cables. Don't hold the metal part of shells when pulling them apart, you'll break it! I recommend using MMCX connection tool.