Earbuds Round-Up

[jeejack]

I have to thank @jeejack for taking my hand and guiding me through the process of building these buds. Thank you bro!

You're welcome!
I saved you a lot of nerves, wasted time and broken drivers.
If you want to play with this stubborn driver again, I recommend you to buy another pair with which you will go through the stages that I saved you from.

 

[droenald]

You're welcome!
I saved you a lot of nerves, wasted time and broken drivers.
If you want to play with this stubborn driver again, I recommend you to buy another pair with which you will go through the stages that I saved you from.

Good idea!!

 

[samandhi]

I've only got experience with the one earbud for now (other than assorted cheapies over the years). Maybe the OG FF3 would be the better option for me then, rather than the revised FF3s?

Sorry. I cannot answer that definitively, because I boycotted the "S" version. They aren't metal like the OG ones are, they do have a changeable cable but it is proprietary to FiiO, and because they are a different shell material, I know they have to sound different. From all that I have read, they do indeed sound different, and it sounds like they almost ruined the special sauce that the OG version had.

On the other hand, if they are indeed somewhere in the middle of the OG FF3 and the FF5 (like some say on here), then that could possibly be a good thing because both are TOTL in sonic capabilities, but are very different from one another.

Yeah, you've probably heard me ranting on this same subject enough over in the Disco thread already, so I won't do the deep neuroscience dive. But those first 30 seconds do weird things to your brain's hearing abilities. Things like rapid AB or ABX testing work a bit like jumping out of a steamy hot tub into an ice cold bath/ocean/lake. The contrast gets exaggerated well beyond objective reality. Same goes for first impressions (without comparisons). In my experience, it's not accurate relative to where I ultimately land on a new piece of audio gear. I prefer the "long take." But as in all things audio related, YMMV.

Normally I like to give a new set a week of exclusivity before making any judgement calls, but in the case of the Conductor, I really only needed about 12 hours of listening time to sus out the good and the bad.

While I dont review buds per se', I have given my impressions on many buds on this thread, and most folks that know me trust my thoughts. Not because they agree with me necessarily, but because they have learned what I think makes a good set, and what makes a poor set. And i try to be consistant about my thoughts on the good points and the bad points on all sets, because let's face it, there is no "perfect" set.

Congrats on your new shinys! It's too bad that you have to manipulate them to fit your ears better. I wasn't very shocked about hearing that the "bone conducting" feature being a fraud. Good thing you can turn it off, well I hope the lowest setting is fully disabled so that you can enjoy how they really sound.

Thank you!

I cant be sure, but my ears do indeed tell me that they are capable of being turned off. At the least, if they arent off, i cant hear the vibration so I'll take it.

Hehe, I've posted a few times in the DIY thread, it's not the same as posting here. Most of the people that post in the DIY thread hang out here as well. Like don't dare post comments, impressions or reviews in DIY, you'd be totally off topic. Post some DIY, comments, impressions, reviews or some off topic side chatter here and it all fits into the groove of the Round-Up, just sprinkle in a few words about your favorite buds and you're covered.

For sure. While i domt make my own buds. I do love reading about them (and the processes) here on this thread.

@jeejack has been so busy on this thread with his builds over the years, I would bet he has more volume than some smaller companies that mass produce their buds.

The reason I am 95% sure this bud uses the "donkey" is that this one needs very little ventilation, and the shell the Tmusic utilizes has next to no venting.

If he is receiving the same ones that I did (remember that there are two versions pictured on their store site for the HB1 300ohm) then I would have to disagree with this because the shells they use are completely open back.

I know that they aren't fake vents because if you cover them, the sound has 0 bass. It is all treble, and upper mids.

Having said that, the other set they sell might indeed have no/little venting.

If he ordered the "with cable " version, it is my belief that he will receive the same set that I have.

Spoiler

But I am very glad to read that you have conquered the beast. Haha

 

[Hypops]

And another one has defected to the light side!
@Hypops how do you find the staging on your PolarNight? This is one of the big advantages of earbuds over iems that the music does not feel so caved in in your head.
Another thing is that in IEMs the amount of subbass can make the bass sound slow. A good earbud usually has fast and clean bass. Depending on your preferred musical genre this can be a good or bad of course... On the other hand a lot of earbuds have a lot of midbass and bass bleed to the midrange. From what I've read so far the Polarnight keeps it very clean there!

Getting those silicone rings today was a major shift in my thinking about the PolarNight. I suspected something like that might happen, which is why I didn’t want to pass judgment too early. And I still don’t have any solid reference points for comparison, so I feel a bit adrift in terms of what to say about what I hear.

Caveats out of the way, I really dig them.

Some brief backstory, I recently learned I’ve developed some asymmetrical hearing loss. Nothing too bad, but enough to bum me out. I got really down about it for a while since audio has been such a big part of my life for so long. Along with the asymmetry, I also now have tinnitus in my left ear. It meant cutting way back on IEM time. Thought I’d check out earbuds as an alternative, and in the process of doing my research (I go deep), learned a lot about how unique they are and started to really get into the idea. Ultimately decided on the PolarNight to test the waters.

Most importantly, my ears are much happier for the change. I also discovered a bunch of other big advantages to earbuds vs IEMs: no occlusion effect while walking, much better situational awareness, and far easier to take out and put back in for necessary interruptions and conversations. Not saying one is better than the other, but earbuds have some big pluses that I hadn’t realized until I started using them in my daily life.

But that’s all the generic stuff. So what do I think of the PolarNight specifically? With rings, I’m blown away by how balanced they are from bottom to top. They seem to change tonality pretty drastically with changes in foams, far more than I expected—but all while retaining a nicely balanced presentation. Without foams (with silicone rings), they lean bright and detailed. With stock donut foams (+ rings), they are v-shaped, but it’s not the sort of v-shape I enjoy. The pinna gain is too sharp, and the mid-bass is too pronounced. With full foams (+ rings), they retain a lot of that treble detail, but the mid-bass and pinna gain peaks are controlled. They become pleasantly warm with enough treble to keep them from sounding muddy or indistinct. It’s a Three Bears situation with the full foams + ring being “just right.”

As for staging, I’m not much of one for staging with headphones. I’m a long-time speakerhead so that’s where I go for staging. Physics and psychoacoustics have their limits. I suppose the stage on the PolarNight is a bit bigger than on IEMs, but that’s not saying much. But, again, I don’t listen to headphones for their staging ability. That’s what speakers are for. It’s not a knock against the PolarNight. For me, it’d be like complaining that my car can’t go underwater the way a submarine can.

All in all, the PolarNight (and the earbud community here and on the Disco thread) have persuaded me to keep going down this cool rabbit hole. I’m sold.

 

[samandhi]

All in all, the PolarNight (and the earbud community here and on the Disco thread) have persuaded me to keep going down this cool rabbit hole. I’m sold.

Very sorry to hear this for your wallet, but am very happy to have another flattie lover here.

Regarding staging on buds vs speakers, you would be surprised at how well some sets can do. The Moondrop Chaconne are one example that I would put at least in comparison to the OG Sennheiser HD800 for staging. This is one of the things that have kept them around (not discontinued) for a long time.

But I definitely know where you are coming from. There is no head gear that can match good speakers for staging; especially if you have a perfect diffuse set up for them.

 

[droenald]

I would have to disagree with this because the shells they use are completely open back.

I know that they aren't fake vents because if you cover them, the sound has 0 bass. It is all treble, and upper mids.

The heavy shell has a hole of slightly bigger than 1,5 mm (a 2mm drill bit won't fit), in the lighter shell the 1.5 mm drill bit fits perfectly!
Fingers crossed that @mt877 will receive the variant utilizing the heavy shell, it is very good!

 

[mt877]

Before I drift off to sleep, I just wanted say that I'm officially getting spoiled big time by the Simphonio D-Max earbuds. I've been pretty busy with work these days with plenty of overtime, so have not been enjoying my music fix as much as I usually do, but when I'm getting some quality music time, it's been mainly with the D-Max buds. I'm sure everyone has been waiting for my impressions and I will give them eventually. I have been jotting down impression notes as I listen to music with them. One other thing is when I get the time I'm trying to also do some reseach on these buds as well. Simphonio's own web site is very sparse with information and doesn't describe anything about these buds. I did find some information on a Chinese website. Luckly google translation works well, but things get lost in translation, so it's not perfect.

 

[samandhi]

The heavy shell has a hole of slightly bigger than 1,5 mm (a 2mm drill bit won't fit), in the lighter shell the 1.5 mm drill bit fits perfectly!
Fingers crossed that @mt877 will receive the variant utilizing the heavy shell, it is very good!

Oic. Well apologies to you. I didn't mean to come across as being argumentative, and I didn't realize that you had a set and had torn them down. I stand corrected.

I agree, I hope he gets the heavy shelled set as well, because they do indeed sound very good.

Before I drift off to sleep, I just wanted say that I'm officially getting spoiled big time by the Simphonio D-Max earbuds. I've been pretty busy with work these days with plenty of overtime, so have not been enjoying my music fix as much as I usually do, but when I'm getting some quality music time, it's been mainly with the D-Max buds. I'm sure everyone has been waiting for my impressions and I will give them eventually. I have been jotting down impression notes as I listen to music with them. One other thing is when I get the time I'm trying to also do some reseach on these buds as well. Simphonio's own web site is very sparse with information and doesn't describe anything about these buds. I did find some information on a Chinese website. Luckly google translation works well, but things get lost in translation, so it's not perfect

Yep. I wondered if you forgot?! I'll just patiently sit here and wait to hear about them.

 

[droenald]

All in all, the PolarNight (and the earbud community here and on the Disco thread) have persuaded me to keep going down this cool rabbit hole. I’m sold.

As for staging, I’m not much of one for staging with headphones. I’m a long-time speakerhead so that’s where I go for staging.

That's fair. I enjoy the "better than IEM" factor quite a bit. If I immerse myself fully in the music and close my eyes I can nearly transport myself to the studio or the recording venue. Of course that's highly dependant on the recording. Not quite but close. And not on any given day. Have to be relaxed and time on hand, which is rare. Try listening to Karakoy by Brazilian girls. There are a few events in the fiest minute where It's close to a out of the head experience for me.

Oic. Well apologies to you. I didn't mean to come across as being argumentative, and I didn't realize that you had a set and had torn them down. I stand corrected.

No, I have them in my DIY stash.

 

[Hypops]

Regarding staging on buds vs speakers, you would be surprised at how well some sets can do. The Moondrop Chaconne are one example that I would put at least in comparison to the OG Sennheiser HD800 for staging. This is one of the things that have kept them around (not discontinued) for a long time.

But I definitely know where you are coming from. There is no head gear that can match good speakers for staging; especially if you have a perfect diffuse set up for them.

That's fair. I enjoy the "better than IEM" factor quite a bit. If I immerse myself fully in the music and close my eyes I can nearly transport myself to the studio or the recording venue. Of course that's highly dependant on the recording. Not quite but close. And not on any given day. Have to be relaxed and time on hand, which is rare. Try listening to Karakoy by Brazilian girls. There are a few events in the fiest minute where It's close to a out of the head experience for me.

There are exceptions, for sure. My Grado RS2x with giant Dekoni pads on them stage awesomely, and some bassy IEMs can create an uncanny sense of stage depth. Binaural recordings are also super trippy in how well they make just about anything stage incredibly well. I have no doubt exceptions exist among earbuds too. If I find it in an earbud, cool. But it's not something I'm looking out for.

I don't get much staginess from the PolarNight. But with a current sample size of one earbud in my collection, I have no idea if its stage is typical or not for earbuds!

 

[tOMZY]

If he is receiving the same ones that I did (remember that there are two versions pictured on their store site for the HB1 300ohm) then I would have to disagree with this because the shells they use are completely open back.

I should get mine tomorrow or maybe even today. I took the version with a cable as well.
Having read so many high praises, can't wait to test them

Most importantly, my ears are much happier for the change. I also discovered a bunch of other big advantages to earbuds vs IEMs: no occlusion effect while walking, much better situational awareness, and far easier to take out and put back in for necessary interruptions and conversations. Not saying one is better than the other, but earbuds have some big pluses that I hadn’t realized until I started using them in my daily life.

100% my situation too.

I could say that earbuds have restored my the passion for listening to music, which had been sidelined by another hobby of mine - woodworking. Since it looks like I'm going to stick around for a while, it probably wouldn't hurt to introduce myself properly.

When I said my music listening hobby had kinda gone dormant, I meant that for the last 4-5 years, music’s mostly been background noise in my workshop, at the gym, or in the car. Things used to be different 10 years ago – I was pretty active in local online communities, geeking out over the latest audio gear. I even have a dedicated room at home, acoustically treated for music and movies. And then I stopped. My audio setup hasn’t changed in years, and it’s definitely not high-end – almost everything’s from the ‘80s and ‘90s except for the AV receiver. But I’m no audiophile; what I’ve got works for me, plus it’s got that retro vibe I kinda dig.

To be honest, I’ve never been a headphone/earphone fan. Started with some cheap Sony buds as a teen, then moved on to Koss Porta Pro, AKG K701, and even impulse-bought some AudioQuest NightOwls, but headphones never really clicked for me. My last full-size pair, the Sash Tres 45, I actually like, but I mostly use them as a photoshoot model for the headphone stands I make rather than for listening. When the IEM craze hit, I gave those a shot too – tried stuff like the BLON BL-03 – but I realized IEMs just aren’t my thing.

I even snagged a well-reviewed Class A dongle, the Centrance DACport HD, but still, I don’t get the same joy as I do from my pretty mid-tier speaker setup. My main issue with headphones is I can’t stop analyzing what I’m hearing in each ear. But then something flipped in my brain when I tried the Yincrow X6 earbuds. I can’t even remember what made me buy them, probably some random Facebook post. I get that they’re cheap and technically nothing special, but there’s something about them that just makes listening fun. My feet and hands start tapping along to the beat without me even thinking about it. If I wasn’t such a stickler for aesthetics, I might’ve just stopped there. But looking at that cheap plastic shell and flimsy cable, I couldn’t settle – I wanted something that sounds just as good but feels a bit more premium. And, well, that’s how I ended up here.

 

[jeejack]

I should get mine tomorrow or maybe even today. I took the version with a cable as well.
Having read so many high praises, can't wait to test them


100% my situation too.

I could say that earbuds have restored my the passion for listening to music, which had been sidelined by another hobby of mine - woodworking. Since it looks like I'm going to stick around for a while, it probably wouldn't hurt to introduce myself properly.

When I said my music listening hobby had kinda gone dormant, I meant that for the last 4-5 years, music’s mostly been background noise in my workshop, at the gym, or in the car. Things used to be different 10 years ago – I was pretty active in local online communities, geeking out over the latest audio gear. I even have a dedicated room at home, acoustically treated for music and movies. And then I stopped. My audio setup hasn’t changed in years, and it’s definitely not high-end – almost everything’s from the ‘80s and ‘90s except for the AV receiver. But I’m no audiophile; what I’ve got works for me, plus it’s got that retro vibe I kinda dig.


To be honest, I’ve never been a headphone/earphone fan. Started with some cheap Sony buds as a teen, then moved on to Koss Porta Pro, AKG K701, and even impulse-bought some AudioQuest NightOwls, but headphones never really clicked for me. My last full-size pair, the Sash Tres 45, I actually like, but I mostly use them as a photoshoot model for the headphone stands I make rather than for listening. When the IEM craze hit, I gave those a shot too – tried stuff like the BLON BL-03 – but I realized IEMs just aren’t my thing.

I even snagged a well-reviewed Class A dongle, the Centrance DACport HD, but still, I don’t get the same joy as I do from my pretty mid-tier speaker setup. My main issue with headphones is I can’t stop analyzing what I’m hearing in each ear. But then something flipped in my brain when I tried the Yincrow X6 earbuds. I can’t even remember what made me buy them, probably some random Facebook post. I get that they’re cheap and technically nothing special, but there’s something about them that just makes listening fun. My feet and hands start tapping along to the beat without me even thinking about it. If I wasn’t such a stickler for aesthetics, I might’ve just stopped there. But looking at that cheap plastic shell and flimsy cable, I couldn’t settle – I wanted something that sounds just as good but feels a bit more premium. And, well, that’s how I ended up here.

Looks like my living room. Big screen, two tower speakers, Amp, Streamer and DAC

 

[tOMZY]

So, you need a vinyl player It was my last addition. Don't use it often though.
Mine is a real man's cave - no windows at all (covered with sound absorbers)

 

[droenald]

I’ve already written earlier that he makes the shells the same way as jewelers do - by casting using silicone and wax molds. As you can see in the photos, the initial result isn’t impressive; it takes many hours of grinding and polishing to achieve the final look.

I somehow missed this post! Or didn't have a closer look at the photos...
This is totally awesome!
Chang Maeng 3D prints the shells in Wax. When he casts the buds the wax in the mould gets molten away and is replaced by the metal. Afterwards he hand finishes the buds. So printing the lost model in wax is what the CAD data is actually good for.
This is great and I am thoroughly impressed.

 

[dykzei]

I somehow missed this post! Or didn't have a closer look at the photos...
This is totally awesome!
Chang Maeng 3D prints the shells in Wax. When he casts the buds the wax in the mould gets molten away and is replaced by the metal. Afterwards he hand finishes the buds. So printing the lost model in wax is what the CAD data is actually good for.
This is great and I am thoroughly impressed.

A bit more complex, but it's mostly right

I've worked with this tech before and now I have a collab running with this lovely mate, all exciting