Earbuds Round-Up

[ttorbic]

@mt877 When you have time, can you try replacing the 68ohm graphene with the 130 bery and tell me if you like it?
- Huayunxin HS on the shell (the best quality horseshoe foam)
- MHS on the driver
- VC up

I do love bery drivers... True could really sound awesome!

I'll add this drag and drop set to my list once impressions are out!

 

[jeejack]

I do love bery drivers... True could really sound awesome!

I'll add this drag and drop set to my list once impressions are out!

You can try before anyone makes an impression. We don't all hear the same way

 

[tOMZY]

Since you mentioned the equipment from the 80s, I will try those with my stereo amp - Marantz PM4 Esotec, running in class A.

Well well well, this was a game changer. Apparently my dongle is not a good match to HB1.
Sound became thicker, bass has more speed and slam. Also, it does not feel like listening to closed-type headphones any more.
@samandhi, you were right, they sound different from anything I have.
Of course, my perception might have been also impacted by the fact that I listened to them in the very morning after having slept well. Also, I used double foams this time - donut + very thin full foams.

But all this is also bad news for me - looks like I need a better mobile power source

 

[droenald]

This picture just to have some earbud content for this post as well...

I am tuning a "Destiny" variant right now with two buds side by side for comparison. When I'm done I'd like to release the build as "Destiny Version 0.9". Naming it 1.1 would imply it is better, but that's of course not the case (how could it?!?), it is focusing more on the arguably good treble this driver has to offer! Bass is still there in abundance, and the treble and upper mids are not at all offensive to my ears. I reckon people who did build the destiny still have some spare sets of drivers around, seeing the driver can only be bought in bulk! So everyone could give it a go right away. @mt877 are you okay with it?

This is a Japanese band that was very "Quiet Riot" like in all things, though they did have their own (fantastic) sound. This was their fifth album, but their first that was all in English, and also first to make it into the top 100 charts. This is Loudness: Thunder In The East.

Japanese bands can be so incredibly awesome! The Japanese just excel at whatever they try, be it music or anything else. They always bring their full dedication to whatever they do.
Here is some music I was listening to when I was around 17 - 23. That was my garage rock period. Since then my tastes have calmed down quite a bit, but I still have a blast at times listening to that stuff.
These guys here have the "Lock'n'Loll license" !!! I am not beeing offensive, this is a quote out of "Jet Generation"
I have seen them 3x live and it was a blast each time. At the Munich concert he asked guys from the audience on stage and built a human pyramid with them and played his guitar on top of them.
Their Jet Generation cd has a label on it stating "Warning: this is the loudest album ever recorded. Playing at normal volume may cause irreparable damage to stereo equipment. Use at your own risk"

They also made a really cool Zombie flick with a great garage rock soundtrack that is a real trash fest. What the actors lack in skill they make up for in coolness. If someone can enjoy a good trash movie from time to time It comes highly recommend. If you are not avoid at all costs!
Also I don't want to live in a world where Rick Sims is not a major Rockstar. Alas I have to! So many things wrong with this world...

This is a real blast from the past for me, thanks @samandhi for sending me there!

HELLO to all you guests.... Come on in (the water is warm ) and have a discussion with us.

(Loud knocking on the door) One minute please, we'll just have to put on some cloooootheeeeees!

 

[mt877]

This picture just to have some earbud content for this post as well...

I am tuning a "Destiny" variant right now with two buds side by side for comparison. When I'm done I'd like to release the build as "Destiny Version 0.9". Naming it 1.1 would imply it is better, but that's of course not the case (how could it?!?), it is focusing more on the arguably good treble this driver has to offer! Bass is still there in abundance, and the treble and upper mids are not at all offensive to my ears. I reckon people who did build the destiny still have some spare sets of drivers around, seeing the driver can only be bought in bulk! So everyone could give it a go right away. @mt877 are you okay with it?

Sure go for it. Or just just say something like Destiny inspired and come up with your own name. There's always room for more named buds around here.

(Loud knocking on the door) One minute please, we'll just have to put on some cloooootheeeeees!

Hurry, the minions will be crashing through the door... hehe.

 

[samandhi]

Last week I listened to my AKG701 which I hadn't done for ages. I have a pair of the early models, the ones still made in Austria. I have always considered them to be bass-shy, therefore, not to my liking. Anyway, I gave them a try and was shocked how good they sounded. So natural, balanced. Bass was also there. I spent the whole evening with them and was totally impressed. I wish I could ever manage to get something close to this from earbuds. I believe it is possible.

Many considered the AKG K701/K702 to be bass lite compared to other stuff being released, and I might have agreed with them many many moons ago. But when I listen to the AKG K702 I actually find them to have plenty (if I am looking for accurate reproduction). To top this, I also found something amazing about this set. They have some of the deepest reaching bass of all sets I own. So they don't really roll off like is typical. While the overall quantity is pretty neutral, it is all there and represented at any given time. These really are a great reference set for music production (and are also enjoyable for music reproduction as well).

Since you mentioned the equipment from the 80s, I will try those with my stereo amp - Marantz PM4 Esotec, running in class A.

Very nice!

Well well well, this was a game changer. Apparently my dongle is not a good match to HB1.
Sound became thicker, bass has more speed and slam. Also, it does not feel like listening to closed-type headphones any more.
@samandhi, you were right, they sound different from anything I have.
Of course, my perception might have been also impacted by the fact that I listened to them in the very morning after having slept well. Also, I used double foams this time - donut + very thin full foams.

But all this is also bad news for me - looks like I need a better mobile power source

I am sure your perception was impacted by having different dynamics in the filters on them (read double foams). But I wonder if this is a bit like the Yinman situation we have seen over the years on this thread. There have been a ton of people trying to use them right from a dongle, and didn't like them. The solution was to feed them more power. Most of those folks never realized that the Yinman 600 were/are actually harder to drive than the (notoriously) hard to drive Hifiman Susvara (60Ω @83dB/mW).

While the HB1 300Ω may not require the same amount of power to properly excite the drivers, they are still considered "hard to drive". My point is that a dongle may list their specs as having the power to fully drive a set that is 300Ω, in reality most can't. It isn't because of the lack of voltage, but the lack of current. Being so small, they (dongles) are only allowed to pull so much from a source (external battery), and the bottleneck is most likely going to be the current that it can supply to a set (apologies, I was lazy this morning when I typed this, so I didn't do the math like I normally would. Besides that I can't even look up the specs on this set anymore due to the "orange monkey" ).

I am glad that you were able to get a better sense of what they are capable of doing though. I am both happy and sad for you....

Happy for obvious reasons, and sad that you feel that you need a better portable solution.

This picture just to have some earbud content for this post as well...

I love your new shiny!

Did you ever offer your impressions of it on here (the DCE)?

Japanese bands can be so incredibly awesome! The Japanese just excel at whatever they try, be it music or anything else. They always bring their full dedication to whatever they do.
Here is some music I was listening to when I was around 17 - 23. That was my garage rock period. Since then my tastes have calmed down quite a bit, but I still have a blast at times listening to that stuff.
These guys here have the "Lock'n'Loll license" !!! I am not beeing offensive, this is a quote out of "Jet Generation"
I have seen them 3x live and it was a blast each time. At the Munich concert he asked guys from the audience on stage and built a human pyramid with them and played his guitar on top of them.
Their Jet Generation cd has a label on it stating "Warning: this is the loudest album ever recorded. Playing at normal volume may cause irreparable damage to stereo equipment. Use at your own risk"

They also made a really cool Zombie flick with a great garage rock soundtrack that is a real trash fest. What the actors lack in skill they make up for in coolness. If someone can enjoy a good trash movie from time to time It comes highly recommend. If you are not avoid at all costs!
Also I don't want to live in a world where Rick Sims is not a major Rockstar. Alas I have to! So many things wrong with this world...

This is a real blast from the past for me, thanks @samandhi for sending me there!

You are welcome! I was having one of those moments when I was listening to the HB1 300Ω last night myself. Hence (for me) they have already paid for themselves, even if I never listen to them again; which will not happen. haha

This is excellent, and I had not heard about "Lock'n'Loll license", but I love it.

I had a listen to both of those, and while the first one might be a bit too crazy for me (nowadays), the second song is cool... It sounds a bit like a cross between George Thorogood, and Anthrax.

Thanks for sharing this!

(Loud knocking on the door) One minute please, we'll just have to put on some cloooootheeeeees!

ROFL.

I'm going to mod it myself if it works great if not oh well and yeah the ram and small battery was an issue for me with the dx160 and 170.

Good luck with that. Please let us know how it turns out?!

 

[cleg]

I don't have much experience with earbuds, but I really enjoyed Flathead Audio's FH01, as I think they offer a great value for $35 price. So I want to share my video here

 

[samandhi]

I don't have much experience with earbuds, but I really enjoyed Flathead Audio's FH01, as I think they offer a great value for $35 price. So I want to share my video here

Thanks for sharing this video.

It is refreshing to hear someone that isn't normally a flathead user, notice that they CAN make some good bass. BTW! There ARE sets that make bass that is comparable to IEMs on the quantity side (though not some of the bassiest ones), and there are definitely ones that can make better bass than both headphones and IEMs on the quality side. Your review seems to agree with others on here that they are indeed a good entry level bud (especially for the price). You should also give a try to the Yincrow X6 (one of the best entry level sets)

Also, I wanted to ask, do you think that it is the treble that is hot, or is it the upper mids/lower treble area? For me, there is a huge difference insomuch as I am sensitive to one, but not the other.

P.S. It is obvious that your native language isn't English, but you speak it very well. Good job!

 

[droenald]

Sure go for it. Or just just say something like Destiny inspired and come up with your own name. There's always room for more named buds around here.

Well... So I finished the tuning. Then I checked the result vs the brighter tuning of "Destiny".
Aaaaand: It sounds the same!
This means: Destiny sounds so awesome, I don't want it to sound different!
But: as a result at least I created a recipe for an identical sounding "Destiny" if one would like to use the cables I used instead of the cable @mt877 specified. Not exactly a stunning result, but a result nontheless! Hit me up if you want to do your build with one of those two cables. And yes, the "Tiger" cable comes with a microphone option if you fancy that...

Did you ever offer your impressions of it on here (the DCE)?

Not yet, but you know how it goes. You want to take your time so what you write makes sense and might actually be valuable to people who read it in the end. At least thats the plan.

 

[Pabsu]

Has anyone here made a $400+ bud?

 

[droenald]

Has anyone here made a $400+ bud?

How?!? No. The most expensive driver I could find cost me 50€ on sale...
So I guess you could spend 100€ on materials if you bought it from the wrong (as in overpriced) shops.

 

[ttorbic]

How?!? No. The most expensive driver I could find cost me 50€ on sale...
So I guess you could spend 100€ on materials if you bought it from the wrong (as in overpriced) shops.

Haha it's easy - really really fancy cables to go on 50 USD earbuds

 

[Pabsu]

How?!? No. The most expensive driver I could find cost me 50€ on sale...
So I guess you could spend 100€ on materials if you bought it from the wrong (as in overpriced) shops.

I meant a bud that sounds in the $400 range.

 

[ttorbic]

I meant a bud that sounds in the $400 range.

A DIY bud that's open source that others have regarded to be 400 USD in sound? No, not that I'm aware.

 

[samandhi]

I meant a bud that sounds in the $400 range.

There are some, yes. But you are suggesting that $400 will get you sound that is better than $100 will. Those that love the Yinman 600 ($129) think that they sound better than $400 sets as an example; though neither are DIY. So when I said yes, I meant that there are DIY buds on here that fall into the TOTL tier ($80-400) where sonic properties are concerned, and if you are ranking them by price.

The ones that I currently have that will resemble that statement might be:

• Aika
• Artiste
• Destiny
• Caelum
• Aquila
• Draco
• Blue Moon

That is to say, I know what you are looking for with your question, but in the flathead realm, things are not so "black-and-white" like they might be in the headphone/IEM realm. Even in that realm, I find some mid-tier (if ranked by price alone) to sound as good or better than some kilobuck headphones/IEMs... Marketing has blown out of proportion what good sound is supposed to be, or rather how much it should cost.

Take the Sennheiser HD600 or HD650 (which are much cheaper than kilobuck headphones). There are those that will argue that they are the best sounding (audiophile) headphones on the market, and partially why they have been around for (what seems) ages now.