Hello everybody. Long-time lurker. Head-Fi has been invaluable to me

[Cruelhand Luke]

Firstly, Welcome to the community!

Secondly, as far as "fun" chinese IEM's go, I'd recommend the KZ ZS5's, they pack four drivers and consist of a phenomenal price to quality ratio. However if you are looking for a more "punchier" IEM go for the QKZ DM300.

I have been interested in KZ IEMs...this seems like a good price on them on Gearbest :$18.00 ....(they seem to hover around $35 on Amazon)
https://www.gearbest.com/earbud-hea...9i5SBJvh5EuDzxLVvfFFaZ2pTEm4lJQEaAlyJEALw_wcB

 

[teknojack66]

The Akai have been mentioned in this thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chinese-asian-brand-info-thread-on-or-over-ear-headphones.822184/

there are multiple variants: Marantz, ISK, Freeboss, Lyxpro, Akai ....I think I am forgetting at least one. I would get whichever one is the least expensive because they are all the same EXCEPT for one thing, the pads on the Akai aren't the best, so unless they are super cheap, or you like the way they look more, I would get one of the others. I pulled the trigger on mine because they were only $18.00 and I just went ahead and ordered an extra set of pads with it.
IF you want something complimentary/different than your 9500s these are kind of opposite in the way it presents sound...it's more of a dark, weighty, warm enveloping kind of sound, whereas the 9500s are almost ethereal and light by comparison

Hi Luke,

Pardon the delay, and thanks for your help. I ended up getting the Lyxpro HAS-10 (one of the clones you suggested) "like New" scuffed box, totally unused and perfect for USD $21 shipped, and (because I'm getting compulsive) the Oneodio (Yenona variant..someone on Head-fi (too tired to look him up) raving about it--I'm guessing it will be in same flavor as the Marantz clones, and I will probably keep one of them. And have to give a BIG thumbs-up for my new Bluetooth buddy (the only one of these three to actually arrive) the Jlab Omni Bluetooth. Crazy comfortable, balanced (maybe slightly toward the warm/dark side of things) and got an Open Box pair (I think I will probably be justifying my new habit to the Mrs with some variant of: "Actually, we are saving hundreds of dollars every month because I am buying Open Box cans." Really looking forward to receiving and listening to the ex-China Lyxpro and Oneodio.

I have to say that buying headphones, as opposed to almost all the music listening technology that is, by its very nature, less intimate, feels really good. I have been playing and producing music since the late 70's (God Im so ****ing old!) and have felt myself slip away from the many joys that--**** making music--simply listening to music brings. I have been capturing many "magic headphone moments" just in the past month or so, when under some kind of compulsion, I followed a link to head-fi, and for the first time, stuck around, dusted off my existing phones, bought some new ones (oh yeah, these KZ ZS3 and KZ ATE and Rock Zircons, have all gone through their ritualistic pink noise bath) Holy Moly, Batman, the fun I have been having!

So, now Im thinking, I really need a music player, lossless of course, with decent enough output and DAC that I dont need to add anything. Again, theres some stuff out of China that looks really good. Specifically the Shanling MS-2 available at Walmart for $150-60 or so.

EDIT; here's a link if you're interested: https://www.walmart.com/ip/M2S-Port...ble-USB-Type-C-Connection/552147920#read-more

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I'm glad you are having fun with your headphones. It's hard to explain to people the feeling you get when you hear your music better, when you are touched by it in another way.
Even something as simple as, I was talking to my girlfriend about how: sub bass = fun ....but until I put some bass heavy cans on her and let her feel some WHOMP WHOMP kind of beats she didn't really get my lame attempts at explaining how bass heavy cans are "just more fun" ....

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I noticed you wrote you got the LyX pro Has10....that's a different headphone than the Marantz/isk/etc clones ...I think it is more like a studio headphone if I remember correctly whereas the Has 30 is a more Bass heavy/ warm can...