[Codename john]

Glad your happy with the H40s. They really did an awesome job with them. I am looking forward to see what they come up with next. If you have some cables on hand I would try this and that. You will be surprised just how much the H40s scale with cables.

Ok. I also bought the Orbs on the back of your review. Looking forward to them also. I'm not a cable connoisseur. What would you recommend for a decent price ?

 

[Dsnuts]

My first advice is just to give the earphones a good break in period and enjoy them for what they are. Nothing wrong with the stock cables.

Cables can be a rabbit hole but I have a few I can advise depending on what part of the sonics you want to enhance on the H40s and the Orbs.

 

[Skullar]

Been thinking of letting go of H40 and try out D10.

I am quite happy with h40 but i just need some more subbass for my gym energy.

Is d10 fit as good as h40?

 

[Dsnuts]

better it is a smaller shell.

 

[Lamim Rashid]

Ok. I also bought the Orbs on the back of your review. Looking forward to them also. I'm not a cable connoisseur. What would you recommend for a decent price ?

Looking forward to what you think of the orbs. I just got both recently as well. I fee like the H40 is a direct upgrade to the bl-03 in almost everyway cause it does everything better and has a similar sound signature, though some might not like the slight BA timbre it has. The penon orb has less of that BA timbre, but it's sound signature is way close to the likes of the starfield than it is the blons. PS, I would stick with the stock cables, the cable it comes with is very good and I believe retails for around $35 seperately. If you really want to try something different I would check out the tripowin zonie for a good quality budget cable.

 

[IEMusic]

I fee like the H40 is a direct upgrade to the bl-03 in almost everyway cause it does everything better and has a similar sound signature, though some might not like the slight BA timbre it has.

Now I’m very curious how the H40 compares to the iBasso IT00. @audio123, any thoughts?

 

[audio123]

Now I’m very curious how the H40 compares to the iBasso IT00. @audio123, any thoughts?

The H40 has bigger stage, better imaging and more treble sparkle than the IT00 which comes as no surprise given the price difference of 126 USD. Basically, we are talking about 2 IEMs that dominate their price points respectively. Cheers.

 

[josesol07]

The H40 has bigger stage, better imaging and more treble sparkle than the IT00 which comes as no surprise given the price difference of 126 USD. Basically, we are talking about 2 IEMs that dominate their price points respectively. Cheers.

thanks @audio123, you just saved me $100. I´d rather send for repair the faulty H40 right unit.

 

[DynamicEars]

I spend day and night listening to my H40 hardest contender. They have big spacious soundstage, very coherence sound, yet pick up very good details, bass is tight and fastttt with very good rumble, texture and depth, no bleed, no smears. Clarity is better than H40 yet everything sounded non harsh at all. Have better imaging than H40, its really close to my ideal preference. I'm still shaking, how good these are. Will share later on, they priced roughly $200.
Will post about details with pic later. Stay tune H40 owners!

 

[Lamim Rashid]

I spend day and night listening to my H40 hardest contender. They have big spacious soundstage, very coherence sound, yet pick up very good details, bass is tight and fastttt with very good rumble, texture and depth, no bleed, no smears. Clarity is better than H40 yet everything sounded non harsh at all. Have better imaging than H40, its really close to my ideal preference. I'm still shaking, how good these are. Will share later on, they priced roughly $200.
Will post about details with pic later. Stay tune H40 owners!

What are they?

 

[DynamicEars]

Alright enough with the joke already!
They are the H40 themselves ~ The modded ones!

I just keep using the H40 (its close to half a year by now) and somehow still realize how good the H40 tuning is with that grande presentation, the coherence and the big soundstage.
As i wrote last time with my impressions, that the bass is a little big for me, and somehow a bit bloated, just a little bit with mid bass hump. And details are not their strength (they are quite good but not spectacular like their soundstage)
Actually i have been think about this sometimes ago, but i didn't bother and let the day pass.
So 2 days ago, out of my curiousity, I cant help it, since the nozzle grill holes also smaller than usual, they tend to be blocked someday.
Short story, I open up the grill out of my curiousity.

lift up the grill with needle from the edge



And... i found out that there is a mesh damper stick on behind the metal nozzle grill. Believe it or not, this kind of mesh damper is effecting sound more than cables, or eartips.
I know they intended to tame the harshness, to smoothen trebles and high mids but from my experiences, the bad side effects is shadowing the good effects.
This kind of damper, the mesh cloth made bass frequencies bloated, because they reduce air flow as much, the mesh cloth blocked the air way. Think of tape the vent holes or blocking the entire nozzle. Bass will become bigger, but bloated, boomy.
They really need to stop using this kind of damper. Or at least, don't block entire surface, make the damper like donut shape, leaving the center portion uncovered.

Learn from big boys please, JVC and Sony how they make details yet clear, smooth, and precise. They are using sponge, from the cheapo MH755 until top end M7/M9, I guess same with Z1R too.
JVC does it different way, take a look on FDX1 filters, yes a rolled cotton on side of the nozzle, that is their secret damper. Main point is don't ever block the entire surface, never block the air.
This is not my first time, Been doing this to a lot IEMs, particularly with similar mesh dampers.
THe BQEYZ Spring 1 (see my Spring 1 review), various KZs (if you want it to be mentioned, but they need serious other damper), BLON BL-03 (see BLON thread).
Even the BQEYZ themselves finally take the suggestion, and Spring 2 is born, without mesh cloth.

there is a mesh cloth damper behind


Then I changed the grill with spare grill nozzle, the 4.7mm net grill is way to go. I would using cut of sponge or cotton if they are go wild (harsh).
5 minutes tricks change your $200 IEMs sounded like $500 ones, goes from $300 sounds. Seriously.
I was scared how good the H40 in their full potential, the mesh cloth hold theirs.
HOLY MOLY!!! i was expecting some upgrades, i can guess on its clarity, and maybe slight tightness in bass, but they go far beyond my expectation!!

left : after grill mod, right : original grill (small holes and mesh cloth under the grill, bad airflow)


+++Bass is 1 of the best bass now in their class, that sub bass focused, mid bass tightness and speed, they are very agile and fast. Great rumbles and texture and very very clean. Winning point is here. The quantity is reduce a little bit so basshead please be warned,
but they go from bloated quantity to great quality bass, with very good proportion between sub bass and mid bass, no more mid bass bloat. You have to hear them by yourself, this bass section is the major improvement you can get with this mod.

++clarity. definitely become much clearer sounds, close your eyes, guitar strings are there few steps from you.

++coherence and tuning. Tuning become more proportion, its like Blessing 2 tuning based on FR, with bit uplift subbass still with their decent note weight, more balance, less shouty upper mids but more highs extension

+speed. faster transient, catching up every single notes, precisely, handles busy tracks better.

+details. Add more of micro details, not quite a jump but definitely better than original with mesh cloth.

+soundstage. Same width, or maybe slightly bigger but only a hair differences, but they added depth and sounded more natural yet airy

++imaging. Imaging become much more precise and sharp in a good way. Big improvement from original slight blurry imaging.

+separation. become more clear with air in between instruments

+highs extension become more better but a bit intense and not so forgiving to bad records

*same forwarded and smooth mids, not shouty at all

-more intense highs, especially 6-8khz so treble sensitive people need to place cut of cotton inside (dont block entire nozzle)


seriously they improved almost in every sectors, especially the sub bass and mid bass, and they are 100% reversible if you dont like it.
Ok FAQ, what is the cons then? I want to say nothing, sounded like too good to be true, but really they are not harsh at all. Their tuning of pinna gain is definitely less than 10db. That explains much.
I was prepared to damper the 3,6,8khz but i didnt need to. from songs that i tried on past 2 days, only around 5% that give me sibilances, but they have bright recording. you can add cotton a bit if you want to your preferences, just make sure dont block entire nozzle.
Maybe the only downside they sounded more "RAW", so they more unforgiving to bad recording, again especially on 7-8khz, ocassional sibilances

So are they become much better? how better?
Yes they are, much much better, take with grain of salt since i cant A-B comparing, but from my memories, they are on similar or catching level of IT04, Sony Z5, better than blessing 1. And leave entry level midfi like Spring 1, i3, NX7 Pro behind there with definite gap.

I compared them with my Sony M7, they are catching closely now, crazy $200 vs $600 comparison. M7 have better layering obviously, its their speciality. But the clarity, the overal tuning and balance,
the Bass quality, the coherence, the note weight they are very close now, just slightly below M7. Before i can heard the gap easily.
One more info, I bought my H40 at full price, not review unit - same with my Sony IER-M7, Im trying to share this info objectively, I don't want to overhype it.



Seriously from IEMs i modded (and mostly they are better) only H40 give me this goosebumps. You have to try them yourself. and please do
especially @Dsnuts , give them a shot and compare them with Blessing 2 and Mofafest Trio. What? I'm not kidding.

*Note : H40, 150 hours+, default cable single ended, DX160 high gain, azla sedna short M with deep insertion (ps : now the spiral dot++ also pair great with this set, before i said too softening, too bouncy feeling)

 

[Lamim Rashid]

What's the stem size for these H40, and any tip rec? I'm thinking about getting a pair of symbio or comply tips to try and get a little more bass out of them

 

[Lamim Rashid]

Alright enough with the joke already!
They are the H40 themselves ~ The modded ones!

I just keep using the H40 (its close to half a year by now) and somehow still realize how good the H40 tuning is with that grande presentation, the coherence and the big soundstage.
As i wrote last time with my impressions, that the bass is a little big for me, and somehow a bit bloated, just a little bit with mid bass hump. And details are not their strength (they are quite good but not spectacular like their soundstage)
Actually i have been think about this sometimes ago, but i didn't bother and let the day pass.
So 2 days ago, out of my curiousity, I cant help it, since the nozzle grill holes also smaller than usual, they tend to be blocked someday.
Short story, I open up the grill out of my curiousity.

lift up the grill with needle from the edge



And... i found out that there is a mesh damper stick on behind the metal nozzle grill. Believe it or not, this kind of mesh damper is effecting sound more than cables, or eartips.
I know they intended to tame the harshness, to smoothen trebles and high mids but from my experiences, the bad side effects is shadowing the good effects.
This kind of damper, the mesh cloth made bass frequencies bloated, because they reduce air flow as much, the mesh cloth blocked the air way. Think of tape the vent holes or blocking the entire nozzle. Bass will become bigger, but bloated, boomy.
They really need to stop using this kind of damper. Or at least, don't block entire surface, make the damper like donut shape, leaving the center portion uncovered.

Learn from big boys please, JVC and Sony how they make details yet clear, smooth, and precise. They are using sponge, from the cheapo MH755 until top end M7/M9, I guess same with Z1R too.
JVC does it different way, take a look on FDX1 filters, yes a rolled cotton on side of the nozzle, that is their secret damper. Main point is don't ever block the entire surface, never block the air.
This is not my first time, Been doing this to a lot IEMs, particularly with similar mesh dampers.
THe BQEYZ Spring 1 (see my Spring 1 review), various KZs (if you want it to be mentioned, but they need serious other damper), BLON BL-03 (see BLON thread).
Even the BQEYZ themselves finally take the suggestion, and Spring 2 is born, without mesh cloth.

there is a mesh cloth damper behind


Then I changed the grill with spare grill nozzle, the 4.7mm net grill is way to go. I would using cut of sponge or cotton if they are go wild (harsh).
5 minutes tricks change your $200 IEMs sounded like $500 ones, goes from $300 sounds. Seriously.
I was scared how good the H40 in their full potential, the mesh cloth hold theirs.
HOLY MOLY!!! i was expecting some upgrades, i can guess on its clarity, and maybe slight tightness in bass, but they go far beyond my expectation!!

left : after grill mod, right : original grill (small holes and mesh cloth under the grill, bad airflow)


+++Bass is 1 of the best bass now in their class, that sub bass focused, mid bass tightness and speed, they are very agile and fast. Great rumbles and texture and very very clean. Winning point is here. The quantity is reduce a little bit so basshead please be warned,
but they go from bloated quantity to great quality bass, with very good proportion between sub bass and mid bass, no more mid bass bloat. You have to hear them by yourself, this bass section is the major improvement you can get with this mod.

++clarity. definitely become much clearer sounds, close your eyes, guitar strings are there few steps from you.

++coherence and tuning. Tuning become more proportion, its like Blessing 2 tuning based on FR, with bit uplift subbass still with their decent note weight, more balance, less shouty upper mids but more highs extension

+speed. faster transient, catching up every single notes, precisely, handles busy tracks better.

+details. Add more of micro details, not quite a jump but definitely better than original with mesh cloth.

+soundstage. Same width, or maybe slightly bigger but only a hair differences, but they added depth and sounded more natural yet airy

++imaging. Imaging become much more precise and sharp in a good way. Big improvement from original slight blurry imaging.

+separation. become more clear with air in between instruments

+highs extension become more better but a bit intense and not so forgiving to bad records

*same forwarded and smooth mids, not shouty at all

-more intense highs, especially 6-8khz so treble sensitive people need to place cut of cotton inside (dont block entire nozzle)


seriously they improved almost in every sectors, especially the sub bass and mid bass, and they are 100% reversible if you dont like it.
Ok FAQ, what is the cons then? I want to say nothing, sounded like too good to be true, but really they are not harsh at all. Their tuning of pinna gain is definitely less than 10db. That explains much.
I was prepared to damper the 3,6,8khz but i didnt need to. from songs that i tried on past 2 days, only around 5% that give me sibilances, but they have bright recording. you can add cotton a bit if you want to your preferences, just make sure dont block entire nozzle.
Maybe the only downside they sounded more "RAW", so they more unforgiving to bad recording, again especially on 7-8khz, ocassional sibilances

So are they become much better? how better?
Yes they are, much much better, take with grain of salt since i cant A-B comparing, but from my memories, they are on similar or catching level of IT04, Sony Z5, better than blessing 1. And leave entry level midfi like Spring 1, i3, NX7 Pro behind there with definite gap.

I compared them with my Sony M7, they are catching closely now, crazy $200 vs $600 comparison. M7 have better layering obviously, its their speciality. But the clarity, the overal tuning and balance,
the Bass quality, the coherence, the note weight they are very close now, just slightly below M7. Before i can heard the gap easily.
One more info, I bought my H40 at full price, not review unit - same with my Sony IER-M7, Im trying to share this info objectively, I don't want to overhype it.



Seriously from IEMs i modded (and mostly they are better) only H40 give me this goosebumps. You have to try them yourself. and please do
especially @Dsnuts , give them a shot and compare them with Blessing 2 and Mofafest Trio. What? I'm not kidding.

*Note : H40, 150 hours+, default cable single ended, DX160 high gain, azla sedna short M with deep insertion (ps : now the spiral dot++ also pair great with this set, before i said too softening, too bouncy feeling)

I'm hesitant to try this because I already find the H40 veryy unforgiving with bad records. Not the h40's fault.. but some tracks are so bad and hurtful to my ears. I learned the hard way that just cause something is flac or mqa (tidal) doesn't mean it's going to be a good quality track.

 

[DynamicEars]

What's the stem size for these H40, and any tip rec? I'm thinking about getting a pair of symbio or comply tips to try and get a little more bass out of them

Wide bore seems the best for me, azla sedna short, spiral dot++ and regular also works great

 

[ericf]

Wide bore seems the best for me, azla sedna short, spiral dot++ and regular also works great

That's good to hear but I want to know the stem size, too. Are they 4mm, 4.5 mm, 5mm or 5,5mm wide at the top?