[redrol]

 

[Sulbh]

Hi Can someone compare S12 to Sony MDR ex800EXT/7550?

 

[redrol]

S12 beats in all metrics imo. Bass extremely as well. You will need to mod it though

 

[MCYL]

Have you seen HBB’s review of the Tangzu Wu Ze Tian?
It’s FR curve looks like a SB S12.

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

Tangzu going to be better sounding , less money s12 better lower it's price or s12 Pro match price and change tuning!

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Tangzu going to be better sounding , less money s12 better lower it's price or s12 Pro match price and change tuning!

Don't you think we should wait until someone has actually heard the Tangzu before we go crowning it the best? Graphs rarely tell the whole story and graphs without demos to confirm are a bit sketchy to be proclaiming what something will sound like off of. It's that whole concept of not counting your chickens before they hatch...

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

Don't you think we should wait until someone has actually heard the Tangzu before we go crowning it the best? Graphs rarely tell the whole story and graphs without demos to confirm are a bit sketchy to be proclaiming what something will sound like off of. It's that whole concept of not counting your chickens before they hatch...

I trust HBB did you watch his video?

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I trust HBB did you watch his video?

I watched some of it, but he's hit and miss for me. Regardless of my personal veiws on HBB, a graph and a single positive review aren't going to cut it for me to elevate a newly intoduced IEM over an established performer at the top of the heap. I'm not saying you're wrong. The Tangzu may very well be everything you hope it will be. I was just saying that I think it's a bit early to be calling the game and handing out trophies. That's all.

When it comes to HBB, sometimes I agree with certain things he says. However, other times I have found his opinions on things to be well out of line with mine. That's to be expected in such a subjective hobby, though. I generally don't watch a ton of reviews and when a product intrigues me, my ears make up my mind and inform my opinions.

I didn't mean to come off like I was saying you're wrong or anything so I'm sorry if it seemed like that. I was just cautioning us to not get ahead of ourselves. For instance, when Dioko was announced people saw Crinacle's name on it, saw the graphs, and immediately started proclaiming it the new planar king and a better value than the S12. Having owned and listened to the Dioko myself, that IEM was only slightly better than a flop. With that in mind, I would welcome the Tangzu being a kick ass lower cost planar because that's nothing but good news. I'm just not quite ready to say it's all that offbthe strength of a graph and an HBB review. Fair enough?

 

[unifutomaki]

Being in the field of data and statistics I’m more apt to trust a consensus of reviewers (which will develop for this IEM in time as it has for the S12 and anything else) rather than one dude on YouTube. But that’s just me

 

[o0genesis0o]

I watched some of it, but he's hit and miss for me. Regardless of my personal veiws on HBB, a graph and a single positive review aren't going to cut it for me to elevate a newly intoduced IEM over an established performer at the top of the heap. I'm not saying you're wrong. The Tangzu may very well be everything you hope it will be. I was just saying that I think it's a bit early to be calling the game and handing out trophies. That's all.

When it comes to HBB, sometimes I agree with certain things he says. However, other times I have found his opinions on things to be well out of line with mine. That's to be expected in such a subjective hobby, though. I generally don't watch a ton of reviews and when a product intrigues me, my ears make up my mind and inform my opinions.

I didn't mean to come off like I was saying you're wrong or anything so I'm sorry if it seemed like that. I was just cautioning us to not get ahead of ourselves. For instance, when Dioko was announced people saw Crinacle's name on it, saw the graphs, and immediately started proclaiming it the new planar king and a better value than the S12. Having owned and listened to the Dioko myself, that IEM was only slightly better than a flop. With that in mind, I would welcome the Tangzu being a kick ass lower cost planar because that's nothing but good news. I'm just not quite ready to say it's all that offbthe strength of a graph and an HBB review. Fair enough?

"Better" also depends on the context, isn't it. For example, I place a lot of importance on soundstage, resolution, and bass texture, so I rate certain IEMs 5/5. Other people might not hear nor care about those things, but they like bass, as much thumping bass as possible. So they would prefer something else.

Even the frequency response is tricky. Yes, the graph is objective, in the sense that you cannot tell the coupler to pump out a prettier graph because the IEM is expensive. But the interpretation of that graph is subjective. Unless the graph is really wrong (think of 15db ear gain), whether the tonality is "good" depends a great deal on people. In fact, I have seen some one EQ up the already spicy upper frequencies of S12 (?!?). The fact that something like CFA Dorado and Solaris have die hard fans reflect the subjectivity and tolerance level of tonality.

Another note: most of these planar drivers seem to come from the same manufacturers.

 

[BigGearHunter]

The S12 has been getting a lot of love from me lately. I'm somewhat intrigued by the mods being mentioned, can this great sound really be improved with a few household utilities?

 

[o0genesis0o]

The S12 has been getting a lot of love from me lately. I'm somewhat intrigued by the mods being mentioned, can this great sound really be improved with a few household utilities?

It depends on whether you have any problem with your S12, IMHO. I can't stand the upper midrange, so I use micropore tape (first-aid tape) to cover 60% of the nozzle. The upper midrange did reduce, but the mid bass becomes too much without the upper midrange to balance. Therefore, I use micropore tape to seal off the back vents (next to the 2 pin connector). The end result is a flatter tuning that is easier to enjoy. A fellow bass head told me that my S12 hits like DD but with the speed of planar, so I guess it does have great bass. Personally, I found that the soundstage also becomes larger and more organised, but it is likely because the upper midrange has been reduced, so treble air frequencies can shine through. S12 has such high quality drivers that spending effort to fine-tune it to your taste is worth it, IMHO. TOTL sound quality right there if the tuning is right.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

The S12 has been getting a lot of love from me lately. I'm somewhat intrigued by the mods being mentioned, can this great sound really be improved with a few household utilities?

I have tried many of the mods mentioned including the short bus mod and other tape and filter mods, but in the end I actually prefer my S12s stock with some wide bore foam tips that I keep stocked because they do a wonderful job of smoothing the upper mid to treble transition just a touch. I really think the stock tips, especially the silicone options, really hold the S12s back a bit. To my ear, they choke off the bass and lower mids and increase some shoutiness and peaks in that upper mid, lower treble region.

I can see why some people enjoy various mods and the S12s are very easy to "tune" with some readily available materials and non-invasive/distructive methods. I'm glad I played around with various mods and tip rolled quite a bit because it really showed off just how versatile this IEM is. If you have the time and the desire try out the mods that intrigue you. If nothing else, it will teach you a lot about what makes the S12 tick so to speak, will show off the full range of its capabilities, and leave you appreciating it that much more, IMO.

 

[MCYL]

Detail is something I found not too difficult to gauge, I have a few tracks where I can listen for small errors for that.
Soundstage however is the puzzling one. E.g. despite being open back I found the S12 feeling more immersive than the Hook-X. Soundstage is the most subjective factor of all.

 

[MCYL]

For instance, when Dioko was announced people saw Crinacle's name on it, saw the graphs, and immediately started proclaiming it the new planar king and a better value than the S12. Having owned and listened to the Dioko myself, that IEM was only slightly better than a flop. With that in mind, I would welcome the Tangzu being a kick ass lower cost planar because that's nothing but good news. I'm just not quite ready to say it's all that offbthe strength of a graph and an HBB review. Fair enough?

The Dioko is definitely the dark horse of the lot. It’s definitely not the most enjoyable nor immersive but without EQ, it sounds the most life-like to me.
Very much like a Planar Chu or 7hz Zero.

Edit: I never really achieved a persistent seal with the S/Z 12 with either the supplied tips nor the Moondrop spring tips. Until I came across my current cable and CP100S tips which has simply been a joy.

Today’s conversation here (a huge part of why I enjoy discussions here) sparked my curiosity so I once again borrowed my daughter’s Diokos and threw on these accessories.
Qudelix on balanced, an effortless perfect seal, zero EQ the Diokos has been a joy to listen to across the genres. That stock bass cut @200hz, gentle pinna gain and extended air frequencies make for lovely extended listening.