[Folly]

In a strange twist, though I've tried the KPE, the DMG (pretty good), the DM6 (so good they make a lot of music sound like crap), OH1, V80, and countless KZs

Definitely a fit problem. I previously had the LZ A4, DMG, DM6, Tin T2/T3 but the KPE is just leagues above (except DM6 which is equally great but I prefer KPE sound signature). But when the seal is broken I just get average sound, so yeah a perfect fit is highly essential.

Try this: use soft silicone tips which are a size larger than normal and no need for deep insertion

 

[CoiL]

Whats the grey line? Based on that graph I'd still take the KPE over the Oxygen.

Same here. But it`s all about personal subjective preferences

 

[Grev]

@Grev
That's a nice collection!
You've got the Xelentos??Congrats! How do the KPE compare to them?

I haven’t compared and from memory the Xelento is bassiser, aside from that it is one of the better sets i have, it is warmer than the KPE too but I haven’t listened to it for a while now.

 

[DynamicEars]

Hello. I'm SoundChoice. You may know me from my flops such as "IEMs sent me to the poorhouse" or "I'm the only loser in the universe who doesn't see ZS7 as KZ endgame" or here in Moondrop in my endless quest to find tips to hold in my large ears two metal anvils suspended outwards with long pencil nozzles.

I'm writing to tell you I want to believe in the Kanas Pro / KPE. I really do. I hear you all saying that it's holographic. Huge stage. The forgiving cousin of the super-critical BGVP DM6 (every family has one). The best headphones you've ever stuck your ears, and that includes HD650/6xx driven by amps with tubes that would make Thomas Edison and Tesla envious. Yes, the Kanas Pro is the best earphone / headphone / IEM ever. Heck, it's the best thing you've ever stuck in your ear since mom introduced you to Q-tips after bathing as a toddler.

I'm here to tell you that despite my efforts, despite the unanimous chanting "Praise Moondrop, tuners of the gods," despite the KPE being in HBB's top 2 for a nanosecond, I'm here to publicly proclaim to the mockery and ridicule of all: I don't get it.

I hear some good sound, no sibiliance, some good mids, and decent lows. Don't get me wrong, the Kanas Pro isn't worse than the Samsung white OEMs that came with the Galaxy 5. Like the girl from work your mom sent you up with, It's pleasant enough. But is it "turn off the lights and get lost in the joy of music" euphoria? Not to my ears. And here's the thing: I want to believe.

I've tried different tips. I've tried Spinfits. I've tried JVC Spiral Dots (from Japan!). Cramming Newbee foam into my ear. My old standby, Complys, which can make any earphone stay and sound decent, I'm reluctant to use because it'll mess up the tuning, these almost hurt after 10 minutes in the KPE for some reason. The closest I've come to forgetting they're in my ears in a never-ending conscious battle of awareness "are they situated right? oh wait the bottom of my seal is being lost" is DynamicEars' foam-inside-a-SpiralDot hack. But even that's not longlasting, if I get a seal at all. And if I do use my fingers to hold the bottoms in so they're situated better, I'm expecting nirvana, which I get only if I'm listening to Nirvana.

Yes, I know they like to be driven by amps, and that means, to me, going through my Dragonfly Black 1.5. Even putting in FLAC of Alan Parsons Project remastered by the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe, I still hear "just ok" music that's not bad, but it's not worth sitting there with foam pressing my ears while awkwardly holding the metal safes upright to get something resembling a seal, even if I'm listening to Seal.

In a strange twist, though I've tried the KPE, the DMG (pretty good), the DM6 (so good they make a lot of music sound like crap), OH1, V80, and countless KZs, I've found one IEM that gives me the "wow" experience I tried so hard to get with the KPE. The excitement of "I love hearing this song and I can't wait for the next song but wait maybe I want to repeat this song again." Where you forget the IEM is in, and your favorite songs are just playing, kind of like you're Baby Driver (the most unrealistic thing in that movie is you have an audiophile bank robber but he lives with OEM ear buds lol but I digress). Where was I? Oh yeah, I found this experience I've read you all talk about, many with KPEs, sometimes with DM6s, sometimes with other things like the Fearless line which I refuse to get sucked into and if you're smart you will also because the second you get the Fearless S29 there will be a video about some new brand that "makes them sound like music played through a Firestone tire."

This magical IEM, what is it you ask? What piece of crap plays my rock music that brings me to tears with its signature of good highs and punchy bass? The Tin T3.

I really really want (ed?) it to be the Kanas Pro.

Ok. I'll end now. Go on and point and laugh.

What an interesting read, good sarcasm, true honest without limitation here. i love my tin Audio T2, one of my usual pick up among the others below $100. BUt since I've received my KP, i feel that the KP is absolute upgrade from T2 with more or less similar signature. Its like all the goodness from T2 still inside KP with better quality of course, and the lacks from T2 like sub bass have been settle. For me KP is logical upgrade from T2. I dont have T3 since i have T2 and I got KP, and i was thinking that T3 is going to sit in between T2 and KP, but not far from T2.

Maybe you are not getting good fit, or not well burn in, or defect units

 

[SoundChoice]

Trying to use multiquote for the first time, since I understand it's preferred.

In a semi-serious note, my intent is not to diminish or disparage the Kanas Pro earphone. But just in case there is someone on the fence reading the thread (forgive me for not putting it in the review section) wondering whether to buy or not, there needs to be one contrarian voice, just one post, that explains the unique physical design of the earphone and its absolute need for a good seal. I'm spending almost as much in tips trying to find the right one as the IEM itself, which may be worth it if the journey resulted in success (it still may). Potential buyers should be aware of this risk, which doesn't exist with, say, the DM6, which melds into one with the ear anatomy of everyone.

I get a great fit with Comply Isolation tips, the kind that stick way out, but then i shove the bore all the way through them so the tip is as far back as it can go. Then I do the roly poly and hold it in my ear for 20 seconds until it expands, at this point I can shake my head hard and not have anything move.

[edit2] I have the Samsung white earbuds, the KPE destroys them like, jeeez. Hard to believe it can sound like that to you.

Comply tips are my go-to. Only recently am I learning that I can use silicon and get results. With Kanas Pro's tuning, I am reluctant to Comply-ize the signature, roll off treble and enhance bass. But I am determined to give this another try. I think the secret is sizing down with the Comply since as someone else pointed out, due to nozzle length, the tip should fit further into the conical crevice.

Yes, I don't doubt that KPE is better than OEM. That was sarcasm.

that was a good read. sarcasm at its finest..haha

but more seriously though, sucks that its not for you. what is your sound preference?

Thank you!

I think my sound preference is the V-shape, something exciting and energetic. The ZSN are good, DMGs also. DM6 certainly is fine, and good for "background music" while doing other things.

Definitely a fit problem. I previously had the LZ A4, DMG, DM6, Tin T2/T3 but the KPE is just leagues above (except DM6 which is equally great but I prefer KPE sound signature). But when the seal is broken I just get average sound, so yeah a perfect fit is highly essential.

Try this: use soft silicone tips which are a size larger than normal and no need for deep insertion

I do not doubt the KPE is a fine piece of engineering, and in a higher tier than T3. Consider this though: if to accomplish the wonderful result, the drivers must be encased in large steel blocks supported by narrow foot-long beams which will naturally pull the ear away from the tips, which must be carefully selected after trying dozens, and once found, must be placed and maintained at precisely 2-3 mm from the end of the nozzle to allow proper resonance, requiring a ring-spacer hack to prevent tip slippage down the nozzle to 1mm or (gasp) flush outside the zone of optimal optimization, that's a bit of work. I'm willing to do it, however, if I can get the result.

I seek the soft silicone tips which are a size larger. I though the spiral dots would do it, since they run large, but no dice. I get better luck with DynamicEars' hack.

Speaking of whom...

What an interesting read, good sarcasm, true honest without limitation here. For me KP is logical upgrade from T2. I dont have T3 since i have T2 and I got KP, and i was thinking that T3 is going to sit in between T2 and KP, but not far from T2.

Maybe you are not getting good fit, or not well burn in, or defect units

You are very kind, and I appreciate it, and your contributions to the community.

There is immense pressure to say what everyone else is saying. But in the hopes of getting help and informing others, I felt the need to express this side of things and expose my failures.

From all I read, the T3 is a smidge better than the T2 (which I don't have), solving some issues with, as I recall, highs. But I can see KPE being better than T3, and your evaluation where they sit on a chart makes sense.

I've burned in 100 hours.
Doubt they're defective, since they make sound that's pleasant enough, but I guess I wouldn't know.
The likely culprit is the last one: not getting a good fit. Maybe the foam inside the ML dots will help (have only tried L), when the MLs arrive on a slow boat from Japan. But, yes, I think this is the crux of it all. There is a lot of work, spending, rolling, researching, etc, to make a $150+ earphone sound good though.

I do appreciate the help and insight of the many others on this (and other) threads.

T3? Oh it’s nothing compared to the highly advanced OMG42s by eargasm, which uses the new transparent/invisible technology of nomaterial. It somehow sits on your appendage and blasts the cool air of angels around your nether regions while you simply imagine whatever track you wish. No need for Daps or cables or files. Costs just $2. Unbelievable.

Brings you to the right hand of God it does.

Well done! You get me.

 

[redrol]

I still think you might want to at least try a different cable.

 

[SoundChoice]

I still think you might want to at least try a different cable.

The KPE cable seems to be high quality and not worth swapping out, unlike the stock DM6 which causes treble spikes, which maybe now doesn't. Is there a consensus KPE cable upgrade?

 

[surfgeorge]

Hello. I'm SoundChoice. You may know me from my flops such as "IEMs sent me to the poorhouse" or "I'm the only loser in the universe who doesn't see ZS7 as KZ endgame" or here in Moondrop in my endless quest to find tips to hold in my large ears two metal anvils suspended outwards with long pencil nozzles.

I'm writing to tell you I want to believe in the Kanas Pro / KPE. I really do. I hear you all saying that it's holographic. Huge stage. The forgiving cousin of the super-critical BGVP DM6 (every family has one). The best headphones you've ever stuck your ears, and that includes HD650/6xx driven by amps with tubes that would make Thomas Edison and Tesla envious. Yes, the Kanas Pro is the best earphone / headphone / IEM ever. Heck, it's the best thing you've ever stuck in your ear since mom introduced you to Q-tips after bathing as a toddler.

I'm here to tell you that despite my efforts, despite the unanimous chanting "Praise Moondrop, tuners of the gods," despite the KPE being in HBB's top 2 for a nanosecond, I'm here to publicly proclaim to the mockery and ridicule of all: I don't get it.

I hear some good sound, no sibiliance, some good mids, and decent lows. Don't get me wrong, the Kanas Pro isn't worse than the Samsung white OEMs that came with the Galaxy 5. Like the girl from work your mom sent you up with, It's pleasant enough. But is it "turn off the lights and get lost in the joy of music" euphoria? Not to my ears. And here's the thing: I want to believe.

I've tried different tips. I've tried Spinfits. I've tried JVC Spiral Dots (from Japan!). Cramming Newbee foam into my ear. My old standby, Complys, which can make any earphone stay and sound decent, I'm reluctant to use because it'll mess up the tuning, these almost hurt after 10 minutes in the KPE for some reason. The closest I've come to forgetting they're in my ears in a never-ending conscious battle of awareness "are they situated right? oh wait the bottom of my seal is being lost" is DynamicEars' foam-inside-a-SpiralDot hack. But even that's not longlasting, if I get a seal at all. And if I do use my fingers to hold the bottoms in so they're situated better, I'm expecting nirvana, which I get only if I'm listening to Nirvana.

Yes, I know they like to be driven by amps, and that means, to me, going through my Dragonfly Black 1.5. Even putting in FLAC of Alan Parsons Project remastered by the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe, I still hear "just ok" music that's not bad, but it's not worth sitting there with foam pressing my ears while awkwardly holding the metal safes upright to get something resembling a seal, even if I'm listening to Seal.

In a strange twist, though I've tried the KPE, the DMG (pretty good), the DM6 (so good they make a lot of music sound like crap), OH1, V80, and countless KZs, I've found one IEM that gives me the "wow" experience I tried so hard to get with the KPE. The excitement of "I love hearing this song and I can't wait for the next song but wait maybe I want to repeat this song again." Where you forget the IEM is in, and your favorite songs are just playing, kind of like you're Baby Driver (the most unrealistic thing in that movie is you have an audiophile bank robber but he lives with OEM ear buds lol but I digress). Where was I? Oh yeah, I found this experience I've read you all talk about, many with KPEs, sometimes with DM6s, sometimes with other things like the Fearless line which I refuse to get sucked into and if you're smart you will also because the second you get the Fearless S29 there will be a video about some new brand that "makes them sound like music played through a Firestone tire."

This magical IEM, what is it you ask? What piece of crap plays my rock music that brings me to tears with its signature of good highs and punchy bass? The Tin T3.

I really really want (ed?) it to be the Kanas Pro.

Ok. I'll end now. Go on and point and laugh.

Great read! Thanks!
It's really fun to read your comments and a healthy dose of reality in our world of hype! LOL
You really got a point, they are great for some music, but they are not punchy, and their sound signature is maybe not the best for Rock, not enough lower mids/upper bass, not enough slam.

But before you let them go, listen to Aurora! Like "Running with the Wolves"
Ah that sweet, floating voice and the rolling sub bass!
That's what they do really well!

 

[TogawaShione]

Cables from Lyre Acoustics are officially recommended for Moondrop products.Usually they have Violet for KPE and Blessing.
They can buy as bundling in China,just like Asakurai said in #1394.

 

[redrol]

The KPE cable seems to be high quality and not worth swapping out, unlike the stock DM6 which causes treble spikes, which maybe now doesn't. Is there a consensus KPE cable upgrade?

I didn't mean it like that, I meant the cable might be defective, its worth it to try another one if you have one handy.

 

[DynamicEars]

Trying to use multiquote for the first time, since I understand it's preferred.

You are very kind, and I appreciate it, and your contributions to the community.

There is immense pressure to say what everyone else is saying. But in the hopes of getting help and informing others, I felt the need to express this side of things and expose my failures.

From all I read, the T3 is a smidge better than the T2 (which I don't have), solving some issues with, as I recall, highs. But I can see KPE being better than T3, and your evaluation where they sit on a chart makes sense.

I've burned in 100 hours.
Doubt they're defective, since they make sound that's pleasant enough, but I guess I wouldn't know.
The likely culprit is the last one: not getting a good fit. Maybe the foam inside the ML dots will help (have only tried L), when the MLs arrive on a slow boat from Japan. But, yes, I think this is the crux of it all. There is a lot of work, spending, rolling, researching, etc, to make a $150+ earphone sound good though.

I do appreciate the help and insight of the many others on this (and other) threads.

Ok so 100 hours burn in should be long enough to justify. About the fit now. Im a spiral dots addict. Believe it or not, I'm using ML size all the time and i could go bigger than ML, but once i use L size spiral dots, the size was great, but inside my canal, the soft silicone side flipped inside, made a tiny gap which is affects the seal process. But if put foam inside, the L size spiral dots cant be flipped (or shrinked inside) anymore and could provide a good seal. You may want to try that. And dont push your spiral dots until end of KP stem. you'll need to overlap the tips few mm from nozzle grill edge to resonance the sound (reduce harshness, textured bass, adding soundstage). Hope these little tricks would help

 

[Makahl]

I think when we show the card "musical taste" things make more sense. I wrote this to a member through PM some time ago:

Spoiler

Songs that I loved on KPE:

Behind the Shadow Drops - Utopia
David Maxim Micic- Stardust (feat. Miyoki)
ISIS - Celestial
TesseracT - Luminary
Long Distance Calling - Out There
(a lot more)

Sub-bass/electronic:

Jon Hopkins - Emerald Rush
Rival Consoles - Ghosting
Igorrr (all stuff)
Ruby My Dear (all stuf)
(in general all electronic stuff that I'm into sounds rather good to my taste)

Songs that I wished more punch/body (drums):

Opeth - Sorceress
Symphony X - Evolution
The Ocean - Devonian: Nascent (or this full album)
Leprous - Forced Entry
Soen - Sectarian
Black Peaks - Statues of Shame (actually all songs from this band I missed something on KPE)
Dio - The Last In Line

Source: Shanling M0 / Sabaj DA2 (standard filter) / iPod classic
Tips: Stock L

The M0 and DA2 per se have a slightly bright tone which contributed to some songs sound thinner than normal on KPE. But for my personal taste listening to some prog-metal and post-rock bands I'd love more aggression. Hoping the KxxS will bring it in a stock form.

 

[SoundChoice]

Great read! Thanks!
It's really fun to read your comments and a healthy dose of reality in our world of hype! LOL
You really got a point, they are great for some music, but they are not punchy, and their sound signature is maybe not the best for Rock, not enough lower mids/upper bass, not enough slam.

But before you let them go, listen to Aurora! Like "Running with the Wolves"
Ah that sweet, floating voice and the rolling sub bass!
That's what they do really well!

Assuming part of my problem is signature, what would be a good EQ adjustment to the KPE to simulate the energetic punch of a ZSN or T3?

 

[redrol]

I use poweramp for android. Use direct volume control and plus 35 on the bass control... Pure bass heaven.

 

[CoiL]

The KPE cable seems to be high quality and not worth swapping out, unlike the stock DM6 which causes treble spikes, which maybe now doesn't. Is there a consensus KPE cable upgrade?

I didn't mean it like that, I meant the cable might be defective, its worth it to try another one if you have one handy.

Second that! You know, even widely known reviewer HBB received bad cable from Moondrop with his A8, so, Your cable may have issues (out of phase wiring or just bad solder).
I changed jack of my KPE cable and impedance was reduced noticeably. Also, if You are not amping KPE enough, it might affect sound as they are ~30 Ohm IEMs.