[chickenmoon]

I had a sneaky feeling back then that the kpe could benefit from vent blocking but be careful as I think i damaged my kc07 that way recently as the iem would lose complete sound on left ear if I pressed it in a bit too hard and it suffered from channel imbalance after I did the tape mod. I am not sure if it was the tape mod or the iem itself but that is why I returned it back and will try and get the kpe as replacement.

Blocking back vents reduces bass a bit and I've never had any issues doing that with other IEMs but thanks for the word of caution anyway. Your issue with losing sound on insertion seems more like a typical issue with lack of front vents or blocking the front vents or am I wrong?

 

[surfgeorge]

@surfgeorge thanks for the info and could possibly describe the soundstage to me coming out of your smartphone?

Listen to this:


especially the part around 1:00 where Emanuel walks to the left and pulls the chair closer to play guitar.
On the iPhone all the right left information is there of course, but it is difficult to make out the distance from which the sound is coming.
When Emanuel walks to the left I can kind of guess that he walks to maybe 5m, and pulls the chair to 3m distance. But it is kind of fuzzy.

With the Mojo, the sound gets more 3dimensional and soundstage becomes more realistic, and it sounds as if Emanuel walks out further, maybe 7m and pulls the chair to a distance of maybe 4-5m from the sitting position.

I am not sure how much that description helps.
IMO the soundstage depends equally on the ability of the source to get the exact timing of the sounds right as it depends on the IEM.
And IEMs are not as good as headphones in terms of soundstage.

Still, with good recordings and the Mojo I had a few "out of the head" experiences with the KPEs, where I really thought that the sounds came from the actual room and my brain was really looking for the source before I realized that the sounds came from the KPEs. That was a positive surprise to me.

I can't say more since I have almost no comparison with other IEMs, hope it helps anyways!

 

[jon parker]

My own set will arrive tomorrow - Will add my impressions here. Looking forward to it

 

[Nabillion_786]

Listen to this:


especially the part around 1:00 where Emanuel walks to the left and pulls the chair closer to play guitar.
On the iPhone all the right left information is there of course, but it is difficult to make out the distance from which the sound is coming.
When Emanuel walks to the left I can kind of guess that he walks to maybe 5m, and pulls the chair to 3m distance. But it is kind of fuzzy.

With the Mojo, the sound gets more 3dimensional and soundstage becomes more realistic, and it sounds as if Emanuel walks out further, maybe 7m and pulls the chair to a distance of maybe 4-5m from the sitting position.

I am not sure how much that description helps.
IMO the soundstage depends equally on the ability of the source to get the exact timing of the sounds right as it depends on the IEM.
And IEMs are not as good as headphones in terms of soundstage.

Still, with good recordings and the Mojo I had a few "out of the head" experiences with the KPEs, where I really thought that the sounds came from the actual room and my brain was really looking for the source before I realized that the sounds came from the KPEs. That was a positive surprise to me.

I can't say more since I have almost no comparison with other IEMs, hope it helps anyways!

Thanks for the detailed reply and the soundstage is a bit of a worry for me for me as I watch a lot of movies and was thinking of buying the latest 12.9 inch iPad pro and getting a cheap portable reciever like the es100 as the iPad has no headphone jack. Have you tried the kpe out of the es100 by any chance? I know iems generally don't have huge soundstage but there are certain iems that are good enough for me when it comes to soundstage but nearly all of them have kinda bad vocals either sounding thin, unclear or recessed.

 

[Nabillion_786]

Blocking back vents reduces bass a bit and I've never had any issues doing that with other IEMs but thanks for the word of caution anyway. Your issue with losing sound on insertion seems more like a typical issue with lack of front vents or blocking the front vents or am I wrong?

Yeah I blocked the front vents and got the desired sound I wanted but after a bit of time the iem started playing up. Do you think this is the issue of the earphone itself playing up or is it because it is generally risky to block the front vent. I just used a sticky, cheap brown tape on it

@jon parker perfect timing... I am very looking forward to you recieving your kpe aswell and it would be perfect if you could compare it to your t4's especially on vocals and soundstage after you have listened to both of them properly.

 

[rubick]

I heard FD01!

 

[CoiL]

And? How does it compare to KP?

I am now using KP with back vents blocked and will probably keep it that way. Mids are even more incredible but bass is still strongly present when called for and has better balance between sub-bass and mid-bass. I can push em loud enough to get upper mids to my taste without having too much bass at the same time and I have less contrast between thin and thick tracks.

Although I have done such simple mods a lot, be careful as blocking vents can cause damage after some time.
Just wanted to ask why You taped it anyway? Was something noticeably lacking?

The trick with these longer nozzle IEMs is to try lower tip sizes than normal.

plus, push tips all the way on level with nozzle edge.

 

[kookaudio]

I know it is not themain topic here now, but I see almost nobody talks about Moondrop Crescent. I just wantedto point out how an AMAZING piece of gear they are. Having a quite big collections of iems starting from cheap KZs going to Tansio Mirai 3 (extremely good!) I just find myself in this moment enjoying the Crescents... probably more than any other pair

 

[HerrXRDS]

Thanks for the detailed reply and the soundstage is a bit of a worry for me for me as I watch a lot of movies and was thinking of buying the latest 12.9 inch iPad pro and getting a cheap portable reciever like the es100 as the iPad has no headphone jack. Have you tried the kpe out of the es100 by any chance? I know iems generally don't have huge soundstage but there are certain iems that are good enough for me when it comes to soundstage but nearly all of them have kinda bad vocals either sounding thin, unclear or recessed.

I am also searching for something that has a natural vocal timbre. Most IEMs I've seen described with natural vocals are either too thin, dry or harsh. Sony N3 does vocal timbre great but they are too receased. FH5 has the clearest vocals I've heard but do not sound very natural. So far I am enjoying the vocals on E4000 the most. I find myself picking them for movies and games the most. Big open soundstage, good rumble, vocals not sibilant hallow or thin and quite forward for its signature. I just wish they would be easier too drive cause I find myself maxing out the volume on most portable devices. A little more clarity would be nice too. If anyone has a better sugestion let me know.

I know it is not themain topic here now, but I see almost nobody talks about Moondrop Crescent. I just wantedto point out how an AMAZING piece of gear they are. Having a quite big collections of iems starting from cheap KZs going to Tansio Mirai 3 (extremely good!) I just find myself in this moment enjoying the Crescents... probably more than any other pair

Ordered one 2 weeks ago, should be here any day. Surprised more people haven't ordered them with how good reviews they got so far. They keep hoarding those KZs

 

[jon parker]

I am also searching for something that has a natural vocal timbre. Most IEMs I've seen described with natural vocals are either too thin, dry or harsh. Sony N3 does vocal timbre great but they are too receased. FH5 has the clearest vocals I've heard but do not sound very natural. So far I am enjoying the vocals on E4000 the most. I find myself picking them for movies and games the most. Big open soundstage, good rumble, vocals not sibilant hallow or thin and quite forward for its signature. I just wish they would be easier too drive cause I find myself maxing out the volume on most portable devices. A little more clarity would be nice too. If anyone has a better sugestion let me know.

Ordered one 2 weeks ago, should be here any day. Surprised more people haven't ordered them with how good reviews they got so far. They keep hoarding those KZs

it depends on what 'natural sounding vocals' sound like to you. Also, if you have a warm or a dark sounding DAP then that would change the character of the vocals. One thing you could consider is to buy an O2 amp as they have one of the most neutral sound signatures with an almost completely silent background. Then using a line out source you can at least be somewhat confident that at least your source is as clean and pure as possible. There are some extraordinary headphones from the mid 1980's, in particular the Sennheiser HD 540 which has one of THE most natural sounding timbres you can find!
As for the natural vocals with IEM's... Im not sure. The AT-IM03 was quite flat. the more recent Tin Audio T2 has proved very accurate for work
I have Tansio M3 incoming. Will look out for the crescents though

 

[Nabillion_786]

I am also searching for something that has a natural vocal timbre. Most IEMs I've seen described with natural vocals are either too thin, dry or harsh. Sony N3 does vocal timbre great but they are too receased. FH5 has the clearest vocals I've heard but do not sound very natural. So far I am enjoying the vocals on E4000 the most. I find myself picking them for movies and games the most. Big open soundstage, good rumble, vocals not sibilant hallow or thin and quite forward for its signature. I just wish they would be easier too drive cause I find myself maxing out the volume on most portable devices. A little more clarity would be nice too. If anyone has a better sugestion let me know.



Ordered one 2 weeks ago, should be here any day. Surprised more people haven't ordered them with how good reviews they got so far. They keep hoarding those KZs

Thanks for the suggestion and tbh I did demo them at a local store and did not like them too much. It maybe because I was using my phone when I heard it. I put the volume on max and it sounded a bit closed and small on stage but that is probably my axon 7's lack of power. Also in terms of vocal timbre I absolutely love the ostry kc07 and kc09 but that is the only thing they excel on imo. Every other part sound is very average and at times I would of liked a bit more clarity. The tfz secret garden also had excellent vocals and a phenomenal overall sound with a big stage but the vocals were quite recessed.

@jon parker do the t4's give good natural vocals when paired with a warm source and copper cable? My main reason for buying them was for the soundstage, clarity and vocals alone. I stumbled across soo many reviews saying these have a 3d, holagraphic stage and one reviewer also thought the stage was bigger then the dm6's. Also, I tried the t2's that you mentioned but felt it was too thin to sound satisfying. Will be very curious once when you compare your upcoming iems to the t4.

 

[jon parker]

Thanks for the suggestion and tbh I did demo them at a local store and did not like them too much. It maybe because I was using my phone when I heard it. I put the volume on max and it sounded a bit closed and small on stage but that is probably my axon 7's lack of power. Also in terms of vocal timbre I absolutely love the ostry kc07 and kc09 but that is the only thing they excel on imo. Every other part sound is very average and at times I would of liked a bit more clarity. The tfz secret garden also had excellent vocals and a phenomenal overall sound with a big stage but the vocals were quite recessed.

@jon parker do the t4's give good natural vocals when paired with a warm source and copper cable? My main reason for buying them was for the soundstage, clarity and vocals alone. I stumbled across soo many reviews saying these have a 3d, holagraphic stage and one reviewer also thought the stage was bigger then the dm6's. Also, I tried the t2's that you mentioned but felt it was too thin to sound satisfying. Will be very curious once when you compare your upcoming iems to the t4.

The T4 can give a profoundly clean and pure sounding vocal. Im not sure you would call them natural. They don't sound UN natural by any means! I wouldn't say they have a 3d holographic soundstage but what you do get is things happening surprisingly with the soundstage when you dont expect them.
Its hard to say as I have some full 3d holographic headphones / IEMS
I also have the Tansio msr3 coming as well as the Sony MDr 755 something or other (the slightly softer EX1000
Anyhoo, its late...I may be rambling

 

[Hadden]

I know it is not themain topic here now, but I see almost nobody talks about Moondrop Crescent. I just wantedto point out how an AMAZING piece of gear they are. Having a quite big collections of iems starting from cheap KZs going to Tansio Mirai 3 (extremely good!) I just find myself in this moment enjoying the Crescents... probably more than any other pair

Yes, surprisingly excellent. I listened with the stock silicone tips first, then when I changed to some bigger foamies -- BAM! Big coherent sound. $30usd free ship for the newer polished brass version with nicer cable. They are much better than my BeyerDT1350, as a stretch comparison. I have been buying cheapy IEMs just experimenting as I've only known regular phones. Got a few stinkers in a row and lucked out with the Crescent. I am curious to hear Moondrops premium efforts hearing how they can get such good sound in a throwaway.

 

[Nabillion_786]

The T4 can give a profoundly clean and pure sounding vocal. Im not sure you would call them natural. They don't sound UN natural by any means! I wouldn't say they have a 3d holographic soundstage but what you do get is things happening surprisingly with the soundstage when you dont expect them.
Its hard to say as I have some full 3d holographic headphones / IEMS
I also have the Tansio msr3 coming as well as the Sony MDr 755 something or other (the slightly softer EX1000
Anyhoo, its late...I may be rambling

Thanks for the clarification and if you don't mind please share comparisons with your t4 when you get your other iems. Also, out of curiosity which iems/headphones do you have that beat the t4 in its stage? Why earphones are a huge deal to me is because I would need to make the most out of my tablet as my parents go nuts as soon as i turn the volume up a few notches at night on my tv haha. To add further, I've demoed some headphones at a store and most of them sound less clear then iems in general or this not true? I may just stop at chifi iems and go down the headphone route if they would give me what I'm after but I am not sure with headphones as I would not know where to start. If you do reply could you please pm me as I don't want to discuss headphones here.

 

[kookaudio]

I am also searching for something that has a natural vocal timbre. Most IEMs I've seen described with natural vocals are either too thin, dry or harsh. Sony N3 does vocal timbre great but they are too receased. FH5 has the clearest vocals I've heard but do not sound very natural. So far I am enjoying the vocals on E4000 the most. I find myself picking them for movies and games the most. Big open soundstage, good rumble, vocals not sibilant hallow or thin and quite forward for its signature. I just wish they would be easier too drive cause I find myself maxing out the volume on most portable devices. A little more clarity would be nice too. If anyone has a better sugestion let me know.



Ordered one 2 weeks ago, should be here any day. Surprised more people haven't ordered them with how good reviews they got so far. They keep hoarding those KZs

You know they are cheap. When you have them give them a little burn in time, find the best tips for you and you will be amazed about them