Wow! Finally. So I've been on the hunt for some low/mid priced 'Chi-Fi' IEM's. I've been watching all the 'Hawaii Boy' YouTube videos!
I have 3 pairs of higher priced IEM's I use with a WM1Z, Shure 946's, Campfire 'Andromeda', and Jerry Harvey 'Layla'. I enjoy each one of these, and they all have their +-'s, I'd say I use the 846's the most, not strictly on sound but for comfort too.
I started by ordering the DMG's. Didn't like them at all! Very 'smily faced' tuned. boosted lows, recessed mids, and the treble was very uneven and grainy. I sold them, as it takes 3-4 weeks for them to arrive by that time the DM6 video was up, and with the ton of 'hype' they received I figured they would be next. I was actually pretty pumped about these. 3 weeks later I was sorta let down. While they were much improved over the DMG's these suffered from boomy and bloated bass, which mad the mids not quite resolve as they should, also pushed back. The higs were a bit strong for my liking, but worse, my pair were extremely sibilant! To the point I had to listen a really low levels. I did give them the benefit of the doubt though. Changed the cable to a ALO reference 8, 'burned' them in for about 100hrs, and tipped rolled. So it helped a bit...Not to drag on, I just didn't care for their sound signature, fit and comfort were excellent, I also loved the wide soundstage. I ended up selling these too. I have always decided on a headphone and or IEM within a few minutes of listening, I know it's not ideal but in my opinion if you don't like the way they sound within a few minutes, usually nothing will change that that is my take on sound, pretty simple, I have purchased and kept most my gear on this principle.
I decided to give 'Chi-Fi' one more shot with the Kansas Pro's, having read they had a more natural sound stage, I'm also a fan of single dynamic drivers...So, 3 weeks later, I got to be honest I had low hopes, I had seen a few negative video reviews, although I don't pay much attention to them as everyone hears things differently, and have their preferences. I put on a track I had been listening to a lot of that day "White Water" by Pineapple Thief. Within the first 10 seconds I knew I would be keeping these, I was actually stunned with how good they sounded. I'm not the best at descriptions, so...They have a very neutral sound, not flat or dead though, extremely big and wide soundstage without loosing the center image, meaning hard panned guitars sounded very wide, but vocals, snare, bass guitar, and all non panned instruments are right were they should be and not lost. Bass is also very natural, has great dynamics and punch, even dipping great into sub bass rather efficiently. I use "Terminal" by O.S.I fantastic track with great bass, but also a lot of synth that moves back and forth (L to R) Mids are also very rich and smooth, not forward or back, right where they should be, being they don't have boosted mid bass, the 1-3k region sounds very even. Highs are perfect in my book, being I like laid back highs as the 846's have they seem to drop off at maybe 5k all the way to 8k or so, but 10-12k maybe they are boosted a bit giving a nice sparkle without being harsh, which the 846's lack. Absolutely no sibilance!
If I had to compare them with what I own, I'd say they are closest to the Campfire Andro's, obviously I need more listening time, but I think they my be slightly better overall.
Fit and comfort all also great, they have a slightly longer nozzle but don't fell like they are intruding. They are pretty heavy too, slightly more than the Shure and Campfire, but they stay in place rather well. I'm using the stock medium tips as of now, I'll change them up to see how that affects sound signature. The stock cable is very, very good, a ton better than the DM6 and light years better than the DMG"s! Actually is almost identical to the ALO ref 8 I have, the upside though is that it's not stiff like the ALO the ALO also has the worst microphonics of any cable I have. Humanity has never crafted a more microphonic cable! I need to do some research but I'm hoping I can find the same cable with a 4.4 balanced output, oh last thing. They are I believe an 30ohm IEM and need some decent power. My WM1Z has enough at low gain, typically I run it at 50-70 (at the highest) with all my other IEM's the Kansas I seem to be running at 70-90. High gain has plenty of power. These things sound amazing when cranked up! Good ol' dynamic drivers.
Sorry for the long winded post, hope it helps some people that may be on the fence. So for $178 give or take, In my book these are a steal and a must. Cheers!