[jlemaster1957]

Hmm, it's pretty good despite the more angular design, perhaps a tad more pointy in the nozzle. I can still lay on my side if I want to. Fit is very subjective, though. I remember not being able to wear my KXXS for more than an hour or two when I first got into IEMs and now it's one of the most comfortable IEMs for me haha.

This brings up the question @Precogvision - what are your favourite daily IEMS? One assumes a certain rotation, but is there one you keep going back to more than any others?

 

[Precogvision]

This brings up the question @Precogvision - what are your favourite daily IEMS? One assumes a certain rotation, but is there one you keep going back to more than any others?

It mostly depends on where I am and what I'm doing. My 64A A4s and AirPods Pro are probably the ones I daily drive most often. The A4s are excellent for public transportation and for when I'm trying to block out the outside world. They're crazy comfortable as well, so I find myself using them quite a bit when I'm just chilling. The AirPods Pro are good for the gym; wires drive me bonkers when I'm moving around. They sound surprisingly good too. The timbre is more plasticky than some single-DDs, likely partially attributable to a lack of mid-treble, but the overall tuning is quite solid and doesn't offend. Convenience really does win out sometimes

My Symphonium Helios and 64A U12t don't actually get used much outside of the house. The Helios juts out of my ears more than I'd like (doesn't jive for me aesthetically), while I'm not brave enough to take the U12t outside of the house and risk it getting damaged. I still listen to one or the other for an hour or two a day usually. But I've mostly just been listening to my speakers because I'm back home for winter break. I also have a lot of other IEMs like the Blessing 2 that just sit around for benchmark purposes.

 

[jlemaster1957]

It mostly depends on where I am and what I'm doing. My 64A A4s and AirPods Pro are probably the ones I daily drive most often. The A4s are excellent for public transportation and for when I'm trying to block out the outside world. They're crazy comfortable as well, so I find myself using them quite a bit when I'm just chilling. The AirPods Pro are good for the gym; wires drive me bonkers when I'm moving around. They sound surprisingly good too. The timbre is more plasticky than some single-DDs, likely partially attributable to a lack of mid-treble, but the overall tuning is quite solid and doesn't offend. Convenience really does win out sometimes

My Symphonium Helios and 64A U12t don't actually get used much outside of the house. The Helios juts out of my ears more than I'd like (doesn't jive for me aesthetically), while I'm not brave enough to take the U12t outside of the house and risk it getting damaged. I still listen to one or the other for an hour or two a day usually. But I've mostly just been listening to my speakers because I'm back home for winter break. I also have a lot of other IEMs like the Blessing 2 that just sit around for benchmark purposes.

Thanks this is very good- I now note your A4S review @ https://www.headphones.com/community/reviews-learning-and-news/64-audio-a4s-review . I had not read that one nor was this IEM even on my radar. I’ve started to think about CIEMs, and this might just be the right one to try it out on. I am good friends with some folks at an audiology clinic to obtain the impressions.

Btw with CIEMS, if there are no tips, do you just slide the molded IEM in your ear and it stays there? Seal?

 

[Precogvision]

Btw with CIEMS, if there are no tips, do you just slide the molded IEM in your ear and it stays there? Seal?

Right, it sort of "locks" in using the contours of your ear. You should almost have to turn it counter-clockwise when you insert the IEM (and vice-versa to remove it), so they're more secure than UIEMs. They also seal more tightly than most UIEMs because they seat deeper in your ear canal. But pressure build-up doesn't matter at least in the case of the 64A IEMs because of the pressure-release valve.

 

[discord]

Thanks this is very good- I now note your A4S review @ https://www.headphones.com/community/reviews-learning-and-news/64-audio-a4s-review . I had not read that one nor was this IEM even on my radar. I’ve started to think about CIEMs, and this might just be the right one to try it out on. I am good friends with some folks at an audiology clinic to obtain the impressions.

Btw with CIEMS, if there are no tips, do you just slide the molded IEM in your ear and it stays there? Seal?

Heres a close up of how to put them in and take them out.

 

[jlemaster1957]

Right, it sort of "locks" in using the contours of your ear. You should almost have to turn it counter-clockwise when you insert the IEM (and vice-versa to remove it), so they're more secure than UIEMs. They also seal more tightly than most UIEMs because they seat deeper in your ear canal. But pressure build-up doesn't matter at least in the case of the 64A IEMs because of the pressure-release valve.

Thanks so much- thinking next about the A4S’ treble response (having read your review) would you suggest EQ to correct the A4S’ deficiencies in that part of the FR? Or does that create other problems?

 

[Precogvision]

Thanks so much- thinking next about the A4S’ treble response (having read your review) would you suggest EQ to correct the A4S’ deficiencies in that part of the FR? Or does that create other problems?

That's a good question, I've never tried it because I mostly run it off of my iPhone. But applying EQ to treble is not an easy task haha. I'd say it's not optimal in this case for a couple of reasons:

• With the setup I'm using, the measurements are definitely not accurate in the treble regions; I get high variability between measurements I take with the A4s. Treble response will also vary between individuals given this is a CIEM. This means that if someone wanted to EQ the treble of the A4s, they'd have to do it manually by ear. You can see where the resonance peak is placed dramatically shifts around the treble measurements here:
  
  Spoiler: A4s Measurements

  
• Peaks can be mostly targeted if you know how to run sine sweeps; however, recessions in frequency response - which the A4s exhibits - are a lot more difficult to pick up reliably.
• What works for one of the Apex modules might not work with the others. I've noticed that the MX module, for example, tends to marginally boost 5kHz.

In essence, you could probably do it with a lot of experimenting, but I (personally) can't give you specific settings to plug into PEQ to correct it.

 

[jlemaster1957]

That's a good question, I've never tried it because I mostly run it off of my iPhone. But applying EQ to treble is not an easy task haha. I'd say it's not optimal in this case for a couple of reasons:

• With the setup I'm using, the measurements are definitely not accurate in the treble regions; I get high variability between measurements I take with the A4s. Treble response will also vary between individuals given this is a CIEM. This means that if someone wanted to EQ the treble of the A4s, they'd have to do it manually by ear. You can see where the resonance peak is placed dramatically shifts around the treble measurements here:
  
  Spoiler: A4s Measurements

  
• Peaks can be mostly targeted if you know how to run sine sweeps; however, recessions in frequency response - which the A4s exhibits - are a lot more difficult to pick up reliably.
• What works for one of the Apex modules might not work with the others. I've noticed that the MX module, for example, tends to marginally boost 5kHz.

In essence, you could probably do it with a lot of experimenting, but I (personally) can't give you specific settings to plug into PEQ to correct it.

Thanks so much - I’ve found I could get pretty close by in Roon’s PEQ for most of my IEMS if I have the FR graph and am willing to experiment —and as you imply all may differ dramatically between two users because it’s a CIEM and we have different ear canal anatomy, above and beyond variation in the different APEX modules- lots of degrees of freedom for variability. But it sounds like this one might be worth the investment.

 

[Precogvision]

Interesting tidbit. This comes from a convenience sample because the WayBack machine misses a few days here and there, but this should come fairly close to breaking down, by user, the last six months of reviews that have hit the front page.

 

[antdroid]

I've posted a lot of reviews and never been featured. I feel blacklisted. Please create a GoFundMe and Change.org campaign to get mine and your reviews listed. GoFundMe donations will of course only go to me and not you, but I'm okay with that.

 

[KuroKitsu]

Featured seems to be an euphemism for "our sponsors want us to promote this product"

 

[Ace Bee]

Interesting tidbit. This comes from a convenience sample because the WayBack machine misses a few days here and there, but this should come fairly close to breaking down, by user, the last six months of reviews that have hit the front page.

Heh, never expected that I would also turn up here! Sure feels good!

 

[Damz87]

Interesting tidbit. This comes from a convenience sample because the WayBack machine misses a few days here and there, but this should come fairly close to breaking down, by user, the last six months of reviews that have hit the front page.

@ngoshawk right now be like:

 

[ngoshawk]

@ngoshawk right now be like:

 

[Precogvision]

The KZ Boogaloo and Some Other IEMs (Meetup Notes 12/18/21)​

Dropped by @MRSallee for the first time in a while to hear some new stuff. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I'll mostly be keeping my thoughts on budget IEMs in round-ups like this for the foreseeable future because they're a dime a dozen. I don't know if I trust my impressions 100% on some of these because I haven't listened to budget IEMs in a while - and frankly I struggle to distinguish between a lot of this stuff - so take that for what you will haha.

KZ DQ6: This is typical KZ garbage. Pinna sounds noticeably sharper than the ZEX and with the sibilance to consonances that comes from high contrast to a peak at 5kHz. I certainly wouldn't have known this IEM uses 3DDs unless I'd looked at the specs. Case in point? The timbre is awful, particularly in the treble where it's got that tinny quality for days.

KZ EDX Pro: Interestingly, the DD being used in the EDX Pro is seemingly a step above the others in this KZ shootout. It slams harder and doesn't have the compressed thing going on that the other KZ IEMs exhibit so strongly. As is characteristic of some of KZ's other IEMs - namely the ZS10 Pro - the EDX's upper-midrange is quite forward and the treble has a series of spikes that makes it come off overly bright. Extension, however, is surprisingly good. While listening points to this being another hyper-boosted, tonally unsatisfactory IEM, for the price...this is pretty solid. The driver being used in the EDX Pro is not bad, it's just the tuning that needs work.

KZ T10: These flat-out suck. Ridiculous amounts of mid-bass bloat; I constantly hear low-frequency humming on certain tracks getting in the way. The upper-midrange is recessed and this applies to most of the treble, especially the air frequencies. There's probably a peak somewhere in the lower-treble to offset some of the bloat, but you have to listen for it. No technicalities whatsoever, or more accurately, no more than I'd expect from consumer headphones. Yeah, these sound like old-school Beats headphones or something.

KZ ZEX: A warm and gooey tuning with a touch of spice in the treble. Lower-midrange is thick, but not particularly recessed relative to the upper-midrange. I say this in the sense that the ZEX's pinna is sort of wonky and there's a lack of upper-midrange presence. There appears to be a peak somewhere in the mid-treble, perhaps around 8-9kHz. It's far off enough that it doesn't infringe upon female vocals, but anything treble-intensive sound disjoint and sibilant. This one looks pretty f*cked on paper, but I don't really dislike it honestly. Basically a poor-man's Andromeda without the technicalities and tasteful balance that IEM strikes.

KZ ZEX Pro: Well, this one does not sound like your usual KZ. Sub-1kHz seems to have a gentle slope, so the lower-midrange is warmer without delving into bloat. There's a moderate bass boost and the ZEX Pro is using a DD, but slam is pretty mediocre. I'm also not really feeling the pinna or the upper-midrange of this IEM. 3-5kHz seemingly plateaus, so you have that "glassy" characteristic to vocalists like Kim Lip (on Loona's "Eclipse") and Claire Ridgely (on Sabai's "Million Days"). It's to the extent of which it gets mildly sharp/harsh at times on the former. The treble on this is also very un-KZ like to say the least. I hear it as sounding generally dampened and dark if not fairly smooth tonally minus a small spike in the mid-treble. Between KZ's usual treble and this, though, this easily takes the cake for me. The ZEX Pro's detailing is expectedly mediocre, but the mostly competent tuning is what sells me on this one.

Tanchjim Echo: I guess these are alright. Bass is tastefully boosted - kept to the sub-bass - and the midrange is good, just a tad forward. They don't really have much treble, just a generally rolled-off response with maybe a small elevation in the lower-treble. So yeah, the tuning on these is okay. The technicalities are just not very impressive. Sounds dampened and slightly plasticky. Honestly, I kind of expect better from Tanchjim.

Ikko Opal OH2: Decent enough. The bass is kind of rolled-off in the sub-bass but the tonality is solid otherwise sans, perhaps, the treble regions.

CCA CRA: This is legitimately good for $15. I'd characterize this as a V-shaped tuning with an emphasis on clarity. This is mainly due to a pronounced rise to the upper-midrange that moves into a bump at 5kHz. There are some upper-treble peaks after this point which bring the CRA into slightly metallic territory; however, I find it mostly manageable and I surprisingly do not hear much of the glassy quality at around 3-5kHz that the ZEX Pro exhibits. It's not all fake detail either. The CRA has good extension on both ends of the spectrum (yes, some actual air). Furthermore, for a sense of "latent" intangibles, the driver in the CRA has a sense of punch that belies how flat most of the other IEMs in this roundup sound. I still prefer the Tanya's warmer tuning over this in the long run because the CRA can be fatiguing, but I can totally see this working for people who are after a higher-clarity sound on a budget.

Transducer	Score
CCA CRA	4/10
Ikko Opal OH2	4/10
KZ DQ6	2/10
KZ EDX Pro	3/10
KZ ZEX	3/10
KZ ZEX Pro	4/10
KZ T10	2/10
Tanchjim Echo	4/10