[RikudouGoku]

Ugg, that's a bummer.
I decided to jump right into something expensive instead of going little by little climbing like with IEMs. I literally got tired of hoarding many different audio equipment. xD

Yeah, I get it. The K300 Samsara has a MX500 shell and those fits the best for me.

I've been mulling over plunging into the earbud game even though fit, based on past experience with the old school Apple earbuds only, gives me great pause. I'm also not really wanting to play the game of the buy->(attempt to) sell->buy again->rinse/repeat cycle because this always ends up costing me more $$ than if I had just jumped up at least to the upper priced mid-fi or lower priced hi-fi options from the beginning. Been looking at the EBX21 and RW2000, but have so much to learn, and also unsure how to even buy other stuff that isn't available easily here in the States.

You should try the Yincrow X6 and the NiceHCK MX500. Those are great buds and are only like 10 usd each. You can get them from aliexpress.

Then you can decide if you want to go up or if earbuds arent for you. If you do want to go up, you will then have 2 references.

 

[G777]

I ordered the NiceHCK MX500 last week after reading your reviews

The large soundstage of earbuds is quite impressive, but I also have some comfort issues with them too.

 

[RikudouGoku]

I ordered the NiceHCK MX500 last week after reading your reviews

The large soundstage of earbuds is quite impressive, but I also have some comfort issues with them too.

Best is to just try out the different shapes in the budget range. So you know what type will and won't fit you when you inevitably move up the ladder.

 

[zepmaj]

Any chance to get review of Dunu SA6? I would like to read your take on SA6 and where it will be in your list.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Any chance to get review of Dunu SA6? I would like to read your take on SA6 and where it will be in your list.

Well, I havent asked dunu about one yet. But Im not really a fan of BA iems in general, they to me just always lack something fundamental that DDs have. Like in timbre or in bass texture and the ventless body isnt comfortable for me since I am sensitive to pressure build-up. The SA6 (and the BGVP DM8) however do get quite a lot of praise from multiple people, so that is why I am a bit interested in them.

But we see what I do, I am getting the EST112 though.

 

[jasswolf]

Forgot that I ordered the Koss KPH30i a few days ago. Got it today and wow, its great. Very early impressions is that it is essentially a better balanced Porta pro, with less bass quantity so it isnt as dark and also cleaner and less bloated. Very well tuned. Technicalitites seems to be around the porta pro level though. KSC75 is definitely the most technical out of the family.

The headband on the KPH30i is much more solid and better built than the porta pro which feels like a fragile toy. But most importantly, it doesnt rip my hair out like the porta pro.

I got some parts express headbands on the way though. So the porta pro should get an upgrade in comfort. Not sure if the KPH30i needs it though, the stock band is great. Although I wished that the headband had number markings for the size adjustment.

Glad to see that I and others got you started on the Koss budget rabbit hole! Hope you're throwing the KSC75 on a Parts Express headband, as it will bring back the bass at the expense of a tiny bit of soundstage. I've tried Yaxi pads with the Porta Pro and that makes them much more manageable in terms of tonality while being much more comfortable, but a little sharp in the lower treble. Will be interested in your thoughts on the Yaxis with the KPH30i, which should be different again due to all the dampening done for the enclosure.

I wonder if anyone has transported the KSC75 drivers into the KPH30i enclosure? Part of me thinks it will suck the bass out, but perhaps the dampening may conduct lower and mid-bass better? But at this point, I'm happy to just flex between the NiceHCK MX500, KPH30i and KSC75 unless I need isolation. Buying them at the right time gets you a really great portable library for around $40 USD pre-tax.

IEMs are the trickier solve for me, but I'm pretty content at this point with the Moondrop Starfield with KZ flipped tips as it really opens them up (as it does for the BL03). I know that goes against your own preference and recommendations, but I suspect that's just the nature of tip fits for my ear canal.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Glad to see that I and others got you started on the Koss budget rabbit hole! Hope you're throwing the KSC75 on a Parts Express headband, as it will bring back the bass at the expense of a tiny bit of soundstage. I've tried Yaxi pads with the Porta Pro and that makes them much more manageable in terms of tonality while being much more comfortable, but a little sharp in the lower treble. Will be interested in your thoughts on the Yaxis with the KPH30i, which should be different again due to all the dampening done for the enclosure.

I wonder if anyone has transported the KSC75 drivers into the KPH30i enclosure? Part of me thinks it will suck the bass out, but perhaps the dampening may conduct lower and mid-bass better? But at this point, I'm happy to just flex between the NiceHCK MX500, KPH30i and KSC75 unless I need isolation. Buying them at the right time gets you a really great portable library for around $40 USD pre-tax.

IEMs are the trickier solve for me, but I'm pretty content at this point with the Moondrop Starfield with KZ flipped tips as it really opens them up (as it does for the BL03). I know that goes against your own preference and recommendations, but I suspect that's just the nature of tip fits for my ear canal.

My parts express headband package is nowhere to be seen, no tracking number either....

I ordered them here: https://giantpygmy.net/shop/index.php?id_product=8&controller=product
hopefully I wasnt scammed.....

Yaxi pads are on the way though from amazon japan (along with some more radius deep mount and elecom EHP-CAP20 tips). I will start modifying the porta pro first since I dislike the comfort and sound on it. The KSC75 might get better with parts express headband as well. Not sure if I want to mess with the KPH30i, thats how much I like the sound and comfort.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Well guys.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/low...ck-cable-thread.891911/page-386#post-16258223
(credits to @paulwasabii for those measurements)

Looks like those cables from XINHS are the new default rec now. So I will have some new model names for all my measured cables.

I have something like this in mind:
0-0.3 ohms: A series (example, Tri Through = cable A1)
0.3-0.6 ohms: B series
0.9-1.2 ohms: C series

Add new columns into the cable page:
"Wire-material", "Notes", "Hakuzen"

"Wire-material" refers to what material is used for the cable,
be it copper, silver, SPC or a hybrid between them.

"Hakuzen" refers to what name the cable is under Hakuzens database
(if applicable)


I believe that with this system, you be able to somewhat know how good the cable is by just looking at the first letter (since its essentially their ranking). While the number is just a unique identifier. Wouldnt be fun to refer to the XINHS cables as, "XINHS 4 core single crystal copper cable" and then get questions like "which one?" since they got a lot of cables from the same material but not neccessarily the same looks.

I appreciate if you got any feedback, since I wont be using their real names (most of them arent names, they are more like descriptions lol) after I have finished setting this up.

I am also contemplating on removing all the stock cables in that list, as you cant buy those cables anyway…

 

[RikudouGoku]

2021-03-25: Aiderlot M5 review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aiderlot-m5.25060/reviews#review-25571

Rank: A+

Essentially a budget Oxygen with the same performance on acoustic/vocal music. Oxygen only beats it on bass quantity and texture, which isnt really needed for the kind of music these 2 specialize in. Currently my best BA iem.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Got some parts express headband and tried it on the Porta pro and the KSC75.

Porta pro:

Pros:

• More comfortable, doesn’t rip my hair out and less clamp
• Doesn’t look like a toy
• Even more lightweight
• A bit more treble and overall cleaner sounding, slightly less bass quantity but tighter. (very small change, even closer sounding to the KPH30i)

Cons:

• 3rd party product
• Unfoldable

Overall, it is a good improvement, but the KPH30i still sound better to me.

KSC75:

Pros:

• Better tonality as it is more balanced
• More bass while keeping quality

Cons:

• Slightly less airy and a tiny bit smaller soundstage
• Comfort is slightly worse since you can feel them on your ears and there is more heat generation, while you can barely feel them with the ear clips
• 3rd party product

Overall, a big improvement for my library. The biggest con it had with the ear clips is that it had too little bass and the tonality did lack warmth on most of my tracks. Rank up from B to A-.

Although for gaming, the ear clips are better since comfort is a more important factor than the sound difference.


Overall, my preference is still the same. Porta pro < KSC75 < KPH30i
Both before and after the parts express headband swap. But the KSC75 is closer to the KPH30i than before the mod at least.

 

[RikudouGoku]

2021-03-29: Big update to the cable measurement page.


New names have been given to all the cables and all stock cables have been removed (you can still find the stock cable measurements in the review/impression). Added a column that specifies what wire material the cable is using along with a comments column (pretty self-explanatory). What does this mean going forward? It means that I will never use the real “name” of the cable, which in most cases means “brand-name cable-name-that’s-totally-not-a-description”. So, it will be much quicker for me and for others to specify what exact cable we are referring to. Links to the cable is in the list itself and of course is NOT an affiliate link and just for you to know what cable we are talking about.


0-0.3 ohms: A series
0.3-0.6 ohms: B series
0.9-1.2 ohms: C series
1.2-1.5 ohms: D series
1.5-1.8 ohms: E series
X > 1.8 ohms: F series

The names will have a ranking (A to F) then a nr to them. A series are of course the best ones in terms of resistance but that doesnt mean that I will always recommend A over B cables. The cost of the B cable could for example be a lot more cheaper than the A cable which could IMO be overpriced.

 

[RikudouGoku]

2021-03-29: Got my second batch of my XINHS cables (came before my first batch thanks to dhl express lol, should hopefully get my first batch this week though).

0.15 ohms

High build quality, very low resistance, working chin-slider. On the thicker side due to being 8 cores but not too thick, a bit stiffer than average.
New default cable rec.
XINHS Hybrid copper/pure-silver 8-core (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002350509830.html) = cable A1

0.23 ohms

4-core version of cable A1, which is a bit less stiff but with a non-working chin-slider. If you want a thinner cable than the 8-core version, this is a great alternative.

XINHS Hybrid copper/pure-silver 4-core (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002350509830.html) = cable A2
(seems they dont have a separate listing for this one, but you can just ask the seller for it.)

0.23 ohms

Very good build quality for this price, average stiffness and quite thin for a 4-core cable. Although I recommend cable A3 that’s just a few dollars more expensive over this one.

XINHS copper 4-core (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001874696470.html) = cable A4

0.33 ohms

Quite a soft and flexible cable, very good build quality for this price, with a working chin-slider. The copper is of a red color which is very unique.

XINHS copper/SPC 8-core (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001747415190.html) = cable B1

0.47 ohms

Very soft and flexible cable, high build quality and a working chin-slider. But not really recommended due to price and resistance compared to other cables.

XINHS silver foil 8-core (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001747129492.html) = cable B2

 

[RikudouGoku]

2021-03-29: Yaxi pads arrived. Impressions with them vs the stock pads (+ parts express headband).

Porta pro (parts express headband):

Pros:

• Very big change, a lot more treble and isn’t dark anymore
• Comfort is a lot better

Cons:

• Lost the bass that made it fun
• Less natural overall
• Third party product
• Sounds similar to the KSC75 + parts express headband but worse and more recessed mids

Overall, not a good change as the KSC75 with the parts express headband sounds similar to the Porta pro + yaxi pads + parts express headband but a lot better overall.



KSC75 (parts express headband):

Pros:

• More treble, airier sound

Cons:

• Comfort is worse because there is a lot more heat
• Less bassy and not as tonally balanced

Overall, I prefer the stock pads as the extra bass from them is much better for my library and also because of the better comfort.



Conclusion, my ears are most likely not very compatible with the Yaxi pads since they are bigger than my ears. But if you got big ears and the stock pads are too small, then these might be good for you.

 

[sutosuto]

cable A1

Thanks for your measurement, ordered A1 and B1.

 

[superuser1]

2021-03-29: Got my second batch of my XINHS cables (came before my first batch thanks to dhl express lol, should hopefully get my first batch this week though).

Do you think they have 8 core litz cables available?