RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
True, I forgot that most of my older reviews where done with my fiio m11. Now that I have the iBasso dx160 there should definitely be some changes.
RikudouGoku's Database (IEMs/Earbuds/headphones/tips Ranking list, Music list)
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RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
2020-10-20:
Rank C
Not the E500 or E1000 reskin I thought it was going to be.
This is a warm-neutral sound.
But unfortunately the technicalities (details and instrument separation) are a bit below the E1000, due to the bass bleeding a tiny bit (although I prefer the tuning on this more than the E1000).
A very non-fatigueing and relaxing sound but most importantly, nothing is offending here (no bloated bass or sharp treble).
Although the soundstage is actually pretty wide and imaging is good.
(although it isnt as good in value as the E1000, due to the price increase.)
If you are wondering what iem to get between the E500, E1000 and this.
I still rec the E1000 over them both, due to the tuning, technicalities and the cable.
B+ with EQ, B without
U-shaped
ridiculous SQ at this price, the naturality of the MH750 is beyond anything at this price and is only exceeded on the Blon 03. If only the cable wasnt as bad as it is, I would have recommended this to everyone (and if you can handle the 3,5k area better than me or is also able to use EQ).
Sony´s greatest accident indeed.
Although if you are sensitive to pressure, this does apply more pressure than normal in terms of comfort but it also has really good isolation.
Now I need a time machine....so I can go punch the 14 year old me that threw away the stock iems that came with the sony SBH52 (mh755.....)
For some reason I had it in my mind that stock = bad when I was a kid lol.
Rank A+
Tonality and timbre are excellent and so are the technicalities, neutral tuning.
Sounds a bit more natural than the NiceHCK DIY MX500 but a bit less airy and smaller soundstage.
Although value wise the MX500 wins because they are not that far from each other and the ME80 is around double the price.
Rank B+
cable: 0.44ohm
L-shaped sound
I was most hyped for this one out of the 4 I got.
But what a dissapointment after the Sora 2, they traded bass quality for quantity and also lost the very unique treble the Sora 2 had.
Technicalities are also worse than the Sora 2 due to the bass that needs to be tighter.
Even the mid-bass is quite loose.
Mids and treble does sound very good with good tonality and isnt sharp at all.
But has a very loud driver flex on the right side.
Guess I am glad I bought a second hand unit, because paying more money than I did would have been an even bigger dissapointment
(I paid 80 usd, instead of the 130 usd for a new set).
Updated review ratings (* = I dont have it in my collection/going from memory):
IEMS:
JadeAudio EA3*: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Because at the price it is at, other newer iems are a better option.
Dunu DM-480*: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Timbre is very unnatural and technicalities aren’t good enough to compensate for it. An iem such as the Ibasso IT00 is a better pick nowadays for a bassy, natural and technical set. (although the isolation in the DM-480 is still in the top.)
Final Audio E5000: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Too bloaty bass and price is too high in the current market where for example the Ibasso IT00 is very similar to the E5000 but at a fraction of the price. (Also, the LZ A7 exists in the E5000´s price range.)
Final Audio E2000: From 4/5 to 3.5/5. Just mesh mod the Blon BL-03 and you get something better in basically everyway, the E2000 is too average and too close in price to the E3000.
Final Audio E4000: From 3.5/5 to 3/5. Wasn’t worth the price back when I first reviewed it and even worse now with the Ibasso IT00 doing what the E4000 does but better and at half the price, while the Fiio FH3 exists in the E4000´s price range.
Hisenior T2: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Newer iems in this price range are better in SQ and technicalities. But most of them aren’t full BA´s, so the value in the T2 hasn’t dropped completely.
ISN D10: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. The Ibasso IT00 and the Fiio FH3 are somewhat similar in profile but performs better in SQ and in the case of the FH3, also better technicalities. Price is too high and the good value from the cable is lost now that we got a lot of great budget cables (20 usd range) with the Faaeal litz copper, Tri Through, Kbear Rhyme and the Kbear Limpid cables.
Moondrop Blessing 2: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. A lot of BA timbre that bottlenecks the naturality of the sound and the Tanchjim Oxygen is just better than the B2 in a lot of ways and is also cheaper. The LZ A7 also exists in this price range with completely superior SQ and technicalities.
Urbanfun ISS014: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Not because of sound but because of their continued failure to fix the QC problems AND the fact that you STILL do not know if you are getting the beryllium or a noble metal version. Even after increasing the price from the original 40 usd to the current 70 USD and after months of them telling us it has been fixed over and over it again, simply unacceptable. Shame, because it does sound great.
EARBUDS: I have to apologize for my review of these buds, as they are not as good as I though back then when I didn’t have many buds. I sincerely apologize to anyone that got them based on my review and were disappointed.
Moondrop Shiroyuki: From 3.5/5 to 3/5. Surpassed in every way by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is also cheaper.
Moondrop Nameless: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Surpassed in almost every way (sound) by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is also cheaper. But the build and cable quality on the Nameless is very good.
Moondrop VX Classic: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Surpassed by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is much cheaper, while the K´s Bell-LB is on a similar SQ (better technicalities in the VX classic) and has similar shape while it is cheaper.
Qigom S130: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Surpassed by the Yincrow X6, cleaner and more fun with a MUCH better bass. Although technicalities on the S130 is better than the X6 and is still very good, but the price of the S130 makes it drop in score.
Rank C
Not the E500 or E1000 reskin I thought it was going to be.
This is a warm-neutral sound.
But unfortunately the technicalities (details and instrument separation) are a bit below the E1000, due to the bass bleeding a tiny bit (although I prefer the tuning on this more than the E1000).
A very non-fatigueing and relaxing sound but most importantly, nothing is offending here (no bloated bass or sharp treble).
Although the soundstage is actually pretty wide and imaging is good.
(although it isnt as good in value as the E1000, due to the price increase.)
If you are wondering what iem to get between the E500, E1000 and this.
I still rec the E1000 over them both, due to the tuning, technicalities and the cable.
B+ with EQ, B without
U-shaped
ridiculous SQ at this price, the naturality of the MH750 is beyond anything at this price and is only exceeded on the Blon 03. If only the cable wasnt as bad as it is, I would have recommended this to everyone (and if you can handle the 3,5k area better than me or is also able to use EQ).
Sony´s greatest accident indeed.
Although if you are sensitive to pressure, this does apply more pressure than normal in terms of comfort but it also has really good isolation.
Now I need a time machine....so I can go punch the 14 year old me that threw away the stock iems that came with the sony SBH52 (mh755.....)
For some reason I had it in my mind that stock = bad when I was a kid lol.
Rank A+
Tonality and timbre are excellent and so are the technicalities, neutral tuning.
Sounds a bit more natural than the NiceHCK DIY MX500 but a bit less airy and smaller soundstage.
Although value wise the MX500 wins because they are not that far from each other and the ME80 is around double the price.
Rank B+
cable: 0.44ohm
L-shaped sound
I was most hyped for this one out of the 4 I got.
But what a dissapointment after the Sora 2, they traded bass quality for quantity and also lost the very unique treble the Sora 2 had.
Technicalities are also worse than the Sora 2 due to the bass that needs to be tighter.
Even the mid-bass is quite loose.
Mids and treble does sound very good with good tonality and isnt sharp at all.
But has a very loud driver flex on the right side.
Guess I am glad I bought a second hand unit, because paying more money than I did would have been an even bigger dissapointment
(I paid 80 usd, instead of the 130 usd for a new set).
Updated review ratings (* = I dont have it in my collection/going from memory):
IEMS:
JadeAudio EA3*: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Because at the price it is at, other newer iems are a better option.
Dunu DM-480*: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Timbre is very unnatural and technicalities aren’t good enough to compensate for it. An iem such as the Ibasso IT00 is a better pick nowadays for a bassy, natural and technical set. (although the isolation in the DM-480 is still in the top.)
Final Audio E5000: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Too bloaty bass and price is too high in the current market where for example the Ibasso IT00 is very similar to the E5000 but at a fraction of the price. (Also, the LZ A7 exists in the E5000´s price range.)
Final Audio E2000: From 4/5 to 3.5/5. Just mesh mod the Blon BL-03 and you get something better in basically everyway, the E2000 is too average and too close in price to the E3000.
Final Audio E4000: From 3.5/5 to 3/5. Wasn’t worth the price back when I first reviewed it and even worse now with the Ibasso IT00 doing what the E4000 does but better and at half the price, while the Fiio FH3 exists in the E4000´s price range.
Hisenior T2: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Newer iems in this price range are better in SQ and technicalities. But most of them aren’t full BA´s, so the value in the T2 hasn’t dropped completely.
ISN D10: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. The Ibasso IT00 and the Fiio FH3 are somewhat similar in profile but performs better in SQ and in the case of the FH3, also better technicalities. Price is too high and the good value from the cable is lost now that we got a lot of great budget cables (20 usd range) with the Faaeal litz copper, Tri Through, Kbear Rhyme and the Kbear Limpid cables.
Moondrop Blessing 2: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. A lot of BA timbre that bottlenecks the naturality of the sound and the Tanchjim Oxygen is just better than the B2 in a lot of ways and is also cheaper. The LZ A7 also exists in this price range with completely superior SQ and technicalities.
Urbanfun ISS014: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Not because of sound but because of their continued failure to fix the QC problems AND the fact that you STILL do not know if you are getting the beryllium or a noble metal version. Even after increasing the price from the original 40 usd to the current 70 USD and after months of them telling us it has been fixed over and over it again, simply unacceptable. Shame, because it does sound great.
EARBUDS: I have to apologize for my review of these buds, as they are not as good as I though back then when I didn’t have many buds. I sincerely apologize to anyone that got them based on my review and were disappointed.
Moondrop Shiroyuki: From 3.5/5 to 3/5. Surpassed in every way by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is also cheaper.
Moondrop Nameless: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Surpassed in almost every way (sound) by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is also cheaper. But the build and cable quality on the Nameless is very good.
Moondrop VX Classic: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Surpassed by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is much cheaper, while the K´s Bell-LB is on a similar SQ (better technicalities in the VX classic) and has similar shape while it is cheaper.
Qigom S130: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Surpassed by the Yincrow X6, cleaner and more fun with a MUCH better bass. Although technicalities on the S130 is better than the X6 and is still very good, but the price of the S130 makes it drop in score.
2020-10-20:
Rank C
Not the E500 or E1000 reskin I thought it was going to be.
This is a warm-neutral sound.
But unfortunately the technicalities (details and instrument separation) are a bit below the E1000, due to the bass bleeding a tiny bit (although I prefer the tuning on this more than the E1000).
A very non-fatigueing and relaxing sound but most importantly, nothing is offending here (no bloated bass or sharp treble).
Although the soundstage is actually pretty wide and imaging is good.
(although it isnt as good in value as the E1000, due to the price increase.)
If you are wondering what iem to get between the E500, E1000 and this.
I still rec the E1000 over them both, due to the tuning, technicalities and the cable.
B+ with EQ, B without
U-shaped
ridiculous SQ at this price, the naturality of the MH750 is beyond anything at this price and is only exceeded on the Blon 03. If only the cable wasnt as bad as it is, I would have recommended this to everyone (and if you can handle the 3,5k area better than me or is also able to use EQ).
Sony´s greatest accident indeed.
Although if you are sensitive to pressure, this does apply more pressure than normal in terms of comfort but it also has really good isolation.
Now I need a time machine....so I can go punch the 14 year old me that threw away the stock iems that came with the sony SBH52 (mh755.....)
For some reason I had it in my mind that stock = bad when I was a kid lol.
Rank A+
Tonality and timbre are excellent and so are the technicalities, neutral tuning.
Sounds a bit more natural than the NiceHCK DIY MX500 but a bit less airy and smaller soundstage.
Although value wise the MX500 wins because they are not that far from each other and the ME80 is around double the price.
Rank B+
cable: 0.44ohm
L-shaped sound
I was most hyped for this one out of the 4 I got.
But what a dissapointment after the Sora 2, they traded bass quality for quantity and also lost the very unique treble the Sora 2 had.
Technicalities are also worse than the Sora 2 due to the bass that needs to be tighter.
Even the mid-bass is quite loose.
Mids and treble does sound very good with good tonality and isnt sharp at all.
But has a very loud driver flex on the right side.
Guess I am glad I bought a second hand unit, because paying more money than I did would have been an even bigger dissapointment
(I paid 80 usd, instead of the 130 usd for a new set).
Updated review ratings (* = I dont have it in my collection/going from memory):
IEMS:
JadeAudio EA3*: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Because at the price it is at, other newer iems are a better option.
Dunu DM-480*: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Timbre is very unnatural and technicalities aren’t good enough to compensate for it. An iem such as the Ibasso IT00 is a better pick nowadays for a bassy, natural and technical set. (although the isolation in the DM-480 is still in the top.)
Final Audio E5000: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Too bloaty bass and price is too high in the current market where for example the Ibasso IT00 is very similar to the E5000 but at a fraction of the price. (Also, the LZ A7 exists in the E5000´s price range.)
Final Audio E2000: From 4/5 to 3.5/5. Just mesh mod the Blon BL-03 and you get something better in basically everyway, the E2000 is too average and too close in price to the E3000.
Final Audio E4000: From 3.5/5 to 3/5. Wasn’t worth the price back when I first reviewed it and even worse now with the Ibasso IT00 doing what the E4000 does but better and at half the price, while the Fiio FH3 exists in the E4000´s price range.
Hisenior T2: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Newer iems in this price range are better in SQ and technicalities. But most of them aren’t full BA´s, so the value in the T2 hasn’t dropped completely.
ISN D10: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. The Ibasso IT00 and the Fiio FH3 are somewhat similar in profile but performs better in SQ and in the case of the FH3, also better technicalities. Price is too high and the good value from the cable is lost now that we got a lot of great budget cables (20 usd range) with the Faaeal litz copper, Tri Through, Kbear Rhyme and the Kbear Limpid cables.
Moondrop Blessing 2: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. A lot of BA timbre that bottlenecks the naturality of the sound and the Tanchjim Oxygen is just better than the B2 in a lot of ways and is also cheaper. The LZ A7 also exists in this price range with completely superior SQ and technicalities.
Urbanfun ISS014: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Not because of sound but because of their continued failure to fix the QC problems AND the fact that you STILL do not know if you are getting the beryllium or a noble metal version. Even after increasing the price from the original 40 usd to the current 70 USD and after months of them telling us it has been fixed over and over it again, simply unacceptable. Shame, because it does sound great.
EARBUDS: I have to apologize for my review of these buds, as they are not as good as I though back then when I didn’t have many buds. I sincerely apologize to anyone that got them based on my review and were disappointed.
Moondrop Shiroyuki: From 3.5/5 to 3/5. Surpassed in every way by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is also cheaper.
Moondrop Nameless: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Surpassed in almost every way (sound) by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is also cheaper. But the build and cable quality on the Nameless is very good.
Moondrop VX Classic: From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Surpassed by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is much cheaper, while the K´s Bell-LB is on a similar SQ (better technicalities in the VX classic) and has similar shape while it is cheaper.
Qigom S130: From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Surpassed by the Yincrow X6, cleaner and more fun with a MUCH better bass. Although technicalities on the S130 is better than the X6 and is still very good, but the price of the S130 makes it drop in score.
Thanks for the updates. Agree with dropping the Urbanfun due to their questionable QC of MMCX and driver type. Amazing it is not fixed as we still see complaints in the forums this month about these issues, even in the supposed newer white box Urbanfun.
Also gotta agree for the Final E5000. I auditioned it twice this year (2nd time was just yesterday), tried it for 25 minutes, it was too muddy in the bass as you said, even when amped. I see it as a more technical Final E3000, but the E3000 is way cheaper (though it has no detachable cables). Yep at that price, there's tough competition.
RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
yeah, the 300 usd range is filled with a lot of great iems so it is a very tough competition.
RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
2020-10-20: First batch of iem measurements using the IEC711.
BGVP SGZ-DN1S
Co-Donguri Brass (4.4mm)
Final Audio E500
Final Audio F3100
KZ ED9 (Balanced filter, dont know where the other filter is lol)
KZ EDR1
KZ ZS4
KZ ZSE
Moondrop Spaceship
VE Bonus IE
Graphs are going to be uploaded into the "IEM Measurements" page and if there are multiple configs (due to filters/switches) they will be placed next (G2, G3 and so on) to the main config (The one I use).
Unfortunately as you can see on the graphs, the bass obviously doesnt look right but I have no idea why.
EDIT: Graphs are tools, and tools are as good as the person that is using them.
BGVP SGZ-DN1S
Co-Donguri Brass (4.4mm)
Final Audio E500
Final Audio F3100
KZ ED9 (Balanced filter, dont know where the other filter is lol)
KZ EDR1
KZ ZS4
KZ ZSE
Moondrop Spaceship
VE Bonus IE
Graphs are going to be uploaded into the "IEM Measurements" page and if there are multiple configs (due to filters/switches) they will be placed next (G2, G3 and so on) to the main config (The one I use).
Unfortunately as you can see on the graphs, the bass obviously doesnt look right but I have no idea why.
EDIT: Graphs are tools, and tools are as good as the person that is using them.
Last edited:
phthora
Headphoneus Supremus
2020-10-20: First batch of iem measurements using the IEC711.
BGVP SGZ-DN1S
Co-Donguri Brass (4.4mm)
Final Audio E500
Final Audio F3100
KZ ED9 (Balanced filter, dont know where the other filter is lol)
KZ EDR1
KZ ZS4
KZ ZSE
Moondrop Spaceship
VE Bonus IE
Graphs are going to be uploaded into the "IEM Measurements" page and if there are multiple configs (due to filters/switches) they will be placed next (G2, G3 and so on) to the main config (The one I use).
Unfortunately as you can see on the graphs, the bass obviously doesnt look right but I have no idea why.
EDIT: Graphs are tools, and tools are as good as the person that is using them.
I'm trying to figure out what that bass would sound like, if those graphs were accurate. Maybe... doing 60 on a flat tire?
RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
What do you mean by doing 60 on a flat tire? (and which iem are you trying to figure out the bass on?)
phthora
Headphoneus Supremus
Oh, I'm just being silly. I was thinking, "what if those graphs are accurate, and the bass is just insanely peaky?" I thought that might make them sound like driving around on a flat tire, which produces a very inconsistent low end thumping. Anyway, don't mind me...
tgx78
Member of the Trade: tgxear
Are you getting an air tight seal on those 711 coupler? Those Bass artifacts are mostly seal related.
RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
I should be.....
RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
2020-10-21: Second batch of iem measurements:
CCA C10
Final Audio E2000
Hisenior T2
KZ ZS7
KBEAR KS2
LZ Z04A
LZ Z05A
Periodic Audio BE
TFZ No.3
Tin Hifi T3
Along with updates to ranking:
Dunu DM-480 from B- to C
Hisenior T2 from C+ to B-
CCA C10
Final Audio E2000
Hisenior T2
KZ ZS7
KBEAR KS2
LZ Z04A
LZ Z05A
Periodic Audio BE
TFZ No.3
Tin Hifi T3
Along with updates to ranking:
Dunu DM-480 from B- to C
Hisenior T2 from C+ to B-
RikudouGoku
Member of the Trade: RikuBuds
2020-10-22: Third batch of iem measurements:
AZLA Azel
Audiosense T800 (Brown Knowles damper)
Final Audio E1000
Final Audio E4000
Final Audio FI-EVA2020
ISN D10
Intime GO
Kinera Freya
Peacock Audio P1
Sony MDR-XB75AP
Sony MH750
AZLA Azel
Audiosense T800 (Brown Knowles damper)
Final Audio E1000
Final Audio E4000
Final Audio FI-EVA2020
ISN D10
Intime GO
Kinera Freya
Peacock Audio P1
Sony MDR-XB75AP
Sony MH750
originalsnuffy
Headphoneus Supremus
We are some of the few that own the FLC8D. I think the LZ A7 has a similar sound profile depending on how you set up the filters. I find it even smoother and easier to listen to for an extended period of time. Personally I find the timbre on both to be pleasing. For reference, I like the gunmetal filter on the 8D. The only other filter worth using is the Gold. The reason I state that is to provide a reference point on what I look for in a sound signature.
jkjk123
100+ Head-Fier
Yep I stuck with the gold filter on the FLC8D. I'm not opposed to using EQ on my IEMs, so I actually EQ down the 4khz and 7-8khz on the FLC8D, and that makes it more natural / easier to listen to for longer periods.
I forgot to mentioned in my original post that I also EQ down the bass of the Final E5000 I have by quite a bit - which improves it timbre to me - it sounds more coherent to me than the FLC8D. Being a fan of single dynamic IEMs, I also recently got the NM2+, which is amazing for the price. I feel like it's on par with FLC8D in terms of ability, though its stock tuning is too bright for me so I eq down the upper mids and lower treble. It doesn't sound quite as natural though - it emphasizes details and is highly resolving, while I generally prefer a slightly more romantic/lush sound (love the mids and smooth treble on the Final E5000).
How would you compare the bass of the FLC8D vs the LZ A7? I think the primary thing I would want in terms of an upgrade from FLC8D is bass with more slam and rumble, with a slightly slower decay than the FLC8D (I like to listen to electronic music with deep bass), and also smoother treble (which it sounds like it has!)
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