This is a nice a fun set
SeeAudio Rinko Discussion and Impressions Thread
Disclaimer, I'm a Zeos patron and like others here, got the chance to get them for a discount as a review pair: I've had mine for a few days and my initial impressions are pretty good, although there are a few elements to it I don't like.
EDIT: running it off my FiiO M11 with the stock cable (unbalanced) and tips, low gain (these do not need more gain, they get shouty)
Firstly, the fit and the stock eartips (a silicone/foam mix) are amazing. My main listening IEM is the OG Monarch which I love to death, but it's always been too chonky for me. Definitely nothing I'd change in that department, even the cable is pretty decent.
The bass is definitely a standout here - and saying that coming from the OG Monarch means a lot for sure. Sub-bass focused even though it's everywhere (more on that later), I'm pretty amazed how a $100 IEM manages to have bass that's both FAST and rumbly (I suspect it's the planar adding to the speed). This one truly does give you all the bass no matter the track.
Test tracks:
sub-bass:
Why So Serious? (The Dark Knight OST) (3:27 - 4:30) - I literally felt like my skull was vibrating like a tuning fork, it's quite something
FKA twigs - Lights On
James Blake - Limit to Your Love (0:55)
(and much more, I'd add that upright bass sounds really good so it goes very well with a lot of jazz tracks)
mid-bass:
Victor Wooten - Overjoyed - as this is more sub-bass focused, the very lower frequencies sometimes get in the way of the timbre of an electric bass guitar, but not by a lot. if you're a purist or a neutrality chaser or you want to use these as monitors, this definitely isn't for you
Leslie Odom Jr - Wait for It [from Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)] (from 2:35 - here on a really good set you're supposed to hear the lower register of the piano very much back in the mix coupled with the bass guitar, not a lot of IEMs nail it properly. This one's not exactly bad, you can hear the piano, but not as distinct as I'd like. So it's somewhere in the middle. I've heard much more expensive sets where I could barely make out the piano at all)
Earth, Wind & Fire - September (I won't link the older tracks because there's so many different masterings that I can't be sure you're hearing what I'm hearing). This one's a great example of how too much bass can sometimes bury the track. The bass sounds fantastic, but the meat of the instruments and the vocals sound a bit buried in the mix, but only slightly and perhaps because I know vividly how it sounds on the Monarch.
Aquarius (from the Hair OST) - for some reason on this one the bass is JUST RIGHT and doesn't get in the way of anything so I guess it's a bit track dependent.
Mids/vocals:
I think this is where the bass tax is audible the most because on most tracks the vocals get somewhat drowned in the mix - not absurdly so, but enough for me to feel like something's missing. However, for a $100, I've heard much much worse vocals.
I don't have the time to list examples from tracks anymore but it's pretty much uniform in this department. When it's not a bass track, however - or at least that part of the spectrum isn't a big part of the track, the vocals get a nice bit of weight to them that (to me) is pretty pleasant for male vocals (see Jacob Collier - Fix You (Coldplay cover)) but doesn't really work for female vocals (see Shoshana Bean - Finishing the Hat (Sondheim cover))
Instrumental tracks work much better; however, if you're chasing the proper timbre of a given instrument, this isn't really it because the lower frequencies are obviously too pronounced. The mids are average
Treble:
I'll admit that treble isn't something I know how to properly evaluate because I can't pinpoint the different frequencies (= I don't know what a "boost at 8 kHz" means for example), but I can say that I'm hearing a lot of detail without it being harsh or sibilant, which is essentially what I'm aiming for. However, because of how overpowering the bass is, sometimes on tracks when there is a lot of both, it can be overwhelming and I have to turn it down quite a bit. There hasn't been a track where I thought oh I wish I could hear the cymbals better or something - it's all there, it's just not for those chasing the micro-details of somebody shifting in their chair while playing or something. The treble is good to very good.
Finally, the standout other than the bass is definitely the imaging and to an extent the soundstage. For a $100 I've heard tracks that made me think why I spent more than seven times that on the Monarch, honestly. Sure, it isn't as "resolving" as that, but goddamn, the way Yosi Horikawa dances AROUND your head is insane. And especially something that I can't put my finger on but it's like you can hear each individual driver firing off in sequence, it's a weird feeling, but imagine the sound literally expanding from a very tight center gradually to outside your head, checking each individual spot on the way (the best I can do here is share the moment that wowed me, from the Finale from Sunday in the Park with George, 1:34 - 1:54, it's like a letter V starts at the center of your head and expands in every direction and becomes absolutely huge outside your head, almost as if along the way separate parts of the IEM are turning on when needed. I absolutely love what it does).
As for your standard busy tracks with a lot going on, you can definitely pinpoint everything that's going on - again, to the extent that it makes me wonder why I paid so much for my beloved Monarch. Sounds go left, right, around you, behind you (example), the only thing I'm not really getting is hearing something in front of you, but then again, that's tough to achieve in an IEM. Even with songs that aren't necessarily well recorded you can still reap the benefit of whatever they shoved in the Rinkos (for example this Jacob Collier track is really tough on most IEMs I've tried because it's so dense and trebly, yet on these I can hear everything everywhere without being exhausted by the high end, which is again exactly what I've been looking for)
All in all, I don't have time or the energy to be more exhaustive and precise but I think if you're looking for some amazing bass with spectacular imaging and some pretty decent soundstage (wider than the Monarch, I have to add), this is definitely it.
What it's not is a monitor or an IEM for more female-vocal-centric libraries, choral music and acoustic instrumentals - this is definitely not a neutral IEM.
Finally, I haven't had any recent experience with $100 range IEMs so I don't know what's out there currently. I know the price range has become VERY competitive from what I'm seeing, but just the great fit and tips and the build and the cable are at least worth half that - and then add on another 50 for the sound. I'm personally satisfied and won't be selling mine any time soon
EDIT: running it off my FiiO M11 with the stock cable (unbalanced) and tips, low gain (these do not need more gain, they get shouty)
Firstly, the fit and the stock eartips (a silicone/foam mix) are amazing. My main listening IEM is the OG Monarch which I love to death, but it's always been too chonky for me. Definitely nothing I'd change in that department, even the cable is pretty decent.
The bass is definitely a standout here - and saying that coming from the OG Monarch means a lot for sure. Sub-bass focused even though it's everywhere (more on that later), I'm pretty amazed how a $100 IEM manages to have bass that's both FAST and rumbly (I suspect it's the planar adding to the speed). This one truly does give you all the bass no matter the track.
Test tracks:
sub-bass:
Why So Serious? (The Dark Knight OST) (3:27 - 4:30) - I literally felt like my skull was vibrating like a tuning fork, it's quite something
FKA twigs - Lights On
James Blake - Limit to Your Love (0:55)
(and much more, I'd add that upright bass sounds really good so it goes very well with a lot of jazz tracks)
mid-bass:
Victor Wooten - Overjoyed - as this is more sub-bass focused, the very lower frequencies sometimes get in the way of the timbre of an electric bass guitar, but not by a lot. if you're a purist or a neutrality chaser or you want to use these as monitors, this definitely isn't for you
Leslie Odom Jr - Wait for It [from Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)] (from 2:35 - here on a really good set you're supposed to hear the lower register of the piano very much back in the mix coupled with the bass guitar, not a lot of IEMs nail it properly. This one's not exactly bad, you can hear the piano, but not as distinct as I'd like. So it's somewhere in the middle. I've heard much more expensive sets where I could barely make out the piano at all)
Earth, Wind & Fire - September (I won't link the older tracks because there's so many different masterings that I can't be sure you're hearing what I'm hearing). This one's a great example of how too much bass can sometimes bury the track. The bass sounds fantastic, but the meat of the instruments and the vocals sound a bit buried in the mix, but only slightly and perhaps because I know vividly how it sounds on the Monarch.
Aquarius (from the Hair OST) - for some reason on this one the bass is JUST RIGHT and doesn't get in the way of anything so I guess it's a bit track dependent.
Mids/vocals:
I think this is where the bass tax is audible the most because on most tracks the vocals get somewhat drowned in the mix - not absurdly so, but enough for me to feel like something's missing. However, for a $100, I've heard much much worse vocals.
I don't have the time to list examples from tracks anymore but it's pretty much uniform in this department. When it's not a bass track, however - or at least that part of the spectrum isn't a big part of the track, the vocals get a nice bit of weight to them that (to me) is pretty pleasant for male vocals (see Jacob Collier - Fix You (Coldplay cover)) but doesn't really work for female vocals (see Shoshana Bean - Finishing the Hat (Sondheim cover))
Instrumental tracks work much better; however, if you're chasing the proper timbre of a given instrument, this isn't really it because the lower frequencies are obviously too pronounced. The mids are average
Treble:
I'll admit that treble isn't something I know how to properly evaluate because I can't pinpoint the different frequencies (= I don't know what a "boost at 8 kHz" means for example), but I can say that I'm hearing a lot of detail without it being harsh or sibilant, which is essentially what I'm aiming for. However, because of how overpowering the bass is, sometimes on tracks when there is a lot of both, it can be overwhelming and I have to turn it down quite a bit. There hasn't been a track where I thought oh I wish I could hear the cymbals better or something - it's all there, it's just not for those chasing the micro-details of somebody shifting in their chair while playing or something. The treble is good to very good.
Finally, the standout other than the bass is definitely the imaging and to an extent the soundstage. For a $100 I've heard tracks that made me think why I spent more than seven times that on the Monarch, honestly. Sure, it isn't as "resolving" as that, but goddamn, the way Yosi Horikawa dances AROUND your head is insane. And especially something that I can't put my finger on but it's like you can hear each individual driver firing off in sequence, it's a weird feeling, but imagine the sound literally expanding from a very tight center gradually to outside your head, checking each individual spot on the way (the best I can do here is share the moment that wowed me, from the Finale from Sunday in the Park with George, 1:34 - 1:54, it's like a letter V starts at the center of your head and expands in every direction and becomes absolutely huge outside your head, almost as if along the way separate parts of the IEM are turning on when needed. I absolutely love what it does).
As for your standard busy tracks with a lot going on, you can definitely pinpoint everything that's going on - again, to the extent that it makes me wonder why I paid so much for my beloved Monarch. Sounds go left, right, around you, behind you (example), the only thing I'm not really getting is hearing something in front of you, but then again, that's tough to achieve in an IEM. Even with songs that aren't necessarily well recorded you can still reap the benefit of whatever they shoved in the Rinkos (for example this Jacob Collier track is really tough on most IEMs I've tried because it's so dense and trebly, yet on these I can hear everything everywhere without being exhausted by the high end, which is again exactly what I've been looking for)
All in all, I don't have time or the energy to be more exhaustive and precise but I think if you're looking for some amazing bass with spectacular imaging and some pretty decent soundstage (wider than the Monarch, I have to add), this is definitely it.
What it's not is a monitor or an IEM for more female-vocal-centric libraries, choral music and acoustic instrumentals - this is definitely not a neutral IEM.
Finally, I haven't had any recent experience with $100 range IEMs so I don't know what's out there currently. I know the price range has become VERY competitive from what I'm seeing, but just the great fit and tips and the build and the cable are at least worth half that - and then add on another 50 for the sound. I'm personally satisfied and won't be selling mine any time soon
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Honeybadgers
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where the hell can I buy them? Hifigo only has them listed for $999, which I'm assuming is just the "don't buy this" price they do.
I hear people mentioning they're $100 and I've REALLY been wanting a fun set in this price range.
I hear people mentioning they're $100 and I've REALLY been wanting a fun set in this price range.
I think it'll be available April 7th, and yeah, it's just a price to keep people from buying it while we patrons buy it with a discount code
Honeybadgers
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what's the discount for patrons? I've been on the fence for a while about whether or not I should be a patronI think it'll be available April 7th, and yeah, it's just a price to keep people from buying it while we patrons buy it with a discount code
BeowulfTheFoldin
New Head-Fier
There were only 40 early samples prepared for the rinkos and it dropped a month ago so they were already bought up by people in the tg chat, the discount lowered the rinkos to 50 plus shipping vs the 99 they will be at launch although they seem to have already been listed on amazon early
Honeybadgers
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ah, bummer I would have jumped on em.
Either way I went in on the amazon early listing, allegedly they'll be here wednesday. I finally subbed to him on patreon, figured I'd gotten enough value from his reviews to sub for a few months, and saw his video on them and I'm excited to see how angry they make the reviewers who only talk about graphs, because the drivers essentially having overlapping crossovers in the bass is a hilarious idea and I'm so on-board for something wild. Will be curious about the tips too, because the ones that sparked his desire for custom foam filled silicone I'd tried before and to this day still have yet to find a single IEM where they'll seal properly in my ears.
I dig that he's encouraging some diversity in the market. Everything was on a steady march towards "good but samey" with reviewers nitpicking a graph to death over a small 5khz dip and never speaking about the soundstage, presentation, and "vibe", and I have plenty of that already. I want some fun.
ZeosPantera
Reviewer at Z Reviews
Hey you mind adding these other purchase links to the first post?This is an IEM made by SeeAudio in colaboration with ZReviews.
HiFiGo Link
- Type: In-Ear
- Amp needed: No
- 1 Dynamic Driver + 1 Planar Driver
- Customized Silicone/ Foam eartips (S M L / 3 Pairs)
- Cable 4-Strand gray twisted silver-plated 6N oxygen-free copper wire 12 wires per strand.
They have been recently released, hopefully people can share their impressions.
Aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256805212259957.html
Amazon US: https://amazon.com/dp/B0BZ3Y6DGG/seeaudio+rinko/
Amazon JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0BZ3ZST41/seeaudio+rinko/
HiFiGo Web: https://hifigo.com/products/seeaudio-x-z-review-rinko
Render Eartips: https://hifigo.com/products/zeos-render-eartips
and if you want here is the Keycaps to match. You don't have to add this however.
Rinko Touch+ Rinko IEMs at US$10 Off
https://mechkeys.com/products/z-review-rinko-touch-cherry-profile-keycaps-set
Hope everyone enjoys Rinko, Looking forward to feedback like a proud father at a clown college graduation.
Honeybadgers
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I thought they were going to come with a stand and the keycaps, not just the little paper frame. I was going to sneak the keycaps onto my wife's office keyboard.
I've put a couple days into them and they're beyond insane.
I finally figured out the words to describe these. Comparing them to other IEM's is like an unhinged jazz sax soloist in a ragtime band. Everyone else is the rest of the IEM market, trying to stick to the sheet music of the harman curve, but that sax player is just going his own damn way. The Rinkos are the sax player. Not for people looking to hit a "target curve", but people looking for an experience.
If they could, the frequency graph for them would draw a pair of boobs. 3d boobs.
And like an unhinged sax solo they aren't perfect, but every missed note is just blended into the whole, the mistakes becoming part of that experience. There's genuinely nothing I've ever heard like them.
The render tips are a colossal improvement to the symbio - they went from unwearable to not bad in my ears. I still prefer the TRN T tips for my ears (I can break the seal if I start talking or smile too wide), but the degree of improvement over the symbios is astounding.
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Here's the unboxing. Though im not a keeb, the keyboard looks cool.
helloh3adfi
1000+ Head-Fier
I wonder when some brand will finally create a tribrid with DD, Planar and ESTs. Is it even possible?
I'm also not a harman fan so I EQ my own way.
Private group... what do you mean?
ZeosPantera
Reviewer at Z Reviews
The Stander is for a few
HBB ripped presumably the Engineering sample apart (not the final IEM) and determined it looks like a piezoelectric to him. That said he also complained the magnet isn't "big" and therefore the DD is "weak". IDK I am not gonna start drama, I usually leave the creation of the IEM to the well established company that created it and its team of actual Audio Engineers and I just focus on the sound. I don't think SeeAudio is the new KZ and lying about drivers.
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