The Bullet/Cable-Down IEM Thread (Database & Discussion)

[BCool]

I've updated the title to hopefully elicit more discussion. I'm a bit of a budget audiophile so sadly I haven't experienced a lot of these to offer my own opinions on them :/

Also interesting is the Akoustyx S-6 which is essentially a tiny planar in an Etymotic shell.

These have been tempting me for ages, they regularly go for like on sale as well and I'm sure I've seen them dip below $100 before.

 

[BX700]

Yeah I don't usually buy IEMs that expensive either. I'd been interested in it for ages and someone posted that it was on Drop, so I just decided to satisfy my curiosity.

Some reviewers have had reservations, and being brutally honest I'd prefer more neutral tuning OOTB, but it sounds and is impressive. And I still haven't EQd or extensively tip-rolled yet.

 

[BX700]

Sort of interested in these from a compact design point of view, don't appear on the manufacturer's own website though, which is weird. I'll grant there may strictly be better options for the price.

Rose Technics Star Light

Little confused tbh, the Mini (compact multi-BA) series looked nice but it seems they're just another discontinued model, and I'm not even certain it's the same company.

 

[wipeyourbuttocks]

Sort of interested in these from a compact design point of view, don't appear on the manufacturer's own website though, which is weird. I'll grant there may strictly be better options for the price.

It is available at their Taobao store for 99 Yuan, sold under the brand "LightYear" Seems like it's a balanced set according to some user reviews
https://www.superbuy.com/en/page/bu...s://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=742279805800

 

[BX700]

Btw if anyone has a recommendation for a cable down, well-extended, pure Knowles BA IEM I'd be interested to hear it...

I guess there is the Akoustyx R-220 to begin with.

 

[BCool]

What BAs do Etymotics use?

 

[BX700]

I think they're custom tuned Knowles, yes. Never have heard them, will have to at some point. I was reading a thread with FR graphs and stuff... seems like they're like objectively, technically very very good, very accurate.

 

[Test222]

Hey, are there any wireless bullet-style IEMs other than the Hifi T2000?

 

[BCool]

The T2000 seems like it's the only IEM that's both wireless and wired. I'm not sure you can classify TWS IEMs as bullet or non-bullet as they have no cables at all.
Could you clarify what it is you're looking for?

 

[Test222]

Could you clarify what it is you're looking for?

A TWS iem with a nozzle as narrow as Final Audio E series or Tanchjim Darling, in other words nozzle so narrow that the contact point is solely in the ear canal and nothing touches your earlobe.

 

[RSC08]

Hi all, I am selling my Radius HP-W300. Let me know if anyone wants it here.

it is very decent, but I needed more treble energy. it is a bit on the warm and smooth side.

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/radius-hp-w300-bullet-style-dd-piezo-vst.64559/

These look very interesting. Never seen a review... How do they sound?

 

[BX700]

FYI those have the same piezo tweeters as Intime earphones - fantastic drivers. I think the HP-W300 is the top of the line. A lot depends on tuning ofc.

 

[RSC08]

FYI those have the same piezo tweeters as Intime earphones - fantastic drivers. I think the HP-W300 is the top of the line. A lot depends on tuning ofc.

I got the Spirit Torino Twin Pulse IEM recently and it is truly amazing. Glad I saw a random review of them on youtube and went ahead and purchased. But these W300 look sweet.

 

[BX700]

...the best bullets I've come across recently have been the Intime Sora NEO: I'm just posting this because I think they've been criminally overlooked at this point. I've got two other Intime IEMs and three made by the same guy and these are the most resolving, without sacrificing realism or timbre. Refined, mature tuning and technically comparable to anything I have - of any driver type.

[edit] Also listening to the Zero Audio Zirco Tenore rn. In the spirit of the thread, the design is about as compact as you can get: they are absolutely tiny and have no MMCX connectors in the shell, but can still be driven balanced because they have connectors 20cm down the cable. IDK if that's strictly better, but it works for me. The other surprise is the body and soundstage of such a small IEM. It's pretty clever what they've done with it.

 

[TheFT]

Hey thanks a lot for this thread, sometimes I want an IEM for more casual listening and find bullets way more confortable for that.

Anyway, before I found out that this type of IEM actually has a name, I scoured the online shops to find a cheap one to try it out. I bought this TINHIFI C0 Elf which isn't on your list and I just wanted to share my experience.

I don't have the hearing acuity and training to give it a proper review and define its signature, but for pros:

• It's fairly cheap (10-15$ non discounted price)
• Aluminum construction
• Has a 2pin 0.78mm version
• I didn't detect any blatant abnormality in the sound quality.

It does have it's downsides (as you would expect from the price point), mainly:

• Really frail original cable (like don't expect it to last much at all)
• The blue version that I bought comes with a cable with the silicone ear bend cable jacket that you need to cut/rip out in order to use it straight down (the other color doesn't appear to have that, at least according to the pictures)
• This could be anecdotal, but mine one side got noticebly quieter like a couple of weeks in. I gave it an isopropyl bath, scrub and drying and it was fixed. It could be that some gunk got in through the open back but not really sure.

All in all it's far from great but since bullets with modular cables seem to rarer on the cheaper side it might be worth including.