The discovery thread!

[Redcarmoose]

Finally two headphones on BT from a signal.

May 15, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Post #3 of 8
Life from High End Munich
Very nice device, ‘Up Travel’ where you can use the same source with two headphones at the same time wireless.
Very handy going on holiday for example.
Supports sending and receiving.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Finally two headphones on BT from a signal.

May 15, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Post #3 of 8
Life from High End Munich
Very nice device, ‘Up Travel’ where you can use the same source with two headphones at the same time wireless.
Very handy going on holiday for example.
Supports sending and receiving.

The Aether is POWER HUNGRY. It likes A LOT of juice. Probably that 15mm planar driver? Once I hooked it up to the Clarinet, it really started to sing, and it opened up much better than directly through my daps, and that includes the ones that have lots of power already. It's night and day when you feed it juice. Might have to sell all my planars (minus the S08, which I can't sell), and pick this up as my go-to planar (outside of the S08, as this is a very easy planar to drive)? Not sure yet, but leaning that way. You will not get a dynamic or open sound with just a phone, a normal powered dap, or dongle. This will take a DAP with desktop mode or lots of power in high gain, a powerful dongle with desktop mode, or an amplifier.

 

[Redcarmoose]

The Aether is POWER HUNGRY. It likes A LOT of juice. Probably that 15mm planar driver? Once I hooked it up to the Clarinet, it really started to sing, and it opened up much better than directly through my daps, and that includes the ones that have lots of power already. It's night and day when you feed it juice. Might have to sell all my planars (minus the S08, which I can't sell), and pick this up as my go-to planar (outside of the S08, as this is a very easy planar to drive)? Not sure yet, but leaning that way. You will not get a dynamic or open sound with just a phone, a normal powered dap, or dongle. This will take a DAP with desktop mode or lots of power in high gain, a powerful dongle with desktop mode, or an amplifier.

15.3mm. Glad you like it! Cheers!

 

[jbfps116]

Listening to this excellent Adam Young album on the aptly-themed XINHS HS80 Jupiter Rings. If you don't know, Adam Young is more well-known for his label, Owl City, but took a year off and made 11 "Soundtracks" albums on themes that interested him, as if writing for actual movies. There's some REAL gems in there, and they're audiophile-quality and span a decent variety of sound-styles.

[Also listened on my new Shanling Tino, and the brass and percussion had a bit more weight to them than on the HS80, but the latter has way better treble detail/air, so it's a toss-up to which I like better! I think the Tino's full sound is very nice though.]

 

[Redcarmoose]

Kiwi Ears Étude: Precision Meets Innovation

Featuring a beryllium-plated dynamic driver, custom balanced armatures, and the innovative Kiwi Vibration Transducer (KVT), the Étude delivers powerful, tactile low-end with rich detail and seamless tonal balance. Experience deep, controlled bass, a natural midrange, and airy treble for an immersive and true-to-life listening experience.

Exclusive KVT Vibration Driver: Features the innovative Kiwi Vibration Transducer (KVT) that physically delivers sound through tactile vibrations, enhancing low-mid frequencies for a deeper, more immersive audio experience.

10mm Beryllium-Plated Diaphragm Subwoofer: Equipped with a beryllium-plated 10mm dynamic driver, offering fast, precise bass hits and rich, textured low-end, with a 3D-like depth when paired with the KVT.

Precision Tuning for Perfect Tonal Balance: Engineered with an 8dB controlled sub-bass boost, a flat, neutral midrange, and a smooth, resonant treble for a natural, clear, and musical sound signature.

Custom In-House Balanced Armature Drivers: Utilizes custom Kiwi Ears midrange and dual ultra-high frequency drivers for seamless transitions across the frequency range, delivering crystal-clear vocals and fine microdetails.

My pair should arrive any day now!

 

[Ace Bee]

MAIL CALL!


My eartips have arrived.





Alright, quickly with KBear KF02 (left) and KBear 10 (right)



KF02 the foam tips don't work with my small ears. I would need 2 size smaller for them to work.

KBear 10 are generic eartips that come with Juzear Defiant. They are comfortable in my ears but don't like how they sound so let's move on to the other eartips.



Next the new Divinus Prism LSR.

Put them next to Divinus OG and Divinus Wide bore for a size comparison. Also put Tangzu Wide bore for reference (all are S size in the photo)





I can't get a good fit with them using MG800, but they work a little better with ME600.



They boost the treble and the stage feels more expansive. They could have been really good but the downside for me is that they reduce the bass. ME600 has an amazing organic bass that makes it very good for rock and heavy metal, but Divinus Prism takes that magic away with the bass reduction. A shame really because I like what they do with the stage and treble.

Next up are KBear 4540. These are very soft, very comfortable and the seal is good for my small ears.




Sound retains its quality on both MG800 and ME600 so nothing to complain here. They come in 2 colors, brown and clear. You may ask, well, which one to get?
They are basically the same material with different color, they feel the same so buy whatever color you like.

Now the important part that I've wanted to tell you about this eartips. Notice in the pictures above that I put one brown eartip on the left and 2 on the right, why is that?
Because the one on the far right is actually Whizzer Easytips SS20.
Yep, they don't only look the same and feel the same, you literally can't tell them apart. My advice is to not buy the Whizzer tips since they cost more.

https://keephifi.com/products/kbear-4540-silicone-eartips?variant=41371609890862

https://hifigo.com/products/whizzer...BJPyZRhL74kOGIJBI0X88xgvTvd2ykLxTBwH2ZUWq-sWM


$4.80 all pack vs Whizzer all pack at $10.50 on Hifigo.


Next up Fiio HS20 and KT01. I'll put Softears UC eartips as well for comparison.



Left to right Softears UC, HS20, KT01 (all S size)

Quick take on KT01, they are not worth it so don't waste your money. The umbrella is very flimsy and you can't get a good seal because it breaks. Fiio HS18 eartips have the same flimsy umbrella but KT01 are worse.



The only good think about KT01 is that they are very comfortable for me. Too bad about the seal. They should release a new version with a firmer umbrella.

HS20 on the other hand are amazing. One look at the picture above you can see they look the same as Softears UC but the height difference makes it better for my small ears. In fact I could say HS20 feels like a Softears UC SS size instead. Really glad I bought these eartips. They make a big difference on my MG800. In terms of sound they are the same but the comfort on the long run goes to the HS20 just because of that height difference. I recommend to get both Softears and Fiio HS20 honestly if you can. They are very good eartips to have.




Next up we have KBear KT02. Very interesting eartips with an oval shape instead of the usually round shape like with other eartips. These eartips remind me strongly of Rose Technics SC liquid so I put them side by side and there are indeed some difference on how they look.




From left to right: KT02 XS, Rose SC XS, KT02 S and Rose SC S.

Big difference between Rose XS vs S, while KT02 have barely any difference. All of them are very comfortable and they sound the same to me. KT02 require more deep fit but I have no problem with them on my ME600 & MG800


I'm still kind of bias towards Rose SC just because XS size seem to offer better comfort long term but that's a nitpick really. I recommend to get this KT02 in your collection along with Rose SC.


Next up the Spinfits Omni and Neo.



Left to right W1, CP145, CP100+, Neo, Omni (all S size)

I'll start with Omni. Well they look very nice, they are smaller and I'm sure they could fit well in my ears... if I could put them on the nozzle. I don't know honestly, it says they work with 5.5mm nozzle diameter and my MG800 has 5.8mm but no matter how hard I try they won't go on the nozzle. So there is that I guess. I don't regret buying them actually cause you never now when you have an iem with smaller nozzles. I'm dissapointed though because I really believe Omni could help a lot with the comfort on my MG800.

Neo are actually working well on my MG800 and ME600. I was surprised SS size doesn't work well with MG800 cause it's breaking the seal so I've switched with S size instead, problem solved. But then I put SS Neo on ME600 and magic, they work.



This eartips are an upgrade from CP100+, Spinfit says, not me. Both CP100+ and Neo feel very comfortable to me so it's hard to tell if Neo has even better comfort. They sound the same as well, very energetic like a V shape sound. My advice? Can't really say if it's worth to have them both since they are
expensive. I guess I would go with Neo if you don't already own CP100+ since it's the new one but if you already have CP100+ just save your money.



Alright, last ones are NF Audio MS42.
I save the best for last. Now these eartips are absolutely mind blowing for my small ears.

They look similar as KBear 4540 but they have a more harder core with the same soft umbrella on 4540.




KBear 4540 on left, NF MS42 on right.

They seal so well in my ears I put them on both MG800 and ME600.


Again I'm blown away how good they seal and sound. But the best thing is actually the comfort. It's top of charts for me. Easily number 1 on my list for comfort, sound and seal compared with all the other eartips that I have.

Now I'll show all my eartips that I have since I've started this hobby:


First row from left to right:
Penon Liqueur B, Spinfit W1, Spinfit CP100+, Spinfit CP145, Spinfit Neo, Spinfit Omni, Rose Technics SC, KBear KT01, Fiio HS20, Softears UC, Divinus Prism LSR, Divinus Wide Bore, Tangzu Wide Bore, Tangzu Normal bore, Azla Origin.

Second row from left to right:
Penon Liqueur O, Penon PAC LStips, KBear 07, KBear 4540 Brown, KBear 4540 Clear,
NF MS42, KBear KT02, JVC EP-FX10, Final Type E, Fiio HS18, Dunu S&S, Divinus normal bore, TRI Clarion, KBear 10, KBear KF02.


My top 7 that I constantly use

1. NF Audio MS42
2. Rose Technics SC / KBear KT02
3. Fiio HS20 / Softears UC / Penon PAC LStips (all 3 similar, but HS20 takes the edge for better comfort)
4. KBear 4540 / Whizzer EASYTIPS SS20
5. JVC EP-FX10
6. Spinfit NEO / CP100+
7. KBear 07

Thank you for reading this far!

This impression was even better because you tested them with the MG800.

For my ears, I have tried several over the months to match with MG800. What I prefer is a medium bore length with the widest possible opening, to reduce the thickness of bass a little and bring the treble a bit more to the front. Tried several, here are my impressions:

Velvet wide bores - M was too small, ML was too large, not to mention the long bore length. Didn't suit. And from the look of your Prism, that won't be suitable either.

Tang Sancai Wide Bore L - the seal kept breaking. Wish it was a sticky surface rather than that textured one.

JVC Spiral Dots++ ML - So far this is the optimal one. The soft umbrella helps to control the seal and bass impact, the 5.5mm wide bores seems to suit my purposes fine. Would have preferred a slightly shorter bore though to get slightly more treble.

The LS tips of multiple brands prove to be of no use till now.

Edit: nevermind, I was wrong about the Velvet Wide Bores. They are actually slightly shorter than SD++, and is proving to be better suited for my target.

 

[Steve_72]

Anyone else preorder the Xenns Top Pro?

 

[Ineras]

Used my credit from the Cepheus refund for the Étude. It was under $100 USD...

 

[Inserthouse]

Penon Archangel looks heavily interesting.

 

[J808]

Anyone else preorder the Xenns Top Pro?

Preordered it too. I was going to wait to hear some feedback first because the original Top has a peak in the high frequencies and a tamed bass region on the graph. That’s not my personal preference in tuning. I expected the Pro version to have a similar tuning but it looks different based on this graph.

Didn’t expect to see that bass shelve and smooth transition into the mids. The high’s don’t seem too spicy but still extended. Comparing between the original Top and the Tea Pro it looks like Xenns landed the Top Pro tuning between both of these and smoothed it out. I like the Tea Pro’s tuning. Just wished the bass was smoother, the mid’s more present and the highs more extended. Hopefully the Top Pro offers that with a wider soundstage.

 

[ListlessHeart]

After listening to the 7hz Zero 2 for the last several days, I've decided to return it. It's not that the Zero 2 is bad, but compared to my Celest Wyvern Abyss it's just not as good in all aspects. I bought the Zero 2 for $23 from Amazon, while my second Abyss that arrived on Monday was only $9 on AliExpress with local shipping. However, my first Wyvern Abyss had loose 2pin sockets after infrequent use while the new one doesn't seem tight either, so durability might be on the Zero 2's side.

Anyway, I bought a watch case for my IEM collection and it's looking nice. Only cost me $25 which is barely more than the Zero 2.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Used my credit from the Cepheus refund for the Étude. It was under $100 USD...

Looking forward to your impressions when you get this thing in, and let us know how the "VTK" (it's BCD, folks) driver sounds?

---

The Alien Brain is my favorite Kilobuck IEM since the Lime Ears Terra. I prefer it's sonics to the Elysian Apostle and the Lime Ears Maris, and it's right toe to toe with the Terra and Incognita. I also prefer it to the only CFA I've ever heard, the Solaris. So now I wonder, is the Clara even better than this?! If so, then I want a piece of that!

Campfire Audio Alien Brain (Balanced and punchy bass, clean, warm, and incisive midrange, and crisp and airy treble, with dimensional stage)

@ListlessHeart - I currently have 6 of those in your box, a 7th on hand (Aether), and another was sold immediately (Supermix4). I'll probably add the Aether, so I'll have 7. I'd only add the Supermix 4 back if someone gave it to me for free. Oh and we have the Capsule 3 Pro+!

 

[Ace Bee]

Alright guys, I've managed to fix the cable with my Penon Archangel. Thanks so much @Dsnuts for your suggestion to use a hairdryer. The iem are now sitting better in my ears and I don't need to spend money on another cable so that's a win for me.

I've listened last night for a about an hour using NF MS42 S size eartips, BUT get this, despite being a very chunky iem, every eartip works with it, I can't believe it honestly. I mean TRI Clarion, Divinus Wide Bore, EVEN the Tangzu Normal and wide bore works, what magic is this?? I was never able to use those tips on my other iems but Archangel nozzles somewhat makes them work. I haven't tested them in the long run how they feel in my ears but now I have so many option to choose from and all of them changed the sound to the point where I don't even know what to pick. I would say a wide bore tip will work better on Archangel but it will take a while for me to test them all.
For now with NF MS42 S size works and after an hour of listening there was a slight discomfort on my right ear, but not the left one surprisingly. With H60 6.9mm nozzles after 30-35 minutes of listening I was having a lot of pain in both of my ears so I'm glad Archangel seems to fit a lot better (more test to be done here).

Now that I rambled a lot about eartips and comfort, well, how do they sound??

OH MY GOD! So... words... difficult to find them to describe this beauties. Just wanna say a BIG THANK YOU to @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 for his comparison with H60! You're the man, mate! This is the UPGRADE that I've wanted after departing with my beloved H60. I mean WOW!!! Archangel is a pure monster, A H60 on steroids if I may.
I don't know about EBC80 and Shocks, I didn't have these iems to test but for me this Archangel is THE UPGRADE to my H60.

The bass... those carbon nanotubes are not joke folks. The bass is visceral, tight, punchy, I mean my MG800 has a very good subbass with a very good rumble but Archangel is simply in another league. Just wow!

Mids
Do you expect anything other than simply magical?
We have the Penon mids here: sweet, creamy and syrupy. Exactly like H60!
Intruments, male and female voices sound incredible. I had tears in my eyes while listening last night. I don't remember who posted a few pages ago a song by Men I Trust - To Ease You. Incredible song so I decided to look more into them and I absolutely love this band. Emma's voice is angelic and Archangel truly shows that.



Another band that I discovered thanks to @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 is Magnolia Park and their new album VAMP. The song "Crave" is my favorite and it sounds thunderous on Archangel.



There are some OST from Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed 2000 that I enjoy. I don't know if you guys played NFS in your childhood but I grew up with this games. I really recommend you to give these OST a try. Made by Saki Kaskas (RIP) and Rom Di Prisco.



Also some cool guy made these covers from NFS II OST:



There's also another great composer Mellow Sonic that made remixes of these OST's. Check it out if you have time!


Treble
Very extended, lots of sparkles but never fatigue and this comes from a guy who is treble sensitive. This treble reminds me of Fiio FA19 which cost $1000. I admit I didn't like the tunning of FA19 but the treble stood out to me. On Archangel I was shocked! Those sonion BA's are showing every detail, every nuances like a champ. Simply outstanding! I'm not really a treble guy, I just don't care that much because bass and mids are more important to me BUT this treble is just mind blowing to me.

The Soundstage
An explosion of sound coming from all directions, man and I thought my MG800 has a huge soundstage and indeed they have BUT Archangel goes to another level completely. I guess those BC drivers really help with the stage expansion. I've never heard anything this big before.

I just can't ended here. I need to say more about this Archangel. We all like to listen to music here but I believe the most important aspect is how these iems make you feel while listening.
Archangel takes you on a trip like you're in a another dimension, just you and the music surrounding you. Guys, is just... an ethereal thing. I know I've praised this so much but for me this is it, the end game iem. I can't possible ask for more because Archangel gives you everything you want. This iem represents the saying "you can have your cake and eat it too".
I won't lie saying I won't ever purchase another iem but at $800 I'm set. I would probably explore the $300 market just for curiosity sake.

Thank you for reading this far!

Can you provide a more detailed comparison between the MG800 and Archangel? Has the Archangel made the MG800 redundant?

I am asking because Penon iems have never been much of a hit for me. I liked them initially but then the charm wore off and I sold them. For MG800 the charm still goes on.

How open and clear the Archangel sounds in comparison? Asking because you mentioned ut has more voluminous bass than MG800.

Is the midrange of Archangel similarly full, organic and romantic as MG800?

Is the treble of Archangel more textured, more energetic, and mkre airy?

Thanks in advance.

 

[RONJA MESCO]

After listening to the 7hz Zero 2 for the last several days, I've decided to return it. It's not that the Zero 2 is bad, but compared to my Celest Wyvern Abyss it's just not as good in all aspects. I bought the Zero 2 for $23 from Amazon, while my second Abyss that arrived on Monday was only $9 on AliExpress with local shipping. However, my first Wyvern Abyss had loose 2pin sockets after infrequent use while the new one doesn't seem tight either, so durability might be on the Zero 2's side.

Anyway, I bought a watch case for my IEM collection and it's looking nice. Only cost me $25 which is barely more than the Zero 2.

where you get the case from?

 

[kalibri]

where you get the case from?

Looks like a watch + jewelry case, they are sold all over the place