[snip3r77]

Comply tends to kill treble a bit and the fact they wear fast is a turn off.

Spirals were my main go to, but lately I've found the Wide Bore Small Symbios fit a lot better. Spirals are supposed to do something to the sound but I never know if its the Dot technology or if its just a seal/Wide Bore thing. Symbios are weird one where sometimes the Small is too Small and sometimes the Medium is too big. I have the Large and never use them. They aren't as soft as Comply foam but you get just as good a seal.

Does the Symbios enhance anything? is the seal better than Spiral / Complies?
They brand it as a more isolating eartip.

 

[Lurk650]

Does the Symbios enhance anything? is the seal better than Spiral / Complies?
They brand it as a more isolating eartip.

I find it to not really enhance anything

 

[crabdog]

Does the Symbios enhance anything? is the seal better than Spiral / Complies?
They brand it as a more isolating eartip.

To my ears, they absorb and attenuate some of the bass because the tips are very solid and dense but YMMV. For the same reason yes, they do isolate better than normal tips.

 

[menuki]

Out of the box, and I'm not really a firm believe in Burn-In, the NICEHCK DZX-14BA sound damn good... Big, big sound and especially the midrange seems giant, which is what I hoped for and now I'm very satisfied. I do have some connection issues with the right and left side, when I pull on the cable the sound interrupts (2-Pin connectors), sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right side, but god damn they do sound amazing. For reference, I also own the Hisenior T12U, 12 BAs per side, and compared to the NiceHCK 14BA per side, the Hisenior really gets some competition. So far, and I'm not sure if it boils down to tip choice, the NiceHCK seem to provide fuller mids, I think they might just use 8BAs for the mids... Should this be the case, then they use 4 BAs more than the Hisenior and it would explain the improvement. The Bass doesn't seem as strong as on the Hisenior T12U, which is actually to my liking, mids come forward like nothing. After I've sorted out the connection "issues", it's gonna be a really tough choice which IEM I'll keep. I promised Jim from NiceHCK that I write a dedicated review, so stay tuned!

Obligatory screenshots:

 

[Dsnuts]

If your DZX 14BA is tuned like my DZ12. That bass comes to life after a few days of music. Just let some music play through them. I will just say I told you so before it happens. Those should not be bass light.

 

[menuki]

If your DZX 14BA is tuned like my DZ12. That bass comes to life after a few days of music. Just let some music play through them. I will just say I told you so before it happens. Those should not be bass light.

It's really hard for me to imaging, that BAs can go through such a change, like increasing bass. On the other hand, I do believe that there might always be some sort of mechanical burn in. I try to watch the sound signature very closely.

 

[davidcotton]

I get this with all the foam tips I've tried (Crystal Tips, the CA Marshmallow and Comply) I've got a mixed pack of S & M Symbios on order so I'll see if they suit me better.

Someone should do M/S tips.

I've got the same issue. My right ear is too large for most "small" tips, but too small for medium up. My left takes medium or large quite happily, just wish my right one did the same. The only ones I've had any sort of luck with are the comply p100 series (the longer ones, and even then it's not great). I've got a set of custom tips coming from Custom Art so hope that will fix the issue, they only work with the nozzles that have a ridge to help keep the tips on, other wise they slide off. The ones I've got will be made for the comply t400 size. IF it works out I can see me getting a few done to save on tip rolling.

 

[menuki]

So, this is really interesting, it does practically make more sense to compare the NICEHCK DZX-14BA to my Hisenior B8U, the 8BA model, because of the tuning. I love the tuning for the B8U and first, I called them bass light, but came to realize that I've been listening to boosted bass headphones, especially the IMR R1 (IMO) and the Campire Audio Cascades. Now the NICEHCK DZX-14BA have a similar mid-forward tuning with tasteful, but not overly boosted bass. Given, the bass is more full and more in terms of quantity, but still, let's the midrange shine through... Again, I think they might use 8BAs of the 14BAs just for the Mids, and you'll hear that. The Mids are huge to say the least, it's easy to get lost in them and they are very, very detailed as well as addictive.

Now, as you know, I also received the Hisenior T12U a few days ago, the 12 BA flagship. While I want to say that the T12U has the more accessible signature, with more bass and more "neutral" mids, the NICEHCK DZX-14BA has its own qualities. Both never get sibilant at all, treble is always a joy to listen to, which is just so important to me.

So far:

B8U
- Amazing signature, for some a bit bass light maybe, forward mids

NICEHCK DZX-14BA
- Big sound, especially in the amazing mids, overall very balanced and able to create a big atmosphere = enjoyable to listen to!!

T12U Flagship
- Big bass, overall neutral and with a "fun" signature, really have to give them more listening time, once I get away from the DZX-14BA, which won't be easy at all! When comparing them side by side so far, the DZX-14BA seems to create a bigger atmosphere, which is why I think both sound fabulous but it boils down to preference and maybe mood? Again, will have to listen more.

Overall, I don't want to forget that I have to mention that both are very comfortable! These semi-custom universal fit IEM's should provide a decent seal and great comfort for almost everyone.

 

[Zelda]

Some photos of the SpinFit CP145, and short impressions here

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[Zerohour88]

Skald's recently released 11/12-driver IEM, priced around 220 bux, which is quite close to the current fav HK6.

pity its not available on aliexpress, I think, which kinda limits their audience.
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3-c-s.w4002-15833409083.34.52784d49HGJcl1&id=571628693947

 

[B9Scrambler]

Some early thoughts on the new Astrotec Delphinus 5: https://thecontraptionist.blog/2018/07/27/astrotec-delphinus5-preview/

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[thejoker13]

Skald's recently released 11/12-driver IEM, priced around 220 bux, which is quite close to the current fav HK6.

pity its not available on aliexpress, I think, which kinda limits their audience.
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3-c-s.w4002-15833409083.34.52784d49HGJcl1&id=571628693947

It is available on aliexpress. It's a hybrid 11 driver (1DD and 10BA) each ear and is being sold by the hotfi store for 322.00.

 

[Zerohour88]

It is available on aliexpress. It's a hybrid 11 driver (1DD and 10BA) each ear and is being sold by the hotfi store for 322.00.

oh, you're right. Hotfi neglected to put the Skald brand name in any parts of the listing for some reason. Aliexpress vendors being tricky again, as usual. Also marked up quite a bit.

 

[thejoker13]

oh, you're right. Hotfi neglected to put the Skald brand name in any parts of the listing for some reason. Aliexpress vendors being tricky again, as usual. Also marked up quite a bit.

Yes, I wouldn't have known had it not had Skald branded on the faceplate. A little more transparency there would've been nice.

 

[Zerohour88]

Some early thoughts on the new Astrotec Delphinus 5: https://thecontraptionist.blog/2018/07/27/astrotec-delphinus5-preview/

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whew, seems like quite a performer. at 500 bux, it'll be a heated match-up with the IT04.