Oh and fake drivers or not, the CCZ Plume sounds bad BTW. Generic V shaped, big bloated undefined bass, with the DD driver being much slower than the BAs (incoherency). Technically sub-par for the price too.
Perhaps it is just that nobody has the guts (or money) to open the shell of a kilobuck IEM to verify the drivers inside are correctly soldered and that the materials/brands used are legit. Who has the finances to routinely destroy a 1K IEM for the sake of science?
I know some will say, so what if the TOTL IEM uses cheap drivers, as long as it sounds good? But well, that is like paying for a Ferrari and discovering the engine is a Cherry QQ engine internally. Yes you will get from point A to point B with it, but if they can cheat with one thing, can they be cutting corners in other areas like QC, safety etc? How much profit has been fleeced off lay-consumers by using these cheaper drivers?
I think there are surely many more exaggerated or fake claims with regards to drivers in IEMs, it is just that nobody has spectrometers or equipment to objectively quantify it, to call out the manufacturers. Those marketing claims of beryllium drivers or uranium or pixie dust drivers, can consumers prove it 100%?
Thankfully, with more people having measuring rigs and opening shells, I hope this will serve as a warning to potential scammy manufacturers to remain honest when it comes to certain marketing claims. Everyone wants to stand out from the cut-throat competition with bigger and bolder claims, but I think in the long run, consumers will respect manufacturers who keep their word. If all else fails, and the manufacturer cannot differentiate itself from the dime a dozen Harman tuned budget IEMs, using a waifu anime girl on the packaging is a sure-fire way to success hahaha!
Actually I think CCZ are not related to KZ/CCA. Yeah the ton of alphabet soup brand names and IEMs in CHIFI-Land is a bit confusing.
Probably. They built their own drivers and have some patents (I think) to prove it. Dunu (or at least Tom from Dunu) is pretty transparent as well. Remember when they explained in detailed why EST112 is cheaper than SA6?
I like the Zen Pro for the slam of the dynamic driver. Not many DD IEMs can sound like that.
From the company that brought the Muse HIFI Power Planar (which seemed quite meh among the current planar releases of 2022), comes a hybrid, the Muse HIFI ME1
I really like my pair. I bought them after looking around for an IEM with a Knowles BA that was a decent price and had good reviews. Initially the bass impact was just a bit too much and tended to dominate the sound. They need some decent burn-in time (around 20 hours) to really settle and open out - then bass becomes more controlled and integrated. It's extremely well-made and the shell is very attractive. IMO the Vesper has a touch of class that you don't get from the well-known budget brands and it is very good value for money.
From the company that brought the Muse HIFI Power Planar (which seemed quite meh among the current planar releases of 2022), comes a hybrid, the Muse HIFI ME1
Not sure if the shark gill housing (yes i know my nick has a shark inside), is a gimmick or actually something that really gives good sound. But $200 USD is quite an ambitious price bracket to release your gear into, considering there's lots of tough competition to fight against here.
I really like my pair. I bought them after looking around for an IEM with a Knowles BA that was a decent price and had good reviews. Initially the bass impact was just a bit too much and tended to dominate the sound. They need some decent burn-in time (around 20 hours) to really settle and open out - then bass becomes more controlled and integrated. It's extremely well-made and the shell is very attractive. IMO the Vesper has a touch of class that you don't get from the well-known budget brands and it is very good value for money.
Probably. They built their own drivers and have some patents (I think) to prove it. Dunu (or at least Tom from Dunu) is pretty transparent as well. Remember when they explained in detailed why EST112 is cheaper than SA6?
I like the Zen Pro for the slam of the dynamic driver. Not many DD IEMs can sound like that.
EST112 is one of the finest mid fi IEM's on the market, and i'm happy for that, because even though I miss them terribly, selling them helped fund my DX170, which I absolutely love, and the incoming Wu Zetian.
EST112 is one of the finest mid fi IEM's on the market, and i'm happy for that, because even though I miss them terribly, selling them helped fund my DX170, which I absolutely love, and the incoming Wu Zetian.
Wu Zetian is really special, I'd be really surprised if you don't enjoy them. They appear not to have started out with the aim of "Lets make the planariest planar on the planet!". Instead Tangzu seem to have first looked at "What do other planars *** up? Let's fix that first!"
EST112 is one of the finest mid fi IEM's on the market, and i'm happy for that, because even though I miss them terribly, selling them helped fund my DX170, which I absolutely love, and the incoming Wu Zetian.
It’s interesting that EST112 seems to be loved by the community. My impressions before hearing EST112 based on Crinacle’s article is that it is an overpriced and mediocre piece of gear If I did not hunt for the most “special” IEM at the lowest price, I would have gone with EST112 instead of Andromeda.
Looking forward for your Zetian impressions with DX170.
It’s interesting that EST112 seems to be loved by the community. My impressions before hearing EST112 based on Crinacle’s article is that it is an overpriced and mediocre piece of gear If I did not hunt for the most “special” IEM at the lowest price, I would have gone with EST112 instead of Andromeda.
Looking forward for your Zetian impressions with DX170.
I also don't dig for the 112, one of bad implementation of EST i think, there is no treble extension, very roll off.
But bass to 8khz quite good on tuning.
From my limited experience with EST, they need to be tuned more aggressive than BA or DD.
Maybe Thieaudio midfi line is better choice if want to try EST
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If I did not hunt for the most “special” IEM at the lowest price, I would have gone with EST112 instead of Andromeda.
