The discovery thread!

[ChrisOc]

Square Planar Driver is an attempt to recreate planar like driver on a budget. it have some improvement over traditional DD (faster bass speed) but it also still have its drawback on being sucks at treble (hence the BA on gumiho). It seems the second gen will improve on that drawback

Traditional planar next to SPD (from HiFri).


another example of SPD next to Planar.



Celest seems to be aware of the possibility SPD to be refered as "fake" planar, Hence they use the term of SquarePlanarDriver as a side dodge. but the Celest tuned and package their iem well so some reviewed it positively.

KZ rep is a bit bitter than this "Fake" planar got a pass while they have to deal with fake driver claims till now, and keep bringing "SPD is not a true planar" things up. But apparently KZ have trialed the SPD driver before but then choose to goes on full planar instead. Current KZ tuner love that magnetic gap and light membrane to increase sensitivity, the weighty membrane of SPD (thanks to the relatively thicker coils attached to it) is a no for them. tough later they have to agree its base design concept is similar to planar (flat-ish coil on a diaphragm, sandwiched with a magnet) and now try to refer to it as "pseudo planar"

Chifi world seems to embrace this cheap planar alternative as new thing to promote and at least two other chifi house have an upcoming SPD IEMs, as tech and tuning improve, it should be intersting how new gen SPD will sounds like.

That was very helpful, thanks.

The SDP could spawn a new driver type, which could itself have unique characteristics. The rounded edges of the Stealth Planar Magnetic drivers proved to be a success for Hifiman, they just need to be honest about what they are selling.

 

[WAON303]

https://www.kiiboom.com/

New!

I wonder if the Kiiboom Allure (Green IEM.) is a rebadged Thieaudio Elixir?

- Same shell
- Both drivers are Bery coated.

Never heard of this company, I assume this is a new Chi-Fi startup.

Props to the Kiiboom team, they started with two budget sets instead of releasing a kilobuck set no one is going to be interested in given the price.

 

[wdelta06]

1 planar (square?) + 4 ba

Is the SPD (square planar driver) the new DD...
Cost cutting measures to maximize profits with less-expensive materials?
[Inquiring minds...]

 

[Redcarmoose]

I wonder if the Kiiboom Allure (Green IEM.) is a rebadged Thieaudio Elixir?

- Same shell
- Both drivers are Bery coated.

Never heard of this company, I assume this is a new Chi-Fi startup.

Props to the Kiiboom team, they started with two budget sets instead of releasing a kilobuck set no one is going to be interested in given the price.

Haha....it is the Elixir! I should maybe have the two arriving and see if it is in fact, a green Elixir.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I don't have a problem with the Celeste being called a planar. The differentiating feature of a planar is that it has a flat rather than a conical diaphragm. If a dynamic driver diaphragm had it's center extended into a tube onto which a voice coil was fused, would it no longer be a dynamic driver? No, it would be an alternative implementation of a voice coil in a dynamic driver. This entire argument seems to have spawned, from someone having a commercial interest in discrediting a competitor's product!

The Celest sounds like a planar, to me anyway? Though adding the BA adds the BA timbre along with it. Still it’s a bang for the buck little $49 IEM that sounds fantastic for the money......it sounds way bigger than it looks like it would sound. IMO

I challenge anyone to not tell me the Celest has planar IEM bass.

 

[Carpet]

I wonder if the Kiiboom Allure (Green IEM.) is a rebadged Thieaudio Elixir?

- Same shell
- Both drivers are Bery coated.

Never heard of this company, I assume this is a new Chi-Fi startup.

Props to the Kiiboom team, they started with two budget sets instead of releasing a kilobuck set no one is going to be interested in given the price.

Not impossible that someone sub-contracted to produce shells figured out that it wasn't too hard to simply produce more and then either build IEMs themselves or on sell them to someone else. Copies could be accurately made from copies of original CAD files on a CNC machine. Just ask the US aerospace industry whether Chinese entities indulge in industrial espionage. Original could be scanned or lastly roughly copied roughly in a less accurate fashion.

Beryllium drivers are FOTM anyway (until lithium , yttrium or compressed coconut fiber supersedes it for a month or two).

Of course it is also possible that no copying was involved, and that a simple IEM design is going to reoccur given the number of releases!

 

[r31ya]

Is the SPD (square planar driver) the new DD...
Cost cutting measures to maximize profits with less-expensive materials?
[Inquiring minds...]

To a degree, Yes.
Its relatively cheapway to make a Planarlike driver.

but after some trials, it shown to have difference characteristic in sound and technical performance from either DD or full on Planar
and its something that not all bad, the positive is enough for two other company to try to make iem with them.
not to mention, Celest second gen is improved enough that they dare to released it without BA helping the treble section that SPD supposedly weak on.

all in all, it begun as cheap way to make planarlike driver but now ended with a possibly a new driver all together.
---

The Celest sounds like a planar, to me anyway? Though adding the BA adds the BA timbre along with it. Still it’s a bang for the buck little $49 IEM that sounds fantastic for the money......it sounds way bigger than it looks like it would sound. IMO

yeah, its something that some points out to KZ, its a good tuned iems that take advantage of the new driver and try to cover its weakness with additional driver, that's why it sells indisregard of the "pseudo-planar".
but KZ are still bitter that it got a pass, that being said, IF KZ is the one the release pseudo-planar, they will get shitloads of flacks from their haters.
so, its not that their bitterness have no reason for it.

 

[WAON303]

Not impossible that someone sub-contracted to produce shells figured out that it wasn't too hard to simply produce more and then either build IEMs themselves or on sell them to someone else. Copies could be accurately made from copies of original CAD files on a CNC machine. Just ask the US aerospace industry whether Chinese entities indulge in industrial espionage. Original could be scanned or lastly roughly copied roughly in a less accurate fashion.

Beryllium drivers are FOTM anyway (until lithium , yttrium or compressed coconut fiber supersedes it for a month or two).

Of course it is also possible that no copying was involved, and that a simple IEM design is going to reoccur given the number of releases!

I suspect the brand got the shells from an OEM, this isn't the first time I've seen identical IEM shells on unrelated IEMs.

The Kbear Believe and very obscure Vento Conductor T-500 have the exact same shell just colored differently.

I've also seen IEMs on Ali that have the BLON BL-03 and Tripowin Mele Shells:

The BLON shell clone had a blue flame, don't remember the name.

 

[Redcarmoose]

To a degree, Yes.
Its relatively cheapway to make a Planarlike driver.

but after some trials, it shown to have difference characteristic in sound and technical performance from either DD or full on Planar
and its something that not all bad, the positive is enough for two other company to try to make iem with them.
not to mention, Celest second gen is improved enough that they dare to released it without BA helping the treble section that SPD supposedly weak on.

all in all, it begun as cheap way to make planarlike driver but now ended with a possibly a new driver all together.
---


yeah, its something that some points out to KZ, its a good tuned iems that take advantage of the new driver and try to cover its weakness with additional driver, that's why it sells indisregard of the "pseudo-planar".
but KZ are still bitter that it got a pass, that being said, IF KZ is the one the release pseudo-planar, they will get shitloads of flacks from their haters.
so, its not that their bitterness have no reason for it.

Now it’s 3dB more sensitive, full-range and more cohesive! No way are those faceplate screws real!

 

[PhonoPhi]

The Celest sounds like a planar, to me anyway? Though adding the BA adds the BA timbre along with it. Still it’s a bang for the buck little $49 IEM that sounds fantastic for the money......it sounds way bigger than it looks like it would sound. IMO

I challenge anyone to not tell me the Celest has planar IEM bass.

The Celest bass is not there in resolution and dynamics compared to true planars (I have only Dioko and KZ HiFi one for comparison) by the very nature of the trade-off of the SPD design. A simple square coil can't do the job of an array of strong magnets

Celest is a very likeable and enjoyable IEM, mightily pushing the limits of $50 range for sure.

 

[Dsnuts]

You talk about the mids and bass...but what about the HIGHS? What's the treble like? What's a comparison?

Classic rock track I use for testing treble. If there is a 8Khz emphasis. This track becomes unbearable. Treble for the Eagles are clean, well shaped, treble notes have some weight. Not the airiest trebles but I would take proper balancing for the treble vs airy if I had to choose between the two because you can have airy trebles and get all sorts of treble glare. No tizzy splashiness or grain in the trebles with 2 BAs on tap the definition of the treble is very good. Its not emphasized greater than the mids presence but it certainly isn't lacking in the treble department. Rock and metal sounds proper if not excellent due to the punchy bass lines of the eagle with clean trebles.

If I know your taste in treble presentations, you might want just a touch more treble from these but for balance heads these are excellent.

I have been telling you for years. You need to check out Tansio Mirai earphones. Tansio Mirai Sands I bet would become your TOTL if you heard it, I guarantee.

 

[baskingshark]

I suspect the brand got the shells from an OEM, this isn't the first time I've seen identical IEM shells on unrelated IEMs.

The Kbear Believe and very obscure Vento Conductor T-500 have the exact same shell just colored differently.

I've also seen IEMs on Ali that have the BLON BL-03 and Tripowin Mele Shells:

The BLON shell clone had a blue flame, don't remember the name.

This sounds very familiar! Well, sorry, they look familiar, but they surely do not sound the same LOL



KZ ZS6:

Campfire Andromeda

 

[Redcarmoose]

I agree on the texture not being there like a full-fledged planar IEM, yet I’m not sure if anything on the market sounds close to genuine planar bass, as the Celest? While I haven’t heard it all, the sound is quite unique for what it is. Also the stage, that isn’t just the BA doing it’s thing. I mean I judged the little Celest upon first getting it on price and looks, though amazingly I was dragged into a different viewpoint after burn-in and listening at length?

The Celest bass is not there in resolution and dynamics compared to true planars (I have only Dioko and KZ HiFi one for comparison) by the very nature of the trade-off of the SPD design. A simple square coil can't do the job of an array of strong magnets

Celest is a very likeable and enjoyable IEM, mightily pushing the limits of $50 range for sure.

While I haven’t heard the KZ PR1, I have two arriving any day; don’t know as to why two? But to me the Dioko has way more issues to deal with than the little Celest. Meaning the bass is just not there, while what is there is refined and sculpted, I’ll take the sloppiness of the Celest any day of the week! While both the Dioko and Celest have timbre issues, that may be the biggest downside to the two IEMs, it’s strange in my experience to have such timbre with planar IEMs. The Celest is due to the BA, the Dioko.....I have no idea as to why? To me the Dioko has the sound of a girl with bad makeup!

 

[Redcarmoose]

The Celest bass is not there in resolution and dynamics compared to true planars (I have only Dioko and KZ HiFi one for comparison) by the very nature of the trade-off of the SPD design. A simple square coil can't do the job of an array of strong magnets

Celest is a very likeable and enjoyable IEM, mightily pushing the limits of $50 range for sure.

I have a feeling, just call it gut-instinct, that the timbre here will be a noticeable difference from the Celest MK1.

The ”Pandamon”! Lol

 

[WAON303]

This sounds very familiar! Well, sorry, they look familiar, but they surely do not sound the same LOL



KZ ZS6:


Campfire Andromeda

It' funny that you bring this up because I remember John Darko stopped covering KZ IEMs because of this:

What about KZ? I reviewed the ATE last year but won’t be covering any more of their IEMs after it was brought to my attention that the Chinese manufacturer took ‘heavy inspiration’ from Campfire Audio’s earpiece designs.

Source: https://darko.audio/2019/12/10-more-thoughts-on-3-x-wired-iems-campfire-meze-ibasso/