The discovery thread!

[gooberbm]

Except for the Galileo and Shimli is there anything special coming out soon?

I'm not sure if the answer is no, even including those. No offense to Timmy, but I'm skeptical that Galileo is anything but another flavor of Harman-neutral (is it going to be better than JD7, for example?) and unless this Shimin Li collab fixes the broken treble, that's a heck no too.

The Senny is the most intriguing looking fresh release right now.

 

[PeacockObscura]

An old iem but a brand new discovery for me. I'm a fan of Single DD iems one of the things I love is the variety of different sound signatures. THE NICEHCK TOPGUY is one such iem a very mids forward set with Titanium/Magnesium DD superb build quality and fab cable. I picked it brand new sealed off ebay for £100 a real bargain only ever found 1 YT review and a couple of headfi reviews. Thing is I enjoy more than a few Hype trains I've been suckered into buying.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Nice the measurement of the IE200 looks great, safer than IE600 if your treble sensitive.

Never tried a Sennheiser IEM, the fit looks good and ergonomic. But how deep is the nozzle? Worst I know is when they are too short.

Short, It sucks.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

An old iem but a brand new discovery for me. I'm a fan of Single DD iems one of the things I love is the variety of different sound signatures. THE NICEHCK TOPGUY is one such iem a very mids forward set with Titanium/Magnesium DD superb build quality and fab cable. I picked it brand new sealed off ebay for £100 a real bargain only ever found 1 YT review and a couple of headfi reviews. Thing is I enjoy more than a few Hype trains I've been suckered into buying.

That's the same shell as the NX7. NiceHCK does not like venturing too far off their house shell lol

 

[saldsald]

That's the same shell as the NX7. NiceHCK does not like venturing too far off their house shell lol

Not the same shell. The mk4 just uses a similar stabilized wood for the faceplate. The topguy has a metal shell which is much better made. Their shells don't even share the same shape. Only kbear keep using the same shells.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

I'm guessing once the Spring Festival is over there will be some new releases coming out, been quite silent the last weeks. More easy that the thread derails during the slower time.

Except for the Galileo and Shimli is there anything special coming out soon?

Yes, discovery thread becomes pretty dead during the chinese new year season All production/shipment halted.

Some time it feels uneasy not seeing weekly KZ /TRN release for me, not necessarily particularly interested but it’s a feeling missing a slice of life type.

I’m personally waiting well implemented LCP+SPD+MST, those have good potentials with very low cost.

KZ has all those implementation experience, it’s about a time to see a fusion of Goku & Vegeta.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Absolutely! When the same couple "reviewers" rate every product from Penon 4 to 5 stars and spend 10k words of very flowery prose discussing just how groundbreaking each product is, it becomes pretty obvious that these are not actual reviews, but more in the vein of extended advertising pieces and that there's some kind of quid pro quo going on.

Fortunately, those of us who follow head-fi, chi-fi, IEMs, etc. have no real problem identifying these "reviews" and "reviewers." Unfortunately, others who are just searching for reviews for a single or first purchase are likely to be taken in. I don't have a problem with Penon operating this way because they're a for profit entity and this is more or less expected behavior. I have a problem with these so-called reviewers and how they continue to try to express that their so-called reviews are unbiased. It's disingenuous and, IMO, unethical.

I would definitely prefer that Penon, and other companies for that matter, didn't try to disguise advertising as reviews, but I don't expect them to stop any time soon. I think these reviews full of hyperbolic and specious claims generally take away from Penon's credibility with many in the true Chi-fi/IEM enthusiast community anyways so it's definitely a double-edged sword.

There is a reason that most Penon products are not being recommended right and left. It's because their performance certainly doesn't often match these "reviews" though there are few exceptions. They are often overpriced for what they are and many of them have pretty easily discernable flaws that make it easy to find better products for less money. Penon would make far more money if they actually took the time to make IEMs that could honestly earn those reviews from regular users.

Pro tip: If a reviewer is rating an IEM 4 to 5 stars, but telling you in that review that you need a high priced cable to turn it into that high performance IEM, the IEM isn't a 4 to 5 star IEM and you're probably reading one of those extended advertising pieces I mentioned from one of those "reviewers." Maybe I should write a pamphlet...

You don’t need to concentrate on reviews at all, simply mosey-on over to the Penon thread or ISN thread and read about all the positive impressions by non-reviewers.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/isn-earphones-impression-thread-new-isn-h30.920551/page-4



https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-penon-official-thread.934523/

 

[FlacFan]

NiceHCK does not like venturing too far off their house shell lol

...which is what made PORSCHE what it is today...

 

[AudioNewbie76]

Looks like the Droplet is officially out. Have been going around and many don't seem to be excited about it, due to either it's Single BA config or it having a DSP. Anyone here interested in getting it though?

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

Looks like the Droplet is officially out. Have been going around and many don't seem to be excited about it, due to either it's Single BA config or it having a DSP. Anyone here interested in getting it though?

It is interesting for sure as a desktop laptop vid call IEM
Especially if the mic is very good.

 

[gmdb]

We do not however see a flood of posts, coming back from people who have purchased these products and been disappointed. It is possible for a company with high standards to produce consistently good products (and refrain from aggressively marketing poor ones). That is how they build and retain a good reputation.

All reviews are opinions and it is incumbent on everyone to be familiar with reviewers preferences, tone of responses and level of integrity. Remember reviewers are human, opinions are just that and golden ears are a narcissistic fantasy (sorry audio fools)! As for manufacturers selectively seeking to send samples to reviewers that are more likely to recommend their products. Of course they do, it's in their self interest. Exactly the same as people choosing course papers that it's easier to get good grades in. What gives reviewers value to the community is trust and consistency, that leads to greater exposure once trust is established. Manufacturers are just playing the game of trying to get the most exposure with the most recommendations. Good ones realize that good products will provide a better brand image in the market. Poor ones are just smash and grab merchants, since their profile will diminish after shilling crap to disappointed customers.

Some interesting points here. As well, we don't see a flood of posts from people who have purchased an item and are happy with it. We are more likely to see a negative view expressed as people are unhappy and wish to tell people. In fact I often see on forums that a few negative posts have way too much power to influence opinion. One way of gaining some information about how well IEMS are received is to look up stats on the large selling platforms (where they are available). For example, if you check Moondrop "top sellers" on AliE, you find that the Chu has killed it in sales numbers. That Quarks, Aria and Kato do sell very well and so do SSR and SSP. And that is only sales through the official store on AliE. I suspect that word of mouth does play a large part.

 

[emdeevee]

If you haven't discovered TGXear yet, you should! Just got my Ripples and they blow my mind! Who knew earbuds could sound this good!?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

If you haven't discovered TGXear yet, you should! Just got my Ripples and they blow my mind! Who knew earbuds could sound this good!?

TGX gets lots of good hype and response. I'm not a headphone guy or earbud guy, but if I was, I'd certainly pick up the Serratus.

 

[BigGearHunter]

Looks like the Droplet is officially out. Have been going around and many don't seem to be excited about it, due to either it's Single BA config or it having a DSP. Anyone here interested in getting it though?

Yes, I thought it was going to be a China-exclusive, but it turns out it's going to be widely available. I am going to get it anyhow.

 

[Leonarfd]

Moondrop Droplet looks like a different flavour of the Quarks DSP in a better shell and with BA.
Ianfan has measured both and the 5-8k region is weird, might be coupler related. Or its just how the DSP tries to EQ away something.

I do like that the bass seems to rise earlier and a few dB extra low end.

https://hifigo.com/collections/new-arrival/products/moondrop-droplet#