The discovery thread!

[Jaytiss]

Crinacle confirmed that the Dusk edition is in the making, his last video is talking about it. For me this is more interesting if it adds some extra low end.

That’s exciting. The B3 is very nice and could be even better with some tuning. Not sure if I’ll get it, but it will be a very nice update for an already good iem.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

That’s exciting. The B3 is very nice and could be even better with some tuning. Not sure if I’ll get it, but it will be a very nice update for an already good iem.

/whisper you can tuned B3 as you with with littlewhite’s PEQ

I’ve increased sub-bass, turned down mid-bass & ear gain, then boosted air.

I have a feeling Crin would do same except the female vocal enhancement around 3kHz.

BLON x HBB Z300 arrived!
Personal Purchase from Linsoul with $1 reservation code applied (Linsoul please stop this bothersome system already) at $31.

Out of the box impression:

For this entry level budget single DD, we mostly have some expectation, such as Tripowin Mele, Lea, Truthear HOLA, or KiwiEars Cadenza.

For that part Z300 has met with my expectations of performance.

Yes, pretty good Enough resolution enough treble extensions and decent technicalities.

As you can see from frequency response, Z300 is HBB’s exact target curve hit on spot. The timbre is warm neutral with weaker ear gain when compared to Crin’s.

Z300 matches perfectly to tracks that requires energy and perform good especially with male vocals and baritone instruments.

Overall very high performing and pretty much flawless if someone’s preferred tonal balance is warm-shifted with 35 detail : 65 dynamism oriented preference. Z300 slightly lacks sense of staging and is pretty intimate sounding when compared to, say DUNU Titan S or Aria.

I can see both micro detail lover would need to avoid this tuning as mid-bass level is what they call ”bleed”.

Pretty safe bet overall as your entry-level single dynamic exposure if you love meaty bass, fuller female /male
vocals, and tracks requiring dynamism over micro details.

Mele vs Z300
Both of them are HBB-house tuning, but Z300 has better technicalities overall. Unless you need upper mid clarify which Mele offers over Z300, Z300 is a safer bet.

HOLA vs Z300
Z300 has better treble articulation over HOLA meanwhile HOLA has better transients over Z300 for bass region. Both tonal balance are very close, if you prefer details Z300, if you prefer bass performance HOLA.

 

[o0genesis0o]

I was trying to put together Moondrop JIU comparison with LinLong, Hexa, KZ ESX and Droplet.

Well, in two words - they are all different , and nicely so.
I realized that to make any really proper comparison - so many hours are needed working across the genres and also taking time to adapting the ears from one sound signature to another. So one can really appreciate the hard work of good diligent reviewers (and have a stronger opinion on those making "review production factories").

Anyhow, JIU is nicely average (in the good/best sense) and great for $25 with the source, case, good tips and most acceptable (to my limited critical senses) those "obligatory" cartoon girl images.

Linlong is the easiest to listen to and enjoyable. Great least tangling and most practical fixed cable compared to JIU and Droplet. A winner for the price/enjoyment, undoubtedly. No sub bass of the microdriver is to note

Hola - a winner for tuning, bass and mids in the budget category. Not treble. Incorporating Hexa treble would command at least a zero to the right of the price tag (perhaps, a next Truthear IEM...).

ESX are woody/meaty, very enjoyable to me as a flavour, more pale in direct comparisons. A winner in the build - most aesthetically pleasing and technically accomplished (three different metal accents in the shell plate, and great transparency and durability of polycarbonate) by far!

Droplet are a great effort in enabling a single BA to sound great, squeezing last/every proverbial droplet out if it and a win there for the Moondrop. Smallest, lightest, a beautiful shape, and capable enough to serve as an only IEM pair

Overall looser: Truthear Hexa - with all the amazingly resolving mids and treble - not much fun at all to my ears (I was exactly getting Hexa for its analytical signature - the results surpassed all expectations there, so no complains, just a surprise, and an honourable place as a highly specific/specialized IEM in my collection).

Overall winner: my good old modified ASX, putting them back after these comparisons was a pure bliss - ample lush BA bass and potent spicy treble

What is that beautiful cable going with hola? Is it expensive? I’m looking for a 4.4mm 2pin cable at the moment.

 

[activatorfly]

BLON x HBB Z300 arrived!
Personal Purchase from Linsoul with $1 reservation code applied (Linsoul please stop this bothersome system already) at $31.



Out of the box impression:

For this entry level budget single DD, we mostly have some expectation, such as Tripowin Mele, Lea, Truthear HOLA, or KiwiEars Cadenza.

For that part Z300 has met with my expectations of performance.

Yes, pretty good Enough resolution enough treble extensions and decent technicalities.


As you can see from frequency response, Z300 is HBB’s exact target curve hit on spot. The timbre is warm neutral with weaker ear gain when compared to Crin’s.

Z300 matches perfectly to tracks that requires energy and perform good especially with male vocals and baritone instruments.

Overall very high performing and pretty much flawless if someone’s preferred tonal balance is warm-shifted with 35 detail : 65 dynamism oriented preference. Z300 slightly lacks sense of staging and is pretty intimate sounding when compared to, say DUNU Titan S or Aria.

I can see both micro detail lover would need to avoid this tuning as mid-bass level is what they call ”bleed”.

Pretty safe bet overall as your entry-level single dynamic exposure if you love meaty bass, fuller female /male
vocals, and tracks requiring dynamism over micro details.

Mele vs Z300
Both of them are HBB-house tuning, but Z300 has better technicalities overall. Unless you need upper mid clarify which Mele offers over Z300, Z300 is a safer bet.

HOLA vs Z300
Z300 has better treble articulation over HOLA meanwhile HOLA has better transients over Z300 for bass region. Both tonal balance are very close, if you prefer details Z300, if you prefer bass performance HOLA.

Just pulled the trigger on the Hawaiian Badboi Beauties - GOLD (they look uber bling !!) via express delivery.
This evening been running the PR2 through a powerful Xiang DAC rolled with 3x Burson Vi5 Opamps. With the extra juice compared to a DAP they totally shine & come really alive now, better mids bass & sub bass response - & you can never tire of this 3D spherical stage, the depth is uber moreish. In contrast to the Z300, the PR2 excel more with female vocals & more laidback tracks, hence should they contrast well with the Z300's handling of "energetic tracks, male vocals & baritone instruments."

 

[Click]

This channel mainly reviews IEMs and headphones from a gaming perspective, but it got me even more hyped about the Kiwi Ears Quartet release.

He even put a purple cable on them like I'm going to.



He said they are a "giant killer," and is superior to IEMs he's reviewed that costs $450-$600.

Why hasn't Linsoul not allowed people to buy this yet? Kiwi Ears said it might release around May 3. Been 4 days already...

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

This channel mainly reviews IEMs and headphones from a gaming perspective, but it got me even more hyped about the Kiwi Ears Quartet release.

He even put a purple cable on them like I'm going to.



He said they are a "giant killer," and is superior to IEMs he's reviewed that costs $450-$600.

Why hasn't Linsoul not allowed people to buy this yet? Kiwi Ears said it might release around May 3. Been 4 days already...

So he says it's got a narrow soundstage, good imaging, and good resolution with boosted mid bass.

This channel mainly reviews IEMs and headphones from a gaming perspective, but it got me even more hyped about the Kiwi Ears Quartet release.

He even put a purple cable on them like I'm going to.



He said they are a "giant killer," and is superior to IEMs he's reviewed that costs $450-$600.

Why hasn't Linsoul not allowed people to buy this yet? Kiwi Ears said it might release around May 3. Been 4 days already...

They might be gearing up production wise for big demand? Been sitting on that page with the $1.00 reservation for over a week now.

 

[Dsnuts]

I know we dont discuss open cans much on this thread but I gotta say the Fiio FT3 for what Fiio is asking for a set is excellent. 60mm DLC angled drivers throwing out some serious sounds. Similar resolve to their FD5 but in a grander scale, not to mention its price as well. It comes with every termination you can use and its copper cable is a high end copper cable. This one is harmon tuned a mild v shaped tuning. If any of you guys are into your gaming. These things end up being absolutely fantastic for gaming due to its very good imaging in space. Your weekend reader about the new Fiio FT3. Just in case you all are interested in a large and in charge Fiio sound. You guys own a Fiio K7 or greater. These things should be attached to it.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fiio-ft3.26471/review/30761/

 

[Carpet]

Paul Wasabii on KZ X HBB PR2​

(one of the reviews I've been waiting for)

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Just pulled the trigger on the Hawaiian Badboi Beauties - GOLD (they look uber bling !!) via express delivery.
This evening been running the PR2 through a powerful Xiang DAC rolled with 3x Burson Vi5 Opamps. With the extra juice compared to a DAP they totally shine & come really alive now, better mids bass & sub bass response - & you can never tire of this 3D spherical stage, the depth is uber moreish. In contrast to the Z300 they excel more with female vocals & more laidback tracks, hence should contrast well with the Z300's handling of "energetic tracks, male vocals & baritone instruments."

Well I can see you may have different ear anatomy with mine for that case, laid back tracks with this much amount mid-bass, and lack of staging may not be ideal for my preferred detail 60 : dynamism 40 balance.
I do find Z300 adds good weight to “western” female vocals which has some bass elements, so I’m assuming your female vocal references are more inclines to bass-rich female vocals library.

YMMV mate

 

[JEHL]

Not sure what I should call it if it ends up being a possibility, but in the events either I end up designing for SONY or someone else executes the same idea.

MDR-EX1000, but it also has a BA coaxially mounted to the nozzle crossed between 2-3kHz for reduced ringing and increased treble extension.

MDR-EX2000?

On a side note. I am at about 50-60 volume settings on my new HE400se with the Apple USB Type-C dongle, of all things. Not sure if this means its thirst for power was greatly exaggerated or my listening volume is much lower than I expected or maybe both. It is unquestionably the absolute most thirsty headgear I ever owned, easily over twice the volume setting required to match the BL-03's volume.

It's definitely a bit colder than I'd like, but I don't feel comfortable trying to EQ when everything I connect it to is struggling to power it as is.

 

[superuser1]

a narrow soundstage

Ouch... Shattered expectations

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

AS much as I enjoy the Z300, and it was really hard to remove them from my ears, I did just that, and put in my Aure's, and well, I'm reminded why one cost $35.00 and the other almost $500. The Aure's just have an advantage in every single facet except air, and in this case, it's not enough of a difference to make me go "I'm missing out". Budget is creeping further into the mid-fi world, but not quite there yet. Not yet.

Ouch... Shattered expectations

But he did say the stage was narrow for gaming, so take that with a grain of salt. He said it felt "closer to the chest than outside the ears", so noises from the distance were harder to pick out. So this could just mean something in relation to gaming, but it also could very well mean that musically, it doesn't have the widest stage? the Z300 has excellent staging, as does the KZ Ling longs, so it has competition to live up to.

 

[Leonarfd]

RAPTGO Bridge appeared at linsoul now
2DD+ 2BA +Pzt drivers for 159usd

https://www.linsoul.com/collections/all/products/raptgo-bridge?variant=43897595920601

So here we get double DD, switches and nozzles, going big with some of the recent trends.

 

[W0lrince]

Not sure what I should call it if it ends up being a possibility, but in the events either I end up designing for SONY or someone else executes the same idea.

MDR-EX1000, but it also has a BA coaxially mounted to the nozzle crossed between 2-3kHz for reduced ringing and increased treble extension.

MDR-EX2000?

On a side note. I am at about 50-60 volume settings on my new HE400se with the Apple USB Type-C dongle, of all things. Not sure if this means its thirst for power was greatly exaggerated or my listening volume is much lower than I expected or maybe both. It is unquestionably the absolute most thirsty headgear I ever owned, easily over twice the volume setting required to match the BL-03's volume.

It's definitely a bit colder than I'd like, but I don't feel comfortable trying to EQ when everything I connect it to is struggling to power it as is.

There's MDR-EX2000 called justear if you don't know
If you hear limp bass from HE400se, that when you realize you might need a better source! The bass should be punchy and detail instead of low-res rumble

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

RAPTGO Bridge appeared at linsoul now
2DD+ 2BA +Pzt drivers for 159DD

https://www.linsoul.com/collections/all/products/raptgo-bridge?variant=43897595920601

Dang bro! What are you trying to do here?! That purple looks pretty damned good! That's one of the tribrid combos I was saying that Kiwi Ears should go with, and here it is with Raptgo!