[Fat Larry]

"The Consumer Guarantees Act only protects you when you buy from businesses in trade in New Zealand — not when you buy something from a private seller or from overseas."

So excluding the unlikely event that New Zealand annexes China. We are on our own with AliExpress.

Australia is however a much smaller island off our coast, they speak the same language and were part of the same empire in the distant past. That could bring Amazon Australia under our legislation!

Oh really? I'd thought we were covered because they're collecting GST. It's murky with Ali and its demarcation between being a market place and being a retailer.

Hmm either way don't tell my bank

 

[Tzennn]

If I can find one used for around $120 or so, that might be the choice. Maybe not quite warm like you said, but maybe warm/neutral? Great sound stage and seems like a solid choice for something cozy, engaging, and easy to listen to. Should go well quite nicely with ambient and drone. Thank you for the suggestion.

Yeah it warm neutral to U shape (actually not that warm i would say), i don't think it have huge soundstage when compare to headphone or any expensive iem in general, but staging is better than average (thanks to semi open back). It sound safe so you can use them for like a year. If you're asian i don't recommend this tho
It won't sound engaging enough so you'll want something better in the future!
Edit: just want to make it clear so you don't expect it too high

 

[Surf Monkey]

Kiwi Ears Quartet officially released and is available for purchase on Linsoul.

https://www.linsoul.com/products/kiwi-ears-quartet

$10 off code for those who bought the $1 reservation.

QUARTET10USD

Sweet. I snagged a set with the $1 reservation discount.

 

[DropTekRoon]

Oh then the Sony N3 does have midbass bleed unfortunately.

At sub $100 it is quite hard to find a warm/bassy IEM that doesn't have mid-bass bleed TBH. Usually those warm neutral type tunings with tighter bass are at a higher price bracket - eg $250 for Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite, Sony M7/M9 for higher brackets.

Yeah it warm neutral to U shape (actually not that warm i would say), i don't think it have huge soundstage when compare to headphone or any expensive iem in general, but staging is better than average (thanks to semi open back). It sound safe so you can use them for like a year. If you're asian i don't recommend this tho

Yup, I'm definitely leaning towards looking at something used for around $150 and under now as I think I would be better off finding something a lot better for ambient/drone. So basically, the Hook X and Orchestra Lite (haven't seen one of those used yet though)

 

[baskingshark]

One question: what does it mean "mid-bass bleed"? Warm/bassy is "bass bleed" by definition, isn't it? If the bass does not "bleed", the midrange wouldn't be warm and you would have something like Monarch II with detached bass.

Along that note, does Andromeda 2020 has "bass bleed" given that it does not have strong punches but noticeable "fat" around 250Hz and 500Hz.

Mid-bass bleed = a boosted mid-bass relative to the midrange/treble, so that the ears perceive the mid-bass to encroach into the lower midrange. So there is a veil; tail notes of mid-bass notes mesh together with the lower midrange - this results in the midrange not sounding transparent, with notes in that frequency band appearing muddy and not defined. On your query of the Andromeda 2020, yes I think it has a bit of mid-bass bleed actually.

Yes agree that a mid-bass bleed warms the lower midrange and makes the overall tonality sound warm/lush. Though you can have different degrees of midbass bleed right, from bad to less bad? This may require better tuning on the tuners part, but perhaps may also be to do with driver capability and perhaps driver type? Sometimes for some trandsucers, it seems amplification and/or eartips may "tighten" the mid-bass and give better control too, so it doesn't appear to bleed so much?

Anyway, you can still have a bassy IEM that has bass focused mostly at the sub-bass (<60 Hz), this won't give you a mid-bass thump or bleed, but it gives a visceral rumble felt in the chest as a different presentation of bass. Ie the Crin style targets haha.

what's the least bloated bass that isn't outright lean>

Hard line to balance. That's the magic equilibrium all of us are trying to find, for the least amount of coin haha. It is subjective too, some consumers are bassheads, some are sensitive to bass, so YMMV.

If you have heard some of the FatFreq IEMs (which retail at eye watering prices), they have copious bass, but the bass doesn't seem to encroach too much into the other frequency bands, and they can still sound very technical despite being basshead.

 

[DropTekRoon]

Hm used Hookx ? Not warm nor L shape iem, just sound beautiful enough to enjoy for years and years.

Oh then the Sony N3 does have midbass bleed unfortunately.

At sub $100 it is quite hard to find a warm/bassy IEM that doesn't have mid-bass bleed TBH. Usually those warm neutral type tunings with tighter bass are at a higher price bracket - eg $250 for Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite, Sony M7/M9 for higher brackets.

Guess who just managed to get the Hook X for $130 in mint condition from here? Record timing. Almost like it was a sign it get it. Now I just need to stop purchasing. Thanks to both of you! I'm sure these will be great!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

While Legato is a bona fide basshead IEM, there's a 6 - 7kHz spike, so it ain't actually totally smooth or warmish in the treble region. Also, I'm not sure if the OP is a basshead, as the Legato's sub-bass can be a bit obtrusive if one isn't a legit basshead, these kind of specialized basshead tunings are quite niche (ie love it or hate it).





If you can find a used Sony XBA N3, this is another warm smooth and fatigue-free IEM, lush with thick note weight, big soundstage.

I bought my second hand at $100 USD.

I second this recc.

 

[Jaytiss]

Dunu kima classic is up on Amazon and Hifigo. Looks interesting. Could be a smoothie set with the added base. Big fan of og kima and new could be fantastic.

 

[o0genesis0o]

this results in the midrange not sounding transparent, with notes in that frequency band appearing muddy and not defined.

Good points!

One thing about Harman-tuned IEM is that they are generally "transparent" around the midrange region. If the technical performance is good (a.k.a., Blessing 3), the whole midrange region feels crisp and "crystalline" and "pristine." At the same time, it can also be lifeless and thin.

Something like Gaea or HiBy Crystal 6II push the upper midrange too far above the lower midrange, that can cause thinness and harshness.

It's also interesting to consider that "warm" does not necessarily mean thicker 250Hz either. If the ear-gain is a bit below 10dB, even if the lower mid is ruler flat, there is still a sense of "warmth" without necessary veiled.

Seriously, if I were to build my own IEM, I would stick to Harman as the baseline and make adjustments from there based on my ears. Starting from nothing seems like a recipe for disaster.

 

[tombrisbane]

Kiwi Ears Quartet officially released and is available for purchase on Linsoul.

https://www.linsoul.com/products/kiwi-ears-quartet

$10 off code for those who bought the $1 reservation.

QUARTET10USD

Ordered my pair as well. Looking forward to giving them a listen!

 

[Redcarmoose]

Grrrr.......................End Game.

I humbly suggest Penon Audio Volt and Sony WM1Z.

 

[Leonarfd]

JUZEAR Flame is available as purchase now.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mOAzz4c

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I didn't think I could fall in love with the Aur Audio Aure more...and then I start playing Just the Two of Us by Grover Washington Jr, and the bass comes in, and it's so responsive and resolving, I can hear the finger pulls and slides and the horns are simply divine, where you can hear the breathes from the horn player. Couple that with the swirling staging and imaging, and these guys are rising stars in the IEM world. I just switched from the Wu Zetian, and they are in a whole different league.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

JUZEAR Flame is available as purchase now.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mOAzz4c

Nah. Don't need it. The Aure's would kill them, and so would the IE600. I'm even battling to pull the trigger on the Quartet, even though I have the $10 discount.

 

[Leonarfd]

Nah. Don't need it. The Aure's would kill them, and so would the IE600. I'm even battling to pull the trigger on the Quartet, even though I have the $10 discount.

Same here, I am battling my urge to buy. Already ordered the quartet.