[s2kphile]

Speaking of cables, I've done resistance testing using miliohm meter. Left/right postive and negative ear connectors. Here are two from Japanese maker Wagnus. One is their most expensive Sheep and the other their cheapest offering Lily.

NiceHcK Goldcrown 8N

Effect Audio Cadmus S

What I find fascinating is that Wagnus is more consistent in their tolerances among their cables in comparsion to ChiFi makers.

While these are some of the best tolerances from ChiFi that I measured, its a hit or miss, even from top tier/popular brands.

So I can agree to a certain extent with @PhonoPhi. There are huge profit margins with cables where mainstream brands pack them with expensive cables they get at slighly above cost so they have can better margins.

That said I'm sucker for Wagnus because of how well they are made, no one else has cables like they do, and they look aesthetically pleasing to look at.

 

[nibe90]

Cables
For me there are three categories:

Naysayers


Fashionistas


Believers
the majority of Penon sub thread participants

I’m an unapologetic fashionista, with a moderate lean towards believer. Like @Ferdinando1968 , aesthetics are a big influence on my purchases. But pliability and feel are also factors for me. Most of my cables are sourced from either KBEar or NiceHCK, for the cost to desirability ratio. The KBEar Hazy and NiceHCK GreyFlag being my current go to choices.

Why I’m sliding into middle ground, between Fashionista and Believer: Effect Audio was gracious enough to invite me, to try out one of their new “economical” lines (Cadmus) and it did change the sound signature (for the better) of my FiiO FD5, in tonality.

Sometimes I wish that I was an ardent Naysayer. During the current Summer sale and the last 11.11 event I spent more on “pretty’s“ than I should have. Need to add a filler (or three) to use a $200 coupon code, no problem
[edit to add]
I do have my limits though. e.g. oil soaked cables or zinc as a good conductor.

gonna play the village idiot, but simplied earphone cables transmit electricity and depending on the material composotion this can vary, in impedence only. meaning cables can be seen as large impendence adapters connecting source with output device. Now, the question is, is that difference for human ears ｄｉｓｔｉｎｇｕｉｓｈａｂｌｅ,... in extreme case yes but mostly no.

Just like homeopathy " wirkt nicht über den Plazebo Effect hinaus", does not work beyond the placebo effect.

 

[nibe90]

Speaking of cables, just saw on Aliexpress that CVJ has an interesting Oxygen free copper cable with modular plugs for 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm.

$15 USD for all 3 modules.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005005708215526.html



One of the cheapest modular cables?

Could be something useful if you have various different single-ended and balanced sources.





I currently am out of the house but I will do some isolation tests with these IEMs later.

Off the top of my head, I would rate the isolation from aural memory as best P5 > HEXA = Kara > S12. S12 has the worst isolation of the lot for sure.





I used the Kara yesterday for about 4 hours non stop haha. It is very ergonomic for my average sized ears. Very lightweight too.

I don't have the Blessing 3 so can't compare in terms of fit/size.

awesome, thanks

 

[Vonbuddy]

I decided to use the $15- and 10-dollar coupon at Linsoul Summer Sale. I got the Simgot EW-200 and Tin Hifi C3 for just over $50 together. How did I do?

 

[o0genesis0o]

Speaking of cables, I've done resistance testing using miliohm meter. Left/right postive and negative ear connectors. Here are two from Japanese maker Wagnus. One is their most expensive Sheep and the other their cheapest offering Lily.




NiceHcK Goldcrown 8N


Effect Audio Cadmus S


What I find fascinating is that Wagnus is more consistent in their tolerances among their cables in comparsion to ChiFi makers.

While these are some of the best tolerances from ChiFi that I measured, its a hit or miss, even from top tier/popular brands.

So I can agree to a certain extent with @PhonoPhi. There are huge profit margins with cables where mainstream brands pack them with expensive cables they get at slighly above cost so they have can better margins.

That said I'm sucker for Wagnus because of how well they are made, no one else has cables like they do, and they look aesthetically pleasing to look at.

Got to know a cable DIYer recently. It is eye opening how much markup those cables have. At the same time, I was also shocked how expensive the bill of material of these cables actually is. It’s not like $1 material and then they charge you $1000 for that. Materials can be a few hundred dollars. And the labour involved in putting those cables together from materials.

I have a few $$$$$$ cables on my hands as a part of review tour at the moment. They don’t feel great at all. Much prefer cheapo on discount from Aliexpress.

 

[saldsald]

Got to know a cable DIYer recently. It is eye opening how much markup those cables have. At the same time, I was also shocked how expensive the bill of material of these cables actually is. It’s not like $1 material and then they charge you $1000 for that. Materials can be a few hundred dollars. And the labour involved in putting those cables together from materials.

I have a few $$$$$$ cables on my hands as a part of review tour at the moment. They don’t feel great at all. Much prefer cheapo on discount from Aliexpress.

The standard markup is about 5 times as told by a manufacturer.

 

[baskingshark]

Kara looks interesting.
Was wondering though how is the isolation compared to the hexa, S12 and P5 thinking of getting either of them as beater IEM for commute, blessing 3 is a bit heavy and flashy for that. Looked through your signature and saw that you have those 3.

cheers.

and yes I also looked into the moondrop quarks, tanchjim zero , with or without dsp ( they are still on the potential buy list)

K I just did some isolation tests with the above IEMs.

Note, this is using stock tips that are provided with the IEMs (no aftermarket tips as foams for example can increase isolation).

Isolation from best to worst: Performer 5 > Tanchjim KARA > Truthear HEXA > Shuoer S12.



As for your query about the Quarks DSP, no doubt it has a graph that will make measurebators go high, but I avoid it for 3 reasons:
1) The Quarks DSP hisses like a snake. When music plays, it is not so noticeable, but this can still be perceived in quieter parts of the music. The noise floor control on the Quarks DSP is disappointing in this regard.
2) The Quarks DSP has random pitch variation of instruments, which is probably a sign of incomplete DSP development/implementation. I'm not the only one to have encountered this problem, as there are various forum reports on this. This is a major deal breaker for me as a musician personally.
3) Volume steps are rather far apart on the Quarks DSP. I can't hit the volume sweet spot with the Quarks DSP on various DAPs and PCs, as it is either too soft (lacking dynamics), or too loud (fatiguing).

I would recommend the sequel Moondrop JIU any day. The Quarks DSP and JIU share a similar tonality, just that the Quarks DSP is a bit brighter in the lower treble, but has a tinge less upper mids. Both sets have good technicalities for a $20 budget IEM, though the Quarks DSP is a hair behind in imaging and instrument separation (Quarks DSP has a slightly wider soundstage though).
Importantly, I did not encounter any hiss or weird pitching with the JIU, and the volume controls are very finely tuned too.

 

[Benno1988]

The standard markup is about 5 times as told by a manufacturer.

Way way more. Way more.

 

[requal]

Rediscovery Part 2
Following my recent delve into past classics I dug out my Tin T3 (1DD + Knowles 33518). Via my AP80 Pro X and 2.5 balanced cable they blew me away. Fabulous soundstage, detailed mids, extended airy treble. But it was the bass which impressed me most. Texture, depth and impact. Check out the sub bass on this track:

This are really good. I have digged mine from storage box today. Really forgotten gems.
But I had to also change mesh on nozzle.

 

[HiFiRobot]

Speaking of cables, just saw on Aliexpress that CVJ has an interesting Oxygen free copper cable with modular plugs for 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm.

$15 USD for all 3 modules.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005005708215526.html



One of the cheapest modular cables?

Could be something useful if you have various different single-ended and balanced sources.

Nice. This CVJ s-pin cable should fit my KZ X HBB PR2 or am I confused?

Edit: added pics, looks compatible.

 

[baskingshark]

Nice. These s-pin should fit my KZ X HBB PR2 or am I confused?

I haven't tried the PR2 unfortunately, would you be able to take a photo of the shell 2-pin port? Or perhaps someone else who has the PR2 can advise.

 

[lgcubana]

This CVJ s-pin cable should fit my KZ X HBB PR2 or am I confused?

Yes, as per a review by @Zerstorer_GOhren , on a review of the CVJ Mei, "Its uses a QDC-type 2-pin"

 

[baskingshark]

The Effect of Eartips on Frequency Response:


Eartips are a very very overlooked part of the audio chain.

IMHO, eartips can literally make or break an IEM, not only in terms of sonics, but in fit and isolation. Poor fit will make one lose the bass frequencies for example, and the IEM may appear to be bass lite or shouty as such. Lay consumers who may not know about fit and eartip rolling may go away thinking:
"This IEM sounds crap out of the box, why are others praising it? I can't hear the bass at all!"

We have another example in the infamous BLON BL-03 - with its super short nozzle - necessitating most consumers to do mods or procure aftermarket longer eartips just to salvage the fit (the stock BL-03 tips are a joke).



So today, we have a little experiment with the Moondrop Stellaris, which is literally brighter than the stars in tuning.
Here are how various silicone eartips tame or boost the treble and upper mids on this treblehead IEM:

Measurements above 10k are not accurate, but let's look at the 1.5 kHz to 8 kHz bands.

The green graph is with the stock Softear Ultra Clear silicone tips - this is the baseline frequency response.

A wide bore eartip like the Tenmark Whirlwind gives the most treble boost - red graph.

The Final E Black tips tames the treble the most - black graph.



So eartips are a very useful part of the audio chain to play with to tune the IEM to your preference. Additionally, eartips are relatively affordable say compared to cables, and fitting a new eartip is reversible, say compared to putting mesh filters (eg Tanya filter) or doing mods.

If an IEM sounds bad out of the box, it may not hurt to find a couple of aftermarket eartips to see if it can improve the fit or sound. Eartips are a very understated part of the audio chain!

 

[helloh3adfi]

like because of

but the value of the great fit enabled by a good flexible cable that should not be underappreciated - for the comfort and the seal!

For example 7Hz Timeless are not easy to wear right. You get the right cable and they fit better.

 

[FastGecko5]

I decided to use the $15- and 10-dollar coupon at Linsoul Summer Sale. I got the Simgot EW-200 and Tin Hifi C3 for just over $60 together. How did I do?

I don't know anything about the EW-200 but the C3 is solid.