Thanks! I am already resting at home so my own bed is getting (ab)used 23 hours a dayAwesome testing Nik, helps time fly in hospital bed also I bet.
100% agree in BTR7 being a very good performer, mire than happy with mine. Use it actually every workday during lunch breaks
Pleaseeeeeeeee Moondrop, don't SCREW this with SSR-like tuning.
Everything that comes with THX Amp sounds really nice.First Rehabilitation Test is complete!
Finding the best portable source for Aurora.
I went through these following songs which cover all spectrums very capably. Below each song I briefly described how the three contestants fared.
Meet the contestants, from left to right: Penon Tail, Fiio BTR7, Venture Electronics Megatron
Some differences were extremely subtle, while others were immediately apparent! It goes to show that choosing the right source is absolutely crucial in overall auditory performance!
1st Song (three various strings spread over the soundstage, a very focused female vocal)
BTR7:
+: clearer vocal and guitars, highly detailed strings, good resolution, bitey, good dynamics, good imaging
-: not the best separation of instruments, soundstage not the largest.
Megatron:
+: nicer separation, better soundstage width, good imaging
-: smoothens everything, less detailed, less bitey, less dynamic, female vocal too mellowed
Tail:
-: worst soundstage, poor imaging, worse separation, additional grittiness in vocals, adds weight to low mids, slightly plasticky strings on the far right
2nd Song (soothing female vocal, piano, bass, and trumpets timbre, precise staging)
BTR7:
+: great imaging, good separation, wonderful vocal, best timbre
-: not the widest stage
Megatron:
+: more pronounced bass, softer but thicker piano notes, widest stage
-: vocal a bit pushed back, all notes are more pillowy than on BTR7
Tail:
+: better width than BTR7
-: more bass, but worse controlled, funny sounding trumpets, slightly boring
3rd Song (piano note weight, expressive female vocals, precise staging, dynamics)
BTR7:
+: very clear piano with decent note weight, vocal nice (a bit more back than on M), quick
-: lean presentation
Megatron:
+: weightier notes, vocal a bit more forward and more soulful than on BTR7, adds bass weight
-: less clarity in piano notes
Tail:
-: timbre of piano is slightly off, note separation not as good as on BTR7, vocals not as forward nor clear as the other two, adds more midbass/low mids than other two, not as resolute
4th Song (openness, jazz club ambiance, stage depth, timbral accuracy)
BTR7:
+: best layering and depth perception, good timbre, good resolution
Megatron:
+: better layering than T, timbre is okay -: resolution not the best
Tail:
-: 2D stage, cannot keep elements apart, timbre a bit off
5th Song (multiple overlapping sounds, back vocals, bass presence/extension/punch, treble quality)
BTR7:
+: everything done very capably, good bass punch
-: bass lacks weight
Megatron:
+: meaty bass
-: not as punchy as BTR7, not the most resolving due to smoothness
Tail:
+: solid punch, okay separation
-: adds artificial bass cca 80-150hz which is very noticeable and annoying in this song, lacks power for subbass, worst resolution
6th Song (sax and piano timbre, presence, naturalness, openness)
BTR7:
+: very resolving, good imaging, good separation
-: a bit clinical and cold, least bassy
Megatron:
+: adds a layer of warmth, imaging good
-: resolution two steps behind BTR7, sax not bitey enough
Tail:
-: artificial midbass boost, lacks clarity and resolution of BTR7 and even Megatron
7th Song (technical electronica, highly rhythmic, requires quality bass and good atmospherical presentation)
BTR7:
+: greatest staging and a fraction more ambience than on Megatron
-: a bit too sterile
Megatron:
+: best for house/techno
-: lacks technicalities of BTR7 due to smoothening
Tail:
-: ridiculous rhythm section at the beginning with bloated midbass, worst soundstage, not great at dynamics
8th Song (technicalities, male vocal, incredibly dynamic outro)
BTR7:
+: clean bass, widest soundstage, best separation, resolution, a decent mix of musicality and technicality but more on the technical side
-: bass does not feel as effortless as with Megatron
Megatron:
+: nicer more natural bass than Tail, soundstage decent, male vocal has body, more on the musical side
-: snappy sounds are not quick enough
Tail:
-: funny bloomy bass, quick sounds are not as snappy and dynamic, imaging not up to BTR7 standard
Conclusion:
This ended up being way more one-sided than I thought. An easy win goes to Fiio BTR7.
But, IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER, all tests were done with it wired as a USB DAC/AMP, and it's way less dynamic and way less resolving when used as a BT DAC/AMP!
Ps. Check out all these tunes, they are amazing in one way or another
Nothing fancy:
I know they are releasing an iem for it. I'm waiting for that or a big review before I consider it. Just not sold on the technology. But definitely interested as a lot of people are.
Sure, I will be happy to compare, please give me 1-2 days. EDA can be now a step or two away from Castors being double DDs, with useful switches, while their $12-14 are more of KZ promotion or messaging/signaling ($20-25 would be more expected price along D-Fi lines).
I've had both the MEST Mk.2 and Phantom for a couple of months now and IMO it's not fair to compare the two as they're in completely different price brackets. Bass is much lower and treble is muffled compared to the MEST. That's not counting detail retrieval either which is comparing a "mid-fi" set to high end.Hey guys! Looks like it's bone conduction quad-brid fest in my house. Here's my review of BGVP Phantom, their latest 2DD + 2BA + 2EST + 2BCD quad-brid IEM. AFAIK, this is the cheapest BCD quad-brid in the market at $900 and quite a good one at that. I particularly loved how it is able to present an engulfing soundstage with good depth, depth layering and strong instrument definition and imaging. What's also cool is that it has thermochromic dyed wood shells that change to a lighter colour once they come in contact with the skin - something which might not be to everyone's liking but maybe the wood shells would be since this is a stock design and it's great that BGVP aren't charging any extra for them. Read on to know what I think and let me know if you have questions or would like comparisons with any other IEMs. Cheers!
First Rehabilitation Test is complete!
Finding the best portable source for Aurora.
I went through these following songs which cover all spectrums very capably. Below each song I briefly described how the three contestants fared.
Meet the contestants, from left to right: Penon Tail, Fiio BTR7, Venture Electronics Megatron
Some differences were extremely subtle, while others were immediately apparent! It goes to show that choosing the right source is absolutely crucial in overall auditory performance!
1st Song (three various strings spread over the soundstage, a very focused female vocal)
BTR7:
+: clearer vocal and guitars, highly detailed strings, good resolution, bitey, good dynamics, good imaging
-: not the best separation of instruments, soundstage not the largest.
Megatron:
+: nicer separation, better soundstage width, good imaging
-: smoothens everything, less detailed, less bitey, less dynamic, female vocal too mellowed
Tail:
-: worst soundstage, poor imaging, worse separation, additional grittiness in vocals, adds weight to low mids, slightly plasticky strings on the far right
2nd Song (soothing female vocal, piano, bass, and trumpets timbre, precise staging)
BTR7:
+: great imaging, good separation, wonderful vocal, best timbre
-: not the widest stage
Megatron:
+: more pronounced bass, softer but thicker piano notes, widest stage
-: vocal a bit pushed back, all notes are more pillowy than on BTR7
Tail:
+: better width than BTR7
-: more bass, but worse controlled, funny sounding trumpets, slightly boring
3rd Song (piano note weight, expressive female vocals, precise staging, dynamics)
BTR7:
+: very clear piano with decent note weight, vocal nice (a bit more back than on M), quick
-: lean presentation
Megatron:
+: weightier notes, vocal a bit more forward and more soulful than on BTR7, adds bass weight
-: less clarity in piano notes
Tail:
-: timbre of piano is slightly off, note separation not as good as on BTR7, vocals not as forward nor clear as the other two, adds more midbass/low mids than other two, not as resolute
4th Song (openness, jazz club ambiance, stage depth, timbral accuracy)
BTR7:
+: best layering and depth perception, good timbre, good resolution
Megatron:
+: better layering than T, timbre is okay -: resolution not the best
Tail:
-: 2D stage, cannot keep elements apart, timbre a bit off
5th Song (multiple overlapping sounds, back vocals, bass presence/extension/punch, treble quality)
BTR7:
+: everything done very capably, good bass punch
-: bass lacks weight
Megatron:
+: meaty bass
-: not as punchy as BTR7, not the most resolving due to smoothness
Tail:
+: solid punch, okay separation
-: adds artificial bass cca 80-150hz which is very noticeable and annoying in this song, lacks power for subbass, worst resolution
6th Song (sax and piano timbre, presence, naturalness, openness)
BTR7:
+: very resolving, good imaging, good separation
-: a bit clinical and cold, least bassy
Megatron:
+: adds a layer of warmth, imaging good
-: resolution two steps behind BTR7, sax not bitey enough
Tail:
-: artificial midbass boost, lacks clarity and resolution of BTR7 and even Megatron
7th Song (technical electronica, highly rhythmic, requires quality bass and good atmospherical presentation)
BTR7:
+: greatest staging and a fraction more ambience than on Megatron
-: a bit too sterile
Megatron:
+: best for house/techno
-: lacks technicalities of BTR7 due to smoothening
Tail:
-: ridiculous rhythm section at the beginning with bloated midbass, worst soundstage, not great at dynamics
8th Song (technicalities, male vocal, incredibly dynamic outro)
BTR7:
+: clean bass, widest soundstage, best separation, resolution, a decent mix of musicality and technicality but more on the technical side
-: bass does not feel as effortless as with Megatron
Megatron:
+: nicer more natural bass than Tail, soundstage decent, male vocal has body, more on the musical side
-: snappy sounds are not quick enough
Tail:
-: funny bloomy bass, quick sounds are not as snappy and dynamic, imaging not up to BTR7 standard
Conclusion:
This ended up being way more one-sided than I thought. An easy win goes to Fiio BTR7.
But, IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER, all tests were done with it wired as a USB DAC/AMP, and it's way less dynamic and way less resolving when used as a BT DAC/AMP!
Ps. Check out all these tunes, they are amazing in one way or another
Awesome testing Nik, helps time fly in hospital bed also I bet.
100% agree in BTR7 being a very good performer, mire than happy with mine. Use it actually every workday during lunch breaks
Plus the graphs are in there to back what we hear and for our readers to see and not take our written word as gospel. 
Cheers and happy listening! 
