The discovery thread!

[WAON303]

how to sell 15 USD item : let's use fancy words like polymer+tesla and throw an image of a good looking lady

Ultra 5D stereo sound DD bery impact voice coil technology innovative 5th gen diaphragm

 

[Bosk]

Penon were kind enough to send me a pair of ISN Neo5 IEMs along with an Obsidian cable with their new Rhodium modular plug to review, and I'm currently listening to the Neo5's with my new Astell & Kern SR35 at work.

My first impression of the Neo5s is bass really takes a front row seat here, with a very pronounced L-shaped signature. Its fair to say I've never owned an IEM with this much bass quantity before, and it feels a lot like ogling 16 year old girls - I feel so conflicted enjoying it this much!

There's obvious similarities to the ISN EST50s here, however they're actually quite different. The Neo5s are physically smaller, perhaps even more comfortable than the Penon Globes I just finished reviewing. The EST50s have a slightly wider soundstage with a brighter presentation, but lack the Neo5's greater note weight.

Where the Neo5's really differentiate themselves is by increasing sub bass rumble even further, which gives electronic music a visceral punch I can already tell is extremely addictive... in fact I'm genuinely concerned acclimating to the Neo5s may spoil my enjoyment of the Impacts' bass in particular. The Impacts have tremendously tight, fast BA bass that's ideal for maximising technical performance, but there's simply no substitute for the palpable DD rumble the Neo5s have in spades.

It'll be fascinating to see how the Neo5s respond to different cables, but having already tried them with several from my collection it's apparent a surprisingly large amount of their overwhelming sub bass punch is generated by the stock S4 cable - thus far swapping to anything else has led to a marked decrease in sub bass output.

You can expect a full review of the Neo5 along with the Obsidian cable in the near future. In the meantime I'll remain in complete denial that I'm a closet basshead.

 

[cobrabucket]

Penon were kind enough to send me a pair of ISN Neo5 IEMs along with an Obsidian cable with their new Rhodium modular plug to review, and I'm currently listening to the Neo5's with my new Astell & Kern SR35 at work.

My first impression of the Neo5s is bass really takes a front row seat here, with a very pronounced L-shaped signature. Its fair to say I've never owned an IEM with this much bass quantity before, and it feels a lot like ogling 16 year old girls - I feel so conflicted enjoying it this much!

There's obvious similarities to the ISN EST50s here, however they're actually quite different. The Neo5s are physically smaller, perhaps even more comfortable than the Penon Globes I just finished reviewing. The EST50s have a slightly wider soundstage with a brighter presentation, but lack the Neo5's greater note weight.

Where the Neo5's really differentiate themselves is by increasing sub bass rumble even further, which gives electronic music a visceral punch I can already tell is extremely addictive... in fact I'm genuinely concerned acclimating to the Neo5s may spoil my enjoyment of the Impacts' bass in particular. The Impacts have tremendously tight, fast BA bass that's ideal for maximising technical performance, but there's simply no substitute for the palpable DD rumble the Neo5s have in spades.

It'll be fascinating to see how the Neo5s respond to different cables, but having already tried them with several from my collection it's apparent a surprisingly large amount of their overwhelming sub bass punch is generated by the stock S4 cable - thus far swapping to anything else has led to a marked decrease in sub bass output.

You can expect a full review of the Neo5 along with the Obsidian cable in the near future. In the meantime I'll remain in complete denial that I'm a closet basshead.

Join US!!!
Lol, jk.
Neo 5 is sweet though, ngl.

 

[Zerstorer_GOhren]

Up next, THIEAUDIO Hype 2, quite competitive for its asking price, it will be a blood bath along with YANYIN Canon II and AFUL P8. I might compare it with other Sonion drivers IEM like HIDIZS MS5 and HiBy Crystal 6 II.

 

[baskingshark]

Seems Shanling also wants to join the CD player game (after a Moondrop one was recently announced).



https://www.facebook.com/ShanlingAu...Ca9RX8P7A2pr3a9PSBVmT2SNTouZjvYDjAh5g5g5Yk3Rl

We have further info on this CD player: https://www.head-fi.org/.../introducing-shanling-ec-mini.../

- It is called the Shanling EC Mini
- ESS ES9219 DACs, with Ricore RT6863 headphone amplifiers
- RCA and 4.4mm and 3.5mm jack. Power up to 248 mW @ 32 Ohms on balanced
- Powered by batteries
- $359 USD!
- supports micro SD, USB
- can be Bluetooth transmitter and receiver; Bluetooth Codec: Receiver LDAC, AAC, SBC // Transmitter LDAC, aptX, AAC, SBC
- Output Impedance: Less than 1 ohm
- Battery Life: Up to 23h with MicroSD card playback, up to 7.5h with CD Playback

It'll match E1DA 9038s output, at a lesser price

I have the E1DA, it gets much hotter, and sounds more sterile/analytical. E1DA has no volume controller too.

Will do some A/B comparisons in detail and report back.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Anyone here own the Moondrop Blessing 3? If you do does it sound much better than the Blessing 2, or other iems in that price range?

I wrote about it with detailed comparison to B2 here: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-blessing-3.26409/reviews#review-30843

I find B3 to be quite different from the B2. Bass has good quality, similarly to other dual DD IEMs, but the quantity is a bit stingy. The problem would be the balance between upper and lower midrange. Simply put, B3 sounds quite "dry", which might be good or bad depending on your taste. I'm indifferent in this case.

The build quality is as lovely as usual. The nozzles are noticeably smaller than B2, so I had zero fit or fatigue problem with B3.

Regarding comparison with peers, I would say, go for whatever IEM that you have heard mentioning around these forums, be it AFUL, AuR, Yanyin, Moondrop, Dunu, etc. The ones I managed to try are not practically different enough, at least from technical performance point of view, to sway the decision one way or another. In other words, all have a varying degree of good tech (which, IMHO, is the only reason to pay more for an IEM, as budget IEM can have good tuning, and EQ is always there) and none really "stomps" others. Just have a look at the graph, know the quirk (e.g., thin midrange and flat soundstage of B3), and pick whatever looks good and ships faster. Personally, I would also pay attention to build, accessories and packaging at when reaching the $350-$500 bracket, since it's a lot of money for a pair of wired earphones.

 

[Gesugao]

Geek Wold GK200 is already available in AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006080081724.html

 

[cobrabucket]

Geek Wold GK200 is already available in AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006080081724.html

Looking forward to feedback on this.
I will wait for reviews but definitely enjoy the GK100.
I wonder how they differ as far as components used and sound signature?

 

[firesign]

I was traveling thru Europe on vacations and got something to improve my listening space and get some production/mixing going on.

Genelec is a fantastic piece of equipment... these Finnish know what they do. I wanted a pair of Genelecs for a long time and ended up getting the 8010A since I'm ion a small space. Although they have small speakers the FR is incredible and the separation/stage is out of this world.

If you mostly listen to music using headphones or IEMs, give a pair of good speakers a try... it is worth.

Congratulations for your Genelec! They are great.
But.... What is that chair? I like it even more...

 

[Gesugao]

Looking forward to feedback on this.
I will wait for reviews but definitely enjoy the GK100.
I wonder how they differ as far as components used and sound signature?

I'm gonna wait for the reviews as well. These are the graphs for the GK200, if I'm not mistaken.

https://www.facebook.com/1000654942...TXPcwi6WMW7isY5hDLbjKr83ddtl/?mibextid=Nif5oz

 

[Gladly]

Do the smaller nozzles drastically change how they fit in the ears despite still having pretty bulky housings? I did not really have problems with fatigue but the B2Ds fell out of my ear pretty easily.

I wrote about it with detailed comparison to B2 here: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-blessing-3.26409/reviews#review-30843

I find B3 to be quite different from the B2. Bass has good quality, similarly to other dual DD IEMs, but the quantity is a bit stingy. The problem would be the balance between upper and lower midrange. Simply put, B3 sounds quite "dry", which might be good or bad depending on your taste. I'm indifferent in this case.

The build quality is as lovely as usual. The nozzles are noticeably smaller than B2, so I had zero fit or fatigue problem with B3.

Regarding comparison with peers, I would say, go for whatever IEM that you have heard mentioning around these forums, be it AFUL, AuR, Yanyin, Moondrop, Dunu, etc. The ones I managed to try are not practically different enough, at least from technical performance point of view, to sway the decision one way or another. In other words, all have a varying degree of good tech (which, IMHO, is the only reason to pay more for an IEM, as budget IEM can have good tuning, and EQ is always there) and none really "stomps" others. Just have a look at the graph, know the quirk (e.g., thin midrange and flat soundstage of B3), and pick whatever looks good and ships faster. Personally, I would also pay attention to build, accessories and packaging at when reaching the $350-$500 bracket, since it's a lot of money for a pair of wired earphones.

 

[WAON303]

Geek Wold GK200 is already available in AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006080081724.html

There's also the GK20: https://hifigo.com/collections/dynamic-driver/products/geek-wold-gk20

Stock cable of the GK20 looks pretty damn good for the price, maybe on par with the Juzear cables.

 

[baskingshark]

I'm gonna wait for the reviews as well. These are the graphs for the GK200, if I'm not mistaken.


https://www.facebook.com/1000654942...TXPcwi6WMW7isY5hDLbjKr83ddtl/?mibextid=Nif5oz

If the store graph can be trusted, the GK200 is likely gonna sound tonally similar to the GK100 - neutral bright with lots of treble and upper mids. 10 dB ear gain might be shouty to some listeners.

 

[r31ya]

KZ ZAT
(1DD+8BA) no price yet.

Graph by PaulWasabi

--
image by Chris love

Chris Love's first impression

I won't go into alot of detail because I am going to review this set and also... I've spent a total of about 45 minutes with them so... Everything is subject to change and even these thoughts are mildly irresponsible.
Anywhoo... Right out the gate I can tell that this is a nicely open and airy sound with a penchant for detail retrieval and a tidy and tight slam which will give you some moderate to nice slam based on your switch settings.
The midrange is not overtly recessed and has nice presence in the mix.
The treble sounds forgiving but not lacking with a tad bit of bite and enough lift to balance out the frequency.
hear a very slight V-shape to a U-shaped sound which you'll find out when you play with the switches.
The tonal coloration is warmish/neutral and note weight is on the lean-lush side of the aisle. Not overly heavy, warm or thicky-thick but also not at all super lean or dry. The stage is a nice size thus far and I don't want to say anymore for fear I'll regret it. They sound nice folks.

---

Akros Review of KZ Castor brothers.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Do the smaller nozzles drastically change how they fit in the ears despite still having pretty bulky housings? I did not really have problems with fatigue but the B2Ds fell out of my ear pretty easily.

Smaller nozzles mean it is easier to wear the IEM properly (housing resting again the conchas of your ears). I think the fit would be more stable.