The discovery thread!

[MudEnjoyer]

I found the Z1r to be horrible. Very V shaped, wooly bass and bad treble extension with lower and mid treble prominence. Badly tuned IEM which is good for bass heads only.

Bah, this is why those Squig sites should graph IEMs with the same tips, otherwise instead of being IEM repositories they are IEM+Tips repositories.

Are you aware that the Z1R stock tips easily kill 5-10db of the upper treble in favor of the lower/mid treble on every IEM, more than foam tips do? The same that happens with EP-EX11 and Final E tips.

Try it with some Radius Deep Mount and it turns into a whole different IEM, with most of your complains no longer applying.

That being said, I really hate this trend of nuking mid treble and then having this annoying comeback around 15kHz massively speaking the air, which is a crutch in my eyes for those that want "tech" and don't care about timbre. I actually blame Crinacle's rig for this meta.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Bah, this is why those Squig sites should graph IEMs with the same tips, otherwise instead of being IEM repositories they are IEM+Tips repositories.

Are you aware that the Z1R stock tips easily kill 5-10db of the upper treble in favor of the lower/mid treble on every IEM, more than foam tips do? The same that happens with EP-EX11 and Final E tips.

Try it with some Radius Deep Mount and it turns into a whole different IEM, with most of your complains no longer applying.

That being said, I really hate this trend of nuking mid treble and then having this annoying comeback around 15kHz massively speaking the air, which is a crutch in my eyes for those that want "tech" and don't care about timbre. I actually blame Crinacle's rig for this meta.

I’m starting to think that foam tips do not “dampen” the treble but get rid of incorrect treble resonance. I use foam whenever I can nowadays.

The 15kHz peak ala 64 Audio TIA treble requires a deep fit. Otherwise you will suffer

Edit: would ear canal act as a Helmholtz resonator if it is the case, wearing IEM deeper can reduce the volume of the chamber, which pushes the resonance frequencies up into the air region or even outside the audible range. Because foam tips expand, wouldn’t it reduce the volume of the chamber and has the same effect?

 

[MudEnjoyer]

I’m starting to think that foam tips do not “dampen” the treble but get rid of incorrect treble resonance.

Yes they're a bit of a crutch as well. I know that some people associate peaks with higher resolution (and power to them!), but objectively speaking, a tighter response has less masking and thus higher res.

The only IEMs I use without foam are the E5000 and Z1R. The former because it's silky smooth already, and the latter because the deep insertion destroys any foam at record times and I don't want that to chew my pension away.

 

[cagix]

In czech forum is actualy moondrop variations for sale and seler say it is for sale because mega5 est is better for vocal.

 

[MudEnjoyer]

In czech forum is actualy moondrop variations for sale and seler say it is for sale because mega5 est is better for vocal.

Variations has that walkie-talkie effect going on. Why people recommend it for vocals is beyond me. I think people that like it watched so much anime they forgot how real voices actually sound like.

 

[Ealuri]

You would hope so. If not, I got this fancy new cable that came with it

Isn't that just usual 12$ KZ 784 cable?
It's decent, but if we also take into account that Trio now sells for 20$, Hydro must sound extraordinary in comparison to make up for that 85$ added cost.

 

[gadgetgod]

My feelings and sound impressions on one you may not have noticed.
Shanling ME600

I am kind of on the verge of getting this for myself, just the lack of funds is stopping me right now haha.

 

[r31ya]

Need to be noted that OG MSRP for Trio is $40.
periodically discounted to $30,
and now apparently some third party seller in ali sold it below that.

So hydro should be at 3x the price of Trio.

 

[Ealuri]

and now apparently some third party seller in ali sold it below that.

Trio currently available in "Choice" from multiple sellers, and with coins price dropped as low as 16$

 

[r31ya]

Trio currently available in "Choice" from multiple sellers, and with coins price dropped as low as 16$

I bought it for $32 and very much worth the price for it.
at sub $20? thats a steal.

...a sub $20 CCA Trio...
Chifi performance bar is increasing like crazy.

 

[baskingshark]

Here's a review of the ThieAudio Hype 4: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/thieaudio-hype-4.27014/reviews#review-33742

Pros:
Solid build
Comfortable fit
Good isolation
Relatively easy to drive
Musical warm signature
Lush and thick note weight
Sub-woofer like bass reverberations
Non-shouty upper midrange
Smooth, sibilant-free treble
Above average technicalities

Cons:
Accessories could be better
Driver flex - this can be mitigated
Tinge of BA timbre
Mild mid-bass bleed

 

[Thieme]

Guys, believe the hype: the Kefine Delci kind of blew my expectations away.

Ok only because of you I'll buy it ^^
Just kidding see so many praise for this iem and the sale is so good I couldn't resist. Managed to buy it for €43 which seems crazy. They might replace my Artti t10 for at work.

 

[activatorfly]

Ok only because of you I'll buy it ^^
Just kidding see so many praise for this iem and the sale is so good I couldn't resist. Managed to buy it for €43 which seems crazy. They might replace my Artti t10 for at work.

Tbf you can't really go wrong with them, I paid £47 which is a steal. The hype is definitely justified - enjoyed burning them in all week: as a mobile set they're hard to beat, totally musical & as comfortable a fit as it gets (once obvs you find the best tips/seal.)

 

[superuser1]

The pilgrim has a different connector?

 

[pk4425]

Trio currently available in "Choice" from multiple sellers, and with coins price dropped as low as 16$

I recently tested the Trio, along with the Kefine Delci and the Artti R1.

While the Trio can't stack up to the Delci or R1 (which are $60 each), it's excellent for a $40 set. At $20? Yeah, it's right there with -- if not better than -- the 7hZ Zero, Wan'er or Hola as the benchmarks at sub-$25. Just might be the best of that group, depending on your preferred signature.