The discovery thread!

[MakeItWain]

Yu Xuan Ji, A Special collaboration with Dethonray

That's freaking gorgeous.

 

[Ryokan]

Totally, the ISN H60 has that magic. I wouldn’t think it will be passed-up or become obsolete any time soon? I have two back-ups which I purchased. One is the AKG k701, I just thought it would be good to have another. The other one I have 2 of is the qdc Anole V3 IEM, like if something happened to one I would have a back-up.

When I first started listening with iem's I thought these were amazing and ended up with about 5 pairs,

 

[Ineras]

These guys are hilarious. Where do you even get that blindfold? @domq422 did you fail that blind test?

 

[r31ya]

Yu Xuan Ji, A Special collaboration with Dethonray

dont know how,
But personally i think tangzu continously doing great with the design.

It gives that, "i dont particularly care how it sound but i want that pretty thing".

Thats including their very very nice box art as well.

 

[lmfboy01]

The lost info is probably due to the 4k-8k massive sibilance dip. Try to eq up that area, might bring the details you're looking for.

At first listen, TD20 vocals are wow, enough healthy bass
Not a lot of instrument / background resolution, just sounds like “lost information”
More of a forgiving sound, in a sense I would say smooth.
Some songs…
Sunny Dayz - Big Tymers
I’m like a bird Nelly furtado
Promise jagged edge
The life and death of Ben Berkeley- Hubert zemler
Ways of love I Ching ft Patrick reed
Portrait (out of the blue) - enya
My Féria - spm
The rhythm method - rush
Drums decay seemed dulled with other symbol strikes as well
TD20s have a limited sweet spot, outside of that range it could be a little off, I’d say this IEM has what I would term as “bad dynamic range”.
Aesthetically for a $60-70, a comfy resin that seems pretty nice and worth it, coming from a smaller shop, the blue color seems darker than in photos, similar to dunu sa6 ultras. Maybe millimeters bigger than my Nanna’s(don’t have mine right now to compare), I doubt fit will be an issue for 98% of people, they have a very likable shape, not eargonomic like the sa6 ultra and that could be helpful for others that have issues with the angle on your ears. Edges could be a little smoothened out on my left ear piece. One of the first things I look at is 2-pin quality and these seem top-notch like most new releases. A bunch of tips and carrying case and a nice wooden box, with a 3.5mm cable that might be useful at a later time.

With the WM2A, TD20 has speed and stamina and pushes forward no matter what. I did cable change from a random cable to the stock Kinera Nanna cable. Note decay is smooth but prompt.
They have Warm and cozy low end that goes to a little bit colder top end without sounding planar and a smooth apparent note decay throughout. Opening up the 4-8k kinda changes the whole sound of the IEM and seems less tolerable to me than no EQ. I could to listen to these for many hours at normal listening volumes, 50/120 here is a good spot on the WM2A.

Hooking up a RU7, feels a lot more warmer and laid back with a sense of a lot bigger holographic stage for better and worse vocals. Maybe good for 80s/90s turntable jazz type music, I will have to find some. It’s such a different presentation with the RU7 compared first 2 sources but all of them generally have the same characteristic of vocals being the star, a good healthy bass, and subdued treble in certain ranges and no sibilance.
I think they sound just like the graph with the higher than normal pinna gain but the graph doesn’t represent planars energy and speed when it’s called in the track.
These are just some raw first day impressions, I will probably do a review/overview at some point down the road when I have more time.

 

[Redcarmoose]

When I first started listening with iem's I thought these were amazing and ended up with about 5 pairs,

The oldest Sennheiser ear buds I’ve have are the 2001 MX500. Those must be older?

 

[Ryokan]

The oldest Sennheiser ear buds I’ve have are the 2001 MX500. Those must be older?

What year do you reckon the MX470 came out 2003? Oh if yours were 2001 these must be around 1999.

 

[Ineras]

I already PTT on them when they reduced the price on a super deal. Lol

Did you use them with AptX HD connected?

I use the AZ20 with an adapter on my Samsung phone sometimes, not too bad with easy-to-drive iems.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...o.order_list.order_list_main.5.48e31802FN2sD2
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...rder_list.order_list_main.1219.48e31802FN2sD2

I’m not too trusting of their official graph tbh. Compare theirs of the GK20 to what mine measures like:
https://flare.squig.link/?share=Geek_Wold_GK20

It sounds fabulous to me, but it’s a far cry from


FYI, only uploaded the right channel but they’re both identical down to <1dB. Also not using any fancy tips, but one of the stock medium and they all measure more or less the same. What I don’t get is some measurers get way closer to their stock graph. Maybe unit variation is more extreme with Geek Wold than with other brands.

Regardless, as I said, enjoy them a lot, but not at all what I expected from their graph (maybe luckily).

Yeah, the GK300 might be amazing, but I wasn't about to pay $500 for an audition. I'll let the whales do that and wait for trusted reviews and squigs before I consider purchasing a set with a manufacturer graph that looks like that.

And another thing I briefly want to bring attention to after hyping the Tri i3 Mk3. I gave listening preference to measuring, as I usually do. Because that's what they're for after all . But even though they sound absolutely fantastic, I got the naggy feeling that something was off with the channel matching. And it is indeed far from ideal for a ~200$ set, I think:
https://flare.squig.link/?share=TRI_I3_MK3

Pretty much the same happened to me with the Kai back then. Twice. Otherwise I would regard this simply as a very low chance of bad luck and not generalize to say: if you're considering this IEM, you might want to buy from somewhere where you can easily return and get another pair. Unless you're insensitive to that kind of imbalance. In that case stop reading and get one already

That sucks dude, I got pretty lucky with mine. I wonder if that's just a badly installed dampener.

 

[Ineras]

At first listen, TD20 vocals are wow, enough healthy bass
Not a lot of instrument / background resolution, just sounds like “lost information”
More of a forgiving sound, in a sense I would say smooth.
Some songs…
Sunny Dayz - Big Tymers
I’m like a bird Nelly furtado
Promise jagged edge
The life and death of Ben Berkeley- Hubert zemler
Ways of love I Ching ft Patrick reed
Portrait (out of the blue) - enya
My Féria - spm
The rhythm method - rush
Drums decay seemed dulled with other symbol strikes as well
TD20s have a limited sweet spot, outside of that range it could be a little off, I’d say this IEM has what I would term as “bad dynamic range”.
Aesthetically for a $60-70, a comfy resin that seems pretty nice and worth it, coming from a smaller shop, the blue color seems darker than in photos, similar to dunu sa6 ultras. Maybe millimeters bigger than my Nanna’s(don’t have mine right now to compare), I doubt fit will be an issue for 98% of people, they have a very likable shape, not eargonomic like the sa6 ultra and that could be helpful for others that have issues with the angle on your ears. Edges could be a little smoothened out on my left ear piece. One of the first things I look at is 2-pin quality and these seem top-notch like most new releases. A bunch of tips and carrying case and a nice wooden box, with a 3.5mm cable that might be useful at a later time.

With the WM2A, TD20 has speed and stamina and pushes forward no matter what. I did cable change from a random cable to the stock Kinera Nanna cable. Note decay is smooth but prompt.
They have Warm and cozy low end that goes to a little bit colder top end without sounding planar and a smooth apparent note decay throughout. Opening up the 4-8k kinda changes the whole sound of the IEM and seems less tolerable to me than no EQ. I could to listen to these for many hours at normal listening volumes, 50/120 here is a good spot on the WM2A.

Hooking up a RU7, feels a lot more warmer and laid back with a sense of a lot bigger holographic stage for better and worse vocals. Maybe good for 80s/90s turntable jazz type music, I will have to find some. It’s such a different presentation with the RU7 compared first 2 sources but all of them generally have the same characteristic of vocals being the star, a good healthy bass, and subdued treble in certain ranges and no sibilance.
I think they sound just like the graph with the higher than normal pinna gain but the graph doesn’t represent planars energy and speed when it’s called in the track.
These are just some raw first day impressions, I will probably do a review/overview at some point down the road when I have more time.

Try it out with some live concert recordings, that's where I find the TD20 stands out. I use it when I watch singing shows like The Voice, the vocals really shine through.
I just love how it has none of that planar sound/sheen/sizzle.

 

[baskingshark]

Here's a review of the Sivga Que: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/sivga-que.27424/reviews#review-34967

Pros:
Decently accessorized
Classy wooden faceplates, built like a tank
Good ergonomics despite heavier shells
Easy to drive
Natural timbre
Generally well-behaved upper mids
Solid treble clarity, sparkle and resolution - one for trebleheads
Big soundstage, with accurate imaging and good micro-detailing

Cons:
Shells somewhat heavy, due to zinc alloy chassis
Very eartip sensitive
Bass is one-noted, lacking texture with some bleed
May be a tinge bright for treble-sensitive folk

8 kHz is a coupler artefact peak.

 

[claud W]

That 10th Anniversary with the ASOS is legendary, at least to me it is. Plus adding the Purple plug brings it inches away from the ASOS+ cable. Yes, in side-by-sides the ASOS+ was just ever so slightly denser, probably due to the added Purple 2Pins, which you don’t get with the ASOS. But I even have a prototype ASOS+ that was released.........then Penon wanted the ASOS+ to have more of a difference from the ASOS, so they then came out with a new (retail) version of the ASOS+.

ASOS+X:
Of course now they added 4 more (from the ASOS and ASOS+ 8) stands to make 12 strands with the ASOS+X. I still need to try the +X with the 10th, but I’m doing cable burn-in for a week before I do. There is maybe as much silver plated wire to almost make a pure silver cable there with the +X.

The combo of ASOS and 10th is so magical, that after a while you kind of blend with the tone and technicalities, and would have it no other way! It is that thickness that I love, but probably the stage expansion is what many will first note after demoing the ASOS?

Really everyone with the 10th should get the ASOS, just to experience the reality of the Penon sound. In many ways the H60 is very much related to the 10th, just look at them, and hear the two side by side!

The ASOS with the 10th:
Plus these aftermarket cables start to expand the soundstage and when that happens the mids come forward, or at least the window opens for you to see down inside the stage, and more vibrant midrange imaging becomes found, like treasure.

Really I even perceive the 10th as a different IEM than when I first reviewed it. I don’t know why, but it is one of the top four in my collection. The 10th goes with everything, any genre of music, any source and many cables, I feel. Really the ASOS+X is probably going to make it the best it has ever been. And yes, to me probably my favorites now from ISN/Penon would be the ISN EST50, the 10th Anniversary, the Volt and the ISN H60. They are all so listenable and fun! Cheers!

My kind of IEMS. I need ISN EST 50 and Voltage. Already have the others.

 

[flre]

I use the AZ20 with an adapter on my Samsung phone sometimes, not too bad with easy-to-drive iems.


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...o.order_list.order_list_main.5.48e31802FN2sD2
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...rder_list.order_list_main.1219.48e31802FN2sD2


Yeah, the GK300 might be amazing, but I wasn't about to pay $500 for an audition. I'll let the whales do that and wait for trusted reviews and squigs before I consider purchasing a set with a manufacturer graph that looks like that.


That sucks dude, I got pretty lucky with mine. I wonder if that's just a badly installed dampener.

Well you know I’ve got two tunings in one IEM that differ more than what the switches on others are capable of achieving
Nah, this one’s going back, lucky I ordered locally. I just hope the next one is gonna be better.

 

[Redcarmoose]

My kind of IEMS. I need ISN EST 50 and Voltage. Already have the others.

I haven’t heard the Voltage, but the EST50 has staying power, in that it is truly unique and still not boring in any way all these years later. A few added cable changes brings it alive and paces the bass frequencies. IMO

 

[Nimweth]

Just arrived: KZ AS24 Pro. After a quick test I am impressed. I have the switches at 1000. Very short nozzles but the medium Starlines seem to work well. Tip rolling to come, of course. Amazing detail and resolution, superb separation in strings. @PhonoPhi these are for you lol.

 

[Redcarmoose]

The oldest Sennheiser ear buds I’ve have are the 2001 MX500. Those must be older?

What year do you reckon the MX470 came out 2003? Oh if yours were 2001 these must be around 1999.

I’m wrong the MX500 came out in 2005, and your MX470 model came out in 2012. There is way more on the internet about history of models than when I did my review in 2016.