The discovery thread!

[Redcarmoose]

You never heard the Quartet?! I just recently sold it, but for a long time, it was my favorite IEM for reggae and hip hop. The dual DD isobaric bass KICKED!! When i first bought it, I was pissed off big time, because it was dark and too bassy and many agreed with me, but for some reason, I didn't give up on that one, and I kept in at one point on the burn station for 2 days straight, and then I cable and tip rolled, and went wide bore, silver cable, and these things opened up, and the bass became much tighter and with slam! For those mentioned genres, they KILLED! But then the S12 (2024) came along and knocked it off it's reggae perch, and so it became expendable, and so I reluctantly let it go, but that was a good one you missed from KE. Pretty much the same tech as the KE4, just tuned differently.

I can't hear them all...............yes, the two I haven't heard is the Quartet and the original expensive Orchestra. I agree the burn-in process can have dramatic effects......though some don't believe it. This Kiwi ears KE4 didn't get my first impressions placed in the Discovery Thread. If you pay attention, I always give first impressions.......but even the bass of the KE4 was not as integral and almost grainy or something.........I really didn't test the KE4 OTB long............I just knew that it needed the burn-in station before I made opinions on it. But out of all the Kiwi ears (I have tested) it has really good timbre which makes guitar tone and perfect placement into the head stage.........a dream! Cheers!

Plus the KE4 comes with the new-fangled Flex ear-tips.
Plus you get the Kiwi ears Allegro Mini for only $10.00 when you buy the SE4!

Kiwi ears Orchestra 8BA $499.00
Kiwi ears Cadenza 10mm DD $34.99
Kiwi ears Quartet 2 10mm DD + 2 BA $109.00
Kiwi ears Orchestra Lite 8BA $249.00
Kiwi ears Dolce 10mm DD $24.99
Kiwi ears Quintet 1DD +2 BA + 1Planar + 1PZT $219.00
Kiwi ears Melody 12mm Planar $89.00
Kiwi ears x Crinnale Singolo 1DD $79.00
Kiwi ears Forteza 1BA +1 6mm DD +1 10mm DD $59.00

 

[r31ya]

Yep I have the Onix Alpha (overhyped dongle IMO - untextured bass, sharp upper mids and too coloured signature. Multiple phone compatibility issues too). I'm just keeping it around for the sake of comparisons since someone will inevitably ask how does it compare etc etc.

Will definitely do comparisons for the 2.

I've heard onix issue with some smartphone with mediatek chipset,
Not sure how widespread that is.

But the hype for it is BIG, local audio store is actually ran out of onix alpha. well i assume they didnt stock that much of it tough and importing is kinda a bitch right now.
Even there is a lot of fans for it here

 

[Kumonomukou]

Well, HBB has revealed that at least on some of his collabs, he got a $5.00 royalty per sale. Now how much that royalty is across his vast collabs, is debatable, but I'd gather he's making a pretty good living doing collabs, otherwise he wouldn't bother doing so many.

Once you're a bear dipping your tongue in the honey, you'll keep going back to the hive.

Yep. He mentioned something like $5/10% cut per unit for then $50 Tripowin Mele, when he was going honeymoon with Linsoul. That wasn't too far from the time I stopped following him after HBB × Jomo saga.

It's funny in his very early videos He insisted he was not a reviewer, and did not believe in what they were saying lol. It changes.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Yeah nobody's doing this for charity and why would you if the opportunity is there.

“Because you gave us your word…does that mean nothing?”

 

[ILuvAudio]

Will see if it is as good as the OG or my fav S12 pro

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

For the Saga are you going with the bass version or balanced?

Balanced. Not gonna get the bassy version. I'm figuring the Saga will be like the Libra balanced or the Vader balanced, which are very strong tunings, and not bright like the HR versions of those IEMs.

 

[Ichos]

Dear friends hello, I hope that you had a great weekend.

Here is my Hidizs MP143 review. More bass and increased comfort over the MP145. Not as technical though.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/hidizs-mp143.27308/review/35564/

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Spurned on by my mentioning my Sennheiser IE800, I decided to pull it from the tin and give it another whirl. My goodness, if only I was able to somehow re-cable this thing (I'm sure I could, but I don't want to spend any more money on this thing. I bought it open box almost a decade ago from I think it was Pitbull Audio? Either them or Audio Advisor? My wife got it for me for Christmas, under the guise that it would be my last IEM purchase I had to make LOL LOL LOL Even open box, it was NOT cheap. I had to crazy glue on the tips (spinfits), as the stock tips (which I still own) are hot garbage, as are all Sennheiser stock tips. but the nozzle of the IE800 is designed proprietarily to use their stock tips. Nowadays, something like the Omni might fit tight enough to stay on, but if not crazy glued, the tips pop off in ear constantly, so I had enough of that, and just went for the permanent fixture. Sonically, after all these years, they still compete. They are superior to the IE600 (though the 600 win hands down in ergonomics and cable quality), as the bass is clearer and tighter, the stage is wider and fuller, and the treble is more refined (not as extended and upper mids not as peaky, though the midrange is more present and not as recessed in the IE600. The 600 are cleaner). It's just a more mature offering sonically, and more reminiscent of the IE900. This is why despite the flawed cable, I have no and will not part with them. Listening to them earlier through the ONIX Alpha and I'm reminded just why I loved them then, and tolerate them now. Simply first class sound from the tiniest shells imaginable. This is TOTL from a decade ago, but great sound never gets old, and the IE800 is proof of that. The bass SLAPS! It can dig very deep, and it's also punchy and resolving, with a wide open and airy stage. Midrange is a tad recessed, so it's a mild V (wasn't everything a decade ago?), but instruments still have sufficient bite, and the upper mids and treble have excellent presence and sparkle, while never treading into peaky, shrill, or crispy territory. Mature is how I'd describe it. Details are there, but it's not a analytical sound or reference sound, but GRAND and pleasingly musical with just the right amount of bass heft. If not for the oh so faulty cable build, this would still be in my top 5 or 10, but instead, it's an occasional dig out for temporary enjoyment, then it will go back in the tin for another 4-6 months.

Sennheiser IE800 > Sony A45 > FiiO Mont Blanc IEM edition > Lunashop P/G interconnect.

Yussef Kaamal - Black Focus (2016).

 

[nikbr]

I also think the Cantor Starry Night is stunning too. And the Forte Ears Macbeth....wow! That's like a Porsche....

Hm, the Macbeth is sooo overdone and cringy to my eyes. Only thing it's missing is a waifu wearing that crown.

Cantor Starry Night is right on the edge of good taste.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Yep I have the Onix Alpha (overhyped dongle IMO - untextured bass, sharp upper mids and too coloured signature. Multiple phone compatibility issues too). I'm just keeping it around for the sake of comparisons since someone will inevitably ask how does it compare etc etc.

Will definitely do comparisons for the 2.

I agree with you to an extent with the ONIX Alpha. It was overhyped, and it's certainly colored, but the stage is also improved, and though the bass seems one noted, it's a musical affair. Now, it barely improved the sound over the native daps or my phone, but it's also fun to play with as far as creating a warm musical listen, but yes, very overrated. Here's hoping the DCE is NOT overrated!! LOL Otherwise, someone will be the proud new owner of an expensive dongle dac!

 

[cagix]

I think dc elite dont sound same on everything. Even on my mobile i can use more batery power for better sound in aplication. Something warmer like maybe is questyle dont bring me closer to me ideal because hd 800 , he 1000 se isnt warmer. This sound close to perfect.

 

[Lexington99]

Yep I have the Onix Alpha (overhyped dongle IMO - untextured bass, sharp upper mids and too coloured signature. Multiple phone compatibility issues too). I'm just keeping it around for the sake of comparisons since someone will inevitably ask how does it compare etc etc.

Will definitely do comparisons for the 2.

Did you do the firmware update?
The difference it did to the sound (which wasn't even intentional) is quite significant.

Better timbre, no sharpness & fixed compability issues for me.

 

[Jmop]

Twilight goin off to it’s new owner tmrw, but right before packing it up I tried it with the RS2 with some wide Azla tips, good match. No issues with power and a very coherent sound, don’t feel like I’m missing much from what it’s capable of.

 

[Jmop]

Was itchin about the PAC480 so I grabbed the 4.4mm.

 

[shamo42]

The Project M and the KZ ZS12Pro X are so good that I decided to sell most of my other iems.

Last week I took these two iems to the store and tested several portable dacs. On my todo list were the
Onix Alpha,
the EPZ TP50,
the Cayin RU7,
the FiiO BTR15
and the iBasso DC-Elite.

The EPZ TP50 wasn't available and I couldn't get the FiiO to work with my phone (tried PC & Phone mode, changed cables, tried powering it on/off etc..) All other dongles were plug & play.

The Onix Alpha and the Cayin RU7 sounded pretty much how the reviews described them. Colored and a bit analog sounding which was exactly what I was looking for. The RU7 looks great in person IMO.

The DC-Elite is a fantastic sounding DAC, technically probably the best of the bunch. As I wrote I was looking for sth colored and this wasn't it. Also it was too big and heavy for just letting it hang down the phone.

Next to the Alpha was a dongle from a brand I didn't know: the SuperTFZ Deco.5 I decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did. It sounded similar to the Alpha but in direct comparison the bass felt tighter and the soundstage maybe a bit wider. I'd describe the sound as colored neutral. I loved how dynamic my favorite songs sounded. I was able to listen at higher volumes than I was used to without feeling uncomfortable. Also this thing is tiny and during the 20 mins of testing it in balanced mode it barely got lukewarm. Finally it was cheaper than all the other dongles I tried so I went ahead and bought it. After over 40 hours of listening I'm still happy with it.


A few things I don't like:
The included USB-C to USB-C cable is the worst one I've used so far. Went into the garbage
No screen
No PEQ
No app as far as I know
Low gain sounds flat compared to high gain especially when using the unbalanced output
LED can be annoying at night in dark rooms