The discovery thread!

[gadgetgod]

Almost. I took an average of both with 3 measurements each side. Just that mine is less stretched.

But anyway no point comparing graphs from different users using different measuring rigs, sound cards, eartips, eartip insertion etc.

Yup i was just checking if my tool is working fine and I am doing the right thing haha.

 

[Ichos]

I adore the FA19 - a good measure for me with IEMs is how often I reach for them when a review is completed - in the case of FA19, my review was published back in June and in spite of several other sets arriving since, not a week goes by without me reaching for them... fantastic set.

I have a similar kind of sound satisfaction measure. The FA19 stayed out of their box when most of the stuff gets packed after the review is finished!!

 

[Leonarfd]

Well That's sad man. But nevermind you have many other better fitting iems haha. Which one is your favorite single DD?

634ears LOAK2-TX02, bassy and resolving

Of budget DDs I love the balanced sound of Fiio FD15, kind of underdog that few have heard. Lovely midrange.

 

[Syan25]

634ears LOAK2-TX02, bassy and resolving

Of budget DDs I love the balanced sound of Fiio FD15, kind of underdog that few have heard. Lovely midrange.

I'd like to say midrange is my favourite thing.

 

[cagix]

For me happens with every tip available, to short nozzle and flat shelled body. Disaster design for everyone who has larger ears as the tip cannot get deep enough without the body hitting concha pushing the IEM to fall out...

Diferent ears type. I have larger ears much biger than brother i say to him better for you to stay in headphone your ears dont have future in iems you cant have space for biger iem his ears even eat my eartips on phonak audeo . So i have biger ears and timsok sit firstclass. Diferent eargonomy ears.

 

[Leonarfd]

Diferent ears type. I have larger ears much biger than brother i say to him better for you to stay in headphone your ears dont have future in iems you cant have space for biger iem his ears even eat my eartips on phonak audeo . So i have biger ears and timsok sit firstclass. Diferent eargonomy ears.

Yup, why it's important to test IEMs yourself. My issue is mostly as the grove where the silicon tip sits in the ear is so deep, so short nozzle IEMs gets problematic. While large bulky shells people complain about sit perfect

 

[o0genesis0o]

Howdy folks, my review of HiBy Xeno is online on head-fi and my blog.

Spoiler: tl;dr

In many ways, Xeno is a first gen product, and with it all the pros and cons commonly associated with a first gen product. For instance, the integration between MEMS and other kinds of drivers still needs more refinement. Perhaps the tuning of the MEMS drivers themselves need further refinement so that the treble becomes more even to minimise masking and prevent imbalances that negative impact the timbre naturalness. At the same time, what has been achieved with Xeno is quite impressive and most of the downsides can be mitigated with some effort thanks to the included PEQ ability.

Who should get Xeno? Whilst HiBy pitches the IEM as a product for casual listeners, I think the most suitable users of Xeno are hardcore IEM fans, especially those who like to tweak and customise IEMs. With Xeno, you have a superb foundation, thanks to the MEMS driver, to tune that dream IEMs that you have been imaging but lacking the clout to make a collaboration IEM with a manufacturer.

What I like about this IEM:

• Impressive treble precision and imaging of MEMS driver
• The ability to retune the IEM with a PEQ profile
• Thumpy bass response

What could be improved:

• Quite difficult to fit due to the short nozzles
• Treble is uneven, making EQ quite challenging
• Sub-bass roll off
• The stock tuning is rather old-school

Absolute Sonic Quality Rating: 4/5 - Great

Bias Score: 4/5 - I like this IEM

Updated: October 5, 2024

 

[Jmop]

The AFUL Performer 5+2 is a sequel to the popular Performer 5.



However, unlike the original, this 5+2 edition has an added DD and planar (configuration is a 2 DD + 4 BA + 1 planar setup). Yes some folks are gonna ask why isn't it called the Performer 7, but oh well, some things like why professor pokemon releases an IEM to the wild every week can't be answered at our level.

This IEM is easily driven and very ergonomic.

In terms of sound profile, the 5+2 showcases a warm neutral tuning. Quite laid back but not devoid of technical chops, as it still at least above average in this department for soundstage, micro-detailing and imaging. The anti pinna gain gang cannot complain here, and the bass is textured and fast (which was a flaw of the original Performer 5).



There is some planar timbre as to be expected of the driver setup, but overall it is quite a promising IEM on first listening.
Beats the OG Performer 5 in soundstage, cohesion, technicalities and bass tightness for sure.

Will do some tests and report back!

Are you part of the APGG?

634ears LOAK2-TX02, bassy and resolving

Of budget DDs I love the balanced sound of Fiio FD15, kind of underdog that few have heard. Lovely midrange.

Bass to mids looks great on the FD15 graph, and I’m not gonna knock the treble too hard cuz the peaks are spread out well but yeah, there are still a couple relatively sharp peaks there.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

No trees were killed in making this comparison.



Long story short, there are midrange qualities that link these two to the same mother, but Nightingale is that calmer, wiser, older sibling that's got life all figured out, whereas Que is the totally wild & off the chains younger menace just waiting on Fridays.

Okay, it's not quite as black & white, but Que feels like a V-shaped Nightingale. Take Nightingale, add bass, presence, and treble - voila, Que.

Both are adorable in their strengths and flaws. The difference in drivers (DD vs planar) is actually not as apparent, I am glad to report planarness is not an issue with the Nightingale.

It takes me 1 hour of brain burn before I can truly appreciate the Nightingale.
After that time, I finally appreciate it for what it's worth.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Nah. From what was hinted at by one of Hiby's engineers, it sounds like they re-biased the amp circuit (to decrease heat output and increase battery life). If that's the case, then that means they had to replace some passive components. There was a suggestion that they might offer an EQ profile that approximates the original R4, but it would just be an approximation.

And to be real, Hiby calls the R4 a "class A" amp, but there's no way it's an actual class A amp. Even in the desktop and full-size stereo space you typically have to spend $1k+ for real class A (the Aune S17 Pro is an exception at $700). As hot as the OG gets, that's nothing compared to true class A. And this thing just doesn't have the heat dissipation necessary to run full class A. More likely, it's class AB architecture that is biased heavily toward the class A side before it switches over to B. The adjustment they made to the Eva edition probably just lowered the bias so that it switches to class B sooner on the power output curve. If it were true class A, you'd have to leave it on all the time, even when you're not using it so that it stays within heat/spec. That's obviously neither possible nor desirable in a mobile/portable device.

There is also XD05-PRO in class A,
in the price range 700-800 USD.

 

[Jmop]

@nikbr What’s your cable and tips there on the Que?

 

[Nimweth]

KZ Saga (Bass) has now had around 40 hours burn in and the mids have opened up. Treble is brighter and bass is more controlled. Big improvement. PRX really needs a lot of power, I think an amplifier is is mandatory unless you have a very powerful source. Properly powered, it sounds very good.

 

[bithalver]

Vangelis: wonderful. Try "Antarctica" and "Oceanic". Both great albums.

Yeah. I have 27 albums from him + "The Stephen Hawking Tribute" .

Living in Hungary has advantages as usin' all resources on the 'net, if you know what I mean .

Edit: typo.

 

[nikbr]

I'd like to say midrange is my favourite thing.

Ditto, if the midrange is not well done, I couldn't care less about either the bass or treble being outstanding.

 

[nikbr]

It takes me 1 hour of brain burn before I can truly appreciate the Nightingale.
After that time, I finally appreciate it for what it's worth.

Yeah, time largely depends on the contrast between it and the IEM you listen to prior.

@nikbr What’s your cable and tips there on the Que?

Juzear Pure cable and Acoustune AEX07 tips. Not 100% sure on tips, will check later.