The discovery thread!

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

well, one iem i was waiting for got marketing blurb released, KZ Castor Pro
to my surprised, it came in two variant like the OG castor did

One big change is the OG castor uses 10mm DD (bass) + 8mm DD (mid-high)
Castor Pro uses 10mm DD (bass) + 10mm DD (mid-high)


well to my surprise it came in two variant

Harman/balanced


and Extra BASS





Apparently KZ have manage to sell over 100.000 unit of castors.



---
no pricing info or release date info tough

apparently one store sell them early or something,
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007899719617.html
haven't bought anything from that store, so double check if you wanna jump in.

according to this one store $16 for harman, $18 for extra bass
its already sold in multiple store in ali express

I love how they on the Saga while pushing their latest Pokemon. The Saga was the benchmark, and delivering full-range breakthrough sound quality, and a week later the Castor Pro is the benchmark and the Saga's physical structure LIMITS it's performance to deliver full-range sonics? LOL

As an aside to this ridiculous marketing blurb (the OG Castor has some of the best soundstage I've heard in a budget IEM. It was fascinating, but technically, it was metallic and hitting right around it's price range), spent the better part of the evening with the KZ Saga, and I'm so impressed. I even listened to it against the Tri i3 mk III and the Oracle mk III, and I didn't bat an eye. This thing can hang with anything sub $100.00, and possibly above it? It's easily KZ's most maturely tuned DD IEM, and has few weaknesses aside from the "limitations" of it's driver, plus it's not the fullest sounding IEM (as far as expansive stage, imaging, and separation), but it's definitely a player in it's price point.

 

[Ineras]

I love how they on the Saga while pushing their latest Pokemon. The Saga was the benchmark, and delivering full-range breakthrough sound quality, and a week later the Castor Pro is the benchmark and the Saga's physical structure LIMITS it's performance to deliver full-range sonics? LOL

As an aside to this ridiculous marketing blurb (the OG Castor has some of the best soundstage I've heard in a budget IEM. It was fascinating, but technically, it was metallic and hitting right around it's price range), spent the better part of the evening with the KZ Saga, and I'm so impressed. I even listened to it against the Tri i3 mk III and the Oracle mk IIII, and I didn't bat an eye. This thing can hang with anything sub $100.00, and possibly above it? It's easily KZ's most maturely tuned DD IEM, and has few weaknesses aside from the "limitations" of it's driver, plus it's not the fullest sounding IEM (as far as expansive stage, imaging, and separation), but it's definitely a player in it's price point.

If you can still grab the MT5 for $5, I think you should give it a chance. Imo it can trade blows with Saga Balanced and come out on top. You might prefer its cleaner, punchier mid-bass and more elevated lower/mid treble.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

No...as in moving funds outta your wallet !! haha! (talking of which I just PTT on a ivipQ-73 SPC mmcx cable - much needed for my extra WGT-1 set!)

Hey! Welcome back, and I just bought a new ivipQ cable for my WG T-ONE as well! We're vibin'! Even more so, mine is also the 73!! LOL The color will be a great match, and the silver foil will add some spatial clarity to the WG T-ONE, so win!

 

[nikbr]

Okay, here we go. S(uperior)EX vs EX(plorer) vs QUE.

Of course, these were not the most in-depth comparisons I've done, so take them for what they're worth.

• Bass Amount: EX > SEX > QUE
• Bass Quality: SEX > EX > QUE
• Midbass Impact: EX >= SEX > QUE

• Male Vocal: QUE > SEX > EX
• Female Vocal: SEX > QUE >= EX
• Piano: QUE > SEX >= EX
• Acoustic Guitar: QUE = SEX > EX

• Brass: SEX > QUE >= EX
• Treble: QUE >= SEX >= EX

• Soundstage: EX >= QUE > SEX
• Resolution: SEX > QUE >= EX
• Dynamics: SEX > QUE > EX

• Fun Factor: EX >= QUE >= SEX
• Warmest to Brightest: EX -> SEX -> QUE

Maybe someone finds this useful anyhow. All three are different in character and have their strengths.

But as always in A/B/C comparisons, a disclaimer: In a matter of minutes, our brain could adapt to either voicing and find it more correct sounding than the next one we'd try.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

This kind of comment is what makes me think or reflect that if I already have a very good IEM of 300, what can I buy with 600 to improve the first one? It is double no matter what currency! I have been having this internal struggle for a long time; and although money is not the problem, there are so many good IEMs in that 300 range! When we already know that double the money does not mean twice as good. What to do here?

Buy the TSMR Shock and be done with it? Endgame unicorn?

 

[Tamizhan]

Turning it on seems to affect the bass the most... adding more thump. They say it's a full-range BC driver, but it seems to affect the bass the most.

It can be due to the fact that bass is better conducted than other frequencies. Check out the image below recorded on a artifical mastoid. Bass and then midrange are heard, treble is not very much recordabe.
BCDs could be just adding air and spaciousness without increasing a perceivable difference in treble IMO, because of the way bone can transmit very high frequencies.

 

[Jmop]

EDIT : You meant Tanchjim Origin, and not Thieaudio Origin. You need to specify. lol

True True lol. The Tanchjim’s are another one that have mixed reviews and differences on graph from mids to treble so I just pulled the trigger, gotta let the ears do work.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Jadhifi Monochrome



The Monochrome has finally arrived and before the Burn-In process actual started I did a first listening session that ended after 5 long hours later.

At first it sounded a bit shouty, plenty of bass but not in real bad manner, mids were ok while in particular vocals were a highlight and the highs - yeah they not really shining but there are actually more than enough of them.

Later on I went in the honeymoon with that Jadhifi Inear - a clean presentation with full sound were sound stage and detail retrival complemented the whole package somehow marvellously.. After the 5 hours I start believing if you liked a Melodic Artification Eclipse in the past then you might get in love with the Monochrome.

Just for the records, in the end I paid 1265 Euro in total and the proxy service Sugargoo did a almost great job. After their quality photo inspection they repacked the Jadhifi package not properly togehter so that likely the outer box of special concrete material arrived slightly but not dramatical damaged.



I usually need a few days or even longer to become really familiar with an In-ear, and it's often that the ones that aren't necessarily convincing from the start then becoming the real gems. So I'll seen whether Burn-in and/or time will change my opinion about the Monochrome.​

This was cool and all, but there's no mention of driver type or count? What's that look like? EST? DD? BA /EST/BC/DD hybrid? What? Thanks.

 

[activatorfly]

Hey! Welcome back, and I just bought a new ivipQ cable for my WG T-ONE as well! We're vibin'! Even more so, mine is also the 73!! LOL The color will be a great match, and the silver foil will add some spatial clarity to the WG T-ONE, so win!

Cheers pal....it's good to be back!....methinks great minds think alike !! Yep I adore the ivipQ brand. The custom cable bought in the sales is now firmly attached to Raptgo Leaf.
Those annoying recesses in it's shells - in a way are totally perfect for the the ivipQ (- cos it can never budge.) Plus the cable colour is exactly the same as the Leaf...bonus!

Agreed, I can't wait to try the WGT-1 with the new arrival. Currently, I have one green & grey shell pairing with a hefty Kinboofi SPC Cable - had to re-solder 2.5mm jack onto it.
Also using it with a far lighter mmxc cable...but I've not got a Pentaconn with mmcx connectors. Hence, it'll allow for my extra green & grey WGT-1 set - to join the partei !!

 

[Thieme]

You know there was one day, my wife was working the night shift, and I went to sleep with an IEM in the ears. I think it was one of the more isolating ones LOL.

She had forgotten to bring the house keys, so when she got back at like 3 am, she kept ringing the bell and knocking the door for like 30 minutes. She tried calling my phone but I couldn't hear that too. We live in a small apartment, so there's no way to access the windows - there's only the main door linked to the doorway.

So, she called the fire department as she was worried I had died in my sleep or something LOL. So the fire department directed a lock smith to the home, and the dude came down in the middle of the night to break the lock (we were $90 USD poorer for the visit and the lock replacement, an expensive lesson!).

So I was listening to music in bliss and suddenly my wife was like shaking me violently asking if I was okay. At first she was showing concern, but then she realized I was listening to an IEM and she flew into a rage haha. I'll never forget that! So now, no more sleeping with IEMs (I use earbuds which have zero isolation and thus better situational awareness).

Oh my god, what a story! It made me laugh hard!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

So I'm listening to the Fan 3 while it's burning in [got it in Friday evening and now it's Sunday morning...burning in the whole time; how long is enough?] I'm trying to see what the BC driver really does... So far, it sounds a bit cleaner with the switch off. Turning it on seems to affect the bass the most... adding more thump. They say it's a full-range BC driver, but it seems to affect the bass the most. I have these on wide bores but my fit is fairly deep so I THINK the IEM is resting on my ear tight enough to "feel" the BC... Switch off seems to bring up the treble, to the point I have to turn my volume down a bit. The bass isn't nearly so guttural but still thick and full. Turning it on... the vocals feel more recessed and the treble not so brilliant, at least in bassy, congested passages. The stage DOES improve and I can hear more details though. Comparing to the modded Rosefinch, [the other super-bass IEM I have] ... RF's bass is more boomy and the vocals are a bit brighter, [in a V-shaped way] at least when not being overpowered by the bass! The Fan 3 is better obviously at better frequency separation.

So it will take more experimenting what setting I like best for the Fan 3... I certainly didn't expect the crazy level of bass but I can't say I'm mad haha.

So you're basically hearing things opposite of what most others hear with switch OFF? The bass does lift, but muddyish, and the treble is very rolled off in OFF position, with a narrower stage, and less details. Man, it never fails to astound me how different our ears here things from person to person. It's such a miracle IEMs like the Shock, H60, S12 (2024) or the Trio got almost universal praise. It really is.

 

[Ineras]

Oh my god, what a story! It made me laugh hard!

Would've been even better if he was listening to

Spoiler: Blame Ozboyblu

with his eyes closed and a blissful smile on his face when his wife suddenly started shaking him.

 

[cqtek]

Hello to all.

Today I posted my review of the NF ACOUS NM20.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/nf-acous-nm20.27565/reviews#review-35884

 

[Jmop]

Would've been even better if he was listening to

with his eyes closed and a blissful smile on his face when his wife suddenly started shaking him.

Lol song is a classic.

 

[RONJA MESCO]

I've been so close to buying the S12 2024 several times now, but held back due to a mix of other units I've bought or have inbound for review... hard to resist though based on the wonderful impressions I'm reading!

Project M is absolutely fantastic, possibly my IEM of the year as I've noted before... but Maven II a strong contender also, even though very different sets but similar in that they offer a lot more than their price suggests in their respective price segments. Staying with DITA, Mecha is only a few weeks away and I'm incredibly keen to hear that too... especially given what DITA themselves said: "tuned to be the antithesis to the Project M, it’s meant to be warm, buttery and musical as opposed to the tinkly highs of the Project M"

In other news, still really enjoying KE4 and took some shots earlier today for my upcoming review... I like this one, the light worked well. I actually find taking photos incredibly relaxing, great down time after a stressful week at work!

I hate to say it, but as a graphic designer , I like sets that look good as well as play well...and that S12 looks like it was an afterthought in the way it was designed...like a TRN model, and I cant swing myself to get one.