The discovery thread!

[wolfstar76]

$350 for a dual BA set? I am sure it will be nice sounding howevever. Unless CA has made some revolutionary way of making a dual BAs cover the entire sound spectrum with some ballz. I know CA makes some nice sounding stuff but I hate to be that guy that points out the obvious but if you guys can't figure out thats not such a great deal in 2024 during 11.11 I might add, I dont know what to tell you.

Now you all know why it is limited. Edition.

Don't forget that Turkish guy who makes single BA CIEM priced at over $2k.

 

[theintention]

will no doubt finally provide the closure required, in attaining this "audio nirvana" dream.

that’s what we all say!

 

[activatorfly]

that’s what we all say!

Haha!....and it's what we'll ALWAYS be saying ad infinitum...DOH !!

 

[Vonbuddy]

OK so I brought the ISN EBC80 with me to work today. I was gonna write more about the Armor but when you got the EBC80 in the house. You write about the EBC80. Lol. Actually Armor has been a fantastic set to get to know what will eventually be a review for them but.

Its not the ISN EBC80. So I can see some trickle down stuff happening with the EBC80. Reason why I know this is I also happen to have heard and reviewed the best Penon made IEM thus far and that would be the Penon Rivals. A STOUT TOTL of an IEM that represents every cent of its $4K price tag. The bad news there is that the EBC80 is not the Rival but then I dont think it will cost even a 1/4th of the price tag.

I know we throw around that word "Special sauce" which seems to be the new term to describe a sound that gets you immersed in a different way. This year has been a big year for Bone Conduction and Sonion dual BAs are one of the the reasons why. If I was a manufacturer of IEMS. I would take a good hard look at them Sonion Bone Conductors and what they do for sound. Because that is the reason for that "Special sauce." 3 IEMS that back my claims. Tansio Mirai Shock, Penon Rival, now on the ISN EBC80.

Its the reason why the EBC80 sound is thrown outside your head stage listening frame. Unlike the other methods of Bone Conduction. There is something to the Sonion dual Bone conduciton that is a bit different. Its more than just headstage, Its like it super charges the drivers its workig with and what they do. It seems to amplify whats already a wide large headstage for IEMs. Hence music sound more spacious, more layered, more from outside your head. Its the type of immersion that was only done on TOTL level IEMs in the past but I am of the thought if midfi can jump into TOTL territory withouth the price tag..

It would be something like the EBC80. So its not at the level of the Rival, lets get that out of way but the stage and how the overall sound getting you immersed into that sound your hearing, actually has a similar presentation. What separates the EBC80 to something like the Rival is that it needs them extra drivers of the TOTL to get that sound there/ to push that bit of extra I would guess to be about 25% more, extra body, extra treble articulation, extra texture, extra impact. Rival has two BAs for mids and two BA for treble and 4EST added to that a much higher end dynamic driver for bass. vs One BA for mids, One for trebles, two for ESTs and two very good but lesser quality silicone dynamics handling the bass on the EBC80. The technicalities, texture and density level of the Rivals sound is not on the EBC80. This being said. If you guys can imagine adding the best bone conduction drivers to the likes of an ISN H60 adding 2 ESTs with them as well. You might get a good idea of what we are dealing with in the EBC80.

I find its sound balancing to be similar even its bass impact and ability, instead of dual BA for trebles it uses a combination of a treble BA and dual ESTs. Which levels up the treble articulation of the ISN H60. But here comes that special sauce. The way them Sonion Bone Condution works with the likes of a H60 tuning is it supercharges that sound. For guys that own the Fan 3. Well for guys that have heard the stage element at least, when you turn the BC driver on vs off. So imagine that going on with the H60 sound signature. But then with a higher level of full range BC drivers that amplifies that stage, the imaging, the layering of the sound your hearing to a greater level. I will call it full range immersion. Thats whats happening with these. Sound balancing on these are excellent as its technicalities. Its stage is special, sprinkled with that special sauce.

Dont know if you guys remember your first true high quality bass IEMs and the smile that came with it. But that is kind of the effect you will get when you first understand the stage element at play here. Stage head? Ya the EBC80 is a stagehead IEM. But unlike the Fan3 where the mids seem to be sitting a bit in the background for more of a cavernous sound effect. Similar effect on the OG MEST. There is no filler in that stage your hearing the BC driver is doing, it all has density to it which makes the single BAs that the EBC80 sound like its using multiple BAs, with drivers sitting outside of the housing. I mean how else can that sound eminate from nowhere?. I am thinking without the BC drivers the EBC80 will has more of a conventional balanced w tuning, but now with that special sauce. Spaghetti is not spaghetti without the right marinara sauce. The EBC80 is not the EBC80 without the BC in it. Hence the entire sound experience is leveled up. If you can imagine one of the Disco thread darlings in the ISN H60 leveled up. I think you will have a good idea of what I am talking about here. And it sounds spectacular.

This is out of my DX180 by the way in balanced.

Did I read this is $4 k.

 

[o0genesis0o]

OK so I brought the ISN EBC80 with me to work today. I was gonna write more about the Armor but when you got the EBC80 in the house. You write about the EBC80. Lol. Actually Armor has been a fantastic set to get to know what will eventually be a review for them but.

Its not the ISN EBC80. So I can see some trickle down stuff happening with the EBC80. Reason why I know this is I also happen to have heard and reviewed the best Penon made IEM thus far and that would be the Penon Rivals. A STOUT TOTL of an IEM that represents every cent of its $4K price tag. The bad news there is that the EBC80 is not the Rival but then I dont think it will cost even a 1/4th of the price tag.

I know we throw around that word "Special sauce" which seems to be the new term to describe a sound that gets you immersed in a different way. This year has been a big year for Bone Conduction and Sonion dual BAs are one of the the reasons why. If I was a manufacturer of IEMS. I would take a good hard look at them Sonion Bone Conductors and what they do for sound. Because that is the reason for that "Special sauce." 3 IEMS that back my claims. Tansio Mirai Shock, Penon Rival, now on the ISN EBC80.

Its the reason why the EBC80 sound is thrown outside your head stage listening frame. Unlike the other methods of Bone Conduction. There is something to the Sonion dual Bone conduciton that is a bit different. Its more than just headstage, Its like it super charges the drivers its workig with and what they do. It seems to amplify whats already a wide large headstage for IEMs. Hence music sound more spacious, more layered, more from outside your head. Its the type of immersion that was only done on TOTL level IEMs in the past but I am of the thought if midfi can jump into TOTL territory withouth the price tag..

It would be something like the EBC80. So its not at the level of the Rival, lets get that out of way but the stage and how the overall sound getting you immersed into that sound your hearing, actually has a similar presentation. What separates the EBC80 to something like the Rival is that it needs them extra drivers of the TOTL to get that sound there/ to push that bit of extra I would guess to be about 25% more, extra body, extra treble articulation, extra texture, extra impact. Rival has two BAs for mids and two BA for treble and 4EST added to that a much higher end dynamic driver for bass. vs One BA for mids, One for trebles, two for ESTs and two very good but lesser quality silicone dynamics handling the bass on the EBC80. The technicalities, texture and density level of the Rivals sound is not on the EBC80. This being said. If you guys can imagine adding the best bone conduction drivers to the likes of an ISN H60 adding 2 ESTs with them as well. You might get a good idea of what we are dealing with in the EBC80.

I find its sound balancing to be similar even its bass impact and ability, instead of dual BA for trebles it uses a combination of a treble BA and dual ESTs. Which levels up the treble articulation of the ISN H60. But here comes that special sauce. The way them Sonion Bone Condution works with the likes of a H60 tuning is it supercharges that sound. For guys that own the Fan 3. Well for guys that have heard the stage element at least, when you turn the BC driver on vs off. So imagine that going on with the H60 sound signature. But then with a higher level of full range BC drivers that amplifies that stage, the imaging, the layering of the sound your hearing to a greater level. I will call it full range immersion. Thats whats happening with these. Sound balancing on these are excellent as its technicalities. Its stage is special, sprinkled with that special sauce.

Dont know if you guys remember your first true high quality bass IEMs and the smile that came with it. But that is kind of the effect you will get when you first understand the stage element at play here. Stage head? Ya the EBC80 is a stagehead IEM. But unlike the Fan3 where the mids seem to be sitting a bit in the background for more of a cavernous sound effect. Similar effect on the OG MEST. There is no filler in that stage your hearing the BC driver is doing, it all has density to it which makes the single BAs that the EBC80 sound like its using multiple BAs, with drivers sitting outside of the housing. I mean how else can that sound eminate from nowhere?. I am thinking without the BC drivers the EBC80 will has more of a conventional balanced w tuning, but now with that special sauce. Spaghetti is not spaghetti without the right marinara sauce. The EBC80 is not the EBC80 without the BC in it. Hence the entire sound experience is leveled up. If you can imagine one of the Disco thread darlings in the ISN H60 leveled up. I think you will have a good idea of what I am talking about here. And it sounds spectacular.

This is out of my DX180 by the way in balanced.

Me and my wallet every time I read about this IEM and its soundstage.

If next year is all about xMEMS hybrid and BCD, it would a good year for IEM.

OK, to be fair, Dave from AudioIn and Gizaudio -- whom I respect greatly -- just said the MagicOne "leans warm" in his 11.11 sales video.

I'm not hearing it, but your mileage may vary.

To me, it's slightly warm. At least warmer than Harman and Moondrop target. When people say warm, I think they usually think about Penon/ISN warmth, which is not the case here.

Still, maybe the Magic One is not warm, but rather harman and moon drop IEMs "cold".

"Out of the head" / 3D Spherical / Hugo Zuccarelli Holophonic Effect: is the reason why I joined this hobby in the first place (plus the amazing audiophile community obvs.) Owning the EBC80 & visiting my first CanJam next year, will no doubt finally provide the closure required, in attaining this "audio nirvana" dream.

Same here. That's might or might not be realistic depiction of how I listen to 64 Audio U18S the first time. That spherical, all around the head sound. That's when I know I'm stuck with IEMs for a long time.

---

HIDIZS ST2 Nebula is on kickstarter today: https://www.hidizs.net/products/hid...mance-dac-usb-c-hifi-digital-in-ear-earphones

This is a single DD IEM paired with a USB-C cable DAC. What interests me is how beefy the cable looks. I will share more impressions and measurements when my sample lands.

---

Simgot is launching something called ET142. I suspect it's a tribrid with EST, based on the code name, but I might be terribly wrong. Does anyone has any more info about this?

If the timeline is acceptable, I will write a review of this mysterious IEM (electronics?).

---

Saw this on Twitter. That Magic One price cut is crazy.

That reminds me, don't underestimate the SnowyNight either. That dongle singlehandledly drew me back into the dongle game due to its energy efficiency and pretty decent sound. (Unfortunately for that dongle, I robbed my friend blind bought from my friend at a great price the L&P W4 and switched right afterward)

 

[Nealz]

Of course it's all personal. For me, you pretty much lost me at "It's quite bassy". One of the reasons I didn't bite on the Delci was the same impressions from threaders, and how the Juzear Clear was slightly bassier Delci. Well, the Clear is way too much bass for my tastes, and if the Delci was even in the ballpark of the Clear, then nope. I made the right choice. I'm a man of articulate bass vs overarching bass, but I know how many folks rely on that type of bass response, based on their playlists. So indeed, different strokes for different folks. The $50.00 landscape is dominated by the Tangzu YuXuan Ji for me and my personal preferences. Clean and clear articulationn top to bottom. Nobody will ever say "Oh these things are bassy!" More like "the bass slaps, but also it's so resolving!" LOL

Delci bass was quite flabby for me, on the other hand Klean's bass is much more textured and faster. It has a good slam and rumble as well. I'm very intrigued by the YuXuan Ji as well, your recommendation just piqued my curiosity further mate

 

[bschnell9]

Almost the same:
AFUL MagicOne
FiftyStrings W.Hawk
Little Bear B4-X
HiFi OCC Store "Laura" (one another UPOCC cable)
Total: $375

I can’t remember, do you have M Hawk? If so, interested to hear any comparisons when time comes

 

[Uprox]

Simgot is launching something called ET142. I suspect it's a tribrid with EST, based on the code name, but I might be terribly wrong. Does anyone has any more info about this?

Seems like planar

 

[activatorfly]

Did I read this is $4 k.

No "I dont think it will cost even a 1/4th of the price tag".....so fingers crossed it's closer to $800 rather than a Kilobuck set?

 

[Jmop]

Almost the same:
AFUL MagicOne
FiftyStrings W.Hawk
Little Bear B4-X
HiFi OCC Store "Laura" (one another UPOCC cable)
Total: $375

Link for Laura cable? And the Hawk?

 

[Uprox]

I can’t remember, do you have M Hawk? If so, interested to hear any comparisons when time comes

No, I haven't. I need silver plated upocc for my Butastur, so I pass M.Hawk.

 

[Uprox]

Link for Laura cable? And the Hawk?

Laura
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EHQwovT
W.Hawk
https://a.aliexpress.com/_ExrwRgV

 

[o0genesis0o]

Seems like planar

Oh, I predicted 1DD + 4BA + 2EST. But 14.2mm planar driver makes more sense. They wouldn't send a non-existent channel like mine a $$$$ tribrid

 

[jbfps116]

For some reason the $15 off 60 code convinced me to try the Leteciel Mira and KZ ZVX PRO despite the fact I have the Nautilus coming… tomorrow! I can’t wait!!! Why do I need these budget sets? The ZVX Pro is a no brainer. The OG is a stunning budget IEM, one of my faves. I’d like to have a backup just in case and see if this new driver sounds any better. The Mira looks stunning as well and I heard it punches way above its weight… having called a bunch of budget sets, I guess I’ll always wonder how good the latest ones are compared to the midfi ones I have. Maybe the Nautilus will give me an aural whooping so I learn to stop buying these budget sets lol.

 

[activatorfly]

It's not just you. I think it's a combination of trying to capitalize on 11/11 and the upcoming holidays and filling the void of the still missing Timeless II.

Thanks for digging my new review...I appreciate the "like" cheers!..I also needed to update my avatar: to reflect my intention to mod desktop sources asap...happy days !!