The discovery thread!

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

So my 11.11 purchases ended up being rather humble compared to my insane summer sale spending, as was as follows...

FiiO JM21
AFUL Explorer
7hz FIVE
XINHS Summer Elves cable
XINHS G88 pure copper cable (for ISN Neo1)
Shanling L3 pure silver interconnect

Over and out, captain. Until the next summer sale, though I'm probably skipping it next year, to save up for CanJam expenditures?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

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.

More extreme side grades you'll end up CULLING. I stopped that personal nonsense right after the FiiO JD10. I said it was going to be my last ultra budget set, and I mean it. It all ends up getting culled in the end, so a waste of money activity (IMPO only) in the short term.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

New DUNU is like the Pilgrim but a step up right now. To my ears. But I'm also hustling for this week so I'm not fully ready to drop that.



The sales on Linsoul and Hifigo appear to be targeting primarily older stock. AliExpress provides that extra value with those coupons but you're basically getting 10%ish off and maybe one of those coupons. I think some of the best deals I saw were like the Pilgrim going for under $300? Like $279 before taxes/fees.

I was tempted by that sale, BUT, I have the Pilgrim incoming from that U.S. tour for review, and I didn't want to buy it before the review unit lands, and then maybe not like it? LOL Problem is the set will land end of week, and the sale will probably be over by the time I get to give it proper ear time, so a conundrum?

 

[Jmop]

@FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 You know where I can find a quality copper 3.5mm interconnect?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

INSANE deal for one of the best headphones out there at less than $500. Good, punchy bass, lean mids, crispy, airy treble. The HiFiMan sound signature ended up not suiting me as my experience grew and my sonic tastes became more focused, although the Edition XS is excellent for most folks. At that price it's larceny. Also recommend the HiFiMan HE-400se as an entry-level planar for less than $100.

Jay called the MagicOne a warm IEM today in his 11.11 sales video. That's when you KNOW the dude loves sizzly tuning for upper mids and treble, which reinforces his status as a primo Simgot stan. It's the first time I've heard ANYONE call the MagicOne warm. I literally stopped the video, rewound and replayed to ensure my aging ears heard him properly.

Maybe he was listening to them from the LB B4-X and the N3U, like I did?! That was tube overkill, and anything sounds warm through that tubular rig LOL

 

[Vonbuddy]

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.

I know just how you feel lol!

 

[atechreviews]

But I haven't seen any graph so far.

 

[jbfps116]

My 11.11 "haul":

1) A second set of Divinus Velvet wide bores (aka "Wild Boars"). I want to try the next size down on a couple sets.
2) A variety pack of Sancai narrow bores. I'm hoping these might mitigate driver flex on the Estrella. Might also be good to try with my short nozzle IEMs (Que and Meteor).
3) An unexpected purchase. ddHiFi makes their own 4.4mm adapter for the Mojo 2. Looks better than others and costs a fraction of the price. On sale for <$40.

I got more than I anticipated... hopefully I'll learn my lesson. I also got some deals before 11/11 that I must count: [aside from some other random non-audio related stuff]:
Kinera Celest Rue in yellow. Might look like an egg yolk HAHA.
Divinus velvet wide tips and normal bore [an accidental purchase haha but they were almost free with a discount anyway]
PAC LStips
KZ T10s ANC Headphones.
KZ ZVX Pro
Leteciel Mira

... and the insane purchase of the Jomo Nautilus. That doesn't really count because I didn't get a discount!

Guys I honestly thought I was gonna hate on the Kefine Klean. Especially as some people were going around saying it's better than the Delci AE, and I was like no way a $50 IEM beats a more expensive one from the same brand.

But my jaw literally dropped on the floor when I started listening to this little beast. It's quite bassy, has good clarity and resolution, forward mids, and even the treble is quite extended without sounding harsh or shouty. This is the kind of tuning I've always been after but couldn't get even from $500 IEM's. For example, my Penon 10th has amazing bass and mids but I'm not really impressed with its details or treble extension, I dunno what those EST's are really doing. Now obviously, I'm not saying the Klean is better than $500 sets but there are some things it's doing right for me (personally), which other sets haven't been able to do so far regardless of the asking price.

I'm seriously amazed by the level of sq you can get for $50 nowadays. And Kefine Klean is my top pick now not only in the $50 but also in the $100 range. I would pick it over something like the Aful Explorer. Anyway might seem like I'm hyping but do keep in mind, I'm talking about my personal taste here and these are just impressions not a full review or anything.

These impressions are based on the black nozzle not the silver one. I think the Klean has the potential to reach budget G.O.A.T status like the Blon 03. Peace.

Maybe I should have picked this up instead of the Mira???

More extreme side grades you'll end up CULLING. I stopped that personal nonsense right after the FiiO JD10. I said it was going to be my last ultra budget set, and I mean it. It all ends up getting culled in the end, so a waste of money activity (IMPO only) in the short term.

Yea. Point taken haha. But despite me having the H60, as loftily better as it is than the cheaper IEMs still in my collection, I STILL ENJOY the sounds of my cheaper buds, not to mention the artistic looks. If they look GREAT and sound at least GREAT, they're keepers in my books. The ones I culled recently... they either sounded subpar in some areas or were rather ugly haha.

Yoooo sick I hope you enjoy them.

Current set up -

Case in point in my mild rebuttal to @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 : I popped in my Tangzu XuanNv to check out that track and I WAS. NOT. PREPARED. for the bass drop HAHA. I almost began floating in my seat. Now will the Nautilus hopefully send my on an out of body experience on that same track? Hopefully, but DANG that XuanNv has some real subbass capabilities [running from the Fiio KA5]
I then plugged my ZS12 Pro X into the R4 to test and download the rest of the album... WOW what a roller coaster of a musical experience. Not all the tracks were to my liking, but like WOW, they are really insane and GREAT for testing bass response. The ZS12 handled it all like a CHAMP! I'm not prepared to cull those two "Budget" IEMs any time soon.

 

[Jmop]

RS2 back on sale, join my club and enjoy experimenting with different amps. Topping NX7 is the easiest rec for a linear detailed sound that is still super smooth.

Ah right, single-ended line out, so probably less popular lol.

 

[Rambone]

More extreme side grades you'll end up CULLING. I stopped that personal nonsense right after the FiiO JD10. I said it was going to be my last ultra budget set, and I mean it. It all ends up getting culled in the end, so a waste of money activity (IMPO only) in the short term.

Wise words that I have had to painfully learn as well. What a massive pain in the b-hole trying to get rid of a ton of inventory from countless budget purchases I have made over the years. I just see the piles of stuff I have to move and mentally shut down. Definitely going to put a stop to budget purchases from this point on and only go for stuff that will be a meaningful upgrade over what I have.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

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

You gonna LOVE that B4-X, just be very careful handling it. Those tubes are fragile, and remember, battery lasts maybe 4 hours, so don't expect much from that angle. But sound? WHOAAAAA!!!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

@FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 You know where I can find a quality copper 3.5mm interconnect?

These are the two I have, and they are indeed high quality and lean warm.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251801418067641.html - Used with my Sony NW-A45 and Fiio amp

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805314167643.html - Originally used for my ZEN Air CAN. Recently switched to silver/palladium.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I got more than I anticipated... hopefully I'll learn my lesson. I also got some deals before 11/11 that I must count: [aside from some other random non-audio related stuff]:
Kinera Celest Rue in yellow. Might look like an egg yolk HAHA.
Divinus velvet wide tips and normal bore [an accidental purchase haha but they were almost free with a discount anyway]
PAC LStips
KZ T10s ANC Headphones.
KZ ZVX Pro
Leteciel Mira

... and the insane purchase of the Jomo Nautilus. That doesn't really count because I didn't get a discount!


Maybe I should have picked this up instead of the Mira???

Yea. Point taken haha. But despite me having the H60, as loftily better as it is than the cheaper IEMs still in my collection, I STILL ENJOY the sounds of my cheaper buds, not to mention the artistic looks. If they look GREAT and sound at least GREAT, they're keepers in my books. The ones I culled recently... they either sounded subpar in some areas or were rather ugly haha.

Case in point in my mild rebuttal to @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 : I popped in my Tangzu XuanNv to check out that track and I WAS. NOT. PREPARED. for the bass drop HAHA. I almost began floating in my seat. Now will the Nautilus hopefully send my on an out of body experience on that same track? Hopefully, but DANG that XuanNv has some real subbass capabilities [running from the Fiio KA5]
I then plugged my ZS12 Pro X into the R4 to test and download the rest of the album... WOW what a roller coaster of a musical experience. Not all the tracks were to my liking, but like WOW, they are really insane and GREAT for testing bass response. The ZS12 handled it all like a CHAMP! I'm not prepared to cull those two "Budget" IEMs any time soon.

And i'm preparing yet another cull--errr---sale tonight. Saying goodbye to 8 more IEMs, as I raise the funds for the EBC80, so gotta make some room, raise some $$$, so look for the classifieds under the name Cullen DeHerd. LOL

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I got more than I anticipated... hopefully I'll learn my lesson. I also got some deals before 11/11 that I must count: [aside from some other random non-audio related stuff]:
Kinera Celest Rue in yellow. Might look like an egg yolk HAHA.
Divinus velvet wide tips and normal bore [an accidental purchase haha but they were almost free with a discount anyway]
PAC LStips
KZ T10s ANC Headphones.
KZ ZVX Pro
Leteciel Mira

... and the insane purchase of the Jomo Nautilus. That doesn't really count because I didn't get a discount!


Maybe I should have picked this up instead of the Mira???

Yea. Point taken haha. But despite me having the H60, as loftily better as it is than the cheaper IEMs still in my collection, I STILL ENJOY the sounds of my cheaper buds, not to mention the artistic looks. If they look GREAT and sound at least GREAT, they're keepers in my books. The ones I culled recently... they either sounded subpar in some areas or were rather ugly haha.

Case in point in my mild rebuttal to @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 : I popped in my Tangzu XuanNv to check out that track and I WAS. NOT. PREPARED. for the bass drop HAHA. I almost began floating in my seat. Now will the Nautilus hopefully send my on an out of body experience on that same track? Hopefully, but DANG that XuanNv has some real subbass capabilities [running from the Fiio KA5]
I then plugged my ZS12 Pro X into the R4 to test and download the rest of the album... WOW what a roller coaster of a musical experience. Not all the tracks were to my liking, but like WOW, they are really insane and GREAT for testing bass response. The ZS12 handled it all like a CHAMP! I'm not prepared to cull those two "Budget" IEMs any time soon.

The ZS12 Pro X is out, as is the PRX. Adios!! Surprisingly, I'm keeping my modded PR2, which I enjoy more for several reasons, the top reason being the PRX is dampened to all hell, so it lacks spirit. The S08 kicks it into next week, and is more exciting sonically, even though you csn tell that one was dampened a bit.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Worthy opponent of the Estella, I guess. It's good that there is a new option for folks who prefer more spicy tuning.