The discovery thread!

[nikbr]

And with this last post, I have become the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-comprehending Headphoneus Supremus!

Yet I feel like I know so little about the hobby. Can I boomerang this 'achievement'?

@Ozboyblu now where is my badge of honour?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Gotta love a bit of tip rolling chaos to start the day.

I tip roll most of those, but my newest tip love is the Spinfit CP100+, but it did not work on the short nozzles finicky fit Letshuoer S12 (2024), which is my current listen, so back to OG spiral dots it went.

 

[bithalver]

And with this last post, I have become the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-comprehending Headphoneus Supremus!

Yet I feel like I know so little about the hobby. Can I boomerang this 'achievement'?



@Ozboyblu now where is my badge of honour?

Big grat ! Well deserved !

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

On the Dunu 3001 aesthetics, I find they have that 70's sci-fi look to them, very nice although polarizing to many.

The amount of iems being released seems to be expanding at an alarming pace. How is one supposed to make a choice and secondly how do these companies all expect to survive with this much competition. Some moderation is needed here for all concerned. I hope people don't over spend trying to find that so called special item.

Oh that hope is gone, my friend. As in the words of Slipknot..."all hope is gone." Most of us here, with the exception of @pk4425 or @Hypops, who seem to practice supreme fiscal restraint, have overspent here or there looking for that special item, but in my case, it's been a fantastic journey, as I never put my family in financial jeopardy, and several folks who I admire in this thread, are not responsible for families, and ride solo, so their perspective is different. But yes, most of us spent more than we should, but in my case, I'm purchasing medications for the soul, and so it's Rx soul therapy. The alternative isn't pretty.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

This is not good for me at all.
I think that i did huge mistake buying the anvil.
I didn't think that the shell is gonna be so big.
The H60 is already pretty big for my ears, getting something bigger could be unusable for me.
I hope I'm mistaken because i already paid tax for them.

I had the Crystals in, which is a fairly large tip in itself, but I switched to Penon Licquers last night, just to see if it makes a difference, and it did. Now the sound isn't quite what was delivered by the Crystals, but it's fairly close, and the comfort is much better now. I imagine someone who ises the smaller Penon tips might also get a really comfy fit, and if they fit, the brand new Penon tips would be great synergy for the Anvil, thanks to that hard inner core.

 

[Dsnuts]

Some fun on Sunday. Lol. I would buy this album.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I love tipping rolling for an hour and then ending back with the tips I originally had on. Same with cables. When you find that perfect pairing and find audio euphoria it makes the process so worth it. Or you confirm that you already have the best pairing. Win win!

LOL That happens ALL THE TIME with me. The FULL CIRCLE synergy sisters syndrome! Fun stuff!

 

[Syan25]

Yeah. My only experience with cable rolling that changes the SQ is upgrade cables that degrade the SQ. My criteria for upgrade cables are good looks, good feels, and no change to the sound.


For me, trumpets are what I use to test the pinna gain slope (aka “shoutiness”).

I listen to alot of Miles.

 

[Syan25]

Finally, I proudly present to you my little Performer 5+2 review right over here!

They almost look blue.

 

[Ozboyblu]

And with this last post, I have become the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-comprehending Headphoneus Supremus!

Yet I feel like I know so little about the hobby. Can I boomerang this 'achievement'?



@Ozboyblu now where is my badge of honour?

Congratulations @nikbr

Your contribution to the Discovery Thread has been Exemplary and it is an Honour to present your commemorative Pin.

 

[domq422]

Gotta love a bit of tip rolling chaos to start the day.

From one photographer to another, I just need to say that even your most simple photos like This one above have a subtle balance to them. The lighting, the composition, the framing… color me impressed with the images that you post here, brother. They are truly a treat for my eyes, thank you for always sharing!

Speaking of tip rolling, I got part of my AliX haul in. M100, Velvet wide and spiral dots came in… looking forward to messing about with them soon!

Are you on iOS 18.1? It seems to have made enough of a difference that my shots look almost tolerable. It’s almost certainly an issue with the processing. I still don’t love them but least they aren’t as noisy or grainy as they were last week.

Yeah, dude, iOS 18.1 and I don’t know what the hell it is but it also seems like this phone handles ISO worse than previous models. To your point, a majority of the images that I take in doors without absolutely perfect lighting just seem like a blotchy noisy mess. I actually can’t stand it. There’s a to of new ways to mess with the ton curves and what not and maybe I need to play around with them a bit more to nail it down, but I try to shoot on the RAW format as much as possible to pull them into Lightroom but for whatever reason, even shooting RAW doesn’t yield good results. I’m still messing with it, so maybe it’ll just take time. Or maybe I’m just too picky lol I’d rather not have to take out my Nikon and start doing that entire process, it just takes so. Much. Longer. But it honestly might be worth it if I can’t figure out this phone…

I am a cable believer, but I love a good lookin’ cable/IEM combo first and foremost. Worth it to have a matching pair of shoes for your IEMs.

I 200% agree, my friend. Aesthetics first for me, then feel and ergonomics second. That’s it - sound usually doesn’t cross my mind, however, I do have 1 experience where a cable did worsen my experience and it came from open heart. That cable sounded like a muffled mess.

Ziigaat x Jay audio Estrella - Ya want an all rounder iem ?
Pros:
- Very good bass while not mess up the entire frequency
- Good performance overall
- Good 3D staging and spatial cues
Cons:
- Boring mid range
- Slight sibilance and BA timbre with vocals
- 50$ off would be nice
Overall: 7,5/10

Fair and balanced review / kudos, my friend. Nicely done

Xinhs makes some dope cables, man.

I've got a cable addiction and there's only ever been a few IEMs I've tried that have had an extremely audible experience with cable rolling (634ears Miroak-II) primarily due to how bad the stock cable is.

100%, I’ve been buying cables from them for years and there always bangers. I too have a cable addiction, I have so many cables at this point and I keep buying more… it truly is like jewelry.

Finally, I proudly present to you my little Performer 5+2 review right over here!

Looking forward to reading this later!

And there we go, see? Your photos are magnificent. The lighting is literally perfect. And the crazy thing is, I bet you’re not even doing it 100% intentionally. You just have the eye, brother.

Looking for a warm male vocal iem around $500 ish. I currently have the P7 and think it is pretty dang good for the money - I just feel there is something out there in the higher price bracket that I am missing. I can't quite go for the Supernova at this point. The P7 is about my limit when it comes to bass quantity. Some on the list: Megafest, I/O Volare, Tea Pro, Oracle Mk3. All of these graph pretty similar..... The Oracle and the P7 seem to lay right on each other but I have heard the Oracle Mk3 might need a hair more warmth. Mentally this is the one I had hoped would be perfect. I had the Hype 2 and didn't care for it. Had the Dynaquattro and thought they were ok but a little hard to drive. Really I wish the Dusk had a little more body but I don't want to eq to get there. Any ideas will be helpful.....

May I recommend a lightly 2nd handed Symphonium Meteor? As far as warm tunings go, it’s probably the best IEM I’ve heard for that particular signature. The other IEM that comes to mind is the Vision Ears EXT but the fit is absolutely wild on those and so is the price tag.

 

[gadgetgod]

Sunday night is all about Timsok TS-316 with Vortex Lavinia cable and Narrow bore tips, can easily be a single dd end game for many. The Lavinia and this particular narrow bore tips greatly improve the sound performance of Timsok giving it more weight and taking away the occasional sibilance that is present on the stock cable.

 

[thaslaya]

If your primary goal is FREE IEMs, then don't do this. You'll fizzle out in a hurry, as reviewing well isn't easy. Takes a lot of time, energy and commitment, as reviewers here can tell you.

Plus, if your primary motivation is free gear instead of proper analysis of transducers and contributing to the community, you'll be exposed by the community because your reviews probably will suck. Harsh? Perhaps. True? I think so.

I think free gear is a byproduct and a bit of payment for what is first a labor of love for reviewers, with equal emphasis on labor and love.

Yes I agree. DO NOT DO THIS FOR FREE GEAR. It's way too much work but it's a labor of love for sure.

TL: DR- today I learned tip rolling can truly make or break an IEM.

A very valuable lesson to learn in the IEM world!

Cool. Which ones will?

I'm afraid to get world changing sound you'll have to get into wallet breaking prices. Time to visit a CanJam! I would recommend the UM Maven II, Alpha Omega Omega, and the AME Mousa

It was the first polarizing set for me. It's like a mirror reflection. You want to grab it but can't because it's a reflection.
AüR Audio Aurora!
It's warm and soft-sounding. I connected it to TRN BT20 Pro, tried it for a while, and then returned the cable I am using now.
To me, it lacks a little bit of energy or something to rate them even better. The bass is really good.
That mirror reflection is strange; the sound is like seeing a ghost.
You see it but can't catch it.
I had issues with the fit, but with the right tips, it gets better. I am using Divinus velvet...and it works great.
Excellent experience! Numero 6+++, perhaps another day even 7 !



Cheers!

I'm curious, why do you always add the lens flare to your pics?

I was hoping that I can get a very detailed set added to my IEM rotation, thus eyeing on Aful Cantor and this braindance. But given that the reviewer says the technicalities of braindance is comparable to Dusk, I wonder if I can sense better detail compared to the (albeit old) EST IEMs that I currently use (MEST mk1 for example). I am sure that Cantor would be more detailed, but decided to wait for next flagship from Aful as it might be the one with Cantor's detail plus more holographic stage with addition of BCD... just dreaming.

The DK3001BD does have strong technicalities in my opinion but I think where it really sets itself apart is in the timbre. Its effortless and natural.

I absolutely did NOT need another IEM to add to the rotation, but I got sent a store coupon for $3.00 off, $3.00 in coins, and $15.00 off Alix coupon, so the $69.00 AFUL MagicOne ended up being $48.00. So $53.00 out the door with tax. I just couldn't look past that. I got the 7hz FIVE for $70.00 on 11.11, and the M1 for $53.00. Too good to look away from, so now I'm tapped out, but supremely satisfied with my incoming gear, and my current stellar rotation. What sent me over was that HiFiGo store coupon.

Look forward to your thoughts on the MagicOne, especially after your recent praise of both P5+2 and Explorer.

On the Dunu 3001 aesthetics, I find they have that 70's sci-fi look to them, very nice although polarizing to many.

I'm getting a futuristic military type of aesthetic. Like something from Halo.

I've got a cable addiction and there's only ever been a few IEMs I've tried that have had an extremely audible experience with cable rolling (634ears Miroak-II) primarily due to how bad the stock cable is.

For me I can't really recognize a big difference in cable until you get to kilobuck and up sets. With the Mousa, I definitely heard a difference between copper, silver, and mixed.

Check out my P5+2 review where I pit the P7 against the Explorer and MagicOne. They can literally all be had in a small collection of three IEMs and still, somehow, none of them would feel as one too many.

Well said! There should be a 3 pack of the MagicOne, Explorer, and P5+2. Could be an audiophile starter kit.

And with this last post, I have become the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-comprehending Headphoneus Supremus!

Yet I feel like I know so little about the hobby. Can I boomerang this 'achievement'?



@Ozboyblu now where is my badge of honour?

Congrats! You beat me to it but I hope to join you in this status in the nearish future!

 

[Igniites]

NiceHCK NX8
1DD, 6BA and 1PZT
I’m not 100% on the price, so I’m not posting it.

Release date announced tomorrow according to a guy I interacted with on Twitter!

Excited about this set, really want to try it

 

[domq422]

I’m not sure who recommended this cable so please forgive for not tagging them but whoever did, thank you, this thing is absolutely comically thick and heavy haha it looks absolutely stunning and feels so premium despite its very budget pricing.