The discovery thread!

[DynamicEars]

I'm looking for iems with airy sound.
What would be better? Simgot EA1000 or BQEYZ cloud? (Maybe you have other suggestions).

You already have it there buddy.

Mod your Shock with Medium Density foam as per my post and turn the Brown Know to 4.5 or even 5. That's the Annihilator Junior Junior (Since Apostle just announced as official Annihilator Junior )

Treble extension is one of the best in class. Airy.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Fidue Asteroid 1PZT-1DD getting a review today!

 

[domq422]

Ouch. I was hoping for $1000 - $1200

Oof, same. Nearly $2k is still too rich for my blood… one day, one day.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Fidue Asteroid 1PZT-1DD getting a review today!

Like a dynamic driver spin on the Hook-X.

 

[domq422]

What do you mean by “airy”? Like upper treble emphasis, extra reverberation and decay? In that case, how much extra do you want?

If you want an exaggerated level of air without killing your ears, Annihilator 2023 is the way. And no, it’s not mockery or elitism. It’s literally the only option that is not STORM that I can say “exaggeratedly airy”. Maybe the upcoming “baby Anni” would be more accessible, but still quite $$$$$$. A used U12t or U6t or U4S are also good options, but 64 audio TIA treble has a peek rather than an evenly elevated air, which can be jarring for some.

If you want good air, with a bit above average level, have a look at the P7 and Cantor. Not as airy as the likes of Anni, but arguably easier on the ears. If you don’t like aful, the Anvil is a good option.

Other than those, I haven’t personally heard any mid-fi IEM that has noticeable amount of “high quality” treble air. EA1000 is open and bright, but not airy in the sense Anni 2023 is airy.

Edit: I forgot one IEM: Simgot Supermix4.

Would you say the Estrella could be considered Airy, brother? Cause I would consider them pretty airy and well extended maybe even overly so but in a fun way.

In my opinion of course.

 

[MakeItWain]

Hey guys, dropping one of my first reviews for this busy weekend. Trying to knock it all out before Thanksgiving

Celest IgniteX Beast

Pros: Good overall sound signature when listening (Harman Tuning based - If you like this tuning, this will be your jam
Deep and punchy bass
Great mids for female vocals/instruments
More energetic treble tuning may be more to other people's tuning preference

Cons: Treble is a bit more spicy compared to cheaper iterations
Slight BA timbre on the treble side
Accessories are only OK for the extra price
Harman Tuning based - if you hate this style of tuning, this is not going to be your jam

Overall score: 8/10 or 4/5
This is guuud (4 u's)

 

[Redcarmoose]

Like a dynamic driver spin on the Hook-X.

Only the difference here is with the Hook-X the PZT was a flavor (at least I saw it as adding a spice) to the response. Where with the Asteroid it is the most giant PZT predator taking front and center and and even overshadowing the Asteroid's DD!

Also Gem 4 and Virgo are only 5 grams each and the far left Asteroid is a whopping 11 grams! Jeez? Stainless maybe, where the Virgo is aluminum, maybe? Also to me the larger circumference nozzle lets the Asteroid fit better?

Left to right:
Virgo, Gem 4 and Asteroid

 

[o0genesis0o]

Oof, same. Nearly $2k is still too rich for my blood… one day, one day.

Yeah, it’s going to be a tough fight for this IEM. Like @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 said, some would rather be patient and grab full Anni 2023 later. For others, this IEM would have to compete against other cheaper (but still high end) options. Say, if you rule out the likes of Cantor due to AFUL’s reputation vs Elysian, or if you consider Cantor an anomaly in value, this Elysian IEM still needs to compete against Symphonium Titan and Crimson/Europa. Those have both reputation and sound quality.

We will see how this pans out. Personally, if an IEM is expensive, I would want it to have BCD of some forms.

Would you say the Estrella could be considered Airy, brother? Cause I would consider them pretty airy and well extended maybe even overly so but in a fun way.

In my opinion of course.

I haven’t seen or heard this IEM in real life, unfortunately My disagreement with the tuner does not mean I would just hide an IEM in the drawer and ignore it.

 

[Ineras]

Reviewing with hiccups!

 

[domq422]

Yeah, it’s going to be a tough fight for this IEM. Like @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 said, some would rather be patient and grab full Anni 2023 later. For others, this IEM would have to compete against other cheaper (but still high end) options. Say, if you rule out the likes of Cantor due to AFUL’s reputation vs Elysian, or if you consider Cantor an anomaly in value, this Elysian IEM still needs to compete against Symphonium Titan and Crimson/Europa. Those have both reputation and sound quality.

We will see how this pans out. Personally, if an IEM is expensive, I would want it to have BCD of some forms.



I haven’t seen or heard this IEM in real life, unfortunately My disagreement with the tuner does not mean I would just hide an IEM in the drawer and ignore it.

Yeah that’s fair. Symphonium and Thieaudio are the kings in the $1000-$1500 range in my humble opinion. I can’t think of another brand that has a presence as strong as them in that area. It’s insane how cheaply you can get an Anni 2023 right now, relative to its original MSRP of course. I’ve seen pairs under $2000 more than a few times. If this baby anni is any more than $1500 I’m pretty sure it’s going to be incredible for the money considering it’ll be competing with the Crimson in terms of the technicalities.

Ahhh gotcha. For some reason I thought you had heard it. I wish you lived in the states, I would send you my pair

Reviewing with hiccups!

What a sick guy as if he couldn’t wait a little for them to go away, what a nut!

 

[jbfps116]

The Fan 3 oscillates for me. Still. Not convinced of their prowess or place in my rota on an hour to hour basis.

I can relate to this... It sounds REAL good... but I still think the H60 is better in most respects. But I finally found tips for a comfy fit, and I'm finally coming around to the BC...

Even with the Penon email discount? I wouldn't pay $350 for these. But $175 with the Penon Speakeasy Secret Decoder Ring? Good Lord, I'm dusting off my money clip and looking for the Jaws of Life.

I'm more smitten with the Fan 3 by the hour, moreso by the tuning than the BCD. The BCD is fun and works, but the base tuning of the Fan 3 is excellent for my ears and brain -- with BCD on. I haven't even tried it with BCD off and don't plan to.

I can TOTALLY agree... the tuning is pleasant even without the BC.

with BCD off, the treble rolls off, the stage 3D effect becomes flatter, and you get more mid bass presence or more precisely a tad bit of bleed. Just more bass, but in my opinion, not very good bass. When I got mine originally, I got them with the BCD OFF, and I didn't notice, and just assumed, and I was freakin' the bleep out at what I was hearing, and I was out for blood for all the initial positive reviews that led me to PTT. Then I noticed mine came stock OFF, so flipped the switches ON, and life was much better, and my ears much happier LOL

I had the opposite first impression. I liked it SO much with the switches off, that when I turned them on, it seemed to mess up the sound for me. To the point where I was wondering if my switches were wired backward [they aren't!]

I don't think the Fan 3 does bass the best. I don't think it's technically better than a lot of others (like the Estrella or P7). I don't think the mids are quite to like an H60 or DaVinci. I don't think the BCD implementation is quite on the Anvil or above's level (god, I wanna do more with the Zempire one).

But, the Fan 3's special sauce really is from the overall cohesion and presentation of being good to great on a lot of the things but being subtle and musical without going over the edge on one specific thing. Not trying to drop a bunch of hyperbole but like it's just very chill for the most part. It hits that exact sweet spot. It's different enough but without trying to stand out. It's outclassed in a lot of things but it has that "Je ne sais qoui" factor. Heard it the moment I put them on at CanJam.

Bass could [should!] be more impactful, I agree. I also agree the H60's mids are just surreal and it's almost unfair to compare them to other IEMs not set up that way. But over all, the sound is sweet, musical, and pleasant for sure. Clear when it needs to be, and smooth when called for.

I'm looking for iems with airy sound.
What would be better? Simgot EA1000 or BQEYZ cloud? (Maybe you have other suggestions).

Joyodio Shine
Wan'er SE
Kinera Celest Phoenixcall
Tangzu Yu Xuan Ji
KZ ZS6 [haha yes I did this]
TRN T2 Pro cables [the modular ones] will add airiness to almost any IEM, as will the Phoenixcall's cable [which means using a warmer cable on the PC will aid the bass a little.]

~~~And now for some more Joyodio Shine impressions. I came home from work, popped them in after they'd been burning in all day, [on UDDU] and thought... hmm.... the treble still isn't quite right. Turned it back to UDUU and it did improve things for me. [along with swapping the cable to NiceHCK BlackCat and using the Divinus med. bores that just came in today] Stage is SO AIRY! I'm talking comparable to the stage of the Fan 3 or even the Nautilus. I think these will really grow on me. Listening to The Edge by David Mccallum on these was surreal. Obviously the Nautilus' stage is better, but the Shine can really pull an amazing sound for the price. In fact, I find the Nautilus a bit peaky on this track and prefer the tuning of the Shine when set up as described above. One quirk the Shine seems to need more power than even the Nautilus. Runnin8 4.4 out of the Fiio KA5 from my laptop, the Shine needs quite a few more volume notches than the Nautilus does.

~~AND now for the first 2 ratings on my new rating system [link in signature.]
KZ ZVX: 70/100, which puts it in my A-tier. I was harsher this time... A lot of the songs I rated only 3/5. Despite that, it still gets a passing grade for me, and the fact you can buy it for CHEAP is a huge deal. Smooth, full metal shell and bassy tuning that still provides enough clarity and vocal presence. A keeper for me [will the ZVX Pro completely dethrone it?]

Jomo Nautilus:

Spoiler: How high did I rate it?!

94/100

This golden beauty just took my breath away on most of the songs in my test playlist! Simply stunning stage, all the treble detail and clarity I could want, and convincing bass thump that is almost perfect. [I'd prefer more subbass emphasis.] One song I noted that it sounds better on warmer IEMs... and it didn't QUTE pass my sibilance test track lol. That is the price to pay for that level of treble clarity, IMO. It's definitely not too bad. But ultimately, I'm being rather strict with my ratings here. Many others would give it a perfect score, I'm sure, unless you're a BASSHEAD or treble-sensitive, neither of which I am.

The NEXT two IEMs I'll be rating are the Rosefinch and H60. [I'm trying to rate cheap and expensive ones side-by-side, so I don't get carried away by giving the cheapos higher ratings than they deserve, compared to the really great sets.]

 

[Redcarmoose]

Reviewing with hiccups!

Gotta save time!

 

[Jmop]

Need another smooth DD to buy.. gotta have backups.

 

[DynamicEars]

Would you say the Estrella could be considered Airy, brother? Cause I would consider them pretty airy and well extended maybe even overly so but in a fun way.

In my opinion of course.

I can confirm Estrella is very airy. One of the best treble extension on entry midfi class. Approved!

I just don't like the bass quality as I mentioned before but mids and trebles (and extension) are solid. Better than Hype2 and Hype4 (hype4 sounded disjointed because of dip on 10-13khz then strong boost on 15khz made them have light sizzle on top end)

@mrsergey you can consider this also (still If you want to do some works on your Shock, i prefer the Shock any day)

Edit:
Another option will be Tri I3 mk3. Treble extensions are chef's kiss . Approved.

 

[Jmop]

Eh, nah I’ll just do Klean for now, nothin else out there for me rn. Think the Leckerton will be a good match, brings out vocals, might be nice with the silver nozzle.