The discovery thread!

[Jmop]

And a pure copper cable. Copper cable. Warm source. Tubes.

Don’t forget that NOS R2R boiii

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Dayum! Better imaging and separation than the ISN and Dunu cyberpunk? That's very high praise. Maybe I should visit my local hifi store and see if they have a sample of this one.

I forgot to post the track LOL Edited and posted. Yes, at this time, I'm leaning towards better. Even before this track really put things into focus, I was noticing the imaging on this IEM from my earliest tracks I was listening to, so it's was slowly building. I just needed a track that really caught my focus, and this one was it.

 

[Ichos]

The Yulong Audio Asura review is now available at Headfi for anyone interested.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/yulong-audio-asura.27783/review/36511/

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Fits in this little Shozy case, talk about compact!

Gotta say, a little jelly. I want an r2r DAP, but not in the position to PTT on anything at the moment.

 

[Jmop]

Gotta say, a little jelly. I want an r2r DAP, but not in the position to PTT on anything at the moment.

There was a really nice gray RS6 in the classifieds last week for like $550, got swiped up pretty quickly.

 

[Syan25]

The Yulong Audio Asura review is now available at Headfi for anyone interested.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/yulong-audio-asura.27783/review/36511/

Awesome. Will check it out!

 

[atechreviews]

What's everyone "top options" so far, regardless of release year?

I’ll give it a go:

Super budget-friendly: 7Hz Zero 2 (Tuning), Tangzu Wan’er, Tanchjim Bunny DSP (Convenience & EQ), Kefine Klean (Sound quality)
Kinda-splurgy-but-still-accessible: AFUL Explorer (Fun), DynaQuattro (Timbre), AFUL Performer 7 (All-rounder, Detail), PULA Anvil 114 (BC Soundstage, Personal enjoyment)
Pretty-expensive / kilobuck class: AFUL Cantor (Neutral, Endgame detail)
How-much-was-that-are-you-NUTS? class IEMs: Elysian Annihilator 2023 (Fun, My favorite)
Old-but-gold: Softears Studio 4
$$$$$$ Dongle: Muse M5 Ultra (Enjoyable), FiiO BTR17 (Neutral and Detailed), iBasso DC Elite (tried it for 30 minutes)
$ Dongle: FiiO KA11 (Very convenient and practical)
Desktop setup: SMSL RAW-MDA 1: Thanks to @domq422 for recommending this in the thread. Bought it for a secondary setup, and it’s been awesome. Great sound quality and value!

It got to the point, for me at least, where having 2DDs didn't even matter. I didn't see any true benefit if I'm completely honest.

Some IEMs these days even come with 2 DDs but don’t have much bass and the bass isn’t even better.

Mid-bass is the keystone of all my preferred sound signatures, and the Klean aren't bringing much to that party yet.

I just need to find a bit more mid-bass.

For me, the Klean has about the same amount of bass as the Delci.

Maybe the real Cantors were the friends we made along the way.

LOL

For example, the P7 does not feel like a bass centric IEM, but NX8 totally does

Agreed.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Yes, this is the Discovery thread, and music has always been a part of the new discoveries of this thread (hell, my obsession with jazz essentially started right here in this thread, thanks to @Leonarfd), to follow up on a previous post about top (10) 12 albums of 2024, here's my retrospective look at my favorite albums of the year, but in no particular order except #1 is #1.

1. Ezra Collective - Dance, No One Is Watching
2. Alfredo Rodriguez - Coral Way
3. Rivkah Ross - Dare To Hope
4. Rob Van Bavel - Dutch Weather
5. KokoRoko EP
6. Dan Wilson - Things Eternal
7. Crownshift - Crownshift
8. Adon - Adon
9. Abysmal Dawn - Phylogenesis
10. Avishai Cohen - Brightlight
11. Chris Bangs - Dream World
12. Zacc Harris - Chasing Shadows

Cheers to the ears and here's to an even better 2025!! Be blessed, Discothreaders!

 

[Neithan]

Hi!!! My name is the ISN H60! I'm sorry for interrupting, but I overheard you mention my dimensions, 36-24-3---I mean I got airy and sparkly highs, excellent layering and separation, no BA timbre, strong, punchy and textured bass and incisive and forward midrange. And my But---soundstage isn't too bad either, big boi.

Is the H60 capable of more detail retrieval than the TOP?

 

[mrsergey]

Is this real?
https://eliseaudio.com/products/hif...V1dsmszt4KaLGvh0pH6DNKYOVgWSORezYGUCSr7jDtXl6

I'm not familiar with the website so i can't tell you if it's real but if the website is legit then you should get the real thing.
I never heard about fake hifiman, usually the chinese like to fake non Chinese brands like sennheiser and shure.
I purchased mine a year ago for $225 from AliExpress.

Of course it's real. These IEMs might be blazin' good, but they are also dinosaurs. They've been on sale for even cheaper. During the summer sale I almost PTT on these due to @mrsergey's rec, and they were down to $199.00. Ended up buying the SM4 and i3 MK III instead, but yeah, those IEM can be had for cheaper during the holiday sales on Alix.

Thank god the hifiman re2000 wasn't popular enough, otherwise the price wouldn't drop down and i wouldn't have been able to experience those amazing iems.
Many old thing are still gold to this day.

Btw, the seller gave me to try custom art fibae 7 and i didn't know their price.
I thought they worth $50 based on their build quality and sound quality.
So if you ever gonna be interested in those iems, i wouldn't recommend you to get them unless you like boring and analytical sound.

What do you like more? The SM4 or the EW300?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Is the H60 capable of more detail retrieval than the TOP?

It's loaded with 4 BA's, so technicalities are excellent, but here's the thing, you will most definitely forget that you are listening to BA treble, because you'd swear it wasn't a BA delivering the goods. There is no BA timbre at all. So yes, I'd say so. Is it an analytical monster? No. But it's a technicalities gorilla, which in the real world, is menacing enough. Yes.

Sound Features​

The bass is lean, fast, and snappy. It is more mid-bass oriented.

The mids richness and depth, allowing you to hear nuances and subtleties. Instruments emerge with clarity and precision, with a natural warmth and vibrancy.

The treble is sparkles with good airiness and detail. It's energetic but not in a metallic or splashy or peaky way. Makes peppy and energetic party tracks sounded even faster and more energetic.

Large spacious stage, well imaged and dimensional, powerful sound with density.

The ISN H60 speaks your language.

EDIT: Just found out the H60 is sporting two Knowles and two Sonion BA's. No wonder the treble sounds as natural as it does?! The TOP sports Knowles and custom (Bellsing) BA's. That's a win for the H60 all in itself.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I'm not familiar with the website so i can't tell you if it's real but if the website is legit then you should get the real thing.
I never heard about fake hifiman, usually the chinese like to fake non Chinese brands like sennheiser and shure.
I purchased mine a year ago for $225 from AliExpress.
Thank god the hifiman re2000 wasn't popular enough, otherwise the price wouldn't drop down and i wouldn't have been able to experience those amazing iems.
Many old thing are still gold to this day.

Btw, the seller gave me to try custom art fibae 7 and i didn't know their price.
I thought they worth $50 based on their build quality and sound quality.
So if you ever gonna be interested in those iems, i wouldn't recommend you to get them unless you like boring and analytical sound.

What do you like more? The SM4 or the EW300?

EW300 by a long shot since it's got better bass. Treble is very close. Both have wispy and textured treble, but the mids are smoother and the bass is infinitely more quality on the EW300. SM4 bass is soft. Lacks texture. This is not a problem with the EW300, so the EW300 for the win, though I do like the soundstage of the SM4, and the spatial cues.

 

[r31ya]

since i often use spotify with BTR5 during commute,
what i listen for the most part of this year.

all the top songs are Ado songs, a faceless youtube-based female singer that used to cover vocaloid songs, anime songs, and have good mix of rock sound included. currently one of the top artist in Japan. One Piece Red movie is basically Ado Concert the Movie.



and first ado songs that i listen to that makes me a fan



Dir en Grey is my old favorite since high school. Genre wise, its experimental metal/rock band. usually the sound shift for a bit from album to album with the only constant is the "dark atmosphere" the sounds have which makes it fun to follow. yet, i mostly listen to older album now. the vocalist could go HAM from singing ballad, to somewhat rapping, to growling, wailing, shrieking. its fun to listen to. Tough unfortunately, the style of singing is heavy on the singer throat and after like 2 throat surgery, he might not have the same range.



one of the new band i listen to. i listen to like only 5 Hanabie but on repeat to a point its 3rd most listened artist.
hard screamo rock with some mix of cutesy sounds



Aurora is well Aurora. female ballad singer with unique fantasy-ish tone



and at one point i spend a month or two relistening to Rammstein. i don't think i need to explain Rammstein.

 

[Leonarfd]

since i often use spotify with BTR5 during commute,
what i listen for the most part of this year.

Love how it goes from Ado over to Rammstein, my list would be similar with wide range of genres/artist

 

[Redcarmoose]

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/the-leteciel-3x-dd-shark-universal-iem.27768/reviews#review-36512

One of the biggest burn-in success stories of the year? Wild?