The discovery thread!

[gadgetgod]

Mail Call



Top Left - OKCSC Adjustable Resistance Audio Cable 4.4mm Male to 4.4mm Female Conversion Earphone Adapter Line
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrURrFl

Top Right - Yongse 1947 Crystal Copper Silver Plated Cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtZoRon

Middle Left - XINHS G88 4-core 7N high-purity OCC dark brown double-layer shielded earphone fever grade IEM connection cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMpIv2x

Bottom Left - XINHS S06 8-strand high-purity silver plated palladium earphone upgrade cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0KvgXp

Bottom Right - XINHS K12 2 strands of high purity silver palladium-plated headphone upgrade cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrpoEXh



@-rowan- This is one beautiful cable. When you see it up close. Nice work getting XINHS to make this one. Can’t wait to try all these out soon.



Ok off topic. But who can resist some Blocks - Especially an Air Fryer Burning Station - for my Upcoming Drain Brance .

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Thanks Mate! looking forward to your Upcoming Reviews.


I Cantor believe it.

I can’t wait either. It’s at the Local Airport !!!

Sure hope mine sound like.




Had a Brain Tickle yet?

I absolutely love this track. I downloaded the album today. Boy oh Boy EBC80 eats this song for breakfast.

What a match with the PENON Orange liquors. Do these tips make 3001 sing?

Wow… MEGA FEST! Looking forward to your impressions with this one.

Thank Goodness I have a iBasso CB19 - Y Cable and a good powerbank. Cause It’s Shipped!




PS - I’m still behind on the thread.

Man i want the Starry Night

 

[Hypops]

Man, dongles are a big old albatross around my neck.

I thought I had done away with them for good by finally getting a fully-featured (but modestly priced) DAP in the form of the Hiby R4. I hate carrying around all the bulky extra gear required to run a dongle. I figured the R4 would be good enough as is to satisfy me during commutes and my work day, but this week I started carrying around my Chord Mojo 2 to hook up to the R4 at cafes and in my office. There truly is no comparison in terms of sound quality.

The R4 is competent, clear, and neutral. But even with the R4's impressive suite of DSP plugins, there's simply no getting around the infamous "Sabre glare" in the upper mids and treble. It's something I've found in nearly every delta-sigma implementation (not just Sabre chips), no matter the price of the DAC or DAC/amp combo. I've heard some engineers in the industry describe that "glare" as the result of the high-order harmonic distortion in most delta-sigma implementations. And since I'm not about to invest in a more expensive DAP for better DAC implementations (since it seems like a waste to me), I guess I'm back on the Dongle Train...

 

[Thieme]

I still got the Tiandirenhe TD20 incoming but I saw a secondhand Explorer for €50 on the local marketplace! So including shipping I will have an Explorer for €57! I am still afraid the fit will be bad for me but for this price it is ok to try

 

[gadgetgod]

Every time I pull out the Ice Labs Prismatica, I fall in love all over again. This IEM has a different charm, good, strong bass presence, lovely vocals, sweet timbre, and detailed treble. For an all-BA the Bass works really well here. Image also turned out to be quite good.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

What's the mod for NX7?

Personally, I always found that M17 is up there with SP3000, even better if you use something tough to drive like those Symphonium IEMs.



He was talking about imaging precision and separation, I think. Those are not necessarily the strengths of BCD, IMHO. It's like, either you choose the laser focused imaging of good BA sets, or you choose the echoey, uncanny (in an interesting way) BCD soundstage. At least that's my experience so far.

---

Hidizs ST2. I literally have no other IEM that graph like this one in my entire database. And yes, it sounds just like how it graphs against the Harman IE09 target. This V-shaped tonality does give its soundstage an interesting structure. Despite having only 1 DD, the technical performance this IEM can show off is quite impressive. Other than that, the tonality is more normal than the graph suggest. You wouldn't hear that huge bass and lower midrange. Instead, you head a tight, punchy bass and more recessed vocals that is not shouty. There is slight 8kHz edge with some recordings, but that's not a frequent problem for my library.

The selling point of this ST2 is the included USB DAC cable. There is almost zero difference between USB DAC cable and my EA Cadmus II cable, except at most 1dB around 8kHz region, which is likely due to fitment. In other words, you get a nice transparent USB DAC cable rather than one with baked in EQ like the one that comes with Simgot EW300 DSP.

Moreover, the built in DAC outputs quite a bit of power. When I try to measure this IEM using my FD5 desktop DAC, I needed to push the volume from 44 (Performer7) all the way to 55. Maybe the high voltage of the DAC cable is one of the "secret sauce" behind the snappy dynamic and surprisingly large soundstage (with the right track only, due to the unusual tuning) of this IEM. Noted that like most USB DAC cable, this one is stupidly loud. On MacOS, I can only tolerate up to 3 volume level before the loudness feels unsafe. Moreover, be very careful on some Linux distribution. On my Arch/Hyprland setup, there was a software bug in REW that pushes the loudness all the way to 120dB.

I'll write up more, possibly tomorrow. But the gist is if you like mid-bass punch and don't like too much sub-bass rumble, or you just want the USB cable, have a look at this IEM. Synthwave, lo-fi beat, that sorts of music sounds great with this IEM.

Exactly this. BCD imaging and stage are exaggerated. It's fun, and it's engaging, but when you hear well done imaging from something without BCD, you take notice.

I told you the Cadenza 4 was my under the radar iem. Well, next to the EPZ 530. Two highly competent iems.

Cadenza went under the radar for sure, thanks to things like the Pilgrim, and let me say the Cadenza 4 carves the Pilgrim up and serves it on a platter.

They seem to have a reputation for being cheaply made, which is surprising for (what used to be) a big money iem.
How do you find the build quality on these?

Sadly, with HiFiMan, QC will always be an issue. You might get lucky and get a solid set that lasts, or you get one of the thousands that get returns or throw out (see any HiFiMan sales or review thread)

Oh quoted this bazillion pages back

The Sonion BCD unit doesn't rumble or vibrate, they just firing the sonic through your bone, so you will need an opening on your shell for the the BCD opening to be placed on your concha.





The NX7 mod?

Remember this?



Yeah the M17 is about power while SP3000 is about refinement.



Ah I see, so talking about the precision of the imaging only not how 3D or spatial.

Yeah the Cadenza4 is a complete package for midfi. They do everything well with quality bass, great tuning, great technicalities and non shouty mids, and have treble extension. Very underrated IEMs shadowed with Pilgrim back then.

Yes. What I said in response to @o0genesis0o. BCD is fun and enthralling, but the stage and imaging are mostly exaggerated and not very natural, so when sets that do this more naturally, but still bring that sense of spatial cues and imaging at a high level (Cadenza 4, H60), you definitely take notice of that.

trying out some of the song suggestions here on the Wan'er SE then the Shine... wasn't cutting it. Put in the ZS12 Pro X and BAM, top-notch sound quality is BACK! I'm not sure I miss the Trios any more when I hear the ZS12. [Vaders may be on the way... stalled tracking!!] The bass punch [all bass switches on] is easily fun enough for me, and the rest of the FR is just done so well that things sound pretty natural. People be talking about the sonata or AS24 Pro or PRX being the best KZ... I'm here to remind you all that the ZS12 really is a home run too.

The KZ ZS12 Pro X was definitely a home run, but not tuned like those others, or the Trio. There's that noticeable spike in the upper mids that's not present in the newer sets, and the bass is more linear, with less mid bass warmth and presence. I loved that set, but had to use a 200 mesh for the upper mids and treble. Still, while they were in my possession, they were one of my favorite IEMs and in my front line rotation, but when push came to shove, they had to be culled to drive up lot value.

 

[krafty]

Man, dongles are a big old albatross around my neck.

I thought I had done away with them for good by finally getting a fully-featured (but modestly priced) DAP in the form of the Hiby R4. I hate carrying around all the bulky extra gear required to run a dongle. I figured the R4 would be good enough as is to satisfy me during commutes and my work day, but this week I started carrying around my Chord Mojo 2 to hook up to the R4 at cafes and in my office. There truly is no comparison in terms of sound quality.

The R4 is competent, clear, and neutral. But even with the R4's impressive suite of DSP plugins, there's simply no getting around the infamous "Sabre glare" in the upper mids and treble. It's something I've found in nearly every delta-sigma implementation (not just Sabre chips), no matter the price of the DAC or DAC/amp combo. I've heard some engineers in the industry describe that "glare" as the result of the high-order harmonic distortion in most delta-sigma implementations. And since I'm not about to invest in a more expensive DAP for better DAC implementations (since it seems like a waste to me), I guess I'm back on the Dongle Train...

in my ears:
Aful snowy night is slightly warm with no glare
moonriver ti is pretty neutral with no glare
Questyle 15C is pretty neutral with possibly a hint (maybe a hint but it is the one I use)
Questyle 15i definitely has that glare
I seem to get along well with the cs 43198 dacs

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I still got the Tiandirenhe TD20 incoming but I saw a secondhand Explorer for €50 on the local marketplace! So including shipping I will have an Explorer for €57! I am still afraid the fit will be bad for me but for this price it is ok to try

How would the Explorer be a bad fit? It's an ergonomic and relatively tiny shell. Now the H60 or the Anvil 114 are beasts! The Explorers are quaint in comparison.

 

[Hypops]

in my ears:
Aful snowy night is slightly warm with no glare
moonriver ti is pretty neutral with no glare
Questyle 15C is pretty neutral with possibly a hint (maybe a hint but it is the one I use)
Questyle 15i definitely has that glare
I seem to get along well with the cs 43198 dacs

I'm not referring to brightness. It's really hard for me to describe, but it's a quality I find across all delta-sigma chips and implementations. Some people swear that Burr Brown and AKM chips don't have it, but I hear it there too. Admittedly, I haven't listened to any >$2k DACs, but among most of the well known brands and models I've heard over the past decade or more, I keep hearing it. Even as the technologies improve. I think it's what people used to call "digital glare."

It's not the kind of glare that most of us associate with brightness or graininess. It's just a kind of slight harshness or edginess in the upper half of the FR. It's why I keep coming back to custom FPGA or R2R DAC architectures. I think that's also the appeal of tube hybrid amps/dongles. Those are the only ways I've found around it. My hunch is that it ultimately has to do with digital filtering and/or the harmonic distortion produced by excessive global feedback. And it's also something that probably becomes less noticeable as one's hearing range falls away with age.

But the takeaway for me is that I'll have to stick with dongles to get around it since I don't want to invest too much in DAPs that are going to become obsolete much more quickly than dongles.

 

[audioaura]

Man, dongles are a big old albatross around my neck.

I thought I had done away with them for good by finally getting a fully-featured (but modestly priced) DAP in the form of the Hiby R4. I hate carrying around all the bulky extra gear required to run a dongle. I figured the R4 would be good enough as is to satisfy me during commutes and my work day, but this week I started carrying around my Chord Mojo 2 to hook up to the R4 at cafes and in my office. There truly is no comparison in terms of sound quality.

The R4 is competent, clear, and neutral. But even with the R4's impressive suite of DSP plugins, there's simply no getting around the infamous "Sabre glare" in the upper mids and treble. It's something I've found in nearly every delta-sigma implementation (not just Sabre chips), no matter the price of the DAC or DAC/amp combo. I've heard some engineers in the industry describe that "glare" as the result of the high-order harmonic distortion in most delta-sigma implementations. And since I'm not about to invest in a more expensive DAP for better DAC implementations (since it seems like a waste to me), I guess I'm back on the Dongle Train...

Ah, the dongle struggle is real! Mojo 2 definitely takes things up a notch, but hopefully, you'll find a good balance between portability and sound!

Every time I pull out the Ice Labs Prismatica, I fall in love all over again. This IEM has a different charm, good, strong bass presence, lovely vocals, sweet timbre, and detailed treble. For an all-BA the Bass works really well here. Image also turned out to be quite good.

Sounds like the Prismatica really has that perfect balance! How’s the soundstage on them? I’ve heard they’re pretty impressive in that department too.

 

[superuser1]

I'm not referring to brightness. It's really hard for me to describe, but it's a quality I find across all delta-sigma chips and implementations. Some people swear that Burr Brown and AKM chips don't have it, but I hear it there too. Admittedly, I haven't listened to any >$2k DACs, but among most of the well known brands and models I've heard over the past decade or more, I keep hearing it. Even as the technologies improve. I think it's what people used to call "digital glare."

It's not the kind of glare that most of us associate with brightness or graininess. It's just a kind of slight harshness or edginess in the upper half of the FR. It's why I keep coming back to custom FPGA or R2R DAC architectures. I think that's also the appeal of tube hybrid amps/dongles. Those are the only ways I've found around it. My hunch is that it ultimately has to do with digital filtering and/or the harmonic distortion produced by excessive global feedback. And it's also something that probably becomes less noticeable as one's hearing range falls away with age.

But the takeaway for me is that I'll have to stick with dongles to get around it since I don't want to invest too much in DAPs that are going to become obsolete much more quickly than dongles.

I think you need the iBasso tube dongle

 

[ExTubeGamer]

R2R + Tubes are the easiest solution against digital glare.

Unrelated to this I did notice that my Anvil 114 is the gaming IEM that I ever wanted. The separation is exactly what helps with hectic videogame scenes with a lot of noises coming from all directions. Properly separated I can now hear every detail popping out.

 

[gadgetgod]

Sounds like the Prismatica really has that perfect balance! How’s the soundstage on them? I’ve heard they’re pretty impressive in that department too.

Soundstage is open and wide, stereo separation and resolution is also top-notch.

 

[Thieme]

How would the Explorer be a bad fit? It's an ergonomic and relatively tiny shell. Now the H60 or the Anvil 114 are beasts! The Explorers are quaint in comparison.

The angle of the nozzle. To me it is important as my tragus sticks out/is fairly big? I am not a ear expert aha but well it gave me issues with other IEMs in the past.

 

[fidgeraldo]

since i often use spotify

My Spotify wrapped for this year is 197 000 minutes I even surpassed 178 000 from the last year.

Cheers!

 

[cagix]

Ah, the dongle struggle is real! Mojo 2 definitely takes things up a notch, but hopefully, you'll find a good balance between portability and sound!

Sounds like the Prismatica really has that perfect balance! How’s the soundstage on them? I’ve heard they’re pretty impressive in that department too.

Well for me ears is strugle in chord i listen 2 .. mojo 1 and qutest and dont like it so is not for me.