The discovery thread!

[pk4425]

That's absolutely terrible. I hope you recover soon.

We'll be fine, man. The GREAT memories will sustain us, as will knowing he didn't suffer for long.

Thanks.

 

[Syan25]

Amen, Hervie. Bang on.

Outstanding description. This writer/editor tips his pen toward you in a salute.

As I will say at band practice later this evening, "Spark up!"

No shame in wanting a TWS can for convenience and ANC. And the Senny M4s are very, very good within that space. Better overall sound than Sony and Bose, for sure, but those two brands have better ANC.

I think that's because a lot of headphone manufacturers have a house sound or tuning philosophy and stick to it, for the most part. If you buy a HiFiMan, you're going to get recessed mids, planar bass and some glaring treble, at least at lower price points. If you buy any Senny 6 series can, you're going to get remarkable mids. If you buy many Focal or Audeze models, count on weird mids that demand EQ. And so on.

IEM manufacturers can be a bit more daring with tuning variety because multiple drivers and driver type allow a granularity in tuning that I don't see as much in over-ear cans. ZMF tunes quite differently across its models, but that's kind of rare.

Those excellent photos identify a potential problem with the burgeoning IEM industry in 2025 -- just how big can manufacturers go?

Many enthusiasts with small ears already can't use some of the models with a zillion drivers stuffed into a shell because the units are just too damn big. And it just seems like there is no limit to the size increase, as adding drivers still is all the rage for marketing among IEM companies, equating quantity with quality. Then you see a damn good -- but HUGE -- IEM like the BrainDance earn critical acclaim, and that will only motivate more companies to release f*cking Hickory Farms-thick sausage slices as new IEM models in 2025.

That's not good for the hobby, as fit will prevent some people from enjoying IEMs.

Reminds me of the evolution of pickup trucks in America over the last 40 years. I owned a small pickup in the late 80s, a Ford Ranger. It truly was a compact pickup. Now "compact" pickups in America seemingly are the size of F-150 full-sized trucks in the 1980s. This allows manufacturers to charge more for bigger vehicles even though they're overkill for probably 75 percent of truck owners.

Hope you're feeling better, mate.

I may be a bit scarce here the next few days, also for illness, but I'm heartsick. One of our two cats, Chuck, died last night after a brief illness. We're not crazy pet people who consider pets to be children -- I have three of the real thing. But they do become family members, and it's always tough to say goodbye.

At least Chuck didn't suffer much, and my eldest son was home from Colorado and helped me dig a grave in the backyard at 3 a.m. this morning so we could give him a quick and proper burial. My son was the closest of our three kids to the Big Fella, and I'm glad he was here to say farewell in person.

Chuck was a 20-pound fur ball of contradictions. Weird and independent, yet fiercely loyal. He could swat at your hand and five minutes later plant his big body on your chest on the couch. Social as hell but terrified of noise. Probably all byproducts of being a stray that we brought into our home in January 2017, and we learned two weeks ago during an X-ray at the vet that some a-hole shot him with a pellet before we rescued him! The pellet still was in his body.

I wish we had more time with the Big Killer, but he gave us nearly eight years of laughter and joy with his unique combination of playfulness and strangeness.

See you on the other side, Big Man.

Three of your five also are on my potential hit list, Hervie: P7, Cadenza 4 and BrainDance. You're a man of exquisite taste!

Hmm. This is a buffet for thought. I was pretty locked into buying the P5+2. But I've watched a ton of videos slinging praise on the BrainDance and now your recommendation of the C4 over the P5+2.

Decisions, decisions ...

Blessings to you and your family. Always tough losing a pet. Really sorry to hear that. The photos show a lot of love in the family. Lots of experiences to be grateful for. Carpe Diem.

Best wishes for the New Year! I believe good things will come to and your family!

 

[pk4425]

I love cats.
He looked like a chill dude.

Ha! Chuck was anything BUT chill. He was a total spaz. Very sensitive to noise and quick movement. Neurotic as f*ck yet fiercely loyal and loving to those he loved, as that was part of his contradictory charm.

So sorry for your loss...it's...really hard. No matter if you're or you're not crazy pet people...you cannot not get attached to any sort of little/medium/large/XL pet. Trust me, every single one no matter for how long you've had them in your life leave a mark.
Take care of your soul and may he rest in peace, do take care of other cat and I wish you get to share many more years to come.

Love my 2 cats to bits, probably one more than the other, since one is an indoor cat and the other is an outdoor one...but both get great food and hot place to sleep
The outdoor cat has their own insulated house with floor heating controlled by a thermostat with sensors )
However, I would still get heartbroken if any of them were to...leave no matter the cause

Yep. Thanks.

We've had eight cats since we moved into this house in 1995. Three died naturally, three got iced by cars on our road, and one played Jimmy Hoffa and vanished. One thankfully is still with us. We're accustomed to saying farewell, but you're right -- it's never easy.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Amen, Hervie. Bang on.

Outstanding description. This writer/editor tips his pen toward you in a salute.

As I will say at band practice later this evening, "Spark up!"

No shame in wanting a TWS can for convenience and ANC. And the Senny M4s are very, very good within that space. Better overall sound than Sony and Bose, for sure, but those two brands have better ANC.

I think that's because a lot of headphone manufacturers have a house sound or tuning philosophy and stick to it, for the most part. If you buy a HiFiMan, you're going to get recessed mids, planar bass and some glaring treble, at least at lower price points. If you buy any Senny 6 series can, you're going to get remarkable mids. If you buy many Focal or Audeze models, count on weird mids that demand EQ. And so on.

IEM manufacturers can be a bit more daring with tuning variety because multiple drivers and driver type allow a granularity in tuning that I don't see as much in over-ear cans. ZMF tunes quite differently across its models, but that's kind of rare.

Those excellent photos identify a potential problem with the burgeoning IEM industry in 2025 -- just how big can manufacturers go?

Many enthusiasts with small ears already can't use some of the models with a zillion drivers stuffed into a shell because the units are just too damn big. And it just seems like there is no limit to the size increase, as adding drivers still is all the rage for marketing among IEM companies, equating quantity with quality. Then you see a damn good -- but HUGE -- IEM like the BrainDance earn critical acclaim, and that will only motivate more companies to release f*cking Hickory Farms-thick sausage slices as new IEM models in 2025.

That's not good for the hobby, as fit will prevent some people from enjoying IEMs.

Reminds me of the evolution of pickup trucks in America over the last 40 years. I owned a small pickup in the late 80s, a Ford Ranger. It truly was a compact pickup. Now "compact" pickups in America seemingly are the size of F-150 full-sized trucks in the 1980s. This allows manufacturers to charge more for bigger vehicles even though they're overkill for probably 75 percent of truck owners.

Hope you're feeling better, mate.

I may be a bit scarce here the next few days, also for illness, but I'm heartsick. One of our two cats, Chuck, died last night after a brief illness. We're not crazy pet people who consider pets to be children -- I have three of the real thing. But they do become family members, and it's always tough to say goodbye.

At least Chuck didn't suffer much, and my eldest son was home from Colorado and helped me dig a grave in the backyard at 3 a.m. this morning so we could give him a quick and proper burial. My son was the closest of our three kids to the Big Fella, and I'm glad he was here to say farewell in person.

Chuck was a 20-pound fur ball of contradictions. Weird and independent, yet fiercely loyal. He could swat at your hand and five minutes later plant his big body on your chest on the couch. Social as hell but terrified of noise. Probably all byproducts of being a stray that we brought into our home in January 2017, and we learned two weeks ago during an X-ray at the vet that some a-hole shot him with a pellet before we rescued him! The pellet still was in his body.

I wish we had more time with the Big Killer, but he gave us nearly eight years of laughter and joy with his unique combination of playfulness and strangeness.

See you on the other side, Big Man.

Three of your five also are on my potential hit list, Hervie: P7, Cadenza 4 and BrainDance. You're a man of exquisite taste!

Hmm. This is a buffet for thought. I was pretty locked into buying the P5+2. But I've watched a ton of videos slinging praise on the BrainDance and now your recommendation of the C4 over the P5+2.

Decisions, decisions ...

My condolences on your loss, pk. I have two cats myself, and I do consider them children and family. Love my boys, and your Chuck looks exactly like the cat we adopted in 2012, that turned me into a cat person (this was the first cat (Keeks) I let into my home in my at the time 40+ years). I always had dogs until Keeks. Then he got sick and we were moving across country in 2014, and we couldn't bring him in his condition, so we had to vet him. But this led to us getting Magic as a kitten from the pound, and rescuing Buster as a feral kitten (3 weeks old) from a bush. We've had them for 8 and 6 years respectively. Sending heart healing karma your way.

 

[Syan25]

Personally, I think it's time to decorate your Xmas tree with your shiniest cans and iems - I am looking at you S12 owners. Nothing like gold on a Christmas tree.

 

[Vonbuddy]

 

[domq422]

These photos are fantastic! I can't wait to read your review. I'm still learning how to improve my photography, and your work inspires me.

By the way, what camera did you use for these shots? The clarity and detail is outstanding.

Thank you!

If you ever have any specific questions, I’ll be happy to help. The only thing I know more on than audio is photography, it is my first love
As many questions you can get answered, as many YouTube videos as you can watch, nothing beats experience.

Get out there and shoot! As my idol said “go out to your back yard and photograph the trash cans, next time you go to the store, take your camera. You have to practice.”

Ps. I use a Nikon Z6 with a 35mm sigma Art 1.4. Remember, it’s not always about the camera. If you put me in a F1 car, I’m not setting any lap records. It’s the person behind the machine as much as the machine, maybe even more so.

@pk4425 I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, Paul. RIP Chuck, he looked like such a good boy.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Like it's main competitor, the DUNU DK3001 Brain Dance, this sure is a beauty of an IEM.

 

[jbfps116]

Listening to the TFZ T2 Pro tonight... Tips were a pain to find, but so far, the Azla MAX tips are working quite well. Dang, this thing has such a magical, detailed, and crisp treble. I DO have the Libra X incoming [$7 why not??!?!?!] but I'd be shocked if the treble is better than the T2 Pro. But these things aren't all treble... the subbass it quite sufficient. They are not bassy sets in the traditional sense, but the bass is so clear and can dive very deep when called for. They are growing on me for sure! I love clear IEMs, and these are likely the epidemy of that sound, at least for the price. EDIT: Listening to Christine and the Queen's newer album, "Paranoia, Angels, True Love" Christine's voice is so clear and sweet on these, but her clear instrumentals are so well represented, and in great stage..

 

[Uprox]

@PhonoPhi are you gonna leave us??

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Listening to the TFZ T2 Pro tonight... Tips were a pain to find, but so far, the Azla MAX tips are working quite well. Dang, this thing has such a magical, detailed, and crisp treble. I DO have the Libra X incoming [$7 why not??!?!?!] but I'd be shocked if the treble is better than the T2 Pro. But these things aren't all treble... the subbass it quite sufficient. They are not bassy sets in the traditional sense, but the bass is so clear and can dive very deep when called for. They are growing on me for sure! I love clear IEMs, and these are likely the epidemy of that sound, at least for the price. EDIT: Listening to Christine and the Queen's newer album, "Paranoia, Angels, True Love" Christine's voice is so clear and sweet on these, but her clear instrumentals are so well represented, and in great stage..

You might have purchased the T2 Pro for cheap, but at one time, it was a $90.00 IEM. Kinda hard to compare it with the $7.00 Libra X, and IMHO, the treble is one of the weaker areas of the L-X. What I mean by that, is that the treble is pretty much the same treble you heard in the Libra balanced, the Vader HR, and the KZ Castor. That slightly metallic, shimmery treble that's ever so slightly strident in tonality. The strengths of the Libra X are the massive stage, the really nice forward midrange, and some punchy bass due to the front loaded dynamic driver. All together, it's one of the best values in the ultra budget realm, but it's not going to beat a $90.00 IEM, even if you bought it for $30.00 or less?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

@PhonoPhi are you gonna leave us??

No. He's left and made more comebacks than KISS.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Totally surprised myself by finding my KZ Ling Long and my TRN M10. I thought I sold these two bullet shaped IEMs (I had two pairs of Lings), but they were in my cassette tackle box, which I broke out due to getting a FiiO cassette player for Christmas. The Lings don't sound that bad. This was the true start of KZ going away from the deep V tuning of their hey day. The mids are still recessed, but the treble is airy but controlled, and not even as metallic as the Libra X or Castor. Bass hit pretty good in the sub bass, with some decent but not overly punchy mid bass. The M10 is an early 1+1 by TRN, with a BA + micro dynamic, and it's pretty bassy, with a darker tuning, but it's not bad either. Fun for bassy music, but the BA's definitely lack sparkle.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Yay, finally! Glad you didn’t have to wait until after the new year to get it. Great first impressions.



Got any Spinfit W1s lying around? Try those or any other liquid silicone tips. But it sounds like you’ve already got a great seal right off the bat when you describe the bass and treble the way you do.

Cantor’s great with R2R and tubes too, so you should be in for a treat!



I would be very interested in your thoughts on Cadenza 4 vs Cantor when you get it.

It’s been ages since I heard Cadenza 4 but I wrote at the time that I really enjoyed it for its timbre and tonality. If I had to nitpick it would be that it’s a bit too smooth up top for my tastes, but that’s really quibbling for the asking price.

Cantor’s treble, on the other hand, is a huge sweet spot for me with the sheer load of fine detail it conveys and the absence of any peaks in particular to push it across with.



Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I will. I enjoy good single DDs at any price point and and had a quick glance at other impressions as well so I’m reasonably sure I will get along with them.



Yeah I have my eye on that one as well but it’s a bit too much of a blind buy at $180 with no impressions at all.



Where’s the Shock though?



Thanks! It was just rigged for the photo, unfortunately.

Had some Christmas LED fairy lights around so removed one of the blocks (the 6x1 beam at the back, directly under the roof of the oven, to be exact), slipped in one or two of the LEDs at the end of the string, taped them to the oven ceiling and hid the rest of the lights.

I suppose if I wanted to, I could rig up one of those miniature lights they use for dollhouses and other models but that would be another project.





But who am I to laugh, I’m very likely going to PTT on some of their cables as well before the year is out, so the joke’s on me.



AWESOME photos, @domq422!



If I hadn’t moved away from desktop gear, I would be coveting this so badly.

You are skimming a little too fast. I don't have the IEM, that is a YouTube video and first review, and those are screen captures for people who like to skim too fast!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

So looks like my Tangzu Legend (Empress) is getting shipped out Monday or Tuesday, and I'll even get a chance to listen to the ISN EBC80 & the AFUL Cantor side by side before I send the EBC80 off on a tour. Don't you worry your little head about that EBC80 traveling alone! They have a partner traveling along with (Aur Audio Aure), but this will be the first time these two marvelous kids will be away from pops in their short lives. It's ok though. I'll be busy with the aforementioned Legend, the Softears Volume S, Tanchjim Bunny, and Aurora Ultra. Plus I have the Cadenza 4 and H60, which are perfectly awesome homebodies to keep me company.