The discovery thread!

[BS5711]

What was your #1 discovery of the year? Gear and IEM/Headphone? Most disappointing purchase?

Happy New Year!

Best purchase - AüR Audio Hermit.

Most disappointing purchase - Campfire Solaris 2020.

 

[o0genesis0o]

I don't mean this in any negative way, or anything like that, and this isn't the first time something like this was posted (I'm having a hard time remembering what IEM it was, but someone posted a similar impression of an IEM, that was lukewarm, but still rec'ing it), but since when did "pleasant, okay, and not bad" become "mind boggling"? I'm as adverse to hyperbole and shill as the next guy, but when something is mind boggling to me (ISN H60 and Letshuoer Cadenza 4 come to mind), the last descriptives I'm going to use are okay, decent, and not bad. My apologies if this seems curt. It's more a curiosity for word choice, because these words do not fill me with a desire to pick this set up based on them being okay and not bad.

@Tanalasta is a good friend in my Aussie headfier circle. A guy with good taste and lots of experience in TOTL audio gear. So, when it’s “mind boggling” for him, it’s likely in the context of price/performance vs his usual gears.

Fun fact: these friends love the NX8 so much that they organised a private group buy. Now, that reception from these experienced folks is mind boggling to me I will need to try @Dsnuts suggestion of changing nozzles, but so far, I think this IEM belongs to the group of the hyped trio, but maybe a bit behind. But it’s likely due to my preference.

 

[PeacockObscura]

I've just received the ISN H60 what an incredible iem the best most expansive mids I've experienced truly magical when paired with the Muse ULTRA just so imersive coupled with the the fantastic bass and extended treble they are just so addictive.

They make my music come alive. Vocals are to die for.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I've just received the ISN H60 what an incredible iem the best most expansive mids I've experienced truly magical when paired with the Muse ULTRA just so imersive coupled with the the fantastic bass and extended treble they are just so addictive.

They make my music come alive. Vocals are to die for.

AMEN!! Now this is an IEM that is worth it's weight in gold, and is a magical immersive experience!

 

[Vonbuddy]

What was your #1 discovery of the year? Gear and IEM/Headphone? Most disappointing purchase?

Happy New Year!

The Shanling ME600 was the best surprise. Really knew nothing about Shanling IEMs before ToneDeafMonk talked about these.
The Pilgrim was a little disappointing but the experience taught me a lot about tip selection.

 

[pmichaelro]

The images are deceiving - the hump on the back makes it appear a lot bigger and that was initially putting me off - while it does add size, it’s actually incredibly ergonomic and far easier to hold and manage versus the likes of RS8 or indeed the DX340.

What attracted me to it was having owned it’s predecessors - the LPGT and LPGT Ti, both phenomenal players from a sound quality perspective with an incredibly neutral signature - the GT2 increases power significantly giving 1000mW balanced and 460mW unbalanced… I typically prefer a mostly neutral / reference signature and that’s what Lotoo are known for - also they indeed only play local files, I’ve a huge collection of FLAC built up over almost 20 years now… nothing beats the simplicity and speed of the Lotoo OS and UI if you don’t intend to stream - boots up in less than 5 seconds with instant access to the SD, in this case I’ve a 1.5tb card loaded with over 1tb of music. The screen is absolutely perfect when not using Android etc too.

Oh and you do get a device that can plug into a phone and allow you stream to the GT2, only briefly tried and works seamlessly.



The GT2 is plain and simple a dedicated music player with nothing else to slow it down or impact sound performance - which even in the short couple of days I’ve had it, beats anything I’ve heard for my sound preferences!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder But yeah, there are certainly more attractive players out there!

Now your photos speak volumes...however, it's still such a thickboy! Cannot, not see that HUMP!
However...after reading your insights, it does make sense, since it's a "non-smart" DAP (aka running Android OS), nor does it rely on streaming...hands down it's optimized to the max for local playback and thus a big screen is not needed necessarily, it becomes an afterthought.
Really interesting how they were able to achieve such a weight in such a thickkkkk body

Great speedy boot time as well! Even the whole UI and operation seems ANALOGUE (or barebones).

Also, great sales pitch for the LPGT2! (I won't be hitting it any time soon since I have a lot to recover from recent purchases plus I would have to build my offline library)

"Unfortunately" I'm more of a "new generation" sort of adopter...so I'm into streaming - Tidal (also have Spotify Family on the back-burner for the wifey).
I haven't started like this, back in my youth when MP3 players and iPods were rising etc...everything was offline so yeah...the commodity of streaming has changed a lot of things...it also helps with discovery as well.

However, I do have to thank you DiscoThreaders again for some new music discovery, both genres and artists

That's my conflict with these summit-fi DAPs. It's cool to own or have the concept of owning one, but with a value that's sometimes beyond the value of someone's automobile, it defeats the purpose of DAPs to begin with. DAPs are designed to be portable audio, but as you said, you don't plan to take it out with you often, so it just becomes a "desktop unit". So why not just buy a desktop unit, for roughly the same amount of money, or in some cases, much cheaper? Conundrum there. I feel it's like someone who buys an expensive collectors car, but doesn't take it out for drives, as it sits in the garage. But you risk damage or theft if you do. So yeah, I'm very conflicted with the actual use case for all these megabuck DAPs, and true "portability", which is their intent.

Like I have my eye on the A&Kfutura for 2025, but do I really want to carry around a close to $2,000 DAP with me (sure it's $999 now, but still....)? But that's what it's for!!

For me a larger, more expensive, and ultimately more capable DAP like the GT2 is a unit that can move around the house with me - I rarely listen to music at a fixed point in the house - I have a desktop solution which I’d estimate gets at best 5% of my time. I can listen at my work desk at home, my kitchen, sitting room, bedroom etc with no compromise to performance, be it IEMs or headphones.

Yes it’s expensive, yes diminishing returns are applicable, but I had the opportunity and took it - firm believer in living life!

I agree with you both here...it's great to be able to own such a nice piece of gear and...I find it really useful as well to be able to "unplug" myself from the desk and still be able to take the same level of quality with me around the house, even out the door etc
So having a portable DAP definitely changes things, all for the better if you're able to just have the DAP with no other things attached, in case the DAP already have a decent enough size and weight (DX340, RS8)...otherwise if it's really compact and it makes sense to use it with a dongle then it's also a win (ex: JM21 + DCElite)

I'll make it happen. I've got 9 more days to explore - and therefore about 27 meals for sure.


Huge Thanks for this idea, it might come in handy at some later point!


Our limited time goes by quickly, so I co-sign this belief.

---

My 2025 resolution when it comes to this hobby is to get my artists/playlists/albums all organised in Tidal/MicroSD/Excel spreadsheet. Then, I think I'll approach my ever-growing dilemma of what to listen to with a simple random number generator every morning. That should make it interesting and varied.

How do you guys choose your music?

Tidal explore/radio, Spotify, DiscoThread, YouTube...no exact formula but there is music all around us

I tend to choose based on purchases from Bandcamp - so for example, I've browsed the 'Bleep best albums of 2024' tonight, and as a result bought a few on Bandcamp - I create a folder for my DAP with some latest purchases so I can easily then browse and choose what to listen to in the coming days/weeks etc... my Bandcamp shopping is a much loved ritual for me, and the closest to the experience of browsing music in a good old music shop!



I'll continue to add albums to this folder over the coming weeks, and then maybe as we progress to Feb/March, rename the folder to 'Q1 2025' - beyond that, typically move the albums to existing genre folders. This is a system I've stuck with for probably nearly 20 years now since the earliest MP3 players!

Great methodology! Will try to make use of it while I try to build some offline library as well.
Also "stole" that indirect rec of yours Bibio - Phantom Brickworks (LP II) - great background sound/noise while you tinker with your own inner thoughts

---

BTW..where do you guys actually store all your music/songs?
I'm referring to the original copies (sort-of-say), out of which you actually pick what you're going to be transferring on them microSD cards) HDDs/SSDs? Capacity?

 

[o0genesis0o]

The Shanling ME600 was the best surprise. Really knew nothing about Shanling IEMs before ToneDeafMonk talked about these.
The Pilgrim was a little disappointing but the experience taught me a lot about tip selection.

Yeah, I expected much more from Pilgrim. It’s a good IEM no doubt, but I was expecting Lee Elysian to make even more magic, like “only 4 driver for that sound? Holy moly!”

 

[pk4425]

1. Ezra Collective - Dance, No One's Watching

That is my favorite album of 2024, regardless of genre. Biggest surprise and best listen. Phenomenal. If your feet aren't tapping and your ass isn't wiggling at some point during this album, get the defibrillator ready to jump-start your heart -- you're probably dead.

So far I've not gotten into DSP. I'm not a fan of EQ, so I take the position of fellas like @pk4425. If you need to EQ the tuning with a cable, then it's not done yet, but different strokes for different folks obviously. Some dudes are "in love" with EQ/PEQ, so there's always a market for that type of thing.

EQ should be like fine-grit sandpaper, used only to smooth rough edges of a sound signature. If you're using EQ to fix major problems with a transducer, then that's a sure sign that you bought the wrong IEM or headphone.

That's one of the reasons I had no problem selling my Focal Elegia and Audeze LCD-X 2021 despite really enjoying certain aspects of their sound. Both had such wonky mids out of the box that they needed major fixing through EQ. Nobody should spend that kind of dough ($900 Elegia MSRP, $1,200 LCD-X) on a headphone that most people say requires significant rescuing in a certain area of the sound. That's just bad tuning, and I expect more for that for my money.

How do you guys choose your music?

Three methods.

One, I get the Allmusic.com New Releases newsletter every Friday, which contains a paragraph from the full Allmusic.com review from every major new album released that week, regardless of genre. If there's an album that intrigues me in any way, I bookmark the review in a browser folder. Then I plow through those records in full. Sometimes I pick one or two albums per week; other times I pick 12. I bet I listen to around 250 new full albums per year.

Two, I ALWAYS listen to the weekly Resident DJ set by Argentine progressive house maestro Hernan Cattaneo. That's a must for me every week. I love his mixes.

Three, then it's all mood. Whatever strikes me based on the task or mood I'm in. Find an album that matches, and let it rip. Or there may be a new song or album that's an earworm I can't shake. For example, I've listened to Sam Fender's new single "People Watching" on repeat for about the last month.

Happy New Year, fellas. May all your dreams come true. I thank each of you for your friendship and wisdom as I dove head-first hard into IEMs this year. This thread and the IEM hobby have been among the highlights of my year. Thank you.

My IEM of the year is easy: Penon Fan 3.

Not going to lie: I'm still struggling with the loss of my cat Chuck, so I'm not too much in the mood to expound on audio affairs right now. Getting a little better every day. Just want you folks to know you're all special to me. Thanks.

 

[cobrabucket]

Yeah, I expected much more from Pilgrim. It’s a good IEM no doubt, but I was expecting Lee Elysian to make even more magic, like “only 4 driver for that sound? Holy moly!”

I agree. Especially when the Project M does so much just being a 1+1.

 

[Vonbuddy]

That is my favorite album of 2024, regardless of genre. Biggest surprise and best listen. Phenomenal. If your feet aren't tapping and your ass isn't wiggling at some point during this album, get the defibrillator ready to jump-start your heart -- you're probably dead.

EQ should be like fine-grit sandpaper, used only to smooth rough edges of a sound signature. If you're using EQ to fix major problems with a transducer, then that's a sure sign that you bought the wrong IEM or headphone.

That's one of the reasons I had no problem selling my Focal Elegia and Audeze LCD-X 2021 despite really enjoying certain aspects of their sound. Both had such wonky mids out of the box that they needed major fixing through EQ. Nobody should spend that kind of dough ($900 Elegia MSRP, $1,200 LCD-X) on a headphone that most people say requires significant rescuing in a certain area of the sound. That's just bad tuning, and I expect more for that for my money.

Three methods.

One, I get the Allmusic.com New Releases newsletter every Friday, which contains a paragraph from the full Allmusic.com review from every major new album released that week, regardless of genre. If there's an album that intrigues me in any way, I bookmark the review in a browser folder. Then I plow through those records in full. Sometimes I pick one or two albums per week; other times I pick 12. I bet I listen to around 250 new full albums per year.

Two, I ALWAYS listen to the weekly Resident DJ set by Argentine progressive house maestro Hernan Cattaneo. That's a must for me every week. I love his mixes.

Three, then it's all mood. Whatever strikes me based on the task or mood I'm in. Find an album that matches, and let it rip. Or there may be a new song or album that's an earworm I can't shake. For example, I've listened to Sam Fender's new single "People Watching" on repeat for about the last month.

Happy New Year, fellas. May all your dreams come true. I thank each of you for your friendship and wisdom as I dove head-first hard into IEMs this year. This thread and the IEM hobby have been among the highlights of my year. Thank you.

My IEM of the year is easy: Penon Fan 3.

Not going to lie: I'm still struggling with the loss of my cat Chuck, so I'm not too much in the mood to expound on audio affairs right now. Getting a little better every day. Just want you folks to know you're all special to me. Thanks.

The Fan 3 was my second most surprising iem next to the ME600. I wasn't going to buy it until I got some motivation (no further comments hint hint).

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

The Shanling ME600 was the best surprise. Really knew nothing about Shanling IEMs before ToneDeafMonk talked about these.
The Pilgrim was a little disappointing but the experience taught me a lot about tip selection.

The enjoy the Pilgrim, and the Noir, but that IEM is MOST DEFINITELY tip dependent for fit. The shape of the shell and length of the nozzle is very tricky, and almost every tip I tried minus the XL Penon blackeye licky's didn't work right. The Licky's though, provide an excellent fit and seal, without the need for o-rings/extenders.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Now your photos speak volumes...however, it's still such a thickboy! Cannot, not see that HUMP!
However...after reading your insights, it does make sense, since it's a "non-smart" DAP (aka running Android OS), nor does it rely on streaming...hands down it's optimized to the max for local playback and thus a big screen is not needed necessarily, it becomes an afterthought.
Really interesting how they were able to achieve such a weight in such a thickkkkk body

Great speedy boot time as well! Even the whole UI and operation seems ANALOGUE (or barebones).

Also, great sales pitch for the LPGT2! (I won't be hitting it any time soon since I have a lot to recover from recent purchases plus I would have to build my offline library)

"Unfortunately" I'm more of a "new generation" sort of adopter...so I'm into streaming - Tidal (also have Spotify Family on the back-burner for the wifey).
I haven't started like this, back in my youth when MP3 players and iPods were rising etc...everything was offline so yeah...the commodity of streaming has changed a lot of things...it also helps with discovery as well.

However, I do have to thank you DiscoThreaders again for some new music discovery, both genres and artists



I agree with you both here...it's great to be able to own such a nice piece of gear and...I find it really useful as well to be able to "unplug" myself from the desk and still be able to take the same level of quality with me around the house, even out the door etc
So having a portable DAP definitely changes things, all for the better if you're able to just have the DAP with no other things attached, in case the DAP already have a decent enough size and weight (DX340, RS8)...otherwise if it's really compact and it makes sense to use it with a dongle then it's also a win (ex: JM21 + DCElite)


Tidal explore/radio, Spotify, DiscoThread, YouTube...no exact formula but there is music all around us


Great methodology! Will try to make use of it while I try to build some offline library as well.
Also "stole" that indirect rec of yours Bibio - Phantom Brickworks (LP II) - great background sound/noise while you tinker with your own inner thoughts

---

BTW..where do you guys actually store all your music/songs?
I'm referring to the original copies (sort-of-say), out of which you actually pick what you're going to be transferring on them microSD cards) HDDs/SSDs? Capacity?

I've got three externals. One 1TB, one 2TB, and one 4TB, and I keep all my music on all three duplicated, so that if anything happens to one, there's always a backup. Plus I got SIX 1.5tb microSD chips that I store a lot of my collection on (obviously not all, until I'm able to spent on a 2TB chip), that are slotted in 6 different daps (N3U, Sony A-306, Sony A-55, iBasso DX170, FiiO JM21, and Hiby R3 II. I need to get one more for the M1P.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

LETSHUOER CADENZA 4

My latest review has been released. Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to read, like, or comment. I do these for the community, and hope it helps with buying decisions or indecisions.
You can find it at this location.

@FreeWheelinAudioLuv2

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

That is my favorite album of 2024, regardless of genre. Biggest surprise and best listen. Phenomenal. If your feet aren't tapping and your ass isn't wiggling at some point during this album, get the defibrillator ready to jump-start your heart -- you're probably dead.

EQ should be like fine-grit sandpaper, used only to smooth rough edges of a sound signature. If you're using EQ to fix major problems with a transducer, then that's a sure sign that you bought the wrong IEM or headphone.

That's one of the reasons I had no problem selling my Focal Elegia and Audeze LCD-X 2021 despite really enjoying certain aspects of their sound. Both had such wonky mids out of the box that they needed major fixing through EQ. Nobody should spend that kind of dough ($900 Elegia MSRP, $1,200 LCD-X) on a headphone that most people say requires significant rescuing in a certain area of the sound. That's just bad tuning, and I expect more for that for my money.

Three methods.

One, I get the Allmusic.com New Releases newsletter every Friday, which contains a paragraph from the full Allmusic.com review from every major new album released that week, regardless of genre. If there's an album that intrigues me in any way, I bookmark the review in a browser folder. Then I plow through those records in full. Sometimes I pick one or two albums per week; other times I pick 12. I bet I listen to around 250 new full albums per year.

Two, I ALWAYS listen to the weekly Resident DJ set by Argentine progressive house maestro Hernan Cattaneo. That's a must for me every week. I love his mixes.

Three, then it's all mood. Whatever strikes me based on the task or mood I'm in. Find an album that matches, and let it rip. Or there may be a new song or album that's an earworm I can't shake. For example, I've listened to Sam Fender's new single "People Watching" on repeat for about the last month.

Happy New Year, fellas. May all your dreams come true. I thank each of you for your friendship and wisdom as I dove head-first hard into IEMs this year. This thread and the IEM hobby have been among the highlights of my year. Thank you.

My IEM of the year is easy: Penon Fan 3.

Not going to lie: I'm still struggling with the loss of my cat Chuck, so I'm not too much in the mood to expound on audio affairs right now. Getting a little better every day. Just want you folks to know you're all special to me. Thanks.

Happy New Year, pk. You've been front row to all the madness and fun of this threadin 2024, and I do appreciate you and your thoughts greatly, as well as all the rest of you who don't take this place too seriously, or get your gears in a grind over my observations, impressions, and opinions. <3

 

[Ozboyblu]

Mall call. - KZ Zenith.

Preview Unboxing - OOTB Impressons - Coming soon…….

Most Premium KZ unboxing I’ve experienced.

Quick listen has impressed me by the sound quality.

---

Mega Multi Quote.

.

Oh I’m keeping it until it breaks. I just don’t wanna overload this thread with me gushing about it lol.

I’m with you on the Gushing over CANTOR.

Well seeing I wanted a better wireless headphone set for music after the KZ disappointment, after a little research, I got the Sennheiser Momentum 4 on Amazon sale for $200. Fingers crossed they work and sound fantastic. I know they have EQ and personalized audio capability and can be used wired over 3.5mm or USB C… so maybe these R4 will power them nicely. I know most audiophiles would scoff at BT headsets but for the convenience, it’s worth it.

I also have Sennheiser Momentum 4 Headphones. They come very close to Focal Bathys in sound quality , especially using the Sennheiser app and personalising your hearing experience. I use them with the HiBy R4 too.

My Tiandirenhe TD20 that I ordered on December 10th finally arrived but I am burning it in a bit first. Will listen later.

Exciting!

Looking out for more impressions and hoping TD20’s price comes down again at some point.

It went up to $87 when they restocked after that sale and I haven’t seen it come down since.

Noooo , That’s an example of Ali Express putting up the price cause we like these so much.

I'll tell you about this morning.

I went out for my usual walk.
I felt like I was craving a V-SHAPED sound, and I took the IE600s with me.

After 5 minutes, I was losing my desire to listen, the sound seemed 'thin' ().

Luckily I had the DEUCEs with me.
Put them under, and my dissatisfaction ceased.
But I'm not writing this to endorse the DEUCEs, they
could have easily been the Dynaquatto.
What I mean is that I felt the need for an 'exaggerated' sound, and not a 'correct' and neutral one.

Another day it happens exactly the opposite.
Or it happens that I feel like listening to 'spicy' high tones (like S12 OG or worse).
Am I crazy?

I resonate with this so much. “ What I mean is that I felt the need for an ’exaggerated’ sounds, and not a ‘correct’ and neutral one. “
Appreciating different presentations and having a diverse range of IEM’s is something I’m most grateful for.

If someone gave me these IEMs to try and says they cost 1k...I would say fantastic IEMs!!!
Tiandirenhe TD20!
Excellent experience! Nomor 7+++!




Cheers!

It’s the Box a show stopper. The IEM is amazing too.

Don’t worry, I haven’t fallen out with Cantor. They both have a firm place in my collection and they know it. There are days when it’s the other way round, or something else altogether.

And this is why I need multiple flavours and can’t have a one-and-done.

This is such a thing for me. Having Multiple flavours is beautiful.

Dear lord, I will never be able to keep up with the KZ pokemons and the alphabet soup doesn’t help. But piano string resonance, you say? One of those Ozboy sort of accidents might have just happened and I may or may not have one on the way.

Happy accidents haven’t happen yet in 2025. But It’s bound to happen this year.

The OCC849 is genuine!

OCC849 is the first cable I literally heard a difference with the H60 from the original stock ISN Cable. Remembering your impressive cable comparison from your H60 Review.

Congrats!! I get to put these in my ears next week, and I'm really excited about it. Also gonna get the chance to hear the Lime Ears Terra, so my gosh, with all these other IEM's incoming, my ears are gonna have a pretty sweet New Year.

As for today, I've been listening to the Cadenza 4, which has risen to damn near the top of my favorite IEM list, and I have them neck and neck with the ISN H60. Every day I'm more amazed by the tone, timbre, imaging, and balance of the delivery. I'm sincerely blessed to have these in my rotation, and now I know why @Leonarfd has them ranked so highly in his rotation. For good reason. I've been enjoying them as much, or maybe MORE than the ISN EBC80. Yeah. I said it.

But for the last couple hours, I've been listening to the AFUL Performer 5+2 + Tripowin Moss 3.5mm + Divinus Wild Boars + Hiby R3 II, and totally diggin' this immersive aural experience. GOLDEN AGE OF IEMs!! Sorry...NOT SORRY.

Golden Age indeed. Grateful to be here for it. Looking forward to your CANTOR impressions.

I'm going to be publishing my review of the Brain Dance before the end of next week but I finally finished the photos after 4 days of working on them. I really wanted to go with something very different from everyone else and the BD gave me spaceship/space station vibes so, I tried my best to recreate the cinematography-type grading from one of my favorite films of all time, Interstellar. I'm not 100% satisfied with them but just like every other piece of art, you never truly finish it, you just abandon it

Just wanted to share some of the shots with some of you guys

This Photography is Beautiful. I see the light and shadows and the overall mood and atmosphere you created here. It’s Impressive.

1. Letshuoer Cadenza 4
2. ISN EBC80
3. AFUL Performer 5+2
4. DUNU DK3001 Brain Dance
5. PULA Anvil 114
6. 7Hz FIVE
7. Simgot EW300/Tangzu YuXuan Ji*

*most recent acquisitions in order of preference

This is a great list. I’d be very interested to see this list updated after you had time with AFUL CANTOR.

Such beautiful shots of the Brain Dance, master of photos as always I hope to hear the BD one day, I enjoyed the Glacier from DUNU and I want to try more from the brand.

---

I got a new discovery for my IEMs, bought myself a new desktop tube amp. Bought the Cayin HA-2A for use with headphones, I had a good OTL amp I sold earlier this year and regretted fast after. What is quite fun with the HA-2A and IEMs is that it has impedance switch and also a 4.4mm socket with less power than the other sockets, this make it work excellent with IEMs also.

Will try some more IEMs over the next days, but the little I tried been great with both buds and iems. Tubey smooth sound

What a Beast. This looks so insane. What’s it like? Have you fallen in love with this machine. I know I would. Loving the animated Gif with the VU Meter.

Starry Night is love. Congrats man

Thank you! It’s my most expensive IEM. I’m so loving it.

This past week has been a little hectic, with some ear infection causing me to not be able to listen to music at all. Thankfully I started recovering about 2-3 days ago and now in a day or two I will be able to listen to IEMs again(gonna rock the new year with some beautiful songs). I have shot a video showcasing my favourite audio gear of 2024, I am super excited to share it but editing is currently pending. Will try to finish it today itself and share it once ready.

Happy holidays everyone!!

Ear infections are awful . Hope you feel better soon.

I literally just cried listening to the Cantor. There are people who don’t even cry listening to the $50,000 HE-1, yet I do listening to the little $800 Cantor.
I wouldn’t trade the Cantor for any other IEM on the planet. Not the MacBeth, not the Annihilator 2023, not the Storm, not the Fugaku.
This IEM made me realise how incredibly elitist you have to be to carelessly criticise such a wonderful piece of gear.
You can probably guess what my new favourite audio company is.

I cried with a few of my IEM’s. CANTOR did this recently with a haunting vocal song I was listening to. Tears were welling up. Wild.

On a break in Dingle which is a beautiful rural town in the south west of Ireland.

While I brought a few IEMs, the majority of my time has been spent with either Mecha or ARMOR.

Starting with ARMOR, I need to compare again with SHOCK, but where ARMOR of course falls down in comparison from a technical standpoint, it sure does make up for it in terms of completely captivating musicality - again, I need to compare but I possibly find even more enjoyable vs SHOCK… just covers me in a warm blanket of deep relaxation where I simply enjoy and love the music.

TSMR ARMOR is an IEM anomaly. Something I keep coming back to. I can’t put it down once I start. It’s so addictive.

I knew you'd love it. It's hard not to love it. You get used to the deep insertion after a while, I felt violated at first too lmao.
My impressions are pretty much identical to yours. So beautifully neutral and natural and resolving. Exceptional bass, not just for BA.
#TeamStarryNight

Thanks I was mildly nervous from the mix of reviews. But I’m in love with CANTOR.

I am so tempted just for the looks.

Yeah that’s just talcum powder. I get it….. Clean!!

Enjoy! #teamcantor (leave them color schemes alone - it's Cantor inside)

Color Scheme helps the appeal I reckon.

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.

Thanks. I’m impressed so far with CANTOR.

I don’t have W1’s tips lying around , but you’re right the stock tips have given the best seal so far.

As for the Block Oven with the Christmas lights - Genius!.

This makes me want to try them so badly haha

I haven't been wowed by detail retrieval and techs since hearing the STORM for the first time... I knew those would tamper with my ears and expectations lol

You're too kind, brother, thank you!

I’d be very surprised if you didn’t love CANTOR too , based on your IEM’s in your collection, listening and sound signature preference. Hope you get a chance to listen to them some day.

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.

Man. So So Sorry for your loss. Cats are amazing company. We had 2 cats growing up. Ironically our “Bobby Socks” looked similar to your Chuck. RIP Chuck.

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.

Love that you shared, Chuck was a total spaz. Neurotic as F. Totally paints a picture of his character. Will Always be remembered . Never forgotten. Sounds like a Legend.

Sorry to intervene but,
Cantor is way more refined in presentation/tonality/tech.

If we talk about the tonality alone

DaVinci is more well-rounded for treble-sensitive people, with a mellower sound with way less detail retrieval but a bigger stage. Lower mids are a bit warmer on the DaVinci which I didn't like much, whereas Cantor's vocals are very well-suited for me.

Hype 4 is hollow sounding in the bass, again with better staging and lesser stage/imaging capabilities. Cantor might be a bit forward in the 8khz region whereas Hype 4 will feel forward around the 10khz region. The lowermids are not good in my opinion on Hype 4, I much prefer Cantor.

Thanks for Clearing this up for me. I haven’t had experience with the Hype 4 or Da Vinci to comment. So appreciate you helping out.

I also Had to check out your YouTube Video review on AFUL CANTOR. Very Impressive. A great watch. I like your style and subscribed.

Well, here we are, less than 48 hours from turning the calendar over to 2025. I want to take this opportunity to reflect on what a great year 2024 has been for me. First, I want to show some appreciation to this special community for all the great information and conversations shared here in the Discovery thread. This really is a special place where people from all over the world can come together and share a common passion for such a subjective and personal hobby without fear of judgment. Our audio journeys are uniquely our own, but it's much more fun to share your experiences with others along the way.

So I started my reviewing journey in January of this year, and it has become so much more than I would have dreamed. I have tallied 56 so far, and I cannot thank enough those who have read them and offered both words of criticism and encouragement. I've also made some great friends this year, and I even got to meet a few while attending my first-ever CanJam. They have all been beyond generous in sharing their gear, and I truly thank them for it (@Jaytiss @MakeItWain @EnigmaFotos @musingclouds @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 and anyone else I may have missed).

Without further ado, I want to share some of my personal highlights from this year, both within the audiophile world and beyond. I encourage everyone who wants to participate to do so, as I would love to hear more about your highlights from this past year.

Favorite IEM: AME Mousa

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has heard me rave about it since I first heard it. After CanJam, I never thought I'd get to do a full-scale review, but I'm so glad I was afforded the opportunity!

Favorite headphone: ZMF Atrium Closed

I don't do many headphone reviews, but I did write about three ZMF models this year (Caldera, Atrium Closed, and Bokeh). My penchant for isolation makes the AC an easy choice, but it also has fantastic tuning and technicalities.

Favorite non-transducer gear: iFi GO bar Kensei

This is such a great dongle, with a plethora of options and a rich sound. I wish I had the opportunity to compare it to the DC Elite, as that is a favorite among many here.

Biggest surprise: Dunu DK3001BD

What can be said about the BrainDance that hasn't been said already? The price-to-performance ratio on this one is crazy good. It will really make you think twice about spending over $1000 on a pair of IEMs.

Biggest disappointment: Oriveti Lowmaster

I don't understand where Oriveti got the name, because the tuning on this one is not at all what I expected. It's actually quite bright, with a polite bass response. I was really looking forward to this as it was my first Oriveti set, but in the end, I was pretty underwhelmed.

Favorite audio moment:
This is a tie between attending my first CanJam and getting the opportunity to review the AME Mousa thanks to @musingclouds. You're a real one, brother!

Favorite nonaudio related moment:
I'd have to say it was spending time with my kids and family. One big highlight was the Polar Express-style train ride where my kids (6 and 3) got to "go to the North Pole" and meet Santa.

As 2024 comes to a close, I'll drop one final review for the year. This one is for the highly regarded Elysian Annihilator 2023 (Head-fi and blog). My impressions may be a little more controversial than most, but if we all liked the same things, this would be a pretty boring hobby. Now please excuse me while I do my best Matrix impression and try to dodge the bullets that are inevitable coming my way .

I’m here to say That you’re Comprehensive list is something else. I really appreciate your work. Just beautiful.

This is the measurement of my Tiandirenhe TD20.
I got no complaints about the sound although some tones sound a bit spicy at times. Guessing they might fall right in those peaks? My hearing is not trained enough to really pick it up very well.
Also when I first measured them I got tons of distortion... Apparently I had my mic sensitivity down so gave the IEMs I tested too much volume giving distortion. My last graph from my SP01's for example. I tested them again and no distortion but they did actually develop a channel imbalance from my use @work.
Also measured the Explorers again but they didn't show any change so left it at that.
I really hope the IvipQ IEM I measured was actually broken because there was only distortion on one side. I already send them back tho so can't try again.

The TD20 is so close to spicy . But to my ears, just doesn’t quite get there. Hope you are enjoying them. Also Hope you can can some resolution to your IvipQ IEM.

Thanks, friends. Still haven't fully decided which way to go, English or Slovene. Sure, the 'market' for Slovene is miniscule, but the competition is obviously lesser as well. Think I'll stick to both guns at least from the start. I'm writing something in both Slovene and English.


Yep, visiting the USA. Going to Death Valley tomorrow morning! Rented one cool little motor to spice up the journey



Awesome little post, keep it up in 2025, but maybe take it easier with the reviews, at least I know I want to (I say as I await 5 things ...).

Fav IEM: AFUL P7
Just a tasteful all-arounder.

Fav HP: Aune SR7000
Closed-back done right with ample technical prowess.

Fav non-transducer gear: iBasso DX180
Simple to appreciate. Like it for the neutrality.

Biggest surprise: BQEYZ Cloud
I wasn't all that optimistic about a bright single DD. I was proven wrong.

Biggest disappointment: 7hz Legato
An old one, sure, but dang was this one tough to review. And I had high hopes that this would be my basshead set for every now and then. Na-ah.

Fav audio moment: talking gear over a pizza and beer water with @bithalver.

Fav non-audio moment: reviving our relationship with grandpa. Cool dude, shame so many years got wasted. Not getting into any why's.


Bond. James Bond. 007.
Performer. AFUL Performer. P7.


This one's coming! I hope I love it as much as the Cloud.


Still living the good '10s life. It only gets worse from there on out.

Mazda CX5? - Death Valley is somewhere I’d love to explore. See any UFO’s yet

Last (slightly belated) mail call of 2024:

Dunu DK3001BD Brain Dance
Came for the treble, stayed for the bass



This time, I decided I needed to hold off on early impressions and take a little more time to get my head around this set. And what a fascinating set it is.

Yeah, it's a treble fest - brighter, showier, more energetic than Cantor. Think of it as Cantor's younger cousin.

Along with it, an abundance of imaging and positional cues.

It is not overtly bassy. On the DC Elite, it comes across as more balanced than anything.

But even on the DCE - and more so with the powerbank - I could already discern a cavernous rumble that hinted at a much larger reserve of bass, and it piqued my interest.

So I threw it on the Enleum HPA-23RM and let it rip. And what a metamorphosis.

In current mode, its sub bass is thunderous and bottomless. Great dynamics.

You know how some sub bass-focused IEMs can get a bit one-note, thudding and thumping along? Not this one. Driven to its max, it has no shortage of visceral impact but somehow also the control, nimbleness and lightness to convey texture, detail and nuance.

Mids are textured and detailed, indexing for clarity rather than lushness. Not the most forward for vocals, especially when that bass driver is going for it. But with bass quality like this, one almost doesn't care.

Plays it safe in the sibilance region - perhaps too safe even (is there such a thing?) There seems to be a careful dip in the sibilance region, such that recordings that are reliably sibilant don't as much as hiss, which comes across as almost unnatural. Not sure how I feel about this yet. Admittedly, the effect is more obvious in current mode than voltage mode, so YMMV.



Burn in

BD is another set that benefits from burn in (imo anyway) and it feels like the drivers have broken in and stabilised enough for me to feel confident about my impressions of it.

Out of the box, I thought it lacked some coherency and bass definition and texture. It has about 50 hours on it now and bass is noticeably faster and and more elastic while tightening up texturally as well.

Tips

This is the first time that Dunu's S&S tips have worked for me.

I remember being so excited when they launched the grey S&S tips, because I liked the inverted tip mod that its form factor seems to have been derived from... so I ordered two boxes, but was never able to achieve a seal with them. Not sure what the difference is with the clear tips, but they simply do it on the BD for me.

Cable

Haven’t felt compelled to roll yet. I'm usually a fan of these old school 2-pin connectors that can fit recessed sockets (ask me about how they also make it easier and safer to remove cables from IEMs) but I can't help feeling like Dunu missed an opportunity here with the design.



Impedance adapter

The 4.4mm balanced variable impedance adapter arrived meantime so I tried it as well, but honestly it isn't for me. Yes, it makes the bass bigger and fatter, but at the expense of the mids and highs. Music simply sounds less interesting and less fully realised without that extra treble and midrange information. The difference was already palpable at as low as 10 ohms, although I went as high as 80.

(The last IEM that I regularly enjoyed with an impedance adapter with was the CK100 Pro, one of the last Audio Technica IEMs to be made in Japan, before the Fukushima quake iirc. It had extremely hot treble, even by my standards way back then and let's just say they don't make them like that anymore.)

As far as the Drain Brance goes, its bass is best served by lots of power - failing which, I suppose one could try EQ.

Tl;dr - Source sensitive. Bass driver scales up like crazy. I can't get enough of it.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Yes! So Glad you got to hear these. Great Impressions BTW. DUNU did a great job with these.

Umm this : Enleum HPA-23RM - Have you always had this? Very impressive Gear.

Last review of the year complete - the TSMR ARMOR, definitely a set that took me by surprise in a very positive way, and brought out the inner mids in me!

Review HERE

Happy new year all!

Great Review! Love my TSMR ARMOR.

Last delivery for 2024.

Good neutral signature with great stage and resolution. What a crystal clear sound, very good vocals. Loving the treble quality, no sibilance. Not a basshead set, low end is just enough, focused more on texture. 12-14 clicks on DC-Elite volume knob.

I only just noticed - Fiio - Snowsky - Jade Audio is literally on the BOX. Glad you are enjoying these.

I think it was just a prototype or photoshop mockup that Aful posted on their social media prior to release. I doubt they'll ever release it

Damn! - photoshop mockup … That’s such a tease. These look amazing if they decided to actually make these for real.

• Things started to get interesting when Cantor landed. For the first time I got that enthusiasm of the early days in this hobby again. I was so eager that I refused the possibility of free sample and opted to pay because I couldn’t wait (I got a discount thanks to Hifigo)
• To my relief, Cantor actually over-delivers the promises. The fact that it does so at $800 changed the high-end game completely for me, making many wishlist items redundant or at least not that desirable.

Have to say Thanks for your enthusiasm with CANTOR. Perfectly Valid. No pitch fork needed.

Thank-you! 2025 is going to be year to remember for both of us!

Absolutely true .

Happy New Year!

The best value set of 2024 for me would be the discounted Kiwi Ears Punch. Quality and quantity from top to bottom of the frequency range. I think the Punch is absolutely amazing, and is tuned perfectly to my preferences. I'm constantly amazed by the treble on this set. Listening right now to Diana Krall's Temptation, and it's just mesmerizing.

Available right now at $343 with the $50 coupon.

I was sooo close to pulling the trigger with PUNCH. But something stopped me at the very last minute. I’m not sure why. But it could be , cause I had AFUL CANTOR in my ears at the time.

Things are a little somber here in my part of the world after a person drove his vehicle into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 10 and wounding 30. He shot two officers and was killed by police.

Thinking of everyone impacted by this. Stay Safe.

Dudes and dudettes, I wish you all a Happy New Year! Let's make it our best yet.


Agree on harsh treble and planar timbre, but hard disagree on not enough bass - the amount surprised me. It's both rumbly and punchy. Getting good fit is quintessential, but of course you know that, so I am just reminding any newcomers.


Wow okay, can't wait to see how I feel in about two weeks.


Heck yes, this was one sweet closing to 2024 - before hitting a coyote as the sun set ..., oh well.




Huge respect for baskingshark. In 2025, I want to see him make a grand reappearance all rejuvenated and rekindling his love towards the hobby and discothreaders.


Wow thanks for these pics, really puts the size into perspective. I think I'd prefer Lotoo's ergonomy as well.

Such a beautiful sunset. Enjoying your photos. Sad about the coyote. Same thing happens here at Sunset here in Aus , but kangaroos.

Wow, those happen to be the exact two things currently on their way to me - separately.

The Legend/Empress (what are we calling it?) for the dual planar and Flash Acoustics cable, and the Clarinet because Dethonray, and because everything I’ve read about it so far presses my buttons.

I hadn’t thought of it that way when I PTTed on each of them but I can see they’re going to look so good together as well.



So BrainDance fended off a late challenge from Mecha to claim your 2024 crown! Quite an achievement considering the numerous sets you’ve had access to this year.

Then again, I have BD in my ears right now as well, and I can say that it is well deserved.



I briefly wondered if the Happy New Year was made up of IEM cables before realising what it was. Thread!

HNY!





I haven’t either, but still have stuff otw from last year.

Apart from that, the recent bonanza of quite extraordinary IEMs (Cantor, MG800 and Brain Dance) has left me feeling quite happy where I am transducer-wise.

Might turn my focus to sources and amps this year but we’ll see.




If it’s the same clone that I tried in 2023 (and it probably is, despite the logo and name change), I wonder if it’s undergone a silent retune or three. It not only had no resemblance to the actual Trifecta sound, I honestly wasn’t impressed with it or its hamfisted upper mids and treble back then. Other impressions at the time seemed to corroborate that, although I can’t say I’ve seen those complaints of late.

Ethics aside, there are likely better IEMs out there for your money, unless they’ve also managed to improve it that drastically. Anyway I would be interested in your impressions if you do decide to go through with it.

---

I didn’t get to pick up the Nici Hifi launch cheapies after all, because the coupons had expired when I got back there. But no matter.

Another day, another year, another new cable store (or three)…

Looks to be related to the XINHS/Ivipq/Zisin/Nici behemoth.

For anyone who wants to pick up any of these at about $20 each before tax:

https://x.com/hifigy/status/1874016470147141801




The GY-311 Nebula looks identical to Ivipq-539, the oil soaked graphene OCC palladium plating one that they were practically giving away during the summer sale. It’s a good cable though, if that’s the one. I like it. I’m sure some of you cable gurus will be able to recognise the others as well.

HNY! Glad you are content with the 3 rescent Banger IEM’s.

No Way I missed out on those cables. I got the dreaded “ This code is for single use only”. Lol. Talked to my wallet , and he really appreciated this.

My 2025 resolution when it comes to this hobby is to get my artists/playlists/albums all organised in Tidal/MicroSD/Excel spreadsheet. Then, I think I'll approach my ever-growing dilemma of what to listen to with a simple random number generator every morning. That should make it interesting and varied.

How do you guys choose your music?

I listened to a bulk playlist. Called new music. Then my playcount from that playlist is auto created. by a smart playlist that selected only songs that have been played more than 10 times. This is how I know subconsciously that I know how much I like this track. Then these “ Much loved tracks “ are moved to SD CARD on to my DAP .