[CamWuu]

congrats on your mom retirement! She's definitely found a great hobby...and you too. Btw, the Penon Volt was @audio123 big recc for 2020, so i'd think real hard about picking it up.

She's scared to pay $800 for a custom pair because "when I pass (lord forgive her for even going there) she said i wont Be able to use them as our earshape is different. But she's ok with spending 500 lol makes no sense. Shes also dac amp shopping for a helm bolt like attachment to use with her phone when she's on the go and cant bring her jds Atom if anyone could reccomend

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Does she have an iphone?

 

[CoFire]

I am going to have to, I guess I just expect to much

Also my mom looked up what studio monitors were and got freaked out and canceled her dunu sa3 purchase. She asked me to pull the forum for the best iem under or near 200 that makes for the most fun and lively listening. Good bass is a plus but she is looking at the bgvp ArtMagic vg4, the bgvp dm6 (trying to convince her to grab the 7) and the Penon Orb but is worried it only has one driver? What makes for the best listening experience that makes the music come to life

If I were trying to stretch $200, I'd go ISN H40 or Legacy 3 customs. The H40 have great bass, wide sound stage and plenty of detail. These are lively and fun but technical. The Legacy 3 custom just offer a chance to get into a custom for cheap and this really provides a very consistent experience. Good luck.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

She's scared to pay $800 for a custom pair because "when I pass (lord forgive her for even going there) she said i wont Be able to use them as our earshape is different. But she's ok with spending 500 lol makes no sense. Shes also dac amp shopping for a helm bolt like attachment to use with her phone when she's on the go and cant bring her jds Atom if anyone could reccomend

i bought a custom pair of Ultimate Ears many years ago, and even with the help of the audiologist, the shape of my ear is wonky enough that it wouldn't seal right. i ended up selling them off as a re-shell, and never ventured into CIEMs again. No need. I won't be getting on stage again.

 

[Gee Simpson]

Is there anyone else here who received their Spiral Dots in a plastic bag from Penon rather than the original packaging?

I reckon they are legit as it says here: https://penonaudio.com/jvc-spiral-dot-silicone-eartips.html

"1st Generation product , Simple package"

I would imagine the 'simple package' is the plastic bag

 

[CoFire]

Is there anyone else here who received their Spiral Dots in a plastic bag from Penon rather than the original packaging?

I have and they were the same as others that came in packages. Size, shape and texture were all consistent.

 

[IEMusic]

They came in a small plastic bag with no box, right? I received them like that too, and I'm just hoping they are legit?

Did they not come in this package?




Might be fake then...

I have both the initial Japanese Spiral Dots, ordered directly from Japan, and Penon Spiral Dots and they are exactly the same.

Good to know, thanks!

Nope, just a small plastic sealable bag with 3 pairs of different sizes.

Is there anyone else here who received their Spiral Dots in a plastic bag from Penon rather than the original packaging?

I reckon they are legit as it says here: https://penonaudio.com/jvc-spiral-dot-silicone-eartips.html

"1st Generation product , Simple package"

I would imagine the 'simple package' is the plastic bag

I have and they were the same as others that came in packages. Size, shape and texture were all consistent.

Thanks for the confirmation!

I purchased 3 medium pairs and 3 ML pairs (they accidentally gave me a small tip instead of one ML though...just noticed.

I trust Penon, but was just curious if they were supposed to have colored cores. Perhaps those are the ++?

Mine from Penon.

VS

 

[CamWuu]

Does she have an iphone?

Note 10. We have 2 cheaper brand ones and the iBasso dc03 in cart ready to go

 

[slex]

Good to know, thanks!



Thanks for the confirmation!

I purchased 3 medium pairs and 3 ML pairs (they accidentally gave me a small tip instead of one ML though...just noticed.

I trust Penon, but was just curious if they were supposed to have colored cores. Perhaps those are the ++?

Mine from Penon.


VS

haha,Yes those are ++ML

 

[nraymond]

I trust Penon, but was just curious if they were supposed to have colored cores. Perhaps those are the ++?

I have both the original Spiral Dot and the ++ purchased from Amazon Japan and the original is all black while the ++ has a colored center.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

i prefer the fit and sound of the original Spiral Dots vs the ++. I bought two packs of ++ for $40.00, and I could have gotten almost three packs of regular SD for the price, and the large are a little bigger and better in my opinion.

 

[slex]

@IEMusic

Does these look similar to ADV tips?

 

[IEMusic]

haha,Yes those are ++ML

I have both the original Spiral Dot and the ++ purchased from Amazon Japan and the original is all black while the ++ has a colored center.

Got it, thanks!

It’s just that it lacked the ++ designation on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/JVC-EP-FX10-Spiral-Dot-Earpieces/dp/B08KSH3721

 

[tgx78]

DUNU ZEN and KBEAR Believe

Comparing these two IEMs was very interesting practice for me as I had to overcome expectation bias in my head.
As you all may already know, if expectation bias rears it's head... namely, that if you think it will/should sound better or vice versa, it very often does.
For example, if an IEM "A" costs $700 versus $200 "B", many will naturally have a strong expectation bias towards the item A.
When you start listening the two, you already established in your head that A will outperform the B and your judgement becomes cloudy.
I think ongoing discussion about the MT300 is very interesting in a positive sense.
I had a strong expectation bias against it after measuring the frequency response and it almost sounded much worse thereafter.
All I could think was 14dbs of this -6dbs of that without much corroboration to establish credibility of what I was actually hearing.
Having said that my MT300 is on a burn-in station for next 1900 hours or so until I re-deploy lol.
Also I feel that having quite differing opinions is a good thing and often useful when done in a civilized manner.

Ok, enough of that and let's get back to my findings, starting with the Dunu Zen:
Pat Metheny's "KIN (<-->)" passed through the multi-layered percussion wall, and the saxophone and guitar squeezed half a step forward, penetrating my ears with a vibrant and dynamic sound. Even in a performance with such a large number of sounds, the timbre of each sound is clear and easily identifiable, so when listening with the Zen, all the relationship between each part is neatly organized, and the feeling of turbidity is not a concern. Since the recording emphasizes the acoustic feel, the depth is not odd. The bass has a fairly propulsive sound, but its sharpness followed by abundant texture deserves a special mention.

Now with the KBEAR Believe, it's immediately apparent layering isn't as adept as micro dynamic seems to be a bit compromised. However all the other aspect of sound, be it speed, imaging, timbre, decay all seem to be quite evenly matched. Zen is overall bit wetter and dimensional sounding, with bit more ambient pickups of the venue, but I find their technical abilities pretty close.

Rachel Podger's solo performance by Bach's violin concerto brought out an exhilarating sound by both, and I was able to enjoy the fresh tone unique to period instruments. Even in this song, the solo violin does not have thin lines down to the low notes, and each note has a rich expression. From my past experience with Dunu products, for me, they are very good at reproducing core melodies such as vocals, guitars, and violins with rich and fresh tones.
The goodness of this quality continues here, and its characteristics can be enjoyed beyond the boundaries of the genre.
With the KB Believe, you can clearly see that the sound pressure and timbre are neatly aligned and there are no unnatural parts in the distribution of overtones.
Overall sound is well damped and pleasant. Zen slightly edges ahead of the Believe in terms of pure emotional pull and musical enjoyment, but the gap here is even smaller than the above with a "KIN".

I can think of various IEMs that appeal to the flashiness of the moment I listen to them, but in reality, there are not so many IEMs that I never get tired of listening for a long time. This two definitely belongs to the latter. I would like to recommend it to all acoustic music fans who are looking for a sound signature that can be used for a long time.

 

[IEMusic]

@IEMusic

Does these look similar to ADV tips?

Not really, other than being elliptical. The opening is MUCH narrower, whereas the ADV tips are flared out to be more a wide bore.