[AmericanSpirit]

Do you think QOA Adonis is a worthy addition to ones collection, as these went down in price lately? Not really that much love for these here, but I have seen some very favorable reviews on YouTube about them

The FR chart of Adonis looks very favorable to me, just we lack of trustworthy reviewers touching it. Also QoA is known to target female audiences as the brand concept Queen of Audio tells, which makes me being cautious about IEM/headphone utilizing outlook marketing approach from my personal experience with Beats by Dr. Dre( sorry Beats is not worth keeping in my collections)

 

[Ace Bee]

AAW A3H+
(1 DD for Bass, 1 BA for Mid, 1 NOVA - Nozzle-less Open Vented Armature driver for highs)

This is, mark my word, the best iem I have heard under $200 till date. And believe me, I have heard a few:

Simgot EN700 Pro (1 DD)
BQEYZ Spring 2 (1 DD + 1 BA + 1 piezoelectric)
Ikko OH1 and OH10 (1 DD + 1 BA)
See Audio Yume (1 DD + 2 BA)
1Custom junior (1 DD + 2 BA)
BGVP Artmagic DH3 (1 DD + 2 BA)
BGVP Artmagic VG4 (3 BA)

And this little beast from Advanced Acoustic Werkes effortlessly outclasses them all! Out of the box I was immediately surprised by two aspects:

1. A quite strong, voluminous, punchy bass, with a midbass focus
2. A wide open airy and clean soundstage with very transparent notes

Honestly, I was never this Wow-ed by another iem under this price range. The exceptionally airy sound with an expansive soundstage totally won me over. The voluminous bass was the cherry on the top.

Not just that, the Mids and highs are very clearly reproduced with an obvious BA timbre, have considerable amount of energy, and are not subdued by the bass at all! Notes are very much transparent, fast, and very well defined - slightly sharp, but not unbearably so. Sizzles can be clearly heard, but never enters the disturbing sibilance region.

The overall tonality is a Neutral-Cold I would say, and sound signature can be depicted as U-Shaped. Although Mids and Highs are not very much behind, rather the Bass is considerably emphasised.

A totally undiscovered gem, this is! It's a literal shame that it isn't talked about at all, while it deserves its rightful throne under $200!

The best part? They are available in India, from Goldfinch Acoustics, for just Rs.13999 ($189)! So you won't even have to wait weeks to get them in hand, practically next day delivery!

 

[dakanao]

No, after ear gain, the E5000 rolls off more, and rolls off in the treble sooner than the Shozy, which maintains its energy after 5K. The E5000 is a much warmer-sounding device, does ear gain better, whereas the the Shozy comes off as more balanced. The mids are similar-sounding, and the Shozy has less energy in the lower-treble zone, but maintains that energy until rolling off after 8K, long after the E5000 has begun to drop.

The Shozy is less bassy, but not by much, and both warm up the mids in as similar way. Because of that they sounded similar to me. I suppose that the Shozy will sound brighter and splashier depending on the tracks you listen to. Both are great IEMs, IMO.

Thanks. By ear-gain, I suppose you mean the E5000 has more 3 -4khz emphasis right?

Last question, which one did you find to have a more rounded note edge/smoother attack of sounds like synthethic snare drums? I find the E5000 the most bothersome in this aspect, it has a very strong attack on those type of sounds, despite having a smooth dr response.

 

[InvisibleInk]

Yes, lack of outer ear amplification requires some boost in that range.

I'm not sure about the second question. Do you have a specific track that bothers you, that I might have a listen to? Are you talking about a specific drum head material? Not being a drummer, I can't comment on what sounds realistic, and what doesn't reproduce right.

 

[1clearhead]

Hello fellow head-fier’s, up for review is the NA2+ by NF Audio

Just follow my link below...
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chinese-asian-brand-iem-info-thread.820747/post-16329911
Enjoy!

-Clear

 

[Audio Fun]

Hi guys, Here’s some early impression on the Geekfly GF8S.
In term of sound, this is the best TWS earbuds I ever heard (exclude the Galaxy Buds plus, it has different sound signature). YMMV
The bass is clear and punchy, extended moderate, without any muddies. The midrange is smooth and clear, with good level of transparency and micro detail, that you probably don’t ever experienced on TWS. The treble is smooth and extend well, slightly laid back, not dark, there are good amount of crisp and vivid. The soundstage is really wide, depth is great. Imaging is above average. How good is GF8s? Well, I will say in this way, when you close your eyes, and put them in, it feel like you are listen to extremely well tuned sub $300USD “wired” IEMs.
Other than the sound, the connectivity is stable, and there is no significantly single lost. Latency, not for gaming a least. Touch panel response is average, it need more than a second or more to response. No additional features, such as ANC, transparency mode, APP support.. But it feature the first tripe hybrid design for TWS, which has DD+BA+piezoelectric ceramic. Definitely Recommend!!

 

[tgx78]

EE Bravado MKII

The Bravado mk2 is important, possibly breakthrough IEM in my search for a sub $1000 giant killer. For one thing, and most importantly, it sounds terrific- very clear sound across the frequency spectrum and highly detailed in an easy, as opposed to hyper-exaggerated, way.

This is my first encounter with the EE product and its W9+ driver is ear-opening experience, as this diminutive DD not only goes down to 20Hz effortlessly, but did so with excellent definition as well as surprising levels of sheer power and speed. And the power and substance isn't the kind of bloated, exaggerated, subterranean, single note excess that typifies regular IEMs with bass-head pretensions. It's got pitch, shape and drive to compare with competition that costs many times more. That clean, uncluttered low-end sound carries over to the rest of the range, the mid-band clarity and treble integration making the Bravado mk2 sounds much better than anything I've heard in its price range. Overall the result is an agile, direct sound that's underpinned with sufficient authority to give it a real sense of purpose. Eleanor McEvoy's carefully crafted and beautifully sung songs can sound lazy simply because of their sparse instrumentation and subtle rhythmic patterns. But play them on the Bravado and you'll soon realize just how much feeling and insistent direction drives them along. It's not the songs that are lazy, it's the pace and bass timing of earphone systems that should do better. The ease with which the Bravado delivers dynamic musical energy and delineates the tiny shifts in level that carry the expressive input of the musicians make it sound far more efficient than its specifications suggest (99dB @ 1kHz). It's an indicator as to just how rigid the internal structure really is and how well they are dampened. It actually sounds as if the energy you put in comes straight out as music- all of it. Even classical works like the Munch BSO Eroica Symphony sounding especially dynamic and lively. Indeed, there's absolutely no loss of scale with these earphones. I am just beginning to find out EE products are much more than just a pretty face (as you see on the Odin). Even though there are more balanced, detailed and bigger sounding earphones on the market, the Bravado mk2 is on the whole, one of the more refined, engaging and utterly convincing IEM I've heard. The fact that it's lovely to look at simply sweetens the deal.

Tested with the E1DA 9038S susumu3000 edition + a little low shelf cut around 200Hz (-3dbs).

 

[morndewey]

My only gripe about Bravado 2 is recessed mids. Not exceedingly so, but too V-shaped for my taste. But for that, I would’ve kept it

 

[tgx78]

Unlike my Z1R, bravado mkii just needed a small low shelf cut to fix its tonality, but yes if you don’t EQ your earphones, it will be strong V-shaped IEM.

 

[SBranson]

@morndewey ... Well I am very glad you were so kind as to sell them to me..
But you're on to the ESR2 now... I've been curious of that one as a previous owner of the first iteration.

I might try to EQ but my sense of the V shape really only comes from the massive bass presence as my age naturally attenuates some of the treble energy to perfect levels.

 

[tgx78]

IT07 is similarly tuned IEM with a bit lower bass amplitude. Bravado has more soundstage depth. Detail retrieval about same. Both sporting fast DD driver. Bravado has bit more upper treble extension via EST. IT07 shell was more comfortable to wear. Both have driver flex.

 

[chickenmoon]

A little bunch of measurements, BLON BL-Mini, KBEar KS1, **** MT100 Pro, Softears Turii, Tipsy Dunmer, TRN MT1 & Whizzer HE01:

 

[tgx78]

Tronsmart Apollo Bold (Left), Tronsmart Apollo Air (Middle), and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro (Right)

Tronsmart Apollo Air

The Apollo Air has a strong bass thump that never becomes offensive, but still pumps strong enough to give music power. Next to the mid-bass slam, the bass sounds deep enough. One thing I noticed is when ANC is off, bass quantity reduces a bit making it sounds more balanced. The sub-bass has a decent rumble and lows are more powerful than a lot of other TWS I have tried. The two adjectives that best sum up the sound of Air are 'delicious' and 'exciting'. I have spent some days comparing it to a pair of Galaxy Pro's more neutral and polite presentation. While the comparison did reveal some limitations in the Apollo Air, most obviously in some lack of grip and micro dynamic tension in the neither regions, and in upper treble extension and drive in general, this very stern comparison also confirmed how good the Air was in nearly every other aspect of performance. I'm finding the Apollo Air with 10mm graphene coated DD such an exciting and down-right enjoyable experience, especially with classical and acoustic material. When playing Poème, Op. 25 by Hilary Hahn, for example, its sheer delicacy and sumptuous sweetness in timbre is both inviting and immensely involving, and its tonality (ANC off) has an essential rightness that's thoroughly convincing.

Tested on iphone (AAC) with the latest firmware.

 

[morndewey]

@morndewey ... Well I am very glad you were so kind as to sell them to me..
But you're on to the ESR2 now... I've been curious of that one as a previous owner of the first iteration.

I might try to EQ but my sense of the V shape really only comes from the massive bass presence as my age naturally attenuates some of the treble energy to perfect levels.

I posted some thoughts on ESR2 over in EE thread. My impressions appear to conflict with expectations, descriptions, even my own, which is not to say I find ESR 2 disappointing. Just the opposite. Out of the four EE iems I’ve owned it’s my favorite.
I do wish the EE, DD bass driver was available in a model which is as tonally balanced as ESR2. I think many would counter LX/Odin as such, but cost is too high for me, and bass descriptions lead me to believe they would be OTT for my preferences.

 

[SBranson]

I posted some thoughts on ESR2 over in EE thread. My impressions appear to conflict with expectations, descriptions, even my own, which is not to say I find ESR 2 disappointing. Just the opposite. Out of the four EE iems I’ve owned it’s my favorite.
I do wish the EE, DD bass driver was available in a model which is as tonally balanced as ESR2. I think many would counter LX/Odin as such, but cost is too high for me, and bass descriptions lead me to believe they would be OTT for my preferences.

I hear you. I read your impressions and they sound like a real improvement over the ESR1 as the Bravado mk2 really exceeded my expectations and are a significant improvement over Mk1. These "lower" tier offerings by EE have so much potential if combined somehow, if possible. Even if it's heresy, I prefer the tuning of the Bravado mk2 to the LX and think the new W9+ is better than the W9. I love the EST treble too. The Odin presumably is better but then they reduced the bass and really boosted the upper mids which is not what I prefer so even if I could afford it, I would certainly want to demo it first. I've owned 6 EE iems over the years (Bravado 1, ESR 1, Massdrop Zeus, Phantom, LX and currently the Bravado Mk2) and my "overall" favourite is the Bravado Mk2 though each had it's strengths. The LX has some things better but was a struggle to deal with the bass and in the end forced my music choices because of their tuning... not what I want an iem to do. Sometimes I think EE seems to be about taking certain ideas to extremes and what they do they do just fantastically but there's always a trade off. Maybe that's by design and the only way you can get the maximum out of an idea, what do I know, I'm no iem designer.. If you owned all the EE iems, and then you could pick the one for the day's musical mood ...