[SmOgER]

Shout out to JBL Tune 230NC. One of those products with really capable drivers just maybe not dialed in perfect out of the box. Their JBL app with a built-in EQ makes it quite easy to get the most out of them though. Bass is comparable to Solo3s (on-ear), has some nice texture to it too. Definitely stronger lows than CAL!. Never really thought I would be enjoying the IEMs this much to tell you the truth! Compared to on-ear, these have some characteristics of open-back headphones when it comes to how they sound, which coupled with strong low-end response is just sweeeet.

 

[baskingshark]

Moondrop LAN graph, via IEC711 coupler:

Compared with Moondrop CHU:

Listening impressions to follow soon.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

New KZ Pokemon after the fairly well recieved, KZ Ling Long
---
KZ ZVX
(1 DD)

---
no other news available, but Flagship 1 DD?
previously they have "flagship-grade DD". but this is outright flagship 1 DD.
not sure which price segment they going to enter with that flagship 1 DD, a $40 or $80 segment?
Considering KZ LingLong tuning, hopefully they use that new tuning bloodline rather than the KZ big fun-V.

Reminds me of CRA + CXS gene, I suspect it’s either ESX PRO, or CRA+ Pro.

KZ already released DQS, the “legendary“ DD foundation model, so that new naming series ZVX maybe something else.

So here comes speculation for fun:

DQ6: “Double Q* with total 6 drivers”

*in Chinese IEM culture they use 圏 the “circle” , as to represent dynamic driver, so letter “Q” to represent the “Circle”

They also use 鉄 the “Iron” as “BA”. so 4 iron + 1 circle on Aliex means 4BA+1DD. 楼氏 Lou’s = Knowles, 音場　SoundField = Sonion, 倍音=Bellsing.

DQS: “Double Q with Single Driver?”

ESX : “Experimental Special Xtremelyconfident®︎” = Xtremly confident KZ house sound 3.0 experiment

ZNA : “Zgeneration Natural series line up A” = Gorilla bass + pinna gain compensated

ZEX : “Zgeneration Electrostatic Xtremelyconfident®︎” = Xtremely confident Electrostatic driver in production targeting Generation-Z

ZVX : “Zgeneration V-shape!!! Xtremelyconfident®︎” = Xtremely confident KZ house sound 3.0 in production targeting Generation-Z with new V-shape approach

Let’s see how ZVX is going to be, I bet it’s less shouty new KZ-V.

The V-series is something new.
ZAX, DD-main with supplemental BAs
ZEX, DD-main with supplemental ESTs
ZVX, new V-thesis with Single DD? anyway KZ seems very confident in X series releases, maybe something fun.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

The time forward will be a fun one, Aür Neon Pro and Aure is ordered. Neon Pro in a week or two. HIBY R6 III. And for some reason another KZ .
At least the ones here are quite safe purchases.

I lock my bank account, but the Devil on the shoulder opens it way to easy

GeekWold GK100 incoming! (March)
Truthear Flagahip? incoming (April)
Aur Audio Flagship incoming (Later)

 

[Leonarfd]

GeekWold GK100 incoming! (March)
Truthear Flagahip? incoming (April)
Aur Audio Flagship incoming (Later)

Nice lineup indeed if you talk about All____n I'm envious

Still interested in Alita from Aür but that will have to wait to later this year

 

[Hustler]

Well, its a short lived hype.
KZ ZVX is another $20, 1 DD iem.
---
KZ ZVX (1DD, $20)
https://www.kztws.com/collections/all-products/products/kz-zvx

Its pretty looking, cheap, graph seems nice
no crazy 15db bass glide, no spikes on treble
---

It looks like CCA CXS made by KZ. I'm fine with it being single DD, because IMO the extra 7 BA's won't do much more except raising the price by 40-50$. Anyway I stay strong and last KZ pokemon I caughted was CCA CRA.

 

[Ichos]

Not excaltly a discovery for most of you but it was for me!

The Penon Vortex

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/penon-vortex.25936/review/30277/

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Well, its a short lived hype.
KZ ZVX is another $20, 1 DD iem.
---
KZ ZVX (1DD, $20)
https://www.kztws.com/collections/all-products/products/kz-zvx

Its pretty looking, cheap, graph seems nice
no crazy 15db bass glide, no spikes on treble
---

Just saw this, ah so it’s CRA+ re-shelled Dismissed!

Hope to see LCP+SPD+1or2BA+MST with less than $50 price tag mad scientist project from KZ. KZ’s version of GK100.

 

[Dsnuts]

Can anyone confirm how flexible this is? It looks more stiff than flexible, I wouldn’t wanna put any strain on the jacks when connecting a stack.

https://penonaudio.com/penon-totem-audio-cable.html

I have an Totem interconnect, been using with my Fiio E12A and IBasso PB3 amps. They are about as rigid as most shorter interconnects. They wont put any undue stress on your jacks if that is what you worried about. That Totem interconnect is very awesome by the way. Best interconnect I have actually, even over my pure silver alo ones which cost double.

 

[Bosk]

Oh, I didn’t know you are in Melbourne. I know only one head-fier here in Adelaide. I should catch up with him when the Gaea arrives

Totally agree about trying stuffs. I don’t think I truly need anything for myself (maybe Monarch or Gaea to replace Andro as 5/5 resolution benchmark), but I do love to hear everything. It does feel awkward coming to the local hifi store to try stuffs all the time, (though A2A store here is very nice). Anyhow, next time, I should go for new stuffs rather than listening to Monarch and U12t again

I'm not a huge fan of Monarch MKII which I find to sound quite flat & uninvolving, though that was no doubt a deliberate tuning choice.

They certainly aren't bad by any means but tend to be outclassed substantially by TOTL IEMs that are admittedly far more expensive. U12T is a good example actually, they still hold up really well to this day and are great value (by high-end standards) if you can find a used set at a good price. Much smaller than most TOTL hybrids too.

If you ever get a chance to try an Annihilator or Elysian X you'll find they're on a completely different level to Gaea. Having said that you don't need to spend much to enjoy musical satisfaction - great tuning is available at any price as evidenced by the brilliant $35 Cadenzas.

 

[nraymond]

So recently I was thinking about the Geek Wold GK10, how I had a good experience with it (no QC issues, and since my headphone amps are all very low ohm on the output side, the 8 Ohm output impedance wasn't an issue for me), and I was browsing Crinacle's graph database, looked at his GK10 graph and was reminded of a couple of other graphs - the iBasso IT01S and the WG T-One. Now both of those are single dynamic driver IEMs and are in a different price bracket entirely, but I also remembered how they were received in their respective times. The iBasso IT01S came out in late 2018 at $200 (currently being sold for $100 by "ProStudio Sound & Music" on Amazon, still selling for $200 at Penon), sporting a Diamond-Like Coating on a Carbon Nanotube diaphragm of an unknown size, 1 Tesla magnetic flux, 16 Ohms of impedance, housed in an electroplated plastic shell. Reviews in the beginning were very positive (lots of comments of how balanced and natural they sounded), with a small number of negative ones coming in late in 2019 complaining about price and not being outstanding in any way. I believe it was in 2020 when the WG T-One was introduced at $100, with it's single 10.2mm dynamic driver utilizing "double-layer composite membrane material" (so undisclosed materials), Tesla magnetic flux, 36 Ohms of impedance, housed in an all-metal shell with tuned dual cavity. Not as many reviews of the WG T-One came out, but I found the frequency response graph compared to the iBasso IT01S interesting:

I've never seen anyone compare the two. The one review here at head-fi on the WG T-One has a single con in the summary: "Too safe in highly competitive market". Now let's see how the Geek Wold GK10 stacks up to the iBasso IT01S:

They could be cousins, if not siblings in terms of their general frequency response character. Geek Wold GK10 came out for $48 in 2021, 7mm (I've also seen 8mm claimed) titanium alloy and multi-layer composite diaphragm + 1 balanced armature + 2 piezoelectric ceramic drivers at 8 Ohms impedance, housed in a plastic shell with a bit of stabilized wood. Obviously the GK10 is going to behave differently with multiple drivers at only 8 Ohms and a much lower price point (i.e. amp sensitivity, some absolute performance limitations, and potential QC issues). Sub-bass takes a bit of a dip where it remains more flat in the IT01S. And I think we can see where the GK10 BA and piezo drivers are elevating the upper treble. Overall I wonder if this frequency response (even with some extra help from BA/piezo drivers) is just considered "too safe" to generate wide-spread excitement, which seems to be what happened to the WG T-One. It will be interesting to see where Geek Wold goes next.

 

[Nimweth]

So recently I was thinking about the Geek Wold GK10, how I had a good experience with it (no QC issues, and since my headphone amps are all very low ohm on the output side, the 8 Ohm output impedance wasn't an issue for me), and I was browsing Crinacle's graph database, looked at his GK10 graph and was reminded of a couple of other graphs - the iBasso IT01S and the WG T-One. Now both of those are single dynamic driver IEMs and are in a different price bracket entirely, but I also remembered how they were received in their respective times. The iBasso IT01S came out in late 2018 at $200 (currently being sold for $100 by "ProStudio Sound & Music" on Amazon, still selling for $200 at Penon), sporting a Diamond-Like Coating on a Carbon Nanotube diaphragm of an unknown size, 1 Tesla magnetic flux, 16 Ohms of impedance, housed in an electroplated plastic shell. Reviews in the beginning were very positive (lots of comments of how balanced and natural they sounded), with a small number of negative ones coming in late in 2019 complaining about price and not being outstanding in any way. I believe it was in 2020 when the WG T-One was introduced at $100, with it's single 10.2mm dynamic driver utilizing "double-layer composite membrane material" (so undisclosed materials), Tesla magnetic flux, 36 Ohms of impedance, housed in an all-metal shell with tuned dual cavity. Not as many reviews of the WG T-One came out, but I found the frequency response graph compared to the iBasso IT01S interesting:



I've never seen anyone compare the two. The one review here at head-fi on the WG T-One has a single con in the summary: "Too safe in highly competitive market". Now let's see how the Geek Wold GK10 stacks up to the iBasso IT01S:



They could be cousins, if not siblings in terms of their general frequency response character. Geek Wold GK10 came out for $48 in 2021, 7mm (I've also seen 8mm claimed) titanium alloy and multi-layer composite diaphragm + 1 balanced armature + 2 piezoelectric ceramic drivers at 8 Ohms impedance, housed in a plastic shell with a bit of stabilized wood. Obviously the GK10 is going to behave differently with multiple drivers at only 8 Ohms and a much lower price point (i.e. amp sensitivity, some absolute performance limitations, and potential QC issues). Sub-bass takes a bit of a dip where it remains more flat in the IT01S. And I think we can see where the GK10 BA and piezo drivers are elevating the upper treble. Overall I wonder if this frequency response (even with some extra help from BA/piezo drivers) is just considered "too safe" to generate wide-spread excitement, which seems to be what happened to the WG T-One. It will be interesting to see where Geek Wold goes next.

I think the Geek Wold GK10 has two DDs, one Graphene diaphragm and one titanium, making five drivers per channel, thus GK10 (10 drivers in total).

 

[nraymond]

I think the Geek Wold GK10 has two DDs, one Graphene diaphragm and one titanium, making five drivers per channel, thus GK10 (10 drivers in total).

Oh right! Thanks for the correction, there are two DDs of two different materials, and yes 5 drivers per side. I also forgot to mention that the GK10 box says 6 Ohm, web says 8 Ohm, some measured it even lower (close to 5 Ohm).

 

[headstef]

I have never writen in the discovery thread before but after 4 months with my new headphone I feel that I must. I don't know if this has appeared earlier in this thread but everyone who is considering a headphone at the level of the HD-800S but with a very neutral and musical character should absolutely audition the open-back Neumann NDH 30 (reference studio monitor). It is a headphone with extreme resolving ability, without boosted treble but with very full, even and detailed bass and sub-bass. It uses new Sennheiser drivers and as many users comment (me included) it is what everyone wanted the HD-800S to be but it wasn't. Comparisons with our beloved HD-6## series immediately show that, well... there is no comparison (pardon the pun). It is in an absolutely different class, a big advancement in everything - though it only costs around €/$ 630 (no "audiophile" pricing for professional gear). It also renders a wide soundstage of unusual precision.
Because of its very balanced, natural and extremely detailed sound, some music lovers already prefer it instead of their expensive flagships. Any "audiophile" headphone at any price gifted with this exact sound would be considered successful without hesitation.
I am sure all these sound as hype or too good to be true but don't take a users word for that. Just try to listen to the NDH 30 in parallel with other state-of-the-art headphones and judge for your self. This level of sound quality and accuracy has not been offered under €1000 before.
We have discussed about the NDH 30 a lot in its thread but I believe that everyone should know that this level of quality can be achieved with much less cost than some makers want us to believe.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/neumann-ndh-30.963439/

 

[Leonarfd]

I have never writen in the discovery thread before but after 4 months with my new headphone I feel that I must. I don't know if this has appeared earlier in this thread but everyone who is considering a headphone at the level of the HD-800S but with a very neutral and musical character should absolutely audition the open-back Neumann NDH 30 (reference studio monitor). It is a headphone with extreme resolving ability, without boosted treble but with very full, even and detailed bass and sub-bass. It uses new Sennheiser drivers and as many users comment (me included) it is what everyone wanted the HD-800S to be but it wasn't. Comparisons with our beloved HD-6## series immediately show that, well... there is no comparison (pardon the pun). It is in an absolutely different class, a big advancement in everything - though it only costs around €/$ 630 (no "audiophile" pricing for professional gear). It also renders a wide soundstage of unusual precision.
Because of its very balanced, natural and extremely detailed sound, some music lovers already prefer it instead of their expensive flagships. Any "audiophile" headphone at any price gifted with this exact sound would be considered successful without hesitation.
I am sure all these sound as hype or too good to be true but don't take a users word for that. Just try to listen to the NDH 30 in parallel with other state-of-the-art headphones and judge for your self. This level of sound quality and accuracy has not been offered under €1000 before.
We have discussed about the NDH 30 a lot in its thread but I believe that everyone should know that this level of quality can be achieved with much less cost than some makers want us to believe.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/neumann-ndh-30.963439/

Neumann studio monitors is brilliant, so I don't doubt that they can make a great reference headphone. Need to demo them, this is also a brand I actually can get to try even in Norway