The discovery thread!

[Vonbuddy]

I am looking at a save-up iem that meets the unique category under $1000. Would appreciate recommendations. I don't need an iems that sound like too many others.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Uh oh @Ferdinando1968..



I feel the same way about the CS02. I sent them back for warranty repair and asked Penon to install earhooks for me and they're way more comfortable now.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Congratulations. I see the filter kit they gave you, in the photo. You may want to instal the cotton filters to get a slight reduction at 4.5kHz. That’s what I did. Oh and the ISN CS02.......I’m secretly in love with that cable. Oh wait.........I just remembered, if you read my CS02 cable review.....I openly love that cable! Cheers! Perfect choice!

Edit:
PM me if you need coaching on the filter instal.

ISN NEO1

These are my first ISN.
I won't beat around the bush too much:
they are amazing, regardless of the ridiculous price they have (40 USD).

If this is ISN's cheap starter, I hate to think what you get if you go higher.

They are very airy, clear and incisive in sound.

They have very punchy lows and strong high tones
(a bit too much for my personal tastes).

They have an amazing way of making the music scene.
(the arrangements are perceived in a unique way, worth trying).

Even the voices are rendered clearly and presently.

Another nice thing about these IEMs is that their sound output scales very well with the volume,
so even if you listen at low volume, you have the same pleasure as at higher volumes.

In this period I'm trying so many of those 'cheap' IEMs that are surprising (see for example ARTTI R1), that I'm starting to reflect with myself on more 'substantial' purchases.

They are comfortable to wear.
They have an insulation from the environment that I consider medium-high (standard tips)

The transport case is good and beautiful
(it seems to me the same as the IMR BC-2023).

The only negative note is represented by the cable:
it is very cheap
(it seems very similar to that of the Truthear Zero).

I paired them with an ISN CS02, because I like it and it gives me sex.

The cable is of good construction quality, but in my opinion it has the flaw of not being mechanically polarized in the part that must go over the ears, so it is a little uncomfortable to wear and you are not sure of not inverting the phase between left and right.

In my case, you have to insert the connectors on the IEMs so that the L and R writings (on the connectors) are facing towards the outside of the head.

The cable is also supplied together with the same transport case as the IEMs, which is very good,
because you can reuse it for another pair of IEMs.

Uh oh @Ferdinando1968..



I feel the same way about the CS02. I sent them back for warranty repair and asked Penon to install earhooks for me and they're way more comfortable now.

Ear-hooks for the win!

 

[kaeswiss]

I love personal audio devices, but have you ever seen people at a silent disco party? It reminds me of that exact scene from Amadeus.

 

[MacAttack7]

Portability is done right with @HiByMusic R3 II.

Not to clog up the thread with anything long, but can you give a short explanation what something like this HiBy R3 II does compared to an iPhone 12?
I see these things all the time, but I can't figure out what they do beyond what something like an iPhone already does.
Do I need to buy one? I love buying new stuff!

 

[Ferdinando1968]

I love personal audio devices, but have you ever seen people at a silent disco party? It reminds me of that exact scene from Amadeus.

Yes, when I was a boy and went to discos, every now and then it occurred to me (I don't know why) to cover my ears and watch others dance.
They all seemed a bit ridiculous to me.
But it's normal.
Human life and activities are made up of ingredients:
as you take them away, life becomes impoverished to the point of seeming absurd.
The secret of many beautiful things is often given by the ingredients, they must not be too few or too many.
The right combination is the one that will give the best results.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Congratulations. I see the filter kit they gave you, in the photo. You
PM me if you need coaching on the filter instal.

Thank you for your help.
I'll take advantage of it.

 

[Carpet]

Welcome to the club ! I will just give the not-so-my-favourite ones as presents for Xmas. Easy-peasy .
Also I try to sell those which are good ones just (most probably) will not be used in the longterm (because others I like better) like the Moondrop Aria2 (which is a very good one, no question asked).

Also, I bought ~5 DACs, and I need about one; they will be excellent presents with new IEMs, I say.

I do the same thing, anything I don't like goes in the "Grinch Bag". So named because I'm keeping all the good stuff for myself. Muahaha!

Er, sorry Santa that was a malicious misrepresentation of my genuinely charitable nature.

 

[Vonbuddy]

Another one of my annoying questions. Prior to all this wave of audio goodness when things were a little toned down in the iem world, what were your go-to iems? (e.g., Kato, Blessing 1 and 2, Oxygen, etc. al.)

 

[Echalon]

Not to clog up the thread with anything long, but can you give a short explanation what something like this HiBy R3 II does compared to an iPhone 12?
I see these things all the time, but I can't figure out what they do beyond what something like an iPhone already does.
Do I need to buy one? I love buying new stuff!

A low-mid tier DAC is more about convenience than being essential. It saves phone space and battery power while bringing useful features for enjoying music, and a decent sound quality. Plus you won’t lose sound when you load the wrong app. So basically it’s battery saving, memory saving, DAC / headphone socket and separated sound system at the cost of carrying an extra little device.

For some people such DAPs are pointless, but others really like them.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Not to clog up the thread with anything long, but can you give a short explanation what something like this HiBy R3 II does compared to an iPhone 12?
I see these things all the time, but I can't figure out what they do beyond what something like an iPhone already does.
Do I need to buy one? I love buying new stuff!

You don’t need one, but you might want one after seeing how fast a dongle can drain the battery of your phone if you forget to unplug it, and how janky the whole dongle setup is in your pocket.

Oh, and your iphone has no headphone jack of any kind, R3 II wins by default

Another one of my annoying questions. Prior to all this wave of audio goodness when things were a little toned down in the iem world, what were your go-to iems? (e.g., Kato, Blessing 1 and 2, Oxygen, etc. al.)

FiiO FD5. My darling. Absolutely hated disliked disagreed with Precog and other reviewers who trashed it.

Until I trashed it in my review as well.

I don’t miss that era of the market, tbh. At that time, A$450 can give you either blessing 2 or FD5, and neither are truely good (to me, ymmv). At that time, the only way to go was up. Nowadays, we have so many competent stuffs at A$450 or less.

 

[kaeswiss]

Plus you won’t lose sound when you load the wrong app.

That's a great point that I never see anyone bring up. It's definitely annoying when you're listening to a song on your phone and then audio from another app takes over.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Not to clog up the thread with anything long, but can you give a short explanation what something like this HiBy R3 II does compared to an iPhone 12?
I see these things all the time, but I can't figure out what they do beyond what something like an iPhone already does.
Do I need to buy one? I love buying new stuff!

It has a card reader that can run 2TB of music. It has can play parallel with HiBy Phone software which can access the music on your phone and play it on the R3II better that BT quality. It can play higher Res files, it gets way, way louder and can power my full-size MDR-Z1R. It also does about 20 other things better than a phone, but I’m too lazy to disclose them here, read my review instead.

But the most important thing is it sounds way better than a phone, bigger soundstage, a fuller deeper bass, it is an M signature.

 

[WAON303]

Another one of my annoying questions. Prior to all this wave of audio goodness when things were a little toned down in the iem world, what were your go-to iems? (e.g., Kato, Blessing 1 and 2, Oxygen, etc. al.)

I started with the Shure SE535 a decade ago (September 2013), set broke fast because I took zero care of them.

Then in May 2016, I got a V-Moda ZN, courtesy of Uravgconsumer rec'ing, set broke in summer 2019.

By the time my ZN broke, the only sets I had was the infamous 1more Triple Drivers (Which is technically the chi-fi set I ever owned.) and Klipsch X11 I bought off Ebay in 2018 as backup sets, I didn't like either set that much which prompted me to do more research on earphones

Finally in late 2019, I bought a **** **** on Aliexpress after reading audiofool.reviews which opened a portal to the IEM rabbit hole I've been exploring for the past 4 years.

But the IEM that me into the hobby was none other than the famous Moondrop Starfield I picked up during summer 2020.

Edit: Thank you head.fi for still having the stupid brand blacklistings, set I'm referring to is the S.enfer D.T.6