The discovery thread!

[thaslaya]

So ...... My fingers on the trigger, fingers on the trigger . Which button????? Reecho Dawn, Kiwiears quintet, or ISN Neo 3?

I'd get a used Quintet if you can find one. They are definitely worth trying but the Dawn sounds more bang for buck

 

[kaeswiss]

Dita, you had me at glow-in-the-dark ear tips.

Kidding, not kidding.

For anyone else interested, they're now selling the Project M on their website.
https://ditaaudio.com/products/project-m

 

[theintention]

Dita, you had me at glow-in-the-dark ear tips.

Kidding, not kidding.

For anyone else interested, they're now selling the Project M on their website.
https://ditaaudio.com/products/project-m

Stay strong… I do not need this…

 

[InvisibleInk]

Stay strong… I do not need this…

You don't need this. Keep your powder dry, sergeant.

 

[nikbr]

I am now comparing them to the Phoenix and the Beasts are indeed 'The Beast'. They are way more intense. The Phoenix are the masters of cool. That's what I like about this hobby. As long as an IEM meets the mandatory clarity and musicality standard, the differences and nuances in presentation make it so addictive. As my wife once asked, "why do you need so many of them, its all just music after all" To which, "why do you need so many shoes, they are just feet".

Been in this hobby since boyhood and it is so much better than those early oatmeal days...

Ha, love this! This topic is precisely what I've recently had to clear up in my mind too. Besides the essentials, we are all spending our money on hobbies. Whether that be shoes, IEMs, train maquettes, stamps, traveling ... Who's to say anyone is in the wrong? Different things excite us and as long as we stay respectful towards each other we can all coexist.

Well I wrote that like a real hippie.

 

[nikbr]

I spent all morning with this "old" set.

Some similarities with FA7s, having a little more bass and less definition on low frequencies. Position and timbre are nice.



@nikbr

Glad you're enjoying it! Definitely an interesting one. I found its vocals pretty spot on, detail retrieval and separation are great too. And it still looks special to this day.

PS. For the ones left in the dark, it is the Fearless S8Z.

 

[theintention]

in my quest to bring balance to my life (cables), I finally completed my portable setup with the addition of the ARTTI Wave to my QuietSea. I love how the names match!

40 dollars, modular with all the little connections you need. 8 cores, a very nice pickup. I wish the connections locked on the modular plug but, it’s not an issue with them coming loose so far.

Paired with my Q5K, perfect for on the go podcasts and music discovery!

 

[dl95]

Got my Pula PA02. First impressions were not very good. Didn't use the stock tips at first and tip rolled until I decided to try the stock tips which sounded the best of all the tips I tried. Not sure which tips these are or if they're just generic tips. I am once again reminded how different people's experiences can be based on choice of tips, size of tips, and even the shape of the ear canals.

Going to have to do more listening but so far with the right tips I think they are pretty good but not exceptional.

 

[nihalsharma]

Cross posting:

Quattro is not an IEM built for everyone. I spent a few hours with these iems and I can understand why they can be hit or miss.

It has a very warm signature. The bass is very, very thick, and it's all over the frequency spectrum, dominating the way the mids and treble sound on these. This is not a hard-hitting bass with full subbass rumbles but a thick, enveloping bass where bass is spread everywhere. It's like everything sounds within a layer of bass. Mids are sweet, and since the bass is all over the mids, vocals are quite thick too because of the bass (bleed). I do not find the treble to be airy or carry a lot of energy, but I never had any issues with the treble. I can live with this amount. The timbre and tonality of these iems are something that few can very easily connect to and find very musical.

If you want an iem to throw a lot of precise technicalities and details, this is not the iem for sure. I have seen a lot of people say it is technically very good for an all-DD IEM, but I tend to disagree (just a little). It surely does a lot of good things, but somehow I feel it falls behind many others because of the way it's tuned. There are a lot of details getting eclisped under the bass. I think it's totally fine if it is not technically very sound. I like my iems to be either very technical or to a level where I am not bothered about these technicalities at all. If you love this signature, you may surely enjoy it and call it a winner.

Source:

With a warm source, the Quattro can be a disaster. It pairs well with a bright source. Also, it is a sucker and needs a lot of power. With the Earmen Angel, it sounds better than with the LPGT. Angel has an ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M dac chip and is quite powerful too. With a good, powerful source, the sound is more open too.

Mini Trifecta??

As soon as I put these on, they reminded me of the Campfire Audio Trifecta. For me, Quattro is a mini-trifecta. I am not sure if Penon took some inspiration from the Trifecta's signature, but these two iems are quite similar in how they sound. And no wonder they both have a very different audience and fan following. Take everything a few levels up—soundstage, detailing, openness—you have the Trifecta with you. Trifecta has a similar bass all over, but it's more open and more spherical, if you know what I mean. Trifecta has troublesome upper mids, which will kind of disturb or annoy you very often if you are sensitive to the frequency. Quattro, however, has just a little hint of a similar thing but does not annoy at all. I remember I liked the Trifecta when I tried them on three different occasions but could never gain the courage to buy them, thinking, What if someday I wake up and find that it's totally disastrous? But I can surely own a Quattro and get some of the Trifecta's feel.


Lastly, I can only say it is really good of Penon to release something like Quattro. I think this is quite a positive release. This only means they can tune their iems very differently, unlike a few brands who would just stick with a similar tuning and change a thing or two here and there.

One more thing: Please demo these iems before you buy. There is a high chance that you will fall in love or totally regret your purchase.

 

[Leonarfd]

HIBY R8 II arrived, first listen now is very impressive.
Plugged it first in to line out, they have swapped the line out and headphone out from the R6 Pro 2.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Whoa! So now, Dawn Reecho, Pulapa02, (and maybe isn neo3) ... Bangers in the new year eh..

Don't forget the Penon Quattro?! Don't want to diminish it's hype train?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Got my Pula PA02. First impressions were not very good. Didn't use the stock tips at first and tip rolled until I decided to try the stock tips which sounded the best of all the tips I tried. Not sure which tips these are or if they're just generic tips. I am once again reminded how different people's experiences can be based on choice of tips, size of tips, and even the shape of the ear canals.

Going to have to do more listening but so far with the right tips I think they are pretty good but not exceptional.

Don't worry. You are the inevitable. No matter how universally lauded any piece of gear is, and how much hype it's given, people like you are the INEVITABLE.

EDIT : i.e. see the Quattro review above! LOL

 

[cobrabucket]

I'm sure

HIBY R8 II arrived, first listen now is very impressive.
Plugged it first in to line out, they have swapped the line out and headphone out from the R6 Pro 2.

Leonard, I know it's not a fair fight, but could you please compare the R8 II with the R6 Pro II?
R6 Pro II is my main portable source and I am curious how it stacks up to its big brother.
Cheers!

 

[theintention]

7HZ Aurora

Driver info -

Via Linsoul -
https://www.linsoul.com/products/7hz-aurora

 

[Saloboy]