[Nimweth]

Maybe you should try some string rather than Piano. Personally, timbral problems only rear their heads when I listen to music with sustained instruments (or voices).

Personally, I consider BA timbre a feature rather than a bug.

Rossini's String Sonata No 1 by the Age of Enlightenment Orchestra also sounds very natural with great transients.

 

[Nimweth]

Maybe you should try some string rather than Piano. Personally, timbral problems only rear their heads when I listen to music with sustained instruments (or voices).

Personally, I consider BA timbre a feature rather than a bug.

I agree with you about BA timbre as well, some of my favourite IEMs are all BA types. It tends to be the more badly-tuned models which suffer from the "metallic" tonality and unnatural timbre, especially in hybrid IEMs where there is a difference in character between the DD and BA drivers.

 

[PhonoPhi]

Maybe you should try some string rather than Piano. Personally, timbral problems only rear their heads when I listen to music with sustained instruments (or voices).

Personally, I consider BA timbre a feature rather than a bug.

In the upcoming "magna opus" (I like how it sounds , including the right degree of silliness on my side) reflections on musicality vs. technicality, my limited take is that DD sound is too much imprinted/ingrained in the common perception since childhood exposure to sound reproduction. Then any other type of transducers with a different series of overtones, be it BAs, planars, piezos sound different and less common, which is equated with "unnaturalness".
To me, for strings, BAs work bettter - my ears/brain prefer short decays.
I do agree in this regard, that sustained notes are more problematic for naturalness.
At the same time, Sonions and Sony (among others) demonstrated that one can dampen BAs right (or even too much).
The last octave with BAs is a different story, as the last octave in acoustic music (both reproduction and recording).

P. S. It would be cool if Crin can dare to tune $100-150 all-BA

 

[pk4425]

Hey guys. Been a while since I didn't visit head-fi. Seeing over 100 pages in discovery thread to read...

Would anyone please tell me what stands out recently? Did sth come up that disrupts the industry?

Man, those are tough questions considering the endless churn in ChiFi releases. We're lucky to see a model grip the market for six weeks, let alone six months.

The constant stream of new releases is not a bad thing (except for our money clips), but it does create intense FOMO if you are the type of audiophile who can't miss the next big thing, which seems to happen about every two weeks with ChiFi IEMs.

Still, the churn is part of what makes the IEM market so much more dynamic and interesting right now than the over-ear market, which is moribund in comparison.

 

[pk4425]

I agree with you about BA timbre as well, some of my favourite IEMs are all BA types. It tends to be the more badly-tuned models which suffer from the "metallic" tonality and unnatural timbre, especially in hybrid IEMs where there is a difference in character between the DD and BA drivers.

My favorite IEM is a single BA: The Aful MagicOne. Terrific tuning for my preferences.

 

[theintention]

Talking about releases, I am a big HIBY fanboy. I admit that
The R4 DAP gets more and more info, now English tweets are up. I was ready to buy the M300 as my everyday work and travel DAP, but this is much more tempting with 4.4mm and better DAC and Amp section.
2xx is probably 299, if so the pice for a Android DAP is excellent.

The Chinese price is more around 250, so it could even be less!

I am definitely getting one of these. It looks like a toy and that’s okay cause it is I quite like it, the neon green will go with my Neo 5 and new purple/green cable so well.

Perfect price for music on the go imo.

 

[thaslaya]

KiwiEars Singolo on “burn-in” rack (an excuse for me to procrastinate on this IEM, tbh).

@DynamicEars you can see the exposed LCP driver and the bass tube.

This IEM is a nightmare to fit. I’m not sure I have the confidence to review, since I’m fairly certain that whatever I hear, few readers would hear the same. Something like Magic One is very simple: you fit it deep to lock against the concha, you get the manufacturer’s intended sound. This Singolo IEM refuses to seal with deeper fit, and has piercing sibilant ( I suspect 5kHz) if it does not fit deeply. Certainly not a beginner IEM.

On the positive side, I find the bass to be interesting. It’s detached from the mid, but it sounds fun. Toe tapping fun. Might be because it is not bloated so every bass attack is clean.

Besides the fact that they are a pain in the butt to get to fit and seal, I think the Singolo's tuning and timbre are excellent. I think it's a great departure from other Crinacle collab tunings in the sub $100 range.

So, I picked up a set of Singolo and beyond the left IEM having a stiffer 2 pin section, they've been fine for me with the Dunu S&S tips. I had a feeling they would work well together.

I have still not found any iem that the S&S do well with me and my ear anatomy. I thought the Singolo might be the one but I can't get a good seal with them either.

Are they supposed to be clear transparent shell or hazy translucent? Didn't looked as transparent as MagicOne from your picture.

Yeah bass is expected as on 100-200hz is no more than +5db, supposed to be clean bass with big attack on 50-60hz punch with great subbass too. I can say the bass tuning is great here as opposed to the MagicOne. But half up, the MagicOne seems better.

MagicOne I think has the legs to last a long time. It's very unique at its price range and does something different. I don't think it's a great all-rounder due to the BA bass but everything else is just fantastic.

I am also a HiBy Fanboy but not a fan of this design theme Maybe it's just me.

I personally like the look but I agree it's a polarizing design. It definitely won't appeal to everyone. Looks very toy-like and some people will want that sleek smartphone luxury look instead.

 

[theintention]

I hope they didn’t forget the microSD card slot

There is a slot for one on the side.

 

[nihalsharma]

FlipEars is a brand from the Philippines. They are quite popular in Asian countries.

Artha is in the house. Its an all-BA, with 8 drivers per side. Solid performer and even more impressive bass for an all BA iem. The switches on it give quite different flavors. With both switches on, the bass quantity is high, and there is more openness to the sound. Artha has a very good resolution and throws in a good amount of detail. The midrange is forward and very clean. The treble is smooth, with a good amount of detail and extension. Technically, Artha is quite solid. I need to give it more time and will share detailed impressions in a few days.

I have created a thread for FlipEars here. Link Would be great to see more discussions around these iems.

 

[1oad3r]

X-posting from the Dita Project-M thread....still forming a view on how these sound, but my word are they beautiful...

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

Playing with a prototype Plunge Audio Codenamed "Arena" I call it the Ying Yang Beast. A musical Hydrid from Plunge there will be a new driver and +3/4 db more bass bit as it is now could be End Game for many Under 1K.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Resistance is futile, you have been assimilated.

The UP are magnificent.
Only the price stopped me from pressing them.

KiwiEars Singolo on “burn-in” rack (an excuse for me to procrastinate on this IEM, tbh).

@DynamicEars you can see the exposed LCP driver and the bass tube.

This IEM is a nightmare to fit. I’m not sure I have the confidence to review, since I’m fairly certain that whatever I hear, few readers would hear the same. Something like Magic One is very simple: you fit it deep to lock against the concha, you get the manufacturer’s intended sound. This Singolo IEM refuses to seal with deeper fit, and has piercing sibilant ( I suspect 5kHz) if it does not fit deeply. Certainly not a beginner IEM.

On the positive side, I find the bass to be interesting. It’s detached from the mid, but it sounds fun. Toe tapping fun. Might be because it is not bloated so every bass attack is clean.

I found the seal only with long TIPs.
I used the OKAVANGO ones.

 

[Pankiwi]

Finally...

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

Finally...

Mine still MIA

 

[jazzzy]

Playing with a prototype Plunge Audio Codenamed "Arena" I call it the Ying Yang Beast. A musical Hydrid from Plunge there will be a new driver and +3/4 db more bass bit as it is now could be End Game for many Under 1K.

nice ! do you think this might become available for purchase sometime this year or we will have to wait for 2025 ?