[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Not in cohesion and timbre.

EA500 LM whips Delci for detail and technicalities. But I'll take the Delci's tuning and timbre seven days per week. Absolutely zero listening fatigue, while the EA500 LM made me wince at least once nearly every track.

My take on the EA500 LM is that Simgot's sound engineers got into three isolated rooms. One made the best bass possible for the budget range. The next made the best midrange possible for the budget range. The last made the best treble possible for the budget range. Then all three groups presented their creations individually, and they were stuffed into a beautiful chrome shell without a stop for final tuning.

I never got the sense of very good cohesion or transitions between bass and mids, and mids and treble when I tested the EA500 LM. Phenomenal detail retrieval and technical chops for the price in each of the three zones of the frequency response. But they never sounded like they meshed as you sense almost immediately in a richly euphonic, musical set.

But, hey, it's all in the context, right? My favorite headphones are the ZMF Aeolus, Sennheiser HD 6XX and Aful MagicOne. All have the same DNA strands of warm neutral with rolled-off treble and very cohesive, musical tuning. Squeezing the last bit of detail from the treble or the last rumble of boom from the sub-bass aren't bright beacons atop my radio tower.

Thing is i'm not intimidated or bothered by Simgot's top end. Maybe my ears are old? I've mentioned that before, so there shouldn't be any issues with cohesion, since both are single DD's.

 

[MakeItWain]

I'm in danger.

 

[o0genesis0o]

I'm curious about your comparison of the DX300 and R4. I'm aware of the price difference. But, besides the soundstage, what would be the other differences? Are these differences too big? Would R4 be more on the neutral side? I have a DX300 and I'm thinking about getting an R4 for easier portability.

Tuning is also a big difference. The R4 sounds neutral whilst the DX300 with stock amp has more “analogue” tuning with emphasis in the lower frequencies. Depending on listeners, one might say R4 sounds “digital” (whatever that means), others might say DX300 is “coloured”.

Otherwise, I don’t think it’s a huge downgrade. I thoroughly enjoy my IEMs with R4, and switching to W4 and DX300 sounds like upgrade, rather than I am “punished” by listening to R4 (which, excuse my “elitism”, is the case with some DAPs and dongles).

noted that (1) this R4 is loaned sample from HiBy and (2) it might be raffled to someone else so if you don’t see me using it in the future, it’s not pump and dump

 

[theintention]

really excited about my path forward in the hobby right now. Got the DC-Elite incoming as well, so depending how things go I’ll be looking to completely eliminate an unnecessary desktop chain as well as some lower end IEMs to save for another higher end set. Got some awesome gear that is collecting dust that could use a more loving home, may throw in some dumb cables I have lying around too!

 

[activatorfly]

really excited about my path forward in the hobby right now. Got the DC-Elite incoming as well, so depending how things go I’ll be looking to completely eliminate an unnecessary desktop chain as well as some lower end IEMs to save for another higher end set. Got some awesome gear that is collecting dust that could use a more loving home, may throw in some dumb cables I have lying around too!

^ Ditto....alas my excitement is still within the budget(>mid) range - the satisfaction of hitting that "best bang for buck" sweet-spot can't really be underestimated. Ok admittedly it's a total rollercoaster, but once you've reached that sense of achievement, it only adds to your satisfaction & reaffirms why you got into the hobby in the first place. After several years of posting on the earbud forum - I continually resisted iems, hence the learning curve has been an uber long/convoluted process - a journey full of highs & lows...but definitely (defiantly) worth it in the long run !!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

^ Ditto....alas my excitement is still within the budget(>mid) range - the satisfaction of hitting that "best bang for buck" sweet-spot can't really be underestimated. Ok admittedly it's a total rollercoaster, but once you've reached that sense of achievement, it only adds to your satisfaction & reaffirms why you got into the hobby in the first place. After several years of posting on the earbud forum - I continually resisted iems, hence the learning curve has been an uber long/convoluted process - a journey full of highs & lows...but definitely (defiantly) worth it in the long run !!

That's right. I spent nearly $500 for the Aures, which I absolutely adore, as my avatar shows, but recently hitting on the $79.00 LM and the $20 Trio, I'm pretty much cool with tapping out on any more purchases for the time being. I'm feeling real good within this hobby, brotha.

 

[theintention]

^ Ditto....alas my excitement is still within the budget(>mid) range - the satisfaction of hitting that "best bang for buck" sweet-spot can't really be underestimated. Ok admittedly it's a total rollercoaster, but once you've reached that sense of achievement, it only adds to your satisfaction & reaffirms why you got into the hobby in the first place. After several years of posting on the earbud forum - I continually resisted iems, hence the learning curve has been an uber long/convoluted process - a journey full of highs & lows...but definitely (defiantly) worth it in the long run !!

Yup. I have discovered my sweet spot for now, it’s in the “mid-fi” range and will focus on obtaining the few pieces I am left wanting (balanced cable for my LCD-2C and another TBD IEM). I’ve found my preferred signature, comfort, beliefs, etc to build from here.

 

[WAON303]

I'm in danger.

I enjoy listening to my set and it's probably the most resolving set I've heard so far, really a tossup between the S8 and IE600.

The S8 is a rather niche listen IMO, there's very little mid bass and mids are borderline shouty.

Now discontinued and not really worth getting your hands on one unless the asking price is around 400 USD which probably ain't happening but I've seen some used S8s go for this amount.

 

[MakeItWain]

I enjoy listening to my set and it's probably the most resolving set I've heard so far, really a tossup between the S8 and IE600.

The S8 is a rather niche listen IMO, there's very little mid bass and mids are borderline shouty.

Now discontinued and not really worth getting your hands on one unless the asking price is around 400 USD which probably ain't happening but I've seen some used S8s go for this amount.

I actually got them used for about $400. I'm just in danger because they're really good. I definitely get the midbass feel and mids, but they feel satisfactory enough. A bit thin on some tracks but full on others.

 

[activatorfly]

Yup. I have discovered my sweet spot for now, it’s in the “mid-fi” range and will focus on obtaining the few pieces I am left wanting (balanced cable for my LCD-2C and another TBD IEM). I’ve found my preferred signature, comfort, beliefs, etc to build from here.

That sounds awesome dude - such a cool vibe when you're making inroads into refining all pre-requisite gear/components to deliver your desired signature. This time around I hit mine with the very first buy....surpassed expectations which never happens ever !!...Mid-fi obviously is always on my radar - so to hit it via the budget route is a bonus !!

 

[activatorfly]

That's right. I spent nearly $500 for the Aures, which I absolutely adore, as my avatar shows, but recently hitting on the $79.00 LM and the $20 Trio, I'm pretty much cool with tapping out on any more purchases for the time being. I'm feeling real good within this hobby, brotha.

That's as sweet as bro !!...really glad you're digging your gear....Me too (in comparison with a more limited rotation) however I've had constant goose-bumps this week: repeated playbacks of countless new superb LP tracks: it all adds up to an uber immersive/engaging listening experience - boosting satisfaction levels bigtime !!

 

[o0genesis0o]

Based on appearance alone, which one seems more expensive to you?

My vote is for the EA1000 and the NiceHck something cable.

 

[Jmop]

Based on appearance alone, which one seems more expensive to you?

My vote is for the EA1000 and the NiceHck something cable.

EA1000 for sure, but I do like the brushed aluminum look of the one on the right.

 

[thaslaya]

another TBD IEM

Elysian Pilgram or Noir perhaps?

Based on appearance alone, which one seems more expensive to you?

My vote is for the EA1000 and the NiceHck something cable.

The shell of the EA1000 looks the most premium to me but I'd vote for the Gaia cable as the best looking

 

[Audiofilobrpt]

Tuning is also a big difference. The R4 sounds neutral whilst the DX300 with stock amp has more “analogue” tuning with emphasis in the lower frequencies. Depending on listeners, one might say R4 sounds “digital” (whatever that means), others might say DX300 is “coloured”.

Otherwise, I don’t think it’s a huge downgrade. I thoroughly enjoy my IEMs with R4, and switching to W4 and DX300 sounds like upgrade, rather than I am “punished” by listening to R4 (which, excuse my “elitism”, is the case with some DAPs and dongles).

noted that (1) this R4 is loaned sample from HiBy and (2) it might be raffled to someone else so if you don’t see me using it in the future, it’s not pump and dump

It's exactly what I'm looking for… a smaller, cheaper DAP that has a different sound signature than the DX300. The R4 will give me a neutral sound and the portability I need to use with my IEMs.