The discovery thread!

[Ichos]

@FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 , so which faceplate do you prefer?

PS - I strongly concur about the 81T.

 

[Zerstorer_GOhren]

When the two rival sets collide, Apevoix Grit and Pula Audio Anvil 114. Two sets with the same driver configuration. Check out my review on the latest set this week and its comparisons against its main foe.

 

[Ozboyblu]

A&K CA1000T - Update

A&K CA1000T is Wild. I can use a Power Bank to conserve internal battery. EBC80 sounds Euphoric in Hybrid Mode.

Early impressions so far.

Pro’s

Audible difference from Solid State Op Amp and Tube mode is noticeable ( words like Rich & Lush come to mind ). Hybrid mode is where it’s at. Boy oh Boy. It’s addictive. A&K Know what they are doing. It’s just sooo good. DIS Very GUD!

Could replace my DC Elite and M5 Ultra. ( But differing use cases will hold me from replacing them with the CA1000T for now. )

DC Elite would easily go head to head with the A&K CA1000T in OP Amp Mode, although both have musicality and natural sounding . I think A&K CA1000T has a richness in OP Amp mode That DC Elite can’t match.

M5 Ultra maybe tooby goey analogy. But A&K CA1000T on Tube is lush and silky .

Hybrid is next level, Nuts! That Enveloping Soundstage.

At home I’m leaving it plugged in with a wall charger. ( Desktop Mode ) Enabling Battery Power Saver Mode. Will not charge internal battery Past 85%.


Con’s

Slight bit of lag with streaming apps and the battery drain (around 10% per 30 mins ) using Balanced output with tube or hybrid mode.


Need to do a lot more listening with different Headphones and IEM’s, before I do any First Impressions.

---

The synergy between the IE600 and M5-ULTRA is fantastic.

My MUSE was replaced under warranty by hifi-go,
after mine broke after just one day of use .
I hope this one doesn't break.

The sound of this DAC is superb, despite its flaws.
(some firmware glitches and poor BT range, but nothing that prevents you from enjoying it)

So Glad you got your replacement M5 Ultra. It’s an amazing Dongle.
Thanks for these Impressions. Been a while since I’ve used the IE600. Now you have inspired me to try them on both M5 Ultra and A&K CA1000T.

Hi everyone!

Thumbnail still hasn't updated yet but wanted to share my full review for the FlipEars Legion. I've been rocking it for the past week now and it's such a fun, engaging set. I highly recommend it.

Written review will get posted soon.



Spoilers: it's an easy 5/5 for me. It's so very guuuuuuuuuud.

In case the thumbnail hasn't updated yet:



FlipEars is going to be at NYC CanJam so anyone attending should go check them out!

5/5 . That GUD! - I’ve added these to the Watch list.

SO annoying that we can't use "insert quotes" when editing a post. Since we can't have consecutive posts anymore, this makes it a real pain to use quotes until someone else posts last. Just sayin, mods!

I second your “insert quote” when editing a post. Would be so helpful.

Didn't really need it but I ended up ordering a K11 R2R. The Hifiman R2R's (EF400 or EF499) looked mighty interesting too but I have to be honest to myself. In general I don't even listen to music on my desktop and only use my headphones when I am in a call with friends. The Aiyima T6 Pro even tho very budget should be good enough for that but well I want to try the R2R sound. I wonder if I end up ordering a nice open backed headphone to go with it, would I enjoy listening to music on the desktop more? Are there any open back headphones at around or below $200 that are hot right now? Can be lower as long as they are as good or better than the DT770 Pro

Nice one. Really Looking forward to your Impressions for K11 R2R.

These were My First Impressions : https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-discovery-thread.586909/post-18362561

How does the SR9 stack up to the newer bassy sets like the Punch etc? I love the green look and I love me a bassy IEM as long as it doesn't sound TOO warm or muddy. Is the SR9 more like the Explorer [haven't heard either] that's more relaxed in the treble? Or is it more like the Estrella with brighter treble? how's the mids/vocals on the SR9?

SR9 is still a favourite of mine. That’s why I pimped it out with the vibrant cable.
Its sound is more about the impactful punchy bass and sub bass, and detailed treble, the mids although well rounded, aren’t as detailed given all the bass influence.

Here was my first impressions :

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-discovery-thread.586909/post-18244009

I'm still trying to figure out use cases for this...care to share yours?
Also...what's your satisfaction rate with it? )
I am finding this one particularly interesting (haven't yet PTT, but was close a couple of times...still need to justify it though) because it's on the small side, then again no touchscreen etc...and I already own JM21 which is definitely more powerful, easy to use, feature packed, runs full Android (and obviously more expensive)

My use case for Echo Mini is more about going out on the go. Grab your wallet , keys and phone and Echo Mini with IEM’s . Keeping it on shuffle but only adding your favourite songs to the SD Card. Same use case I had for my iPod Nano back in the Day.

was checking out your JM21 review man. i am glad battery issues are somewhat better.

Edit:
So a little update about the life story here. I actually had an accident a few weeks ago where I got some stitches on my right hand. It was one of the primary reasons I was not very active on the Discovery Thread or any other media recently. But thankfully, my stitches got removed 2 days ago and I am now on the recovery stage(Hand still painful as all the stitches were on my thumb). Missed so much reviews during this including VolumeS(I have bought a unit and still pending on shoot). Right after I post my long pending reviews of Moritz Dragon and Kotori Zephyr, I am going to cover the VolumeS soon.

Also this cutie landed yesterday, the SnowSky Echo Mini. Man it sounds really good for the $50 price tag. And I kinda dig this retro theme design. Here is an image clicked through my phone, will ask my wife to help me click better pictures later on using my camera.

Congrats on the Echo Mini. Looking forward to your Impressions.

I just upgraded the Firmware on mine to V 1.4.0 - You can change to retro tape display to Album Cover Art now.

So ever since Headfi got updated they put a nice what's trending window on the right side of the site under the Forums tab. Don't know if you guys have noticed but. We are constantly on the top 3 most trending threads if not just the top trending thread.

Truth is I could do a better job at categorizing all the IEMs we cover. But I do have a full time job. Lol.

Thanks for the heads up.

Wow a Top Trending Thread Metric now.

Won’t be long Disco Thread will top the charts I reckon.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Hey all,

I am looking for some suggestions for IEM to look at. I have the Westone W40s in my house somewhere, and I can't find them.

I'm looking to spend $300 to $500. I like good mids and highs, not much of a basehead. I also like a wide sound stage. Currently my fave TWS are the Rex5 and Beoplay elevens.

Any suggestions?

"Not much basshead" is not quite easy to find nowadays, I think. I'll try to suggest some options that I have tested:

• Moondrop Blessing 3: closest to your required sound signature.
• HiBy Yacht10: new and relatively untested, but it does have more gentle bass and nice open stage due to the big vents at the back.
• PULA ANVIL114: it does have bass, but the subbass is more subdued, so you might like this signature. Mid and highs are quite good. The large shells + "bone conduction" driver make soundstage quite wide.
• AFUL Performer5+2: when I'm out of idea, I always recommend this one

If you manage to find a discount, AFUL Cantor is also a good option. It's a few hundred dollars above your budget at full retail price.

 

[r31ya]

Tanchjim Stargate 2 ($26)

CS43131 DAC with custom AMP with power up to 2.5vrms, or 200mw@32ohms
it have dedicated chip for mic support.

pretty good contender for FIIO KA11 or Moondrop click/Echo or 7hz 711 or JCally... its pretty crowded segment huh.

---

another Hype Train for Kiwi Ears Aether by Aaron Sigal

Ok, I'm not trying to start a hype train, but the Kiwi Ears Aether might be the best IEM I've covered in a long time. It is the real deal. The best part? It's less than $200 and can be driven fully from a basic smartphone.

Full review: https://resonancereviews.com/kiwi-ears-aether-review-next...

The Big Picture
Pros:

• • Clean, transparent sound signature
  • Excellent detail retrieval
  • Exceptionally articulate vocal range
  • Easy to drive
  • Beautiful shells

Cons:

• • Sub-par included eartips, no foam eartips
  • Included carrying case doesn’t leave much room for accessories
  • Large shells are ergonomically lacking

Tech Specs​

• • Driver: 15.3mm neodynium planar driver
  • Cable: 0.78mm detachable w/ 3.5mm termination
  • Impedance: 14 ohms
  • Sensitivity: 105db SPL/mW
  • Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz

Sound Signature​

Sonic Overview:​

The Aether features open, airy, reference-style tuning. Its treble is well-extended and organic. Its midrange is neutral, with slight emphasis in the 2–3KHz range to bring out instrumental and vocal details. Its bass is extended, though not emphasized much. There’s a slight 1–2db lift in the mid-bass that provides solid lower-register articulation that carries out to the 20Hz range. The Aether’s studio-grade tuning allows it to express a wide soundstage with excellent depth and laying. Its new 15.3mm driver delivers excellent planar-driver timbre with all of the usual psycho-acoustic properties you’d associate with a high-quality planar driver.

​

Conclusion​

The Aether raises the bar for the entire IEM industry. It represents a tectonic shift in what consumers can expect in both tonal purity and technical prowess per dollar. The fact that Kiwi Ears is selling the Aether for a mere $170 should do well to light a fire under both Eastern and Western brands. The Aether’s capacity to resolve detail eclipses many much more expensive IEMs both old and new alike. While not everyone wants an analytical IEM, those who are willing to give reference-style tuning simply cannot go wrong with the Aether.

Who This is For​

• • Audiophiles who want reference-grade sound
  • Listeners who enjoy neutral sound signatures
  • Planar-driver enthusiasts

Who This isn’t For​

• • Bassheads
  • Listeners with small ears
  • Those who crave warm sound signatures

Measurement by BGGAR

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

@FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 , so which faceplate do you prefer?

PS - I strongly concur about the 81T.

#4. The green faceplate.

 

[SbassX]

IE900 is yummy, mate. The bass shelf does not look that crazy on the graph, and you might underestimate it due to the tiny DD, but when the bass hits. Man, it's good.

Too expensive for me to justify, given the rest of the sound signature though. If it is priced around $1000, I would save up to get one.

Yeah, the IE900's bass is defo something special coming out of that tiny DD. If the rest of the tuning doesn’t fully align with your preferences, it’s hard to justify spending that much tho. Plenty other options in that range i reckon

Just saw on Twitter that someone stole the demo Cantor from AFUL's table at Canjam NY.

---

that's messed up. Some people really have no shame. Hopefully in future event they put up measures to prevent this.

The more time I spend with the Juzear 81T, the more I feel it's extremely underrated and looked over due to it not being a bass boomer like the 61T. The clarity is four out of five stars, the linear balance and transparency is punching above it's price point, the shell is stunning, and there's enough bass to keep things interesting. If you haven't tried it, don't miss out. It's like a mini-Cantor with P7 bass.

"mini-Cantor with P7 bass" that sounds pretty interesting ngl

 

[atechreviews]

Hey mate, I forgot to reply to you.

No worries, man. Appreciate the reply!

 

[Jamsblast]

Also just noticed the VX90 Pro is two DD and 4 BA. Is this a worthy upgrade to the ST7??

Short answer: Yes, in all aspects.
Better bass shelf, better tuning in mids and highs than the ST7, wider soundstage, polished technicalities, I'm more tolerant to treble spiciness so i don't mind it (of course i can't stand more shoutiness like in the Joyodio Shine, that's why I modded it and eq it)...

Talking about the Jaws, I'm gladfully differ from the opinions of @ToneDeafMonk, I'm loving this set, putting on pair with my Sm4, maybe is less bassy (but not lacking at all the sub and mid bass i love), is a microdetails and overall technicalities beast, is maybe not a very high volumes set but i can crank the knob to a high number without feeling the need to adjust it because spicy tracks, maybe they did what usually do when launching a product: Fix the tuning at the last hour before they mess their sales (like in the Conch).

I liked a lot the stock packaging, the included eartips are more than enough (especially the trn t eartips), the included dongle doesn't have the conexant chip they sell in the other dongle (cx31993), but sounds kind of warm but with a totally natural timbre.

The cable is very sturdy and well builded, the only thing I'm missing is a 4.4 mm balanced option (but i can fix that with my tools and some 4.4mm plugs i bought for upgrading a lot of my cables).

The shells are very well builded, not weighty at all, very comfortable in the ears, the nozzle is not tiny, but with the trn t eartips i can make a perfect seal, thankfully not fatiguing at all in long listening sessions.

 

[AboveNBeyond]

Mail call! Wu Legend has finally arrived!
My previous planars were Wu OG and S12 Pro.
First impressions (30 minutes):
- Finally a planar that i can listen to with zero EQ. I would, however, add up a little sub-bass boost and 4k energy for my tastes. Still, it sounds nothing like treble-heavy graphs. No shout, no 6-8 khz harshness/sibilance, upper treble is extended, ethereal and silky smooth, no peaks, you can turn up gain with no issues (i'm a high volume listener). Instrument separation is insane. Lower mids don't seem to be too lean. Bass has big "scale" to it. I didn't notice any 2k harshness, but I also do prefer early eargain sets in general (Loki Emerald is my current fav) and consider meta tuning with late 3k peak to be non-expressive on some vocals and string instruments.
The soundstage is unexpectedly massive and "out of head" not just for a planar set but in general, it's up there with totl stuff. The cable and case are actually very nice. The build is solid and feels hefty. Comfort is top notch, they sit totally flush and I don't consider my ears big, I always use MS eartips.
From negatives I can mention minimal, I mean very minimal tactility, punch and note weight, it sounds extremely ethereal and light across all freq. range. Notes fly around head. The bass is rumbly, but not textured. It does have good extension and can create nice sub-bass "pressure" but otherwise never the star of the show. Doesn't respond to EQ bassboost well, even on +10 db it's quite muffled and rounded. Very little dynamics across the board, not just in bass. This might not fit some genres. However, these properties make them sound nothing like a ba/dd hybrid and isn't that what we're here for? S12 Pro sounded more bombastic and close to a DD, for example.
Will see if some burn in and tip-rolling improves the set, but I am already very happy and content with how these turned out. Their sound matches the theme of Empress.

 

[AmenoUzume]

Tony suggests that Pirole Resin($40) sounds like Moritz Dragon($629).
In the comments section below, someone mentioned you can get Pirole Resin as cheap as $26 without cable.
Can $26 David trade blows with $629 Goliath? I'm glad to know!

 

[r31ya]

Juzear is designing a new IEM in collaboration with Zeos. They have four shell panels prototypes. Which one do you prefer?


I like numbers 1 and 2.

Its been seriously awhile since i go to Zeos channel.
i usually prefer blue color, but this is not the right blue. the green one is better.

Tony suggests that Pirole Resin($40) sounds like Moritz Dragon($629).
In the comments section below, someone mentioned you can get Pirole Resin as cheap as $26 without cable.
Can $26 David trade blows with $629 Goliath? I'm glad to know!

For these kind of thing, i kinda missed hifri dissection,

He could go, "dude, this $90 iem have the same driver with a famous $499 iem.

Let me open both iem to show you that it is the same driver"

 

[Pingulein]

Its been seriously awhile since i go to Zeos channel.
i usually prefer blue color, but this is not the right blue. the green one is better.



For these kind of thing, i kinda missed hifri dissection,

He could go, "dude, this $90 iem have the same driver with a famous $499 iem.

Let me open both iem to show you that it is the same driver"

don‘t most drivers nowadays cost so little that all your paying for is the implementation many times?

 

[domq422]

Tbh, it does not matter much pricier it is, if we are crazy enough to want "more" in audio world. Say, yup, it's 10% better for 100% more money. But nothing else out there can give you that 10% that you have been craving for (and if you can afford that 100% price hike without getting unsustainable credit card debt), then that's the one to get.

Speaking as someone who has not tried DCE, btw I still don't want to buy this since I already have the W4 and I don't believe it can be that much better. But, I was told that DCE is indeed very good, reminiscent of the DAP whose topology it tries to mimic

Alright, valid point.

But, the way I'm currently looking at the hobby in this particular moment in time is I'm not necessarily looking for 'better', but something different.

Do I enjoy my more expensive sets more than my less expensive sets? Not always... One day, I can rock with the KZ Castor bass, and the next day I can rock with the Monarchs... there's no rhyme or reason to it. At CanJam, I heard sets ranging from $200 up to $6000 and my favorite of the day by a large margin was somewhere under the half way mark between those dollar amounts. Hell, I preferred the DC07 over the DCE and even bought one right then and there... what the hell is wrong with me? LOL

What I'm trying to say here is, you're right, if you're looking for that last 5% and it's stuck behind a paywall of $450 in the form of a dongle DAC that lacks BT or a screen or an internal battery BUT it has tht 5%... you pay it. It's the way of the Audiophile. But damn, it's just tough to justify in my current mind set.

I got the AFUL Polarnight coming in for review

That's exciting... I forgot to look for these at CanJam so I'm interested in hearing some impressions!

CS43131 DAC with custom AMP with power up to 2.5vrms, or 200mw@32ohms
it have dedicated chip for mic support.

pretty good contender for FIIO KA11 or Moondrop click/Echo or 7hz 711 or JCally... its pretty crowded segment huh.

Isn't it nuts how much power these little dongles can output now a days?

Insane.

another Hype Train for Kiwi Ears Aether

I know this thread isn't too crazy about planar IEMs but I'd implore everyone to wait a bit for Letshuoer's new model coming out later this year. Designation; S16. The prototype was quite impressive.

#4. The green faceplate.

I almost said the same thing but #3 called to me like a banshee in the night...

 

[MakeItWain]

Hey all,

I am looking for some suggestions for IEM to look at. I have the Westone W40s in my house somewhere, and I can't find them.

I'm looking to spend $300 to $500. I like good mids and highs, not much of a basehead. I also like a wide sound stage. Currently my fave TWS are the Rex5 and Beoplay elevens.

Any suggestions?

"Not much basshead" is not quite easy to find nowadays, I think. I'll try to suggest some options that I have tested:

• Moondrop Blessing 3: closest to your required sound signature.
• HiBy Yacht10: new and relatively untested, but it does have more gentle bass and nice open stage due to the big vents at the back.
• PULA ANVIL114: it does have bass, but the subbass is more subdued, so you might like this signature. Mid and highs are quite good. The large shells + "bone conduction" driver make soundstage quite wide.
• AFUL Performer5+2: when I'm out of idea, I always recommend this one

If you manage to find a discount, AFUL Cantor is also a good option. It's a few hundred dollars above your budget at full retail price.

I feel like I would echo the Moondrop Blessing 3 rec here. Performer 5+2 isn't a bad one either.

I may actually, for that price range, suggest either the DUNU DK3001B aka BrainDance (though that will have more incisive sounding treble and may lack warmth, depending on what type of mids are preferred) or the Elysian Pilgrim