The discovery thread!

[nikbr]

Been listening to my newly arrived Aful PolarNight off and on throughout the day. They are my first set of flathead earbuds so they are taking some getting used to.

Getting the fit/positioning right takes some real finesse. It'll be a while before I feel confident in how I'm positioning these in my ears. But for now, the farther away from my ear canal the better. If I leave them on for 20-30mins, they naturally slide out to a sort of natural "ledge" in my ear. Once they're there, they sound excellent. Could be the time and brain burn-in, or it could be something about being positioned very shallow that evens out their response.

Ah, earbuds, a Whole New World. A beautiful one, too!

I find that while their placement does drastically affect the sound, it isn't worth the hassle to try and find 'the sweet spot'. The most comfortable fit is also the one that tends to return the most natural result - while giving up some of the bass or details or isolation.

Upon first listen, my latest pair, the VE Zen 3.0, really didn't fit my tastes AT ALL! Boomy, recessed mids, zingy treble. Not sure what the heck happened in the mean time, but these are now my go-to natural sounding earbuds, whereas the RW2000 are more of a transparent and clinical sound with cleaner low end. Great 1-2 combo for sure.

Ps. Also, speaking of PolarNight, I was supposed to have one coming and I have no idea what happened.

 

[linconleandro]

New release, Nici white cat.
code: NICI17
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrWJ16b

 

[thought of Coffee]

I have a question about F.Audio M20 DAP I have tried their FA5 and stunned with the performance if anybody tried M20 please share your thoughts

 

[activatorfly]

Respect, buddy. You keep being you and delivering the highlight reviews.

I took NO ROAD. I was retired from reviewing, and had no desire or will to do any reviews (for free or reduced gear). I was approached by a seller in private, asking me if I would be interested in reviewing a planar of theirs, at a reduced price, and I said sure. I'd been freely buying my gear, and providing this community with impressions for years. Then after that very short lived cooperation, then I was asked by a well known and awesome reviewer here if I would be interested in doing reviews for HiFiGo. At that time, I had watched @thaslaya do reviews, and he was the first guy to ask me if I was interested in swapping loaner sets? Right after I started doing that, and joining tours, is when I got the request to review (something that was not of my impetus in the least. They came to ME). I said yes, and so there was no road to anything. It just happened, based on the respect my impressions of gear got from this amazing community. So there's no "winning" or "TOTLY radical" or being mentally flexible or being "calculated". What about reviews of tour units? Tainted as well? Those are free for a limited time!! Most of my reviews will go from 3-4.5, and I even gave a 2, and I've never given a 5. So basically, the exact same formula and delivery that I used to give the gear that I paid my hard earned cash for. So you got me wrong, you got most people wrong here, and it's never a good look to appear jealous of anyone. We're all in this together, bro. But before you cast aspersions, maybe learn the background first? Just saying.

That KZ is interesting. AM16 with bass boosted tuning? I actually enjoyed the AS10 Pro while I owned it, but sold it because of the ear pressure build up, and not because of the sonics, because it was actually a very nice sounding IEM. This AM16 probably has the same issues, but $56.00 it is not for us humble Americans at the moment. Thanks orange dude!!

Hence why I prefer desktop gear cos 5* reviews go hand in hand with inherent technical innovation, that remains constant for several months. Whereas in comparison iem tech / configs are far more ephemeral (FOTM)...Thus you need either a) very deep pockets or b) be a constantly supplied reviewer in order to keep up.

 

[jbfps116]

Looked at the AM16 on AE... cheapest price was by that notorious LuckLZ Audio store... $44. they try adding over $60 in additional fees. No way am I paying over 100$ for a $50 item! guess this seals the deal for me... Trump, I heartily thank you for breaking my IEM-purchasing addiction! [LOL] Now I can sit back, relax, and enjoy my collection for a good long while.

I'm mildly interested, but that deep dip in the upper treble can't mean anything good, so maybe I'm just as well off not buying them!

 

[Conan1974]

So he did something good, at least helped with audio addiction
He is planning extra 4 years, so 8 in total. A lots of people will be cured, marriages saved

 

[caryking]

LOL That's hilarious!

---

Been kickin it tonight with my ISN EBC80. Trying to decide if it goes on the chopping block along with the Penon Fan 3. WEll, at this moment in time, I think it's been saving itself from that fate, though this could change at any time, but thru the Nunchaku and Hiby R3 II, it's a fluid, warm, and shimmery sound with a very large soundstage and full midrange (thanks BCD!!). Just wish it was a little more resolute, like the Archangel. Then on to the Apostle and the Maris, as I wind down my review, and prepare to send them off to the next lucky audiophile.

What’s that cable?

 

[MD Rohit]

Lately, I’m getting more into earbuds, and just around that time, I received an offer from Penon to review their new model — the Penon Conductor. Funny thing is, at that moment, I had absolutely zero idea about this thing. This was completely new to me.

Like always, first thing I do after hearing any new name is straight Google search. What I found out was pretty interesting — it’s an earbuds that use a dynamic driver for sound and also a bone conduction driver. Plus, you can even adjust the bone conduction driver output level!

From what I was seeing, the overall design and idea seemed really nice to me, so I immediately told Penon that I’m interested to review it. Fast forward few days later, the product finally arrived at my hand. After a long time of testing and using, today I’m here to share my proper review with you all.

full review
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/penon-conductor.27560/reviews#review-37816

 

[Sifxt]

Finally got my hands on this hidden Gem!
The Mak94 Fukuoka, priced at around 135 USD, box and accessories wise its pretty packed I'd say.
From a very short period of listening session on these , all I can say that these sound matured and Mak94 has a lost of potential in them.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

man....those banger....this crazy pairing....what an intense morning....

WUACV sub bass hit so wide and synth extra layer is so well layered but whats crazy is how wide and rumbly and elastic go the bass....seem a wall of rumble....surrounding me pls clear vocalist on top....damn, tell about proper upgrade to my beloved BGVP DMA!
the Burson V7 Vivid open up even more already big soundstage of EBC80, its clear it too, more air around instrument, deeper spatiality....extra est crispness adding extra dimension to an awwwwwwww so eargasmic bassy experience....we can say the EBC80 is logical upgrade to ISN H60 too....

 

[Hypops]

Ah, earbuds, a Whole New World. A beautiful one, too!

I find that while their placement does drastically affect the sound, it isn't worth the hassle to try and find 'the sweet spot'. The most comfortable fit is also the one that tends to return the most natural result - while giving up some of the bass or details or isolation.

Upon first listen, my latest pair, the VE Zen 3.0, really didn't fit my tastes AT ALL! Boomy, recessed mids, zingy treble. Not sure what the heck happened in the mean time, but these are now my go-to natural sounding earbuds, whereas the RW2000 are more of a transparent and clinical sound with cleaner low end. Great 1-2 combo for sure.

Ps. Also, speaking of PolarNight, I was supposed to have one coming and I have no idea what happened.

Earbuds fit and sound different, no doubt. It'll be a while before I have a handle on the PolarNight.

 

[Vonbuddy]

Finally got my hands on this hidden Gem!
The Mak94 Fukuoka, priced at around 135 USD, box and accessories wise its pretty packed I'd say.
From a very short period of listening session on these , all I can say that these sound matured and Mak94 has a lost of potential in them.

Where did you get it?

 

[Jamsblast]

Hello to you all!, my review for the TINHIFI C3 MKII is up!, enjoy it!:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tinhifi-c3-mkii.27843/reviews#review-37819

 

[SushiiFi]

Here are my impressions of the @DUNU-Topsound DK-3001BD. So, does it make my brain dance? The answer is: yeah, it’s tingling my brain in all the right places. Let’s begin with the unboxing experience. As with all Dunu IEMs, it’s excellent — it feels very premium, and the accessories provided in the box are top notch.



In terms of sources, I just went mad — I plugged it straight into my desktop setup (Topping E70 Velvet + A70 Pro) and it sounded absolutely glorious.



Now, the sound in short — excellent. I won’t reveal too much here, but I’m really liking the tuning so far. They have masterfully tuned this set. The bass is rumbly with excellent texture, and the mid-bass thump is good enough, though the quantity is a bit on the lower side due to the tuning. Mids are also very well executed. Now, the big question: do the lower mids sound too scooped? The answer is: not completely. They have clearly done some things to counteract that scoop, I’ll explain more in the full review.

Male vocals sound okay, but female vocals are just beautiful, they come across as very extended and open without sounding shouty or harsh.

The treble is the special sauce of this IEM. It’s definitely forward, but surprisingly, it’s not that fatiguing at all (mind you, I’m treble sensitive). This is the best micro-planar treble I have heard to date, it's smooth, extended, and airy. There’s a sense of sweetness to the treble that’s seriously impressive. Detail retrieval and technical performance are also top class.



These are all the impressions I have for you now, let me listen to it more and work on the full review.

 

[GorGhast]

Congratulations on 10k (I know I'm late lol)! I started out lurking on the IEM reddit last year, but I eventually noticed that the variety of IEMs being discussed there was really limited and stale. Thousands of Wan'er vs Chu 2 threads, Truthear hegemony, Xenns Tea Pro the only mid-fi set etc. etc. What I enjoy about the discovery thread is the huge and updated range of IEMs that pop up in the thread. There are of course some biases here too, but they're much more transparent. I can point to the individuals who evangelize a certain brand or sound and understand where they're coming from, while on Reddit it's more like a self-perpetuating hivemind kind of feel. Thank you guys for making this hobby exciting and fun!

Speaking of variety, I'm cycling through so many IEMs these days, which I didn't think would happen. My taste in sound is becoming more varied as well, as I've found new enjoyment out of my Tangzu Xuan Nvs this week which I previously thought were just boring. I really appreciate their smoothness and relatively neutral sound, perfect for sleepy morning walks or chilling in bed. I've actually got a ZiiGaat Lush on the way for review, and I'm really excited about its promise of a "studio sound", something I maybe wouldn't have thought just a month ago! Happy Sunday and good listening to you all