The discovery thread!

[Vonbuddy]

I want to know if the Top Pro is significantly better than the Top OG, which I own. I would appreciate any comparisons.

 

[lgcubana]

I want to know if the Top Pro is significantly better than the Top OG, which I own. I would appreciate any comparisons.

Checkout SquigLink:

 

[Sifxt]

Finally, I'm done with the review of the Mak94 Fukuoka!
Its quite a fun sounding set for the price of $165. Extremely good technical performance for the price.
Do check out the review if you're into these sort of sound and technical performance.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/mak94-fukuoka.28140/reviews#review-38172

 

[Vonbuddy]

Checkout SquigLink:

There appears to be some taming of the treble.

 

[activatorfly]

I'm doing a massive multi quote and I have no idea how much I've done so far. I just keep typing. When will it stop.

Can I just take a moment to talk about how good De La Soul is?

Yes you can !!...DLS are next level!
Can I just take a moment to reflect that I didn't catch up on those 100 pages??....& all that multi quoting is making me as "Dizzy" as The Wonderstuff (aka "Magic Sauce!")

 

[Jamsblast]

Hello folks!, my review for the Artti T10 Pro is up!:
Review of the Artti T10 Pro by Jamsblast

 

[MD Rohit]

Hello Audiophile brother's! Hope everyone’s havin’ some really fun times with their audio gears! Today I just wanna drop a quick lil’ news for ya’ll

Okay so I know many of you probably already know about MYER AUDIO and they got somethin’ fresh and new coming up! It’s the Sliivo SL224 — 2DD+2BA+4 Micro Planar IEM. Now, personally, I’m really hyped about this driver configuration coz it’s kinda similar to some other exciting sets like the Moondrop METEOR (1DD+2BA+4 Micro Planar) and the DUNU DK3001BD (1DD+4BA+4 Micro Planar). It’s got that kinda vibe.

And I gotta say, based on my experience, Myer Audio always tries to deliver some of the best stuff within a solid budget, and that’s exactly why I’m so hyped and happy for this upcoming IEM. It’s gonna be somethin’ to look out for, no doubt about it!

Stay tuned audiophile fam — more updates comin’ soon!

 

[thaslaya]

Can confirm.

This was me.

You and this gif need to get a room. I'm telling your wife...

Nice delivery day today, with these two showing up.

Let the game begin and see who will win this fight! (both are same price range of around $130)

Awesome! Jaytiss is big on the Yaksha too so it'll be interesting to see which one you like better.

The following is about 100 pages of catch up.

First of all, congrats on catching up! If I ever get that far behind, there's no way I would have the dedication or willpower to actually go through 100 pages, so my hat is off to you sir!

Been behind, lot of work, lot of personal stuff juggling, lot of gear. Reviews coming in for Stardust, Jet Black, Novus, Apostle, Kiwi Ears Septet, Kiwi Ears Airoso, Timeless II, Apevoix Grit, Hifi For All Dahlia, DCA Noire X, Vader Buds, etc. etc.

That's a ton of great content coming our way! Can't wait to watch the vids

I watch/listen to all reviewers (including my buddies @EnigmaFotos and @Jaytiss - and a plethora more reading and whatnot - im not going to spam anymore names then that, don't take this a slight. Looking at you @thaslaya )

I am actually super slighted So much so that I'm going to make a YouTube channel called KeepItDry just to troll you and become your archnemesis. Prepare yourself!

I'm doing a massive multi quote and I have no idea how much I've done so far. I just keep typing. When will it stop.

So according to my count, which is arbitrary at best, you have now unseated @Ozboyblu for most quotes in a single post! @bithalver held on to the crown for a long time but Ozboy only for a few weeks. Strong work!

Is this like some kind of stealth Jaytiss collab?

If he ever does a collab, it has to be called the "Mid"

Comparison to Punch.

Ooo me likey the one with more mid-bass

Yep. I think imma be a go on the Hammer Punch. The 4-core modular cable looks SICK. Extended 2-pin though... I also wanna see what the Deuce impedance adapter does to this thing.

Oh you want that BASS BASS. Your ears must be gluttons for punishment

---

Now time for a little shameless self promotion . Just posted my review for the EarAcoustic STA Pro Max (Head-fi and blog). This little $80 budget set is quite fun if you like a more colored tuning! It has a nice mid-bass heft in the low end, but still with some decent sparkle in the treble. It's also one of the better sets for low volume listening that I've heard in a while. The packaging and accessories are solid as well.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

There appears to be some taming of the treble.

Yes. If you watch vids and read impressions, that’s the main takeaway. Less treble extension that the OG. Everyone loves less treble. NOT. This makes perfect sense, since Headphones dot com mentions the Top Pro as meta tuned, and as a rule, meta tuned will be accompanied by safely tuned, laid back treble (that can have a measure of incisiveness, like AFUL Explorer and KZ Saga/PRX).

Hello folks!, my review for the Artti T10 Pro is up!:
Review of the Artti T10 Pro by Jamsblast

Looks fun, but I’ve got more planars than I know what to do with though.

 

[pk4425]

Hot damn, the Thieaudio Hype 2 is so much fun with classic rock and rock. A party in my ears. "Moving Pictures" by Rush is just kicking from start to finish.

 

[Cinder]

great review, brother, and great shot of them. Agreed with a lot in your review upon initial read.

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. I've been experimenting with new techniques for my photography. I'm using a cheap f1/.8 lens I bought for $70 in 2016 since my wife is really not a big fan of me splurging on proper macro stuff.

Are you in the US?

Yessir. I'm living 10 mins away from the CanJam SoCal venue.

Astral is the real deal, when you look at so many good to excellent impressions.

I've seen a lot of high praise for it. I have a finished draft of my Astral review, but can't seem to get my mid-bass-loving self to buy in. There's something about its mid-bass roll-off that makes it sound off to me.

 

[J808]

Ooo me likey the one with more mid-bass

The Punch w/ W1 ear tips has an intoxicating kick drum.

 

[Redcarmoose]

The following is about 100 pages of catch up.

Ignoring dead debates (there was definitely a handful) and a lot of full C&P reviews being posted in here vs just doing a small summary (like this is a FB review page).

Been behind, lot of work, lot of personal stuff juggling, lot of gear. Reviews coming in for Stardust, Jet Black, Novus, Apostle, Kiwi Ears Septet, Kiwi Ears Airoso, Timeless II, Apevoix Grit, Hifi For All Dahlia, DCA Noire X, Vader Buds, etc. etc.

But, yeah, got caught up.

Spoiler: A lot of multi quotes, expand at your own risk

I have only tried the Golden Dragon which has been hilariously bassy with recessed mids/treble. I'm going to move it to someone who can graph it since it was a limited purchase and out of pure curiosity. But, others have had great experiences with Xinhs IEMs.



Been super curious about Nunchaku but, I feel like I'd only replace the Muse M5 Ultra if I wanted to go to the new Canyin. Still been enjoying it?



I'm still waiting for the ML version of the Prism tips (only got the M which are 12.4 and just a bit too small for me). But they're great tips.



Very industrial look, great review buddy.



I am all in on devices that show you a transparent window like that.



Great review on all the tips, man! I love the HS20 a lot, they work great for my ears. I'm kind of like warm on the Spinfit Neo.

I recently finally got a pair of the ML Baroques and I understand that hype now. Got a perfect fit with perfect seal. I need to put it through it's paces some more.

I've also been meaning to do a video on ear tips so maybe this is a great time since there's so many good ones out there.



I watch/listen to all reviewers (including my buddies @EnigmaFotos and @Jaytiss - and a plethora more reading and whatnot - im not going to spam anymore names then that, don't take this a slight. Looking at you @thaslaya )

Mark is awesome. I'll watch his reviews and others to get an idea but, ultimately, I'll allow my own ears and my own experiences to be my take on things and can only speak out how I feel about it.

I also think it's important to not take anyone as gospel. I give my opinions, I respond to virtually everything in comments, I try to be fully transparent. But, even for how I articulate everything or try to be an influencer/reviewer, my hopes is that my material (with a hint of comedy) is taken and used to help formulate an opinion but not be -the- opinion.

Unless their tastes are that closely aligned. In which point, game on Buddy!



Great breakdown.

I'm getting a Kiwi Ears Aether in so I'm definitely going to pit it against the S15, the Timeless II, and Quantum.



Speaking of Timeless II - great review, brother, and great shot of them. Agreed with a lot in your review upon initial read.



Take the cash, sit on them and/or use it to travel to CanJam or a different meet up to experience more, my friend.







No more cheap cables and promotional codes.



Have the Defiant coming in (green one) so I'll remit back. Eventually.







Can I just take a moment to talk about how good De La Soul is?







Are you in the US?



Mm... Tubes...



Tribrid???





Great review again, buddy!



Quantum hasn't really gone so much that not a lot of people have had the opportunity to check it out. So far, though, I know Omar has along with myself, Koi, and @EnigmaFotos - I meant to tour it (as part of our Discord tours) to more people to review but it took a slight detour to @emdeevee as he wanted to compare them to Astrolith (which I'm curious about too).

But, if it helps, I'd absolutely take Quantum over Timeless II and S15 so far without question. Aether got some tough competition.



Yeah, I think only one person got a Quantum unit directly to review for free and it was part of a care package. Everyone else has picked it up with discounted rates. I picked mine up to not only enjoy but also to tour it in a non-organized HF fashion.

But, on the FF threads, most people have enjoyed theirs although there was a fit issue/is a fit issue with Quantum where you need to use longer stem tips.

Either way, though, there's a reason why the next FF release is going to be a collaboration with another MFG (not a cable one) and I'm super freaking excited for that one.



Etude gave me immediate "they took Apevoix Grit and probably ate it's breakfast" vibes.

I'm super curious to hear how they sound. But, yeah, they're going to have to be bumping to unseat Aegis or Legion.



Sorry to hear that, man. There are a lot of well sized flagships out there, TBH, that really show that the large sizes are BS sometimes. Looking at Canpur and FiR especially. But, yeah, sizes are getting weirder and weirder sometimes. I absolutely hate smooth nozzles especially since they're tip limiting and I have disliked the fit on the H60 as the nozzle is so irregularly shaped.



Final Type E tips are literally my GOAT.



Speed running the entire Kiwi Ears line up at this point.



I'm doing a massive multi quote and I have no idea how much I've done so far. I just keep typing. When will it stop.



Great impressions!

I did the same with rolling sources and tips before I found perfect synergy to make up for the kind of laid back/chill of the Stardust.



Does it close flush? Does it lock? Great tip case. I have my own but love seeing more options out and about.



Yeah, watched that too. I'm definitely very curious about the Top Pro as Xenns seems to have a great reputation.



Tube mode? Because tube mode can fix a lot of things. Even power gate keeping.



Similarly curious about the Top Pro and how it competes. So far that's two reviewers that are all in on it and probably will herald it as the TOTL to beat.



Brother, just go to CanJam. There's also a meet up in LA coming in early June.

@XERO1 - I feel like this is your musical cue as I know timbre has always been big for you.

But to answer your question, @Jmop - planar headphones will be very quick still. It's way more about precision. Dynamic drivers will still be better in that regard.



So, I've had a Tap1 Pro with me for a bit now and I can confirm that rolling op amps to the V7 classic would likely help as far as fuller sound. That being said, the Tap1 Pro isn't really going for warm, full, tubey - there's a lot of resolution and imaging and separation that it does well to my ears. Having swapped from the stock op amps to the V7 classic really fixed a lot. If you like the Tap1 Pro, that would be a route I'd try.

There are definitely a lot of tube amps out there and tube daps as well. Just depends on what your use case is/how you wanna use it.



Top Pro also on my radar. Glad you're doing well, brother.

Volume S graphs lean in bass but it's not bad. Volume S has basically been like Moondrop Kato upgrade to my ears. Don't think it's missing but it will if you compare like Symphonium to it.



Pula Anvil but better is great for Kiwi Ears. Did you have the Apevoix Grit as well to compare or nah?



Is this like some kind of stealth Jaytiss collab?





Etude targets more mids vs bass then, yeah?

Also, hell yeah. "The Sound of Silence" from Disturbed is a fantastic track use for testing.



I feel like I'm literally zoning them out and doom scrolling past them.

Not trying to be rude or manage/gatekeep the thread or anything because I don't mind reading open stream of consciousness posts. And I've read some of these full reviews posted on here from some people. But I'm definitely scrolling past a lot recently (maybe it's worse because I just caught up on an almost month so it feels more frequent then it really is) and I'm like eyeing names to recognize if I should pay attention and/or, if I don't recognize it, just zoom past it.



Take the Punch and run, sir.



I'm curious about the Martilo and if this is Linsoul's basshead brand going forward.

Legion/Aegis are going to hit a different itch, though, brother.

Also, yeah, sorry, I've been doing 4.5 and whatnot. I actually had gifs made for them so I almost feel inclined to continue. But, numerical rating has been a huge source of delay/frustration at times trying to find the right value to assign. I'm starting to feel like I should lean off of it. But, it's hard in written format to post on here without following that star system.



I've been rocking my Vader TWS buds and, save for some frustrations that I'll mention in a future review, it's crazy how good wireless buds can be. But, they're also never going to compare to plugging in an Element IV or a DX340.

You would think the Grit would be passed-up by these two latest Kiwi creations, but the Grit won’t go away. I actually use the Grit for huge comparative force in my last two Kiwi reviews. All I can say is that the Grit is still a force to be experienced. It has more stage than the last two Kiwi ears and that means a lot to me. It is the basic size of the IEM image inside my head that has always won me over and added to how I review, which is emotionally. So bring out the Grit again was surprisingly fun, that sure the Astral is technically better as far as being clearer, but as we all know clarity is not always the end goal when it comes to playback and musicality. Where the Grit is the big fun lovable teddy bear and the Astral is business. Yet the Astral new modular cable actually goes better with the Ziigaat Lush better than the Kiwi ears Astral. I would at times be longing a little for slight more sparkle with the Lush, and the Kiwi ears Astral cable has a slight boost in brightness that was welcomed. So you can imagine you take the full-on business attitude of the Astral and add-on its very own cable and not only are you going to gain detail and clarity but possibly some extra unwanted brightness.

 

[Hypops]

Take the cash, sit on them and/or use it to travel to CanJam or a different meet up to experience more, my friend.

The weird thing about having a wad of luxury cash sitting around is that it's *really* hard to spend that big a chunk. I've been lingering in vintage guitar shops...

Can I just take a moment to talk about how good De La Soul is?

I can't believe it's only been like, what, two years since their albums have been available on streaming platforms? Still not sure which discography I was more excited to get access to again, Prince or De La.

Also, yeah, sorry, I've been doing 4.5 and whatnot. I actually had gifs made for them so I almost feel inclined to continue. But, numerical rating has been a huge source of delay/frustration at times trying to find the right value to assign. I'm starting to feel like I should lean off of it. But, it's hard in written format to post on here without following that star system.

I totally get how/why it happens. It's not reviewers' fault. It's custom and convention. But it doesn't make those scores any easier to make sense of as a reader!

Leonarfd, do you know what that inverted peak right before 8k is supposed to do to the sound? Usually I see the opposite, a peak right at 8k, not inverted like this. Some idea?

The positive peak at 8k is most often a quarter-length mode resonance from the coupler. Each of our ears has a similar resonance mode, but at a slightly different spot in the spectrum--depending on the length, width, and shape of our ear canals. By contrast, a trough at 8k can have a variety of effects. For folks with a natural length mode resonance near there, it's a way to mitigate its effect (toning down sibilance, etc). For others, it can have the effect of creating a greater sense of separation between the upper midrange (where the highest acoustic instrument tones reside) and the treble (where harmonics live). Just depends on your ear physiology.

Anyway I found the Top Pro graph of Jays Audio and his graph shows some differences compared to hbb graph:

Yet another instance showing why not to trust measurements on a 711 coupler below ~200Hz and above ~6kHz. Everything in-between on each of their measurements is statistically identical.

 

[zkmd]

All this talk about the Punch Martilo has mostly just made me realize that I really need to get my hands on a Kiwi Ears Punch at some point