RedJohn456
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Feb 8, 2014
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AK Audio Super Dolphin 6BA
Sticking a Dolphin in your ears!
Disclaimer
The Super Dolphin 6BA is a loaner unit provided in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. I have tried my best to recored my thoughts and impressions on how I found the it to sound. These thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone and I reserve the right to change my opinion as time goes on. These are my personal findings and should be taken as such.
Introduction
Here we have a chinese iem offering that once again beggars belief that headphones of this quality can exist for this amount of coin! Something like this was unheard of even a few months ago. What the heck is going on? I can’t even imagine how the chinese iem market will look in a few weeks, never mind a few months!For sometime now, I have been testing the Super Dolphin 6BA (I will shorten it to Dolphin for sake of brevity), courtesy of AK Audio, so a big thank you to them for giving me this opportunity. I have really enjoyed my time with the Dolphin as it ticks a lot of boxes for me and I feel it offers a compelling choice in market where a new product is released every other hour. Lets see if it has what it takes to stand the test of time. They can be purchased at the following link: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2016-Super-Dolphin-6BA-In-Ear-Headset-DIY-Hifi-Custome-Made-Balanced-Armature-In-Ear-Earphone/119089_32723650896.html
About me
Before I get into the nitty gritty of things, I want to provide a little background information in the hopes that it can help put my views in perspective and provide some context for the content of this review.Music has always been a huge part of my life, whether it was performing music on stage with my band or more recently, involving myself in this masochistic wonderful hobby of ours. I have always enjoyed listening to music but I haven’t always paid attention to the quality of headphones because I was perfectly content with included cellphone earphones or cheap earbuds from department stores. Ignorance is bliss right? This however all changed when I came across head-fi one day, and that’s when things started to go downhill (for my wallet that is 
). It is all too easy to underestimate how large an impact a good pair of headphones can have in the enjoyment of your favorite songs.
After getting my first pair of good headphones, I had felt as if an entirely new world has opened up to me musically and I found myself rediscovering music that I have listened to for many years.
When it comes to musical taste, I can’t say that I have any specific genre that is my absolute favorite, as I like a little bit of everything. But if I had to be specify, I would say that I love mainstream and Pop music and I consider myself to be an average joe in that regard. That is the approach I will be taking in reviewing gear, for people like me who aren’t all that technical and are not audiophiles in the classical sense.
I mostly stream music from the Internet using services such as Spotify and Youtube and like millions of other people, my laptop and cellphone serves as my main media players.
). It is all too easy to underestimate how large an impact a good pair of headphones can have in the enjoyment of your favorite songs.After getting my first pair of good headphones, I had felt as if an entirely new world has opened up to me musically and I found myself rediscovering music that I have listened to for many years.
When it comes to musical taste, I can’t say that I have any specific genre that is my absolute favorite, as I like a little bit of everything. But if I had to be specify, I would say that I love mainstream and Pop music and I consider myself to be an average joe in that regard. That is the approach I will be taking in reviewing gear, for people like me who aren’t all that technical and are not audiophiles in the classical sense.
I mostly stream music from the Internet using services such as Spotify and Youtube and like millions of other people, my laptop and cellphone serves as my main media players.
So with that out of the way, lets get on with the review!
Build quality, Design and Accessories
The Dolphin utilizes 6 balanced armature drivers and is available with either MMCX or 2 Pin cable connectors (my loaner unit has a 2 pin connector).
This is my first experience with a 2-pin connector and suffices to say I won’t be going back to MMCX anytime soon. A common point of failure for many iems with removable cables is the connector, and MMCX connectors are more prone to issues developing over time. The Dolphin’s rock solid and sturdy connector will prolong its longevity and durability and should give customers some peace of mind about their investment.
The review unit came enclosed in a generic case with the usual red core tips that are so prevalent with chinese iems. It is my understanding that the retail unit also only comes with a case and selection of tips.
The included cable is very soft and supple, easy to manage and not prone to tangling. Even the memory wire portion, that rests over the ear, is pleasantly flexible and not in the least bit annoying. The cable itself has a braid and terminates in a 90 degree L jack. The strain reliefs on both ends are very well done so the cable should hold up like a champ.
The Dolphin housing/shells are black, adorning the name in red and blue. The faceplate is adorned by an abalone like design that is quite pleasing to the eye. I also like the dark black look of the shells as it creates a nice contrast with the abalone faceplates.
While the shells are a tad on the big side, they are comfortable once inserted into your ears. The Dolphin sports a durable build quality and sturdy construction, ensuring that it will easily withstand the rigors of daily use. I was able to stuff them into my pockets while out and about but due to their shell size it might be more prudent to carry them in a shirt pocket or something similar.
The Dolphin provides an insane amount of sound isolation, especially when utilizing tips that provide an optimal seal. While commuting on the subway, I could not hear ANY outside sounds while the Dolphin was playing music. And mind you, this was at low volume. This makes them perfect for long noisy commutes, where you can easily enjoy your music at lower volumes and not damage your hearing in the process.
They are quite easy to drive, too easy in fact. I noticed some hissing with my sources due to how sensitive the Dolphin is so that is something to keep in mind. But it was not something I noticed with every source and once music started playing it disappeared but I would be remiss if I did not make a note of it.
Before I get into the nitty gritty of things here some technical specs:
Overall the Dolphin is a clean and airy sounding iem, with a breathtaking midrange and tight bass that has appreciable impact. I felt that it also had a slight emphasis on the mids, making a perfect complement to the otherwise airy and well extended treble.
Speaking of which, the treble sounds just about perfect to my ears, very extended and airy without being bright or peaky in the slightest (I am quite treble sensitive). The Dolphin’s treble strikes a delicate balance between sounding analytical and sounding musical. It has great resolution and tons of micro-detail. All the elements of a song are there, easy to delineate and follow individually from beginning to end. While all the details are present, they are not being pushed in your face. I am not quite sure how they pulled off the treble without sounding cold and analytical but that’s china for ya.
The Dolphin has a natural soundstage that is more true to life and not exaggerated. It's not limited to the inside your head, sounding positively out of your head, possessing more width than height. But what impressed me most was the sense of depth the Dolphin portrayed, it felt as if you are peering into the record; As if your music was being played in a room, positively cavernous!
In addition to its impressive sense of depth and staging, it has incredible separation and layering of instruments that make you feel as if you are enjoying a live performance. Accurate positioning of sonic cues make for a believable and natural sonic presentation that will leave you wanting more.
This leads to the star of the show, the midrange! This one really took me by surprise because how fantastically it renders female vocals, positively ethereal. If you enjoy female vocals AT ALL you really owe it to yourself to hear the Dolphin, it is simply breathtaking. The way in which it renders the details, vocal textures, ambience and atmosphere is something I have yet to hear on other headphones.
The Dolphin is not a one trick pony however, if you are a metal head this is also the iem for you. The way distortion guitars are so textured and detailed is simply mesmerizing. Drum hits come through loud and clear with great impact, giving the iem great PRaT.
The bass is neutral with no bloom or midrange leak to speak of. It is tight and punchy with impressive impact, quickly getting out of the way when its not called for. It is distinct from the rest of the mix but not emphasized in anyway but still easy to hear in your music. While the Dolphin sounds good with EDM, its not going to give you the bumping bass you need to really enjoy electronic music.
Dolphin vs Wooden 6BA
The Wooden 6ba is another 6 balanced armature from AK audio. I will keep the comparisons short and easy to follow. The Wooden 6ba is a tad less comfortable and ergonomic than the Dolphin. The nozzle lies at an angle that doesn't allow it to rest easily in my ears, but then again I have weird ears so YMMV. But thats also not saying much because the Dolphin is super comfortable to use and easy on the ears, so in reality the Wooden 6BA holds up rather well in this department. My review unit has a MMCX connector which is imo not as durable as the 2 pin connector on my Dolphin unit.
Sound wise I feel that the Wooden 6ba is more suited to modern top 40 music with its mild v-shaped sound signature. The Wooden 6Ba sounds lacks the treble extension and nuance of the Dolphin (which is basically a trapeze artist lol) while sounding smoother in the midrange, transitioning to elevated bass with a focus on mid bass. It is not the tightest bass in the world, nor is it loose or flabby, but it does have more weight and impact than the bass found on the Dolphin. It lacks the separation, layering and positioning of the Dolphin, which it makes up by sounding fun with a wider genre of music.
Dolphin vs Fender FXA5 Pro (Dual BA)
The FXA5 Pro has a much smaller shell and as a result is more comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The FXA5 Pro is also several orders of magnitude more tip sensitive than the Dolphin and can sound drastically different depending on the tips used. The FXA5 Pro build quality is terribly disappointing in many aspects. The MMCX connector is not fortified in the least and the cable ends in a connector that doesn not particularly handle bends well; It's not a matter of if it will fail but when. I have serious concerns about the FXA5 Pro's long term durability.
In comparison, the Dolphin connector and build quality is nearly indestructible, allowing owners to enjoy them for many years to come.
Even at its best, the FXA5 Pro sounds rather mellow and lifeless in comparison to the midrange mastery on display by the Dolphin. The FXA5 pro sounds glassy and smooth top to bottom but has weightier and impactful bass. The FXA5 Pro is also quite a bit less detailed lacking the intricate separation, layering and positioning found on the Dolphin. All in all, it is a step down from the Dolphin in almost every conceivable way.
Now having said that, I do acknowledge that this tuning & sound signature may not be to everyone's taste. The Dolphin is not massively V-shaped, it will not tickle a treble head's ear drums, nor will it provide the thumping bass that a basshead craves. So you might be asking, RedJohn456 you sexy beast, what good is it then? Well my pretties, the Dolphin is what mids aficionados crave for; a technically impressive iem that effortless blends a clean and balanced sound signature with a surprisingly sense of musicality. It may not do the aforementioned things, but what it does, it does incredibly well! Stringed instrument pieces, female vocal songs and metal music sounds so darn good tho when I am in the mood for these kinds of music I always find myself reaching for the Dolphins. I find myself using the Dolphin for all kinds of music actually but the aforementioned genres really highlight their strengths in my humble opinion.
You would think that the Dolphin would eviscerate lower quality music files, right? WRONG. It is surprisingly forgiving of poorly encoded files, which means that your cheapo mp3s should sound just fine. Furthermore, the Dolphin scales with better gear so it will continue to grow right along with your collection. While it sounded great running straight out of my Macbook Pro and BlackBerry Z30, it was noticeably better out of my FiiO X7 (with line out to VE RunABOUT 2.0). Heck it even sounded awesome sauce out of my Sansa Clip+ (<3 <3). Thankfully the Dolphin is not too picky about sources and pairing. As always some combinations will sound better than others, thats where synergy comes in
.
I avoided saying too much during first few days after receiving the Dolphin because I wanted to avoid falling prey to new toy syndrome. If you can’t tell by now, I absolutely love the Dolphin! It does a lot of things right and really shines when driven out of a good source. This is the real McCoy, proving that you really don’t have to spend a small fortune to get top tier quality sounds.
For the better part of a week now, I have been testing the Super Dolphin 6BA (I will shorten it to Dolphin for sake of brevity), courtesy of AK Audio, so a big thank you to them for giving me this opportunity.
The included cable is very soft and supple, easy to manage and not prone to tangling. Even the memory wire portion, that rests over the ear, is pleasantly flexible and not in the least bit annoying. The cable itself has a braid and terminates in a 90 degree L jack. The strain reliefs on both ends are very well done so the cable should hold up like a champ.
The Dolphin housing/shells are black, adorning the name in red and blue. The faceplate is adorned by an abalone like design that is quite pleasing to the eye. I also like the dark black look of the shells as it creates a nice contrast with the abalone faceplates.
While the shells are a tad on the big side, they are comfortable once inserted into your ears. The Dolphin sports a durable build quality and sturdy construction, ensuring that it will easily withstand the rigors of daily use. I was able to stuff them into my pockets while out and about but due to their shell size it might be more prudent to carry them in a shirt pocket or something similar.
The Dolphin provides an insane amount of sound isolation, especially when utilizing tips that provide an optimal seal. While commuting on the subway, I could not hear ANY outside sounds while the Dolphin was playing music. And mind you, this was at low volume. This makes them perfect for long noisy commutes, where you can easily enjoy your music at lower volumes and not damage your hearing in the process.
They are quite easy to drive, too easy in fact. I noticed some hissing with my sources due to how sensitive the Dolphin is so that is something to keep in mind. But it was not something I noticed with every source and once music started playing it disappeared but I would be remiss if I did not make a note of it.
How does it sound?
So that's all good and dandy but how do the buggers sound? Well in one word: Impressive! Allow me to tell you why 
Though I should point out that the Dolphin is quite tip sensitive and some tip rolling might be warranted for best results.
Though I should point out that the Dolphin is quite tip sensitive and some tip rolling might be warranted for best results. FR curve courtesy of the product page
Before I get into the nitty gritty of things here some technical specs:
- Driver - 6 Balanced Armature Drivers
- Sensitivity - 112 dB
- Impedance - 14 ohms
- Freq Response 8 - 25000 Hz (I guess with this FR actual dolphins might actually be able to enjoy it too
)
Overall the Dolphin is a clean and airy sounding iem, with a breathtaking midrange and tight bass that has appreciable impact. I felt that it also had a slight emphasis on the mids, making a perfect complement to the otherwise airy and well extended treble.
Speaking of which, the treble sounds just about perfect to my ears, very extended and airy without being bright or peaky in the slightest (I am quite treble sensitive). The Dolphin’s treble strikes a delicate balance between sounding analytical and sounding musical. It has great resolution and tons of micro-detail. All the elements of a song are there, easy to delineate and follow individually from beginning to end. While all the details are present, they are not being pushed in your face. I am not quite sure how they pulled off the treble without sounding cold and analytical but that’s china for ya.
The Dolphin has a natural soundstage that is more true to life and not exaggerated. It's not limited to the inside your head, sounding positively out of your head, possessing more width than height. But what impressed me most was the sense of depth the Dolphin portrayed, it felt as if you are peering into the record; As if your music was being played in a room, positively cavernous!
In addition to its impressive sense of depth and staging, it has incredible separation and layering of instruments that make you feel as if you are enjoying a live performance. Accurate positioning of sonic cues make for a believable and natural sonic presentation that will leave you wanting more.
This leads to the star of the show, the midrange! This one really took me by surprise because how fantastically it renders female vocals, positively ethereal. If you enjoy female vocals AT ALL you really owe it to yourself to hear the Dolphin, it is simply breathtaking. The way in which it renders the details, vocal textures, ambience and atmosphere is something I have yet to hear on other headphones.
The Dolphin is not a one trick pony however, if you are a metal head this is also the iem for you. The way distortion guitars are so textured and detailed is simply mesmerizing. Drum hits come through loud and clear with great impact, giving the iem great PRaT.
The bass is neutral with no bloom or midrange leak to speak of. It is tight and punchy with impressive impact, quickly getting out of the way when its not called for. It is distinct from the rest of the mix but not emphasized in anyway but still easy to hear in your music. While the Dolphin sounds good with EDM, its not going to give you the bumping bass you need to really enjoy electronic music.
The Shells look stunning, one of the prettiest iems I have seen coming out of China
Comparisons
So how does it stack up against other iems? I will admit that I don't have many other multi-BA iems aside from the Wooden 6BA and Fender FXA5 Pro, so I will be comparing against them.Dolphin vs Wooden 6BA
The Wooden 6ba is another 6 balanced armature from AK audio. I will keep the comparisons short and easy to follow. The Wooden 6ba is a tad less comfortable and ergonomic than the Dolphin. The nozzle lies at an angle that doesn't allow it to rest easily in my ears, but then again I have weird ears so YMMV. But thats also not saying much because the Dolphin is super comfortable to use and easy on the ears, so in reality the Wooden 6BA holds up rather well in this department. My review unit has a MMCX connector which is imo not as durable as the 2 pin connector on my Dolphin unit.
Sound wise I feel that the Wooden 6ba is more suited to modern top 40 music with its mild v-shaped sound signature. The Wooden 6Ba sounds lacks the treble extension and nuance of the Dolphin (which is basically a trapeze artist lol) while sounding smoother in the midrange, transitioning to elevated bass with a focus on mid bass. It is not the tightest bass in the world, nor is it loose or flabby, but it does have more weight and impact than the bass found on the Dolphin. It lacks the separation, layering and positioning of the Dolphin, which it makes up by sounding fun with a wider genre of music.
Dolphin vs Fender FXA5 Pro (Dual BA)
The FXA5 Pro has a much smaller shell and as a result is more comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The FXA5 Pro is also several orders of magnitude more tip sensitive than the Dolphin and can sound drastically different depending on the tips used. The FXA5 Pro build quality is terribly disappointing in many aspects. The MMCX connector is not fortified in the least and the cable ends in a connector that doesn not particularly handle bends well; It's not a matter of if it will fail but when. I have serious concerns about the FXA5 Pro's long term durability.
In comparison, the Dolphin connector and build quality is nearly indestructible, allowing owners to enjoy them for many years to come.
Even at its best, the FXA5 Pro sounds rather mellow and lifeless in comparison to the midrange mastery on display by the Dolphin. The FXA5 pro sounds glassy and smooth top to bottom but has weightier and impactful bass. The FXA5 Pro is also quite a bit less detailed lacking the intricate separation, layering and positioning found on the Dolphin. All in all, it is a step down from the Dolphin in almost every conceivable way.
Summary
So overall, the Dolphin is light and quick on its feet, think Philadelphia Cream Cheese light lol. It is quite revealing without coming across as analytical, retaining a surprising sense of musicality, with impressive depth and a holographic presentation. The Dolphin is an all rounder that will sound great with most music but really shines with Female Vocals and Metal. I will say it again, if you are as big a fan of female vocals or metal as I am, you really should give the Dolphin a listen! Heck these are even great for monitoring given how balanced they are from top to bottom. And lastly, for those of you who are massive Havi B3 Pro 1 fans like myself, you are sure to get a kick out of the Dolphin!Now having said that, I do acknowledge that this tuning & sound signature may not be to everyone's taste. The Dolphin is not massively V-shaped, it will not tickle a treble head's ear drums, nor will it provide the thumping bass that a basshead craves. So you might be asking, RedJohn456 you sexy beast, what good is it then? Well my pretties, the Dolphin is what mids aficionados crave for; a technically impressive iem that effortless blends a clean and balanced sound signature with a surprisingly sense of musicality. It may not do the aforementioned things, but what it does, it does incredibly well! Stringed instrument pieces, female vocal songs and metal music sounds so darn good tho when I am in the mood for these kinds of music I always find myself reaching for the Dolphins. I find myself using the Dolphin for all kinds of music actually but the aforementioned genres really highlight their strengths in my humble opinion.
You would think that the Dolphin would eviscerate lower quality music files, right? WRONG. It is surprisingly forgiving of poorly encoded files, which means that your cheapo mp3s should sound just fine. Furthermore, the Dolphin scales with better gear so it will continue to grow right along with your collection. While it sounded great running straight out of my Macbook Pro and BlackBerry Z30, it was noticeably better out of my FiiO X7 (with line out to VE RunABOUT 2.0). Heck it even sounded awesome sauce out of my Sansa Clip+ (<3 <3). Thankfully the Dolphin is not too picky about sources and pairing. As always some combinations will sound better than others, thats where synergy comes in
I avoided saying too much during first few days after receiving the Dolphin because I wanted to avoid falling prey to new toy syndrome. If you can’t tell by now, I absolutely love the Dolphin! It does a lot of things right and really shines when driven out of a good source. This is the real McCoy, proving that you really don’t have to spend a small fortune to get top tier quality sounds.
Sticking a Dolphin in your ears!
-----------------------------------------
First Impressions
Here we have a chinese iem offering that once again beggars belief that headphones of this quality can exist for this amount of coin! Something like this was unheard of even a few months ago. What the heck is going on? I can’t even imagine how the chinese iem market will look in a few weeks, never mind a few months!For the better part of a week now, I have been testing the Super Dolphin 6BA (I will shorten it to Dolphin for sake of brevity), courtesy of AK Audio, so a big thank you to them for giving me this opportunity.
I will be talking about the Dolphin today, which uses 6 balanced armature drivers. It is available with either MMCX or 2 Pin cable connectors (my unit has the 2 pin connector).
This is my first experience with a 2-pin connector and suffices to say I won’t be going back to M
MCX anytime soon. A common point of failure for many iems with removable cables is the connector, and MMCX connectors are more prone to issues developing over time.
The Dolphin’s rock solid and sturdy connector ensures that this iem will last a long time.
The included cable is very soft and supple, easy to manage and not prone to tangling. Even the memory wire portion, that rests over the ear, is pleasantly flexible and not in the least bit annoying. The cable itself has a braid and terminates in a 90 degree L jack. The strain reliefs on both ends are very well done so the cable should hold up like a champ.
The Dolphin housing/shells are black, adorning the name in red and blue. The faceplate is made a multiocolor pattern shell (not sure what the technical term would be) but eye catching and pleasing nonetheless.
While the shells are a tad on the big side, they are comfortable once inserted into your ears. The Dolphin sports a durable build quality and sturdy construction, ensuring that it will easily withstand the rigors of daily use.
The Dolphin has an insane amount of sound isolation, especially when you use tips that give an optimal seal. I was on the subway yesterday and I couldn’t hear ANY outside sounds while the Dolphin was playing music. And mind you, this was at a low volume. This makes them perfect for long noisy commutes, where you can easily enjoy your music at lower volumes and not damage your hearing in the process.
So that's all good and dandy but how do the buggers sound? Well in one word: Impressive! Allow me to tell you why
Before I get into the nitty gritty of things here are the technical specs for the Dolphin:
Overall the Dolphin is a clean and airy sounding iem, with a breathtaking midrange and tight bass that has great impact. I felt that it also had a slight emphasis on the mids, making a perfect complement to the airy and well extended treble.
The treble is just about perfect to my ears, very extended and airy without being bright or peaky in the slightest (I am quite treble sensitive). The Dolphin’s treble strikes a delicate balance between sounding analytical and sounding musical. It has great resolution and tons of micro-detail. All the elements of a song are there, easy to delineate and follow individually from beginning to end. All the details are there, but they are not pushed in your face. I am not quite sure how they pulled off the treble without sounding cold and analytical but that’s china for ya.
The Dolphin has a natural soundstage that is more true to life and not exaggerated. It is not limited to inside your head and definitely sounds out of head, possessing more width than height. But what impressed me most was the sense of depth the Dolphin portrayed, it felt as if you are peering into the record; As if your music was being played in a room, positively cavernous!
In addition to its impressive sense of depth and staging, it has incredible separation and layering of instruments that make you feel as if you are enjoying a live performance. Accurate positioning of sonic cues make for a believable and natural sonic presentation that will leave you wanting more.
This leads to the star of the show, the midrange! This one really took me by surprise because how fantastically it renders female vocals, positively ethereal. If you enjoy female vocals AT ALL you really owe it to yourself to hear the Dolphins, it is simply breathtaking. The way in which it renders the details, vocal textures, ambience and atmosphere is something I have yet to hear on other headphones.
The Dolphin is not a one trick pony however, if you are a metal head this is also the iem for you. The way distortion guitars are so textured and detailed is simply mesmerizing. Drum hits come through loud and clear with great impact, giving the iem great PRaT.
The bass is neutral with no bloom or midrange leak to speak of. It is tight and punchy with impressive impact, quickly getting out of the way when its not called for. It is distinct from the rest of the mix but not emphasized in anyway but still easy to hear in your music. While the Dolphin sounds good with EDM, its not going to give you the bumping bass you need to really enjoy electronic music.
So overall, the Dolphin is light and quick on its feet, think Philadelphia Cream Cheese light lol. It is quite revealing without coming across as analytical, retaining a surprising sense of musicality, with impressive depth and a holographic presentation. The Dolphin is an all rounder that will sound great with most music but really shines with Female Vocals and Metal. I will say it again, if you are as big a fan of female vocals or metal as I am, you should give the Dolphin a listen! Heck these are even great for monitoring given how balanced they are from top to bottom. And lastly, for those of you who are massive Havi B3 Pro 1 fans like myself, you are sure gonna get a kick out of the Dolphin!
You would think that the Dolphin would eviscerate lower quality music files, right? WRONG. It is surprisingly forgiving of poorly encoded files, which means that your cheapo mp3s should sound just fine. Furthermore, the Dolphin scales with better gear so it will grow along with your collection. While it sounded great running straight out of my Macbook Pro and BlackBerry Z30, it was noticeably better out of something like FiiO X7 with line out to VE RunABOUT 2.0. Heck it sounded awesome sauce out of my Sansa Clip+ (<3 <3).
I avoided saying anything during first few days because I wanted to make sure that it was not new toy syndrome or a honeymoon phase, because if you can’t tell by now, I absolutely love the Dolphin! It does a lot of things right and really shines when driven out of a good source. This is the real McCoy, proving that you really don’t have to spend thousands to get top tier quality sounds!
I posted these impressions elsewhere but seeing as how it is bound to quickly get lost with new posts I created a thread for this bad boy
Where they can be bought:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2016-Super-Dolphin-6BA-In-Ear-Headset-DIY-Hifi-Custome-Made-Balanced-Armature-In-Ear-Earphone/119089_32723650896.html
**As always YMMV. I have tried to capture how the Dolphin sounds to the best of my ability and as accurate as possible. These are my impressions and should be taken as such. I reserve the right to change my opinion as time goes on.**
The included cable is very soft and supple, easy to manage and not prone to tangling. Even the memory wire portion, that rests over the ear, is pleasantly flexible and not in the least bit annoying. The cable itself has a braid and terminates in a 90 degree L jack. The strain reliefs on both ends are very well done so the cable should hold up like a champ.
The Dolphin housing/shells are black, adorning the name in red and blue. The faceplate is made a multiocolor pattern shell (not sure what the technical term would be) but eye catching and pleasing nonetheless.
While the shells are a tad on the big side, they are comfortable once inserted into your ears. The Dolphin sports a durable build quality and sturdy construction, ensuring that it will easily withstand the rigors of daily use.
The Dolphin has an insane amount of sound isolation, especially when you use tips that give an optimal seal. I was on the subway yesterday and I couldn’t hear ANY outside sounds while the Dolphin was playing music. And mind you, this was at a low volume. This makes them perfect for long noisy commutes, where you can easily enjoy your music at lower volumes and not damage your hearing in the process.
So that's all good and dandy but how do the buggers sound? Well in one word: Impressive! Allow me to tell you why
FR curve courtesy of the product page
Before I get into the nitty gritty of things here are the technical specs for the Dolphin:
- Driver - 6 Balanced Armature Drivers
- Sensitivity - 112 dB
- Impedance - 14 ohms
- Freq Response 8 - 25000 Hz (I guess with this FR dolphins might actually be able to enjoy it too )
Overall the Dolphin is a clean and airy sounding iem, with a breathtaking midrange and tight bass that has great impact. I felt that it also had a slight emphasis on the mids, making a perfect complement to the airy and well extended treble.
The treble is just about perfect to my ears, very extended and airy without being bright or peaky in the slightest (I am quite treble sensitive). The Dolphin’s treble strikes a delicate balance between sounding analytical and sounding musical. It has great resolution and tons of micro-detail. All the elements of a song are there, easy to delineate and follow individually from beginning to end. All the details are there, but they are not pushed in your face. I am not quite sure how they pulled off the treble without sounding cold and analytical but that’s china for ya.
The Dolphin has a natural soundstage that is more true to life and not exaggerated. It is not limited to inside your head and definitely sounds out of head, possessing more width than height. But what impressed me most was the sense of depth the Dolphin portrayed, it felt as if you are peering into the record; As if your music was being played in a room, positively cavernous!
In addition to its impressive sense of depth and staging, it has incredible separation and layering of instruments that make you feel as if you are enjoying a live performance. Accurate positioning of sonic cues make for a believable and natural sonic presentation that will leave you wanting more.
This leads to the star of the show, the midrange! This one really took me by surprise because how fantastically it renders female vocals, positively ethereal. If you enjoy female vocals AT ALL you really owe it to yourself to hear the Dolphins, it is simply breathtaking. The way in which it renders the details, vocal textures, ambience and atmosphere is something I have yet to hear on other headphones.
The Dolphin is not a one trick pony however, if you are a metal head this is also the iem for you. The way distortion guitars are so textured and detailed is simply mesmerizing. Drum hits come through loud and clear with great impact, giving the iem great PRaT.
The bass is neutral with no bloom or midrange leak to speak of. It is tight and punchy with impressive impact, quickly getting out of the way when its not called for. It is distinct from the rest of the mix but not emphasized in anyway but still easy to hear in your music. While the Dolphin sounds good with EDM, its not going to give you the bumping bass you need to really enjoy electronic music.
The Shells look stunning, one of the prettiest iems I have seen coming out of China
So overall, the Dolphin is light and quick on its feet, think Philadelphia Cream Cheese light lol. It is quite revealing without coming across as analytical, retaining a surprising sense of musicality, with impressive depth and a holographic presentation. The Dolphin is an all rounder that will sound great with most music but really shines with Female Vocals and Metal. I will say it again, if you are as big a fan of female vocals or metal as I am, you should give the Dolphin a listen! Heck these are even great for monitoring given how balanced they are from top to bottom. And lastly, for those of you who are massive Havi B3 Pro 1 fans like myself, you are sure gonna get a kick out of the Dolphin!
You would think that the Dolphin would eviscerate lower quality music files, right? WRONG. It is surprisingly forgiving of poorly encoded files, which means that your cheapo mp3s should sound just fine. Furthermore, the Dolphin scales with better gear so it will grow along with your collection. While it sounded great running straight out of my Macbook Pro and BlackBerry Z30, it was noticeably better out of something like FiiO X7 with line out to VE RunABOUT 2.0. Heck it sounded awesome sauce out of my Sansa Clip+ (<3 <3).
I avoided saying anything during first few days because I wanted to make sure that it was not new toy syndrome or a honeymoon phase, because if you can’t tell by now, I absolutely love the Dolphin! It does a lot of things right and really shines when driven out of a good source. This is the real McCoy, proving that you really don’t have to spend thousands to get top tier quality sounds!
I posted these impressions elsewhere but seeing as how it is bound to quickly get lost with new posts I created a thread for this bad boy
Where they can be bought:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2016-Super-Dolphin-6BA-In-Ear-Headset-DIY-Hifi-Custome-Made-Balanced-Armature-In-Ear-Earphone/119089_32723650896.html
**As always YMMV. I have tried to capture how the Dolphin sounds to the best of my ability and as accurate as possible. These are my impressions and should be taken as such. I reserve the right to change my opinion as time goes on.**
RedJohn456
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Reviews
RedJohn456 - http://www.head-fi.org/products/super-dolphin-6ba/reviews/16980
RedJohn456 - http://www.head-fi.org/products/super-dolphin-6ba/reviews/16980
First up is a big thanks for getting these. Now my question would be how they fair against TOTL offerings or atleast something like the upper-end of the spectrum. You already mentioned that these don't quite tackle the former in the Chinese Thread.
Care to elaborate why exactly? Is it just techincal merit or something else?
Care to elaborate why exactly? Is it just techincal merit or something else?
RedJohn456
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My comment was in response to someone asking if they are end game quality. That term gets tossed around way too casually when describing new releases in the chinese thread so I was trying to give some context and it was a general comment that wasn't specific to Dolphins. Till date I haven't heard or read of any similarly priced iems actually go toe to toe, as in absolutely equal true TOTL flagships in pure performance. Expecting these releases to equal flagships is a fools errand and will ultimately lead to disappointment, I was just trying to curb the rampant hype trains that get out of hand sometimes.
But there is nothing wrong with the Dolphins, as I said I was generally addressing the issue
These new releases are getting close enough to be in the same ballpark as the TOTL but not equalling them just yet.Now if you asking me how the Dolphins compare to the upper end of the spectrum, that I think is a lot fairer and closer comparison and IMHO Dolphins are easily playing at that level. For comparison I owned the Sony XBA Z5 for quite some and I would pick the Dolphins over the Z5 any day of the week and twice on sundays.
The Dolphin has a very delicate and clean sound that is perfectly balanced to my ears. It manages to effortlessly blend a detailed sound with a perfect amount of musicality to create a sound that is really impressive. If I were to hear the Dolphins without knowing the price beforehand and was asked to guess how much they cost I would guess 500-600 dollar range. Mind you they are retailing for $285 USD at the moment. I hope that answers your question!
Ahmad313
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Hi mate,
eagerly waiting for your detailed review on Dolphins and definitely some helpful comparisons, please make sure a comparison between the Dolphins and the super audio's 6pro(the previous 6ba model) , thanks.
eagerly waiting for your detailed review on Dolphins and definitely some helpful comparisons, please make sure a comparison between the Dolphins and the super audio's 6pro(the previous 6ba model) , thanks.
RedJohn456
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Hi Ahmad
My review is going up later and I will try my best. You can take a look at my profile to see if you would like anything specific you would like a comparison against, but I dont have the Super Audio 6 Ba iem you are referring to.
But don't fret people with TOTL iems will be talking about it soon enough
AudioNewbi3
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Wonder if this would be good for the works of Ryuuichi Sakamto or Joe Hisaishi
RedJohn456
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Tried a track or two from both artists on Tidal and it sounded pretty darn good. Specially Joe's spirited away track. Also Ryuuichi's tracks somehow brought out the bass in the dolphins, nice and definded with discernible weight and body. Tidal only had 30 seconds of each of her tracks. Weird :/
Ahmad313
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Excellent and just focused on the product review i really don't like the reviewers who use fancy words and trying to create a fantasy to attract the readers/buyers,
I missed something, maybe you forget to mention which type of BA drivers they used in the Dolphins and crossover management,?
I missed something, maybe you forget to mention which type of BA drivers they used in the Dolphins and crossover management,?
AudioNewbi3
1000+ Head-Fier
OOOOOO Thanks for taking the time to actually try them hahaha!
But it is still a wee bit pricey for me currently.......
RedJohn456
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I have to mail the Dolphin out tomorrow so I wanted to try those artists while I still had a chance. I caught ur post right before I was about to call it a night.
As with any Aliexpress seller, hitting them up via messaging might help but thats just a guess on my part. Good Luck!
powasky
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I'm interested to hear other member's thoughts on these. Who's gonna take the plunge?!
"Splish splash, I was listening to trash, all up on a Saturday night.
Rub-dub, grabbed the dolphins and I plugged
Now everything is sounding alright!"
-A song by the "biatch boys"
Rub-dub, grabbed the dolphins and I plugged
Now everything is sounding alright!"
-A song by the "biatch boys"
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