Toranku's Thoughts and Reviews (and target EQ filters!)

[TooPoorForHiFi]

ReQuest

Final Audio A8000
&
Final Audio A7000
Vs.
Z1R

 

[toranku]

 

[Jackpot77]

Massdrop Edition?

 

[twiceboss]

any first impression?!

 

[toranku]

Massdrop Edition?

Yup, these are on loan. The Drop edition as well as the original Zeus XIV it was based upon.

any first impression?!

I'll do further AB-ing and analysis then do a review for the drop edition.

 

[toranku]

First Impressions: Obravo Cupid

Very warm sounding IEM. It's warm to the point that vocals sound muffled and blanketed. Bass isn't even good either - average punch with tom/snare drums. Hell, even the drums feel like they have a blanket over them. High level of smearing and barely has any definition with its transients. Highs are on the darker side yet peaky & thin at the same time. It's simultaneously blunted and peaky. It's not absolute garbage, but very far from being a decent IEM.

 

[toranku]

First Impressions: BLON BL-03

I'm aware of the hype it gets. Some claim it to be the flagship killer, some claim it to be the best thing ever. You get the idea. The expectation bias is there for me. The BL-03 isn't that good. The BL-03 also has unit variance issues to my knowledge.

The bass is bloated and its transients moderately smeared. It does have a really decent midrange tone. Treble peaks a bit early but the tone of the treble with cymbals are fine. It sounds pretty low dynamics despite the bassier tuning. Technicalities are pretty average as well and I'd even go as far as to say that the stage is mostly dominated by it's midbass. Perhaps this would be better if they dialed down the bass. The BL-03 isn't bad, but it's not as impressive as it was led to be. It's pretty average for what it is, and bonus points for getting the midrange right. I tried the Tin T4 right before I tried the BLON, and it's safe to say that I much prefer the T4s in all aspects.

 

[cn11]

First Impressions: Obravo Cupid

Very warm sounding IEM. It's warm to the point that vocals sound muffled and blanketed. Bass isn't even good either - average punch with tom/snare drums. Hell, even the drums feel like they have a blanket over them. High level of smearing and barely has any definition with its transients. Highs are on the darker side yet peaky & thin at the same time. It's simultaneously blunted and peaky. It's not absolute garbage, but very far from being a decent IEM.

Thanks man, appreciate the honest assessment of the Cupid. I'd read a lot on it, and at one point was pretty close to pulling the trigger to try out a pair. Glad I didn't.

 

[Jackpot77]

Thanks man, appreciate the honest assessment of the Cupid. I'd read a lot on it, and at one point was pretty close to pulling the trigger to try out a pair. Glad I didn't.

Think there are some definite differences of opinion on the Cupid. I definitely fall much more in line with @twister6 's thoughts ( https://twister6.com/2019/07/25/obravo-cupid/ ) as I find it a very enjoyable listen, and one which picks a pretty decent bass slam. Not meant as a way to start a dispute or challenge how Toranku hears it (it is his thread, after all), but just to highlight this seems to be an IEM that some people hear very differently to others. Guess that's the beauty of our hobby.

 

[SETriode]

First Impressions: BLON BL-03

I'm aware of the hype it gets. Some claim it to be the flagship killer, some claim it to be the best thing ever. You get the idea. The expectation bias is there for me. The BL-03 isn't that good. The BL-03 also has unit variance issues to my knowledge.

The bass is bloated and its transients moderately smeared. It does have a really decent midrange tone. Treble peaks a bit early but the tone of the treble with cymbals are fine. It sounds pretty low dynamics despite the bassier tuning. Technicalities are pretty average as well and I'd even go as far as to say that the stage is mostly dominated by it's midbass. Perhaps this would be better if they dialed down the bass. The BL-03 isn't bad, but it's not as impressive as it was led to be. It's pretty average for what it is, and bonus points for getting the midrange right. I tried the Tin T4 right before I tried the BLON, and it's safe to say that I much prefer the T4s in all aspects.

Hi,
How this BLON and Tin T4 compared to Sony MH755?
I like the MH755 sound profile, just think that need a bit more transparency and resolution (of course this might be asking too much for $7 earbud)
Thanks

 

[twister6]

Think there are some definite differences of opinion on the Cupid. I definitely fall much more in line with @twister6 's thoughts ( https://twister6.com/2019/07/25/obravo-cupid/ ) as I find it a very enjoyable listen, and one which picks a pretty decent bass slam. Not meant as a way to start a dispute or challenge how Toranku hears it (it is his thread, after all), but just to highlight this seems to be an IEM that some people hear very differently to others. Guess that's the beauty of our hobby.

Considering Toranku/Crin SGP connection and the recent discussion of a batch of Cupids with poor QC, I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case. But who knows. Aside from me having one of the earliest review samples which could have been cherry picked, in the last 2-3 months I actually read dozens of Cupid impressions from the paying customers (on FB in various audio groups) where sound description was aligned with what I heard.

But regardless if you are looking at $200 or $10k IEMs, if you are making your decision based on one or two write-ups instead of reading all the available impressions and reviews, especially from paying customers, you are not doing your homework. And of course, try to audition these at your local store or at CanJam or other shows; make the final judgement with your own ears

 

[Bitsir]

Cupid is just ridiculously, hilariously tip and fit sensitive. That's a downside of it, but it sounds wonderful when you do get not only a good fit, but the RIGHT fit.

How I get the right fit:


I use the included Whirlwind tips and jam them all the way down the nozzle so that the grill sticks out and through. Then I position the Cupid such that the drivers are as close to my eardrums as possible - without creating a vacuum seal. Pressure must not be formed between the drivers and your eardrums because then the entire sound collapses. The connectors are not laying flat against my temple rather they stick out at an angle.

Once you get all the stars aligned, the portal to the future opens!

 

[twister6]

Cupid is just ridiculously, hilariously tip and fit sensitive. That's a downside of it, but it sounds wonderful when you do get not only a good fit, but the RIGHT fit.

How I get the right fit:


I use the included Whirlwind tips and jam them all the way down the nozzle so that the grill sticks out and through. Then I position the Cupid such that the drivers are as close to my eardrums as possible - without creating a vacuum seal. Pressure must not be formed between the drivers and your eardrums because then the entire sound collapses. The connectors are not laying flat against my temple rather they stick out at an angle.

Once you get all the stars aligned, the portal to the future opens!

I second that. Typically, I don't have a separate section dedicated to eartips in my reviews, but in this case I had to because many of the tips I tried with Cupid ruined the sound Coincidentally, I ended up with whirlwinds as well, but of course, it will vary from user to user since we all have a different ear anatomy.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

Tips are important, but this is like saying a tire change will magically transform your PT Cruiser into a 911 GT3.

 

[Jackpot77]

I get your point, but I think it's fair to say that this is definitely the most tip dependent IEM I've personally listened to, and that the insertion, seal (and lack of vacuum seal) and tip really does affect the end sound. Not sure if it's to do with the driver setup of something else, but the Cupid is able to find both really enjoyable and downright odd depending on how it sits in the ear, and whether the drivers can "breathe" or not (best way I can think of describing it). Just relaying my personal experience - as always, YMMV.