[Ace Bee]

Also, I might suck it up and grab Oxygen since I really wanna try them and I'd like to give people opinions on what HBB considers to be the upgrade from Mele. It might help some people out here!

Dude, Oxygen is pretty old now, why not wait for something new to grab? Lots of new products are set to release. Moondrop is releasing a KXXS successor, Dunu is releasing Falcon Pro, Titan S, Zen Pro....lots of new surprises coming! Hang on, no need to go for yesteryear models!

 

[Jman841]

Dude, Oxygen is pretty old now, why not wait for something new to grab? Lots of new products are set to release. Moondrop is releasing a KXXS successor, Dunu is releasing Falcon Pro, Titan S, Zen Pro....lots of new surprises coming! Hang on, no need to go for yesteryear models!

Meh, New does not always mean better. I've seen it way too many times in this hobby, especially with IEM's.

New CAN mean better, but not always. If there's a well known set that is highly praised and has a sound signature you like, there's nothing wrong with getting an "old" model.

 

[Vladimir 198]

I really think Mele is a great IEM for the price. To me, they are competing in the 100-200usd bracket.

Which? TFZ Live 3? Audio Pink Lady? Audiosense AQ0? KBEAR Aurora? Other?? Hard to understand.

Spoiler: and a little to the side

if you indicate not the amount, but specific models, it will be easier to understand what is at stake.
I would suggest phrases:
1. "Looks like headphones .... dollars" (what do you mean?) "
2. "Perhaps you have a bad set" (this is how you describe only your exclusive, why then the name of the model? And write: "the headphones are silver with black, the delivery is exclusive, buy - maybe you will be lucky too.").
3. "This is my subjective opinion" (of course, we thought it was the voice of God ...).
4. "Do not compare apples to oranges" (compare. And I can read the price tag myself, but you cannot hear the sound through the display).
5. and the like. No need to list. We are all adults. We see that any negative opinion immediately becomes an object for attacks and is questioned. As if it has less rights to exist than a positive one...
- Eliminating that from headphone experience descriptions and discussions, it no longer looks like ads and bubbles. And disorient the reader. It is clear that we all read advertisements and from this we also begin to speak with words from the advertisement. Restrain yourself. All of us are here. Why the hype in a narrow circle? The ears will hurt.
I think so.

 

[Ace Bee]

Meh, New does not always mean better. I've seen it way too many times in this hobby, especially with IEM's.

New CAN mean better, but not always. If there's a well known set that is highly praised and has a sound signature you like, there's nothing wrong with getting an "old" model.

Your argument is perfectly valid, however, new CAN mean better too, so best would be to wait for the new ones to release, then wait for comparison, and then make an informed decision. I am especially hopeful for Dunu because they have got more successful models than failures.

 

[Ace Bee]

Which? TFZ Live 3? Audio Pink Lady? Audiosense AQ0? KBEAR Aurora? Other?? Hard to understand.

Dude...speaking of Pink Lady, I have not heard a worse set than that till date! I had to write a review of that, and I think I gave it 1.5 star or 2 star, can't recall. It was so bad, that I literally could not listen to it for more than 2 minutes. Music started playing, my mind went "Ewwww", literally! And that crap cost more than 100 USD! Rip off I tell you! I have lost my trust on QOA since then...even Blon BL-03 was better than that!

 

[nymz]

Which? TFZ Live 3? Audio Pink Lady? Audiosense AQ0? KBEAR Aurora? Other?? Hard to understand.

Spoiler: and a little to the side

if you indicate not the amount, but specific models, it will be easier to understand what is at stake.
I would suggest phrases:
1. "Looks like headphones .... dollars" (what do you mean?) "
2. "Perhaps you have a bad set" (this is how you describe only your exclusive, why then the name of the model? And write: "the headphones are silver with black, the delivery is exclusive, buy - maybe you will be lucky too.").
3. "This is my subjective opinion" (of course, we thought it was the voice of God ...).
4. "Do not compare apples to oranges" (compare. And I can read the price tag myself, but you cannot hear the sound through the display).
5. and the like. No need to list. We are all adults.

Eliminating that from headphone experience descriptions and discussions, it no longer looks like ads and bubbles. And disorient the reader. It is clear that we all read advertisements and from this we also begin to speak with words from the advertisement. Restrain yourself. All of us are here. Why the hype in a narrow circle? The ears will hurt.
I think so.

All of that has been answered. I'm not sure it's a translation problem, but I'll try my best once more:

• If you read my comparitions, I compared it to FH3, which is a a well known set in the bracket, specially for progressive metal heads. To me, Mele is above FH3, but I don't delve into metal, as stated more than once.
• I only heard Aria's for a moment through a friend, so this is by memory - I prefer Mele to Aria's tuning. But I'm not mentioning that since memory can trick us. Only impressions so far from people comparing both seem to also go with my opinion.
• To me, Mele is above is price tag, specially when I compared them to stuff in the same bracket or below (GK10, Blon-03, MH755, Tin T2).
• They get murdered by Teas that are 1 tier above.
• You don't need comparitions for technicalities like timbre, coherency and stage.
• I'm not a reviewer so I don't own or heard lots of cheap stuff, I'm sorry. I only made this thread and I'm trying to answer question to help people out that are looking for a budget set/Blon-03 upgrade.
• I have Audio Lokahi being deliver today, I can try to throw some impressions, but it's a full BA vs single DD.
• People that want more comparitions might need to wait for more expenrienced and geared people to chime in.
• Forgot to add previously that a lot of people don't do forums. There's also some feedback on Mele video on youtube, you can check that out.
• I'm not trying to sell you anything. Im a firm believer that if you have something you love already, you should just enjoy it. (don't be like me)

I'm just trying to help people out here. Last thing I want is hate or hype trains. I only care about music.

 

[Vladimir 198]

Dude...speaking of Pink Lady

I accept your opinion, but I visit another forum where blon3, pink lady, life3 are considered hits. And this is not a small forum at all. There are many more people than here, for you to understand. I am certainly not saying that if there are more of them, then they are right. This is not true.
The question is not about the pink lady. The fact is that an attempt to compare at once with the entire budget of 100-200 is ..... emotions without information. It is necessary to name specific models, or not to speak.(or just say "this sounds like a million dollars" and it will be clear that you really enjoyed it.) - (it seems to me.)

 

[Ace Bee]

All of that has been answered. I'm not sure it's a translation problem, but I'll try my best once more:

• If you read my comparitions, I compared it to FH3, which is a a well known set in the bracket, specially for progressive metal heads. To me, Mele is above FH3, but I don't delve into metal, as stated more than once.
• I only heard Aria's for a moment through a friend, so this is by memory - I prefer Mele to Aria's tuning. But I'm not mentioning that since memory can trick us. Only impressions so far from people comparing both seem to also go with my opinion.
• To me, Mele is above is price tag, specially when I compared them to stuff in the same bracket or below (GK10, Blon-03, MH755, Tin T2).
• They get murdered by Teas that are 1 tier above.
• You don't need comparitions for technicalities like timbre, coherency and stage.
• I'm not a reviewer so I don't own or heard lots of cheap stuff, I'm sorry. I only made this thread and I'm trying to answer question to help people out that are looking for a budget set/Blon-03 upgrade.
• I have Audio Lokahi being deliver today, I can try to throw some impressions, but it's a full BA vs single DD.
• People that want more comparitions might need to wait for more expenrienced and geared people to chime in.
• Forgot to add previously that a lot of people don't do forums. There's also some feedback on Mele video on youtube, you can check that out.
• I'm not trying to sell you anything. Im a firm believer that if you have something you love already, you should just enjoy it. (don't be like me)

I'm just trying to help people out here. Last thing I want is hate or hype trains. I only care about music.

I think Audio Lokahi will also be a bit unfair, as it is more than 200 USD.

 

[nymz]

I think Audio Lokahi will also be a bit unfair, as it is more than 200 USD.

Yes, that's my point all along. But i'm giving all I can to help with decisions. I feel bad that I dont own more gear for comparitions, but at the same time, it is what it is.

People will always complain.

 

[Ace Bee]

Yes, that's my point all along. But i'm giving all I can to help with decisions. I feel that I dont own more gear for comparitions, but at the same time, it is what it is.

People will always complain.

Best not to linger on this matter any more. I understand @Vladimir 198 's points, but I think he has missed those comparisons you mentioned earlier, and due to some previous...loony impressions which he mentioned, he went off the track a bit. I implore you both to make amend now, please, let's not get this out of control. We are all here to enjoy the music, with whichever gear that suits our preference.

 

[nymz]

Best not to linger on this matter any more. I understand @Vladimir 198 's points, but I think he has missed those comparisons you mentioned earlier, and due to some previous...loony impressions which he mentioned, he went off the track a bit. I implore you both to make amend now, please, let's not get this out of control. We are all here to enjoy the music, with whichever gear that suits our preference.

Oh, I'm fine and have no beef with @Vladimir 198 or anyone else on this thread! I understand all the requestions and feedback, I try to get to them all, but I'm kinda overwhelmed and without option here. I keep getting PMs asking X vs Y or music requests. I'm trying to go through them all as I can during workloads.

Everything is fine!

 

[nymz]

Another good shot of the golden plates! Credits to @Martward!

 

[ian91]

I think the Mele does great at its price point and I'm very happy to have it in the pocket for when I'm out and about. Comparing it to $100-200+ dollar sets seems a little unfair, but people are free to make those comparisons if they choose.

 

[dharmasteve]

Another good shot of the golden plates! Credits to @Martward!

The yellow/gold ones look really smart and what I am getting. Will have them in about a week (bloody slow and still in China). My library is mainly world music, rock, modern psychedelia, folk and jazz and classical. I will directly compare them with the Blon 03 and other $50 phones. Am not raising my expectations to compete with my more 'expensive' sets.

 

[darkgod5]

Alright since no one liked my comparison against the Moondrop B2 Dusk since apparently you're not supposed to compare IEMs from different price ranges. Even though these are the most popular IEMs that have been tuned by influencers so I figured, for tuning-sake, people might like to know the differences. But anyhow, I present the comparison some people don't want to see. The $50 IEM versus:

Geek Wold GK10 Vs. Tripowin Mele

-----------------------------------

First thing's first, I'm EQ'ing the GK10 with these 3 dead simple filters. I know, but please, hold your criticism! There will be time for that at the end!

Peak, 300 Hz, -4.0 Gain, Q = 0.7
Peak, 150 Hz, -4.0 Gain, Q = 0.7
Low Shelf, 20 Hz, 5.0 Gain, (Q = 0.7)

For listening, I am running both using their stock cables which are unbalanced through the Qudelix. I am using Azla Crystal eartips on both.

-----------------------------------

Here's the frequency response comparison:

Let's check out a couple songs to test out the frequency response to see if there are any glaring issues.

Blade Runner 2049 OST - Wallace for sub-bass (starts at 1:07)


GK10: there's some rumble but there should be more.

Mele: there's a bit more rumble than the GK10 but there should be more.

Paganini Kreisler - La Campanella for treble (starts at 0:47)


GK10: just teetering on the edge of harsh. Perfect.

Mele: OW my ears. Too piercing. Something is definitely wrong in the tuning of the treble here.

So the GK10 is the better set here since there are no glaring issues in the lower and upper ends of the spectrum.

Next, let's check out soundstage and imaging.

TOOL - Chocolate Chip Trip

Mele: soundstage is very narrow which makes imaging suffer.

GK10: soundstage is wide which makes imaging stand out more. That said, imaging is good but could be better for the soundstage.

The GK10 is the better set here by a lot.

-----------------------------------

That's enough for obvious technicalities. Next up we have actual music (with timestamps)

-----------------------------------

Electronic:

Caravan Palace - Lone Digger

Mele: sounds ok if not a bit "mushy". Horns sound too forward (1:14)

GK10: can hear more details making it easier to differentiate the snapping/clapping and in the singer's lips smacking (0:20)

Dance with the Dead - Andromeda

Mele: sounds ok if not a bit boring.

GK10: drum impact is great. The details and separation really stand out at (3:30)

Carpenter Brut - Turbo Killer

Mele: I'm getting more rumble which this song really benefits from but it's at the cost of everything else. Especially at the song's climax at (3:02) I'm having a hard time distinguishing the backup synth.

GK10: aside from more details the bass has more impact and body which this song also really benefits from.

For electronic music, I prefer the GK10.

-----------------------------------

Classical:

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto 3, Part 3 (Finale) - Ashkenazy, London Symphony Orchestra

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 (Act 1) - The Cleveland Orchestra

Scriabin - The Poem of Fire, Op. 60 - Valery Gergiev

Grouped all together and no timestamps because thoughts are the same throughout.

Mele: just lacks way too much detail in the mids and treble. Bass is fine.

GK10: still lacks detail in the mids and treble but still much more transparent than the Mele

For classical music, I much prefer the GK10.

-----------------------------------

Theatrical:

Hanz Zimmer - Time (Inception)

Mele: can't make out the backing strings at (1:17). Just plain lacks detail and separation.

GK10: lacks detail as the climax starts at (2:30)

Tom Holkenborg - At the speed of force (Snyder's Justice League)

Mele: instruments blend together at the climax at (3:00)

GK10: sounds good. Drum impact really stands out at the aforementioned climax.

For theatrical themes, I much prefer the GK10.

-----------------------------------

Conclusion:

I was going to include other genres such as my current most listened which is Melodic/Technical Death Metal but, honestly, there's just not much more that can be said through further comparison. The GK10 is in a class above the Mele, quite frankly. The Mele handles bass well but the problem is the bass is the GK10's strong suite so when listening to them back-to-back the Mele just doesn't sound like it's audiophile grade. It reminds me of some Samsung Galaxy Buds I used to own. Now, I'm sure they sound better than that and of course this is purely going off memory but going from the Mele to the GK10 reminds me of going from those same Samsung Buds to the Moondrop B2 Dusk way back in the day when I got those-my first audiophile IEM.