[DunninLA]

So well tuned by HBB. The Mele is good but this Olina is at another level.

IDK, I take the opposite position. With MELE, HBB was price constrained to a mid-level quality DD, and this is personal taste of course, but pulled off a pretty good trick. He created a bass oriented IEM with clear mids that are not over pinna-gained, and was willing to accept the limitations of the driver and settled for a relaxed treble lacking air. That bass just shines. I think that tuning took courage, since it is quite uncommon. The MELE treats vocals as well as Olina for timbre. That's a lot to accomplish given the bass orientation of the set.

 

[redrol]

 

[DunninLA]

Someone asked this a while ago on HifiGuides, and he said he uses CP100 to keep some level of consistency when tuning.

I guess they aren't so cheap, and would raise the original price of the IEMs?

yes that makes sense for MELE at the $50 price point. For Olina, maybe spinfits would have cost an addition $10 wholesale, and they would then charge $110, but perhaps from a marketing perspective $99 is a whole lot better than $110. I think most people would pay the extra $10 to get spinfits, but more importantly, to know they're getting the tips that created the sound the tuner was targeting.

 

[DunninLA]

wait, I know that cable... shoot, can't place it now.

 

[Hark01]

Yup, I had the seal issue. Be careful, there are 6 pairs of tips with Olina. Be sure to pick the right size.

Tip rolling continues. After disaster with the small wide bore tips, I've put meduim wide bore. While sound was now good, comfort was bad, with my ears hurting in 15-20 minutes. Switched now to small narrow bore tips, seems like 3rd time the charm.

 

[redrol]

Just to say this, Im hearing folks with bore angle issues... can't fix it but I know it exists.

 

[nymz]

wait, I know that cable... shoot, can't place it now.

Dark magician stock cable

 

[Ceeluh7]

Tip rolling continues. After disaster with the small wide bore tips, I've put meduim wide bore. While sound was now good, comfort was bad, with my ears hurting in 15-20 minutes. Switched now to small narrow bore tips, seems like 3rd time the charm.

Kbear 07 tips seem to do well for me. They are a wider bore and not at all flimsy flange area with a more stiff inner stem. I normally need a large size for most tips but these are just "sturdy" enough that I can go down a size and have a good seal. I have a giant cavern of tips and like you have gone thru quite alot. So far I really like those as well as the final audio tips

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

Anyone prefer the Mele over Olina?

 

[Ceeluh7]

Anyone prefer the Mele over Olina?

I love them both... I do at times prefer the Mele. I love the low end of that set... Alot. The inner bass head loves them, couple that with very nice mids and enough air to give you the whole mix and not feel like something is missing. Also it is less fatiguing. However, the Olina is just a fantastic set and no doubt I reach for it over "supposedly" better iems... Alot.

 

[redrol]

So basically, Olina but with more bass, might be cool? Like a basshead version?

 

[DunninLA]

Anyone prefer the Mele over Olina?

It's weird, just a matter of mood. There are times when I want to hear detail and 3d feeling (Olina), there are other times when I just want to feel as well as hear bass, and don't want to be distracted by details from the groove.

For non-music, MELE just is too bassy if not EQ'd... Movies, Youtube documentaries, tv shows, etc. Olina rules for those media... Olina has enough bass but that bass does not affect the clarity of male voices as the MELE can do.

 

[DunninLA]

So basically, Olina but with more bass, might be cool? Like a basshead version?

Well, hmm, yes, if that additional bass does not muddy up vocal forwardness and clarity. I'm not sure how you would do that. to increase bass, you'd have to further increase 2k-4k band, and that might make the vocals irritating. It's a fine line.

 

[Ceeluh7]

So basically, Olina but with more bass, might be cool? Like a basshead version?

The Olina is much more polished technically. The Mele is Def tamed down in the upper mids/treble however not at all lacking and the Olina does imo have a more refined low end. Maybe a good 5-7 db lower from the mid-sub Bass than the Mele as they follow a slightly similar curve but with the Mele extending a bit deeper. The Mele Bass is one I love and it is fun and for how big it can be at times it is also juuust tight enough. That said, Olina has some great bass man. Olina is better extended up top but all in all... They are both fantastic in their respective price points to my ears. I feel the Mele outclasses so many iems in that $40-50 range if it's sound signature is one that appeals to you. We throw around words like "details/technicalities" way too often in this hobby but truthfully those are two words I would say which separates these two sets the most... I feel I can tell there is a pedigree differential with these.

 

[Hark01]

Olina came at last. Looks nice, fits nice. First impression of sound is: balanced, bright and energetic but not sibilant. Clean but average in detail. Not sure if I got good seal. I'll need to tip roll.

Only critique for now: case is too big. And isolation is bad, but I'll see after tip roll...

OK, at last I managed to bring tip issues under control.

So, again, sound is balanced, bright and energetic but not sibilant. With the bright leaning of the sound, they seem to sound the best at a medium volume. However... Olina has the WORST isolation in IEMs that I have yet heard. With 2 vents per IEM they have almost an open back level isolation. On a noisy street this throws you out of the music. Then you're pushing the volume up and the brightness starts to border on fatiguing. I think this one should have been either darker tuned or better isolated.