The TRN BAX PRO were provided my review by the manufacturer. I thank them for that and also apologize for the long delay of the publication of this article owing to some lengthy orofacial problems. You can get them from TRN Audio.

Introduction

TRN, or more precisely, Dongguan Zuodu Acoustics Technology Co., Ltd. are a ChiFi player of the first hour, from a time when a budget Chifi model reached easily 40,000 views on Head-Fi in a few weeks. Examples are the TRN V80 and V90.

TRN, like many other relatively inexperienced ChiFi companies (compared to, let’s say, the more established Sennheiser or Audio Technica), overestimated their abilities and prematurely released earphones in the premium segment that may have had the ingredients but the final meal was subpar. For example, the TRN BA8 was a screamer and unable to deliver musical enjoyment to the aided ear. And the original BAX was apparently not much better (I was told).

Time cures wounds and companies mature. TRN reassembled and tried again in order to close the reputation gap to, let’s say, Dunu or Moondrop.

Specifications TRN BAX PRO

Physical Things and Usability

The BAX PRO features quality ingredients and an interesting architecture: 1 DD + 2 BA + 2 EST: a Beryllium diaphragm for the bass, 1 Knowles 29689 BA for the mid frequencies, and another Knowles BA 33518 as well as two Sonion electrostatic drivers for crisp treble. It also comes with a modular cable with 3.5 mm single ended and 2.5 mm & 4.4 mm balanced plugs.

In the box are the earpieces, 2 sets of eartips with three tuning switches, the modular cable with three plugs, a strange plaque, a small tool for moving the switches, the usual TRN metal storage box and the paperwork.

The CnC machined, sturdy earpieces are rather large and have a bit of an unusual nozzle angle. Some people complained about not getting them deep enough into their ear canals, I have had no issues. But I don’t get the world’s greatest isolation with them either.

The eight-strand single crystal copper cable is rather pliable and, appeal wise, average. The eartips (2 silicone sets and 1 foam set)) are also nothing to write home about. In summary, the BAX PRO’s haptic is ok.

The BAX PRO are easy to drive.

Tonality and Technicalities

It is very difficult to give you an accurate account of the sound considering the options you have with switch positions and (stock) eartips. The BAX PRO are also sensitive to insertion depth so that different reviewers may report different results. Let me start with the black stock eartips and all switches in the “off” position [“Equalization mode”].

If you expect another TRN shoutfest, you may be surprised to hear that this is not the case. The BAX PRO offer a slightly warm however transparent sound with vocals in the foreground and zero shoutiness. I was quite delighted when I tried them out the first time and left them in my ears for a couple of hours going through a selection of jazz, rock, and classical.

What sticks out to me is the lower midrange: both female and male vocals are sparkly, very well sculptured in three dimensions, and rather intimate with a very good body. Bass is digging deep but is a bit subdued, thick, and could be a tad crisper while having enough kick…a bit similar to the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones…but you can tweak this with the switches, insertion depth and eartips. The midrange has good transparency and resolution without a hint of shoutiness. Very realistic.

TRN spent lots of attention on the treble – which are very well carved out with excellent resolution. My treble testing passed, for example, Anne Sophie Mutter’s rendering of the very high violin notes of her pieces from Star Wars. Cymbals are very clean…though rather subtle.

The technical merit of the BAX PRO is also very good. Stage may be average in two dimensions, but the spatial reprodcution and imaging are excellent. You really can spot the singer on stage. Dynamics is also good.

Timbre is also rather natural. I much preferred it over the glassy BA sound of the Blessing 2, allegedly the first $1000 soundalikes at $300. I listened to a lot of Beethoven piano music and orchestral pieces with great pleasure.

The piano touch was quite realistic and revealed a good driver speed. Timbre and dynamics paired result in orchestral sounding natural and developing a healthy richness and volume. Surprising how good the BAX PRO work with acoustic instruments of any quantity.

I confirmed my positive listening impressions when connecting the BAX PRO to the EarMen stack after listening to the Sennheiser HD 600. They did hold up to my big surprise.

Let’s have a look at the switch settings.

Equalization

The standard mode which sounds best to my ears. I use this mode as comparison to the other switch settings.

Electronic Mode

Enhances the upper midrange and introduces shoutiness. Not for me.

Transparency Mode

Bass imbalance 2-3 dB. Reduces bass and adds upper midrange. Introduces even more shoutiness than Electronic mode. Transparency is good enough without this mode.

Atmospheric Enhancement

Is the same as Electronic Mode in my measurements…I did two independent measurement runs to confirm.

High-Frequency Mode

Adds to upper midrange and to treble. Only for the hardest of us who get up with cheap Bourbon whiskey in the morning. Too bright for the rest of us.

Low Frequency Mode

Essentially the same as Equalization, with the upper midrange minimally tuned down. Good.

Compared to the LETSHUOER EJ07M

The EJ07M have been one of my daily drivers for the last couple of years. They also sport electrostatic tweeters and are, at $649, ca. 50% more expensive than the BAX PRO. They feature smaller earpieces with a different nozzle angle, which probably provide a better fit for many. Their imaging is flatter than that of the BAX PRO (in the Equalization setting), they are generally a tad brighter sounding and more coherent overall.

The BAX PRO have the upper midrange dialled down (in the Equalization setting), which makes the vocals thicker but also duller and less dynamic. In terms of treble resolution, both are pretty even, with he BAX PRO possibly a tad ahead. I’d like the EJ07M’s form factor with the BAX PRO’s sound.

Overall, the price difference appears arbitrary.

Concluding Remarks

The TRN BAX PRO come as a very pleasant surprise to me. They sound enjoyable to my ears with all musical genres I threw at them. The money is essentially in the excellent holographic staging and imaging. But I am also confused: the switches are not very useful as most of the settings only add shrillness nobody needs. Sometimes, less is more!

My other criticism is the very generic accessories (cable, eartips). And some may have problems with the fit owing to the unusual nozzle angle. Sometimes, more is better!

In the end, I recommend trying them out if possible. I may have to send them on a western Canadian tour to gather some feedback from Biodegraded and Co. We may have a diamond in the rough that is overlooked owing to lack of concerted promotion and organized hype.

TRN are finally on their way to join the likes of Moondrop and Dunu in the mid tier segment (if they leave useless gimmicks such as switches off). They now have to substantiate this with other models. Durwood is currently taking on their Dragon Azure, and I am anxious to see what he will come up with.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post TRN BAX Pro Review – Electroexstatic appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Gear of the Year: audioreviews.org is soon completing its 5th year. We are still six dedicated and competent authors located all over the western hemisphere, catering to a mature, discerning readership. Our list of earphone reviews is approaching 450 and our Wall of Excellence (WoE) is better decorated than the Christmas tree at NYC’s Rockefeller Center. Since any product on our WoE is backed by more than one opinion, it should give you confidence in your buying decisions.

However, our WoE is not a bunch of “best of” lists as we have not tested all competitors in each category. Such claims would be presumptuous.

We did, sadly, lose our single sponsor HifiGo (and some more suppliers) over our reviews of their gear. But hey, our critical, realistic approach sets us apart from 98% of the blogosphere (we think). We rather deal with companies that have confidence in their products.

Whatever gear passes our test must be somewhat good. We still don’t do Google ads, affiliate links, and we don’t allow trackers…we are no salespeople, we honour your reading pleasure and your privacy. We are simply audio aficionados.

Thank you for your patronage in 2023! Enjoy this read and we wish you a happy and successful 2024!

Hey, feel free to let us know your personal favourites of 2023 in the comments section below.

We thank our 2023 Partners

And here we go…that’s what we enjoyed in 2023…published by author in the order of submission…and purely subjective.

Loomis Johnson…Chicago, USA

Wiim Mini AirPlay 2 Wifi Streamer—the onboard DAC is just fair, and the app is quirky (if very ambitious), but through its digital out this is a genuinely excellent streamer  for less than a hundo.

BGVP DM9 IEM—energetic and massive sounding, these are head and shoulders above any other IEM I’ve heard this year. Richly priced at $600 and worth every penny.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones—Bose has marginally better ANC and Sennheiser a longer battery and better UI, but overall the XM5 would be my pick if (god forbid) I could own only one TWS.

Oladance Wearable Stereo Open Ear Headphones —eons better than any bone-conduction model out there, these come close to good in-ear TWS models for sound quality, with a rich warm sound and a big 3D stage. Hall of Fame material.

SMSL D0400  DAC/Headphone Amp—a tad more detailed (if not necessarily better-sounding) than the godlike SU-9, the inclusion of balanced out and an excellent onboard headphone amp makes this my pick among SMSL’s myriad offerings.

Truthear Shio DAC/Dongle—well featured, balanced dongle won’t make your counterfeit Beats sound like Carnegie Hall, but it sounds just slightly more transparent than its ubiquitous price peers.

JBL Boombox 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker— rather than spending ten grand to mod the sound system on his 100k pontoon boat, a very wealthy friend of mine dropped $349 on one of these. He couldn’t be happier. Link two together and you’ll be in hip-hop heaven.

Eagle Rare 10-Year Bourbon—if this was an IEM, we’d deem it “musical, balanced and fully coherent.” People are asking stupid prices for this in the secondary market, but if you can find it anywhere near its $40 SRP, buy it.

Dreamcloud Premier Rest Hybrid Mattress—the downside of buying a really good mattress is that it’ll sap your ambition faster than a meth habit. If, however, like me your ambition is to lay around and watch professional basketball, this is a necessary acquisition.

Jürgen Kraus…Calgary, CANADA

Short and sweet, as I am mainly still using my 2022 gear. And the best gear is the gear one uses after all. 2023 added a few excellent products to my daily listening. Oladance TWS Pro wearables were most impressive…and useful…a home theatre on your ears you don’t even feel. I can listen to these all day.

In terms of earphones, the Sennheiser IE 900 impressed me most because of their natural, cohesive presentation, their incredible treble quality, and their wonderful dosage across the frequency spectrum. I preferred them much more over the IE 600, which offer the same Harman type tuning we have experienced so often before. Both were sadly loaners. I also love the well-balanced Sennheiser IE 200, which are tuning wise closer to the IE 900 than to the IE 600.

Also very natural sounding are the Akoustyx S6, but they do need some modding to tame the upper midrange. As to budget TWS, I do have a pair of Moondrop Space Travel by my bedside, for talk radio and classical music. They have a very composed and nuanced presentation…and they fit me well.

Also by my bedside is the EarMan CH-Amp/Tradutto combination for driving my HD 600 and final Sonorous III. I equipped the HD 600 with a Hart Audio 4.4 mm balanced cable. Also great is the SMSL DO200 MKII DAC, which I use on my desk.

As a movable desktop stack (between sofa and kitchen table) serves the very good sounding Moondrop DiscDream CD player. A great idea to reconsider this technology — looking forward to another premium Walkman.

An honorouble mention goes to the very versatile TempoTec Serenade X Digital Desktop Player, and TempoTec as a company, as they don’t get lost in countless models of the same…no they offer one model of each product, and each is well thought out. A big step up for them in the last two years.

As a guilty pleasure, I indulged myself with USB cables for audio usage from AudioQuest (Forest), IKEA, and Monoprice. I love USB cables. And this combination of brands doesn’t leave room for the usual shitstorm by naysayers.

And hey, Loomis, we just acquired an Endy mattress. Made in Canada, of course.

Alberto Pittaluga…Bologna, ITALY

Given I’m not one of those world-famous tiktokers I guess it’s preliminary worth remembering that I have a sharp inclination to carefully avoid wasting time on even assessing “stuff” which doesn’t apriori seem to qualify for a serious upgrade to whatever I already own – an attitude of mine that applies across the board of course, not certainly to audio gear only. Such information is I presume key to better understand the following list.

Proceeding by categories, and starting with cans, towards the end of the year I got a pair of Sennheiser HD800. These were quite a lot anticipated to upgrade my pleasure on my particular library vs the HD600 – and that’s of course what happened. As a side bonus I had yet another chance to touch how important fresh pads and a decent cable are for sound optimisation, let alone how tough still is finding an overall more exquisite timbre then the one coming off my Groove.

Shrinking size down to IEMs, my trip to Munich earlier this year got me very curious about Sennheiser’s relatively recent IEM introductions, and that’s where the curiosity to assess IE900 and (from a different source) IE600 came up from.

The latter impressed me almost as much as the former, however when it comes to stunning V-shaped IEM encounters happened this year nothing beats – and I reckon will hardly beat tomorrow – Intime Sho DD.

The other major IEM acquisition of the year is represented by final B3, and their ability to capture the auditioner and port him onto the jazz stage. Honorable mention goes to Akoustykx S6 (and their “magic” Earlocks).

In terms of source gear, I completed my collection of DAPs by acquiring a Sony WM-1A, of course instantly flashing MrWalkman WM1Z signature onto it. For a number of reasons its sonic features are at the same time in line and complementary to those of my other standards: Questyle QP1R and QP2R.

Sometimes it does bring an audible improvement, other times it doesn’t – it depends on the apriori situation of the system you plug it onto. I’m talking about AudioQuest’s Jitterbug. My (quite articulated) home setup is clearly in the benefitted category, and that’s why 3 of these are now stable part of it.

Source gear honorable mention goes to a tiny-budgeted device, Ifi GO Link. That, and IEMs with a balanced cable and a 3.5mm TRRS adapter, right away became my blind buy rec to those individuals which every now and then, attracted by the gear they often see me fiddling with, ask me to indicate “something nice and inexpensive to get started with”.

Looking in retrospect what I just recapped (and I genuinely did it “live”, now, for the mere sake of putting these notes together) none of my 2023 preferred tech comes from chifi-land. The white-bearded badly-aging old continent nerd in me shily shruddered in realising it

Durwood…Chicago, USA

Kefine Klanar

Redefines what a planar can do, the Timeless 7Hz was great but it also had that overblown upper air treble that made it standout. The Klanar on the other hand dials everything down delivering similar quality bass and while not as treble exciting is better balanced, target curve crowd pleasing retaining the technical precision and quick transient delivery of the planar driver.

Moondrop Blessing Dusk 2 

Fits snugly staying in place, great technical details, with enough bass to keep me interested.

BGVP DM9

While I do not own many top tier earphones, I have listened to plenty at shows and know that they best anything I have in the $300 realm. The bass hump is well controlled and balanced nicely in the midbass/sub-bass transition region. The elevated treble plateau keeps them energized and engaging delivering maximum resolution and clarity.

SMSL DO400 DAC/AMP

Extreme value premium desktop DAC melding a powerful headphone amp. I miss the quick control of a potentiometer volume knob of a split dac/amp solution, but it is worth the feature rich resolving DAC and potent headphone amp drive.

Truthear SHIO DAC

Just as powerful as any of the dongles out there it sounds the most blended qualities of a dongle dac without leaning too warm, bassy, thin or sharp. Not head and shoulders above the LG G8, but can turn any USB-C phone into an excellent DAP for an average price.

Oladance OWS Sport

A new category of open-ear sports headphones that offers other uses while avoiding disadvantages of in-ear pressure, ear canal phobias, and isolation, earbud compromises, and over ears isolation and sweatiness. Balanced sound quality that trades low-end bass for open awareness without the lackluster bone conduction competition. Review coming soon, they know what they are doing.

TWS????

Still looking for a TWS all-rounder. I want them to fit tight without loosening slowly, excellent tonality and have good ANC. A blend of the Sony WF-1000XM3 ANC with the sound of the Moondrop Alice combined with the fitment of the KZ ZXS Pro.

When browsing the local classifieds this year I scored some very excellent sounding vintage ADS L570/2 and lesser known local midwest unicorn relic well tuned, amazing imaging cherry veneer Amrita Elan (I think) that my buddy is still scorning me over not “allowing” him to buy them instead- no worries we are still friends. He would love to get his hands on the 3 way model with isobaric woofers anyway.

Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir…Munich, GERMANY

This year passed by in the blink of an eye, but fortunately I managed to listen to hundreds of devices in this rather short span. My personal collection also went through some radical changes, so without further ado…

Firstly, I finally upgraded my reference gear, both portable and desktop. On the portable side, it’s now Lotoo PAW Gold Touch paired with the venerable Cayin C9. The desktop, meanwhile, is the recently-retired Questyle CMA Twelve Master. Having tried numerous TOTL setups so far, these two fit my needs the most. I may add a tube amp down the line, but that’s for the future.

On the IEM side of things, my daily drivers include Sennheiser IE 900 and the (discontinued) Softears Turii. The IE 900 are perhaps the most advanced in terms of driver tech, and the Turii have such a unique, spacious sound that it belies the single dynamic setup. They have received the most “ear time” this year, and will likely continue to do so in the coming year.

On the TWS side of things, I am impressed by the Beats Studio Buds Plus. For once, a Beats product is actually decent enough to be a daily driver. Apart from the middling noise cancellation, there is little I’d change about them given the price tag.

Finally, I have streamlined my headphones collection and ended up purchasing a modded Sennheiser HD 800. These hold up tremendously well against the planar magnetic behemoths even now, and the staging and imaging are unparalleled in the sub-$2000 space. I was also pleasantly surprised by Sennheiser HD 660S2, though the price tag is a bit higher than I’d prefer.

This year, I finally managed to audition the Sennheiser HE-1 for almost an hour. It was a surreal experience and I can definitely see (or hear) why these are so mythical. That being said, the Warwick Acoustics Aperio are no slouch either and trade blows with the supreme Sennheisers.

But the one pair of headphones that I can call my “personal endgame” are none other than Warwick Bravura. They get dangerously close to the summit-fi behemoths and fortunately, come pre-built as a system so you can save on the cost of an energizer or accompanying pre-amps to further flavor the sound.

Notable mentions: Campfire Audio Supermoon (perhaps the best sounding planar IEMs), Softears Twilight (fantastic single DD), Effect Audio Code 23 (the best copper cable I have ever tried, despite the challenging ergonomics), iFi Go Blu (fantastic little dongle), Cayin RU7 (replaced Questyle M15 for my portable use).

Biodegraded…Vancouver, CANADA

Environmentally friendly, as his name implies, he stuck to his 2021 gear…again. Gives us carbon credits.

Gear of the Year 2022

The post Gear Of The Year 2023 – Our Personal Favourites appeared first on Music For The Masses.

BEGINNINGS

I never thought I would see my Starfield again, but then the Universe delivers the Moondrop Starfield 2 to my doorstep. Not much of a spiritual individual, I was still thankful I get another chance to reminisce.

Truth be told, the Aria would have been more my type to boogie with, but it was released later than the Starfield. Like all impatient audio junkies, I wanted the quick fix of what was new now.

The new Moondrop Starfield 2 is better than version one where the treble brilliance took a trip to the basement and never came back. We should take hints from kids, always shine a light before embarking on a trip to the darkness.

What to expect from the new version? A more forward upper midrange paired with a less gradual decline in treble output with a topping of sparkle and tighter controlled bass.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

Borrowing 1960’s hot-rod paint jobs or old amusement park rides for the kids in us, the Moondrop Starfield 2 utilizes the familiar shell that helps to keep tooling costs down for production. The iridescent paint is beautiful on top of the cast alloy zinc shell.

I believe there were reports of the original Starfield paint had a tendency to chip off. That does not mean the Starfield 2 would suffer the same fate, but painted metal things bouncing against each other will eventually show wear, call it patina or just be warned.

Inside they have stuffed the Moondrop Starfield 2 with a new 10mm dynamic constructed of Magnesium and Lithium alloy that claims to be more rigid and lighter than pure Beryllium.

This should equate to precise and quick transients, and hopefully push the breakup mode of the driver past our threshold of hearing. That is usually the goal of extremely rigid driver materials.

The faceplates are flat vs the angled ones from the Kanas Pro and Kato designs. Moondrop chose to make the screw a decorative feature. The tips of the nozzle also unscrews to change the mesh screen.

I have taken pictures in the past of these screens, and they are rather intricate and specialized to not only keep the moisture out, but apply acoustic filtration.

Also new the Moondrop Starfield 2 are vent hole plugs, in comparison to modders using micropore tape in the past to increase bass. You need patience to attach them, but once attached they increase the bass to bass head levels in a straight liner shot to the bottom. There are also plugs with holes, but it did not seem to change anything different than just leaving them out. 

The 2 pin cable is a striking blue color of twisted silver strand wrapped in a slightly rubberized texture sheath. The brass accents standout and match the brass nozzle. It’s rather weighty at 32g while both ear pieces clock in at 22g together. Microphonics are rendered moot, but the weight of the cable puts a damper in another way.

SOUND

Tested with the Shanling UA2 Plus and SMSL DO100 with HO100, the Moondrop Starfield 2 is a lightweight with the bass, easy on the lower midrange and focused on upper mids with a sprinkle of sparkle. This is the essence of Moondrop’s VSDF target curve many of their products follow with varying degrees of refinement.

The dynamic driver feels quicker than past iterations and the sub bass rumble is adequate. The vent plug drastically changes that, so if you desire they respond well to EQ instead. Still the midbass has a soft start but a tight finish. Despite the relatively minor bass lift it rolls into the lower midrange nicely avoiding sounding too thin.

Midrange clarity is excellent for this tier of IEMs producing well rounded vocals that sound exciting and pure. Note definition has proper decay exhibiting good depth making instruments sound believable. The upper midrange lift is more than my personal preference by a few decibels, but it hangs back ever so slightly before it steps out of bounds. This pinna gain aids in the clarity perception.

The Moondrop Starfield 2 treble is in-offensive and delicate, brass never sounds honky in quieter passages and picks up the slight flutters of saxophones and flutes. A little kick in the brilliance at 10Khz adds excitement and helps to uplift the final stage keeping it from sounding too flat. Purists will probably object, but the original Starfield was too tame for me near this area. What can I say, I enjoy some spice.

Lately I have been giving the Ibasso IT01 some light of day, I felt another oldie but goodie that was frequently recommended in this price bracket deserves a chance. Some might remember the Pioneer SE-CH9T, if not no worries.

They share similarities in the bass department until the Moondrop Starfield 2 except the Pioneer goes flat before making it to the midbass, quantity and quality are equivalent. I find the Starfield 2 has more note weight when listening to stand up bass. 

The Pioneer is more balanced overall, it doesn’t quite have the sharpness at the pinna gain around 3khz. Staging sounds wider on the CH9T and some dips in the treble take the edge off and push the whole stage backwards in comparison to the Starfield 2 with its more forward nature.

I picked up some resolution improvements in the presence region on the Starfield 2. Shakers and cymbals sparkle on the Moondrop Starfield 2 and shine like watching a newer movie shot with digital cameras. The Pioneer feels more analog with a grainy quality. 

Another one of my favorite picks between the $80-100 mark depending on purchase date, the TinHifi T4 is a good match-up for the Moondrop Starfield 2. While following a more similar target to the Pioneer, the T4 has more mid-bass thump and grunt compared to the Starfield 2. Upper midrange on the T4 is a more pleasant and longer session tune for me, but the Starfield 2 has snappier snares. 

While the stage sounds wider on the T4, I do not sense as much separation when compared to the Moondrop Starfield 2. Micro detail resolution winner is the Starfield 2. I clearly pick out each instrument and place them as if listening live, the T4 otherwise sounds more like a great recording.

So what have I missed, perhaps at this point I should mention they offer between good or great isolation. While I sort of miss the sticky and unique Spring ear tips, I think the sizing on them was off and not appreciated by the masses so instead we get rather generic eartips. Storing them is easy in the flip top leather case that can also be found with the Kato.

SO WHAT NOW?

Moondrop really hangs their hat on the VSDF tuning which is more diffuse than the Harman tuning. Moondrop Starfield 2 enhances a few areas on the old Starfield while dare I say, undercutting the previously popular Kato in terms of technical abilities. It will be a shining star for those that crave sharp definition and resolution while not overdoing either in air or bass (unless you want to). 

I have personally bought my way up the Moondrop ladder with the Kanas Pro (retired), Starfield (lost), Kato and Blessing Dusk 2 still in rotation and have previously reviewed the Alice TWS.

I can say the Starfield 2 is good company however not kicking older brothers and sisters out of the house. Kato and Alice still deliver more technicalities than the Starfield 2, but the $100 buys a fantastic floor seat to a great concert anchoring itself at the gate for others to attempt to push past.

Disclaimer: I thank SHENZHENAUDIO/Moondrop for providing these at no cost. While I have purchased the original Starfield, Kanas Pro, Kato, and Blessing Dusk 2 on my own dime you could say I am a bit of a fanboy – I still keep my biases in check.

SPECIFICATIONS

GRAPHS

• Left vs Right
• Open Vent vs Plug
• Moondrop Graph Comparison of Starfield and Starfield 2

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from SHENZHENAUDIO.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

The post Moondrop Starfield 2 Review (1) – Deadly Electric Boogaloo With An Old Friend appeared first on Music For The Masses.

INTRO

It’s IEMs like the $629 BGVP DM9 that make listening enjoyable and ruin the lower tier IEMs. BGVP came to prominence with their DM6 and DMG back in the day and made their forum victory laps for a while until new toys came out. There have been several iterations of the DMx family, although they were above my typical shopping price range, a quick survey says they have been well liked. 

The BGVP DM9 is a nine driver hybrid with famed balanced armatures from the market leaders Sonion and Knowles, and the newer technology of EST. The BGVP DM9 bathes you in uber detail and resolution, with a lively energetic treble while not pounding you to pulp with overblown bass in a wavy Harman plus tune.

DESIGN

With a 4 way electronic filter circuit, the BGVP DM9 separates the bands starting with a 9.2mm liquid silicone dynamic for bass, Knowles BA RAD, Sonion 2300 for the midrange, Sonion E50 series for the treble, and finally the Sonion EST65QB02 extending that final octave at the top. 

BGVP does not stop there, some of the sound tubes use a resistive filter to smooth out the resonances and act as further filtering. The tubes ensure the sound is controlled all the way to the exit and reduces interference inside the shell.

COMFORT / ISOLATION

The BGVP DM9 comes in a custom painted wooden shell in two colors, green or blue/purple. The latter is definitely more eye-catching, but I opted for the less boisterous but still beautiful green. The shell is on the larger side, and does not fit as snugly as the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk. For longer periods of time I found the top of the shell has a slight edge that creates unwanted pressure on my ear. YMMV.

BGVP DM9 isolation is above average, however fitment creates some cavities that tend to amplify wind caught at the wrong angle. The BGVP DM9 did stay firmly planted during walking, so that is always appreciated. I trade minor discomfort for constant readjustment any day of the week.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

The leather carrying case of the BGVP DM9 is plenty roomy and the ease of opening and closing was strangely satisfying to my wife. It is on the larger size, so bag and coat packet friendly, but side-eye glances will ensue if stuffing it down your pants pocket. There is also a handy cleaning tool with a loop for scooping out the gross gunk and the other end is equipped with a brush and small magnet.

Three full sets of different eartips are included, plus a bonus set of U shaped medium sized eartips guaranteed to increase the midbass region and almost forgotten- a singular set of foamies. Two of the sets are labeled “Bass” and the third set are ”Vocal” type. Of the “Bass” sets, the clear stemmed ones are less firm, have a shorter stem for closer placement to your eardrum, and a larger opening. I had to ask BVGP if these were meant to be called reference,  atmosphere or balanced, but alas they said no they were definitely “Bass” tips.

 The other bass set has a longer stem, firmer, a smaller opening and worked better for sealing in my experience.

The vocal set of ear-tips were a combination of the two bass sets. They were basic level of firmness, short stem, and a smaller opening.

The set of foam eartips are useful for taming the upper treble if too bright. It tilts the plateau of treble in a downward trajectory to make them more appealing for a more traditional tune.

BGVP DM9 comes with a detachable MMCX 6N OCC braided cable with swap-able 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced connectors. The connection is not as tight as the Kinera Golden 2.0, but is not so loose it falls off. It will disconnect at that connection point before the 3.5mm/4.4mm plug if pulled on. I have not paid much attention to cable technology these days, but BGVP managed to combine graphene in the strands as well. No way to test this, so just take their word for it.

SOUND

Tested with the LG G8, HIDIZS AP80 Pro-X, Shanling UA2+, and SMSL DO100/HO100.

The BGVP DM9 does so many things well, but I wanted to start at the top. It drenches you in so much splashy upper treble that is hard to find in lesser capable sets. The detail is quite exquisite, and controlled, maybe at times slightly overdamped if I had to nitpick. While this might sound like too much treble, it is well spread out evenly with some strategically placed dips to average it out. 

Compared to the 7Hz Timeless which also plays fast and loose with the treble, the Timeless sounds more concentrated in a smaller band of frequencies.The BGVP DM9 on the other hand is like looking through a microscope at the level of detail across the entirety. Acoustic guitars really pop due to a peak at 5Khz, it gives rock music a very live concert feel. 

Listening to some of the only classical I enjoy from US pop culture, Back to the Future Overture washes a whole orchestra across your face.. Other sets sound very flat, the BGVP dimensionally layers the different parts of the orchestra to sound very dare I say the cliche life-like. The price of admission comes at the cost of sitting in the front row for the symphony.

Paramore’s original hit Misery Business has new ife as if it would ever go out of style. Lesser qualified IEMs will just reproduce as another pop song sounding busy and crowded. The  BGVP DM9 loafs through, allowing all parts to shine and feel effortless which is ironic for a punk rock band where raw grit is the goal. Pink Panther by Henry Mancini is another song that just sounds light and airy as cymbals and chimes traverse gently through.

Vocals are pleasant and not recessed, sounds balanced and never strained. The middle band of the frequency response never really catches my attention, but bookended by such wonderful treble and excellent controlled articulate bass, it does not ever feel lacking.

The BGVP DM9 pushes authoritative bass with a purpose that knows what it wants to be. Well damped in the mid bass with a nice rounding out of lower registers, haptic is light. The boost is well centered, pianos sound percussive and full without sounding bloated. Purists will probably think there is a sprinkle of too much warmth, much like arguing over a heating setting of 70F/21C vs 68F/20C. 

Bass guitar slaps and bass plucks are well defined, and not just lost in the resonation of it all. I did find a hiccup in the set sent to me so only a sampling size of one. Channel imbalance in the bass by ~2,5db. I can feel it pull a little, this is near the threshold of detection. Probably a minor blockage in the shell vent on the inside, unfortunately I have no way to determine which channel has the tuning level BGVP was aiming for, or if other sets will have this anomaly.

UPDATE: BGVP was concerned about the channel imbalance so they sent a new set. The second set had better channel matching, with only a 1dB channel difference in the bass which is undetectable when listening. This is a company that honesty cares about their product and takes criticism seriously.

FURTHER TECHNICAL

In the name of detail sometimes it can be too much depending on the recording. It would be unfair to label it as too much of a good thing, instead what it does is expand the gap between good and bad recordings. Sometimes a set of earphones will really uplift everything without drawing too much attention to what might be wrong in a recording. 

The BGVP DM9 is the friend you want to give it to you straight.  The House is Rockin’ by Brian Setzer Orchestra gets a little hairy. I would give it a trim and tighten it up. The triangle sounds garbled and overdamped in  Mountains O’Things by Tracy Chapman, but on Pink Panther by Henry Mancini it rings true. This is an example of really accentuating the aspects of the recordings. Listening further to Pink Panther and some Chesky drum improvisations the resolution and detail of cymbals is ear tingly excellent.

There were a couple of tracks that sounded so realistic I startled myself during a walk thinking something was actually nearby. These would make excellent gaming headphones where you might want to hear in extreme detail with wide positional aspects. They do have excellent depth with layering, but run overall forward with peaks around 2K and 5K anchoring staging close. 

The BGVP DM9 can deliver micro-dynamics with sheer ease, so much so that I can hear hidden details in songs (cliche), but also hidden noise in electronics. In casual Spotify listening, I was either hearing some electronic noise from my external DAC or from the Spotify itself during song transitions.

Jumping back and forth between different gear and sources, the LG G8 can sound more bassy while the SMSL DO100/HO100 sounded more even keeled. It’s wonderful yet troublesome to have at your disposal something with greater resolution. Some of these nuances can be picked out for better or worse.

COMPARISONS

BGVP DM9 ($629) vs Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk ($329)

Sorry not exactly swimming in flagships, the BGVP DM9 against the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk is the best I can do. The Moondrop is highly regarded, and lacks the airness the BGVP DM9 puts forth. Even the tuner himself Crinacle admits this is perhaps the only missing piece of the Dusk for cost reasons. Crinacle also prefers a thinner sounding lower midrange, so the BGVP DM9 sounds fuller and warmer with extra bass guitar and piano percussion. 

Just like the HIDIZS MS5 comparison, the DM9 has a more forward stage compared to the Moondrop Dusk. Resolution and clarity are equals, but the DM9 is going to extract more zing from metallic instruments that need room to really activate the harmonics. As we get older this information might be lost on us. I am not there yet, so I fully appreciate it.

HIDIZS MS5 ($399) vs BGVP DM9 ($629)

Bass is thicker and fuller still on the HIDZS MS5 and more haptic rumble (graph below), the BGVP DM9 is faster sounding by a toe in a foot race. Midrange sounds a notch more mature with the DM9, however the treble sounds more even with the MS5.

Where the BGVP comes out on tops again is that extra harmonics and air in the final octave, the MS5 has a subduction past 10Khz, but then pops again at the threshold of where our hearing drops off, the BGVP DM9 keeps the party going until 4am with that sweet treble extension. It’s like having a ribbon super tweeter. MS5 is warm and thick, BGVP is analytical and energetic.

I am not sure if these are equals, if you are shopping for $400 earphones, is $600+ also something worth considering? I feel like people shopping for the MS5 have budgets in the $300-500 range, and the BGVP DM9 is sitting with folks shopping for $600-1000.

These are arbitrary price ranges, but I feel like this is how they might stack up for prospective buyers. At this price you can find heavily used, uncomfortably shaped Campfire Andromeda. It has been a few years since I last heard a set. This would be a fun comparison, I specifically remember snare drums really standing out.

OUTRO

BGVP DM9 is highly detailed, resolving throughout, and tuned to deliver a healthy dose of treble with enough bass and midrange to not be forgotten earning its flagship moniker. It follows the spirit of Harman tuning but with some ripples in the treble, and additional super tweeter air added with the Sonion EST’s adds just enough.

If you prefer a diffuse field tuning that portrays a stage pushed further away like the Moondrop Blessing Dusk 2, the BGVP DM9 might have too much energy in the 5kHz region making for a uneven stage. I enjoy being drenched in microscopic dynamics so it is an extremely fun and lively listen.

Build quality is excellent from the outside, but I am bothered by the bass channel imbalance. At this price I expect that to be caught during End -Of-Line testing, but perhaps the cost is in the parts and design and not necessarily in further QC activities.

It’s not a deal breaker for me because they are still exceptional at what they do, but it is in the realm of differential threshold audibility. The super tweeter ESTs ratchet up the price for value to take a hit, but then again there are plenty of kilo-buck IEMs to also keep it in perspective.

UPDATE: BGVP was concerned about the channel imbalance so they sent a new set. The second set had better channel matching, with only a 1dB channel difference in the bass which is undetectable when listening. This is a company that honesty cares about their product and takes criticism seriously. The purple blue color is also very striking and eye catching.

Disclaimer: I accepted these free from BGVP thinking they were sending a set of NS10’s. I am a little giddy these came instead after a deep dive. Unbeknownst during this review we have evolved to “Dad and Mom” graduating from “Mommy and Daddy”. I hope to avoid the formal phase Mother and Father.

SUMMARY

SPECIFICATIONS

Sensitivity:≥110dB SPL/mW
Input Resistance: 30Ω
Frequency : 10Hz-40kHz
Distortion: < 0.5%
Sound Difference: 士1dB
Rated Power: 179mW
Cavity Material: Cured wood
Driver Unit:
Sonion EST65QB02*1
Sonion BA (E50 Series) *1
        Sonion BA (2300 Series) 1         Knowles BA(RAD Series)1
        Liquid Silicone VF DD*1
Cable: 4 Strands OCC Silver Plated Graphene Mixed Cable
Cable length: 120cm士10%

GRAPHS

• Left vs Right
• BGVP DM9 vs Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk vs HIDIZS MS5
• Haptic Bass Extension closeup
• Impedance Plot
• Second Pair with bass imbalance <1db undetectable when listening.
• First Pair (Green Brown) vs Second Pair (Red Blue)-First pair shifted to avoid overlapping graphs of second set.

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DISCLAIMER

Get it from any of the numerous distributors on ALIEXPRESS, SHENZHENAUDIO, HIFIGO, ETC

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

The post BGVP DM9 Review – Ear Hairs Will Dance appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Hidizs MS5 have thick nozzles that can compromise comfort
– 4.4mm balanced cable is a separate purchase
– Need more venting to avoid pressure buildup
– Recessed lower-mids
– Mircodynamics are barely perceptible
– Tuning can be too “in-your-face” at times

INTRODUCTION

Hidizs is mostly known for the “source” products in its lineup, be it the dongles or the DAPs like AP80 Pro X. The IEMs released so far have been in the budget range and mostly tried to keep up with the competition rather than challenge them head-on.

The Hidizs MS5 aim to buck that trend. These are the most expensive IEMs Hidizs have ever produced. Heck, if memory serves right (and looking at their current lineup), the MS5 are the most expensive product Hidizs has ever launched.

This heightened price tag brings forth elevated expectations. Do the Hidizs MS5 showcase a performance that befits the price, or do they fall short of the high bar? Let’s find out.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Hidizs was kind enough to send me the MS5 for evaluation.

Sources used: Questyle CMA Twelve Master.
Price, while reviewed: USD$400. Can be bought from Hidizs.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

Hidizs managed to make their flagship packaging look the part. While the box has no fancy layers like some manufacturers do, it is chock full of high quality accessories. You get the IEMs themselves, 9 pairs of eartips, two pairs of extra tuning filters, an 8-core cable, and a large carrying case.

The stock cable is very good – flexible/pliable and doesn’t tangle easily. It’s a single-crystal copper and silver-plated copper hybrid. The earhooks are on the stiffer side and I am not a fan of the strange design Hidizs picked for the 2-pin housing.

The stock tips form a good seal, and I found the balanced tips to go well with the stock tuning. The stem is hard though, so those with small ear canals might require tip-rolling for better comfort. The carrying case has ample room to fit the IEMs with the cable alongside the tuning filters. This makes the case too large to put in the pocket, however.

All in all, Hidizs did not skimp on the accessories, but I would have preferred the option to select 4.4mm balanced cable as “stock cable” during purchase. As of now it’s a separate accessory and this should not be the case.

BUILD QUALITY

The 3D-printed, UV-cured resin shells of the Orchestra Lite have good consistency and give a dense feeling in the hand. There are some refractions inside the shells though some may consider them a design element. Nonetheless, overall shell quality is similar to Moondrop’s Blessing2, if not at a slightly higher level.

The backplate evokes a sense of depth, though the artwork itself is somewhat generic. There are no vents on the shell, making this a completely sealed design.

The nozzle has three bores, one for each frequency band (bass, mids, treble). More on this later. Unfortunately, the large size makes it difficult to fit some tips.

Finally, the flush 2-pin ports complete the build tour (I prefer them recessed though). In short: Hidizs has managed to create a striking design that makes the MS5 instantly recognizable.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Comfort is average due to the large nozzle size. Moreover, the singular vent is not enough to alleviate the pressure buildup, and a tight seal creates some discomfort. .

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

The Hidizs MS5 are very easy to power, a bit too easy some would say due to the ultra-low 5.3 ohms impedance. Reality is that these are source-picky IEMs. They demand a source with very low output impedance (below 0.5ohms) and the noise floor also has to be low to not pick up any hiss.

As for tips, I used the stock “balanced” tips and they provided adequate seal.

DRIVER SETUP

Hidizs goes for a five driver hybrid setup, with 1 dynamic driver + 4 balanced armature drivers arranged in a 3-way crossover design. The single DD (kevlar dome + silicone surround) and a Sonion 17A003 is in charge of the lows and lower-mids respectively, a and a pair of “composite” Sonion E50DT as super-tweeters for ultra-high frequencies.

There is also the “nozzle-based” tuning option where you can replace the stock nozzle with one of the supplied ones and they dampen (or increase) the treble, resulting in a heightened or lower sense of bass respectively. I ended up using the default balanced nozzle since the other two sounded too bloated (bass nozzle) or too brittle (treble nozzle).

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

Hidizs MS5 have a highly energetic V-shaped tuning with some extra sizzle up top.

The most impressive aspect of the MS5 has to be the bass response. It’s fast, punchy, and slams hard. After a series of IEMs with disappointing bass, the MS5 buck that trend fairly well. However, the bass can get too fast at times, with some decaying notes being overshadowed by the leading edge of the next note. This also hurts bass texture a bit, missing some of that “organicness” associated with the best dynamic drivers out there. However, it’s a minor sacrifice to make for an otherwise excellent bass response.

Mids are a mixed bag. The lower mids have good body and density but sit behind the bass and treble in the mix. This results in a loss of “focus” when it comes to male vocals, and the transition from lower midrange to upper midrange is handled abruptly. There is some hollowness between 1.5-3kHz, which adds some chestiness to soaring male vocals.

The mids don’t sound overly shouty, shrill, or thin though, so there’s that. Acoustic guitars sound a bit blunted, with the low notes getting more focus. Guitar riffs are in the background when cymbals are also playing around the same volume but this helps in reigning in what could be “aggressiveness overload”.

Finally, we get to the treble which is the most polarizing aspect of the Hidizs MS5. It is noticeably elevated, putting cymbals and hi-hats in added focus. There is a lot of energy in the sound, which may get too much at times. Those who prefer high-energy tuning will find the MS5 right up their alley. It’s a bit too much for my tastes, however. Adding some dip around 6kHz via EQ helps in smoothing out the signature, so try that out if you want less fatigue in the tuning.

Soundstage is strange. It doesn’t sound cramped but the depth is not well rendered. Stage height is good though. Imaging is good when it comes to cardinal positioning, but center imaging suffers as things sound in your head instead of projected to the front..

Macrodynamic punch is very good, while microdynamics are lacking. General resolution is good even though most of it can be attributed to the extra-sizzly treble response.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Moondrop Blessing2 Dusk

Moondrop Blessing2 Dusk have been out in the market for a while and Moondrop recently released the updated model in Blessing3. As I have not heard the updated model, I’d mostly compare with the ageing B2 Dusk.

In terms of build and accessories, the MS5 win hands down. Comfort is a question mark on both of these IEMs. Isolation is slightly better on the MS5 though, and they sport the tuning mechanism even though it makes little difference to me.

As for the sound, the Blessing2 Dusk go for a more neutral, analytical tuning vs the bombastic, high energy MS5 tuning. The bass is noticeably faster and slams harder on the MS5, while the B2 Dusk opts for a nimbler, more lightweight bass response. This lighter bass rendition meshes well with the mids of the B2 Dusk which is slightly thinner/colder than the MS5 while being more upfront. Treble is not as aggressive on the B2 Dusk, sacrificing treble forwardness for airiness.

In the end, I find the B2 Dusk more suited for those who prefer a somewhat neutral tone without completely sacrificing bass punch. The mids are thinner but the rest of the frequencies are fairly balanced. The MS5 have a more colored presentation that works well with some genres (Pop, Rock, Hip-hop) while sounding too forward in fast-paced metal tracks.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Hidizs broke the price barrier with the MS5, and their marketing push indicates that the brand has a lot riding on the success of the MS5.

I’d say the MS5 are living on the edge: a bit further and they become too aggressive, a few steps back and they become too unremarkable. It’s not the most comfortable position to be in, but the MS5 manage to toe the line.

There is no denying that Hidizs’ choice of tuning here will be polarizing, but that also means those who like such high energy presentation will find only the MS5 as a suitable purchase option. Only Sennheiser IE 300 offer a similar tuning in the <USD$500 bracket and they fall behind in terms of technicalities.

So the MS5 are not something I’d recommend as an all-rounder, rather they are for the moments when you need that extra dose of treble and bass. I expect more refinement on the tuning front, however, and I hope Hidizs controls the treble better in the next release to make their offerings more universally appealing.

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DISCLAIMER

Get it from Hidizs.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Hidizs MS5 Review (3) – Living On The Edge appeared first on Music For The Masses.

INTRO

Ambitious and hungry, the HIDIZS MS5 Dark Angel flagship emerges with hopes and dreams of chanting hymns from the shadows. Utilizing four quality balanced armatures from Sonion combined with a custom liquid crystal kevlar fiber dynamic driver, the HIDIZS MS5 is designed to extract the finest essence from all your recordings like a vampire.

HIDIZS aims to be the one stop shop everything portable audio company with past excellent products we reviewed such as the S9 Pro DAC and the AP80 Pro X. The HIDIZS MS5 is the shot of Irish cream in your coffee with quick bass speed, a sprinkle of lively midrange and exacting microdynamics in the treble worthy of a premium title.

Disclaimer: HIDIZS provided these directly to Audioreviews prior to the pre-sale. We chose to skip the affiliate links, donating to any Super PACS, having wisdom teeth removed, and waiting in long lines. Pre-sale pricing is $379 directly from HIDIZS starting April 21,2023 12am EST, after pre-sale period ends retail is listed at $399 and will be available from other retailers.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

Inside the package of the HIDIZS MS5 Dark Angel you will get a premium accessory kit. The earpieces are a one piece anodized aluminum alloy shell designed to reduce fingerprints and maintain a long lasting durable finish. They are large and bulky which makes for handling easy, but those with smaller ears might find them too large.

The universal shape is not as tight fighting as the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk or the Shozy Form 1.4 which both fit me better. The MS5 right ear piece requires some readjustment from time to time. This is normal for me on a majority of sets. The Moondrop and Shozy tuck into my crevices better, where the MS5 floats. Fitment is an extremely personal experience.

Adorned on the outside for all the world to see, the dark angel panel face plate is made with a skin friendly resin, although the only time it comes into contact with skin is via fingertips from inserting into your ears. The Dark Angel nomenclature comes from this face plate, but I cannot help un-see a Venom Marvel character, or forgive me a bicycle helmet. Who knew we needed ear protection without the hearing protection.

Sandwiched between the aluminum cavity and the resin face plate is a rose gold colored mesh that is for decoration only. All venting is provided through a controlled vent port that is of exact size to make sure both earpieces have no discrepancy between sizing that would affect the bass response. The external vent port appears to be a white resistive balanced armature filter damper. Since it is molded in, modding with a different damper is unlikely.

Premium detachable cabling of the HIDIZS MS5 is made from a mixture of 504 strands of 6N single crystal silver plated copper and 6N copper braided to form a total of 8 stands of wires sheathed in black environmentally friendly PVC giving it a shiny darker appearance with a sticky feeling.

The cable is weighty yet flexible and combined with the formed ear hooks stays firmly planted. The chin slider is for decoration, if it were open completely instead of having wire channels it would freely move, but it binds against the cable too much so I opted not to mess with it.

This is one area that is somewhat problematic as the weight combined with the aggressive ear hook deforms my ear and applies extra pressure. For longer listening sessions users will find it irritating. I wish they would have opted for something lighter, but still of the same quality. Consider replacing it.

With a plethora of tuning options between the included library of ear tips for Balanced, Bass and Vocals, the HIDIZS MS5 also includes three pairs of tuning nozzles screwed into a piece of aluminum plate with laser engraved text to help identify.

I would have preferred the color name included on the plate and adding a spot for the balanced pneumatic gold colored nozzles. At least it was a much more premium way to include them as opposed to in a plastic bag or attached to a piece of plastic like the Drop JVC HA-FDX1.

The replaceable pneumatic sound tuning filter- as HIDIZS refers to the nozzles – have a piece of open-celled foam in the balanced and bass pairs, while the silver treble colored ones have none. The red bass pair contains a higher density amount to cut back on treble letting the bass become slightly more prominent. For those who really like to tweak, you can experiment with your own materials such as cotton, gauze, other foams, etc. You might want to consider a little removal thread locker to prevent them from unscrewing and getting lost.

As I peered into the open cavity while changing these sound tuning nozzles, I can see 4 guided tube openings via a plastic insert. One of those tube openings includes a white colored resistive balanced armature damper used to tune and tame resonances of the balanced armatures.

It uses 3 different balanced armatures from Sonion, the E50DT for highs, 2389 (dual armature) for mid/highs, and the 17A003 for the lower midrange. The combined dual armature is how they count four. The 10mm Kevlar center cone attached by a liquid crystal surround dynamic takes over the low end.

The three different sets of eartips for the HIDIZS MS5 each serve for different purposes. The Vocal eartips have a shorter thicker stem and a wider opening to allow more sound through at a closer point to the exit and allow for placement closer to your eardrum if allowed by fitment.

The ones marked Bass and Balanced appear similar for stem and opening sizing, the only difference I detect is the black bass ear tips have a thicker outer shell to better retain shape and to minimize sound leakage.

What flagship IEM would not be complete without a protective carrying case, and the HIDIZS MS5 provides a roomy premium leather zippered case. Inside it is coated with a fleece material to prevent moisture build up. Plenty roomy, the mesh pocket can hold some of the accessories. It’s  large for a pants pocket, but fine in a coat or bag. It’s the same size as the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk carrying case.

SOUND

Tested primarily with the HIDIZS AP80 Pro-X , SMSL DO100/HO100/SU-9

Seems fitting to pair the HIDIZS MS5 with the HIDIZS AP80 Pro-X for excellent power output, however I also tested with the LG G8. One thing to consider is that this is a low impedance earphone spec’d at 5.3 ohms, it does dip further to ~4 ohms around 1khz. That might be hard for some devices to drive properly in a different sense as output impedance of the device can impact high frequency response roll-off.

The overall sound signature of the HIDIZS MS5 is balanced with medium levels of boosted bass and elevated pinna gain. For once I get to not call this a Harman tuning, as they notch out an area that can be sensitive to some around 4Khz, and also ease into the upper midrange pinna gain instead of a straight climb to the peak and keep it fairly level out to 9khz. For the bulk of my listening I selected the balanced ear tips and balanced nozzles.

The bass nozzles soften the treble giving a more relaxed and non-fatiguing listening session, but the bass is more dominant and fuller. The treble nozzles allow free flow of everything the Sonion balanced armatures have to offer and really bring orchestral works to life with their light and airy capabilities.

Bass is full and warm, extension reaches the bottom and feels centered to provide nice balance between mid-bass and sub-bass. They have similarly wonderfully tight and controlled bass as the Shozy Form 1.4, but with the sub-bass of the Blessing 2 Dusk. The elevation avoids sounding too boomy and coming from some recent sets that boosted only the lowest last octave that could present as thin sounding, the HIDIZS MS5 is anything but. The tapering off is gradual but not bleeding, blending with the Sonion BA well. For me it tapers off before vocals start sounding too muddy and honky, instead a little chesty. If I EQ out around 250Hz it sounds closer to the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk.

Vocals deliver all the nuances and never sound strained unless the recording was over-driven. I definitely recommend using the vocal ear tips, as the upper registers are tamed with the smaller bores. Since it eases into the treble, the vocals feel a bit pulled back. The lower mid-range upper mid-bass tends to pull forward the staging. It is noticeable when switching back and forth with the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk.

Sliding into the treble, the HIDIZS MS5 delivers all the nuances you expect out of a flagship. While it may not have the air like qualities of the 7HZ Timeless, it delivers a superbly brilliant upper end. Listening to Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love, you get a real sense of space as the drums sticks tap the edge of the drums, something the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk is also capable of.

One of my other favorite hybrids the Shozy Form 1.4 does not deliver that kind of technical ability to resolve that level of detail. I can really pick out the nuances of the different cymbal strikes, or the fluttering of the pads and levers opening and closing in a solo saxophone.

TECHNICALITIES

For classical fans or even acoustic rock fans, height information comes through excellent as I listen to Georgia Peach Acoustic Alchemy when the chimes in the beginning come in, the higher chimes propagate higher. The HIDIZS MS5 is a high resolution set without feeling over-blown or fatiguing sound wise. For those that find it to have too much presence might actually want to use the bass tuning filters.https://www.audioreviews.org/hidizs-ms5-review-2-review-ap/

When comparing the HIDIZS MS5 to the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk, they are nearly identically wonderful. The difference between the two becomes apparent in the staging. Since the HIDIZS MS5 has more upper mid-bass, the staging feels U shaped, with the extra bass pulling some instruments closer around the edges hence what I call U shape not to be confused with U shaped frequency tuning.

The Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk has a more even or straight position. As a result overall the HIDIZS MS5 sounds wide and forward, with depth front to back good, but overall the whole stage is closer.

Layering front to back is excellent with nothing ever feeling congested. Microdynamic detail retrieval is excellent. Nothing ever feels out of place. HIDIZS utilized excellent drivers and implemented the Sonion to their fullest ability. The multi-BA budgets do not even stand close, and I would hope not at this mid-tier pricing level ($150-500).

A HAPPY ENDING

The HIDZS MS5 Dark Angel swoops in and steals my attention away from my other favorites. The resolution and brilliance is superb. The use of the excellent Sonion balanced armatures combined with the fullness of the dynamic driver is a good match. The things some might not find appealing are the thicker lower midrange/upper midbass transition, forwardness of the stage, the heavy weight of the premium styled cable, and the bulkiness of the size.

Sometimes less is more, but overall I give it an A/B in tuning and an A- in technical abilities. One of my only favorites from HIDIZS. For those that prefer a diffuse field tuning from Etymotic or the Harman tuning, you will find these more energetic, but in my opinion in all the right places.

SPECIFICATIONS

GRAPHS

• Left vs Right
• Tuning filter comparison
• HIDIZS MS5 vs Shozy Form 1.4 vs Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk
• Impedance Plot

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from the HIDIZS store.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

The post HIDIZS MS5 Dark Angel Review (1) – Venom Protection appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite come with poor stock tips
– Thick nozzle can be an issue for some, alongside the ventless design
– Wooly, undefined bass
– Macrodynamic punch is severely lacking
– Lacking in energy and engagement factor

INTRODUCTION

Kiwi Ears had one of the “underground hits” of recent years in the form of Kiwi Ears Orchestra: a multi-BA offering that offered a smooth tuning and promised performance akin to the kilobuck mainstays.

While I never heard the original, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite, the brand’s latest offering, landed at my doorstep recently. The paper specs are impressive, especially once you consider the price. The frequency response graph looks great on paper.

Let’s see how much of that paper spec translates into real world performance.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Linsoul was kind enough to send me the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite for evaluation.

Sources used: Questyle QP2R, iFi Go Blu.
Price, while reviewed: $250. Can be bought from Linsoul.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The packaging is minimal but has all the necessary accessories.

The stock cable is very good – flexible/pliable and doesn’t tangle easily. The flexible ear-hooks are much better than those stiff, hard to manipulate ones you often find. Unfortunately, the stock tips are useless. There are 3 different kinds supplied, 3 pairs of each. Unfortunately none of them would provide a good seal and comfort.

In the end, I used Spinfit CP-100+ tips. The carrying case is good enough if a bit bland in design. Overall, apart from the tips, good accessories.

BUILD QUALITY

The 3D-printed, UV-cured resin shells of the Orchestra Lite have good consistency and give a dense feeling in the hand. There are some refractions inside the shells though some may consider them a design element. Nonetheless, overall shell quality is similar to Moondrop’s Blessing2, if not at a slightly higher level.

The backplate evokes a sense of depth, though the artwork itself is somewhat generic. There are no vents on the shell, making this a completely sealed design.

The nozzle has three bores, one for each frequency band (bass, mids, treble). More on this later. Unfortunately, the large size makes it difficult to fit some tips.

Finally, the recessed 2-pin ports complete the build tour. I think given the budget constraints, Kiwi Ears managed a good job here.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Comfort is average due to the large nozzle size. Moreover, the ventless design creates some pneumatic pressure in the ear canal, resulting in added awkwardness. I’d recommend trying out the Orchestra Lite in person before purchase if possible to see if they fit your ears.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite are very easy to power, and should be driven well by most dongles. I used Spinfit CP-100+ tips, as the stock tips had poor seal and were a challenge to put on the thick nozzle.

DRIVER SETUP

Driver count on the Orchestra Lite is mighty impressive. A total of eight BA drivers are placed inside with triple crossover design. Two Knowles ‘sealed’ woofers with dampers in front take care of the bass, while four “custom BA” drivers take care of the mids, and two more of those take care of the highs.

Kiwi Ears went for a triple-tube design and all tubes have dampers in the sound path. You can also see the crossover board on the side. All in all, competent driver setup and the coherency should not be too big of an issue due to similar drivers being used across the board.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite have a smooth, relaxing “U”-shaped signature with somewhat darkened treble response.

The two Knowles woofers unfortunately do not sound that impressive. Bass lacks slam and authority. Bass notes almost feel “wooly”. Reverb is unusually slow (try Nariyeh Thanei by Siamese Youth to get a feel for that).

Mids, fortunately, fare much better. They sound good for the most part and avoid shout, even though at high volumes the shoutiness can creep through (as the bass does not have body and impact, upper mids become more prominent). String instruments have a slightly softer leading edge, which avoids some BA timbre at the cost of crispness.

Finally, we get to the treble which is inoffensive without being spectacular. The bass tuning is a bit too safe at times, lacking excitement and engagement. Guitar riffs lack energy, while cymbals and hi-hats sound over-dampened. Upper-treble is also almost absent, so resonances and decays are lost.

Soundstage is not spectacular but manages to sound fairly “open” without being congested. Imaging is good, falling slightly short of class leaders like the Blessing2 or Oxygen. Separation is also good and comparable to the best performers in this range.

Macrodynamic punch is severely lacking. Sudden bass drops feel hollow. Microdynamics are not so evident either.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs AFUL Performer5

The AFUL Performer5 sport a hybrid design, with a single dynamic driver taking care of the lows and the mids and highs being handled by BA drivers.

I find the Performer5 to be more comfortable due to better pressure relief and less obtrusive nozzle design. The stock accessories are good on the Performer5 but I am not too keen on the stock cable. Your mileage may vary.

As for the sound, the Performer5 have slightly better bass response, though the dynamic driver is underwhelming in terms of slam and punch as well. Mids are similarly tuned on both but female vocals are more intimate and have better articulation on the Orchestra Lite.

The treble is where the Performer5 edge out the Orchestra Lite with better engagement and extension up top. However, staging and imaging are overall superior on the Orchestra Lite.

So in the end, the bass and treble performance are superior on the Performer5 and that alone should make the decision easier for many. However, those who need a more relaxing presentation with a better sense of atmosphere (due to superior staging and imaging) might find the Orchestra Lite more appealing. Just keep in mind that they would not excite you as much.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Overall, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite are not technical powerhouses. The bass definitely does not live up to expectations and might be the deal-breaker for some. Some EQ makes things better, but the fundamental issues (lack of slam and body) remains.

While the mids are tuned well and the sound has a certain calmness that might appeal to those who do not like infusion of energy, it might be too polite, too safe, and too smooth.

So, the Orchestra Lite are suitable for a niche audience with niche tuning preferences. I would highly recommend an audition to see if these fit your tastes before making a purchase since, for me, they are just bland, lacking in life and verve.

Ah well.

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The post Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite Review – Smoothness Overload appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The Moondrop Stellaris is…hmmm…bright…

The Moondrop Stellaris were kindly supplied by SHENZENAUDIO for my analysis – and I thank them for that. You can get them from SHENZENAUDIO for currently around $100.

Introduction

Planar-magnetic earphones came into fashion (again) when a YouTube salesman hyped the $220 7Hz Timeless per spaceship into a starfield (excuse the pun) not even a year ago (setting the scene to cash in on a “collab” with the next release of this technology). The Timeless feature a driver that had been dismissed by major manufacturers a couple of years earlier. Admittedly, this model was good enough for co-bloggers Biodegraded and Durwood to purchase one :).

LETSHUOER were the next company to pick up on this technology with their $135 S12, which likely features the same driver as the 7Hz Timeless, but with a different tuning. I compared both models in this article.

What followed was “a race for space”. Many manufacturers wanted to have a piece of the cake, which resulted in “planar wars”, artificially constructed by another bunch of attention-seeking YouTubers. I only got part of the tail end of it with the $115 TINHIFI P1 Max and the $199 Dunu Talos. More planar-magnetics are flooding the market as we speak (I am eagerly awaiting the Akoustyx S6 from California).

In the past, planar-magnetic earphones had been overpriced and underperforming. Not anymore…which was actually a good thing about the 7Hz Timeless hype.

But what makes a planar-magnetic earphone distinct? First, the driver digs deep down, it has a tight bass response, low distortion, it is easy to drive, has a great imaging and a deep stage.

On the downside, a planar-magnetic earphone may lack slam, may be rather lean in the lower midrange, and be bright (“more lean than bright”), which may contribute to midrange clarity but exposes a lack of richness. Treble may be robotic through an overly fast note decay. Many planar magnetic iems do not do a good job in the reproduction of acoustic sets (“classical music”) – too artificial sounding.

Prices have come down even further since the release of the 7Hz Timeless. Moondrop offer the Stellaris at $109.99, on par with their Starfield and between their $79.99 Aria and their $189.99 Kato (all single DDs). The Aria is generally considered to be one of the best iems below $100, and it outclasses the Starfield. Therefore, Moondrop appears to create their own in-house competition in search of the class leader.

Who are Moondrop? They are one of the world’s most innovative earphone companies out of Chengdu, Sichuan, a city I know well and love. We “audioreviewers” have analyzed many of the company’s models (see below).

Specifications Moondrop Stellaris

Physical Things and Usability

The Moondrop Stellaris was costmetically modelled after the Moondrop Starfield. Both share the same coating with its characteristic luminous bluestone that shimmer…and chip if abused (no chipping on mine so far).

But what’s different is that the Moondrop Stellaris is big. Big and heavy earpieces…little monsters…ouch…but with long nozzles, good for my ears. The earpieces need to be deeply inserted into my ears and I wished today’s generations of planars were as small as, let’s say, the current Sennheiser single-DD iems.

So if you do this to your ears, you’d expect some reward, which would be sound quality. However…

Tonality and Technicalities

The Stellaris are tuned according to Moondrop’s own VDSF (Virtual Diffuse Sound Field) target response, the company’s version of the Harman target. You find more about this on Stellaris’ product page. They have their low-end boost in the sub-bass (rather than the mid-bass) for a dryer bass response and well extended treble. The midrange is a bit odd with a large spike at 2.5 kHz.

Other than that – as in so many other cases – the graph sells us little about the IEM’s sound. The Stellaris’ overall signature is uneven: warm at the bottom and bright on top.

Let’s face it, the Stellaris are most of all bright, very bright. Bright right up to the uppermost registers. Cymbals and hats are dancing arround my eardrums, the bass is partially swallowed and the vocals are somewhat honky. Well, that monstrous pinna gain between 1 and 2.5 kHz does not help either.

The signature is unbalanced, which throws the Stellaris out of the orbit of my sonic enjoyment. This iem lacks cohesion. So much for the general validity of target response curves.

Other than that, some of the individual aspects are not bad. For example, the bass is reasonably deep reaching and somewhat controlled. A bit dry, perhaps, as it peaks towards the bottom end. Punch is decent and reasonably well dosed.

The lower midrange is…weird…voices are pointy and lean…nasal that is, and the opposite of rich and full. They are so thin that even the sub-bass kick overshadows them. Well, and then there is this mess at the top end.

Technically, the Stellaris are capable: big stage, good midrange clarity, decent imaging, but overall they fall easily behind the likes of the LETSCHUOER S12 and TINHIFI P1 Max – and, if you go up to $200, the Dunu Talos. Hence no reason to discuss them further.

Concluding Remarks

The Moondrop Stellaris are a disappointment to my senses: they are bulky in my ears and uneven sounding. They simply lack soul despite their technical prowess…and are therefore a great advertisement for the $79 Moondrop Aria, which remains one of the best iems in the $100 area.

Get the Aria instead.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post Moondrop Stellaris Review – Champagne Supernova appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Sub-bass has softened impact, might be an issue for those expecting robust bass
– Truthear Zero has thin, lifeless lower-midrange
– Scooped mid-bass region hurts impact of snare hits and thins out baritone vocals
– Dark, grainy treble
– Upper-mid shout may sound more pronounced due to lack of treble presence
– Middling technical performance

INTRODUCTION

Reviewer collaborations are all the rage now. At the beginning, it was more of a novelty than a marketing shtick. At present, it’s rarer to not see a “tuned by X influencer” tag instead.

Truthear is a relatively new brand, but they chose to collaborate with Crinacle for their very first mainstream offering. Crin has been tuning IEMs for a while, and some of them have been quite popular e.g. the Blessing2 Dusk. Truthear Zero is the latest in the line of Crinacle-tuned IEMs and has a rather unique dual-driver setup where one driver acts as a true “woofer”.

Does the novel driver setup and Crinacle’s signature tuning manage to elevate the Zero above the rest of the competition? Or is another flavor-of-the-week that will soon have the spotlight stolen? Let’s find out.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. ShenzhenAudio was kind enough to send me the Truthear X Crinacle Zero for evaluation.

Source used: Questyle CMA-400i
Price, while reviewed: $50.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The packaging of the Truthear Zero has the trendy “waifu” cover art. In fact, the unit I received also came with an acrylic replica of the pictured character, named “Virgo”.

Otaku-fanservice aside, we also get 6 pairs of silicone eartips (2 types), 1 pair of foam tips, and a nice carrying case. The stock cable is good for the price, though the memory hook is stiff. The carrying case looks and feels nice, but offers little protection.

BUILD QUALITY

The entire shell is made out of resin with a glittery faceplate. I quite like the hue of blue on the Truthear Zero.

There is one vent near the 2-pin connector, which are recessed thankfully. Crossover circuit can also be seen near the connectors. While the build is generally good, the shells are smudge prone and slippery. So keep a cleaning cloth handy.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

The Truthear Zero are very comfortable due to their pseudo-custom shape, and they offer good isolation.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

The IEMs were tested with stock cable and eartips. Questyle CMA-400i was used as a source. The Truthear Zero is fairly easy to drive with any budget dongle.

DRIVER SETUP

Truthear Zero uses two dynamic drivers in an asymmetric orientation: one near the nozzle (tweeter) and the woofer is closer to the center of the shell.

The larger 10mm “woofer” uses an LCP diaphragm with a PU suspension. The smaller “tweeter” clocks in at 7.8mm, and while the diaphragm and suspension material remains same, the voice coil is changed to a lighter CCAW material.

The crossover circuit acts almost as a low-pass filter with the low-frequencies being solely handled by the woofer, and the tweeter having no response in sub-bass frequencies.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

Truthear Zero has a near-Harman 2019-esque frequency response. This essentially means a “clean boost” of sub-bass from 200Hz downwards, and an aggressive rise to the upper-mids from the low-mid region.

Also, this leads to a strange hollowness in the mid-bass region, something “mid-bass bad” crowd will probably try to pass off as a positive, but it is not often the case.

Speaking of bass, the Truthear Zero has a detached sounding sub-bass akin to a 2.1 speaker setup. This is perhaps the intended tuning decision. Sub-bass has good density and dominates the scene in many electronic and live tracks. However, there is a softness to the sub-bass that makes it sound more polite than one would expect. Sub-bass rumble is not the strongest either.

Mid-bass is utterly devoid of body and slam. The bass is thus solely defined by the sub-bass emphasis near 50Hz. As a result of mid-bass hollowness and a near 12dB rise in the upper-mids, midrange is dominated by the upper-registers.

Snare hits lack body, baritone vocals sound thin, soaring male vocals get screechy and strained. Female vocals in bass-light tracks veer towards shoutiness.

Add to that the dark treble, which lacks sparkle and extension. As a result upper-mids gain further focus. Needless to say that this kind of tuning did not work well with my metal/rock focused library, and the occasional acoustic tracks and singer/songwriter pieces were marred by the shoutiness in the upper-mids.

Staging is average, imaging is mostly left and right. Not a technical tour-de-force in those regards. Layering is surprisingly good though, probably one of the strengths here. Overall resolution is middling.

Microdynamics are good, while macrodynamic punch is lacking due to the lack of mid-bass and dark mid and upper-treble.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Final E3000

Final E3000 has a more physical, impactful bass. They have superior male vocals in comparison but female vocals are noticeably more laid back than the Truthear Zero.

E3000 also has better treble definition and extension, wider staging and far superior imaging. The areas where the Truthear Zero trounce the E3000 are: build, vocal clarity, and far simpler amplification needs. E3000 need a good source to shine, which adds to the cost.

vs BLON BL-05S

Compared to the Truthear Zero, BL-05S lack bass impact and rumble. Bass is in fact the weakest aspect of the BL-05S.

Things get very different as we move upward the frequencies, with the BL-05S being far more resolving in treble and mids. Imaging and separation are superior on the BLON as well.

One caveat of the BL-05S is that they need cable and tip change, whereas Truthear Zero is good to go in stock form. If you need a more technically accomplished pair under $50, BL-05S will be a better pick.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Truthear Zero aces the frequency response graph game. If you primarily base your purchase decisions on a pair of IEMs hitting a specific target, the Truthear Zero will be right up your alley. Also, those preferring Harman-ish tuning should be happy with the tuning here.

Unfortunately for me, most rock, metal, and pop songs sound odd and lack the body and density I expect, especially if the vocalist is male. The Zero fare better in instrumentals and female vocal based tracks, but there are better options in this price range if those are your priorities.

In the end, the driver configuration is the most interesting aspect of the Truthear Zero, and there is nothing wrong with that. They just do not stand out enough in terms of technicalities, and the shouty vocals followed by dark treble doesn’t make things better.

I hope Truthear reigns down the upper-mids and focuses on refining the treble on the next release, and if a dose of mid-bass is added with that – color me interested.

MY VERDICT

3/5
Unique driver combination marred by a sheer lack of technicalities.

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You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Truthear X Crinacle Zero Review – The Hype And The Aftermath appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Thin lower mids
– Upper-midrange glare
– BA timbre

INTRODUCTION

Those who have been following the Chi-Fi scene for a while would surely have come across Rose as a brand, and their penchant of cramming sizeable amount of drivers in an inconspicuously tiny shell.

The Rose QT9 MK2S is no different, and they sport a 1DD + 4BA configuration in a shell that’s small enough to sleep while wearing. In terms of driver config, Rose Technics competes well with the peers, but that alone does not ensure success in this cut-throat market.

Let’s see if the QT9 MK2S can carve a spot for themselves in the hyper-competitive mid-range IEM space.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Rose Technics was kind enough to send me the QT9 Mk2s for evaluation.

Sources used: Sony NW-A55, Questyle CMA-400i
Price, while reviewed: $250. Can be bought from HiFiGo.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

Rose supplies two hard-shell cases in the QT9 mk2S packaging, with one containing accessories and the other containing the IEMs and the cable. The packaging itself is fairly minimal and compact.

Supplied accessories include: 4 pair of silicone tips including 1 pair of double-flange tips, 1 mmcx removal tool, extra nozzle filters, and a quarter-inch adapter. The cable has a fabric sheath and 6N OCC copper core. Not the best in terms of ergonomics, but at least the core config with 6N OCC copper seems nice on paper.

BUILD QUALITY

Rose went for a pseudo-custom fit design with the QT9 MK2S.

The transparent resin-shell has a metal faceplate with Rose logo on it. There are three vents in total. One vent near the mmcx connector, and two more vents underneath the Rose logo on the faceplate. This heavily vented design allows the dynamic driver to move more air than a sealed design.

The mmcx connectors are fairly robust, though the IEMs would spin if rotated with some pressure. I did not notice any rattling or looseness in connection. The resin shell is also free from bubbles and noticeable imperfections, though I have seen better finishes on more expensive IEMs.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

The low-profile is perfect for those who like to sleep wearing their IEMs, though that is something I do not recommend for safety reasons. The IEMs can be too small for large ears though, so you may have trouble finding a good seal if your ear-canals are large.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

Most of the review was completed while pairing with the Questyle CMA-400i. Sony NW-A55 was used when listening to the QT9 MK2S on the go, alongside the stock cable and Spinfit W1 tips.

DRIVER SETUP

Rose combined a 10mm dynamic driver with Knowles FK30018 and FK30019 dual-BA drivers. The BAs have Knowles dampers within the internal tubing, so kudos to Rose for properly implementing these BA drivers.

The dynamic driver also has over 1Tesla of magnetic flux density, which basically translates to better sense of bass slam and impact (when tuned as such).

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The general sound signature of the QT9 MK2S can be described as mildly V-shaped, with thinned out lower-mids, boosted sub-bass, and extra focus on upper-mids and lower-treble.

The thin lower-mids get slightly veiled by the decaying sub-bass notes, making this the weakest spot of the QT9 MK2S’ tuning. The bass itself has nice body and rumble, and should satisfy those who need extra bass “oomph”. Mid-bass texture is somewhat lacking, but makes up for that with noticeable punch.

The upper-mids are mostly within control, though the subsequent 6kHz peak makes them sound strained in higher-pitched vocals, especially in tracks with less-than-ideal mastering. The lower treble peak also caused some fatigue for me in long listening sessions, as I am particularly sensitive to that region. Your mileage may vary.

Upper treble is characterized by a small bump near 13kHz and later some more emphasis near 15kHz. Not the most airy-sounding IEMs in this price bracket, but cymbal hits resonate longer than on IEMs with poor extension.

Imaging was precise for the most part, though lateral imaging left something to be desired. Stage width and depth was above-average, but falls behind category leaders.

Macrodynamic punch was good, while microdynamics were about average. General resolution is somewhat hampered by that clouded lower-mids, but in energetic tracks you can pick out most of the subtleties in the recording.

SELECT COMPARISONS

The Moondrop Blessing2 costs slightly more than the QT9 MK2S and comes with a similar 1DD + 4BA config. Moondrop opts for a paper-cone diaphragm vs the LCP diaphragm on the Rose IEMs.

In terms of build, the Blessing2 is “chunky” and can cause fit issues and discomfort for those with smaller ears, whereas the Rose will cater well to those with small ears. I’d say both have similar build quality. Moondrop has a more elaborate internal structure with the Blessing2, while Rose went for a simpler venting mechanism for the dynamic driver.

In terms of sound, bass is nimbler on the Blessing2 with less impact and sense of rumble. QT9 MK2S give a more palpable sense of rumble with better slam. Lower-midrange is thin on the Blessing2 as well, but doesn’t get as clouded as the QT9 MK2S due to more conservative sub-bass boost.

Upper-mids are even more prominent on the Blessing2 and brings vocals a lot closer to the listener. Fortunately, shoutiness is mostly avoided barring the most intense of high-pitched vocals. Lower-treble is where the differences become more apparent again, with the QT9 MK2S having less sparkle in treble due to the dip between 4-5kHz.

Upper-treble is somewhat reserved on both, but I think the QT9 MK2S slightly edges out the Blessing2 here. Staging is slightly wider and deeper on the QT9 MK2S, while the Blessing2 have more precise imaging with accurate positional cues. General resolution is also better on the Blessing2.

For the extra bucks, Blessing2 indeed out-resolve the QT9 MK2S. The Rose IEMs strike back with a more physical bass response and more comfortable fit. If you find the fit of the Blessing2 an issue and need a more robust bass response, the QT9 MK2S are viable alternatives.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Rose QT9 MK2S is a solid offering and gets most of the tuning right. The treble tuning may be a miss for those with extreme sensitivity in that region, and the fit might be challenging for those with larger ears. Other than those – you get one of the smallest 5-driver hybrid IEMs with good bass and generally competitive resolving capabilities.

In the larger scheme of things, the lack of marketing and Rose’s relative silence in recent years might be a bigger challenge, as new IEMs come up almost every other week and it’s difficult to filter out that noise for potential buyers. That being said, the QT9 MK2S is a nice reboot for Rose as a brand, and I look forward to their future releases that address the minor niggles.

MY VERDICT

3.5/5

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The post Rose QT9 MK2S Review (2) – Something Different appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Availability of Spinfit tips can be a bit spotty
– Some experimentation required

INTRODUCTION

Third-party eartips are one of those things that you end up with a large collection of as you fall deeper into audiophilia. The reason is quite simple: universal earphones (i.e. non-custom IEMs) require fiddling with the tips more often than not. Moreover, eartips are just about the cheapest (and often most reproducible) way of tuning an earphone. So we all end up with boxes of eartips of our own, sooner or later.

Spinfit have been making eartips for a while now, and their claim-to-fame is the name-sake “swivel” mechanism that rotates the top of the inner-stem. This in turn helps to achieve a deeper, more secure seal as the top of the tip (along with the sound-tube) literally bends to get closer to the inner-ear.

In this round-up, we shall explore how well this mechanism works across a variety of IEMs. Models to be evaluated: Spinfit CP-100, CP-100+, CP-145, CP-145 (medical-grade silicone), CP-240, CP-360, CP-500, and the CP-800. The only two in-production models that I don’t have with me are the CP-155 (I don’t have a large-nozzle IEM at the moment) and the Airpod-specific CP-1025 (I don’t have an Airpod). With that out of the way, let’s head right in.

Update [06-02-2023]: Guide updated with impressions about Spinfit W1.

Note: The Spinfit CP-100 and the CP-500 are units I purchased myself. Rest were sent in by Spinfits themselves for evaluation. A huge shout-out to them. You can check out there entire catalogue of eartips here.

GENERAL BUILD QUALITY

All of the Spinfit eartips share some similarities in terms of build. They have a colored stem and the outer material is medical/food grade silicone. Each tips also has a depression/joint around the top of the internal sound bore. This joint allows the top of the tip to swivel 360 degrees around inside the ear-canal and (ideally) move past the bends in the ear-canal.

In all cases the internal stem is made of a stiffer material than the eartips themselves, though the stiffness varies depending on model. Now, let’s get into the details of individual models. For a more thorough look into the various dimensions of the tips themselves, please check out co-blogger Jürgen’s take on the Spinfit eartips.

SINGLE-FLANGE SPINFIT EARTIPS

CP-100/CP-100+

The Spinfit CP-100 is probably the most popular Spinfit eartips around. They are also the most widely available one. The original CP-100 model had a fairly stiff, color-coded stem (with color changing upon size) and the outer material was also fairly stiff. This model suited a number of IEMs especially those with a shallow nozzle (e.g. Dunu Luna, pictured below). The CP-100 was pretty much a utilitarian eartip, as in it would suit most models without affecting the FR too much or causing discomfort. I personally found the surface of the tip to be somewhat itchy after long-term use, and the stiffer outer layer didn’t have the best grip with the inner-ear wall.

Thus, we enter the Spinfit CP-100+. The new variant (which shall be released on Amazon soon) addresses my key complaint with the original CP-100: the stiffness and feel of the silicone. The new material is more supple and grips better. Most of all: the itchiness after long sessions is gone completely. In terms of ergonomics, this renders the CP-100 irrelevant.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Moondrop Aria, Moondrop Starfield, Dunu Luna, Meze 12 Classics V2, Shozy Form 1.1, BLON BL-03/BL-05S

CP-145/CP-145 (refresh)

These are currently my favorite Spinfit tips. They are the most comfortable in Spinfit’s lineup along with the CP-100+ and pairs well with most IEMs with the given nozzle size (~4.5mm). Usually the bass seem to get tighter with these tips on and in some IEMs I’ve also experienced a perceived expansion of soundstage. The older CP-145 has a more supple, grippier texture on the outside whereas the new, medical-grade silicone version has a more coarse texture and has slightly worse seal. The choice between older and the newer CP-145 isn’t as straightforward as they both perform very similarly and are equally comfortable. Whichever you get, however, you shall find them stellar.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Moondrop Blessing2/Aria/Starfield, 64Audio U12t, Final A8000, Dunu Luna, Reecho Insects Awaken

CP-360

The Spinfit CP-360 are specialist eartips meant to be used with TWS earphones. If you’re having trouble getting a fit with the stock tips that came with your earbud, give these a shot. The flange material is soft silicone and it’s very comfortable to wear due to the nozzle material not being too stiff. Isolation is also top-notch. Generally a good tip to have in your collection if you are into TWS earphones.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Samsung Galaxy Buds/Buds Plus/Buds Pro, FIIL T1XS, Lypertek Tevi

CP-500

The most interesting offering in Spinfit’s entire lineup has to be the CP-500. It has a larger bore diameter (~5.5mm) and is meant for large nozzle IEMs that require a wide bore to work best. However, I have found them to work on slightly smaller bore IEMs too. I purchased the CP-500 initially to use with the Final E5000 (as stock E-type black tips have too much mid-bass). The CP-500 was the only tip available at that time for final’s E-series IEMs thus I pulled the trigger. Ironically, I ended up using the CP-500 on IEMs other than the Final E-type, most notably Dunu Zen and the IMR R1 Zenith. The CP-500 with Dunu Zen, specifically, have an incredible pairing that elevates the (already great) Zen to new heights. The difference between the Zen + CP-500 and other tips were far too noticeable.

That preamble aside, the CP-500 has a soft flange along with a similarly soft bore. The flange also has a somewhat oily texture to it, resulting in a fit that’s not the most secure and requires a bit of a deeper insertion. It’s a very comfortable eartip but isolation is worse than the CP-100/145/360. This is an eartip I’d recommend if you’re someone who’s into “tip-rolling” (as in, experimenting with various eartips). The CP-500 provides interesting results with many IEMs.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Final E4000/E5000/E1000, Dunu Zen (best pairing for me), JVC FX-700, JVC FW-10000

CP-800

The Spinfit CP-800 is a specialized eartip meant for using exclusively with narrow-bore IEMs like the Shure, Etymotic ones. In case of Etymotic ER2XR this provides an interesting alternative to the stock triple/double-flange tips. The CP-800 has about the same bass and midrange rendition so those who find the stock triple/dual flange tips on Etymotics intrusive might find the CP-800 far more comfortable. I would recommend going for a smaller size than what you usually use with these tips (so if you usually need M, go for S). A size smaller will help with deeper fit. Sadly on the ER2XR at least, the CP-800 makes the treble roll-off earlier than the dual/triple flange tips. If you need more treble sparkle, the CP-800 might let you down on those IEMs. Shure IEMs like SE-215 worked just as well as the Shure Olive tips, however, with slightly improved fit.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Etymotic ER2XR/ER4XR, Shure SE215/SE846.

W1

The Spinfit W1 is good for IEMs with large and heavy shells. The core of the stem has a ribbed pattern, which deforms less than the usual Spinfits. As such, even with deep fit, the nozzle retains a relatively straight sound path.

They also tend to isolate better due to grippier texture. I think this is how Azla Xelastecs should have been, but couldn’t be due to a lof of other issues.

The one nitpick I have with the W1 is that you must buy it in packs of three, with all three different sizes. At least that’s the case for the time being.

If you don’t own heavy IEMs then you can stick with CP-145. But if you have large, multi-driver IEMs then the W1 is a must try.

DOUBLE-FLANGE SPINFIT EARTIPS

CP-240

The Spinfit CP-240 is their only dual-flange offering. Usually dual-flange tips offer a deeper seal along with improved isolation. The CP-240, however, is a strange case. Due to the larger gap between the swiveling part on top and the second flange below, the seal breaks inside the ear canal and may lead to a loss of isolation. Moreover, the bass response lightens up a lot as a result. This might help if you want to tone the bass down on some IEMs but for me this particular tip didn’t really have a permanent place on any of the IEMs I’ve tried them on. The CP-240 also comes with adapters that you can slot inside the bore to reduce bore size and use narrow-bore IEMs like Etymotic/Westone/Shure.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Westone, Shure, Etymotic IEMs with adapter, Meze 12 Classics V2 without adapter.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Writing about eartips can be confusing since it’s such a personal thing after all. This article is not meant to be taken as an absolute guide, rather a primer into what you might expect from the several Spinfit offerings. In the end, I can only speak from my personal experience along with the feedback I’ve gathered over time from other experienced users.

The Spinfit offerings are a must-have if you’re into collecting IEMs and love to experiment with several eartips. If I had to choose one SpinFit eartip among the 8 reviewed here, I would pick the CP-100+. It’s going to be widely available soon, it improves upon the original CP-100, and most of all it pairs well with most of the IEMs out there barring those with thin nozzles. Similarly, the CP-145 is a great choice and improves the comfort and sonic performance of many IEMs I’ve tried them on.

Among the rest, the CP-360 should be in your stable if you’re into TWS earphones, they are one of the few TWS-specific eartip after all. The CP-500 is a specialist eartip that can be unpredictable, and being the widest-bore tip in Spinfit’s lineup offers something unique. Finally, the CP-240 is something I couldn’t find a use for and the CP-800 didn’t perform as well as the tips it’s supposed to replace (for me). So these two don’t excite me as much.

Thus, I’ve covered most of Spinfit’s mainstream offerings. In the future I plan to make an entire post/thread where the eartips of all major manufacturers (along with a few obscure) ones will be covered. Let’s see how that one goes.

MY VERDICT

CP-100+/CP-145: Highly Recommended
CP-360/CP-500: Recommended

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DISCLAIMER

SpinFit Eartips can be found on Amazon.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Spinfit Eartips Roundup: A Comprehensive Comparison Between 8 Variants appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Difficult to pick the right model.

Distinctive Features — Swivel mechanism; narrow-bore tips.

BOOKMARK ME – PAGE WILL BE UPDATED

Executive Summary

I have tested SpinFit eartips for this review since summer 2019, the results are reported here, and an overview of the different models is given. The main advantage of Spinfit eartips are in the added comfort, appealing appearance, and most importantly in their “kaiten”, the Japanese word describing their swivel mechanism (they don’t really “spin”). Kaiten results in deeper insertion and therefore sonic improvement over stock tips in many cases. Results may vary between earphones in combination with individual ear canals. While it cannot be said that Spinfits are universally better than other tips, they frequently are. They therefore fill a niche and should be in everybody’s eartips box. IMO, SpinFits are a good investment particularly for more expensive earphones.

Introduction

There are different ways to alter an earphone’s sound: cable, modding, nozzle-screen replacement…but eartips is the easiest and one of the cheapest, even taking the premium prices of some into account. The tips are at the end of the audio chain and can be a real bottleneck. If they don’t fit our ear canals properly, the whole listening experience is spoilt.

Some earphones come with a generous selection of eartips, others don’t. And in some cases, none of the eartips fit or provide an effective seal for the listener, so that the sound quality is compromised. In such situations, third-party eartips come to the rescue.

Eartips manufacturers can frolic as there is no real competition between them: all their products are different and there is no universal fit for any earphone/ear canal combination.

Eartips of the different makes are rather complementary and listeners have to acquire a box full of different types before “tip rolling” to find the best sound appeal for their individual ear canal geometry. So third-party eartips companies must be the best of friends.

SpinFit out of Taiwan are one of the pioneers of third-party eartips and their products have become somewhat of an industry standard. Most premium earphones that went through my hands as a reviewer came with SpinFit CP145 silicone tips, and these have become one of my starting points for “tip rolling”.

SpinFit have not only produced sonically appealing and comfortable eartips, they have also rolled them into some kind of appealing eyecandy, with coloured inner stems indicating type and size – for the advanced users. I sometimes feel like eating them. They are generally soft and pliable, comfortable, and durable.

Each of SpinFit’s offerings have distinct bore sizes (to fit the earphone nozzle) and umbrella size (to fit the ear canal). A unique swivel mechanism in all models helps connecting the two in an optimal manner – earphone and ear canal, that is. The swivel mechanism helps optimizing sound transfer and comfort. The mechanism also corrects for unfavourable nozzle angles on the earphone.

The Japanese word “Kaiten” describes the spin, which is actually not a spin at all, but a swivel. Some Japanese words also read as Chinese, because both languages share the “Kanji” characters.

Selecting the Right SpinFits for Your Earphone

Eartips are a very personal thing. There is no good or bad in most cases, there is good fit and lesser fit, which depends on both the devices they are mounted on and the listeners’ ear canals. These variables create a large number of possibilities and uncertainties so that no eartip is fitting universally. These variables are:

Fitting earphone nozzles: the first problem for the novice is – and it certainly was for me – to find the right SpinFit model to fit a particular earphone. First, one has to select the right diameter of the inner stem so that the SpinFit is being held safely in place. As a rule of thumb, most earphones have a nozzle diameter of 4.5 mm so that the CP145 is the most universal model for initial tip rolling.

Fitting ear canals: the second problem is that the umbrella size has to fit one’s ears. Size M fits most listeners (use the stock nozzles for comparison). I personally need L or XL. Also important is the length of the inner stem. Earphones with short nozzles such as the Blon BL-03 work best with a long-stemmed eartips, and most TWS earphones require short tips such as the CP360.

Check out the SpinFit Size Chart

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Optimizing sound: the SpinFit’s swivel mechanism corrects for unfavourably angled earphone nozzles, which contributes to sound optimization. Another parameter that influences perceived sound is the eartip’s bore diameter. All Spin Fits are narrow-bores and they therefore are even less competition to JVC Spiral Dots and Azla SednaEarfit tips, which are wide-bores. Narrow-bores and wide-bores differ in their sonic characters with most earphones [explained in detail here]. Trial and error rules, and there is no recipe for success.

I’ll give you an illustrated overview of the available below. Check the underlined links in the figure captions to follow up on the details.

The SpinFit Catalogue in Pictures

Please note that the SpinFit CP350 have been discontinued.

Co-blogger Kazi is going a bit more into detail of the individual models in his complementary SpinFit article.

What KopiOkaya says

Co-blogger Larry Fulton alias KopiOkaya summarizes the main characteristics of the leading third-party eartips in his famous eartips guide. He covers most of the SpinFit catalogue. You find his thoughts behind this spoiler.

Concluding Remarks

Eartips are the cheapest sonic upgrade of an earphone (without modding). SpinFit have established themselves as one of the industry leaders because of their special swivel mechanism, their comfort, fit, durability, and last but not least their optical appeal. I have dropped a few dollars on their offerings in my time as hobbyist.

SpinFit eartips are no miracle cure in all cases, but they are possibly the first ones to choose for “tip rolling”. They should therefore be in everybody’s audio toolbox.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

I spent about $100 in my lifetime on SpinFit eartips, mainly on CP145, CP100, CP500, and CP800. Some of the SpinFits used in this review were kindly provided by SpinFit, in several stages since Aug 2019.

Get more information from the SpinFit website.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post JK’s Introduction To SpinFit Eartips appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Bass doesn’t retrieve every last detail, treble might be too rolled off for some and upper mids a touch too high for others, ‘light’ note weight in the mids and highs compared to full DD units.

Executive Summary

The Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk is a tonally balanced (with tasteful bass bump), technically focused hybrid that does just about everything right. Its highly resolving midrange features lighter note weights and excellent detail retrieval, imaging and instrument separation for a very ‘clean’ overall presenation. While technicalities are the first impression, I don’t find anything really ‘off’ about the timbre. Its revealing rather than euphonic nature would make it a complement to, rather than a replacement for, a good dynamic-driver pair.

Tonality and Technicalities

These in some ways have the classic Moondrop signature (before their attempts at diffuse-field neutral, eg SSR, SSP Illumination): a not-too-exaggerated upper midrange and a slightly rolled-off treble – but, with a bit of added bass, focused on the low- to sub-bass. The balance of the bass on these is very good, having a good low rumble along a level of mid- to upper bass that doesn’t intrude on the lower mids. It’s not bass-head material and neither does it overly warm things up. The bass, however, is the one area I find the technicalities of these earphones are a bit lacking: some detail is missing in some material, e.g., reverb trails fade too early and ‘dirty’ distortion is underplayed or absent.

In the upper midrange, I find that between a balanced-armature earphone and a dynamic-driver earphone that measure the same, the BA will seem to be more shouty and harsh than the DD, possibly because of the BA’s faster but ‘lighter’ transients. With the Moondrop Blessing2:Dusk, I find the upper midrange to be getting close to the edge of what’s acceptable, perhaps because of the contrast with a treble that rolls off early.

One of the main notables for me about these earphones is the resolution through the midrange. Detail retrieval is excellent, all sorts of microdynamics and subtle pitch variations being discernible even with amps that tend to gloss those aspects over (Dragonfly Black). At least partly because of this, imaging, instrument separation, and L to R staging are also very good. While sometimes an overly technical focus will make for an unsatisfying overall musical picture, I don’t find these phones to exceed the boundaries of good taste in this respect. For me another big plus is that the common ‘BA timbre’ of overly fast yet lightweight transients, most noticeable in how cymbal shimmers decay, is barely present in these earphones.

Source Synergies

While many all-BA earphones have a difficult impedance vs frequency profile, leading to amplifiers with somewhat elevated output impedances markedly changing the phones’ frequency response, hybrids as a class don’t seem to suffer from this as much. The Blessing2:Dusk is one of these, its impedance profile indicating that the mid-treble would be boosted significantly only if amps of 10 Ohms or greater are used.

In other respects they’re fairly amp-friendly too. They’re sensitive enough to be driven loud from portable sources and don’t seem to need great power to make them ‘wake up’, yet not so sensitive that they hiss or overly restrict the usable volume-pot range from typical headphone/IEM desktop amps. I don’t mind a bit of treble rolloff, so I found sources with a neutral or slightly laid-back signature to work best, allowing the midrange technicalities of the Blessing2:Dusks to shine through without emphasizing the upper mids too much. People wanting the last gasp of treble might prefer brighter sources.

Concluding Remarks

While a) I don’t really want to buy any more IEMs and b) I’m cheap, I’ve been thinking that a more technicality-focused BA or hybrid pair to complement the weightier, dynamic-driver timbre of the Drop JVC HA-FDX1 would be a ‘nice to have’. At their $US320 price, the Moondrop Blessing2:Dusk, with their well-balanced tonality, great midrange technicalities, and lack of ‘BA timbre’ have me thinking about it.

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All Our Earphone and Earbud Reviews (with Links)

Disclaimer

I received these from Jürgen as part of a tour initiated by Crinacle, and held them for two weeks, before sending them on to the next reviewer.

Get the Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk from SHENZENAUDIO.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk Review (2) – Minority Report appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — BA timbre; deserves more depth; big earpieces.

Executive Summary

The Moondrop x crinacle Blessing2:Dusk is a well-tuned, well-resolving earphone that is probably leading in its class.

Introduction

Well here we are again, in Chengdu, city of my fond memories, where Moondrop has risen high above “Chi-Fi” average. Chengdu is the capital of China’s mighty Sichuan province, known for its spicy however tasty foods – and for its panda bears….well, among others.

Moondrop have always pulled something special out of their hat, and much of it sounded a bit spicy, too. But despite the fact, that some of their models exceeded my personal hotness preference, I have always treasured them as something out of the ordinary. Many of my reviewed earphones I gave away, but not a single Moondrop.

I most recently analyzed the Moondrop Illumination, an $800 single dynamic-driver earphone, that could have made higher waves in the west with a bit less spice. And the original Blessing 2 were probably a similar case. So Moondrop brought Singaporian (gr)aficionado Corin Ako alias Crinacle on board to file a few corners off the Blessing 2. And, to take it away, he fully delivered on that purpose. But the attentive reader should also be aware that the iem was not designed by the tuner – who does not take any responsibilities for Moondrop’s “sins”.

Specifications

Drivers: 1DD (10 mm) +4BA (Treble unit: Knowles SWFK, Midrange unit: Softears D-MID-A)
Impedance: 22 Ω
Sensitivity: 117 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 20 – 20,000 Hz
Cable/Connector: 2-pin
Tested at: $330
Product page:
Purchase Link: SHENZENAUDIO

Physical Things And Usability

Tonality And Technicalities

Equipment used: MacBook Air, iPhone SE (1st gen.), iPod Classic; Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt.

The Moondrop X crinacle Blessing2:Dusk is a well-tuned non-fatiguing (!!!), neutral sounding earphone that is driven easily with virtually anything. It comes with a classic BA timbre but is probably technically superior over most earphones in its price category. It features a well textured, subtle bass with natural dynamics on top of a well-extended bottom end. I find the low-end superb in its dryness and lack of mid bass bloat. But the dose is moderate and it may not be for bass lovers. There is a tinge of warmth that elevates it above sterile. Let’s call the low end pragmatic.

Want to see a FR graph? Try the original: https://crinacle.com/2020/12/06/behind-the-scenes-moondrop-x-crinacle-blessing2dusk/ The nozzles are quite thick so that I could not get my standard eartips for measurements over them.

The transition to the midrange is not the smoothest which is a design artifact. Vocals are in the Moondrop tradition of being neutral, lean, and atmospheric, supporting a clear and transparent midrange. The fact that the upper midrange is dialled back (Crinacle’s handwriting) compared to other Moondrop models adds a bit more body and volume to the vocals, however they could still be a bit richer for my taste. But, most importantly, Crinacle prevented the looming icepick.

Treble, in typical Moondrop style, rolls off early, but the extension is just fine. And, typically BA, it sounds a bit “technical”…which justifies the early rolloff.

Bringing this together: Holistically, the Blessing2:Dusk has that crystal clear glassy midrange sound that is nicely transparent but not realistic. This is an issue inherent to this type of earphone/driver…it is part of the design.

Staging is very good horizontally and vertically, but could be deeper. Then again, Blessing2:Dusk shines in terms of definition and separation. A very articulate presentation….and that’s where its money’s in.

I find that the Blessing 2:Dusk handle synthetically produced sounds as in techno and industrial particularly well, but are less suited for rock, jazz, and orchestral.

In comparison to the Blessing 2:Dusk, the more expensive single dynamic-driver Moondrop Illumination sound much more organic, albeit a bit too bright for my gusto – and they are technically less capable. In the $300-$350 segment, the single DD Sennheiser IE300 and IE400 PRO don’t offer the Blessing 2: Dusk’s clarity and separation, but a more organic, coherent, less distorting sound in much smaller shells.

The Tuning?

Just as we want it. It would have been informative to have had the original Blessing 2 to compare to. But from my experience with Moondrop’s in-house tuning, it is kind of obvious what Crinacle did: first he made sure that the mid-bass was not bloated and second he toned down the upper midrange to avoid shoutiness, that is hardness and aggression in the middle frequencies. I am actually surprised that he did not boost the mid bass more, as I know from the JVC HA-FDX1 tuning filter discussion that he likes more bass than I do. Well done, Crinacle.

“You can always tune an earphone, but you can’t tuna fish – Unknown

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Moondrop have been somewhat notorious for their shoutiness so that I had already proposed an upper-midrange-muffling reversible tape mod for the Moondrop Starfield and the Moondrop SSR [links bring you to the respective modding sections]. Thanks to Crinacle’s tuning, this is not necessary for this model. I suggest a similar sonic modification for the Moondrop Illumination. But, hey, as it looks, Moondrop have considered these suggestions in their recent Aria model.

Discussion: How Important Is Timbre?

Timbre (“measure of the naturalness of sound”) is strangely enough generally not included in a device’s tonality assessment but rather in “technicalities”. This is odd as many “audiophiles” sacrifice technicalities such as separation and layering for timbre. One appears to exclude the other.

Crinacle places the original Blessing 2 into the “kilobuck” category and ranks them as “Tone Grade S“, the highest of is ranking list. From my limited experienced with pricey iems, I would not disagree. The Blessing 2:Dusk as the modified younger brother (it is fair to assume that Crinacle would not rank these any lower than the original) do remind me of the $1300 AME Custom Argent in their über-midrange transparency. And that’s what you probably get elsewhere in BA-land for $1000.

The question is: how important is natural sound reproduction considering that BA timbre sounds only realistic with, let’s say, Kraftwerk’s “We are the Robots”.

Take the rustic Canadian BTO song “Four Wheel Drive”, for example. Randy Bachman’s raunchy Gretsch rhythm guitar powering custom-made Garnet amps (the famous “Winnipeg Sound”) loses much of its its meat/substance and visceral character in the glassy, crystal clear network and distortion of any BA drivers. The “Winnipeg Sound” simply retains its character better even with cheap Koss Porta-Pros.

Or take a Chopin Cello Sonata, where you seriously wonder what power supply the Cello is connected with to the mains. Again, the cello sounds more realistic with a cheap dynamic driver. Most BAs/hybrids are the sonic equivalent of overpixelated photos: sharp but unrealistic.

This begs the general question of how timbre should be graded?

Concluding Remarks

Despite the BA timbre (which is part of the game), it was a pleasure listening to the Blessing2:Dusk for a couple of weeks. I don’t think there is a technically better earphone at this price.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimers

I held the Blessing2: Dusk for two weeks as part of a tour initiated by Crinacle, before sending them on to the next reviewer, who is our very own Biodegraded. Also check out his review…coming soon.

Get the Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk from SHENZENAUDIO.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk Review (1) – Big Heart Of Glass appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Effect depending on individual system setup: requires trial and error; additional USB line-cleaning may be needed to show positive effects; inconsistently priced (cost prohibitive in Canada); fixed cable; no on-off switch.

Executive Summary

The $49 iPower and the $99 iPower X are low-noise switching mode power (SMPS) supplies that filter out electromagnetic and radio-frequency noise which deteriorate sound quality. In my rigorous tests, the ifi Power X delivered better sonic results than the iPower, which was approximately on par with my budget linear power supply; and all of them were far superior over two generic power supplies.

Introduction

You are in for an interesting read. When I signed up for this experiment, that is testing these “audiophile” power supplies against snake oil claims by others, I didn’t know what I was getting into. At the time, I was not considering that the audio signal can be deteriorated by SEVERAL noise sources, including power supply and computer USB. I had to isolate the effect of the power supply. Improving the digital-audio signal through the power supply alone is insufficient.

Before offering fixes, we will have to talk about the noise sources individually.

Kinds Of Power Supplies

A power supply is a transformer that connects the AC grid with the low voltage circuit of a device, let’s say a dac or an amp. The electricity coming out of your mains contains electromagnetic interference (RMI) and radio-frequency (RFI) interference, the amount of which depends on where you live. It will be worse in a city apartment building than in a house in the country.

There are two kinds of power supplies, switching more power supplies (SMPS) and linear power supplies (LPS). Both kinds principally work with your audio device.

The power supplies that come with your phone or notebook computer are SMPS. These are generally cheaper and (be it directly or indirectly) “noisier” than LPS in that they switch on and off very fast, which causes serious noise in the audio band – unless sophisticated filtering is used. Basic SPS will deteriorate the audio signal.

An LPS is typically less noisy as it provides constant signal and voltage power. However, bigger transformers are better than smaller ones (although they may measure the same), and they can be very expensive (and bulky). Such big LPS are probably only economic for very expensive gear.

That said, not all LPS are better than an SMPS. A “Maserati” SPS will be performing better than a “Fiat” LPS. ifi Audio claims to have produced “low noise” SMPS in their $49 iPower and their even “quieter” $99 iPower X. Although these devices appear expensive, their pricing is small compared to a big LPS, and they are a relatively cheap solution for power-line noise. Sonic improvements depend on the connected audio device. It appears that quality improvements are also correlated with price. And you can spend $$$$ on a good LPS.

USB Noise Explained

Let’s assume for a moment, your dac is powered by your computer’s USB port. The computer delivers “noisy power” and a poorly timed data stream (“jitter”; a dac wants well-timed data stream) caused by EMI and RFI through its VBUS and data line, respectively. A computer’s power supply is not designed with noise reduction in mind and the various computer internals are noisy, for example a hard drive (SSD is quieter).

Both jitter and noisy power contribute to the deterioration of the audio signal. And if both are transferred into the dac via an inferior USB cable, there is additional interference between power and data lines…which exacerbates the problem. That’s why you need a well-made, well-shielded, well-isolating USB cable, too.

A dongle dac-amp is exposed to all these noises whereas most designated dacs have the option of a separate power supply. Separating power and data lines improve dac behaviour and there is no need to clean the computer’s VBUS noise.

In any case should be dac’s power cable be as far away from interconnects as possible. Because of its relative high voltage, it creates a stray electromagnetic field that is picked up by the lower-voltage interconnects and audio cables, which can also effect sound adversely.

The data line can be cleaned by using an asynchronous audio transport: the data packets from the computer are timed/clocked in the dac. As a rule of thumb, the more powerful a computer is (that is the more internal components is has) the more noise it will make. Simpler computers will be quieter. On the other hand, if you already have a clean LPS, you only have to clean the USB data line. For this purpose, I have the Audioquest Jitterbug. Co-blogger Alberto Pittaluga uses the ifi Audio nano iUSB 3.0 and reports good success.

In the end, the amount to noise and therefore the amount of required cleaning depends on the device. Some may not need much cleaning at all.

What Improvements Are Expected?

As a rule of thumb – call it a hypothesis for us to test: a headphone amplifier is more affected by the power supply (some claim 70% of sound quality depends on it) and a dac more by the data-line quality. Consequently, an amp benefits from a good PS whereas a dac benefits more from a clean USB source (but clean power is also important for proper clock detection). The effects of a high-quality power supply can be “overwritten” by a dac’s distortion (poor dejittering/resyncing/rebalancing).

This is a bit unfortunate for my testing as the borrowed iPower/iPower X supplies are laid out for 5 V and therefore for my dacs (integrated dac-amps), whereas my dedicated headphone amps need 12V.

Testimonies of the benefits of power supplies range from a “cleaner signal, better details, better transients” to improved stereo image and bass, better vocals quality” on the blogosphere. Co-blogger Biodegraded, reports better textured and more extended bass and a quieter background throughout in his headphone amp. Co-blogger KopiOkaya owns and tested several LPS and also reports differences in dynamics. Some cheap PS sound “uninspired”. Co-Blogger Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir tested the ifi Audio Zen can and had to purchase an iPower X to get the sonic results he expected from it.

The credibility of real listening experience [I believe my co-bloggers] is unfortunately contaminated by “expectation bias” and the usual bla bla by some YouTube “reviewers”, as well as by some “objectivists” who dismiss such devices on the grounds of measurements that are unrelated to sonic performance. Some people even report sound deterioration using clean-power supplies. Others describe dc leakage contamination when the iPower X shares mains with other devices – or perceive the sound change, but not necessarily to the better.

In summary, you really need to have patience and apply trial and error. If you are a black-and-white kind of person, dabbling in power supplies and usb cleaners is not for you.

Physicalities Of The ifi Audio Power Supplies

Both supplies are wall warts, the iPower more so an ordinary looking one than the fancier, illuminated iPower X. The Power X comes with all possible accessories (including worldwide adapters), as you see on the photo, whereas you have to purchase some of these for the iPower X. In both cases, the connecting cable is fixed to the body – and cannot be replaced.

What ifi Audio Claims

ifi Audio give little details on the technology of their two power supplies. It is claimed that the iPower X cancels all EMI and FMI coming in from the mains. Mid- to low-frequency noise is removed in the fashion of a noise cancelling headphone: it is countered with out-of-phase electrical noise so that both cancel each other out. High frequency noise is removed with passive filters.

The iPower is considered to be 20 times quieter than audiophile linear power supplies.

You may want to visit the respective product pages for further information:

Test Setup

In order to test the iPower and iPower X supplies effectively, the power supply noise has to be isolated from other noise sources. For this purpose a music source without significant or no USB noise is used. This can be a CD player (through the S/PDIF output), and to a lesser extent, my computer with a rudimentary USB data-line cleaner. My test setup was:

• Different 5V power supplies: iPower, iPower X, BRZHifi LPS, Apple 12V SMPS (from 2012 iPad), generic Baseus charger SMPS, Tzumi power bank (battery)
• Source NAD CD player with S/PDF connection
• Integrated dac/amp 1: Kadhas Tone2 Pro [S/PDIF input used]
• Receiving end: Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk:crinacle and Anew X One

This setup delivered uncompressed CD data and, obviously, zero USB noise.

Test Results

To take it away, the iPower X delivered the best results by far. Differences to the other power supplies were not only just audible or nuances, no the iPower X was way ahead of the pack.

I started with the Apple SMPS, a 12 V charger for my 2012 iPad. Apple power supplies have a very good reputation, but they do not regulate mains noise, but, to my knowledge there’s some filter inside – Apple are tight lipped about the details. After all, it is designed to charge and power gear. In terms of sound, there was lots of harshness and lack of coordination in the Moondrop. Spatial organization was all over the place. It sounded unruly and edgy and the sound did not do justice to the Khadas T2P and Crinacle’s impeccable tuning of the Moondrop.

The iPower X, in comparison, provided a true eye/ear-opening experience…and the difference to the Apple PS was BIIIIIG. The sonic image was much more organized, more balanced, not sharp anymore. The corners were rounded, the sound was smoother, more relaxed, more contained and rather homogenous. Bass kick was better, too, and so was spatial cues. Holistically speaking, the listening experience was much nicer and rounder sounding. Much nicer…

I then tested the BRZHiFi, a $40 LPS I had bought from China. The edges were not as round anymore as with the iPower X and homogeneity was not quite as good. But the listening experience was still decent and more than acceptable. And it beat the Apple SPS.

Moving to the regular iPower, there was not much difference to the BRZHifi, but it was not even close to the iPower X in terms of control and organization. Well, half price…iPower is a compromise.

I then connected a generic $14 Baseus “Frankenstein” charger, and it did full justice to this attribute. The sound was thin, dark, dull, and lifeless. Can’t help it. No filtering…you pay the price for not paying the price.

Last but not least, I ran the Khadas on the Tzumi 10,000 mAh powerbank – and it sounded quite good. I’d put it quality wise on one level with the iPower and BRZHifi. So, if you are on a budget, use your powerbank. It supplies constant linear power and does not suffer from RMI/RFI. Try it!

In summary, the iPower X helped generate the best sound by far in this test.

But…No Audible Difference Found With A Computer…

In my recent analysis of the Khadas Tone2 Pro, I used my MacBook Air as music source (instead of the CD player). I reported no sonic differences between the Apple and the two ifi power supplies, and the computer’s USB power source. Why? Well the simplest explanation is that the computer’s USB data noise was masking the benefits of the power supplies.

Generally, there are a plethora of reasons why one may not hear a difference with the iPower and iPower X supplies, principally because other sources cause even bigger pollution.

• The improvement of the PS of the low- noise power is masked by poor data quality (jitter)
• The equipment is not of the highest quality
• The test setup was not optimal (use sensible iems and high-quality headphones)

In this case, the whole setup needs improving.

Value

A contentious topic. In our internal blog discussion round, some found the ifi Power X totally overpriced, whereas others pointed to the fact that a decent LPS can offset you by hundreds of dollars. So the iPower X is probably worth its $99. The $49 iPower is a bit of a half-baked compromise with the advantage that it comes with all thinkable accessories, and it compares price wise with my cheap LPS.

I would generally assign a better value to the iPower X but also note the difference in pricing between US and Canada (way more expensive north of 64), which makes it cost prohibitive for me. ifi Audio should reconsider their local pricing variations, especially when it comes for free with the $229 drop.com version of their Zen Can.

Am I A Snake-Oil Merchant?

Going into this test, I was very skeptical of the sonic benefits of “audiophile” power supplies, galvanic isolators, line cleaners etc. After all, the Audio Science Forum keeps telling us that there cannot be any improvements because they would crystallize out in their measurements. This is a reverse argument and there is no reason whatsoever refusing to listen to the gear that’s right there on the measurement rig – and without expectation bias.

The question is whether these measurements are capable of characterizing perceived sound. As far as I know, there is no physical relationship (“formula”) between them. “Objectivists” equate quantity with quality, and not only that: their quantity of one thing (“some measurement”) is directly correlated with the quality of another (“sound”). So, in order to match them up, religious beliefs are required. Beliefs are handy as they don’t have to be proven. And that’s what objectivists refer to as science.

As to selling you snake oil, I only borrowed these two ifi power supplies – and would be extremely happy, if my own BRZHiFi LPS was better. It is not, unfortunately.

One point of this exercise is that my results are not 1:1 transferable to you as they apply only to my testing parameters. But you get the message. You have to find sonic progress by trial and error when dealing with so many unknowns simultaneously. And if you are not prepared to do so, then better leave your fingers of it.

Concluding Remarks

“Audiophile” power supplies such as the iPower and iPower X are no snake oil, although results vary with setup. I experienced major sonic improvements in my testing, particularly with the iPower X, against unfiltered power from generic supplies. This, unfortunately, opens a can of worms, as I would like to now tackle USB data-line noise with devices such as the iUSB 3.0, which can be expensive. I put a lot of effort into this exercise and learnt a lot by doing.

If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can’t be done – PETER USTINOV

The stubborn claims of self-acclaimed “objectivists” that there cannot be a sonic difference because the measurements do not indicate it, make as much sense as dismissing the necessity of elections on the grounds that we already have democracy.

In the end, you have to trust your ears.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The two power supplies were loaned to me for 60 days by ifi Audio upon my request. I thank them for that. I also thank my co-bloggers for intense discussion of this topic.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post ifi Audio iPower & iPower X Review – Noise Annoys appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Pros — Hand-painted shells are quite beautiful
– Warm V-shaped tuning that works across a variety of genres
– Good soundstage and imaging
– Good isolation, comfortable fit

Cons — Didn’t come with an usable carry case
– Lower mids are slightly scooped resulting in thinner male vocals
– Bass lacks rumble
– Artificiality in the timbre

INTRODUCTION

Reecho is a relatively newcomer in the IEM scene. They seem to have garnered some recognition thanks to their Seasons Series of IEMs (Spring, Summer) which tried to make a niche in the $100–150 bracket.

Reecho Insects Awaken is their latest release and seems to be their “flagship” of sorts, at least in the international market. It’s a 4BA setup and at $330 aims to take on some of the favorite mid-rangers, which is never an easy task. Quite a bit to explore, thus without further ado.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier.  the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Penon Audio was kind enough to send a review unit of the Reecho Insects Awaken. Disclaimer.

Sources used: Questyle CMA-400i, Cowon Plenue R2

Price (while reviewed): $330

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

IN THE BOX…

The packaging of the Reecho Insects Awaken is a looker indeed. I personally don’t like to describe boxes but this here demands a few words. The IEMs are placed inside a multi-tiered jewelry-box like contraption. The doors swing outwards and you slide out each compartment for the IEMs/cables/tips etc. Very neat and unlike anything I’ve found in the price bracket.

Unfortunately, the stellar unboxing experience doesn’t quite translate to the accessories. There is no compact carry case, for one, as you’re supposed to use on the compartments in the box as carrying case (they are too large for that purpose). Moreover, the cable on mine came with reversed polarity so I had to go for another cable in my possession. This might be a unit-specific issue and you will get a new cable in such cases as a replacement but it’s an inconvenience nonetheless.

Fortunately, the tips are of good quality, and the cable itself looks well-built. Just that I expected more when I started unboxing them. 
3.5/5

APPEARANCE, HAPTIC, AND BUILD QUALITY

Reecho Insects Awaken (man I’m gonna have a hard time getting used to this name) has a 3D printed resin shell, which is quite common nowadays. What’s not so common is the hand-painted shells where the colors are apparently poured inside the cavity and thus has subtle differences between units which makes each of them unique. I personally like the faceplate artwork, it’s quite appealing.

Since this is an all-BA design with no vented BA drivers, there’s no visible vent. The nozzle has two separate bores (one for the bass, another for mid+treble from what I gather). The nozzles have differing size too which is at times overlooked in certain designs. Overall, I like the design and find the build solid. The only thing I’m not a fan of is the flush 2-pin connector which doesn’t feel as secure as recessed ones. 
4.5/5

ERGONOMICS, COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Due to their pseudo-custom design and surprisingly lightweight nature, the Reecho Insects Awaken has superb wearing comfort. They also isolate noise well due to the sealed housing. 
4.5/5

TECH INSIDE

The Reecho Insects Awaken is a 4 balanced armature configuration, with two Knowles RAF-32873 full-range drivers tasked with tackling the bass (15–500Hz), and the composite/dual Knowles 30017 driver handling the midrange/treble. The unique thing about this implementation is that Reecho used two full-range drivers solely as bass drivers. They achieved this is by employing a dual-acoustic ultra-low frequency acoustic filter where one filter handles frequencies between 5–50Hz and the other deals with frequencies between 50–500Hz. I was personally a bit perplexed as to why they didn’t just use a vented BA (for better bass slam) or one of the Knowles bass drivers in tandem but after listening to the Insects Awaken I came to respect Reecho’s decision. 

SOUND

The general tuning is sub-bass focused/V-shaped with extended treble. 

Sound impressions are made using the Spinfit CP-145 tips and stock blue tips. Stock cable was replaced with $35 CEMA Electro Acousti OCC one (2.5mm)

Bass: The bass on the Reecho Insects Awaken has a strong sub-bass focus. It has a pretty sizable boost between 20–80Hz and thus emphasizes the sub-bass notes by ~10dB over the lower-midrange. In case of a regular dynamic driver IEM this amount of sub-bass rise would only make sense in a bass-head tuning. However, due to the BA drivers and their lower excursion, this sub-bass doesn’t become overzealous for the most part. 

Sub-bass rumble is adequate, though it doesn’t sound as good as some dynamic driver offerings in this range. Mid-bass has good amount of body and slam making snare hits sound satisfactory. There’s no discernible bass bleed into lower-mids, though in bass-heavy tracks the sub-bass masks male vocals. Bass does lack texture as is common with BA drivers. In fast flowing bass sections the drivers seem to smear the notes a bit, sadly. 

In short, the bass-focus will satisfy those who listen to a lot of modern music. It won’t replicate the rumble and texture/thickness of a good ol’ dynamic driver but for an all-BA offering it’s quite good indeed.
4/5

Mids: The lower-mids on the Reecho Insects Awaken, as stated before, is recessed compared to the bass/upper-mids/treble. Aside from the masking effect, the male vocals are also a bit behind female ones in songs where you’ve both of them. Baritone vocals lack their usual heft as a result. Fortunately the upper-mids are devoid of any shoutiness and remains smooth, non-fatiguing throughout. There’s a peak at 3KHz that’s just about on the same level as the sub-bass shelf which reigns in the shrillness.

All is not rosy, however, as we encounter the dreaded BA timbre here. The vocals sound alright but string instruments lack the body and tactility one might expect. Same applies to percussion instruments.

One thing that’s above-average here is the microdynamics. Subtle gradations in volume is well portrayed unlike many other offerings in the range. Resolved detail is also above-average. 
4/5

Treble: The treble on the Reecho Insects Awaken is quite extended. It does have a peak around the presence region (5.5/6KHz) and then starts gradually rolling off. This peak can become a bit problematic on some cymbal heavy tracks as it brings the leading edge of cymbal hits on the forefront, but at the same time this was quite enjoyable in some of the metal tracks that I regularly listen to (e.g. Lamb of God discography). The audible extension goes until ~12KHz or so after which the treble becomes muted. This leads to sensation of airiness to some degree. Rest assured: the Reecho Insects Awaken is not a dark sounding IEM and will cater well to those who want some airiness in the presentation. 
4/5

Soundstage: Staging has good width, average height, and good depth. It won’t give you an out-of-the-head experience but won’t sound congested either. Layering of instruments is also quite well executed. I found the Reecho Insects Awaken to be very good for watching movies and gaming for these reasons.
4/5

Imaging: Vocals are projected slightly at the front while instruments surround them. Spatial cues originate from cardinal and ordinal positions unlike some other IEMs in the range. Instrument separation is great in most cases (for the price) but can suffer in tracks that have heavy bass emphasis (the sub-bass focus congests the air between instruments). For most cases, however, the imaging/instrument positioning is excellent. 
4.5/5

Source and Amping: At 13ohms and 110dB of sensitivity, the Reecho Insects Awaken is very easy to drive. However, it is prone to source hiss, so I’d recommend a source with low noise floor. Also I won’t recommend connecting it to sources with high output impedance and high voltage swings. 

Bang-for-buck: The competition is stiff at around the $300 bracket. You got the perennial favorite Moondrop Blessing 2/Blessing 2 Dusk, the neutral-head’s bible Etymotic ER2XR, and the plethora of other multi-BA/hybrid offerings that pop up in this particular bracket every now and then and get hyped to the moon. Despite all that, I find the Reecho Insects Awaken to be competitive in terms of sound quality and it looks gorgeous to boot. It does lack the visceral bass thump/tactility of a dynamic driver in a hybrid configuration (very popular lately). However, those who’d prefer an all-BA setup due to the faster transients of such drivers and won’t mind/want a V-shaped tuning will find the Insects Awaken a good option. 
4/5

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Cayin YB-04 ($400): The Cayin YB-04 is a relatively obscure model but has quite a bit of similarity with the Reecho Insects Awaken in terms of driver setup/price. The Cayin YB-04 also has a dual-BA for the low-end and two BA drivers for mids and highs. In terms of build quality, I prefer the Cayin model over Reecho Insects Awaken simply because of how dense it feels in hand. As a result, comfort suffers though, and the Reecho Insects Awaken is far more comfortable to wire (and also has a more snug fit). 

As for the sound, the YB-04 has a very anemic low-end and has more upper-mid/lower-treble emphasis compared to the Insects Awaken. This results in a sense of better perceived clarity at the expense of potential listening fatigue. Soundstage is similar on both but imaging is better on the Insects Awaken. Given the superior bass response and a warmer presentation in the mids, I’d pick the Insects Awaken over the YB-04 myself all things considered. However, if you want more clarity and even more extended treble, the Cayin YB-04 will be the better pick.

vs Moondrop Blessing2 ($300): The Moondrop Blessing 2 (and the Crinacle tune version dubbed Blessing2 Dusk) has pretty much become the standard in the sub-$500 category. Compared to the Insects Awaken, the Blessing 2 has a similar build but inferior comfort. The Blessing2 has a thick nozzle and that can be problematic for many. 

However, if you can get past the fit issues the Blessing2 has an overall superior sound to the Insects Awaken IMO in terms of overall technicalities. Due to being a 1DD+4BA model, the bass on the Blessing2 has better texture and dynamics (even though it’s nowhere near the best bass in this price bracket). The vocals on the Blessing2 has better articulation and the lower mids are fuller, though it can get slightly hot on certain tracks which the Insects Awaken avoids. Treble has similar extension though the sense of air is better felt on the Insects Awaken. Soundstage is wider on the Insects Awaken but depth/height is similar. Where the Blessing2 trumps the Insects Awaken is even better imaging (the Blessing2 has pretty much the best imaging in its price-class, along with a couple IMR IEMs). One thing that’s a big issue on the Blessing2 is its incohorency. The dynamic driver sounds radically different from the BAs which showcase even stronger BA timbre than on the Insects Awaken.

To summarize: if fit is not an issue and you don’t mind the incohorency — the Moondrop Blessing2 will be the better buy (though I hate the stock cable). However, if you want a more coherent presentation, wider stage, airier treble, and more agile sub-bass response the Reecho Insects Awaken might suit you better. I personally don’t like the Blessing2 that much due to the incohorency so there’s that.

vs Dunu Studio SA6 ($550): The Dunu Studio SA6 retails for $220 more than the Reecho Insects Awaken and thus does not really share the same price bracket. However, since I already have one in possession and both are all-BA offerings I decided to do a little comparison. 

The Dunu Studio SA6 has a six BA driver setup with two vented Sonion woofers that offer near-DD like thump/rumble. You can also control the amount of low-end with a switch on the housing. It has a more snug fit and far better accessories than the Insects Awaken. In terms of sound, it is indeed a wholesale upgrade on all front. Probably the stage width is where Reecho gains some upper-hand but overall resolution, staging, separation is perceptibly superior on the Dunu Studio SA6.

That being said, whether it’s worth spending the extra $200 on the Studio SA6 for the superior bass response and fuller lower-mids is something a buyer should decide themselves.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Reecho Insects Awaken doesn’t do much wrong, frankly. It’s tuned well, has no glaring tonal flaws, and the issues it suffers from are more inherent to BA tech itself (timbre/lack of bass texture). I can recommend the Reecho Insects Awaken to those who want an all-BA IEM with a slight V-shaped tuning and good imaging. The Reecho Insects Awaken works across a variety of genre and will suit movies/gaming purposes as well. It’s flown under the radar so far due to the hype surrounding Blessing2, but those who wasn’t impressed with Moondrop Blessing2’s incoherency or had fitting issues should give this one a try IMO.

On the next release I hope they don’t scoop the lower-mids as much as it’s done on this one, and also employs vented Sonion woofers instead of the current Knowles one. Reecho seems to have found a good tuning formula and managed to pique my interest with that, so I am eager to see what they come up with in the future. 

MY VERDICT

Overall Rating: 4/5

Recommended. An overall solid offering suffering from some BA timbral issues.

Our rating scheme explained

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DISCLAIMER

The Reecho Insects Awaken was sent as a loaner for the purpose of this review.

Available for purchase from Penon Official Store

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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The post Reecho Insects Awaken 4-BA IEM Complete Review – Getting it Right appeared first on Music For The Masses.

All Our Earphone-related Articles: here

ALL OUR REVIEWS (headphones, earphones, dacs/amps, daps, bluetooth, clean power & USB, microphones, cables/adapters, eartips, earpads, noise insulation): here

Models labelled with “*” are on our Wall of Excellence.

April additions: TRN BAX PRO ,Creative Aurvana Ace 2, CCA Rhapsody.

March additions: TRN Conch, Simgot EA1000.

February additions: Truthear X Crinacle Zero Red, Oladance OWS Sports, Simgot EA500, Sennheiser IE 600.

Reviews in Alphabetical Order:

1. 7Hz Timeless (1) (Alberto Pittaluga)
2. 7Hz Timeless (2) (Durwood)
3. 7Hz Timeless (3) (Loomis Johnson)
4. Acefast T8 (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
5. Acoustic Effect TRY-01 (Baskingshark)
6. AFUL Performer 5 (Jürgen Kraus)
7. Akoustyx R-220 (Jürgen Kraus)
8. Akoustyx S6 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
9. Akoustyx S6 (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)
10. AME Custom Argent Hybrid Electrostatic (Jürgen Kraus)
11. Anew X-One (Jürgen Kraus)
12. Anker Soundcore Liberty Pro 2 (Loomis Johnson)
13. Astrotec AM850 MK2 (Jürgen Kraus)
14. Astrotec Vesna (Jürgen Kraus)
15. Audbos/Tenzh P4 Pro (Loomis Johnson)
16. Audiosense DT200 (1) (Baskingshark)
17. Audiosense DT200 (2) (KopiOkaya)
18. Aune Jasper (1) (Loomis Johnson)
19. Aune Jasper (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
20. AXS Audio Professional Wireless Earbuds (Loomis Johnson)
21. BCD X10 (Loomis Johnson)
22. Beyerdynamic Soul Byrd (Jürgen Kraus)
23. BGVP DM9 (Durwood)
24. Beats Powerbeats Pro TWS (Loomis Johnson)
25. Blon A8 Prometheus (1) (Loomis Johnson)
26. Blon A8 Prometheus (2) (Durwood)
27. Blon Bl-01 (1) (Baskingshark)
28. Blon BL-01 (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)
29. Blon BL-03* (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
30. Blon BL-03* (2) (Loomis Johnson)
31. Blon BL-05 (1) (Baskingshark)
32. BLON BL-05 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
33. Blon BL-05s (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
34. Blon BL-05s (2) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
35. Blon BL-05s (3) (Baskingshark)
36. Blon BL-Max (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
37. Blon Mini (Baskingshark)
38. Brainwavz Delta (Jürgen Kraus)
39. Brainwavz Koel (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
40. BQEYZ Autumn (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
41. BQEYZ Autumn (2) (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
42. BQEYZ KC2 (Jürgen Kraus)
43. BQEYZ Spring 1 (1) (Durwood)
44. BQEYZ Spring 1 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
45. BQEYZ Spring 1 (3) (Jürgen Kraus)
46. BQEYZ Spring 2 (1) (Durwood)
47. BQEYZ Spring 2 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
48. BQEYZ Summer (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
49. BQEYZ Summer (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)
50. BQEYZ Topaz (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
51. Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 (Loomis Johnson)
52. Campfire Audio Ara (Alberto Pittaluga)
53. Cambridge Audio SE1 (Loomis Johnson)
54. Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 (Alberto Pittaluga)
55. Campfire Audio Honeydew (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
56. Campfire Audio Satsuma (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
57. Cat Ear Mia (1) (Loomis Johnson)
58. Cat Ear Mia (2) (Durwood)
59. Cat Ear Mia (3) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
60. Cayin Fantasy (Jürgen Kraus)
61. CCA C10 (Slater)
62. CCA C10 (Loomis Johnson)
63. CCA C10 Pro (1) (Durwood)
64. CCA C10 Pro (2) (Baskinghark)
65. CCA CA16 (1) (Durwood)
66. CCA CA16 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
67. CCA CKX (Durwood)
68. CCA CRA+ (Durwood)
69. CCA CX4 Wireless (Loomis Johnson)
70. CCA Duo (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
71. CCA Duo (2) (Durwood)
72. CCA Lyra (1) (Durwood)
73. CCA Lyra (2) (Loomis Johnson)
74. CCA Rhapsody (Jürgen Kraus)
75. CCZ Plume (Baskingshark)
76. Celest Pandamon (Jürgen Kraus)
77. Cozoy Hera C103 (Jürgen Kraus)
78. Creative Aurvana Ace 2 (Durwood)
79. CVJ CS8 (Baskingshark)
80. ddHiFi Janus1 (E2020A) (Jürgen Kraus)
81. ddHiFi Janus2 (E2020B) (Jürgen Kraus)
82. ddHiFi Janus3 (E2023) Jürgen Kraus
83. Donner Dobuds One (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
84. Drop Grell TWS1X (Darin Hawbaker)
85. Drop Grell TWS1X (2) Loomis Johnson
86. Drop + JVC HA-FDX1* (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
87. Drop + JVC HA FDX1* (2) (Loomis Johnson)
88. Dunu DM-380 (Jürgen Kraus)
89. Dunu DM-480 (Baskingshark)
90. Dunu Falcon Pro (Alberto Pittaluga)
91. Dunu Kima (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
92. Dunu Luna (1) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
93. Dunu Luna (2) (Baskinghark)
94. Dunu Studio SA6* (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
95. Dunu Talos (Jürgen Kraus)
96. Dunu Vulkan (Jürgen Kraus)
97. Dunu Zen* (1) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
98. Dunu Zen* (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
99. DZAT DR-25 (Jürgen Kraus)
100. Earstudio HE100 (Jürgen Kraus)
101. Earsonics AERØ (Jürgen Kraus)
102. Earsonics ONYX (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
103. Einsear T2 (Loomis Johnson)
104. Elevoc Clear (Loomis Johnson)
105. Etymotic E2XR (Loomis Johnson)
106. EZAudio D4 (Jürgen Kraus)
107. FAAEAL Datura Pro (Baskingshark)
108. FIIL CC2 (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
109. FIIL T1XS TWS (Loomis Johnson)
110. FiiO FA1 (Loomis Johnson)
111. FiiO FD1 (Jürgen Kraus)
112. FiiO FH1s (Jürgen Kraus)
113. Fiitii HiFi Air 2 (Durwood)
114. Fiitii HifiDots (Durwood)
115. Final Audio A3000* (Alberto Pittaluga)
116. Final Audio A5000 (Alberto Pittaluga)
117. Final Audio B3 (Alberto Pittaluga)
118. Final Audio E3000* (Baskingshark)
119. Final Audio E-Series Roundup (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
120. Final Audio F7200 (Alberto Pittaluga)
121. Final Audio ZE3000 (English) (Jürgen Kraus)
122. Final Audio ZE3000 (Japanese) (Jürgen Kraus)
123. Geek Wold GK10 (1) (Baskingshark)
124. Geek Wold GK10 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
125. Gravastar Sirius Pro TWS (Alberto Pittaluga)
126. Hidizs MD4 (Durwood)
127. Hidizs MM2 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
128. Hidizs MM2 (2) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
129. Hidizs MP145 (1) (Durwood)
130. Hidizs MP145 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
131. Hidizs MS1 Rainbow (1) (Durwood)
132. Hidizs MS1 Rainbow (2) (Loomis Johnson)
133. Hidizs MS3 (1) (Durwood)
134. Hidizs MS3 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
135. Hidizs MS5 (1) (Durwood)
136. Hidizs MS5 (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)
137. Hidizs MS5 (3) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
138. Hifi Walker A1 (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
139. Hill Audio Altair • RA (Jürgen Kraus)
140. Hill Audio S8 (Jürgen Kraus)
141. Hisenior B5 (Loomis Johnson)
142. Hisenior Okavango (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
143. HZ Sound Heart Mirror (1) (Baskingshark)
144. HZ Sound Heart Mirror (2) (KopiOkaya)
145. iBasso IT00 (Baskingshark)
146. iBasso IT00/Tin Hifi T2 Plus/Moondrop Starfield comparison (Durwood)
147. iBasso IT04 (Alberto Pittaluga)
148. iBasso IT07 (Alberto Pittaluga)
149. Ikko OH1 (Jürgen Kraus)
150. Ikko OH1S (1) (Alberto Pittaluga)
151. Ikko OH1S (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
152. IKKO OH5 Asgard (Alberto Pittaluga)
153. Ikko OH10* (1) (Alberto Pittaluga)
154. Ikko OH10* (2) Jürgen Kraus
155. IKKO OH2 (Jürgen Kraus)
156. Intime Miyabi (Alberto Pittaluga)
157. Intime Miyabi (Italian) (Alberto Pittaluga)
158. Intime Miyabi (Japanese) (Alberto Pittaluga)
159. Intime Sora 2 (Alberto Pittaluga)
160. Intime Sho DD (Alberto Pittaluga)
161. ISN Audio Rambo (Jürgen Kraus)
162. KBEAR Aurora (1) (Baskingshark)
163. KBEAR Aurora (2) (Durwood)
164. KBEAR Aurora (3) (Loomis Johnson)
165. KBEAR Believe (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
166. KBEAR Believe (2) (Baskingshark)
167. KBEAR Believe (3) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
168. KBEAR Believe (4) (Loomis Johnson)
169. KBEAR Diamond in Japanese (Jürgen Kraus)
170. KBEAR Diamond (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
171. KBEAR Diamond (2) (Loomis Johnson)
172. KBEAR Diamond (3) (Christophe Branchereau)
173. KBEAR Diamond modding (Biodegraded)
174. KBEAR hi7 (Jürgen Kraus)
175. KBEAR KB04 (1) (Loomis Johnson)
176. KBEAR KB04 (2) (Baskingshark)
177. KBEAR KB04 (3) (Jürgen Kraus)
178. KBEAR KS1 (Baskingshark)
179. KBEAR KS2 (1) J ürgen Kraus)
180. KBEAR KS2 (2) (Baskingshark)
181. KBEAR KS2 (3 (Loomis Johnson)
182. KBEAR Neon (1) (Baskingshark)
183. KBEAR Neon (2) (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
184. KBEAR Lark (Jürgen Kraus)
185. KBEAR Qinglong (Jürgen Kraus)
186. KBEAR Robin (Baskingshark)
187. KBEAR Rosefinch (Jürgen Kraus)
188. KBEAR TRI I3 Pro (Jürgen Kraus)
189. KBEAR TRI Starsea (1) (Kopiokaya)
190. KBEAR TRI Starsea (2) (Baskingshark)
191. Kefine Klanar (Durwood)
192. Kinboofi MK4 (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
193. Kinera BD005 Pro (Baskingshark)
194. Kinera Hodur (Alberto Piitaluga)
195. Kinera Idun 2.0 (1) (Durwood)
196. Kinera Idun 2.0 (2 (Loomis Johnson)
197. Kiwi Cadenza (Durwood)
198. Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
199. Kiwi Ears Quintet (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
200. Klipsch T5 II TWS Sport (Loomis Johnson)
201. Knowlege Zenith AS24 (Standard Version) (Jürgen Kraus)
202. Knowledge Zenith AS24 (Tunable Version) (Durwood)
203. Knowledge Zenith ASF (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
204. Knowledge Zenith ASX (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
205. Knowledge Zenith ASX (2) (Loomis Johnson)
206. Knowlege Zenith F-Fi (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
207. Knowledge Zenith ED9 (Loomis Johnson)
208. Knowledge Zenith ED16 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
209. Knowledge Zenith ED16 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
210. Knowledge Zenith EDX (Jürgen Kraus)
211. Knowledge Zenith ESX (Durwood)
212. Knowledge Zenith Ling Long (Jürgen Kraus)
213. Knowledge Zenith VXS Pro TWS (Durwood)
214. Knowledge Zenith ZEX (1) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
215. Knowledge Zenith ZEX (2) (Durwood)
216. Knowledge Zenith ZEX (3) (Alberto Pittaluga)
217. Knowledge Zenith ZSN (Loomis Johnson)
218. Knowledge Zenith ZSN Pro (Slater)
219. Knowledge Zenith ZSN Pro X (Jürgen Kraus)
220. Knowledge Zenith ZS4 (Loomis Johnson)
221. Knowledge Zenith ZS7 (Loomis Johnson)
222. Knowledge Zenith ZS10 (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
223. Knowledge Zenith ZS10 Pro (Loomis Johnson)
224. Knowledge Zenith ZSX Terminator (Loomis Johnson)
225. Knowledge Zenith ZVX (Jürgen Kraus)
226. K’s Earphone Bell-LBs (Alberto Pittaluga)
227. K’s Earphone K300 (Alberto Pittaluga)
228. LETSHUOER Conductor (Biodegraded)
229. LETSHUOER DZ4 (Jürgen Kraus)
230. LETSHUOER EJ07M (Jürgen Kraus)
231. LETSHUOER EJ09 (Biodegraded)
232. LETSHUOER S12 vs. 7Hz Timeless (Jürgen Kraus)
233. Lker i8 (Jürgen Kraus)
234. Lypertek Tevi L3 Powerplay (Loomis Johnson)
235. LZ A2 (Jürgen Kraus)
236. LZ A7 (Baskinghark)
237. MEE Audio Pinnacle P2 (Loomis Johnson)
238. Meze 12 Classics V2 (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
239. Meze RAI Penta (Kazi Mahbbub Mutakabbir)
240. Meze RAI Solo (Jürgen Kraus)
241. Mifo S TWS (Loomis Johnson)
242. Moondrop Alice (1) (Durwood)
243. Moondrop Alice (2) Loomis Johnson
244. Moondrop Aria (1) Jürgen Kraus)
245. Moondrop Aria (2) Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
246. Moondrop Aria SE (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
247. Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk (1) Jürgen Kraus)
248. Moondrop x Crinacle Blessing2:Dusk (2) Biodegraded
249. Moondrop CHU (1) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
250. Moondrop CHU (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)
251. Moondrop CHU (3) Jürgen Kraus)
252. Moondrop Crescent (Jürgen Kraus)
253. Moondrop Illumination (Jürgen Kraus)
254. Moondrop Kanas Pro (1) Biodegraded
255. Moondrop Kanas Pro (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
256. Moondrop Kanas Pro (3) Loomis Johnson
257. Moondrop KATO (Jürgen Kraus)
258. Moondrop Lan (1) (Durwood)
259. Moondrop Lan (2) (Loomis Johnson)
260. Moondrop May (Durwood)
261. Moondrop Quarks (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
262. Moondrop Spaceship (Jürgen Kraus)
263. Moondrop Space Travel (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
264. Moondrop Space Travel (2) (Loomis Johnson)
265. Moondrop SSP (Jürgen Kraus)
266. Moondrop SSR (1) Jürgen Kraus
267. Moondrop SSR (2) (Baskingshark)
268. Moondrop Starfield (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
269. Moondrop Starfield (2) Loomis Johnson
270. Moondrop Starfield (3) (Durwood)
271. Moondrop Starfield II (1) (Durwood)
272. Moondrop Starfield II (2) (Loomis Johnson)
273. Moondrop Stellaris (Jürgen Kraus)
274. Naenka LITE Pro TWS (Loomis Johnson)
275. NF Audio NM (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
276. NF Audio NM2+ (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
277. NF Audio NM2+ (2) Loomis Johnson
278. NiceHCK Bro (Jürgen Kraus)
279. NiceHCK DB1 (Jürgen Kraus)
280. NiceHCK DB3 (Jürgen Kraus)
281. NiceHCK DT600 (Jürgen Kraus)
282. NiceHCK EB2 (Jürgen Kraus)
283. NiceHCK EB2S (Jürgen Kraus)
284. NiceHCK EBX21 (Baskingshark)
285. NiceHCK EP10 (Jürgen Kraus)
286. NiceHCK EP35 (Jürgen Kraus)
287. NiceHCK F1 (Jürgen Kraus)
288. NiceHCK Lofty (Jürgen Kraus)
289. NiceHCK HK6 (Loomis Johnson)
290. NiceHCK M5 (Jürgen Kraus)
291. NiceHCK M6 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
292. NiceHCK M6 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
293. NiceHCK N3 (Loomis Johnson, Jürgen Kraus)
294. NiceHCK NX7 (1) (Loomis Johnson)
295. NiceHCK NX7 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
296. NiceHCK NX7 Pro (Jürgen Kraus)
297. NiceHCK NX7 MK3 (1) (Loomis Johnson)
298. NiceHCK NX7 MK3 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
299. NiceHCK NX7 MK4 (Jürgen Kraus)
300. NiceHCK P3 (Jürgen Kraus)
301. NiceHCK X49 (Jürgen Kraus)
302. Oladance OWS Pro (Jürgen Kraus)
303. Oladance OWS Sports (Durwood)
304. Oladance Wearable Stereo (Loomis Johnson)
305. Oneodio OpenRock Pro (Loomis Johnson)
306. Oriolus Isabellae (Jürgen Kraus)
307. Oriveti OH500 (Alberta Pittaluga)
308. Paiaudio DR2 (Jürgen Kraus)
309. Penon Fan 2 (Alberto Pittaluga)
310. PHB EM-023 (Jürgen Kraus)
311. Pioneer CH3 (Jürgen Kraus)
312. Queen of Audio Pink Lady (Jürgen Kraus)
313. Reecho Insects Awaken (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
314. RHA CL2 (Alberto Pittaluga)
315. Rose Mojito (Alberto Pittaluga)
316. Rose Technics QT9 MK2S (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
317. Rose Technics QT9 MK2S (2) (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
318. Samsung Galaxy Buds Live (Loomis Johnson)
319. Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus (Loomis Johnson)
320. SeeAudio Bravery (1) (Loomis Johnson)
321. SeeAudio Bravery (2) (Baskingshark)
322. Semkarch CNT1 (Loomis Johnson)
323. Senfer DT6 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
324. Senfer DT6 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
325. Senfer UEs/NiceHCK Bro (Loomis Johnson, Jürgen Kraus)
326. Sennheiser CX 400BT (Loomis Johnson)
327. Sennheiser IE 40/400/500 PRO compared (Jürgen Kraus)
328. Sennheiser IE 40 PRO (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
329. Sennheiser IE 200* (Jürgen Kraus)
330. Sennheiser IE 300 (Jürgen Kraus)
331. Sennheiser IE 400 PRO (Jürgen Kraus)
332. Sennheiser IE 500 PRO (Jürgen Kraus, Biodegraded)
333. Sennheiser IE 600 (Jürgen Kraus)
334. Sennheiser IE 600 and IE 900 Counterfeits (Alberto Pittaluga)
335. Sennheiser IE 900* (1) (Alberto Pittaluga)
336. Sennheiser IE 900* (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
337. Sennheiser IE 900* (Deutsch) (Jürgen Kraus)
338. Shanling ME80 (Jürgen Kraus)
339. Shanling Sono (Durwood)
340. Shuoer Tape (Loomis Johnson)
341. Shozy Form 1.1 (Biodegraded)
342. Shozy Form 1.1 vs. Form 1.4 (Jürgen Kraus)
343. Shozy Form 1.4* (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
344. Shozy Form 1.4* (2) (Durwood)
345. Shozy Form 1.4* (3) (Loomis Johnson)
346. Shozy Rouge (1) (Loomis Johnson)
347. Shozy Rouge (2) (Durwood))
348. Shozy Rouge (3 (Jürgen Kraus)
349. Simgot EA500 (Alberto Pittaluga)
350. Simgot EA1000 (Alberto Pittaluga)
351. Simgot EM2 (Jürgen Kraus)
352. Simgot EM2 (Loomis Johnson)
353. Smabat M0 (Durwood)
354. Smabat M2 Pro (1) (Baskingshark)
355. Smabat M2 Pro (M2) (Jürgen Kraus)
356. Smabat Proto 1.0 (Alberto Pittaluga)
357. Smabat ST-10 (Jürgen Kraus)
358. Smabat X1 (1) (Baskingshark)
359. Smabat X1 (2 (Jürgen Kraus)
360. Sony MH755 (Jürgen Kraus)
361. Sony IER-ZR (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
362. Sony WX-1000XM3 (Loomis Johnson)
363. Soundpeats H1 (Loomis Johnson)
364. Soundpeats Opera (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)
365. Status Audio Between Pro TWS (Loomis Johnson)
366. SuperEQ Q2 Pro ANC TWS (Loomis Johnson)
367. Tanchjim Blues (Jürgen Kraus)
368. Tanchjim Cora (Jürgen Kraus)
369. Tanchjim Darling (Aberto Pittaluga)
370. Tanchjim Ola (Loomis Johnson)
371. Tanchjim Oxygen* (Alberto Pittaluga)
372. Tanchjim Tanya (1) (Baskingshark)
373. Tanchjim Tanya (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)
374. Tangzu WAN ER (Jürgen Kraus)
375. Tansio Mirai TSMR-6 (Alberto Pittaluga)
376. TempoTec IM05 (Jürgen Kraus)
377. Tennmak Dulcimer (Loomis Johnson)
378. Tforce Yuan Li (1) (Durwood)
379. Tforce Yuan Li (2) (Loomis Johnson)
380. Tinaudio T1 (Jürgen Kraus)
381. Tinaudio T2 (Jürgen Kraus)
382. TINHIFI C2 Mech Warrior (Jürgen Kraus)
383. TINHIFI C3 (1) (Durwood)
384. TINHIFI C3 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
385. TINHIFI C5 (1) (Durwood)
386. TINHIFI C5 (2) Loomis Johnson
387. TINHIFI P1 Max (Jürgen Kraus)
388. TINHIFI T2 DLC (Jürgen Kraus)
389. TINHIFI T2 EVO (Jürgen Kraus)
390. TINHIFI T2 Plus (1) Jürgen Kraus
391. TINHIFI T2 Plus (2) (Loomis Johnson)
392. TINHIFI T2 Plus (3) Durwood
393. TINHIFI T4 (1) (Durwood)
394. TINHIFI T4 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
395. TINHIFI T4 (3) (Jürgen Kraus)
396. TINHIFI T4 Plus (Jürgen Kraus)
397. TINHIFI T5 (Alberto Pittaluga)
398. TINHIFI Tin Buds 3 (Loomis Johnson)
399. Tinker TK300 (Baskingshark)
400. ToneKing Nine Tail (Loomis Johnson)
401. TOZO Golden X1 (Loomis Johnson)
402. Triaudio I3 (1) (Baskingshark)
403. Triaudio I3 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
404. Triaudio I3 Modding (KopiOkaya)
405. Triaudio I4 (1) (KopiOkaya)
406. Triaudio I4 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
407. Triaudio Meteor (KopiOkaya)
408. Tripowin X HBB Olina (KopiOkaya)
409. Tripowin Leá (Jürgen Kraus)
410. TRN BA5 (1) (Durwood)
411. TRN BA5 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
412. TRN BA5 (3) (Loomis Johnson)
413. TRN BA8 (1) (Baskingshark)
414. TRN BA8 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
415. TRN BAX PRO (Jürgen Kraus)
416. TRN Conch (Durwood)
417. TRN Kirin (Alberto Pittaluga)
418. TRN ST5 (Looomis Johnson)
419. TRN-STM (1) (Loomis Johnson)
420. TRN-STM (2) (Baskingshark)
421. TRN-STM (3) (Durwood)
422. TRN T300 (1) (Baskingshark)
423. TRN T300 (2) (Loomis Johnson)
424. TRN T300 (3) (Alberto Pittaluga)
425. TRN V80 (Jürgen Kraus)
426. TRN V90 (1) (Durwood)
427. TRN V90 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
428. TRN V90S (1) (Baskingshark)
429. TRN V90S (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
430. TRN VX (1) (Loomis Johnson)
431. TRN VX (2) (Baskingshark)
432. TRN VX (3) (Jürgen Kraus)
433. TRN-VX modding (KopiOkaya)
434. Tronsmart Apollo (Baskingshark)
435. Tronsmart Apollo Bold TWS ANC (Baskingshark)
436. Truthear Hexa (Durwood)
437. Truthear Hola (Durwood)
438. Truthear X Crinacle Zero (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
439. Truthear X Crinacle Zero Red (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
440. Truthear X Crinacle Zero Red (2) (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
441. Unique Melody 3DT (Jürgen Kraus)
442. Urbanfun YBF-ISS014 (Baskingshark)
443. Venture Electronics BIE Pro (Jürgen Kraus)
444. Venture Electronics Bonus IE (Jürgen Kraus)
445. Venture Electronics Monk Go (Jürgen Kraus)
446. Vision Ears Elysium* and VE8 (1) (Jürgen Kraus)
447. Vision Ears Elysium* and VE8 (2) (Biodegraded)
448. Vision Ears EXT (Jürgen Kraus)
449. Vision Ears Phönix (Jürgen Kraus)
450. Westone MACH 40 and MACH 60 (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)
451. Whizzer BS1 (Jürgen Kraus)
452. Whizzer Kylin HE01 (1) Jürgen Kraus)
453. Whizzer Kylin HE01 (2) (Baskingshark)
454. Whizzer Kylin HE03AL (Jürgen Kraus)
455. Whizzer Kylin HE03D (1) (Durwood)
456. Whizzer Kylin HE03D (2) (Loomis Johnson)
457. Whizzer Kylin HE10 (Jürgen Kraus)
458. Yinyoo BK2 (Baskingshark)
459. Yinyoo D2B4 v2 (1) (Biodegraded)
460. Yinyoo D2B4 v2 (2) (Jürgen Kraus)
461. Yinyoo V2 (Jürgen Kraus)

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