Bad Guy Good Audio Rankings and stuff (under construction) (Part 2)

:rofl: LOL, you got the “PRO” joke.
That’s why they are on either side…It’s a PRO party and the other 2 are not invited
you-cant-tell-from-looking-at-me-but-i-wasnt-always-the-sophisticated-saint-bodhi

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This is what Apple has wrought by bringing the “Pro” moniker to consumer goods. Fuck you very much, Tim Cook. :melting_face:

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Original Pro 5 (China Only??) and Western version

Original Pro 8

Do not have new version…yet.

Lithium magnesium square planar? Is this a new kind of driver??

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Band 8 looks interesting, but is probably gonna be $400-500 as Performer8, so I’m probably out on that

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No, its just an SPD (Square Planar Driver). Like the ones Kinera introduced in the Celest series.

Just marketing like usual, to be able to justify selling the same driver used in an iem like 5x cheaper…

You are correct.


image

image
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=659553057419

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That company graph has 1Khz almost in middle or I am sleepy? (Edit: just the stretch of squig)
Company graphs… :thinking:

I really hope that driver is not same. I’ll open it and see. :ok_hand:

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Scale…companies like doing weird shit. This one goes to 22khz, not 20khz. :joy:

Please do confirm it.

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Even if you match the bass at 100hz like on their graph, I was expecting more lower-midrange focus. I’m going to stay open-minded and wait for reviews/opinions, because as I start looking at more graphs, there COULD be something interesting in there. But I won’t be jumping on this early, not at all.


The upper-range and lower treble is looking tasty on the 8. The only thing I wish it had (as if I’m going to buy it…) is a little more energy in the upper treble.

Regardless, it does seem like an interesting IEM, I’ll be watching no doubt.

Aful Band Pro 5 has more interesting to me. I need deeper bass and linear mid to treble and heavier note weight

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Any plans to do a top $50-$100 dollar item video HBB?

The releases were so fast during winter but it has slowed. Some great stuff in that range. Next vid maybe?

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Will be interested to see your take. The budget offerings are great but nice sweet spot at the 50-100 realm too. I would have been happy with QKZ x HBB and EA500 and got out the game

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Hey guys! Happy Saturday. Let’s talk about the Yanyin HBB Mahina collab. So, these came out middle-ish last year, and they’re pretty nice. They’re what I would consider a “darker” set, but it’s not EJ07 level dark, just a little bit. They remind me more of a relaxed version of the XENNS UP, but anyways let’s just jump into it. And, shoutout to @MMag05 for sending these bad boys (and the Meteor), and @Sonofholhorse for the MEST MK2 previously!

Starting with the bass - it’s very well controlled but also has great note-weight and thump to bass guitar and drums. The low-end is tuned very similar to the Meteor and UP but just with less bass. Of course it’s not going to slam as hard or push as much air as the UP, but the texture and separation overall is of high quality. The bass also doesn’t bleed into the mids, and it’s a lot more relaxed and less warm as a result, but the drawback is that the bass texture and resolution is softer than the UP and Meteor, but the rumble on the Mahina is still deep and enjoyable. It’s definitely not a bass-set, but very well controlled and thumpy regardless and blends in nicely with the other frequencies.

Moving on, the midrange is forward leaning, well layered with nothing getting in the way of the other - and the vocals especially are very intimate. They’re very clean with natural note-weight, not thin, harsh, or fatiguing, and pop-out comfortably from the rest. But, I would’ve liked a little more gain at around 3K for more openness because although the vocals are up close and intimate they don’t feel fully extended, lacking that last bit of extension. The roll-off starting from 2K to around 9K also doesn’t help with this, and can make you feel like you’re missing micro-nuances of the song, but I understand some people are sensitive in those areas, so as the result of this decision to tame the uppermids the Mahina becomes an incredibly smooth, and comfortable listen that scales extremely well at higher volumes. It reminds me of the Galileo but with better bass and treble extension.

And speaking of the treble - it’s actually very nice. Now, it’s not going to be airy like the Variations or the Meteor, but it’s clear, at the perfect distance, and has the perfect amount of bite and decay without being too much at higher volumes. It gives songs like Strangest Thing and Model a nice sparkle without taking away from the focus which is the vocals and mid-range, and it doesn’t become too airy and thin either. The low-end and treble are perfectly balanced to allow the mid-range to prosper on busier songs like House in Nebraska and Flower Town. The only nit-picks are that the Mahina lacks some micro-nuances, and that vocals can be slightly more open, but aside from that it’s a very enchanting set, and the more I listen the more I fall for them.

Comparing it to some other sets around the same price, the Mahina is becoming one of my favourites along with the EJ07M. The 07M is cleaner with more open vocals and a deeper sub-bass, whereas the Mahina is more relaxing, intimate, and scales better. The OG Monarch on the other hand still has the best clarity and separation, but it can get thin and sharp at times. And Vocal wise I still prefer the RSV and DM to the Mahina which is less open and airy, but more forward. The RSV still feels the most complete, natural, and nuanced, and the DM has that airy special sparkle to them.

So, in conclusion - I think the Mahina’s are nicely balanced with a very beautiful midrange, and the only reason I half recommend them is because of its darker upper mids. Because they’re more gentle and comforting and less “mainstream tuned” I’d recommend demoing them first if you get the chance before you blind buy, and I also wouldn’t recommend using them at lower-mid volumes since their true potential is only revealed with scaling. Thanks for reading!

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Bravo and hell yeah to you man! Incredibly well written and edited. I loved the direction, not sure if intentional, you took for all your clip choices. A lot of matching palettes to the IEM itself with all those dashes of darkness and mellowness in the clips. You’re really onto something with your reviews. They’re short, precise and hit every point that would fulfill someone that’s been in the hobby awhile yet, somehow still be understood by the new blood. Keep on hustlin’ brotha. Definitely have seen your videos mature the past few months. You’re onto something and I hope sponsors come your way.

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Agreed on all points regarding Mahina.

Inb4 sorry for the spam.
Anyone interested in my Mahina? I’m only selling because I have the Dark Magician in my possession, (and because I need some funds for my speaker system) otherwise I’d be keeping them and probably never look back.

$470 and it’s yours!

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That would be a great pair to go with.

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It really is a one-two base-coverer and no mistake. I can really feel this pair as a budget outro.

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Thank you man, really means alot :pray: And ya! I’ve been trying to match the clip with the vibe the IEM gives, so less memes and a more accurate portrayal I guess haha? But will keep them coming - more vids on da way! (UP and Panda :eyes:)

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