Duly noted
First Impressions of SeeAudio Yume II
Hi there, cutie!
So at the end of 2022, there was a little kerfluffle between Aful Performer5 and SeeAudio Yume II about what was a better $200(ish) hybrid. P5 got all the hype and Yume II was a little left behind.
I’ve recently had both in my ears and I can tell you something: they’re like 85ish% the same. They both have a great midrange, pretty freaking good technicalities at the price point, and overall I can’t say either is bad. But, there are definitely battle lines to be drawn between the two. To wit…
PROS
- Yume II is a more energetic and engaging set than P5, on account of having that bit more upper midrange and treble energy
- It’s a direct hybrid upgrade on the $20-50 budget sets of ‘22. This is a safe step up if you want to try a hybrid
- Technicalities are good
CONS
- P5s balanced neutral sound is preferable if you like a full bass. They graph similar but Yume sounds like the midbass is cut too far (unless you use a midbass emphasizing tip. Boosting the sub-bass isn’t enough to offset the sound)
- TRI Starsea still does this signature better than Yume with less jumping through hoops on sound quality (but it’s own hoops to jump through with pressure buildup)
Overall, P5 vs. Yume II is a ideological choice: P5 fans will say it’s balanced and neutral while Yume is too energetic and pushy. Yume II fans will say it’s more fun and engaging while P5 is too boring and missing “soul”.
Yume II certainly is a choice… 
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I can’t delete this because booo, so words…
And vs ea500? Just to be sure…
Considering yume II was $150 at some point, that makes it better value, then. I was surprised when I saw it at $200 during these sales.
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I’m not going to compare to EA500 cause I don’t have it with me at the moment, and my mental bias is to EA500. But Yume didn’t make me feel like I’d take it over EA500, just on pure sound quality.
Yume II is more fair at $150, but it doesn’t move the needle for me honestly.
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My Impressions of TANGZU x SeeAudio Shimin Li Encounter
It is firmly in the “it’s fine” category. I’m not going to be recommending it but I wouldn’t tell you that you shouldn’t buy it either.
PROS
- It’s a complete upgrade on OG Shimin Li in the treble. They really didn’t touch anything else in the frequency but the improved treble makes this viable and should’ve always been the version TANGZU released
- Bass is sneaky potent. It graphs the same as Yume II and it stomps Yume. Note weight and warmth is much better as well. Now, I’m wondering about that DD in the Yume II…
- If you want an energetic upper midrange, this does it pretty well: people that killed KBear Storm might find this a more successful implementation of an emphasized upper midrange
- Overall, it’s a fun, energetic V-shape tuning done well, if that’s your jam
- If you’re a SeeAudio or TANGZU fan and want to show monetary support, it’s not a total waste of your money
CONS
- People that killed KBear Storm for being too forward and/or harsh likely will have the same feeling about this. It can be jarring to switch from something with a more relaxed upper midrange, and it has to be a signature you’re looking for
- Midcentric tuning, this is not. If you prefer control throughout the signature, this isn’t your set
- Technicalities and soundstage aren’t anything special
- This is the set that should’ve been dropped last year, to get any real traction. This doesn’t move the market at all, and it’s a hard sell versus sets cheaper or slightly more expensive. I don’t see the place in the market for this really
I think this falls into the category of a few sets that have come out in 2023 that are perfectly fine but don’t do anything recent sets can’t do as well or better. This isn’t better than most of the major budget players, I think it falls short of Kinera Celeste Gumiho in direct A/B (to my tastes), and I wouldn’t touch this over EA500 in the price vicinity.
Unless you have your own personal reasons to grab this, I’d pass.
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Nice - saved me some effort from making a vid on it LOL - EA500 still chilling 
… for now
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Just ordered the KBear Rosefinch for £18 - let’s see how they compare to the QKZ x HBB which are my favourite cheapie set
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Bass quantity is there, but not so much in quality. These will be returned. I may consider JD7 next
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Maybe try the HBB x QKZ or the legato ir you still want that bass quantity
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Thanks for the heads up. The QKZ HBB is my budget rec for bassy set. I gave my pair to my work colleague. I tried the Rosefinch to see if they sound better for a similar price. They don’t unfortunately. The HBB are fantastic for the price. I may consider another pair to compliment the EA500
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You could try modding the EA500? I think they’ve used quality drivers and can respond well to filter mods. I’ve just ordered a set myself and I’ll try out various mods
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I just needed a tad more bass from the EA500 but not really a modder, so was happy to use the HBB for my rap playlist etc when I’m at work. At home the Canon on 020 setting is perfect for me. I’m more than happy to buy another set of HBB for £20 and switch between them and the EA500 at work. Thanks for the heads up though
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I haven’t watched yet but I’m going to preemptively say “Tony needs to stop spending my money, already!”
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First Impressions of Juzear 41T
So this IEM is a 1+4 hybrid that I picked up during the Ali Express Anniversary sale for $110 (regular price is about $160ish). Over on the OTHER forum, there’s been a Chi-fi bubble growing for two sets (and one company) in particular that are similar in price and configuration: The Sound Rhyme SR5 (and it’s collection that is seeping into Penon’s catalog of sets to sell) and the Juzear 41T. From the chatter and graphs that are available, the 41T looked like the more relaxed option so I picked it during the sales.
About the 41T:
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The set looks very sharp. It’s gotten some stick for looking like it’s got a bowling alley lane stripe on it, but it’s charming.
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The stock cable is one of the best stock cables I’ve gotten in a set.
- The only other stock cables I actively have used on sets (and even cable rolled with it) is the Tri Starsea stock cable and the SIMGOT EN1000 cable (but that one isn’t fair because it has the modular plugs). Those two and the Penon Fan2 cable are the only stock cables that aren’t buried in their boxes in a dark corner. Add the 41T stock cable to that group.
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The build quality is MOSTLY good, but I did notice while tip-rolling that the left nozzle seemed to wiggle a little bit, and it appears to actually move, like I could unscrew the nozzle. The right nozzle is firmly in place and doesn’t do this. It’s not affecting sound quality but I’m going to baby the fuck out of this.
- Being a lower-profile company, I’m going to note that as something to keep an eye on in the quality control process
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These are well valued for the $110 I paid. They’re still perfectly fine, even at $160.
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The most comparable IEMs I’ve spent any time with are Starsea and P5. I’ll make a better evaluation of the comparison when I actually get around to A/Bing sets.
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If this is similar to SR5 but is the bassy, warm variant and SR5 is brighter and more technical, it’s clear to me that it’s probably an either/or based on preference. I don’t really think anybody would use them both as complimentary sets. Most of us here in this group already know which side of the fence you’d land on. Personally, I’m not as interested in SR5 now, if that gets brighter than 41T.
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On stock tips and cable, I like a lot about the set.
- It’s got sufficient bass, more sub-bass quantity than EA500 but short in the quality compared to a set like Serial. If I rated sets as 3.5/5, this would be a 3.5 in sub-bass. Mid-bass is present enough for a clean replay. Not as much as I prefer generally, but it’s not deficient.
- Lower mids are very clear and present with good enough weight, but it’s still a drier bass in non-bassy genres. Vocals are nice and forward over instruments but I don’t find them overblown.
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Biggest issue I’m hitting is there is SOMETHING off in the deep upper midrange (maybe the 5k notch in the graph???) because there’s a bit of spice in things like trumpets, female vocals and sometimes strings and things like that.
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It would be a disqualifier if my library wasn’t more diversified but I need to see if that settles in (even tip-rolling isn’t clearing it up completely).
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For my high-volume fam: If you have a chance to hear 41T, you’ll want/need to put a filter on or something to take a little energy out of the upper end.
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I’m not the most sensitive to that area around these parts and I think it’s a little too sharp at higher volume, so y’all that like to blast it (You know who you are) would find this set too bitey.
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- I’m finding this set makes sense at moderate volume.
On day one, I don’t think this set is going to be an “easy, universal recommendation”, but this might be an Olina filter away from being something pretty sick. This isn’t as smooth and clean as P5: It’s got a little more midbass and upper energy, but I find that more engaging than I did P5. 41T does pass the first test: I want to listen to it more. So there’s that
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Day Three Impressions of Juzear 41T
As I felt like I concluded in my last thoughts, I can confirm now: This is not a universal “blind buy it and you’ll probably be satisfied” set. I think it’s pretty good and most people will like most things about it, but I have some nitpicks and there may be some compromises you’ll have to make if you got this.
PROS
- I think this is a highly immersive set at the price
- To me, there are two kinds of immersive sound in IEMs: the technically proficient kind that makes you feel like the music is swimming around your head and cocooning you in sound. The other is turn up the volume and drown in the sound immersive. This set is more of the former
- I was feeling unsure about how I feel about the set and then I put on a Polyphia album at moderate volume and had an “oh damn” moment. The five drivers can make good music dance about in your head
- I think this has fantastic mids, focusing on the lower midrange especially.
- The mids get more awesome, the less they have to share the stage with other parts of the frequency. Particularly in genres with less treble focus
- This is a strong set for people who like controlled, “just enough” bass.
- Without doing A/Bs yet, this feels like it’s got more low-end than Tri Starsea, but less warmth than Penon Fan2
- In non-bass dominant genres, 41T will probably give you enough of what you need
- This could fit for me as my non-demanding long-listening session set
- These are lo-fi/BGM bangers. I could see myself grabbing these a lot when I need to study, and want music playing but not in a way that it’s distracting or attention-grabbing
CONS
- These are not as resolving, and if that’s a dealbreaker then the Sound Rhyme SR5 sounds like more of the choice for you
- These are treble-light, so while these will be great for the sensitive types or people who want that darker sound, this is not for detail-chasers
- The lowered treble messes a little with tonality as well
- I find this set not very forgiving to some recordings
- With 41T, sets that aren’t mixed well in the treble show it in that they sound more muffled or less resolving than on sets well tuned in the treble like an EA500. Even Penon Fan 2, with it’s big cut in the mid-treble, plays better to my ear because of the amount of air it puts in on the back end. 41T is missing that in it’s roll-off.
- I think 41T has an adequate amount of bass, but it is not a satisfying amount in totality.
Overall, I think I may still end up trying a mod like a double filter mod, to tone down the upper-midrange and see if that improves the perceived bass and/or treble.
But for $110 this could be a relaxed, moderate volume set that is comfortable, that has actually good technicalities (in terms of imaging/separation/layering), and I can listen to all-day because it will not fatigue (at moderate volumes).
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I can confirm most of your finding/impressions on 41T
I find soundstage has more height and depth than width on 41T. Switching to wide bore tips Whizzer SS20 gave me some of the width back.
41T has good separation and layering, but misses some of the micro details that show nuances in sound. Having lower treble they don’t have the airness that
EA500 has.
There is slight spiciness starts to show in upper mids when you turn up the volume.I agree it’s around 5k, same region where OG Olina have more bite.
Bass quantity is great, just right amount. I find EA500 has better midbass texture probably because EA500 can produce more micro details.
Overall 41T have warmer tonality, open up with higher volume and for me is a keeper.
Three sets I will rotate through often: modded EA500, Heyday and 41T.
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If you still have Olina filters: I put a set on over the existing filter and it cleans up the tonality a lot: the treble and bass have more space to breathe and the clarity jumps a level.
It gives up some soundstage and a touch of dynamics but it’s a very satisfyingly smooth replay. Very much like the Sony XBA-N3 or Penon Serial
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Hmmm…. Just tried Olina OG filter over the nozzle of 41T. Quick listening impressions: Definitely cleaner presentation- warm tone is gone. I hear more of sub bass over midbass now. Bass guitars lost some of its thick tone. Seems like less of mid-bass bleed into mids, cleaned up the presentation. Highs sound louder, and that sharpness heard is slightly less. But overall sound became thinner and brighter to me. Not sure if I like it more than original presentation.
Edit: this was with widest bore tips I own- Whizzer SS20 tips, which already make 41T sound cleaner and wider, so adding Olina filter might have lowered midbass to much.
Or it’s all psychoacoustics at play 
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Definitely try a different tip if it got too thin on the Whizzers. Then if you prefer it with the Whizzers, just take the filters off.
I’m using TRN T-Ear tips and may tip roll some more to try different combos
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