i use wavelet on Fiio M11 ltd dac
I have an S12 EQ setting that is labelled as “S12 Bass-o-matic”, and it is basically a +6db low shelf at 166, which is enough to give it some slam. I use Peace/APO on PC.
I get headaches, but still need some music to work sometimes, so I also have a profile that drops the 4-8k range, since that is usually where most of my problems are. I can have a headache and listen quietly with the right EQ.
I thought most people were saying good things about the IE600, despite the prices, and being out of stock all the time.
Agreed, I recall RBW telling us all about the Aladdin last year, and many people have raved about the Canon. Yanyin seem to really know what they are doing on the tuning side. The Moonlight seems good from the few reviews I have seen, and the Rosemary is the only one I don’t know any about.
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I have the IE300 and I think they’re phenomenal, actually. Particularly on my RebelAmp they sound so good. Was just listening to them, I think I like them better than my Katos (which are also great).
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I’m past the point of anything I purchase reaching me before a trip of over a month long – it’ll be interesting, with the Serial and Vernus in hand, to see if I grow closer or further to both or either of them. Some forced stability.
Edit: If nothing else, the Serial continues to please on every listen. Some recent albums: Volcano by Temples, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah by the band of the same name, Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood. All have very satisfying mids for vocals, and just the right amount of bass, always.
So why have I even been looking at other possibilities? It’s a question for the ages. I should listen more and shop classifieds less. I just have more opportunities to flick through classifieds in a matter of seconds than I do to sit down, block my ears, and listen to music for a while.
EDIT: I may not get my Iris 2.0 back from my wife any time soon 
, but in earbuds world, a prototype of the Berserker 1 (different driver, similar bass but different mids/treble apparently) is probably the last thing that will reach me before the trip. @MMag05 is an absolute legend.
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I’ve got the Vernus in, and have hopped back to “atmospheric” from “reference” nozzles. It’s a great experience, apart from sometimes the sub bass extension ending just a little too early. Phenomenal technicalities otherwise.
One potentially big issue for home use at the least — sound leakage is massive.
If I take them out of my ears, and seal off the eartips with my fingers, everything can still be heard very clearly coming out of the numerous vents.
So the ideal listening time would be alone time like driving in the car or doing the dishes, but at least one of those creates enough ambient noise that the sound leakage might cause a reverse issue, ie: poor isolation.
It’s a real shame, the Eclipse driver tech is in its own league, but probably requires this level of venting.
Plus these fit me better than almost any other IEM. Usually shells are a little out of my ears, these nest inside, right up against whatever they’re meant to be. All the more surprising that sound can still leak out of the vents that must be right up against skin or close to it.
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Not really, look at the Zen/Zen-Pro.
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Couldn’t remember what their venting was like, thanks
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They were well-vented, but I don’t recall anywhere near the same amount of leakage/lack of isolation. It’s both a gift and a curse I think, since the Vernus has such a broad soundstage, probably due in part to its almost open nature. I can say that I have a trans-atlantic flight this weekend and I’m not bringing the Vernus just because I don’t want to be rude to my seated neighbors lol.
I got some last-minute buddies to join me on the trip to Poland next week: Moondrop Solution 8! Scooped an open box pair from Headphones.com (basically flawless less some missing stock tips, which doesn’t bug me at all). Got 'em paired up with a Xinhs Graphene 4-core and some Azla SednaEarfit…Light Shorts, I think? All I know is they look and feel fantastic, and sound even better! I’ll be A/B’ing them with my Fearless S8Z (both 8BA, different tuning profiles for sure) on the trip.
Shoutouts to the folks at Headphones.com for the fantastic customer service and helping make sure I got them in time!
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I’m jelly, congratz! Have a nice and safe trip!
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In-depth review on Yanyin Moonlight by Dsnuts: Yanyin Moonlight - Reviews | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org.
Includes lots of comparisons. Juicy review!
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I’m by no means trying to start internet drama, but how trustworthy are his reviews? I think he’s great for comparison like sound signatures and whatnot but he really seems biased from all the free stuff he gets. It seems he loves every IEM he gets his hands on.
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Yeah I can see where you’re coming from. I do think he’s knowledgeable, and his take on the Moonlight is in agreement with all the other reviewers to date. He was just ahead of the curve for Yanyin Aladdin and Canon, and now Moonlight. Can’t speak about his reviews of other IEMs as I haven’t tried those myself. It’s good to read any review with a pinch of salt I guess.
Edit: Dsnuts got a discount on the Moonlight and wasn’t a freebie, according to the review.
Edit 2: I am not a fan of his cable reviews. I just don’t hear a difference, but to each their own…
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Mhm, It does seem that a lot of people are in agreeance with him on the moonlight.
I’m really not trying drag his name through the mud mind you. I think he has some good perspective on some things, I just don’t trust him fully. His wording is too positive and he bend things to make everything he gets sound good.
But yeah, take it all with a grain of salt and let the hype train settle before making a choice.
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I haven’t seen many posts on the Thieaudio Elixir. I just received a set from Amazon today. So far, I like the sound. But that’s not why I’m posting…. In the box came three sets of different tuning filters. The default on the iems is a metal screen. Then a set that could be filters the same as Tanya O2, then a set of white filters. And of course, no explanation for them in the box.
Before I go and test them, I thought I’d check here first.
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Just got the Chu. These things really are Koss-level value, aren’t they? Definitely never heard something this crisp from something this cheap, stomps all over my KZ DQ6. Though not sure what I’m going to do with dirt cheap IEMs at this point, since they don’t outperform my actually-expensive IEMs. In the pre-COVID times when I was going to the office everyday I’d probably leave them in my backpack in case I forgot to bring earphones that day, but I barely leave the house these days. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll think of something…
In other news the more I listen to the IE300 the more convinced I am they’re my favorite in my collection, beating out the Kato and the FDX1 which are both also very good. The Katos kind of have everything up-front and in-your-face and the sound is kind of hard for lack of a better word, which is why I think they take so well to the RU6 which softens them up. But the IE300 doesn’t have that problem, instruments are layered and rich and have that Sennheiser timbre. I’ve seen a number of people online beat up on these earphones and I kind of can’t fathom it. It’s true the mids are a bit recessed (though nothing compared to the FD5), and there’s a lot of sub-bass, so it doesn’t have that kind of clean neutral FR (the Chu probably has a “better” FR in that sense) but they’re super fun to listen to. The FDX1 meanwhile is still the king of subtle grace, it also has a lot of richness and great timbre and is definitely what I reach for if I’m feeling treble sensitive, but it’s not exciting in the way that the IE300 is. I’m especially enjoying them on jazz music where they give treble a sparkle I don’t think I’ve heard since the Blessing 2 (which I didn’t like in other ways).
It’s tempting to call these the earphone version of the HD560S, but that’s not quite fair to either 'phone. 560S is more neutral and has the better soundstage and imaging as you might expect from an open back, but the IE300 has better resolution, and I like them both.
I’d probably love the IE600 too if I was willing to shell out $700 for an IEM, but it’s hard to imagine its enough good to justify that price over the IE300 when the IE300 is already so good. (But then I’ve yet to spend more than $400 on an earphone or headphone.)
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Penon Vortex is out: Penon Vortex.
PENON Vortex Dynamic Driver 2Pin 0.78mm Audiophile In-Ear Earphone IEMs
Details
Description
Resin shell, lightweight and comfortable
Handmade , solid and durable
Driver characteristics:
DLC diamond-like carbon fiber material, the molecular structure is similar to diamond, the resolution and transmission details are precise and neat, clear and natural. Similar to beryllium metal used in aerospace research and high-end speakers, it is a light metal, and the density of DLC diamond-like carbon is comparable to that of metal beryllium. The ideal diaphragm needs to have the characteristics of light weight, proper damping, and small divided vibration. The key point is that the forward and backward delays of the vibration should be just right: vibrate immediately when a signal is received, and stop in time when the signal disappears. Diamond-like carbon achieves a perfect balance in terms of sound conduction velocity and internal impedance, that is, it has ideal performance on forward and backward delay , ultra-high sensitivity and excellent transient response, which can accurately restore sound.
Specification
Brand:Penon
Model:Vortex
Driver: 10mm strong magnetic DLC diamond-like fiber diaphragm
Input Sensitivity: 108dB SPL/mW
Frequency response range: 10Hz-35kHz
Impedance: 24Ω±15%(@1khz)
THD: ≤1%@1khz
Connecter: 2pin 0.78mm
Plug: 3.5mm audio, 2.5mm balanced, 4.4mm balanced
Cable length: 1.2M
@hawaiibadboy you gonna try it out? Another single DD competitor?
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Sort of waiting for reviews that aren’t from Mr-everything-3-stars-or-higher following the much repeated format of “Folks you’re going to like these… these are going to sell you don’t want to miss these ones… ya these are something special… burning in, and these are TOTL tuning already…”
The dude may well be honest and earnest, he’s always polite and helpful, but I can’t get a realistic picture from someone who has never been critical of something made or sold by Penon.
Unless there are thousands of happy GK10 owners who just never mention it and never seem to rec it… amongst other hyped IEMs that were the latest flavor of the month. Superlatives every time lose all meaning.
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U mean 4.5/5? 
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