How does it compare to sony ex8000st tape mod and other basshead sets
They are special. They have been (at least) holding up against anything I threw at them including my Diana Phi/TC hybrid.
Bass, dynamics, details and treble are up there with anything.
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Iāve never heard the ex800st
also @jdan1457
Iām working on a reply to āother basshead setsā but TBH I donāt know how much of what Iāve heard counts as true basshead like these. I love the low end on Xenns Up and Serial, the Penon Fan might be one of the bassiest Iāve owned (I have one coming āsoonā (depends on delivery)) so itāll be interesting to compare.
The FW01 by JVC that I have atm is pretty L shaped and thick.
Iāll compare as best I can with the above when I get a chance.
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Hello, today iāve got my IEC711 coupler with USB soundcard, this one: Precision Artificial Ear Iec711 Frequency Response Curve Tester Artificial Ear 318-4 Headphone Tester - Personal Care Appliance Parts - AliExpress. I know that iām going to need calibration file (i asked the seller for it). I would like to ask, can someone help me get through whole setup on my PC step by step? What software should i use? For first is my connection correct?
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ok, everything seems to work. One question, can i do something with these 2 deviations without smoothing the whole graph? Btw. are you guys using any smoothing option at all?
FYI, found a cheaper store that sells those X meshes.
They arent as organised as the other link I used before though (NSC store).
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I got my set of KBear Rosefinch in.
Itās $12 (on US Amazon).
Why? How? Likeā¦why do we spend so much money, when these companies are FULLY capable of making good gear at bargain prices?
(In reality, we pay more for R&D, tech, and refinements of tuning and such. But what they CAN do for under $50, or $30, or $20 when theyāre motivated is crazy).
I KNOW!!!
It looks ridiculous. It really does, and I got it because it was $12 but probably crappy and Iād send it right back.
But itās NOT! Itās not an all-arounder, but itās NOT bad! I swear!
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I KNOW, DUDE!!!
I double checked Ian Fannās graph when the package came and that bass is real. And I just heard the KS1 and Robin from KBear and was like āNOPE, hard pass!ā And figured this would be another one.
Iām literally still on hour 1 of listening. But I swear to God, I didnāt put them in and want to chuck them out the window.
I have theories about this: There are three problem spots that make KS1 not really listenable. 1). The sub-bass rolloff is a killer for a BASS set. Full stop. 2). The steep pinna gain doesnāt allow enough time for the upper-mids to contrast with the bass. So there is energy there but itās squeezed tight and the mid-bass still overwhelms everything. 3). The second rise into 5k precedes a cut of 5-8k, which murders the clarity for my ear.
Rosefinch has ALL the sub-bass, so itās correct in the lower range, has a more gradual pinna gain into nearly 4k, and smoother through the upper-mids and into the presence area. Itās unapologetically unrefined, but itās actually proficient at what itās TRYING to do (so far).
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True the rosefinch is a strange beast how itās not murdering you with bass. I guess it also has to do with that biological diaphragm. I donāt know.
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I just got my Tangzu Ze Tian Wu in, and man, these are fun. Iāve had my Letshuoer S12 lent out for a couple of months, but Iām looking forward to some A/B when they get back. I think this is my favorite planar bass implementation I have heard to date! Just listening to the intro to āWalking on a Thin Lineā by Huey Lewis and The News and grinning ear to ear.
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All I can say about the Maestro Mini after a couple of days is that I donāt really treat these as a niche / single use earphone any more. I have to reiterate that whatever BA they are using is nuts and well implemented. From a single/multi DD fan.
Iām happily keeping them in my ears for everything atm. But when something bassy does come on, itās like nothing else Iāve listened to below the scale of a car or venue.
Iāve never really āgotā tracks like the above til the bass is rendered this large but also defined. Things like at 3:03 3:07 (on YouTube) when the staple bassline does little deviating glides. Awesome.
Switched over to a BTR5 2021 from a Q5K and itās reinforcing what I felt when I moved to the Q5K from a BTR5 OG and ES100 - the Q5K is an amazing little device, but I think itās a tad less warm and a little more analytical. Barely. ā Iām open to that being 100% mental, donāt hold me to it.
Iām not a fan of the massive hole that the nozzle is. Even if I were to put a thin screen on to protect it, thereās not really an inner ledge for a screen, and the BA sits right up to the opening. A filter would have to sit flush with the outermost surface and use the outer diameter. Keeps me away from using short tips, it just feels vulnerable.
Looooads of fun!
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Oh the Q5K is DEFINITELY not a warm source. Your ears arenāt wrong on that!
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Sound Demo - Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 vs. Moondrop Variations
I compared the two IEMs because they have a similar frequency response. Iām mighty impressed by the Huawei, ymmv.
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Hey guys, so I was able to demo some IEMs yesterday 
: Monarch MK2, Variations, and IE600.
Monarch MK2 Impressions:
Super clean mid-range; analytical but enjoyable and not clinical. Lots of detail I couldnāt pick up on the EJ07 along with great imaging and layering (same level as 07 Iād say). Staging has some 3D, but has less air than expected (still more than EJ07). Vocals are forward with lots of clarity and very realistic, and is the best Iāve heard at mid-volume and second only to the TEA at high-volume. Bass is good, but certainly expected more rumble and texture at $1K. Same with the treble; cymbals had a metallic timbre and is evidently boosted in certain areas; felt a bit uneven to me at times. Feels like treble is in an awkward position between not enough air but also not smooth enough; itās weird. For me, the mid-range on the MMK2 is really the standout and is endgame level like the 07 but with more detail. Although the EJ07 still has better dynamics, better scaling, and of course staging/3D.
Moondrop Variations:
The first thought that came to mind was: āwow these are really airyā. The treble on the Variations are very well done, and I prefer it much more than the Monarch MK2. The extension seems endless, adding great depth to the stage (although not 3D). Can get too much at high volume thoughā¦ Sub-bass is very ābouncyā with lots of texture; also prefer it more than the Monarch MK2 due to it being more impactful and just more amount; the Variationās sub-bass is more like a separated sub-woofer. The MMK2 has more detail in the mid-range, where the Variations has more treble and bass detail. Overall technicalities wise theyāre very similar, with the MMK2 edging slightly ahead in detail, imaging, and layering. The mid-range on the Variations are very clean with lots of clarity, butā¦ the mid-bass cut is real, resulting in the overall tuning to sound thinner and less impactful. This cut (along with the thinness) really guts a lot of songs from my library, so although detail wise the Variations probably has one of the best-price-to-performance ratios I just canāt grow to love them unfortunately.
Sennheiser IE600 Impressions:
Wow. Holy cow thereās a lot of detail. Detail and clarity wise the DD in the IE600 beats many multi-driver IEMs around $500-600 (like the 07M and Variations). Dunno how they did it, but hey, here we are; Iād say the details are on the same level as the Monarch MK2. Imaging is also very very good; on the same level as the 07 and Monarch MK2. When I first saw the bass on the graph I thought the IE600 was going to be a basshead set, but the sub-bass is definitely less than the graph suggests. Itās good, but nothing amazing just like the MMK2; Variations still got the best sub-bass rumble and texture to me out of the 3. Stage wise the IE600 is less expansive than the Variations and the MMK2; layering is also a step behind them as well. It does everything very-well (lows, mids, highs), but nothing amazing. Upper-mids is also very spicy at higher volumes and is not as airy as the others. The IE600 is however the most coherent out of the 3, probably due to itās single driver.
If I had to choose out of the 3, Iād most likely grab the Monarch MK2ā¦ but if I didnāt have to choose I wouldnāt buy any. As great as the mid-range and detail is on the MMK2 (endgame level), the treble timbre and tuning just feels a bit off along with the just āgoodā bass. To me the MMK2 lacks coherency, and dynamics needs work in the upper-mid and treble region. I heard itās really good for metal, but then again I donāt have any metal in my library so 
As for Variations: mid-bass cut and thinness is a no go. IE600: smaller stage and bright treble; both are not as musical as the Monarch MK2 which is already leaning on the analytical side of things.
So far the EJ07 is the closest to my personal endgame, but the search continuesā¦ Thanks for reading!
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Iāve gotten to a point in my IEM journey and collection where Iām extremely content. The HBB Maka and the EJ07 are about the only ones Iāve got my eye on. EJ07 is still the one IEM Iāve yet to hear that I really want to. Treble seems like it be one of the most idea presentations for me. Most likely itāll be my next purchase when my IEM funds are replenished.
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I think left side seal is broken on huawei thereās a significant imbalance on it.