I am just thinking not only about situations when someone honks or not hearing about ambulance riding with sirens on - but generally about cutting off one of main awareness systems while driving
Oh I got you. Itās generally pretty illegal, but you have to get caught. You know?
- itās not illegal
- itās no impractical. Deaf people drive safely.
I learned to drive in the UK so I am always checking my blind spots before any lane changes. Besides all the usual mirror checks. All emergency vehicles have flashing lights whenever the sirens are on. Canāt hear squat going on outside a minibus when the engineās running anyway.
I know there are states and countries that it is indeed illegal, but it is just food for thought from my side. I myself feel very distracted when I have very loud music on even on car stereo 
Also deaf people have special aids providing extra feedback (lights, signals etc) while driving around the surroundings that.
Yeah, I was trying to generalize because I donāt know everywhere. It is illegal here in MA
Earbuds! 
I thought they were fair questions, I answered them as far as applies to me. Of course itās anecdotal, but for what itās worth commuting a minimum of 50 minutes a day for the last 2 years Iāve been driving with IEMs I havenāt had an accident of any kind. I do take extra visual care, and I feel like the result is better driving than the people Iām sharing the road with most of the time.
Also anecdotal, but I know of a guy who drives perfectly with headphones on:
I got to listen to the Rosefinch on the way back.
If youāve read any of the things I find time to write, youāll know that you probably donāt want my first impressionā¦ maybe the second or third! My impressions are rarely the same over a few sessions as they were first listen. I could definitely not do Crinās 5 second audition, accurately at least.
Important details about this first dip:
- High volume
- Stock tips
Take aways so far:
-
Consonant sibilance for me. I know from past times that some sets I hear this on arenāt this way for most other people. But the first tracks that came up:
The Beachland Ballroom by Idles, Mykonos by Fleet Foxes, and Liberty Bell by Darkside all had the same issue - T, TS, CH and other sharp consonant sounds were cringey and interrupting. -
Bassā¦ there is a dark organicness that is appealing but so far:
-
- Attack is very soft. Itās not very well define, foggier/fuzzier than the QKZ.
-
- It bleeds. I find it masking/muting lower mids like male vocals.
-
Treble is mixed. Parts of upper mids sound fantastic, elastically smooth, case in point in Liberty Bell from about 3:14
-
- But at other times itās more of a sharp spark that emerges a little uncomfortable from the fogginess. Perhaps mids are more recessed? It seems like not-that-well defined bass in large quantities, mids, and then the treble juts out rather than there being a slope or bridge to it. Talking about cymbals and the like.
I listened to quite a few more tracks, and the boomy undefined bass was a constant in tracks Iām familiar with.
HOWEVER that is all with stock tips, and probably a louder than usual volume. Iām about to be in my room a bit longer, and head home, and Iāll be trying the same wide bore tips (Whizzer SS20) that work so well for the QKZ. Iām worried that those tips wonāt fix treble sibilance for me - or at least, wonāt remedy it. Iāll have to see. It might be that beyond being a very personal con for my ears, its dependent on volume.
At this stage (please make sure youāve read the disclaimers so far, super likely to change) I would keep the QKZ over it, and the Rosefinch isnāt necessarily doing anything I wouldnāt expect from a ChiFi bass cannon tuning (bass too boomy, treble abrupt).
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So interesting - I definitely appreciate your view on the sound. This hobby is truly so subjective, I feel like anatomy does play a huge part in this, as well as Library. I havenāt heard a single example of sibilance from the Rosefinch in the 3-4 hours of listening to them. I also find the bass attack to have more physicality compared to the QKZxHBB.
I think I have to go back and do a proper AB between them. Now granted, I changed out the cable and the tips almost immediately.
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Well I wish I could say something had changed so far, but no not really.
The bass is still really indistinct. One big pulse regardless of whatās making it. Itās nearing a symmetrically slow attack and decay rather than having a clear leading edge like the QKZ.
I found this is true in the mids too - with songs by Andrew Bird, the plucked strings are softened, they donāt have the distinct start they should.
That being said, ironically I feel what I like best about these is aspects of the mids. Theyāre warm and smooth and have a certain naturalness to them. But itās hard to appreciate them in the middle of a V shaped tuning.
Tracks that sounded overall fine would be The Hardest Cut by Spoon, and All Comes Crashing by Metric. In almost every other case (across genres) I was robbed of joy by the bass lacking detail, texture, and a defined start. Itās to the point that I regretted there was no way to switch them on the way home, and I doubt theyāll get much rotation time while I work tonight as Iād rather listen to sets that āhit the spotā better while I can.
For me whatās special about the QKZ is that for the amount of bass it has, at the price it costs, itās unheard of to have such good control and punchiness.
To me the Rosefinch isntā doing anything new or unusual, it has a lot of bass, and itās not well controlled, or defined.
Weāll call that the second sitting, and Iāll see if they get revisited in a day or few.
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Thanks for that warning. The CRN was painful for me, so I am happy to skip on anything shaped like it. That is too bad, since the graph looks promising.
Yes, weird anatomy, for me they both fit just like I can imagine CIEM would fit. Purrfect seal and comfort.
I love them, their smoothness really reminds me of tea OG. Earphones like that make you wonder why would you need to spend anything more.
In regards to comparison with Kai I think those are much better - they do not roll off so sharply in treble - I had a feeling with Kai that I have partial hearing loss + they have more textured and pleasant bass making it more universal for wide range of genres.
Donāt get me wrong, Kai are great for relaxed listening of fun music (especially for the price), but for my taste those are even better in that category + on top of that would work with almost anything you throw at them.
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Oracle mk1 at a reduced price of 450 euros vs Oracle mk2 at a price of 600 euros. What do you think?
Take the deal
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So I received my pair of OH10s and Iām having an issue with fit. The stem and nozzle is so short compared to my other sets, I have to dig the set far more into my ear than Iām used too. Does anyone have a suggestion for tips for a shorter stem IEM? I went through basically all my tips last night and I couldnāt find a proper seal I felt. Any recs are appreciated!
What tips did you go through?
Sedna Xlastecs, Sedna crystals, BVGP W01, some generic KZ tips, ePro E00. None of them gave me a proper seal/bass response Iām looking for unfortunately.
Is it possible to fit the āneckā of the nozzle (closest to the shell) with a spacer, like a small o-ring or cut-off neck of a pair of throwaway tips? Otherwise, bi- or tri-flange tips may give you the extension that you need.
I did, thanks
You know, I looked at my flange tips and literally told my self ānahā but you honestly make a great point. I may give those a shot once I get home. Thanks man!
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Can also try Spinfit CP145? They are longer than standard CP100. Otherwise, like @Sonofholhorse recommended, you can add an O-ring extension
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