He better start saving his allowance like, now then dude 
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Random thought - This is a histogram. It represents the levels of exposure in a photo. I’m sitting here editing some images I took and I can’t help but make the comparison to frequency response graphs. It even behaves like an FR too. The left side of the graph represents shadows/black areas (Bass), the middle is your mid-tones (like skin tones) and the right side is your highlights (total whites and skies, things like that).
Idk why I never made the comparison before, but I learned how to read a histogram before an audio FR, and I can’t help but feel like I’ve been training my brain to understand an audio FR since I started taking photos 14 years ago.
It’s crazy how things go hand in hand.
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Listening to tonight and What did you buy today also on pt 2’s 
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Uh oh, is this correct what I am hearing about? The so called newest flaghship IEM set from Moondrop called the Darksaber is apparently having QC issues? Man there are things never changed huh? Like the days when I first got both the OG Starfields and the OG Arias, good set of IEMs for me at that time but mildly infuriating as hell when it comes to the QC issues I had with them, particularly with their paints chipping off and the cables of the Starfield and OG Aria are not up to par for my liking.
Man, I hope there are other IEM brands that are not facing this issue, but so far on what I am seeing and basing on the current IEMs I have, looks like Simgot is taking Ws this year, I am sure Truthear as well for the EA500s, EM6Ls and the Holas are so far so good with me being used.
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Is there anyone here from Denmark that would be willing to help me with sourcing one item to Poland?
Ljoma 5 BA
I want to share about an IEM from my country Norway, had it on demo for some good time now.
The driver configuration is 5 BA. This is made by one man called Kåre, I recently met him and tested his IEM. This was at a local hifi show where he had booked a room to let people demo his creation. I listened for a long time and compared it to some of my own IEMs. Price is on the more expensive side, around 1400 usd. But I understand how expensive it is to manufacture in Norway, so the price is acceptable.
I had a chat with Kåre about Ljoma, he clearly has a big understanding of the tech and what driver he chose to use here. He used Aroma Jewel as tuning inspiration, but with 5 balanced armatures instead. He also has worked hard to get maximum out of the drivers, as you can see on the measurement below it has very good extension in the upper treble.
The shell is slightly large in size, but even so very ergonomic. I have no problem using it for many hours without any pain spots. It’s not ventilated, similar to my Neon Pro. But I guess due to the large shell it’s never any pressure buildup, I know this is personal and your experience can be different. The texture of the IEM shell is quite special, it does feel more grippy due to the slightly textured surface. It’s also super light, one of the things he also had marketed on the fliers outside his demo room.
The design is quite unique and looks really nice, the faceplate has a 3D effect to it. Color changes with angle and lighting. The white ring is also fluorescent and lights up in the dark if it has been under a light source. The cable and connector is very new to me, it’s the T2 Estron connectors. It’s like an improved MMCX, much more easy to insert or take out than MMCX. Few brands like the new models from Etymotic and Westone have started to use this style of connection.
Subjective impressions:
Bass is very nice on Ljoma, it is among the best BA IEMs in this regard. It’s tuned in a way where it gives you some note weight without bleeding into the mids, some would have preferred maybe it to flat out earlier but not me personally. Bass is impactful and fast, not the soft BA bass some IEMs have. This passes for me, even if I do think it would have been even better as a hybrid with a nice DD here. As for amount, it’s okay and one the more neutral side. Personally I would have liked some more, but I regard myself as slightly basshead.
Mids are forward and clear, vocals and instruments are both in focus. There is plenty of presence in male and female vocals, also instruments for that matter. I find male and female equally good, but I do think people more sensitive to midrange energy would find this too much.
Some instruments thread a thin line where they are very detailed and forward without having too much of a sharp sound. For example listening to some Miles Davis I find his trumpet clear and forward without being piercing, but still have that aggressive tone trumpet is supposed to have.
Treble is executed very impressively, with plenty of resolution and extension. For me personally maybe more than what I prefer, but I know this is sort of tuning very few IEMs do and many also lust after this. Even if it’s plenty forward and extended it is not overly sharp, it just has plenty of detail and air going on. Upper mids/lower treble has a sibilance dip that is there but not too big, my kind of dip where you get all the presence and detail.
Soundstage is spherical with good depth and layering, not the best I heard but better than your average IEM.
Overall the Ljoma is very resolving, fun, energetic and musical.
Strongest positives is the extended and airy treble, few IEMs do it this well. Also being tuned coherently on the whole range, where no range is lacking. And being highly resolving.
If there is a negative it’s the price, but even so it’s made by one person in Norway.
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These look both exceptional well tuned and exceptionally well made, I love the matte black shell + the beautiful faceplate.
Well done on the write-up my friend and of course, this goes without saying but your images are simply incredible 
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Just saw the EA1000 on Linsoul, I am curious about it but I don’t think I wanna pull the trigger on that one yet, for it’s best to wait for reviews to serve as a guide and basis for my purchase decision at some point. Might or might not be an upgrade from the EA500, if it’s not and it’s an another sidegrade again? Might have to pass it on.
So far, it’s looking promising from Simgot’s part and I hope they continue to do better with their future line of IEMs.
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I will confirm or deny that HACK’S finding as well 
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First full review in some time. I decided to put the extra effort in because it’s somewhat of a unicorn, so I wanted to put out some thoughts and data for anyone as curious about it as I’ve been for some time.
Debauche Bacchus - “Monroe”
Baby, baby, baby, you’re out of time.
(Coincidentally a track that would be great on these.)
Pros:
- Design and packaging
- Timbre from dual DD
- Mids are not recessed
- Male and female vocals are smooth
- Treble is at least sufficient
- Both weight and bite for rhythm guitar
- Good stereo imaging
Cons:
- Potentially fragile paint finish
- Treble is not a focus (not an issue for tuning, but if that’s what you’re after)
- While I think the bass quality is pretty great, it’s not the cleanest/fastest.
- Stage is wide but not deep / imaging isn’t going to transport you
One sentence review: A good bass-leaning all rounder with a tasteful FR and OK technicalities, even so, hard to recommend as a new purchase in today’s market.
I bought this set with my own money, after years of it living in my cart (at least three 11.11 sales).
I was attracted to it for several reasons:
- One of the very few available reviews referred to it as analogue / a revisit to the tapedeck days.
- It relies on DDs for its sound.
- Fun fact: I was going to guess graphene for the low-end driver based on the sound of the sub-bass. I was correct! A slightly smaller titanium film driver apparently deals with higher frequencies. (10mm and 8mm)
- The over-the-top design and packaging
- How little coverage it has. I’ve always been delighted by “discoveries” and by owning unicorns for which there are no pre-established comparison/upgrade/sidegrade path laid out.
I decided to commit to the gaudy aesthetic. The black might look a little sleeker, but get lost with other ordinary IEM picks on my desk. I went for yellow 
(so much for any of the few MMCX cables I have to hand matching the theme with it!
Included accessories/packaging
I’ll segue from the cable mention to what is included, and the overall quality of it. I don’t usually care for too much to be included, I live in a small house so the box has to be got rid of in fairly short order in most cases - and as someone who has accrued carry cases and other accessories already, I’d prefer costs be diverted to the sound and build if the IEM itself.
This set is a bit of an exception. A bit like Paulthings’ MIXXTAPE, there’s a lot of nostalgic glee to be found in the included accessories when they fit a strong novelty theme. This set comes with some stickers cards with designs relating to each colorway, a pin, and a hard case emblazoned with a tape cassette. (I would not recommend using it for the IEMs due to a lack of padding inside, more on how that would not pair well with their finish later. There is a foam block that can go into the har case, but who disconnects their cables just so they can pop the IEMs into presentation blocks?)
The cable looks nice enough and has a button on it (I was unable to test this on Apple/Android). However the cable, which has a majority woven finish and is fairly narrow, might be one of the worst for self-tangling, and resistance to untangling. Even with no stylish matches for the shell, I had to swap the cable before long.
The included tips are Sony look-alikes, I didn’t use them but I tested it out with similar narrow-bore silicone tips.
Build quality/notes
The shells aren’t heavy despite feeling solid. The caps are metal but the main body of the IEM, continuing into the nozzle, is plastic.
A nice attention to detail is how the screen in the nozzles with the lines of its lateral grate matching the overall look rather than being default off-the-shelf picks.
An issue with construction which will be returned to at the end, because buyers should be aware of what support they will get if there are any issues, is the paint. This is followed up in the “customer service” section.
Something not at all obvious is that the set has significant exterior venting. I have had IEMs where the venting is a big part of the design language (FiiO FD5 as one example) but when the nozzle is covered, you can hear little/no sound escaping from the “vented” side. While the DB Monroe doesn’t draw special attention to its venting (or it gets lost in the “greebling”) it has some of the most notable sound leaking out of any set where I’ve covered the nozzle and put the cap to my ear. I do think this plays a role in sound later.
Channel matching was really good. The included graph was by my good friend @MMag05 and makes it officially the available graph to my knowledge.
What worked for me:
I was actually ready to discount the set fairly quickly to begin with, but as always, tip rolling is key.
Using a set of SPinfit CP145 in a small size, everything changed. I also found small Final E tips to work. For my ear anatomy, either of these:
- Reduced some higher peaks
- Controlled the bass
- Made sure the mids were not suppressed
The Final E tips rounded edges down to an analog sound, probably more than this tuning has room for. The SpinFits allowed for greater depth and stage. The slightly wider bore alone makes sense of this. I find the bass has even more prominent immersion/resonance with the Spinfits though. They’re the tips that saved this set for me, and then lifted it a good deal beyond just OK. Thanks to my friend @CTJacks336 for the tips!
With either tip, isolation with the Monroes was fantastic for my ears. It’s very rare that I feel a shell sinks to “flush” with my ear like these seem to. I had no issues with pressure, but as mentioned it’s a very well vented set.
Photos of just how good of a fit it turned out to be for me:
My preferences:
It’s worth knowing what my “library” resembles to see if any of these opinions are relevant to what you like to listen to. I can’t really nail down what my taste covers, it’s easier for me to list what I know is excluded from my listening:
- K/J-Pop: I have a lot of female vocal music, but no vocaloid music or songs produced in this style
- Metal: The metal I have probably overlaps better with hard rock than the majority of metal, because it doesn’t include the usual 8000RPM drums, fully distorted/screamed vocals, and shredding on guitar. I have Nightwish, Pantera, Judas Priest, Motorhead and some others. I enjoy Neue Deutsche Haerte in general, and some Ewigheim with is more gothic.
- Rap: I do have some bass-heavy spoken-word type hip-hop (Buck 65, Aesop Rock) but very little from the 90s/00s and nothing at all from the recent waves of rap genres
- R&B: I’m trying to think of a category for things like Drake and the Weeknd etc. Basically no radio hits from the last couple decades is probably the easiest description. Is that called Top 40?
- Modern country: I have plenty of folk and singer/songwriter music, and music that shares timbre/instruments with older country music - but nothing from modern “country”.
A good sign when writing a review of a set is if the set has been free-playing while getting thoughts going, with few to no skips. So far on shuffle I’ve listened to Weyes Blood, Jordi Savall, Tom Waits, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Buck 65, and Linkin Park, Massive Attack, Lyla Foye and Dead Pirates… and it’s all been very enjoyable. (This stayed true even as I added to and reworked this review).
(Assuming there’s a length/image filesize limit, I’m going to preempt that by splitting the post here. Second section coming.)
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Lows:
Mid over sub, but not pointedly so, fairly even. In my experience that’s a good thing - isolated sub bass leads to an indistinct underlying warmth everything sits on without any real punch. Too much isolated mid bass gives an unnatural bounciness. When about even, you get atmospheric rumbles as well as a decisive start, stop, and impact to the bass.
With tracks like Strange Behaviour by Roots Manuva, I’m satisfied with the blend of punch and rumble. With acoustic instruments like the drum at the start of Tinariwen’s Imidiwan Winakalin, the swell is true to a stretched skin being struck. In Tupelo by Nick Cave and the bad seeds, the bass guitar has menace and reverb. In White Bread by Buck 65, the repeating low notes give a center-of-the-head glow, while actual percussion hits further out. In tracks like Vehemence by Purity Ring and Alone by Alan Walker, the low end is providing the immersive atmosphere that it’s required to. When a sub-bass dependent track like most songs by Lorne comes on, I’m not left feeling that the low end was only traced or described, I can both feel and hear it, there is weight. In Lying from You by Linkin Park, I often used this track to see if a driver can give a significant “felt” dive at 7 seconds, and also the double hit during singing (around 2:55) without masking the vocals or being too subdued itself. I also like that double hit to be clean / have some texture, not just showing up as a blob. DB Monroe passes.
I would say the driver has about a medium speed to it, decay is slow enough for natural timbre, but has clear punctuation, not dragging too long for there to be a firm contrast of impact starting and stopping. I’m not sure if there’s any crossover inside, but like the Serial using multiple DDs, I think there’s an advantage to one driver providing a more incisive hit, while the other provides some lingering warmth for natural timbre.
Mids:
This is one of the main things tip rolling changed. With the Spinfits and deep insertion, mids are not recessed. Upper mids have more emphasis than lower, but I do not think this leads to any “shout”.
Female vocals/deeper: Weyes Blood: A Lot’s Gonna Change her voice is smooth, not husky. Intimate but not necessarily forward from the rest of the music. Saint Savior: Animal, I: her voice is crisp (this album can have too many “mouth noises” on the wrong sets unfortunately), smooth, and not recessed. (Woodwinds and strings have great timbre too.)
Female vocals/higher: Caroline Polacheck: Hey Big Eyes / Parachute: Even higher pitched sections from Parachute never become nasal or piercing, I find them smooth and emphasized enough to be very emotional.
Male vocals/deeper: Johnny Cash is resonant and clear in his largely acoustic songs, but Lemmy is a little lost in the wash in Evil Eye by Motorhead - despite parts of his singing still having a lot of texture to them. I don’t listen to Motorhead often enough to rule out that the album could just be mastered this way.
Male vocals/higher: Marvine Gaye in the album What’s Going On, and You’ve Got Everything Now by The Smiths: no lock of detail, neither forward nor recessed.
I find rhythm guitars in punk rock and heavy rock are something I’m particular about. When I’m listening to The Offspring, older Green Day, Stahlmann, Rammstein etc with driving guitars they have to both have meat/weight and bite/detail. Those requirements aren’t easily balanced.
Der Schmied by Stahlmann is a good test track for this, and the rhythm guitars are definitely crunchy and dense at the same time.
Highs:
I think the venting of the shell helps with this. The set graphs dark, and perhaps it is, at least in the sense that the Penon Serial is meant to be “dark” – but I never feel I’m missing any treble necessary for good cymbals, stage and general small noises that treble can rescue from being lost. However it’s not a set that emphasizes treble. From recent experiences, I would turn to the Simgot EN1000 or better still the Night Oblivion Butastur to scratch an itch of being able to hear all the treble there is to hear without fatigue. Different price ranges completely, they’re just the sets I know hit treble well, I haven’t tried any lower priced sets I can compare for treble.
The 7kHz spike is usually something unwelcome to me in a darker/warmer set. Usually a spike around 8kHz (beyond the usual artificial coupler resonance) brings some snap and contrast back in, but if it’s isolated, then to my ears it sounds rather obviously isolated, and too stark of an emphasis to come out of nowhere in the mix. My take is that to counteract a raised low end, you have to raise a ramp somewhere on the higher end, not an obelisk. However, it hasn’t been overdone in this set, having a moderate upper mids gain already tempers that. That also saves it from being an overt V-shape where a pocketful of pixie-dust “sparkle” is sprinkled on top to fight the mud.
For this signature, frankly I wouldn’t want any more than is there.
In Moonchild by King Crimson: Cymbals/bells all very convincing. In Der Schmied by Stahlmann which was already used earlier to reference rhythm guitars, the cymbals just about cut through during the chorus, without sounding grainy/distorted/rattley.
In something like Caroline Shut Up by Caroline Polachek, the synths reach some very high pitches, and they’re all present and adding to the mix. For reference I can hear up to 18KHz. It’s important to mention that as what we can hear varies and would significantly affect our opinions on treble extension. You may hear further, or less, but now you know what you’re adjusting for.
Stage/imaging:
The most subjective part of an already highly subjective write-up. There are no issues with L/R imaging, sounds come from decently far outside my head towards the sides. While the sub-bass can feel a little lower-and-behind me, I would say things don’t move forward or behind much. Things do not feel flat, things do not feel closed in or intimate, but I wouldn’t expect this set to be topping lists for competitive FPS or for tricking someone into thinking they’re on a stage or in a studio. No weaknesses for ordinary enjoyment of music and the intended panning of tracks.
Customer service:
I purchased my set from ShenzhenAudio on AliExpress, one of the few shops to stock DB IEMs.
Having taken a gamble on this set, which will be the case for anyone buying DB sets until there are more reviews and graphs available, being taken care of was an important factor.
The paint on my set started chipping off in under a month, when they were only listened to about once or twice a week at that point, and stored in a soft case. Even my Starfield’s didn’t chip after longer use, so this seemed like a weakness in the finish at least for that batch.
When I first contacted ShenzhenAudio things went the usual way of “that’s what you get for ordering from AliExpress” as far as an offer of a $5 refund, or me shipping the item to China.
HOWEVER, after I talked with them further (and communication was prompt, I had replies nightly) they changed their response to one I think was completely satisfactory - either a half refund, or a refund after shipping the set to a CONUS address.
It’s a shame it took prompting, but I am glad with their final decision.
This is all very important to note considering DB also have a Luna and Sunna set that are exponentially more expensive than this one, with even less information available. No one wants to lose their investment on a lemon, if taking a chance on a company.
Conclusion:
One of the only descriptions I had been able to find had these as leaning into an analogue tuning, and at least with the most successful tip pairing (the Spinfits) I’m not sure I agree. They have the right kind of warmth in the lower mids for that vibe, but so do many sets, and they don’t have me thinking of a tape deck. With other tips (like the Final E) some lo-fi fuzzy could be introduced I suppose.
So it seems I only have more or less good things to say about the sound. That is true. They are a set that once put on, have no trouble staying on. They can disappear and let me listen to music.
Do I recommend them? That depends. They do very little wrong, if at all. But there are two considerations:
-
Cost: Their cost has barely lowered if at all over the years - and in the same years, the $20-$50 has reality exploded with sets that “do very little wrong” and $50-100 sets that “leave little to improve”, usually with at least one “woah factor” trait thrown in. The most direct comparison in my opinion would be the HBBxQKZ which shares some tuning traits and is much cheaper. The HBB is bassier, but for my ear only had one compromise (completely acceptable at the price) which was a slightly metallic timbre for upper mids. To its credit, the DB Monroe does not have a timbre issue.
In fact, it just occured to me that this would only marginally improve on the good old BLON BL03. The DBs would have a tad more control in the bass. -
Place in your rotation/collection: Admittedly this comes from a very privileged setup of having multiple sets with different strengths that can be changed between. I certainly didn’t always have that and recognize that many folks don’t. In my case, although these are easy listening for many genres for many hours without regrets, they don’t often elicit a “woah” during that time. If I wanted all-rounders with an even better low end and mids, I already own the Penon Serial*. If I wanted more energy and an even more open sound I already own the Simgot EN1000. However those are both pricier sets. If your budget was $100, you could do worse than the DB Monroe. I do believe that in today’s market they compete with $60-70 sets more accurately. If you can lose some sub-bass comfortably, then the EA500 is a set that would give a few more “woah” moments.
-
They are a fun set, and their timbre is good - so for a fun set with good timbre that could be a mostly all rounder depending on library, I could imagine recommending them with a slight discount.
Which takes us back to the one sentence review: A good bass-leaning all rounder with a tasteful FR and OK technicalities, even so, hard to recommend as a new purchase in today’s market.
* A note I can’t leave out: Although the Serial is still a top 2 set for me, and Penon has taken good care of me as a customer personally on multiple occasions - they try to influence how reviews are written and to remove anything less than glowing reviews of their products, so I can’t recommend a product of theirs without adding this disclaimer. This is based on communication with friends who Penon contacted after giving them a discount, asking them to then frame their reviews in certain ways. This is not speculation.
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Here’s a link to the same review on Head-Fi if you want to see how long it takes to be removed for having a caveat about Penon’s practices in it:
I’ll be sharing the review with ShenzhenAudio too. I did say I thought it was a good set, I’m not sure if they’ll follow 3 stars for a good set, but given value and competition, a good set that’s just good is 3. There’s a lot of growth after “good” before 4.5 or 5 would be hit.
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I feel like the whole audio business is scummy and preference-biased enough, we don’t need to make it worse with Pennon. I haven’t had any bad experiences with them, but not lining up to buy their products either.
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Between the recent wave of customer service nightmare stories and my growing exhaustion with the hamster wheel of new release fomoitis and getting the skin crawls from snake oil marketing, there is a distinct chilling effect on my desire to buy anything rn - might be a good time to let that wheel take another whirl or ten while I count my blessings merhumblegrumble
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honestly, this is why I like looking at classifieds. You get a good deal on older models that are still pretty great and for the most part they have stood the test of time so you know its a good set without major defects
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yep - time for the new policy - same as the old policy 
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Same, I got a nice EW200 and Juzear 41T and both have been fun, but I’m fully glad that I waited on them. XD
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