IEM discussion thread (Part 2)

Good ol’ unnamed, that company makes some mighty fine shit! :laughing:

I kid, of course. I’m glad they are workin for ya. :+1:t2:

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it’s pretty good yeah but the IEM I’m comparing it to stomps on it, I mean for good reason, that one’s so much more expensive lmao

this is pretty fun though

it does not however pass the big boi kill jill head shaking test I like to do, they did say this one’s not really basshead level stuff but its still nice

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Funny you said basshead stuff, that was the consistent thing I heard about these as well. Not quite basshead level of bass, but pretty damned close. I would say that assessment is pretty much spot on. I believe the DDs in these (yes, there are two!) are of a Bio cellulose composition. That interested me. So far, I am NOT disappointed.

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Ayyeee, nice :sunglasses:

As silly as it sounds it’s true, the more practice you have putting tips on IEMs, the better you get at it. Pretty soon you’ll be a dirty tip roller like the rest of us! It’s probably one of the most fun and most rewarding aspects of the IEM side in this hobby. An IEM could go from unbearable to fantastic with the right tips. Always happy to help, brother!

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Might be pretty good edc beaters lol

Either way, I might buy the purple one at some point

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Been away from IEMs for a while, looking to pick up a new set so I’ve been in research mode to see what is out there. I’m looking in the $200 and below range. I tend to like a warmer, more organic sound with some bass authority. I listen to a wide range, but rock and electronic are probably the two genres I listen to the most (with acoustic folk coming in a close 3rd).

I currently have the Kiwi Ears Cadenza, some old BL-03s and a set of Final E3000. Out of those I enjoy the sound of the BL-03 the most. They have some special sauce, but I have issues with the fit (shocker, I know). I’ve had some higher end sets in the past but ended up selling them. Some past favorites were the Dunu Zen and the Hyla Sarda.

The Aful Explorer is on my short list, as well as the Kefine Delci, the Sivga Que and maybe the Letshoer S12. Would love some input from people who have heard these sets. Are there some other sets I should be considering?

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Aful Explorer sounds like a great fit, I’d probably disregard the Letshuoer S12 for that kind of sound (too much up top) and look at the Letshouer S08 instead.

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Yeah the S08 was interesting. Never owned a planar but have listened to a few headphones. I’m concerned I would miss the slam of dynamic bass, but maybe I need to try a planar IEM to get the feel.

Thanks for commenting! Pretty sure we traded on the Zen back in the day if I’m not mistaken.

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Yep, I remember you! I can vouch for the Explorer (have them with me right now, actually) but others will have to chime in on the specifics of the S08. They do seem to be a favorite among the current crop of planars though!

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Aful Explorer if you want more sub-bass, something like ISN Neo 3 if you want midbass focus

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ISN Neo 3… Hadn’t heard of this one yet. :eyes:

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I vouch for both Explorer and S08, if you can buy from a place with a good return policy, I’d buy both to see which one fits you better

I’m currently using the S08 and to my ears these have way more bass authority than explorer and they sound just absolutely amazing, Explorer is the warmer of the two and while I haven’t done so, I’m pretty sure I can spend a whole week only using that set because its so relaxed and anything comes through it fun, I will caution that I didn’t really dive in to it with classical music or whatevs, also that people say it’s not as detailed so I was worried it’d be veiled but its perfectly balanced for what it’s trying to do

Explorer to me bass wise is a really nice unabashedly bass set with amazingly warm fun presentation but S08 is shake your head like it’s got BC drivers level fun along with a sparklier treble but not too much

edit 2 edit harder: I just saw you mentioning dynamic bass, for what it’s worth again, my ears hear the S08 as DD slam but with Planar decay, there is some bloat especially if the song has a lot of bass so explorer is more controlled in this area but I enjoy these so much my Mext is basically on a sabbatical

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image

So how is the fit on the S08? I’ve heard a few people say the fit can be a problem because of the size/shape of the shell.

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Yeah see, it’s why I was reccing grabbing both to try

For me, I had to tip roll and I ended up settling on the I think Medium Velvet, it’s not disappearing to my ears like Explorer but it’s not grating either. I’ll give this whole day an S08 only run and see how I feel about it

so it’s comfy enough to wear for long periods but you might have to readjust every now and then, for me, its the back portion of the IEM that annoys me

just for reference, I used to own Chu and I had to use L Dunus on those to get a fit going

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Owner of the AFUL Explorer and the OG Kefine Delci here. The Explorer is a clear step above the Delci. It should be at $120, while the Delci is $60.

The Delci is a V-shaped party in your ears. Lots of sub-bass, some mid-bass, slightly recessed mids, smooth treble with a touch of energy. A lot of fun for EDM, but the sub-bass is pretty damn flabby. These remind me of an IEM version of the Meze 99 Classics over-ear closed backs.

The Explorer features one of the newer lower-pinna gain tunings, which I like. Smooth as hell. Not fatiguing at all. No elevated upper mids, so the vocals aren’t shouty. But there’s a surprising amount of treble detail that emerges when needed despite the smoothness.

Bass also is a more complete, refined package in the Explorer. It has adequate sub-bass that’s well controlled. But the mid-bass is prominent, punchy and dynamic – far better than the Delci if you’re into the pinpoint punch of mid-bass over the gooey blanket of sub-bass, like me.

Both sets have excellent construction and fit for the money. Both provide excellent value for money. I enjoy both.

But the Explorer is a better all-arounder, while still not ideal for acoustic, strings and other non-bassy music. The Delci is excellent with EDM and poorly recorded (loudness wars) rock albums.

If I had to choose between them, I would take the Explorer. Better technicalities, more controlled bass, better all-arounder as a smooth, all-day listen.

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Hey im looking for iems. I had sony xba-A3s but they got stolen by a contractor when building my house. I havent had a need for headphones really but im going to be doing chemotherapy soon so need somethign smaller than headphones. What are some headphones that compare to the xba-a3s that are below $150 that compare to them? They have said they are very natural, balanced, a little warm? Could i have a headphone like these that would be decent for gaming?(better than 8 year old astros) Thanks guys.

Looking at maybe the Aful Explorer, Pula PO2, would hexas with the right Dac cover my requirments?

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I also vouch for the Aful Explorer. The S08 is an interesting pair of IEMs, but my main issue with them is the lack of dynamics like you expressed in your concerns @Mr_Makua - I felt not only the bass wasn’t as dynamic, but the rest of the fr as well.

The Explorer handles sub bass and mid bass extremely well and the treble is deceivingly well done with plenty of detail and sparkles.

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basically past the headshaking Bass which not everyone will want, S08 loses to Explorer, the way the treble is presented like you said is deceivingly well done and not only that the fit is most likely going to be better

I’m excited to see how the S12 2024 stacks up against the two when it gets here

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I forgot to mention the fit, yes, the S08 has a weird fit for my ears whilst the Explorer is one of the best fitting IEMs I’ve tried in a long while.

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Yeah the Explorer was weird for my ears for a day until I found the right tips, this is the first IEM I ever used to ever give me that “disappears” into your ears, I absolutely love it

I can’t help you fully since I’ve never heard the A3 myself but between Explorer and Pula, I’d go Explorer
the Pula wasn’t that warm to my ears but I did enjoy them before they broke lol

no comment on Hexa either as I skipped those lol

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