Just got this in and it’s pretty sweet. Impressions so far are very strong, it has a unique shell that feels smooth on the skin. Nice bass, good trebble, big fan so far, review incoming in a bit.
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Folks, wish me luck, for I have pulled the trigger on an upcoming new IEM set. I hope this Kefine Delci AE is gonna surprise me a bit or I don’t know, give me a solid IEM with a different sound signature. I will lend my thoughts eventually once it arrives, but for now I am tempering my expectations a bit, in order to be even more surprised, or not.
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I recall that I generally found Rush to be a bit bright. That worked okay on home stereo speakers yet can be a bit sibilant on IEMs.
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Good luck bro. I got my YuXuanJi coming tomorrow and since I got the S08 I lower my expectation a lot for this one, esp considering its a different tuning and half the price. Around the same price there is the Xuan NV which is very vocal forward. I eq’ed my S08 to the Xuan NV graph and find it a hit or miss with my library. But an interesting tuning nonetheless. The Rosetechnic Star City 5 Pro might also be interesting
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Man it’s such a shame on what happened with my S08 for I have liked that IEM and one of the best planars I have ever owned when it comes to its tuning this year. I cannot be bothered returning this IEM to the seller since I know it’s going to be very expensive anyways since I am from a country that is far away on where I got that set. Hopefully this would cater to my tastes, though warm signatures are rarely have been that impressive for me, but I cannot recall the others with similar tuning that have impressed me.
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IEMs under $300 are so good these days that it is scary for any brand to compete in this range. Tonality, technical ability, resolution everything got so much better in these two years that there might not be a point in investing in a more expensive IEM if all you want is a fundamentally good sound.
AFUL Performer 5+2 & Kiwi Ears KE4 -
These two IEMs especially found a good balance between being affordable and being mature in their tonality at the same time. But they do differ a lot even then.
Performer 7 is a braver approach to the sound. By the word brave, I mean it’s a riskier and bolder take on the tonality. Yet, P7 somehow smoothes out the harshness in the music whereas KE4 will give you the truest form of that representation. The upper half on KE4 reminds me of HD600 with a half-worn pad. Where P7 seems like a worthy upgrade to the P5.
The bass is more textured on the P7 with better body. But the physicality of KE4 is a touch better as well as it is more rounded. Resolution is better in P7, but tonality is better in KE4.
Mids are a bit forward on the P7, especially the lower mids. With a bit more texturing and details. But KE4 presents the mids in a very open fashion. The overall range feels like it is open and not on the face like P7 with a good amount of sense of space around the spherical stage and seems more holographic too. It creates such an odd position that half of my library sounds good on P7 (Vocal Centric) and others on KE4 (Instrument Centric).
In the treble KE4 is a total beast. It doesn’t have the same resolution as the P7 but the way it handles treble is extraordinary. It’s like neutral but given extra flavours here and there so that it doesn’t seem boring, even with my HRTF this thing just takes the cake for natural sound. P7 is a safer approach where the treble is smooth and reminiscent of AFUL house sound & not to mention the 10khz dip in my HRTF which makes the sound even smoother.
Although both IEMs are exceptionally good for their price and punch way above their price tag, it’s up to you to choose your flavour. Do you want an absolutely natural sound or a bit coloured?
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Great comparison! It’s impressive how much you get for under $300 these days. Both the P7 and KE4 seem to have their strengths. Appreciate the breakdown!
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Outstanding comparison with vivid, clear descriptions of the differences. Thank you!
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Did the poll. I use AMHD and have close to 10,000 tracks in my local library. I intend to grow that.
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This beauty of a cable from Openheart for like 15$ just arrived. I love the aesthetics with Twilight, functionally it has no microphonics, but it is a bit stiff for my taste.
But for the money it is a stellar deal for people liking rope like wires
Edit: link added for anyone interested
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EQq6CDR
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Ok folks, it has been many hours and days since I have bought the Delci AE. Between the Gold Nozzle and the Silver Nozzle, I must say, I prefer the Gold one since that one provides more clarity and treble that is just right to my tuning preference. The Silver Nozzle is good as well but I think it’s a tad bit too chill for me, I mean it is meant to be chill since the AE is more of a let’s say an “expansion” of the original Delci. When it comes to the male vocals, the Silver nozzles for sure win, but If I want an all around tuning that can handle various genres, the Gold nozzles are for me.
Overall though, this is a great set to have for me.
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Sounds like the Gold Nozzle is your sweet spot with that extra clarity and treble! The Silver Nozzle definitely has its perks for male vocals, but yeah, the Gold seems like the more all-around option.
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I know this fall has been crazy with new releases, but I am shocked that more people aren’t raving about the Sivga Que. This is just my initial impressions, but I am really enjoying it. It is a single 10mm Beryllium DD, and it reminds me of the Olina SE with just a bit better bass.
If this set had come out last fall, it would be considered a top pick under $100, and the accessories are great with a good cable, two full sets of tips, and a good case. The regular price is $76, but it can be found around $62 on sale.
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I have seen some people raving about it but yea definitely went under the radar. I think it’s a warm set? Might have gotten overshadowed by explorer and s08
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It is warm, with a V shaped tuning, but the sound isn’t really anything like either of those sets. The Que has good treble extension and a fairly wide stage, which is very different from Explorer. I haven’t listened to S08 in a bit, so I won’t claim my memory is good enough for a comp.
I was mostly posting to say the Que belongs in any short list of sets under $100 to recommend. Olina SE, Artti R1, EA500, LM, S08, Kailua, are all good, and Que seems to belong in that group. Again these are still initial impressions, but they are solid pick with good accessories and very nicely priced.
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Sounds like the Que offers a nice balance for its price, especially with the treble extension and stage. It’s always good to know which sets belong in that ‘best under $100’ category. Do you think the Que holds up well for longer listening sessions, or does it get fatiguing after a while?
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I think it holds up well. I am about 2 hours this morning, and no fatigue, plus the shells are really comfy too. It has a scoop around 5k, which brings the sparkle down a bit and really makes them work as a longer session set. It really strikes me as the Olina SE with just a tiny bit less treble, which makes the bass pop a bit more.
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Thanks for the detailed breakdown—sounds like a great set for longer sessions!
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Mo******ck
Simgot EW300 Has no right to sound this good for this cheap of a price
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Hahah yesss, Simgot EW300 really punches above its weight for the price. Hard to believe they pack that much quality into something so affordable!