Hope you can try out buds! Would be great if they work out for your ears 
3 Likes
Quick impressions after a few days with Kotori Zephyr, a hybrid IEM priced at $150 USD. Itâs got 1 dynamic driver paired with a Knowles balanced armature. Unsually low sensitivity at 93 dB/mW @ 1kHz, 18 ohm impedance. Still, didnât have any trouble driving it. AudioGeek EU provided the tour unit!
The Zephyr presents an unusual tuning with full, dominant bass thatâs tight and quick, complemented by some treble spice that has a bit of an edge without becoming fatiguing. The vocal presentation was noteworthy - both male and female vocals are somewhat recessed, with female voices particularly set back, which is contrary to what you typically find in e.g. V-tuned IEMs.
The subbass extension is pretty good, but overall not too impactful in the bass delivery. Strings come through quite forward with some extra treble crunch. Despite this added treble energy, it doesnât cross into uncomfortable territory during longer sessions. Works pretty well for metal like Tool and electropop artists like FKA Twigs or Charli XCX.
The shells are small and comfortable, feel well built. While the overall tuning didnât really align with my preferences, I respect that Kotori tried something different with this sound signature. If youâre looking for a bass-focused IEM with quick response and a touch of treble excitement, and donât mind the mids taking a back-seat, this could be worth considering.
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Funny timing as I also got Crimson at the moment (Audio Geeks Tour)
Here are my impressions
- Relatively small metal shell, good comfort for me. No pressure relief system could become a problem. I used Tri Clarion Tips and got perfect seal and a deep fit
- Beautiful design
- 8 core upgrade cable of good quality but the screws of the Y-Split are on the front and therefore visible when wearing the IEMs. Cable is for recessed sockets but the sockets are not recessed. Too expensive for these kind of flaws
- Price to performance ratio is kinda good, price to driver count ratio is very bad
- Very lively and engaging sound profile (toe tapping/head boppin´)
- Sub bass can be a tad too much
- Mid bass is a bit too thin for my preference
- Bass is fast, tight and textured
- Mids are very clear, open and holographic
- Could do with lower pinna gain. Some voices and instruments are borderlining on being shouty and on some occasions even crossing the border (example: Trollfaust - Tanz der Erhängten)
- Treble is nicely done but missing air frequencies for my preference (example: Nils Lofgren - Keith don´t go)
- Very good imaging and layering with ample space between those layers. VERY IMPRESSIVE for being 4 BA only. Competes with a lot of higher priced stuff. I´d take it over Vision Ears EXT-MKII for example. I´d also take it over Prestige LTD (which is a bit cheaper though)
- I´d still choose a more natural and more effortless presentation like Mystic8 (with EQ) for example for longer listening sessions.
- Does not reach the refinement of Mystic8/Cadenza 12. I guess this is where the higher driver count comes in handy
- Easily EQable to my preferences
Overall it´s one of the best IEMs I have heard!
Thanks for reading and have a nice day! 
15 Likes
Alright folks, itâs been a while now of me being here and I would like some advice, suggestions and if I can pleadly tell you this, some questions that I need some answers.
Is it worth it for a guy like me, whose just recently bought the Elysian Pilgrim and the Softears Volume S, save up and get the Hisenior Mega5EST? For the signature and turning that I see from it and based on some people who reviewed it back then, are to my liking so far. If not, and if you think there are better alternatives to it, what would it be? For I am open to an idea on getting an IEM set that has like better value than the Mega5ESTs.
Answers will be appreciated as always, and as answers are being shown to my questions, more opportunity for me to even learn, and for that I thank you all.
1 Like
I would never get MegaFest If I have both
I would say save a bit more and get something like IceLab Prismatica/7th Acoustics Supernova [Based on what you prefer]. The jump from Vol S & Pilgrim to Megafest is not very high.
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My head burn-in with this IEM was pretty long.
Aged like a fine wine after 2 weeks of usage.
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That is one factor for sure, another one sometimes is learning how loud can i listen to this specific IEM before it is getting too much of something
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ShitâŚThese are just perfect 
Can not find a single flaw for my taste
Need more time though but they passed all critical tracks with flying colours
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But âŚthey look⌠like that 
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yes true i was also not a fan of the design but in real life they do like quite nice actually
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IMO you wonât get any kind of real upgrade compared to what you got. I have not heard the pilgrim but I do own both the volume s and mega5est and I would say they sound pretty similar. The KE4 or Lust are also good similar sounding alternatives for less money. I think the Blessing 3 is really underrated nowadays and worth trying. The hype 4 or performer 5+2 Are two I would also highly recommend checking out. Really fun, but still based off the same meta tuning as the mega5est, just slightly more v shaped.
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Are you looking for alternatives/replacements or compliments that do things differently?
Iâve heard both the Pilgrim OG and Vol S. Theyâre quite close to the same, both good, but one isnât much different than the other. I had fit issues with the Vol S and the Pilgrim seemed to lose itâs treble magic after a few daysâŚ
Perhaps think about what different direction youâre looking to head. A bassy set or something incisive leaning brightâŚor both!
Iâm searching like you. My most recent couple hours have been with the BGVP NS10 Pro. Interesting departure from my usual single DD fetish. I didnât get along with the BGVP DMA at all or any other BC Iâve tried in the sub-$300 range.
A DD, a planar and 8 BAs walk into a bar⌠
Edit: Hifiman RE2000 Pro Silver just arrived. Early impression - best $180 Iâve spent in a good long while on IEMs or anything really
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Looks like they are using a Huayunxin DD, this.
Itâs funny to say this but I already got ther Performer 7s as well in my collection and yes I do agree on their given price, they are one of the best and I enjoy it even more once I have a new cable for it which is a modular one and I wasnât a fan of its stock cable not being modular, despite it being a good cable.
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Yeah I am the opposite of the bass head for I am one of the users who prefer bass quality than quantity.
Yes for the most part for I am aware that I donât have the amount of money to get an upgrade from the Pilgrims and Volume S, itâs just that I donât want to use the two too much that it loses its magic to me, making me eventually get tired of them. But yes some upgrades would be nice if possible, if not, a complimentary piece is acceptable as well.
Thank you for the suggestions and I apologize for not mentioning this on my question earlier, is that I donât mind getting complimentary pieces as well from those IEMs I have mentioned. But yeah I do agree, an upgrade would make more sense if you want to take it to the next level that you love from a specific tuning.
1 Like
