absolutely, seen pics of people with bent 2.5mm and some 3.5mm but never a 4.4mm.
That is unexpectedly good service.
2 Likes
Random reminder to wash your eartips, especially if they are oily as that can be a bottleneck for fit/comfort.
2 Likes
Another Data collection Round, Probably the final round when it comes to Cable choices and Designs.
Please Vote 
Thanks.
So here’s the question
what kind of cable connector and accessories would you like?
This isn’t about a matching set, that’s like by definition you need to have a matching set of accessories, This is more of a design preference thing, aesthetics
So,
do you like Rounded rectangle and angled connectors, something like a 64 audio
circle connectors, straight up Metal cylinders
minimal connectors
Or something like custom connectors that use metal artwork. Lets be real, i most likely won’t attempt this, I’m just noting preferences in cables. But this is data collection for TOTL iem, so it might be considered… maybe… 
- Rounded Rectangle Connectors
- Metal Cylinders
- Minimal Connectors
- Custom Machined artworks, I will pay up
0
voters
Connectors Colour and material choice.
- Metal connectors (chrome)
- Plastic (transparent)
- Plastic (Black or any solid colour maybe)
- Custom Metal connectors, simple type but anodized with certain colour
0
voters
Additionally a poll for Heatshrinks
- I need heatshrink
- No Heatshrink
- Heatshrink and an adjustable wire to fix shape of hook
0
voters
Heatshrink or not is not really important to me. Perfectly shaped earhooks is nice, but far between 
3 Likes
interesting…
i’ve never seen people complaining about heat shrink unless the hook shape is off or it is disintegrating after a while…
what’s going on…
@mOrPh @Sonofholhorse
give me your opinion
1 Like
well, the shape can be modified further with a household hair dryer. If that fixes the shape, is there any other complaint about heatshrinks?
I just find that no earhook means no potential for irritation (especially wearing with glasses) or having to remold the shape if you have a bad fit. I’ve never not gotten a cable or IEM because there were earhooks but given the choice, I prefer no earhook and just letting the cable hang. The earhook has no bearing on structural integrity either, so that’s not a factor IMO.
2 Likes
ear hook, the starting part serves as stress relief imo for the cable right after the iem connectors. but if the heatshrink was cut too short only serve as strain relief it would potentially scratch against the skin with the ends being exposed, but once it is a full hook, the part that hangs right below the ear is a good point for the cut off. So for me, not having a heat shrink might potentially serve as a stress/breakage point for the cable at the connector heads under repeated stress. Then again, i haven’t come across a case where the cable has snapped from not having a heat shrink.
1 Like
That’s the thing; across almost (or more than) 100 IEMs I have tried in my life, I’ve never had a failure at the point of the connector with or without the heatshrink. In theory it provides support but in real-world practice I have yet to see it make a difference. That said, I think most people will prefer an earhook since that’s what they’re used to.
4 Likes
I have reshaped a few, but for the most part they are fine.
I have a couple of cables where the heatshrink almost seem to not crimp enough though, with the result that there is noise being mad with movement. Sort of a crinkling. I don’t know the brand of these cables. I have most likely got them as addons or freebies with used sets I have bought or traded for.
4 Likes
I don’t mind at all, had some cable don’t remember which had awfully shaped ear hook of my ears and made my IEMs fall off (I think it was the stock Wan’er 2 cable of the regular one). Never thought on techinical level to consider this
I guess if it is properly done it is no big deal but if I need to remodel it heavily with hair dryer is already pain in the ass for me.
4 Likes
Perhaps a more adaptable solution is to not have ear hooks on the cable and if you want hooks you can use something like this.
Found some clones on ali.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007643662467.html
3 Likes
Clone ones kinda low key looks better, I’ll check them out when I order stuff off ali next time.
The shrink also keeps many cables from becoming stiff as it protects from skin oil that dries the cable covering layer out.
1 Like
Yeah, Also why i try to check out the sheaths of the cables since they also interact with the skin sometimes, especially around the neck. I haven’t tried teflon (PTFE) just yet, but so far, Medical PVC and DuPont PVC are my favourites.
I used to buy Papri cables before, but I can no longer find them. I need them, they’re pretty good. Long lasting and dont oxidize easily. Litz does help with that to a good extent even if they are nasty to solder with. The burn mark/ black sheath near solder points really triggers me.
KiwiEars Halcyon
Transparency: I got this unit as part of the launch of their Kickstarter campaign that is live right now. I do not get any benefits or kickback and I am free to write whatever I feel like.
For more in-depth technical information please go to Kickstarter campaign link As I look at it from another perspective when I listen.
Lets go!
KiwiEars has made some competent products, but aesthetically this is the first one from them that really has won me over. To me, Halcyon is he best looking KiwiEars IEM to date.
It has a very clean and sleek design language, and I think they made the right decisions almost all the way through.
The all-metal shell gives it a more serious and more refined presence than a lot of products in this range, and the laser-etched patterning is especially well judged.
It is subtle enough not to disturb the elegance of the design, but it adds just enough texture and visual interest to keep it from becoming plain.
A fully metal IEM can easily end up looking cold or generic, but Halcyon avoids that. It looks modern, restrained and properly thought through.
The cable deserves some credit too (that I dont use in the pictures). It is of high quality, it handles well, and it is very ergonomic in use. If I had one small wish, it would be for the connectors to sit flush rather than protrude a bit. But that really is a nitpick more than anything else. It does not get in the way of the overall impression, which is positive. This feels like a well-finished product, not something where all the effort went into the headline feature and the rest was treated as an afterthought.
And of course, the headline feature here is hard to ignore. This is the first IEM I have had the opportunity to try that implements a MEMS driver, and after spending time with Halcyon I came away positively surprised. More than that, I came away feeling that it is a very capable solution for treble. That was the part I was most curious about going in.
New driver technologies tend to arrive with as much expectation as they do uncertainty. Sometimes they immediately show you why they exist. Other times they feel like a concept still looking for a convincing reason to be in the product.
What impressed me is that there is none of that metallic edge in the treble that micro-planar implementations often bring with them, for better or worse. That slight sheen, that sense of artificial texture that can make treble sound exciting at first but ultimately a bit unnatural, is not really present here.
The upper register comes across cleaner and more composed than that. It feels like Kiwi Ears understood that simply using new technology is not enough. You still must integrate it well, and here it sounds integrated rather than showcased for its own sake.
Halcyon is not tuned like an IEM that wants to put a spotlight on treble simply because MEMS is the novelty.
In fact, the overall signature is relatively easygoing, which I think was the right decision. It gives the whole presentation a more broadly appealing character and stops the IEM from turning into a demonstration piece for one specific frequency range. The treble has capability, but it is not screaming for your attention. It contributes to the sound instead of trying to dominate it. That makes Halcyon feel much more mature than it could have been.
I think that is a big reason why it will likely be appreciated by a wide range of listeners. There are no obvious flaws here that jump out and force you to work around them. It feels like a very complete product. Really, the only part that will come down to taste for most people is whether the bass level lands exactly where they want it
I might have chosen marginally less. But I also know that I sit lower on that preference scale in general.
So I do not see that as some major criticism of the tuning. If anything, I suspect the majority of listeners will find the bass level more to their liking than mine.
Because there is a difference between not exactly my ideal and wrong.
It is simply tuned with a broader listener base in mind, and I think that will work in its favor. The bass gives the sound a pleasant and accessible character, and because the treble is handled with more discipline than I perhaps expected, the whole thing comes together in a way that feels coherent and easy to enjoy.
There is also something to be said for the value here. At the current Kickstarter price of 199 dollars, this feels like a very favorable offering. Honestly, you get a lot for the money these days, and Halcyon is a good example of that.
The shell design is excellent, the cable is good, the implementation of the new driver-tech is more convincing than I expected, and the tuning is broad enough in appeal that I can see it doing well with a lot of people. It does not feel like a product trying to sell you a concept. It feels like a product trying to justify itself properly. More than anything, that is why I ended up liking it.
It would have been very easy for Halcyon to become “the MEMS one” and not much more than that. Instead, it feels like a genuinely solid IEM that also happens to be my first experience with MEMS done in a way that leaves me optimistic about the technology.
It quietly shows that it can be part of a very competent and well-balanced whole. And that is usually the better sign.
So where do I land on this?
Kiwi Ears Halcyon is, in my opinion, their best-looking IEM so far, one of their cleanest overall executions, and a very encouraging first encounter with MEMS driver implementation. It is warm, pleasant, capable, free of obvious weaknesses, and offered at a price that makes it all the more attractive. I might personally lean toward a touch less bass (sub-bass) but I also think most listeners will consider that more of a preference note than a real downside.
On the whole, this is a very good product. And at 199 dollars on Kickstarter (Early bird), it feels like a very good deal as well. Since I leave out the tech-specs and if you feel like having a look for yourself on the accessories or the box and more from them regarding philosophy etc here is a link to do so:
Thanks for reading
8 Likes
Why is this a kickstarter? absolutely wild marketing from an established manufacturer 
’s come to mind.
12 Likes
Yeah I dont know either. Not a fan of the concept myself but it seems to be very common nowadays. everything from powerbanks to IEMs…
3 Likes
For sure, Penon VIP discount v’s KiwiEars kickstarter = Hustle time no more no less.
It’s getting kinda super boring and absurd 
6 Likes
I think it’s mostly a marketing gimmick to drive FOMO tbh; pretty sure they would have released even if the Kickstarter failed, it’s not like they didn’t already have a viable product. Worst case they would have repurposed the design either as a direct product or re-branded, possibly under another sister brand. It’s goofy and a bit sleazy but I don’t know that I’d call it particularly malevolent. I do wonder if there’s some kind of internal reason (having never done a Kickstarter or similar crowd-funding release) where they get a break of some kind that’s tax advantageous or the like beyond just front-loading production costs with a glorified pre-order, since they ALSO just do preorders (with reservation card or otherwise) outside of Kickstarters?
7 Likes