IEM discussion thread (Part 2)

IEMs / Other In-Ear Monitors (IEM)
1410

Okay thanks for that info, I bought it secondhand and was worried somehow the venting system got clogged or something so I was rushing to see if I could make it to their refurbish event lol

Okay then for now I’m back to buying me some hybrid tips since my velvets build up pressure as well in equal amounts to my other stuff. Excluding my sancai but they’re still not as good as the stock foams from my variations

1411

check out the Sony hybrid tips. EP-TC50, EP-Ni1000, EP-Ni1010

1 Like
1412

Thanks, gonna look for em tomorrow after I kick the crap out of this cold lol

1413

A trick of the light with the copper cable reflecting but would be cool if it was gold :wink:

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1414

man I thought it was like a limited special edition lol

1 Like
1415

I got the new tips ordered. Should be in today. Was needing some to help with filtering on some of my iems and curious how good the new ones sound overall ngl.

1416

If you just needed filters, buying filters on ali is muuuuch cheaper though.

1417

That wasn’t the only reason, but I 100% agree with the sentiment. Also looking to be tomorrow more so than today at this point lol

1418

Yes your did. I want to thank everyone for the discussion. I am listening to the KA17 right now.

Also Doscinco with the KA17 is a fantastic pairing.

4 Likes
1419

Congtats on the purchase!
Please come back with some impressions after some time if possible :slight_smile: Especially on the usability side. Are you Android or iOS user?

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1420

I’m curious how you like it.

1421

image
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11 Likes
1422

Cute lil baby Panda :panda_face:

4 Likes
1423

I guess it’s better than a waifu :man_shrugging:

Probably is a waifu to some folks though.

6 Likes
1424

@astr0 … Odd that they are focusing on smaller & lighter on the P1 MAX 2. I just hope it keeps that flatter treble tuning.

Today was the perfect day. I took it off to run my wife to a couple doctor appointments, and the first one got rescheduled, so I had some listening time.

Fiio KA17 on Android

  • it is stupidly easy to use - I am mostly using this on my phone, and just USB-C from my phone into the port on it ( cable included is decent too ). I turned the volume down, and switched to low gain. the only Fiio app integration appears to be for the EQ ( which I don’t use, and there is an EQ on/off in the menu ).
  • the desktop mode is a “more power” switch - It basically doubles the output power, and I am running in low gain already. This has enough power for nearly anything that you could want, and might be overkill for my gear. My most powerful desktop amp outputs 1300mW, but I never turn that past 11 o’clock on the dial.
  • the orange USB port is just a power port, and it stops drawing over the other one - For saving a phone battery this seems cool. I was able to charge my phone wirelessly while powering the KA17 with another cable
  • my only complaint is that the function button can’t be setup as a play/pause - I think that it can’t until they integrate with the mobile app better. Short press is display on/off, long is menu access. It is also wired to my phone, so it they are inches apart and it is not an issue.
  • there is a rotate display option - This was genius. Where I will likely use it at my desk, the display was upside down, but there is an option to rotate it.
  • the case is color coordinated - I bought the blue one and the case was a lighter blue faux leather

The sound on the KA17 is very good, it seems neutral with maybe a hint of warmth. When I turn on desktop mode, all that extra power does what you expect, the bass hits with more authority, and the stage seems a bit wider.

I am enjoying cracking out my favorite IEMs, and I can say they all sound better on the KA17 than my other DAC/Amp do. I tend to say my best sources are the MT-604, Topping DX1, and Fiio BTR5, but this is better than those. If you wanted to replace a desktop setup with this you could. I am guessing that some of the larger options ( G5, Q11 ) might be impressive in their own way, but the power and size makes the KA17 an impressive value ( 650 mW for $150 ). It is smaller than the BTR5, but twice as thick.

I gave it whirl with my HE400se, which is my most power hungry set, and to put it to the test I ran it off my phone. It was the only thing that I felt like wanted power, but once I had it in high gain, and desktop mode on, it had lots of extra headroom, and I could have gone with either and been happy with the sound. I pulled out the S12, which is one of the few things I own cabled to 4.4mm, and it was pretty satisfying, desktop mode was a bit intense on that set, but it can be a bit too spicy at volume.

The squares are 1cm, and that is a BTR5 for scale ( all out of bananas )

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11 Likes
1425

Ditto, keep the treble and bump the mid and sub bass a few db and this is a winner

4 Likes
1426

The literal only thing I would change about the OG pandas is the fit - if they can fix that and maybe just smoothen out the treble a bit, they’ll have a winner.

The issue with the OG Pandas is that it had such an amazingly unique tuning, how do you follow it up with a second set? You don’t wanna change the tuning too much because that’s the special sauce behind the name. We shell see.

5 Likes
1427

I just purchased P1 Max and waiting for it to arrive. 84$ was too good of a price.

Regarding its treble, have you tried pairing it with a really smooth source? FC6 comes to mind.

5 Likes
1428

For $84, they punch way way way above their price point. Depending on what you’re looking for in an IEM, they might also be the best under $100.

I have tried a smoother source with them and my favorite playback just happens to be with the FiiO BTR7. It’s the perfect balance between techs and musicality.

6 Likes
1429

Gotcha.
What about mesh filters?

1 Like