JAY's audio memes (and reviews/ranking too I guess)

While these ain’t for me, I can see the appeal for sure. Great review, buddy :handshake::sunglasses:

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Blinded By The Lights GIFs - Find & Share on GIPHY

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TANGZU x HBB Xuan NV and Shozy P20 Review:

The Tangzu HBB NV is one of the cleanest IEMs you can get under $100, in-fact it’s so clean that the Nova might be in a little trouble (the Shozy P20 also sounds really unique).

Thank you to @hawaiibadboy for the review unit!! :handshake:

Starting with the HBB Xuan NV it follows a harman-like presentation from the low-end to the treble with the main difference being that there’s less low-end and uppermids emphasis. Now, this decrease in the amount form both ends means that the Xuan NV scales very well while giving you that clean-vocal presentation. The uppermids cut is also helpful with energetic genres like jpop/pop/kpop and tames the vocals and some electronic elements from becoming overly sharp, but on top of that the Xuan NV also has solid extension in the treble which gives you that air and feeling of space that stops the sound from feeling closed in. The treble isn’t in your face or hidden away, it’s where it needs to be at a good distance so that you can still pick them out without coming off as forward or fatiguing.

The bass also isn’t overwhelming, it’s well textured and separated, punchy, and the Xuan NV also fills in the slight mid-bass scoop from the Nova that some found to be too thin, making drums, bass guitars, and male vocals to sound heavier with more weight behind them. Vocal wise they’re also nicely laid out in front of you, not too forward, and not too pushed back with a good amount of air and nuance in the details, they’re nicely extended, not extra airy and sparkly, or in other words the Xuan NV doesn’t have any quote on quote “special sauce”, but the overall balance of all the frequencies makes the Xuan NV a great pick if you wanted something clean, and “correct” sounding that works very well with many genres.

The overall sound of the Xuan NV is very harmonious, a tamer harman 2019 with no frequency really sticking out from one another, smooth, and scales very well as the 4-8K cut and the decreased sub-bass really allows you to crank them up more without things becoming shouty or fatiguing. You also get 2 pairs of Sancai tips which is valued to be at $26, so a pretty nice deal here.

vs NOVA

Now, compared to the Nova my unit of the Xuan NV is essentially a mini-nova, they graph very close with the difference being that the Nova is more energetic in both the uppermids and sub-bass, the extension is better there, and it’s also a little more detailed. But Timmy’s unit actually graphs way more similar to the Nova, so depending on the unit you get you’ll either end up with a version of the Nova that’s better at scaling and less fatiguing like mine, or just a straight up cheaper Nova, which either way is a win win imo especially if you like to listen louder.

However, can it beat the LM? Well… kind of. Now some units of the LM does graph brighter than the one I have, so for those looking for a less energetic and cleaner sound the Xuan NV would be the tamer and less fatiguing pick there, but if you get a unit like mine that isn’t overly bright, then I do still prefer the LM because the extra low-end and treble does give it that more energetic and engaging feeling especially with cymbal detail and drum kicks and guitar riffs.

Technical performance wise based off of my unit, my LM is more resolving and more detailed, but that doesn’t mean the NV isn’t good, it’s still very solid, around the same as the Hexa, maybe not as detailed in the treble, but it’s essentially just a smoother version of the Hexa because the Hexa can get a bit peaky in the treble which the Xuan NV fixes.

vs HEXA and Olina SE

Now, if you already own the Hexa then the Xuan NV becomes a bit redundant because they sound so similar, and likewise if you already have the Olina SE then it’s also a similar story there as well, similar harman tuning, but the Olina’s just a little brighter, so unless you really like that sound and just want something smoother and less energetic like the Xuan NV, then I would just save up and get something with a bigger jump.

vs Planars

Compared to the T10, F1 Pro, and Klanar - I like the Xuan NV more, it sounds more natural without any of that light/sharp planar timbre. It’s not as resolving, but the low-end on the Xuan NV does feel more impactful, heavier, and the vocals sound more grounded and powerful, and the Xuan NV overall just sounds more correct and less sharp, which allows it to scale better and be more immersive.

Xuan NV is Recommended :+1:


Shozy P20 Review, aka my fav Planar of 2024 (so far)

But a good sidegrade to the Xuan NV and those harman-inspired tuning would be the Shozy P20 - these are awesome. The overall sound is a warm, but sparkly presentation with tamer vocals, the mid-bass is really juicy, lots of impact and texture, great rumble, and the low-end spreads out more enveloping the sound and leaning it towards the warmer side of things. Usually with warm IEMs they’re much smoother, however, the P20 is warm, but also adds a little bit of liveliness on top, and imo have quote on quote some “special sauce” and are different from all the planars, even the P1 MAX 2.

The P20 reminds me of a warm sunny day at the beach, whereas another unique planar, the OG P1 MAX not retuned, is more mid-centric and is more like an orange sunset, and the Xuan NV reminds me of a clear spring day.

This is because the treble on the P20 is very airy, sparkly, and gives off that OCD imaging feeling, very lively but not fatiguing and sharp like the Aurora or Melody because the extra mid-bass and tamer uppermids helps balance out that treble energy. These are great for jpop, kpop, pop, and even rock and hiphop because the low-end energy and texture is there while giving you that splashing treble, creating a warm but sparkly landscape without becoming fatiguing because it doesn’t boost the uppermids.

However, this does mean the vocals takes a hit on the P20, and they do, they’re not as open and extended as some of the other planars or the Xuan NV, and they feel huskier and thicker because of the extra mid-bass, but, these are just so fun, definitely not balanced, but still super enjoyable if you don’t mind trading off some vocals for that sparkly imaging over a warm smooth tuning, because in-terms of “planar timbre” the P20 is actually fine, the Xuan NV still sounds more natural, but the P20 isn’t as “offensive” as the other planars. Either way though, I highly recommend people to give the P20 a shot.

Instead of getting a more expensive harmanish IEM, I would just grab the XUAN NV for that clean/balanced all-rounder sound, and the P20 for that sparkly warm presentation as these 2 are great complimentary sets to one another.

Here are the final rankings:

Tangzu HBB Xuan NV:
Tonality: A (7/10)
Tech: A- (6/10)
Overall: A- (6/10)

Shozy P20:
Tonality: A+ (7.5/10)
Tech: A-/A (6.5/10)
Overall: A (7/10)

Thanks for reading :slight_smile:

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Another banger, brother, thanks for sharing again!

But that P20 does look pretty sick tbh, I hadn’t really looked into that set before your review… If you ever decide on letting them go, please let me know :eyes:

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Thank you thank you brother :handshake:

We’ll see how the P20 vibes :smirk: but most likely… AINT GON HAPPEN :joy:

Ohh that’s why I was like hmmm this reminds me of something lol, well, now we know what it is hahaha

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Crushing my dreams, brev! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Honestly, I might just go ahead and pick up a pair for my self down the line then, I totally understand you not wanting to let em go… I’m just afraid of silent retunes tbh. I can’t trust these Chi-Fi companies anymore.

And yea, as soon as I saw the graph on your video, I instantly thought of the Meteor.

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Hahahaha sorry brev these are too fun to pass up~
And ya honestly the re-tunes gotta stop, makes it hard to review as well
Let’s hope they don’t do that to my collab lol

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:skull_and_crossbones: dude, that would be heart breaking. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen is right. It also hurts the integrity of the reviewer as well…

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I will hold them at gun point and have it on video :joy:

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Some Sennheiser vibes as well.

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I can get behind this take. I still like the Ziigaat Cinno a bit more, but I need to A/B them this weekend.

Every time I see the P20, I think that planar version of the QKZxHBB seems really overpriced. I know the the P20 is flatter on both ends, with planar treble, etc. , but that is how people talk about it.

I still think the PR2 retune was a shame, because the original is incredible.

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Ya Cinno’s are very nice, flat, neutral, clean :ok_hand:

Nah the P20 is a lot more different than the QKZ HBB haha

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Simgot SUPERMIX4


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image

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Supermix into Harman, we back.

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Imma keep it a stack.

Thats Lame

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:joy:

depending on how much this is it might be good, the resolution feels better than the Nova (fit is better too not as big) and similar to the Chopin if not better, so we’ll see

I mean everything sounds good so far… well balanced… as you’d expect from Harman… lol

If it’s under $200 it’s safe, if not, uh oh

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how do you get such graph to follow harman 2019 when HBB graph has much lesser pinna and follows exactly his target? im confused

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HBB’s was a sample, so I’m guessing this might be the final retail unit tuning

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everyone was happy for a less energy in the upper mids Simgot when they saw the HBB unboxing video but i guess they all gonna be dissapointed lol

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