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

That has not been my experience with the Dunu SA-3. Maybe other units react differently. The air vents you show are significantly larger than a pin hole.

It might be too little of a difference for you to notice. but if that does anything at all to your pressure, then it should have an effect on bass as well, especially with a BA iem as BAs are extremely sensitive to seal.

2 Likes

The pin hole only relieves the pressure upon insertion, equalizing in-ear to outside. Once the eartip has settled in the ear canal, the seal is there. Try it for yourself.

edit: From Knowles: “When the designer wishes to provide elevated bass, a vented
balanced armature driver is called for. The typical rule of
thumb for back volume is to provide minimum 50% of the
exterior volume of the driver…”. (emphasis is mine)

1 Like

I am a beryllium DD fan in general. I am firmly in the camp that the best budget IEM is the Artti R1, but the Kiwi Ears Cadenza was also solid at $35.

I like Simgot, but they live right at the edge of what I can handle for brightness.

5 Likes

I am a Beryllium fan as well. Dunu and FiiO did great jobs of implementing Be back in the day. I have the Dunu DK-2001 with stellar mid-bass. I have the FiiO FD-1 with bargain-priced visceral mid and sub-bass. Great stuff.

I wish I would have purchased an FD-7 back a couple years ago…

Dunu has/had Be mid-bass covered supremely. My DK-2001 is a mid-bass master.

The Fender Bassman Pro that Dirnt uses easily covers 40 Hz.

Here is an fr graph of an Ampeg 8x10:

https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/graph-gif.4095350/

The sub-bass fz decline slope is there but the vibrations and low fz “authority” are still present. Play through one and you will understand how a fr graph does not represent what a true Ampeg Refrigerator does in real life. The fr graph of these bass amps/cabs is like a picture of the Grand Canyon. They don’t scale with any amount of validity.

For punk, the vast majority of bass players are using Ampeg or Fender amps/cabs. The US/UK trend is toward using a Fender Precision but the Fender Jazz is not too far behind. The Jazz seems to be king in Asia.

2 Likes

This takes me back when I first started the hobby in November 2019, I was looking for earphone reviews and stumbled across a site called audiofool.reviews ran by a guy named wiljen, I saw his DT6 shilling and assumed it was crazy value, knowing absolutely nothing about tuning, I made an account on Ali and bought a set for 16 USD.

This was the 2nd chi-fi IEM I bought, the first one was the infamous 1more Triple Driver back in April 2018.

My set is in rough shape but still works:

Weird midrange, both male and female vocals are slightly sibilant and sound digital, treble has decent extension but it sounds scrapey and unnatural, bass is pretty blunted with zero texture, these suck but my old Jade Audio EA3s sound worse than the DT6.

Apparently only the first batches were tribrid? I recall seeing 1+1 on later units when I was browsing Ali years ago.

It’s funny how Senfer is banned on head.fi for allegedly rigging reviews but they would struggle to have even an ounce of relevance today if their other IEMs sound as bad as the DT6

5 Likes

I agree i think i have a pair of the early release tribrid somewhere. Should give it another listen. For the price it was rather decent for what it offered back then.

Elysian Pilgrim Review:

Also, Hainan earbuds :joy:

7 Likes

I dont remember that but there is a later model they called the DT6 Max which is a hybrid instead of tribrid.

1 Like

Quick pics of the EM10 (review tomorrow):


:ok_hand:

13 Likes

You mentioned the EM10 has that nice immersive wrap-around-head effect in the review - what other IEMs come to mind when it comes to that effect?

OG EJ07, EJ07M, OG TEA, TEA 2, OG DARK MAGICIAN, uhhh that’s all I can think of off my head, I’m sure others can chime in ^^

4 Likes

SIMGOT EM10 & SUPERMIX 4 FINAL REVIEW:

So, SUPERMIX4 and EM10… If you’re looking for an all-rounder that plays everything back very well, then both of these are one of the best at its price.

SUPERMIX4

I’ll start with the supermix4 first - the final tuning is the same as the one in my first impressions video, confirmed by Simgot, so everything I said there is still valid. You can refer back to that video if you want a more detailed breakdown versus the Nova and Chopin and some other stuff as I won’t repeat it again here.

The SM4 is one of the smoothest IEMs I’ve heard (with sancai tips), smoother than the EM10, smoother than the Pilgrim, the Dusk, Nova, Chopin - it’s harman at its best, and for $150 it’s really a no brainer. The value is insane since it’s basically a better version of the Nova and the Chopin which were already great iems, but additionally the SM4 improves upon those with a little more clarity and smoother in the treble. The performance also punches well above its price, and combined with the smoothness it just makes the SM4 a very great all-rounder that does everything.

SM4 vs EA500LM/EA1000

Now, compared to the EA500LM and the EA1000, the SM4 is smoother and less bright and energetic than both of them, it’s more neutral and tamer in the low-end and treble, and it’s not as engaging as the other 2. Resolution wise it’s a slight bump in the treble air, but the low-end is more impactful and heavier on the LM and Fermat, and the imaging is also sharper on those, although I know some people found those to be a bit bright, so for those looking for a tamer and smoother version of the LM and Fermats - the SM4 would be better in that scenario.

As a sidegrade the SM4 compliments the LM and Fermats nicely, they’re not redundant if you own those already, those 2 are brighter, bassier, the SM4 is cleaner and smoother. Similar with the EM6L the SM4 is different enough imo, it’s more neutral, less warm and bassy, smoother, and less sharp in the uppermids/early treble, but this does mean gaming wise the EM6L is still the better buy because of its sharper imaging due to the boost.

If you’re just starting out and unsure which kind of tuning you like yet then the SM4 would be a good set to ease your way into since the tuning is very enjoyable and safe… Although the downside to this style is that… it gets a bit boring at times - too smooth with slower indie and acoustics genres, and you’re not going to get any special sauce from the bass, mids, or treble since all the frequencies are very harmonious without any region sticking out from the other - which is great if you just want to hit shuffle, but this also means as a result, no particular frequency is going to get emphasised or pop out from the others.

At $150 for an all-rounder this good, is a great deal, but I mean there are still options if you want something more different. For example, the CKLVX or Pula is $150 and they’re more airy and dreamlike, not as well-rounded, but definitely have more “special sauce”, and then there’s also the ZIIGAAT Cinno if you want something neutral, clean, or the 7hz Legato if you want a bassy, rumbly, engaging sound. So, there are still some options out there, but the SM4 does an amazing job as an all-rounder.

SIMGOT EM10

As for the EM10 - this is just the Supermix4 but on steroids. You get more details from the vocals and the treble, cymbal splashes are airier, you hear the micro-nuances in the end trails of the vocals better, the bass is more impactful, the drums go harder, the sub-bass is rumblier, and overall the EM10 is just the direct upgrade to the SM4.

It’s also pretty smooth on top of the resolution bump - not as smooth as the SM4, but compared to some other sets around its price it’s smoother than the Dusk, much smoother than the Aurora, and around the same level as the Hype 4s and Pilgrim. Resolution and tech wise it’s slightly more detailed than the Hype 4 and Dusk, and around the same as the Pilgrim, but with the main difference diverting in the low-end and micro-dynamics.

EM10 vs Pilgrim

Compared to the Pilgrim the Pilgrim is cleaner overall, less forward in the uppermids and vocals, not as complete as the EM10 because there’s a chunk missing from 3-8K, but as a result it’s tamer for those who find the 3-8K boost a bit much, and although not as complete as the EM10, the Pilgrim is still more complete than the Dusk, although just not as detailed and extended as the EM10 vocal wise.

Because of this tamer uppermids tuning choice the Pilgrim feels more laid back and less forward in the vocals, not as powerful in the notes, and not as airy in the end trails of vocals (none of them are super airy, but the EM10 does have the most air around its price because of its boosted treble). Low-end wise the EM10 feels heavier, fuller, and the mid-bass slams harder, but it’s not as quick in the decay as the Pilgrim, the Pilgrim again is overall cleaner, but it’s also safer and more vanilla as a result.

Presentation wise EM10 is more immersive and engaging, the low-end goes harder on the EM10, the vocals are more powerful, and the Simgots kind of wrap around your head and really takes you into the music, whereas the Pilgrim kind of just presents it in front of you and more traditional in its staging. Out of the 2 if you want a cleaner and more balanced sound signature then the Pilgrim would be better, or if you’re extra sensitive in the 3K area then the Pilgrim is tamer as well in that regard.

But if those don’t affect you I think the EM10 is still the better choice, it’s overall more engaging, and because the SM4 exists and does the Pilgrim’s job very well already, again, it’s like 80-90% of the Pilgrim, I just don’t think the Pilgrim is special enough where I feel like I would actually spend $400 to buy it myself - like it’s definitely better than the Dusk, but versus the Hype 4s and the EM10 I would actually you know, pay, and buy the other 2 myself because they do have a little bit of special sauce; The Hype 4s being it’s low-end texture, energy, and the overall sound just being very full and big, whereas the EM10 is more immersive while being slightly airy in the treble and vocals with a good mid-bass kick.

If you want something bassier, go for the Hype 4s, it’s got more impact and sounds fuller, whereas the EM10 is more detailed in the uppermids/treble, but not as bassy and would be better if you wanted something that can do everything but still have fun bass.

Again, if the SM4 didn’t exist then I think the Pilgrim would be a great pick as the cleanest all-rounder out of the 3, but unfortunately the SM4 is very clean already, and it’s also $150 and smoother on top while being very close resolution wise, so, a little bit unlucky. I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy the Pilgrim, like on its own it’s a great product, I really dig the design, and the sound is great as well if you’re looking for something clean, but just know that value wise you’d be paying for a small bump over the SM4, and not as smooth.

EM10 vs TOP/VARIATIONS

I mentioned this before, but the EM10 is basically a mini Monarch MK3 and because of this it actually replaces the TOP for me as the best all-rounder before the MK3s since it’s basically the same sound signature, but just smoother and not as bright (some found the TOP too bright) while retaining the same levels of resolution and clarity. Similar story with the Variations, the EM10 is a better variations to me, fuller, less thin, more engaging, and it fills in the mid-bass scoop and adds more sub-bass while retaining the same uppermids and treble detail.

EM10 vs MEGA5EST 7TH ANNI

And versus the Mega5 EST 7th edition - I think the MEGA5 is good if you want a neutral set, like, very neutral since it’s basically a straight line, but I do think they’re a bit overhyped. I was able to hear it recently and I didn’t review it because, well, I had nothing much to say about it. I know DMS really likes it… but it was just too boring for me.

The low-end needs work, the bass is very well-controlled in the separation, but it needs more impact and weight, and just overall engagement to the sound. The vocals are also pushed back, not very powerful or airy, and just not very engaging in any region really. It’s very balanced, treble extension is good, great layering, but nothing really sticks out to me - it’s another great all-rounder, but this time very neutral. Like, I already forgot how it sounds and I’ve only heard it a few weeks ago, so…

The MEGA5 EST7 is good, just like a lot of stuff, but the sound is too safe and not very memorable, and I wouldn’t buy it myself especially since it’s like $500-600 - at that price if you want a clean-neutral set then try the Oriveti OH700VB, those are neutral with more low-end and dynamic contrast, or the Aful P8, neutral, flat, with a slight treble emphasis, or evne the Dunu SA6 MK2s, so a lot of choices that are similar but that adds in something different on top.

Aside from that, if you’re looking for an all-rounder, then either the SM4 or the EM10 are the best if not one of the best at their price points and above. Simgot dropped 2 bangers back to back and got me working overtime while I’m on vacation… and I also just got my prototype, so I’m testing that right now, but more updates on that later :wink:

Here are the final rankings:

SUPERMIX4
Tonality: A+/S-
Tech: A+
Final: A+ (7.5/10)

EM10
Tonality: S-
Tech: A+/S-
Final: TOP of A+ (7.5-8/10)

Thanks for reading :sunglasses:

26 Likes

The only thing on my mind right now is if Davinci’s sound presentation is like that of EM10 - immersive, wrap around head, or if it’s more like Pilgrim where it’s in front of you like speakers.

I much prefer the EM10 presentation as its described.

I might have to gift my Xuan NV to my significant other and get EM10/DaVinci, need at least one really good set of IEMs…

1 Like

We will find out once I get back, they’re not selling it on Taobao in China so I can’t review it here

Looks bassy tho mmm

2 Likes

Good impressions thanks for sharing.
I agree on the Hisenior stuff just underwhelming and over priced.

Love my Pilgrim and cant wait till my units show.

4 Likes

These two sets had very 3D stage so that’s great to hear that EM10 can do that too!

4 Likes

When I demoed very briefly Mega5EST, I thought it was the best bass I heard under $1000. However I agree that the whole package is difficult to justify for the price.

5 Likes

Just to clarify, I’m not saying the EM10s are as “3D” as those, but they just wrap around more than the Pilgrims. Less flat. Don’t want people to get the wrong impression here

6 Likes

It’s all your subjective opinion anyway really

1 Like