But the second graph looks very promising!
1 Like
Tuning on Kbear Ink which will be released on May 4 seems more convincing. Thieaudio Elixir is also worth waiting for his presence.
Kbear Ink
Elixir
In the future it will be more interesting single DD battle with Harman tuning and tonality that is getting better and more accurate. Like a comparison the sound of stereo monitor speakers from each brand with 1 driver and 1 twitter.
Digital Stereophony : Speaker Monitor
Oluv Gadgets : Bluetooth Speaker and Headphone
DLX WIllington : Bluetooth Speaker
@tkddans : IEM and Headphone
Podcastage: Condenser Mic and Stage Mic
I always watching videos from some of these channels to get an image of the tonality of each audio device being compared. Of course it’s not 100% accurate when you hear it in real life, but we can hear the difference in the frequencies of the sound
2 Likes
I’m keeping an eye on Elixir for sure 
1 Like
With all due respect, but knowing your IEM target for sub bass being +6dB above my estimated one I take your words “non-bass heavy” with a grain of salt, as you seem to like some ear canal massage from time to time 
For reference LBBS stock is mostly fine with low end for my library. It is only if I listen to something modern like Blood Orange for example when I tend to miss some felt rumble and then put up some bass shelf.
But being in Europe and liking what you refer to in general I am quite confident I would try to reach out for something from your series with more neutral profile at some point. Now I am waiting for MEST OG to arrive in beg. May and cannot justify any purchases as this is the one which is supposed to cure me from this hobby and constant chase for better 
This chaconne killer may be the one
3 Likes
Ahahah the Riku’s curse 
So Here we are! After a little chat in private with @Nymz and a little bit of organization for the cult tour, I finally got the parcel with the oh so precious sets: Dunu Titan S, Mangird Tea OG and Mangird Tea 2.
I finally got to test some iems way above my usual comfort zone of 50~200$, thanks to a crazy man that lend 700$ worth of stuff by mail without asking anything in return. So thanks a lot @nymz: you’re can’t be sane, but i thank you for that 
I’m no tester, and don’t feel particuarily at ease with english language. I consider myself having not enough experience in the hobby to articulate a sum up clearly. That’s why I won’t organize my feedback as a test, but will try and describe my feelings and observations while I was listening to my usual “test playlist”.
Then I’ll compare it to the Timeless, the set that could be the closest to the Tea Price tag.
disclaimer: I listend to the teas with Spinfit CP100, plugged in a DX3 pro V2 DAC/AMP combo. I listened to it through radsone ES100 and l&P W1 too, but have nothing significant to say about that, so they won’t be talked about further.
Adele - rolling in the deep :
I thought the set would be bassier than what I heard; it is not and seems pretty ballanced at first; then the subbas kicks in and you get where the power goes.
At the beginning of the song, you can hear symbals from a tambourin; these cymbals on the teas are recessed compared to what I’m used to; I conclude that the set is somewhat dark, or at least darker than what I usually listen to.
The voice is so beautifully rendered, my god!! so precise, and full!! It is placed a little in front of you (instead of “in your head”), but that doesn’t shave any detail
the instrument separation allows you to go and pick any detail you want in the song.
the set, by being dark, should be an easy listening for long sessions.
Birdy - Skinny love :
the voice of Birdy seems to be quite hard to render properly: a too bright set will make it thin, too fragile and maybe agressive, but a too dark one will lose the cristaline property of her timbre.
The tea handles her voice brilliantly, effortlessly.
It seems that this track has been poorly recorded: you easily ear the studio noises (piano pedals, chair crackling,…) and there are some artefacts; Moreover, the track is easily sibilant on every S and T and even some D…
All these imperfections will allow for bad tuning detection.
The tea doesn’t bring the crackling forward, nor the pedals depress, so it’s all good. The sibilances, too, are here but limited.
Usually on this track, the piano and the voice compete for the same space if resolution and/or FR is not balanced enough. Of course with Teas, there is no such issue.
Hotel de Paris - fly me to the moon :
I listen to this track beacause I like it, and hearing the crowd chatting (at the beginning and the end of the songs) is fun; the low number of instruments allow an audiophile beginner to decypher which instrument does what.
What stroke me on this track with teas is the bass. I never heard it like that before, with so much definition and body; yet it doesn’t steal the show and stays back compared to the voice of the singer. The voice of the singer, though, seems to lack a little something. I’d say that some harmonics should be upped a little for it to shine as much as the female voices shined on the other tracks.
On the teas, I feel I could push the volume without discomfort at levels that would become damageable on the long term for my health. this is a sign, for me, of a very good set that can handle power and doesn’t change FR with it.
Lorde - buzzcut season :
The subbass on this song with the teas is something that gets to you; I can’t imagine someone not loving the sense of engagement it brings. the song is quite complex, with many movements inside the stage for each instrument; with the tea, I heard it while I never did on other sets; that’s a very good sign for imaging capabilities.
the whole song is rendered in a quite balanced way by the teas; once again, everything is well defined and separated (a pure bliss for those who like critical listening). The “bass melody” that starts at 1:09 is easily hearable, well defined and quite upfront. It is at the verge of being too much, creeping on to the voice/main melody.
Postmodern Jukebox - Creep :
that song, that singer, that arrangement…
At 0:49,Haley Reinhart produces a rasp while singing “what the hell I’m doing here” that I felt. I mean, I phisically felt a hurting sensation when she did that; I wasn’t focused at the time, and it caught me by surprise.
That rasp, oh my god, how precise and powerful it was!! I never heard it like that before, even with the DT300 or the Timeless (BA and planar sets). On the other hand, this capability is a double edged sword…
Hoshi - Ta mariniere :
a double esdged sword, as I said: Hoshi, as a rocker obviously smokes a lot and must drink at least as much; as a result, her voice is naturally raspy. On this track, this raspiness is put on front with the tea, making the song uncomfortable and tiring.
Pantera - cowboys from hell :
oh man, the double-kick drum on this set is just amazing! I undertand why peolpe tell the teas are the go-to iem for Metal.
So, what can we learn from all this?
First, the tea deserves its price bracket: its technical abilities outpass any other set I’ve ever heard. The subbas focus brings something new to the songs, while not shadowing the rest of the frequencies.
The more I think about this set, the more I recognize it is exceptionnal, compared to whatever I’v heard so far.
VS TImeless
the timeless, right out of the bat, has less sensivity
On Adele, the voice is way more recessed. On Birdy, the voice is more nasal, thinner, less natural. the sibiliances are more present and the voice fights more with the piano for the space.
On the Zelda 25th anniversary medley by Koji Kondo, everything has less body ; the cymbals and tambourin are less nuanced, less detailed, but are way more upfront
On Born of a broken man (Rage Against The Machine), the fisst instrumental part is just presented as a wall of sound on the timeless, whereas on the teas you can easily separate the instruments
generally, the Timeless has more midbass and way less subbass than the teas
All in all, the match is just a bloodbath: the teas are better tuned and present way more details and technicalities than the timeless.
Conclusion
the teas are a weird set, when you think about it: the bass really is focused on subbass, in the risk of being overdone on some occasions. the bass, while being boosted (seen on graphs) doesn’t sound overdone at all; they even sound at the good level. despite the set being quite dark, the voices are presented upfront and doesn’t sound dark at all.
it gives a set that has nothing in common with what I have ever heard:
- the subbass and bass section is very precise and present, without being overdone
- the mids are the best I’ve ever experienced, and has become my goal for audio
- the technicalities (instruments separation, details, resolution) are top notch
I note that I could get tired quite quickly when listening to the teas. I still don’t know why; is it BA timbre, the subbas quantity, the fact that I push the volume more? that question would require further time to investigate, but I sadly had to send the set to the next one in the line, spreading the Cult.
I admitedly have not a great experience with iems, especially above 200$. I actually began to doubt the quantity of upgrade I could have for 250$ and above, given the disappointement the Timeless was for me. Now that I have heard the teas, my faith is restored. And for 250$ on Drop, it is a no brainer.
I finally have to admit it: I love this set. The more I think about it, the more I realize I need it in my audiophile life.
9 Likes
Trust me, I’ve done way way way worse.
Thanks for sharing the love. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone so passion about that set as I am.
I was actually looking for a home for them to rest in peace and be loved. In the end of the tour, if you want them, they are yours.
Tea Cult lives on 
8 Likes
BQEYZ Autumn - First Impressions
Disclaimer: This unit is a review sample sent directly by BQEYZ in exchange for a review. No incentives were given to say anything other than my own thoughts and opinions.
Part 1 - It’s Autumn but the winter is coming
As a reviewer or hobbyist in general, the amount of IEMs you try don’t just shape and form your vision of your preferences but they also give you tools to quickly get your own opinion in a matter of tracks. Once you have tried a lot of audio gear, you can get a general picture of an IEM and do an abstract painting in a matter of seconds or minutes.
My initial picture of Autumn is completely neutral. I didn’t connect with the IEM and got zero emotions out of it. At this point I was assessing by using the bass tuning magnet filter. Bass has elevation, dynamics are dull and the area between 3 to 5k hertz make the notes splashy, overemphasized and fatiguiding, resulting in a lower volume every track. It’s not a bad IEM, but I wouldn’t consider it great as well. Average is the word.
Autumn is my favorite season of the year but I was dead cold and it felt like winter. This was not due to the lack of warmth, as you might guess by the graph, but because it gave me no emotions and I couldn’t connect with the music, which by the way, is the fundamental objective of this hobby.
I’m not gonna lie, when BQEYZ contacted me and asked to give my take on this IEM, I googled the graphs. I knew 5k was there and I know it is my weak spot, as I’m ultra sensitive in this range of frequencies. What I instantly thought was “Well, a filter might help with that!” and then I processed to close the tab and not think about that until I got my hands on the set yesterday.
Part 2 - The Light Magician
Tanya filters on the nozzle, IEM went straight dark and too bassy, so it was clear to me that I could no longer use the bass filter, so I proceeded to graph the remaining magnets with the filter on. My guess was that the normal magnet would take the bass down to its original values, which was raised by the Tanchjim’s accessory.
And then I saw it… (insert zoom-in and B-Roll footage, with a drum roll)
Yes, it’s close to the DM’s tuning. There’s clearly a difference around the 5k area which gives it a strange taste on upper harmonics, it has less treble extension, less detail and stage is nothing comparable. But hey, it sounds way better now and costs a third of the DM’s price.
Funny fact and to prove that great minds think alike: When I shared this discovery with the Shortbus crew, Michael Bruce told me once again I was him and he was me. Guess he found it out first, some days ago, and I missed it. Go check his findings!
Part 3 - It is Autumn but the Summer just ended
So, how does it actually sound, you might guess. Well it is extremely balanced and upfront mid-range.
The bass is the star of the show. The 13mm Driver can, with this setup, work effortlessly, showing its traits. Great extension and has texture, coming out as tight and snappy, with impact when called. Just like the DM, it’s quality over quantity and will glow when it’s needed, letting the mid range breathe.
This tuning also ends up giving some warmth and note weight to the other frequencies, just enough to never feel thin or clinical.
Besides lowering a notch around 4.5k - which I actually EQ’d to try by doing -3db @ 4.5k Q:3.5, - I can’t fault the tuning much. I even tried to add some upper treble extension and it instantly felt unnatural to my ears, so let’s leave it at that. This experiment showed me that you can clearly raise the volume if there was less energy around that area, scaling even more and opening up.
Now, the technicalities is where I think Autumn falls short, especially in the stage presentation. Stage lacks depth and width, taking you into an inside your head presentation. Imaging chops are average but the left and right pans were the biggest difference to the Dark Magician when A/Bing both with the latest showing why he’s the king of the hill.
The dynamics of the notes are actually good, detail is sufficient to be competitive in the price bracket.
Part 4 - The reviewer’s dilema
I’ve never reviewed anything with a mod or need for EQ. I’ve talked about it before and even if I recommend any type of easy mod (Olina - adding another filter that comes inside the box; CCA CRA - Using PEQ to fine tune a 15$ IEM,) I would always review stock. I might do it this time, even though the filters are inside the box, as I think it would be great for the people looking to buy Autumn or those who already have it, to try a new perspective. Seems most reviews online are all about using the bass magnet in stock form.
Another question raises about the price. Even if I like it modded, would I recommend it? Market has been moving at the speed of light. It’s a not so common tuning and for those looking for it, I would. But on price alone Autumn has some stiff competition above and below. The Tanchjim brothers are awfully close, Olina costs half, FDX1 and Kato say hi and probably 100 pairs of Moondrop Chu or CCA CRA got sold while I wrote this down.
One thing I didn’t mention yet, but works in Autumn’s favor is the quality of its metal build, the nice carrying case that comes along and a nice 4 core graphene cable available on the 3 standard terminations.
Guess it’s time to give it a bigger spin and start A/Bing.
No preliminary rankings this time.
10 Likes
Nice one …pity you where not given more forgiving ears…hahahaha
Seriously though I can understand what you say, although I don’t personally have any major issues with the Autumn.
I think that although BQEYZ haven’t gone with the usual safe tubing, it plays really well, and since I modified it it’s become even better.
2 Likes
This make so much sense. The treble filter did remind me of my time with the dark magician weeks/months before I had the Autumn. I never tweaked the top end though. A set I miss from time to time is the Lotoo one I had. I would love to see a proper graph made of it by someone. I’m sure it had a decent amount in common too.
2 Likes
haha, yeah. I do intend to have something for basslets as well. (or at least there is room for a lineup like that.)
(although my house tuning wont allow it to be too bass light.)
2 Likes
My take on the Mangird Tea 2
Once again, I thank @nymz for this opportunity for not only listening to a 300$ set, but even compare it to another one in the same price bracket.
I’ll make the review of the tea2 quite short, because I lack experience in this price segment, so I don’t know what I could expect from a set.
The similarities between the tea2 and the tea1 are as follow:
- imaging
- stage
- resolution and details capabilities
- bass texture
and this is where the tea2 differ from the tea1 :
- (on tea2) the voices are less forward in the mix, especially female ones (Birdy, Adele)
- (on tea2) the symbals are more forward, sometimes more splashy (Adele), meaning the treble/some treble is more elevated; that goes with the set being less dark (but still a little dark, IIRC)
- (on tea2) there is less slam/sub-bass and more mid-bass (Lorde, Hoshi)
All these characteristics, that result in a more balanced and well rounded set, make them also more “traditional”, less surprising to me.
So, are the tea 2 better than the OG? No, they are not; are the OG better than the 2, then? neither; these are 2 tunings of a same iem. One is special, a magic sauce, that grabs you by the neck and basicaly show off what it can do. the other one is a more traditional thing that is more rounded, has less edges, and let you explore what it can do; My guess is that the tea2 would be easier to listen to on long sessions, and would be easier to recommend to “new comers”.
I think tea2 are an easier rec than the OG, because they are better behaved and have rounder edges, so it will please more people more easily, while not losing the benefits of technicalities and stage and imaging.
Despite the cost difference (vs the Drop price), I would still recommend the Tea2 to a “new comer”, as the OG tea could come across as lacking some things (or having too much of other things). But I personnaly liked OG tea more, just because I am a vocal-head and I have no experience with this level of performance.
4 Likes
Ahah, basicly what I say. Well done
2 Likes
Call me interested. 
2 Likes
I promise i didn’t read your review before doing mine 
I actually read/view many reviews, but don’t remember any of it. I have to take notes when I’m interested in a set. It takes so much time, but allows me to “average” the feedbacks with a little more consistency.
2 Likes
Despite not liking the OG Tea as much as you do, I totally agree on this with you and @nymz. I guess if I had to decide between OGTea and Tea2 and could only have a single IEM, I would pick the Tea2 as it’s the better allrounder. But then again: The single IEM constraint is fictional and the OG has more special sauce.
I am wondering if this is a general trend with “v2” IEMs like the Tea, Mest and Monarch. From what I read, the v2s of these IEMs are all more agreeable, but lack what made the v1 special.
2 Likes
My thoughts as well. I think Tea OG has the special mojo but Tea2 is a better IEM and easier to Rec. Same goes for Mest due to fit and sub-bass, EJ07 and EJ07m, etc.
1 Like
Seems there’s a new CRA coming out, the CCA CRA+. Not really sure why we are paying double for a retune but ok…
1 Like
paying for that normie bass? lmao
3 Likes