I just swapped for couple of days my Serratus, Alter Rider and LBBS for Fatfreq Maestro Mini. The bass iiiiiiissss heavy as hell, though I expected even more for some reason, but I would wiggle around with tips later on to make the most out of it. The vocals are too thin for my taste in here, the treble is a bit piercing, but I could have this set just for the sake of the FU bass it produces.
But fuck me I just wanted to share something I would consider the worst design decision in IEM I have seen up til today. I knew it is without a shield on the nozzle, but come on!!
Check this:
The BA nozzle is like 0,3mm down the lip, so even if you would want you would not install anything. Only things like Complys with integrated grill or azla vivid would make me feel safe about that set
They are very very comfortable though
That was a main concern for me, thankfully I only had to baby it a while… but it was a deterrent for owning it long term for sure.
That makes me nervous just looking at the picture … Thankfully they added a grill on the newly revised SE. Being a boutique brand, they must not make too many of these things but I’m still hoping a pair pops up in the used market. I’d love to get a sense of what the bass shelf is like.
Oh my God, no 
…
XENNS Mangird Top
Frequency Response Graph:
First impressions:
Neutral with a bass boost. Less upper mids intense Variations. Pretty well balanced and nothing stood out so far other than a tiny-mini elevation around 5k.
Techs are good, mainly stage, separation and layering.
On first passage, I’d say it’s at least competitive and I personaly like it.
Moondrop Quarks (DSP Version)
Frequency Response Graph:
First impressions:
Good tonal balance with mediocre techs, which is expected at this price range, that also turns into a no-fault-policy given the 14$ tag - but don’t get me wrong, it’s still well tuned regarding the price.
Expect QC and unit variation on these, judging by graphs I’ve seen.
Probably the cheapest way you can get a good tuning, given you don’t need a separated DAC (dongle) to connect it to your phone.
@nymz backlog on backlog on backlog 
I feel your pain, my friend - you don’t even have to say anything.
KZ H10 (TWS)
First impressions:
Heavy clamp force. Pairing was swift and painless, pretty straight forward interface with decent ANC.
Tuning is a wack - inversed W-shaped/V-shaped.
Build is all around. Metal parts are sturdy but plastic and PU Leather parts feel cheap. Pads get hot.
Sorry, still not there yet.
I believe that agreed l added it to the V2 MM as well
Yeah life has been giving me lemons, I finally got back home and to my setup tonight. Well, it is what it is.
Already baked just needing the toppings:
- DUNU Kima
- Timeless AE
- QKZ HBB
- FatFreq Maestro Mini
- Symphonium Meteor
- Symphonium Helios
Other stuff will follow suit. I’ve also been working on the new tier-list and yearly awards when I get free slots, so there’s that coming as well.
Does it stand out as having anything special for it’s asking price? I’ve been eyeing it as a huge fan of the Tea and UP just worried it won’t offer anything special to my current rotation.
Edit: Oh god just loaded it in your squigs compared to my rotation. Looks like the Top might be a bit to much treble for my taste. Does it come of as being bright?
I sure hope those are some good lemons, my friend - this way you can make lemonade 
I’m looking forward to your thoughts on all of these sets but the meteor in particular, I’ve heard some very decent impressions on those and I will admit, they’re on my radar.
Side note - the graph of the Top looks jarring to say the least. All that energy after the gain is most likely a deal breaker for me and for most. At least the faceplates are damn pretty!
I only had a quick listen for a few minutes and didn’t get to do any tip rolling or use my own tracks, but the top end was too much for me. It has a lot of energy up there and was a bit piercing in parts of the couple tracks I listened to.
Took me WAY too long to realize that “toppings” is not that Toppings.
Ok, brain farting, see ya 
Just some scares and work getting rough. Not feeling myself lately and that is also affecting my writting.
No-nut-November has passed so I don’t know what might be stopping you from doing that badum-tish
What are you talking about? November has to no-nut Nymz
Hey brother, it’s not about hard you can hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward 
that’s all that matters. Stay up, my robot friend 
I found a pair of Penon Vortex listed in my local classifieds for $106 USD. Trying to close out the deal before the weekend. Aside from the fact that it could potentially be a great deal (and somewhat low risk to my wallet), from a sound perspective, what can I expect as a Tea lover? I am intrigued by the single DD and decent looking mids according to the graphs.
edit: my original wording made it seem like I was making a statement about the Tea. I was actually asking for input on sound differences between Tea and the Vortex.