It is closer, but if Timeless is your favourite IEM in your collection, you shouldn’t be looking for any of the Teas! A more neutral/V shape will most likely suit you better.
If it’s closer? Yes, no doubt. If it’s for you? I doubt so, especially given you didn’t like Tea.
I feel I have to apolozige for the lack of presence in this forums and for the lack of feedback. Real life was not kind and l keep getting burned out, leaving little to no space for publishing stuff, even tho my notes are still being done.
One other reason I have been slower to push stuff out relates to backstage stuff I have been working on (if there’s a god, he for sure knows how much I love e-mails).
So what’s cooking?
Tea2 review is done, got spell checked last night and will be published today after work. Both Teas will be loaned to @Tonytex_Teixeira for a review and then sent to some people across the europe for them to try. Let’s say it’s a cult tour.
Volume should be next. Not sure if it will be a full review yet. Im having an hard time using them.
Kinda Lava follows Volume. I will focus mainly in the difference across all the 3 EJs. @Tonytex_Teixeira will kindly loan me his M so I can do this. As posted above, these are legit. I’ve been also trying to find my own EJ07m but so far no success - complaint as been filed.
As I’m taking impressions of IEMs and using Cayin N3 Pro, I will also make a post about it. I’m loving it’s sound so much that I’m almost considering other stuff from this brand, just sad that their price point is… Not friendly for my wallet, to say the least.
Later this month I will (probably) be able to test out some great incoming stuff from Dunu. Im giga hyped for that.
I want (need) to get hold of an IE600. Let’s see how that goes.
I have bought but still waiting for gear to improve my reviews regarding the photos. Ive finally decided to invest in some lights, light box and macro lenses.
I’ve finally decided to buy a 711 coupler and I will try to get a squig online. I should have done this a long time ago, but I didnt. Lots of lost measures but that’s life. This is the reason I’m still hoarding stuff. As soon as I measure all the stuff I want, the sets I’m not using will be donated. They are already in boxes to send to people and I’ve only kept them for this reason. Only benchmarks and end game stuff was kept, rest is getting shared so people get more experience and trade between them.
My Olina is getting sent to @clee as his got QC problems and I hated to see that. That means I will have no Olina for a while, but I will grab more for sure.
I love you all.
Have a nice week and enjoy some music.
Buy Teas.
Best,
nymz, the sleepless
CEO of empty wallets
10character
Having the free time to test out the AMP side of my Q3 and wow, for about the extra 80mW compared to the M3X, the sound on my Variations felt kinda more cleaner, detailed and fuller somehow.
If I’m already amazed by how improved the sound is, I can’t imagine how the Topping NX7 will make the Variations sound like.
I separated them just to show the Q3. Here’s how I’m currently listening with. 
No need to apologize. You need to take care of yourself first, if you want to take care of other people 
No rush. Patiently waiting. Don’t burn out 
It makes a difference to my ears. What you are experiencing is not just power but also chip implementation. Shanling house tuning is warm and sweet, like smooth candy. Fiio Q3 felt to me like cold. Topping should be even more neutral bright, which depending on the user, might or might not suit Variations clinical tuning.
I lovr my nx7. It’s an amp I only use at home and to review, nowadays, but that also says it all. Dead clean. And the price? A steal.
Yes! The chip implementation as well! I’ve really grown to love Shanling’s tuning and how it fits so wonderfully with my kpop music library. The easiest I can notice right off the bat from using the Q3 as an AMP is how cleaner the sound got, like ridiculously clean.
I’m slowly coming to the point where I don’t need to buy another DAC/AMP or DAP for a very long time. But I do want to try how more higher range AMPs and DAP will sound like.
Call me master of cheesy, obvious statements, but I guess I am this guy. I recently spent couple of days straight with now infamous KZ CRN and realized that I don’t love my IEMs, headphones and speakers, but only the music that is being played through them.
I loved this music before, even when I was using some Creative EP630 or fake Sennheiser for 5$.
I don’t love it more now that I have some amazing equipment. I may appreciate hearing some technicalities, my taste has changed since the beginning of the journey etc, but earphones are just some tools for the purpose of music playback execution.
Tea or S12 on the go are not better than KZ, in fact KZ fits me like a glove and have really great tuning after PEQ. Tea is better in bed for time I want to listen up on details - sure, but I think if someone would strip me down from everything, but CRN I would cry a bit, but could live further without a problem afterwards. Even knowing the sound of exceptional stuff I think I would quickly forget what would I miss.
I cannot be reviewer as my hearing sucks for sure and I cannot differentiate anything but shit from not shit, (but even there I am not so sure as recently I found some QKZ 4$ IEMs that I could not force myself to hate). Guess I would be shilling on everything. Or I would need to listen to music I hate to focus on the performance, not fun.
If Tea’s sound is 10 for me, S12 is 9,5, Olina, LBBS and HE-400i are 9, then CRN (+EQ) is 8,5. Without EQ it is like 7-7,5. Call it the anti-precog ranking distribution.
If you like the QKZ 4$ IEM just as much or more than some high end stuff, more power to you. So far my IEM journey showed me, that there are 20$ IEMs I actually do prefer over 2000$ IEMs. That is, because tuning is ultimately more important to me than technicalities, which are like the cherry on top. And often the limiting factor to me is not the IEM/headphone or speaker, but the recording, which I can’t really change anything about.
I recently had the FiiO FA9 for a couple of days to try out and I hated it, but still had fun listening to music with it. In so far my opinion differs from yours in that I do love it if an IEM brings a unique spin to my music, but I can still relate to what you mean. IEMs are an extremly subjective hobby. As is the value of money you spend on them.
Don’t get me wrong, I like this spin on my music that different sets bring differently, but in my life, with limited time and my laziness I cannot afford changing the set for the given track/genre if it just sounds better.
And sometime I cannot predict before, where I would end up with my listening session, so I tend to have less than ideal pair of set and music at some point and I accept that 
I was thinking the same thing last night.
But still I like tech and shiny objects…
I tend to always have a hobby or two. Headphones and IEMs have been mine in the last couple years, 3D printing is my other one these days, but I am just getting into it. I used to do RC planes when I the room to store them. Living in LA a space efficient hobby is somewhat important, and IEMs are that.
Like I said I always loved music. As a poor student back in the day I used to listen to my CD on a DVD player with the sound coming out of a cheap TV.
During the pandemic I bought speakers, turntable, used records etc… then I was flipping what I would find for cheap at Goodwill. Then I turned to IEM because speakers or headphones are not ideal when WFH with kids at home (they are loud). Buying IEMs is a good hobby that doesn’t take any room and that I can enjoy whenever I have time to listen to music.
Thanks for sharing. Music is all that matters.
As I usually say, I came for the music, stayed for the gear and the people. I could or should have stopped at the Teas.
Im glad you enjoy mostly anything. That’s healthy for you and your wallet. Rock on 
Trying to find the exact same cable but can not find it in XINHS Shop…can you share a link maybe?
It really compliments the kinda lava perfectly 
ah ok, thanks!
Just ask the store, he can do whatever!
Might do that, just did not think that it would be that expensive 
All I am looking for ist a nice feeling cable in black because the stock cable does not look nice with the kinda lava in my opinion.
Any other recommendation maybe?
