“Hey nymz, why you no sleep?”
Yes.
13 Likes
Tea Cult Alert 
@Tonytex_Teixeira reviewed my Tea2 and talked about my Tea OG as well.
Beast of a set 
7 Likes
and what about tea2 vs s12 ? thanks
Its in my review. I prefer Tea2, but s12 is cheaper.
2 Likes
Lined up as in preference order? 
Ahaha no.
That would be EJ07 = DM > RSV > Kinda Lava >= EJ07m >>> Variations 
7 Likes
nymz
Did I read you right? You would put the KL 3rd, behind the OG EJO7, the DM and the RSV?
Can’t wait for the rest of your review!!!
Thanks and God Bless,
Wayne
1 Like
Yes, I’ve always been open about it. Only Kinda Lava is a new variable.
You can check my rankings/coments here:
5 Likes
He had sold Variations 
?
1 Like
Moondrop Variations - The second round
Disclaimer: Thanks to @Tonytex_Teixeira for letting me spin these once again!
Variations needs no introduction and Moondrop needs it even less - unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you’ve heard about these anywhere.
Variations is one of the cheaper EST tribids in the market, kicking in at around 520$ and packing 2 ESTS + 2 BAs + 1 DD inside a semi transparent shell. If you wanna know more about this set, you can check my previous full review on it, here.
The reason for this retake is pretty simple: I had the opportunity to hear it again and I just decided to give it another go. Around half a year has passed and I’d like to know how my preferences evolved and how Variations feel to my library nowadays. Currently in my ranking list is marked as a S-.
Audio memory is tricky, but my thoughts on it were still pretty close to my actual take. Starting on sub-bass, there’s no way around it: it’s one of the best sub-bass you can get in the market nowadays, especially for the price. It’s deep, it’s textured, it’s very elevated and makes you rumble from head to toe with joy. Tracks like Trentmoller - Vamp and Chameleon made me guess my memory, as they were simply insane. Haven’t had such fun with these tracks since I basshead EQ’d my S12 (by the way, check that out if you haven’t yet!). I finally remembered why I called it “The sub-bass Prince” in my review.
This brings me to a side note, that OSTs sound great with this set. Albuns from Hans Zimmer, like Dune, Blade Runner 2049 (Wallace is a beast by the way), Dunkirk (Supermarine makes you cold sweat) or The Dark Knight (Why So Serious? Seriously?) give me chills with this set on.
I will come back to the bass later, but I wanna skip over to the mids and treble. They are very close to my definition of neutral: upper mids, lower treble and upper treble are very present and energetic, extended and textured, having a nice implementation of ESTs. To my library, I like a hair less treble energy, but I could maybe adjust to these. Mids, as you may guess by my tastes, could use a little more body and presence by being forward, which is the main characteristic that I look for in a headphone, but they are detailed and beautifully done for, once again, my perceived neutral. With that said, I wouldn’t use these for pure vocal libraries, I simply feel some other IEMs do it better, like RSV, EJ07 or Mangird Tea. What I would use this set for would be a more weeb/K-Pop library, given its neutrality and treble sparkle.
Now, I left mid-bass for the end for a reason: When I first got my pair, I decided to sell it within 15 seconds due to its mid bass. That problem is still there. The lack of impact, elevation and body makes it not compatible with most of my library.
Technicalities are very good. They aren’t holographic to my ears but stage size is good, paired with good separation and imaging, making it easy to spot instruments inside the presentation, even on busy parts. The detail retrieval alongside with the treble curve implemented make it most likely the most resolving set up to its price, which is saying a lot.
Given all the above, it’s kinda easy to understand why I ranked it S- in the past, even though I didn’t fall in love with it and sold it. It’s an easy rec if it fits your library and when on sale, makes it one of the best value IEMs in the market. It still lacks that magic factor that, for example, EJ07m gives me for some dollars more.
Value rating: 4.5/5; Personal Rank: S-
17 Likes
Always wanted to grab a pair but the mid-bass scoop really saving my wallet 
Also, how does the Variations compare to Olina in-terms of treble, and overall resolution?
1 Like
Another absolute BANGER of a review. Nicely done, good sir 
The Variations like you said need absolutely no introduction within our little community here. They’ve always piqued my interest in a way. They’re spoken about just so much, their technicalities always a highlight and boy am I a sucker for resolving sets.
I think your review will suffice for now, or else my wallet will put a hit out in my head.
1 Like
Agreed everything in this post and yes, Variations earned my K-Pop seal of approval, and it’s also endgame for Kpop listeners. 
1 Like
New Hiby R5 incoming. Is there anything to note about this @nymz ? Something you wish to improve or fixed? I remembered you had the R5 and had some sort of problem with it?
6 Likes
It was not a dap problem, but rather a seller problem. The seller sent me a chinese rom one, so I couldnt use it.
Great device, very portable and small. I wished it was a little bit bigger tho. Rest was great.
Id think about grabbing this but with cayin n3 pro on my pocket, I doubt so.
Btw. it’s on sale right now on hifigo. I am tempted and it would have been a 100% buy… if I didn’t just spend already 3x on the MEST 
1 Like
Oh! Good to hear that. Looking forward to know this new R5 will turn out to be.
But then again…
Shanling M7 incoming.
What is this? Is this now open season for new DAP announcements?
2 Likes
I think it is a concept worth sharing. Planar + piezo open back hybrid IEM with modular cable as a stock for 250 bucks
1 Like
Interesting
2 Likes
That is a proper way of sharing a link 