In my case I had to go up a tip size and ended up with Mele’s largest wide bore tips to get a good seal. I found that the sound of ZEX easily gets compressed/tunneled with small bore tips… Very tip sensitive but when done right it’s a budget monster.
I’ve just discovered the existence of the dunu sa3. They are on sale at linsoul store. A little research on this set tought me it is very vocal centric.
Had anyone tested those? Is the value good, at 100$?
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If it was any good, people would be raving about it IMO. Or at least @nymz would know of its existance since he’s mids freak.
I’d say ST1 is better option
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I had a tough time getting the ZEX to fit right too. I might almost like it the most with the CP240 ( the double flange ), which was shocking to me.
That nozzle is long, but the part to mount the tip is short and the lip is large too.
It is a good value set at $23, but it has some drawbacks, including extreme EM sensitivity.
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I don’t know about it, tbh. Im a new player in the game. Let me research
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Avoid it. St1 or ety er2xr for neutral.
St1 is an hard rec from me (about to finish my review on it)
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Wha ? I would have expected you were into this hobby for a while. I am going to guess you made up for it by throwing some time and money at it.
I suppose that begs the question, what makes someone OG around here?
Is there a date, or an early magic crappy IEM that you had to experience?
On the SA3 that weird peak just under 2k seems odd. What is that doing doing to the sound? The one at 4k isn’t unusual, not good, but not awful.
The ST1 looks much more normal if nothing else.
You can check my FAQ here.
Long story short: I’ve joined around May and my first IEM was FH3. I kinda scaled up pretty quick. My first budget (sub-150) IEM was in fact Mele if you don’t count the 5mins I had with Tin T2 before returning it, and by then I had 1 tribid and I got another one on the way 
I’ve been pretty lucky since I found Teas right away. After that, was just me trying to replicate a better version of it 
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2k peaks arent rare.
Not my unit, no clue.
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Wow, that is fairly new, and that is a fast scale up. I didn’t get here until late July, but I have only bought three IEMs since I got here. Prior to getting here, my most expensive was a Starfield, and I usually listened to either the Moondrop Aria or a KZ ZS10 Pro ( which was my first IEM ) at that point.
I was pondering the jump to Teas, but Timeless sort of pushed the right set of buttons for me while I was debating the price jump for Teas. I have been pretty happy with that move, but I really enjoy planar sound, and am still in the honeymoon phase.
I still might get Teas at some point, but I also think I am settling into a happy place on my audio gear right now. I have three sets of open backs I like, and a couple IEMs I love right now, plus some other stuff that is solid.
I am pondering building a desktop DAC, like a hifiberry but with a cool IPS screen on it. I am a software engineer with some embedded hardware background, and I tend to always have some side project that I dabble with. I don’t always finish them, but I like to play around and learn how things work. Last weekend I wrote some DSP code to emulate a Tube Amp, it only has a three tunable options, but it was a nice start given how much I didn’t know the day I started.
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Audiosense DT600 - Final impressions
Audiosense DT600 is a non-vented 6BA IEM that clocks around 248 usd and can be purchase at HifiGo. @igor0203 was kind enough to send me his pair for a week so I could try them out before he even did, and for that I’m very thankful for. These are my final impressions of the set as I will not release a full review on it - and I’ve shipped them back by now.
As some of you know, full BA sets aren’t new for me and I’m actually very fond of them (one of my everyday-carry IEMs is RSV). As also some of you might know, I’m not a fan of the sub-bass boosted neutral tuning like Monarch or Variations, as it usually lacks mid-bass for my library while also preferring more thicker notes. DT600 is a combo of the two - Full BA set but with a U-shaped tuning, which got me intriguing enough to want to try them.
To preface my opinions, I must disclose that DT600 was built to be used with impedance adaptors. I see it as a con, but some people might see it as a pro. I’m not a fan of adding even more stuff to the chain, especially when I love switching cables and using pairs on the move with my DAP or Dongle - and this adapters will get you stuck into 3.5mm single ended. There is an 80 ohm adaptor inside the shipment package (and not inside the IEM case itself). I also got a Dunu 30 ohm adapter that Igor bought on the side. All my impressions and thoughts were done using the 30 ohm adapter, as stock (no adapter) was plain bad and 80 ohm had too much treble to an already treble heavy set. Besides that, there’s also an MMCX remover tool added to the package.
Regarding comfort, the fit is pretty good and easy, but there’s some pressure build-up, which I’m not that sensible to, but most people are. Isolation is very good due to the ventless system and great to be taken outside.
Inside the Box (You can see unboxing pics and cable swaping on the official thread here.)
- 4 Styles of Tips (Various sizes each);
- A nice but big pelican case style box;
- A standard Audiosense Copper cable with a 3.5mm termination;
- A cleaning brush.
The box and accessories feel fine and are a nice touch, although I don’t really like the cable - it just feels and looks cheap, but that’s just a personal nitpick.
Sound
Regarding the sound, as mentioned above, it’s a U-shape to my ears - big elevation on sub-bass area with a clean cut around 150hz, flat mids and another big rise in the upper regions.
The lower frequencies are, indeed, BA’s most known weaknesses apart from its timbre. DT600 won’t be the exception to it and its bass will feel like a BA: very fast, good extension but lacking any type of slam and rumble.
If you throw it some sub-bass food, such as Hans Zimmer’s - Wallace from Bladerunner album, the sub-bass will roar and have good texture, especially for a BA. Massive Attack - Angel gets it going as well, so you can start seeing a pattern around here - This type of tuning is made for this kind of genre with heavy sub-bass focus on them.
The spot where things live or die for me are, partly, in mid-bass. RHCP - Throw Away Your Television, Larnell Lewis - Change Your Mind, Laurent Garnier - Crispy Bacon, are some of the tracks where instruments that rely on mid-bass will just die on DT600 - either they come out as recessed or just bluntly muted.
This trend keeps going into the mid range. They feel somewhat recessed due to it’s U-Shape and are not close to/around you. Once you hear the Adele - Hello intro, you know what I’m talking about. In this track, Adele starts singing very low for the first minute and usually comes out as being somewhat distant from you, until she bursts out and treble starts hitting you. The replay on DT600 was just plain awful: first she sounded like she was across the street and not in front of you and, the right exact moment she started screaming, I had to take this set out of my ears.
Tracks like Marvin Gaye - Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Michael Jackson - Billie Jean or Daft Punk - Aerodynamic just proved that the upper mids and treble elevation is just too much, even with the 30 ohms adapter on it. Speaking of treble, despite its elevation, it came out as compressed and not very detailed. Extension was good and you could feel some air on it.
Now, into technicalities: Soundstage is average, but has no depth. Imaging felt average or above on simpler tracks but below average on busier ones. Overall detail was average for the price. BA timbre was not present, but still falls short to DDs.
Brief comparisons
-
Mangird Tea - Tuning apart, Teas ran circles on it. They just came out as more technical and resolving. Sub-bass quantity was on DT600 court, but quality and slam are on Teas’.
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GS Audio ST1 - I found them somewhat close in soundstage but ST1 felt they had slightly more depth. DT600 came out a slightly more resolving overall, but in some frequencies like mids, the micro-detail on ST1 felt more prominent. Both suffer when tracks get too busy, especially ST1 since it’s a single BA.
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KZ DQ6 - Better details on DT600, but stage, timbre and slam are on DQ6’s side. Despite me feeling DQ6’s treble is too much sometimes, I’d take it over DT600. Tonality wise, I’d pick DQ6 even though I find it somewhat fatiding, it’s the lesser evil.
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Tripowin x HBB Mele - DT600 is better than Mele in all tech fields but timbre, while Mele presents a much better tuning, especially on the lower regions, turning it into an easy pick for me.
Conclusions
While I’ve been very harsh on it, there’s a place in the market for this type of tuning, as Thieaudio and Moondrop have proven really well. One great thing about DT600 is that it’s probably the cheapest way to find if this type of tunning fits your library, while also beeing unique on this price range.
At around 250usd and getting extremely hot close to the 300usd bracket, I expected more from a full BA set with 6 drivers regarding technicalities. Also, at this price for a full BA set, I’d pick Audio Lokahi if BA treble isn’t a problem for you - to me it wins in every field but sub-bass compared to the Audiosense. If you get add a couple of bucks or grab some sales, there are better options out there.
Lastly, the idea of playing with adaptors it’s not really ideal for me, especially when the tuning won’t fit my preferences, and for that I can’t recomend this set.
Final Ranking: 3/5
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Thats pretty cool DIY stuff - Im not into any of that since all I have is good ears and a pair of left hands 
Yeah I never heard any of the IEMs you have and I’m not sure I’ll ever will. I’m settling down now and flipped most of my gear to shorten the list the maximum I could. I kept the most budget ones since there’s no point in trying to resell that.
I ended up keeping my only pair of open-backs and some buds, which I’m pretty much a lot into. All my sets and sources are made to be portable or at least mobile, since most of my day and music listening time is done during work hours in the office (wfh is ending for me in the next weeks, sadly).
Keep us updated on that DAC 
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For people looking for budget recs on 11.11, you can also check Vortex short and fast video below.
Also check his other posts, he’s a fellow Tea Cult member, RSV owner and I’m pretty sure soon to be a EJ07m owner as well 
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The ZS10 Pro was the good KZ set a while back, and tonally similar to the Mele, but with the brightness and extra peaks that go with having 4 BAs tucked in them with the DD. I still use it with my TV remote, and it has great sound stage and imaging. The Starfield was replaced by the Aria, which had a bit more bass and was $80 instead of $110.
Depending on how the DAC goes, I may open source the software and the build plans, once I get it figured out. I will probably start with a web interface, but then figure out the hardware interface. That would allow me remote access over a web browser on my phone.
Sorry to hear about the end of WFH, my office is 2000 miles away, so no risk of that for me.
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Latest from Linsoul for those worried about QC:
“Hello, the manufacturer is aware of the previous issues, and all current models undergo a manual driver checking and matching prior to manufacturing, as well as a final QC sound check.”
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I purchased and received set a little over a week ago. So far, so good. If I run into issues, I’ll be sure to let everyone know
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I searched a little too. On head-fi, the first reviews speak about their greatness in mids. On YouTube, beggar and mark (super reviews) say they aren’t good, and even weird sounding => off of my list
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It’s on the bottom of precog’s list with a funny comment as well 