There is also new budget softears hybrid looking quite nice for ~300$. Since RSV and RS10 is highly praised it is on my target potentially if they would keep up with the tuning.
I mean it is only ābudgetā for idiots like me
I tried final E tips on the bl-03 yesterday. The blon being my first iem set, I didnāt have the variety of types I have now. AAA anyway, this small stem bastards fit very well to the bl-03 nozzle. Regarding sound, it is comfortably warm. I listened to a bit of Motown stuff with it, and it was great. But Iāll stand my position about nozzles, since Mele is better tuned to my tastes and way more easy to wear.
Iāll remember the combination, though, and definitely will try the flip tip trick with the starline tips that came with the zex pro/CRN on a bunch of iems I have: should be very interesting.
Files /Record > Eartips > DAC / DAP > Cable > Mood to listen to music before reading toxic comments
Sorry for the lack of feedback, but I went back to my hometown for my bday, so not much IEM usage.
I will post my first impressions on Titan S very soon and Iāll use it as comparition vs Olina too, once I get the sample
I think they already announced that volume will be a more fun tuning, aka V or U shape I guess.
And 300 is not budget for most people
See my second comment above on this set being budget - I meant budget in Softears portfolio in general
It would be weird IEM though
It turned out it would have 5 Ohm of impedance, so that would make it no go for all my naked sources + it has really small nozzle hole diameter
Im curious, but Iād need to see a graph first before a dive
But I love RSVā¦
from their weibo, looks like the typical well-tuned set but with some worse treble extension? But since this area past 10k isnāt reliable itās hard to guess.
Ohhhhā¦ A baby RSV with a DD?
This may actually be insane!
No need to apologize: you have a life too. And I didnāt think about you especially.
Having you test and compare titan S ans Olina is great news, though!!
Ok updates time, now that Iām back to my regular life and home:
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Seems I might be getting a Volume review unit from Softears Hypeeee;
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But Iām not expecting to get any set from any store or brand before mid February, due to CNY. Same will go for Olina, I guess;
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I just forgot for the second time I bought a Focal Elegia that might come in this weekeend, so thereās that;
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@ttorbic is trying to find a way to get Alladin shipped to me this week;
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Iām trying to get hold of an Oxygen and Moondrop Aria for the Titan S/Olina comparitions;
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Iām keeping an eye on Midnight, but no promises yet;
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Birthday was good, thanks for all the wishes. I love you all.
Best,
nymz, the birthday girl
CEO of Tea House
Love the info on free sample from SE! It is worth to be influencer in the end!
But on the other hand why Focal Elegia, why? According to my local forum it sucks as hell sound wise + QC wise from all people asked. I know since I wanted to buy it myself for 500$ for my closed back pair and it scares.me off
Some buddie was selling it for a good price on the selling thread, so I jumped in. I have real no clue about it
For your walletās sake, I hope you donāt get into HPs sky is the limit thereā¦haha.
Im not much into getting samples. I take them on stuff that Iām interested or brands that I believe in. Trust me, itās no fun to have to write a long essay on things you donāt like
Sorry, did you say speakers?
I have no hopeā¦
Dunu Titan S - First Impressions
āThe smooth operatorā
Dunuās last entry in 2022 IEMās market took some attention ever since its announcement: A single DD, cyberpunk themed IEM on the budget range that promised to rival some of the kingpins on it. But does it?
Disclaimer: This unit is a review unit sent to me by Dunu in exchange for a full review. No incentives were given to me and my words are my own. Thanks once again to Dunu for reaching out with this and being nothing but professional.
Non-sound characteristics
Starting with these, I will say right now they are excellent. Build feels amazing and, while being full metal, itās still lightweight. The shell size is on the smaller side, giving it a very good fit, even though the nozzle is a bit longer than my canal like, but thatās really a small personal nitpick. Iāve been using them as my EDC with Qudelix5k for the past days and they fulfill the job with high marks - A truly easy to carry around, just grab and go style like every IEM should be, but a lot arenāt. Itās easy to drive ability also suits a simple dongle just fine.
Another thing to note itās its full package: Tips for every liking and a nice carrying pouch that could be smaller, but good to fit Titan S + a BT amp or dongle inside and just throw it in the bag or coatās pocket. Dunu keeps the track record for its package quality, even on lower budgets.
Two small cons I would like to note are the isolation, that is below average, and the cable tangliness due to its slim thickness.
Tuning
These feel pretty neutral bright to me, with just a touch of bass to give some presence, but not the acting as the main course. Pinna gain has more elevation than I would like, but not enough for me to not enjoy them.
Bass
Example tracks: Kendrick - Backseat Freestyle/Collard Greens, Zimmer - Why So Serious, BeyoncƩ - Deja vu (intro)
Itās a mid-bass focused signature over sub-bass. Low elevation or presence, but good texture and control - feels somewhat fast and tight, while still retaining some of that sweet decay. Itās a sleeper and only comes out when called. Thereās a slight warmth added just to not feel too thin, but absolutely no bleed. Clean is the word.
Mids/Vocals
Example tracks: EWF - September, Hania Rani - Glass, Nils Frahm - All Melody, Pentatonix - Daft Punk, Lorde - Buzzcut Season, Agnes Obel - The Curse, Michael BublƩ - Feeling Good, Ursine Vulpine - Wicked Game.
Slightly southier than my personal preferences, but that might not be a problem for most people or different libraries. Mids have some separation and detail, above average for its price point.
Even though this is slightly more southier than I would like, I still think the mids are the strongest link in this IEMās tuning - I really like them for the asking price!
Treble
Example tracks: Daft Punk - Aerodynamic, Larnell Lewis - Change Your Mind, Yo-Yo Ma - āThe Good, the Bad and the Uglyā, Kid Cudi - Too Bad I have to Destroy you now, Twice - Moonlight.
Treble is good. No complaints, really. Cymbals, guitars and cello sound great. Thereās also no metallic treble up there so, again, a smooth operator. Air is good and Iāve never felt claustrophobic.
Technicalities
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Timbre: Very good. Not just good but also consistent, from top to bottom - no upper treble metallic shrillness whatsoever, suiting it for some instrumental music just fine.
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Stage: This was the aspect that called my attention the most on the first takes. Lacks some depth, as usual per these budget brackets, but width is good. There seems to be some air on it, as if the vent was giving the unit a semi-open style. Also seems that sometimes you can get something that I would call a semi-holographic and dynamic left to right sound, but not always. Itās surely not your cookie-cutter left/right stage around this price, but itās also far from higher end stages. Still good to me and intriguing. Need more testing.
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Imaging: Good. Above average for this price point. No complaints here.
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Detail: Details are average - Expected for this price bracket. Nothing will sound lacking or missing, but it wonāt be as resolving as other more expensive iems or IEMs with more detailed oriented driver setups. Treble elevation also helps a lot with the overall clarity.
Comparitions (Couple minutes each - WIP for final review)
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Etymotic ER2XR - The 100usd gatekeeper is still going strong and better than Titan S to my library and preferences on SQ alone. But if you factor in fit, no microphonics cable, stage and price (unless you are in the US), Titan S will appeal more to most people.
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Heart Mirror - Titan S is a better monitor in almost every aspect and a nice upgrade over Heart Mirror since itās easier to drive, less hot and more prominent bass. Still needs more testing on these tho.
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GS Audio ST1 - Titan S is better in any aspect.
Conclusions
I would describe Dunuās latest release to a point and in my opinion, a smooth operator: it doesnāt excel on anything specifically but also does nothing wrong. I donāt think that a bad thing, as Iāve heard IEMs that excel at something but then plan murder some other aspect.
It gets my rec and is now my default rec for people looking for a more neutral IEM under 100$ (RIP Heart Mirror). I want to remind people that this type of tunings arenāt abundant on this hobby, let alone on the budget side - which was always a problem for me since I donāt enjoy V-Shaped IEM or ultra-bass boosted stuff.
At this point thereās a big elephant in the room that everyone wants to go away but they didnāt even know how it got there: CCA CRA that costs 15$ and throws punches at 100 usd monitors. Luckily to Titan S, people looking for one shouldnāt be looking for the other, and vice-versa, making them more complimentary than rivals.
Given that, think about it: For 100$ you can buy CRA and Titan S and have some excellent bases covered, together with some cheap amp or dongle, giving users higher quality audio for cheap.
I would also like to point out that for more acoustic tracks and classical, this has been giving me a lot of joy and I think timbreheads will enjoy it as well. I will explore this more in detail as other aspects on my final review that should be out soon.
Approved. Value rating: 4.5/5
Iām sorry to say that itāll probably take a few weeks for that to come out.
Iām currently dealing with a possible breakup and do not have the time/mental capacity for audio stuff right now. Dealing with a lot currently.
Just wanted to let you all know. Again, Iām sorry. Iāll also be lurking here for the time being and not active.