2020-10-20:
Final Audio FI-EVA2020
Rank C
Not the E500 or E1000 reskin I thought it was going to be.
This is a warm-neutral sound.
But unfortunately the technicalities (details and instrument separation) are a bit below the E1000, due to the bass bleeding a tiny bit (although I prefer the tuning on this more than the E1000).
A very non-fatigueing and relaxing sound but most importantly, nothing is offending here (no bloated bass or sharp treble).
Although the soundstage is actually pretty wide and imaging is good.
(although it isnt as good in value as the E1000, due to the price increase.)
If you are wondering what iem to get between the E500, E1000 and this.
I still rec the E1000 over them both, due to the tuning, technicalities and the cable.
Sony MH750
B+ with EQ, B without
U-shaped
ridiculous SQ at this price, the naturality of the MH750 is beyond anything at this price and is only exceeded on the Blon 03. If only the cable wasnt as bad as it is, I would have recommended this to everyone (and if you can handle the 3,5k area better than me or is also able to use EQ).
Sony´s greatest accident indeed.
Although if you are sensitive to pressure, this does apply more pressure than normal in terms of comfort but it also has really good isolation.
Now I need a time machine…so I can go punch the 14 year old me that threw away the stock iems that came with the sony SBH52 (mh755…)
For some reason I had it in my mind that stock = bad when I was a kid lol.
NiceHCK ME80
Rank A+
Tonality and timbre are excellent and so are the technicalities, neutral tuning.
Sounds a bit more natural than the NiceHCK DIY MX500 but a bit less airy and smaller soundstage.
Although value wise the MX500 wins because they are not that far from each other and the ME80 is around double the price.
Intime GO
Rank B+
cable: 0.44ohm
L-shaped sound
I was most hyped for this one out of the 4 I got.
But what a dissapointment after the Sora 2, they traded bass quality for quantity and also lost the very unique treble the Sora 2 had.
Technicalities are also worse than the Sora 2 due to the bass that needs to be tighter.
Even the mid-bass is quite loose.
Mids and treble does sound very good with good tonality and isnt sharp at all.
But has a very loud driver flex on the right side.
Guess I am glad I bought a second hand unit, because paying more money than I did would have been an even bigger dissapointment
(I paid 80 usd, instead of the 130 usd for a new set).
Updated review ratings (* = I dont have it in my collection/going from memory):
IEMS:
JadeAudio EA3* : From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Because at the price it is at, other newer iems are a better option.
Dunu DM-480* : From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Timbre is very unnatural and technicalities aren’t good enough to compensate for it. An iem such as the Ibasso IT00 is a better pick nowadays for a bassy, natural and technical set. (although the isolation in the DM-480 is still in the top.)
Final Audio E5000 : From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Too bloaty bass and price is too high in the current market where for example the Ibasso IT00 is very similar to the E5000 but at a fraction of the price. (Also, the LZ A7 exists in the E5000´s price range.)
Final Audio E2000 : From 4/5 to 3.5/5. Just mesh mod the Blon BL-03 and you get something better in basically everyway, the E2000 is too average and too close in price to the E3000.
Final Audio E4000 : From 3.5/5 to 3/5. Wasn’t worth the price back when I first reviewed it and even worse now with the Ibasso IT00 doing what the E4000 does but better and at half the price, while the Fiio FH3 exists in the E4000´s price range.
Hisenior T2 : From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Newer iems in this price range are better in SQ and technicalities. But most of them aren’t full BA´s, so the value in the T2 hasn’t dropped completely.
ISN D10 : From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. The Ibasso IT00 and the Fiio FH3 are somewhat similar in profile but performs better in SQ and in the case of the FH3, also better technicalities. Price is too high and the good value from the cable is lost now that we got a lot of great budget cables (20 usd range) with the Faaeal litz copper, Tri Through, Kbear Rhyme and the Kbear Limpid cables.
Moondrop Blessing 2 : From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. A lot of BA timbre that bottlenecks the naturality of the sound and the Tanchjim Oxygen is just better than the B2 in a lot of ways and is also cheaper. The LZ A7 also exists in this price range with completely superior SQ and technicalities.
Urbanfun ISS014 : From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Not because of sound but because of their continued failure to fix the QC problems AND the fact that you STILL do not know if you are getting the beryllium or a noble metal version. Even after increasing the price from the original 40 usd to the current 70 USD and after months of them telling us it has been fixed over and over it again, simply unacceptable. Shame, because it does sound great.
EARBUDS : I have to apologize for my review of these buds, as they are not as good as I though back then when I didn’t have many buds. I sincerely apologize to anyone that got them based on my review and were disappointed.
Moondrop Shiroyuki : From 3.5/5 to 3/5. Surpassed in every way by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is also cheaper.
Moondrop Nameless : From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Surpassed in almost every way (sound) by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is also cheaper. But the build and cable quality on the Nameless is very good.
Moondrop VX Classic : From 4.5/5 to 3.5/5. Surpassed by the NiceHCK DIY MX500 that is much cheaper, while the K´s Bell-LB is on a similar SQ (better technicalities in the VX classic) and has similar shape while it is cheaper.
Qigom S130 : From 4.5/5 to 4/5. Surpassed by the Yincrow X6, cleaner and more fun with a MUCH better bass. Although technicalities on the S130 is better than the X6 and is still very good, but the price of the S130 makes it drop in score.