The "Too good for the price" list

Also, I found this.

Edit: I don’t know about it, but with the same specs (probably similar internals), if you don’t need Bluetooth AptX HD + LDAC or HDMI-ARC or the 4.4mm headphone out, the SMSL AL200 is 260$. Worth mentioning here at least considering “it just does everything and is cheap”.

Added tubes! :hotsprings:

1 Like

And I’ve added more infos to the Asgard 3 + added the Aune X7S.

1 Like

Too bad Asgard 3 is no longer in production, and it will be a while before the successor releases. We shall see if that one fits into this thread (it might end up being a mini Mjolnir 3).

Funny thing about the Aune X7S is that it’s still in production and after all these years they just add a different date sticker to it. I own an “Aune X7S 2018”, because there’s a 2018 sticker on it. There’s a 2019 and 2021 version on eBay. Is there anything different, except a sticker showing a different year of production? I don’t know.

For the first time, there’s now an “Aune X7S Pro”. Still the same enclosure, same specs… but with a “Pro” sticker instead of the year of production. :man_shrugging:

Edit: They went from a proprietary adapter to a standard power adapter afterwards. Internals don’t seem to change otherwise.

Added a few speakers amps.

I just snagged a pair, and they are surprisingly good. The sub bass is a little rolled off, but solid otherwise, with good controlled treble. I am even using the stock tips, and it sounds good on cheap dongles.

Sivga Que UTG

1 Like

You are the only person that I have seen talk about the UTG. I love the original Que, but those graphs have a lot of treble energy, and the peaks around 3-5k look spicy.

@Oumuamua could you talk about this set some more? Maybe some words about what make it special for you, or what it might be similar to.

Here is the one from Audio Amigo, with the original Sivga Que for reference.

Out of the box, my first thought was they don’t sound like they graph. I tried the OG Que but got bored with it really quickly. The UTG has continued to capture my attention. I have to keep reminding myself they were $89. I didn’t use the stock cable or tips to comment.

The inherent cohesiveness of a single DD is there. The glass brings much more life to the presentation. There is something special about the way it presents audio. The bass did change with some hours of play time. It went from more mid bass bump to a complete filled out bass with sub bass but remained tight no bloat, no bleed into the mids. Like the graph reads early on but never too much upper treble, for me. In my mind, I see the graph with some good time on the drivers reading much closer to HBB target without any treble spikes, no bass tuck. Caveat, my range abruptly ends at 13kHz so I may only catch a tiny bit of that last peak. They require zero EQ, again for me.

Female vocals are perfect. Male vocals less so.

The treble concerned me a few times as I thought I heard some upper frequency distortion but I wasn’t sure if it was in the recording or the driver breaking up. After a couple more days use I’ve not heard a hint of it again. I’m a low to mid volume listener thus I don’t believe I was over driving at all.

There’s a special nature to the stage and imaging I’ve certainly not heard in other <$100 sets. It’s not the widest or deepest but very natural. I quickly forget about them and get lost in the music.

The fit and finish are exemplary. Maybe it just jives with my HRTF but I think this one will vanish with little attention because of the graph.

They sound full, complete, incisive without a hint of sibilance and yet at the same time remain quite forgiving of poor recordings.

Extreme value! They should have priced them higher. I would be curious to see someone graph them on the same rig after they have 100+ hours on them. It may be closer to what I hear or not…

Primary source DX180 single-ended. I will have a DX340 tomorrow :wink: and hopefully will hear if the UTG scales or not. I’m looking forward to pairing them with AMP13 for a true harmonic experience.

Hope this helps inform. It’s simply my impression and experience. No, I don’t get anything if you buy a set.

I feel it bests the Defiant in bass quality and most definitely in upper presence. It also bests the Aether which just sounds weird to me more and more…

Oumuamua is the first confirmed interstellar object detected passing through the Solar System

2 Likes

is the BGVP NS10 Pro could be considered as a candidate to this list? Apparently it is really good and underrated for its given price and some users have told me to consider this IEM. I guess the recent Juzear Defiants can be as well be a consideration?

I would say they are on nearly opposite ends of the spectrum. Defiant much more bias towards bass and NS10 Pro much more to right at the limit of brightness. I feel the Defiant is quite good for $89 but the NS10 Pro is appropriate at $199 - not ‘too good for the price’ candidate for me

I think the (and will know soon) the Kefine Quatio may belong on this list.

The Defiant are a solid gatekeeper at $100. But they’re not “too good for the price.” They’re a solid IEM for which the hype train is chugging a bit hard.

Again, very good. But I think the Kefine Klean at $50 is almost as good, and the Artti T10 at $51 is definitely as good.

2 Likes

I totally agree. I am not sure if Defiant makes my top 5 under $100. The Artti R1, Sivga Que, Tripowin Kailua, Simgot EW300, and Simgot EA500 are all better IEMs, at least for my preferences. That doesn’t count sets like the Klean, T10, or Olina SE … and the Explorer isn’t that much more.

The Aful Explorer would be on my list. It competes with stuff at $300, but the tuning can be hit or miss with some people.

The Tripowin Kailua would be a good pick. They can be found for $30, but were well worth the original $90 price. Most people hated the cable, and the nozzle angle was steep, but the sound was a clean warm that really worked for rock.

5 Likes

Kailua and Cinno for $50 or less at the clearout prices are really good deals.

3 Likes

Well said, John. Total agreement.

2 Likes

Kefine Quatio has earned a solid spot in my ‘too good for the price’ list or is it that $129 directly compete with sets that were $300-400 last year…hmm.

2 Likes