Nearly all of them are discontinued so u need to find used units mostly.
1 Like
I’m confused a bit because to me BL-03 sounded really lo-res. Riku always say that N3 is an upgrade for BL-03.
I like faster bass so A3 was my choice. I love the tuning but my Vulkan has more details than A3.
1 Like
N3 is an upgrade over it but of course it doesnt sound as “low res” as the 03.
1 Like
I have the Fan 2 and my experience is mostly the opposite of yours except for the detail part, so subjective this hobby is 
2 Likes
No issue with sound pressure fatigue? I think that is my main issue with it(and KBear Believe, the worst case of this I’ve found). It’s definitely a quality, neutral sound, at a good price, but I’m not amazed, I guess. I found more magic in P5, and Hook OG, with no serious sound issues. Akros says you can get the FAN2 sound for $130 with H30.
Edit: gonna try Phoenixcall. Man, what Akros says about the fatigue-free hyper detail of this IEM is amazing… :o And the bass! Sounds like what Szalayi should have been like. 
I wonder how FF Scarlet would compare to Phoenixcall
Also have the Believe, only issue I had was condensation so I just removed the mesh filter.
1 Like
Yeah Akros made me buy them as well. But since this is a subjective hobby, I’ve also seen reviewers who didn’t like phoenixcall.
I love them, though. Warm punchy bass and a brightness with a clear and detailed treble that never gets sibilant or harsh.
1 Like
You can get the FAN2 now for $140 with their discount code 
5 Likes
Apparently Crin Zero 2 just came out, almost instantly after I made my order. But let’s see if I even like Zero first.
Got 7 in. ZS10 Pro X and Truthear Hexa still coming, but I’ll dig into these now.
5 Likes
Jesus Christ brother, you’re gonna be busy!
3 Likes
The 10 ohm adapter with Truthear Zero: RED is cool. There’s a big jump in build quality with the Cadenza, to the other budget IEMs, and then again with HYPE 2 and Feenyxkall. Feenyx is pretty bulky :\ But you can clearly see the drivers, which is sweet.
5 Likes
Initial listening impressions(using Cayin RU6):
KIWI EARS - CADENZA:
Good fit. No cable hiss. Engaging sound with decent bass weight. Treble is out of control bright/sharp/peaky… Good sub-bass. Mid-bass seems weak. Bass seems to come from left channel more than right. Poor sound.
TRUTHEAR - CRIN ZERO:RED:
Not a fan of this less organic shell shape, but it works. No cable hiss. Sound has some good frontal distance to it, rather than a strong L/R spread. Treble is not too bright, with non-bright content. Treble detail is good, but sounds less than realistic. Bass level is nice and has good weight and density. A good sound balance overall, but too much treble elevation. Bass is very engaging and nice, and tone is pretty natural. Adding the 10 ohm adapter increases bass strength a good amount, but also adds some bass pressure fatigue, and makes the tone much more muted/dark. Treble is still irritating, but not as much as without the adapter. Not a keeper.
KZ - HBB PR2:
Needs a lot more power for normal volume. Very sexy, physical, vibrating bass. Great treble detail and clarity, with pretty much no fatigue. These are very impressive. The bass is not super dense, but still elevated enough, to give that softer-but-effective flavor, which I think works great. Treble fine detail/resolution is FANTASTIC, with no obvious peaks, or metallicness. There is some shine, however. Energetic(=bright-ish), clear, and engaging sound. Space and L/R separation is good, but there’s not much frontal depth. No issues with fit so far. Bass is present, but a little mellow/mild in general. These are keepers, for the awesome treble detail alone. These definitely can get overly bright, though, with bright content such as The Lonely Island, so calmer content or lower volume works best with these. Sub-bass is present, but light. No cable hiss.
7HZ - SALNOTES ZERO:
Not a very secure fit. No cable hiss. Missing some sub-bass. Decently clear sound. Treble is too elevated. Detail is merely average, and a little muted; nothing great. OK separation, with OK frontal depth, and decent spaciousness. Treble and fit are bothersome. Poor sound.
AFUL - MAGICONE:
Great fit, just like P5/P8. No cable hiss. Cable is thicker than the budget IEMs. The clear tips aren’t very snug, so I had to use my Final Type E. Good amount of fine treble detail. Bass is rather light. Treble is a little too shimmery-bright, but not super fatiguing. Good clarity and tone, but rather light/thin sounding. Sub-bass is mostly there, but cuts out. General bass is not that good. I’m not hearing anything particularly impressive here.
CELESTE - PHOENIXCALL:
Very nice, snug fit. No cable hiss. Nice treble detial, without sounding forced. Great mid-bass that really pops! Very fast sounding. Nice 3D sense of space, separation, depth, and reverb/effects. Intimate, engaging and focused sounding. Treble is a little overly elevated/pronounced, which can become better or worse, depending on content brightness. A very interesting, rich, full-bodied sound, but it’s not impressing me as much as KZ HBB PR2, due to a more problematic treble and less resolution. Having the KZ, this will probably not be a keeper for me.
THIEAUDIO - HYPE 2:
The best fit of them all; very snug. No cable hiss. Also the best sense of depth. Very nice balance, with well-controlled, non-problematic treble. The BA treble detail is definitely good and above average, but not especially impressive/note-worthy. Balance is excellent. A nice, fast, semi-mellow/relaxed, detailed sound that is engaging enough. Note weight is good, but is lacking. I am much more impressed by the upper FR performance than the bass. Bass feels subdued, but excellently detailed and accurate. I was expecting a lot more from this bass, which is very disappointing. I would probably take this over FAN2, at least.
Comparing to KZ HBB PR2, the tone of PR2 is brighter and more analytical; less natural. Bass and treble detail are more impressive and engaging. Wow factor is higher. PR2 sounds more distanced, but HYPE 2 has a better sense of depth and L/R engagement. HYPE 2 is less bright, but more fatiguing. KZ is the winner of these 7, but the treble could use a little softening. The detail of the KZ is completely amazing.
Adding the 10 ohm adapter on the KZ, the treble becomes a lot more veiled, subdued and dark, which I don’t like. But it’s certainly not a bad sound still, as there is no treble brightness at all now.
3 Likes
Last 2 of the show:
TRUTHEAR - H3XXUH:
Not a shell shape I’m crazy about, but it’s an improvement on the Zero:RED. No cable hiss. Treble is wide open and a little elevated at times, but fully controlled. This is the best balanced and least problematic treble of all 9 IEMs, but is only average/standard for detail/resolution. There is some decent depth, with very good separation and a strong L/R + center distribution. Treble details can have excellent clarity. The male vocal region(Owl City) is where this IEM’s treble is slightly too elevated. Goo Goo Dolls comes across likewise, sadly; slightly too bright. The bass is strange and unimpressive… Density is low. Sub-bass is present, but sounds like it struggles to reproduce the tones. Mid-bass can be OK, or missing. The bass is definitely obfuscated and lost in the background, most of the time. Mid/upper bass texture/detail is good, though. Do not buy this IEM for bass… I would say this has a studio tuning/sound to it. On some songs(Boondock Saints - Metal Soul) the treble sounds like it warps or melts sometimes… There are definitely some very strange things going on with this IEM’s output. 
But the treble also has an addictive quality, that usually appears with electronic or ambient electronic. Did I mention I hate this cable…?
KZ - ZS10 PRO X:
No cable hiss. Fine fit. These have a nice, interesting flavor of sound… The tonality is an obvious degree dark/muted, with a moderate layer of warmth across the FR. Treble is mostly nicely subdued, and perfectly listenable with nearly no fatigue, though there is a bright edge in some of the FR that is elevated and slightly peaky/shreaky. Again, how much of the brighter treble you’ll hear will depend on the content; you shouldn’t have any fatigue with acoustic/organic/electronic stuff, but Rock/Metal/Pop. Mike Oldfield, for example, sounds great except for the Rock content, where vocals, elec guitar, and cymbals have some peakiness and shine. It’s certainly not a terrible or unlistenable issue. Owl City is good, but a little hit and miss with the treble edge, though listenable/tolerable. Infected Mushroom - The Pretender sounds pretty nice, with no glaring issues.
Detail is about the standard level of expectation for BA. Not anything spectacular or magical, like PR2 or TRI Starlight 4, but is good enough to satisfy. Frontal depth is pretty good, and there’s a nice, semi-circular wrap of sound in front of you with a nice amount of distance. Bass density and tautness is only medium or so, but there is a really great amount of mid-bass slam/rumble/power that really brings the low end to life still, in an effective, tasteful, enjoyable way. The bass doesn’t get in the way much, with the lower density and more loose nature of it. Bass detail/texture is rather one-note and fuzzy, so this will not show you what FD5 can. Sub-bass is also rather one-note, with much lower elevation and power than the mid-bass. Pretty ho-hum.
I liked a lot of content I heard with these, and only encounter 1 song I had to change due to treble issues(the elec guitar in Los Lonely Boys - Senorita). The bass and treble are definitely engaging, with the bass being able to hit hard and rumble powerfully, but there is also a good layer of warmth and darkness that I really love mixed into the sound. Compared to my long-time favorite KZ, ZAS has a much nicer, natural tone, much more bass backbone, density and strength, a closer presentation with less depth, smoother treble, and much more tamed(and less evident) treble detail. I suspect most would choose ZAS over ZS10 Pro X, but ZPX certainly has a clarity & detail advantage. Will ZPX be a keeper? I’m not sure yet… There are some good qualities here.
2 Likes
FPS game results(PUBG Training map and Serious Sam TSE HD):
KZ HBB PR2 is again the clear winner, offering the most detail, clarity, and imaging accuracy without question, and a perfectly seamless, spherical 360 stage. This is one hell of an IEM, for music or gaming… I have been nothing but impressed with what this thing can do. This has to be the most accurate thing I’ve heard for gaming. More useable than FD5, at the very least.
Next best would be ZS10 Pro X and Phoenixcall, with Phoenixcall having an overly bassy tone.
Next would probably be HYPE 2 and Salnotes, with Salnotes having a good frontal image but choppy sides, and HYPE 2 having the same issue of the side images feeling disconnected from the front.
Next group would be, with varying flaws:
MagicOne - Poor tone and clarity. Too distanced. Good accuracy, but a little vague.
zero:RED - Separated sides and center. Harsh/jarring transitions. But good accuracy.
Hexa - Sounds tunnely. A bit too bright/harsh. Strong frontal focus. Side imaging not so good.
And the one I disqualified from completing testing due to being too bright - Cadenza.
1 Like