IEM for a stupidly small amount of money

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by Rotijon, Jun 18, 2016.

  1. Rotijon

    Rotijon Friend

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    Haha the UERM (Have not heard the UERR) and Jupiter (Have not heard the Andromeda) is somewhat more detailed. Certain things, they definitely do better. They are significantly cleaner and faster than the TFZ 3, but that's also the nature of BA's vs DD's

    I feel that this iem is like a Toyota 86 when compared against sub 100k sports car and the Nissan GTR when compared against a supercar. The numbers don't say much, and they definitely lose out in certain aspects, but you might find them a much more enjoyable car to drive.

    Yeap, the bass of the TFZ 1's are definitely too much. I cant wait for you to get your TFZ 3 and 5's. The TFZ 3 is much more neutral, the bass is much better controlled due to the changes in the casing.
     
  2. likearake

    likearake Acquaintance

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    I must admit this is the most convincing statement in the thread to me.
     
  3. Drifterxny

    Drifterxny Friend

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    would these work as work out earbuds? Definitely cheap enough to toss around etc.
     
  4. Rozenberg

    Rozenberg Acquaintance

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    The price jump between 5 and 7 is real big whoa. Do they add drivers in the Series 7? Funny if they use same drivers as the cheaper Series but charge 4x more.
    I don't want to spend 400 for teh lulz so I could only judge their quality after I receive my Series 5.

    Btw how's the buil quality? I'm particularly interested in the shells. Does the plastic look rigid?
     
  5. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    OK just bougth the TFZ Series 5 as well. Those seem to be right up my alley to replace my trusty se215.

    My first hype... it's somewhat emotional.
     
  6. Rotijon

    Rotijon Friend

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    I doubt anyone will be complaining about the built. The shell is definitely comparable to UE or Empire's.. They do seem thinner, but still very sturdy.

    My main complaint about built is probably the nozzle tips. They look a bit thin, which may lead to chipping or not. No idea, its too new to call.
     
  7. liquidgal

    liquidgal New

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    The person in charge told me that Series 7 will be available around September. It is a dual dynamic + dual BA IEM that use MMCX connectors.

    Their next product will be the Series 2.
    Price in between Series 1 and Series 3, but the sound signature will be different. More to neutral, brighter and cleaner side, detachable cable.
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2016
  8. Rozenberg

    Rozenberg Acquaintance

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    If that's true then that's some high quality shells they've got there. Wow.

    Is the nozzle as thin as Westone's? My only experience with broken nozzle was my friend's Westone IEM and the canal is indeed very thin in my opinion.

    Thanks for the info.

    MMCX? Wait a minute... Is the cable on the other Series' detachable? At first I thought they have 2pin but looking closer, it's like a molded strain relief so I guess the cable isn't detachable... Oh well, I can only hope it lasts.
     
  9. liquidgal

    liquidgal New

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    Only Series 2 and Series 7 are detachable cable (Both haven't released yet). The rest not detachable :)
     
  10. FlySweep

    FlySweep Friend

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    I'm in need of a cheap, universal IEM and the Series 5 interests me. Fingers crossed for a neutral, reference-type sound.. but it seems that mostly all the cheap Hype-Fi/Chi-Fi IEMs these days feature v-shaped, facetweeting- or L-shaped, fart cannon-curves. Sigh.

    The (modded) Fostex TE-02n looks to be my best bet, but they seem to be discontinued, right?

    I've had the Tenore.. loved it.. But QC is a mixed bag.. RE-00 might be perfect, but I don't want to wait until August (I'll have my Andromeda by then).
     
  11. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Consider me intrigued...but I won't purchase anything until we get some more ears on these things.
     
  12. GambL

    GambL New

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    Can we talk about the cable durability? It looks like it may break if turned the wrong way... that's the only thing holding me back on these.
    *Disregard, I see earlier posts indicate that future IEMs will have detachable cables. Fantastic news!
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2016
  13. Chris1967

    Chris1967 Friend

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    Just bought the 3's off e-bay... i hope they are super \/
     
  14. AustinValentine

    AustinValentine Friend

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    Did the same. They don't have to be super in my case -- just respectable. I've only owned 4-5 IEMs over the years, so I don't have a huge inventory of impressions to compare them with. I should be pretty easy to please!

    And I figure for the price, it's worth it just to have something to use with my iPhone when it's too warm to wear full sized phones.
     
  15. MrTurtle

    MrTurtle Facebook Friend

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    Just auditioned all three models in the TFZ lineup. Keep in mind that I have small ear canals, prefer a B&K curve-ish sound, and think a slight 2k peak is important for IEMs. Had my Tenores on hand for comparison.

    I couldn't get past how bassy the TFZs were. All three of them. 1 was the bassiest and 5 was the least so. Nevertheless, even the 5 was bassier than the Tenores!

    TFZ 1: Just muddy and dark. Too much doof doof. Stopped listening after 10 seconds.
    TFZ 3: Less midbass, but still somewhat overpowering. Mids were ok but a little too warmed over because of the bass issues. Treble rolled off a little steeper than the Tenores, but was pleasantly inoffensive.
    TFZ 5: For some reason, upper mids sounded more recessed on this than on the 3, and treble sounded a little uneven. I did some sine sweeps and found some dips at around 4k and 6k. May just be my ear canals.

    IMO, these aren't in any way a step up from the Tenores; the latter beat all of them in clarity, extension and tonality. The build quality of the TFZs is far better though. If only there was a way to fuse the Tenore sound with the TFZ shells...

    P.S. VSonic VSD3 is nice for the price, just like the VSD1 (FR sounded more 'correct' than all the TFZs). VSD2S was rather rubbish. Dunu DN-1000 was enjoyable, if a bit overpriced for what it offered (a bit peaky in upper treble at times).
     
  16. Sqveak

    Sqveak Friend

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    Thanks for posting your impressions.

    Any chance these are presenting as overly warm due to an impedance mismatch? What did you listen out of?
     
  17. MrTurtle

    MrTurtle Facebook Friend

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    Ah yes, forgot to mention that - straight out of an iPhone 6. Could go back and try again with my portable rig (Note 3 -> UD120 -> UHA6SmkII), but the way I see it, an IEM for out-and-about listening should at least sound decent on a smartphone.
     
  18. songmic

    songmic Gear cycler East Asia edition

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    I already ordered a SERIES 5. Even if it doesn't turn out as good as I had hoped, it won't hurt my wallet much anyway. I also have a RE-00 incoming which got fairly decent reviews and seems to be in the same alley as TFZ products in terms of price point. I'll try to post my impressions here after trying them out. My last IEM was K10 and I was underwhelmed by it that I sold it in less than a week. My player will be a modest AK Jr.

    On a side note, totally irrelevant to this thread but I just noticed your avatar. Do I smell another Undertale player? I remember going back and forth between the Turtle shop and Temmie Village shop buying and selling shit countless times to grind cash for that college tuition and armor...
     
  19. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    You've got me interested Pikachu... err I mean @Rotijon . So you recommend the series 3? DO they come with foam tips or just silicone tips? The other series seem to have a lot of nice color options as well. And if they sound as good as you say they do, that is a killer price. You mentioned the TFZ 1's are too bassy. I do like bass quite a bit, but not to the point that it is muddy or overwhelming (ahem beats) so on the TFZ series 3, is the bass still decent?
     
  20. Rotijon

    Rotijon Friend

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    Yes, the tfz 3 is still pretty good. I have to admit though, that the varied impressions im getting from others is interesting, and gives me something to benchmark against.

    Having heard my fitears abit more, i would probably give it a different thread title. They definitely do lack abit in terms of refinement. Bass, well i like 334 and fitear fitear bass, so i guess it would be neutral for me but bassy for others.

    Nonetheless, they are getting the most ear time, by virtue of being cheap, pretty decent looking and sounding really good.

    They come with only silicon tips.
     

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