IEM for a stupidly small amount of money

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

  1. Griffon

    Griffon 2nd biggest asshole on SBAF

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    I propose "Chi-Fi done right!"
     
  2. Rozenberg

    Rozenberg Acquaintance

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    Got mine today.

    I won't make detailed impressions before listening to them further but initial impression is really positive IMO.

    Here have a pic.

    I use SpinFit right away, won't bother with stock tips for now.
    The shell is matte, feels pretty nice and solid.
    Cable looks cheap, thin and hopefully doesn't break quick.
    The jack is nice tho

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Rotijon

    Rotijon Friend

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    Let them burn in (not sure if you believe in it) It uses 2 dynamic drivers, so they do need time, Give it a 100 hours or so.
     
  4. stratocaster

    stratocaster Friend

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    Even if people are using different measurement systems and compensations, I guess one could pretty well compare measurements of different IEMs on the same rig. Measurements above 1k do change (dramatically) when using different distances between driver and microphone or when changing the diameter of the tube being used to imitate the human ear canal. So reliability of measurements may only be achieved in the context of using the very same measurement system. Anyway, here is some more input, measurement-wise. Comparing to Shozy Zero ...

    Series 5 Stock (green) vs Shozy Zero
    StockVsShozy.jpg

    Series 5 Modded (green) vs Shozy
    ModdedVsShozy.jpg
     
  5. Warrior

    Warrior RIP 2021

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    Seems like there is a little mid bass hump, hopefully it doesn't detract much from the mids.
     
  6. Ninja Pirate

    Ninja Pirate Friend

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    After accidentally crushing one of the housings on my SD-2, I was in need of a cheap stop gap replacement. Was very close to picking up a Tenore but decided to give the TFZ 3 a go.

    [​IMG]

    Initial thoughts:

    Doesn't sound shit.

    Somewhat overpowering sub - mid bass (noticeably boosted vs SD-2 and 4.Ai) for my preferences but I can live with it.

    Mids sound a bit recessed due to the bass bleed.

    Not a hint of sibilance which is good.

    Shells are huge so they don't exactly fit that well in my ears.

    Kinda reminds me of a more coherent sounding Nighthawk.

    Not bad for 50 bucks but not amazeballs either.
     
  7. Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync

    Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync New

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    I got these in the other day. The Series 5 anyway, which... is supposed to be the most balanced one? They're very bassy. Lots of mid bass, and deep bass, giving the overall sig a great degree of punch and solidity. Bass decay is thankfully not slow and lethargic, so it's got that over the FE334 at least. After reading about the harakiri mod, I dug deep down, summoned my balls and proceeded to gouge out the bass vent. There appears to be some sort of diaphragm underneath that port. Anyway, that seemed to help attenuate the bass. Bass boost is definitely situated in deep bass, very strong amplitude down to at least 26 hz through tonegen, and the bass is actually pretty tight and articulate. Anyway, after that I proceeded to run them in for about 15 hours with my ZX2.

    I will say this, they totally trash the Shozy Zero IMHO. Much better clarity and energy. The Zero feels veiled and warmed over, spongy in the bass (weak slam), lacks real deep bass extension and its sense of depth is poor In relation to its width (flat feeling to me along the Z axis). It feels really congested and constrained vs Series 5. The Series 5 has far better imaging/depth (taller, much better center image focus) and energy to me. I'd venture as far as to say that the soundstage can feel pretty buttfucking huge and I've got the Andro, UERM etc.

    The Series 5 claimed its most definitive victory with electric guitar; the Zero just feels off timbre to me, too warmed over, smooth and lacking in any sense of edge detail or bite. Not so with the Series 5. Listened to some Van Halen and System of a Down and its pretty much night and day. There's a bit of shoutiness in the upper mids (4.5 kHz) and a broad treble peak from 7-9 kHz but nothing too bad. I think the strategic peaks are why these sound so lively and clear/detailed vs the more sedate Shozy Zero even if they're both fairly bassy.

    Other than that, SGS can vouch for me I guess? I dunno, I'll probably send my pair to him for a second opinion, but for now, I legit think these are surprisingly great phones post mod. Who knows, maybe he'll think they're shit. He's far more sensitive to treble than I am. I just wish I could coax a bit more treble energy/sparkle out of them, the treble timbre is good but soft in attack and a touch thin vs Andromeda. If only James444 could work some of that magic on these. I might have to ask him for some ideas.

    Anyway, these aren't dethroning the Andro or anything just yet, but they're actually good enough that I've been listening to them for the past two hours and I haven't thought to switch back to the Andro in abject disgust. Far from it actually. I think these are far more deserving of the $500 tag line that the Shozy thread has over at HF. I would honestly have no probs issuing at least a $500 valuation on the Series 5 - genuinely impressive perfermance for the money.
     
  8. GettingBuckets

    GettingBuckets Almost "Made"

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    I guess it makes sense that the 5 would have the best quality out of the series. Glad someone else gave some impressions on the Shozy. I hear so much hype about it, so I didn't know what to think
     
  9. Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync

    Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync New

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    Man, if the Series 3 is even bassier than these, I just dunno LOL. I actually think the Shozy Zero is a good phone. It's just tuned to be more on the safe side - very inoffensive sounding. The 5 is still verging on bass monster. Amplitude around 40 hz is pretty damn strong. These aren't mid bass crazy like the FX850 in stock form at least. More like... I dunno, a more linear Ocharaku? There's less overall bass body than the Flat-4 Kaede going by memory. If there was a way to lower bass amplitude these would be even better. But for now, they're a good choice if you like something more V shaped as it's a ton of fun with certain genres (pop, rock, electronic etc.). I think my one misgiving at the moment is that the upper mids are more forward than the lower mids, so this can result in some things like vocals feeling a bit thin. I noticed this while listening to some Crystal Castles earlier. I'll have to find some time to compare these to stuff like the Pinnacle P1 or UERM later.
     
  10. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    I had the Series 3 and 5 delivered last night. My intitial impressions on the 3 after about an hour were (I was using my iPhone 6s):

    1. I had to fiddle around with it in the ear to get a proper fit; the position that gave me the most "powerful" sound was were when the wires actually sticking up rather than straight down.
    2. This is no neutral IEM; powerful but not unpleasant bass.
    3. Mid bass does bleed into the mids; hence the mids sound more recessed.
    4. I also did not find any sibilance in the treble so no piercing sound which makes me go ouch.

    Overall, I am reminded of my Fostex TH X00 if I was asked to compare the 3 with any other can of mine; in terms of an IEM, I think this is close to my Dunu 2kj without the sharp treble. My biggest issue is getting the fit right. For 50 bucks, not bad at all. I have not yet opened the Series 5.
     
  11. Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync

    Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync New

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    Okay after some more listening to the Series 5, I've determined that the bass isn't quite as monstrous as I originally thought. That's what I get for listening to Grimes and Crystal Castles I guess. It's definitely boosted over my reference (UERM), but not crazily so, thankfully. Upper bass through midbass feels pretty linear to me, boosted over UERM by maybe, I dunno, 3 dBs or so? I'm not sure if enlarging the hole I pricked in the vents would further attentuate the bass, but what's there is tastefully elevated IMO, so maybe I'll just leave it alone. I may experiment with removing the metal grill to see if I can't experiment with layers of alcohol swab to improve treble linearity.

    Anyway, the bass boost is mostly situated in deep bass so as long as your music doesn't have a lot of content below 60 hz, its not an issue. The deep bass can actually get fatiguing with electronic music at higher volumes. Real impressive yes, but it's a bit too powerful for my taste. Upper and mid bass is real tight and quick to me. It's not quite armature quick, but feels decisively more fleet footed than your average DD based IEM. It still maintains the solidity and decay of a DD based driver of course.

    The upper mids are more forward than lower mids so this can result in some vocals feeling a bit thin and lacking in body. That's my only hang up regarding overall timbre so far. Also would've preferred stronger amplitude after 10 kHz to induce more air out of these but treble extension isn't bad at all. Other than that, I remain really impressed by these for the price. Detailing and separation are quite impressive IMO and they hold up really well with chaotic/busy tracks with only a hint of congestion.

    People wanting a taste of the high end for a stupidly reasonable price ($79 shipped!) should definitely consider these. They get my stamp of approval for sure.

    Again these impressions are based off of a modded pair. The stock sig was super bassy to me.
     
  12. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Thus far, my impressions are in line with @Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync . Too bassy in stock form but I won't mod it for now. I prefer let them run for a few dozen of hours and use them on the go before any modification. Sometimes too much bass at home mean it's the right level for outside use.
     
  13. stratocaster

    stratocaster Friend

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    Closing the vent with some glue strip undoes the mod and the bass boost is back. That is really cool. My problems with these are the fit and the bump at around 1.8kHz, leaving them a little shouty. Modded and after some fiddling with the fit I would take these over the Shozys.
     
  14. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Yup. Definitely some shoutiness in high mids I wonder if some more hours of burn in could help. i'm not that much a burn in believer but it seems I heard some improvement in a few rare case especially for small Dynamic drivers that could sound a bit hard/strident brand new and tends to smoothen a bit after some burn in . Take that with a grain of salt.
     
  15. Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync

    Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync New

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    Dude. Take a needle. Pop that cherry. Bass amplitude is nearly perfect for the majority of music genres afterward. Did a little reading and these are apparently titanium coated drivers or something? Explains why the bass is so tight on these. Sub bass decay is very quick post mod. Infected Mushroom's Mambacore and New Order's remixed Dub Vulture sounded straight up insane on these. Rumble is just awesome. The stuff you just miss on BA based stuff. This might be some of my favorite bass on a DD based phone. Hell it might be some of my fave bass that I've heard on an IEM in recent memory.

    Not sure about the burn in thing but these sound better to me today after about maybe... I dunno 30 hours of run in vs directly post mod. Treble doesn't feel as soft, and buried. Mids don't feel as disjointed. Most probably just my imagination tho who knows.
     
  16. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    Series 5 is better than the 3 in terms of a more "even" sound signature. I am running this for 3 hours now and it's gone from a helluva lot of bass to where the treble is making its presence felt very nicely. Nice detailing and separation. I've not done the mod yet since I want more running time on the stock version. For me, the bass in the stock version is not offensive at all (at this stage).

    Very nice IEM for 79 $ and it took only 2 days in India customs with zero duty. What's not to like?
     
  17. stratocaster

    stratocaster Friend

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    S5 vs S3

    Stock - red is S3
    s5_vs_s3.jpg

    Modded (red is S3)
    s5_vs_s3_modded.jpg
     
  18. songmic

    songmic Gear cycler East Asia edition

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    So I've received my TFZ SERIES 5, and yeah this is gonna sound like a dumb question, but... exactly what does "bass vent" refer to when you perform this so-called harakiri mod? I mean, I can think of only one place where a needle would stick through and it's this little white vent at the tip of the earphones where the eartips would be placed. I'm pretty sure this is what you guys are talking about, but since it sounds like an irreversible mod, I just want to 100% make sure I'm poking at the right place.

    Also, since you're poking it with a small needle, will there be any noticeable outward difference before and after the mod?

    If this is what I think it is, then I suppose the harakiri mod would be similar in a way to the coin mod I performed on my HD650. Except that the coin mod is very noticeable.
     
  19. Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync

    Mr_Oy_Vey_Outta_Sync New

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    Got some modding tips from James444 and have gone ahead and applied a few mods to improve treble energy/air and attenuate the deep bass. These are now, subjectively speaking, f'ing awesome phones IMHO. Stupid awesome for the price post mod. Smooth, detailed, huge and airy feeling out of the head stage, and authoritative, linear bass with excellent extension.

    You have to use a needle to lever off the metal grille, underneath is a Hifiman mesh filter. Remove both and the signature is immediately more treble forward. I used James444's FX850 J444 front vent mod to simulate a leaky seal. This serves to attenuate deep bass without affecting the midbass much. I then used a single thin strip of alcohol swab and laid it across the nozzle ala his Fostex TE02n mod to smooth out the resulting treble peaks. I might have to experiment with multiple layers to improve treble timbre on cymbals. It's smooth and just sparkly enough at the moment, but just a touch tizzy. Nothing terrible but it's there.

    Anywho, the resulting sound is like astonishingly great. Bass is now closer to UERM in amplitude but with that deep bass extension and slam that the UERM lacks. Attenuating the bass results in a much airier and more detailed sig overall.

    These make an excellent companion to James Fostex TE02n mod IMO. It's not as aggressively detailed as that phone but is every bit as impressive and engaging IMO.

    I'll be back later with some pics and links for the mods for anyone interested in trying it out. I'm typing this from my phone at the moment.
     
  20. stratocaster

    stratocaster Friend

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    When you remove the filter from the Series 5, you will basically end up with the Series 3 frequency response, thus increasing the shout. Just measured that and immediately put back the filter.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2016

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