New IEMS from china

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by Najuyi, Mar 22, 2016.

  1. Najuyi

    Najuyi New

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    Hey there, was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the IEMS from across the lake of the US west coast.
    They've been hyped on head-fi a bit, so I was just wondering if anyone on SBAF has had any experience with them.
    If you have, I'd love to hear your impressions of them!

    Possible noteworthy iems:
    • LZ-A2
    • LZ-A3
    • LZ-Z03A
    • DQSM
    • MrZ Shock Wave III
     
  2. nehcrow

    nehcrow New

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    I did not think the LZ-A2 are anything special, in fact hybrids have kind of failed to wow me other than the AKG K3003 and a few Dunu IEMs.
     
  3. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    When I read a hype thread around one of the LZ iems, I noticed a lot of circle jerking and not very astute comparisons with higher end iems.

    I would be more interested if the reviews seemed more on-point.
     
  4. FatTeemo

    FatTeemo New

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    Yeah, I only trust the reviews of people who seem to have spent a lot of time listening and not sound overly excited about the iems. There is one person who keeps insisting that the multi-driver iems need 350 hours of burn in to sound their best. All these claims just make me feel skeptical.

    Of the Chinese iems, I have heard the Fiio EX1 which is basically the dunu titan 1. I won't go into it since much have been written about them. I have also heard the Pai Audio MR3, which sounds neutral, maybe slightly on the bright side. It is more detailed compared to the Fiio EX1. I really enjoy this one for comfort, clarity, and female vocals. I also heard the DQSM (first version) which wowed me with its soundstage when I plugged it into my 02. It didn't sound as great on my HTC A9 phone even with boomsound on so I gave it to my friend who loved it. If I had a portable amp, it would probably sound better. She stated that it was the best iem she has ever heard, but then she was using the symphonized brand and other cheap iems previously so that's not surprising. Compared to the Pai MR3s I find them warmer and more colored. The sharp edges on the metal housing can also feel uncomfortable depending on which tips you use. I would wait for the new DQSM to come out (better housing and apparently better sound) and not buy the first version.
     
  5. Teddy Cunterblast

    Teddy Cunterblast New

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    Own the LZ-A2, pretty pleased with them.
    Had the 1964 audio Triples before, but have broken drivers. Don't know if I gonna send them back for repair, since I am in Europe.
    Cannot do some AB-ing, but like the bass of the A2's more. Very fun sound, which made my HD800 sound boring.
     
  6. GUTB

    GUTB Reddit rejected: Audiophile; SBAF rejected: Poseur

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    The only Chinese IEMs I own are the KZ-ATE, which suck. Of course it was hyped to high heaven as usual.

    Still willing to pay attention to other products.
     
  7. muse

    muse Facebook Friend

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    Of all the threads on Head-fi, the one which I would preach great caution treading through is the one on Chinese IEMs and general audio gear.

    As with all things, there are several sane posters on there whose opinion can be trusted as I believe they do spend significant time on their gear before actually posting their concrete and well measured impressions.

    Unfortunately, especially in recent times, the thread has become infested with bullshiters. I've seen ridiculous claims like how a piece of scotch tape around the strain relief of a cable mods a cheap IEM into a giant killer. Another one which claims how a $20+ hybrid IEM closely matches the Campfire Audio Jupiter, and with even deeper bass extension. Even more incredible is claiming how the nozzle design of the IEM allows mimicking how a BA IEM sounds, or whatever the hell that even means. And the funniest part of all is that he was completely off the mark in describing the sound signature of the Jupiter.

    Not to mention how it sometimes miraculous how quickly 'reviews' are churned out. I swear some of them spend less than a couple of days before spewing out extensive reviews with big claims and comparisons with other IEMs.

    The thread for the most part is a textbook example of confirmation bias and one-upsmanship. Actual cases of 'false authority', and then some.

    That being said, I do believe that Chinese IEMs do offer some of the best value out there, which isn't really hard given how exorbitant prices have become. It's a matter of sieving out the legitimate ones from the over-hyped junks.
     
  8. darkdoorway

    darkdoorway New

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    The Chinese headphones thread on head-fi is like watching Ex on the Beach. A guiltly pleasure, with superficial temptations that are rarely gems. Having said that. I cannot stop reading. Trying to stop jumping on the hype train with the musicmaker keggers
    ..
     
  9. GettingBuckets

    GettingBuckets Almost "Made"

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    Everytime I walk into that thread on HF...
    [​IMG]
     

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