shotgunshane’s IEM (custom and universal) recommendations, favorites and classics

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by shotgunshane, Jun 7, 2016.

  1. rendyG

    rendyG Acquaintance

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    ATE are also bulky. Speaking about gifts, I think there are better options today, for example KZ ZSN is a hit..
    (I´m not a KZ fanboy btw)
    Or for a bit cheaper there is Ezaudio D4, also praised a lot for its neutralish signature which is rare at this price.
     
  2. Poleepkwa

    Poleepkwa Friend

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    Hard to keep up with the Chinese IEM output. The ATE looks like IM02 shapes, so might be fine.
     
  3. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    EZ D4 is cheap, but based on my pair and every measurement I've seen you'll probably need to fix the bass.

    The problem is the front vents are drilled very ragged and are commonly (typically?) different sizes, leading to bad channel imbalance in the low end. The fix, however, is easy: first, tape over the bass vents to even things up (to appalling extremes)...

    [​IMG]

    Then, poke small holes with the tip of a fine needle until bass is to your taste. It's good to wrap tape or something around the needle so you can guarantee going in the same distance on each side. The shell is quite thick where the vents are, so you can go in some distance before hitting the screen inside (which is strong enough to be resistant to gentle needling).

    Tasteful needling can get these to a similar tonality to the modded Blitzwolf ES1 if you don't mind a slightly elevated DF-type signature...

    [​IMG]

    ...but the dynamics and other technicalities don't really compare. The D4s don't do anything really offensive, but neither do they do anything really well.

    Re. the KZs: thanks to @Brause - who also put me onto the D4 - I have a pair of the ATE's successor, the ATR (aka ATRipoffs; they are indeed IM-0x lookalikes), but meh. Tried modding them to tame the mid-bass hump, but then the low bass fell off too much.
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2018
  4. Poleepkwa

    Poleepkwa Friend

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    Thanks. KZ seems to copy when it comes to "popular" designs. They have IM0x, Stagedivers and Campfire Audios shapes.
     
  5. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Thanks for the impressions. I have a couple of questions:

    How much bassier is the 1650 than the EX1000? Is it the entire range bassier or just mid bassier, etc?

    Which treble is less peaky / more even sounding? The EX1000 treble peak seems to be a resonant spike within the housing. It wasn't something I could mitigate with EQ or nozzle damping. While those things lowered the amplitude of the resonance, it's characteristics was still there. I could never satisfactorily tame it.
     
  6. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    Haven't heard the KZ ATE, but can attest to you that the similarly priced KZ ED9 are very decent sounding, if you switch from the default (gold) nozzles to the bronze nozzles.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2018
  7. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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  8. 701c

    701c New

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    Has anyone tried the Venture electronics cables for the MDR-EX1000? I was thinking about getting one with a 4.4mm plug so that I can use it with the balanced output of the zx300. They are only around $45.
     
  9. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Today’s 15% eBay coupon put the Moondrop Kanas Pro at a hair under $135 from a specific seller already discounting their regular price. From the measurements I’ve seen, these seem to hit the Harman target pretty well. Typically I find the Harman target a little too warm for a neutral signature but it’s also pretty hard to find neutralish single dynamics. @La Cenric have you heard these?
     
  10. Mimouille

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    I have and they sound pretty good. I preferred their Liebesleid earbuds which I bought, but I guess these are more neutral.
     
  11. Crinacle

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    Been getting quite a few requests for the Kanas series recently. I’ll see if I can secure some units and maybe send them off with some extras for tour.
     
  12. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    This is still a great resource!

    @shotgunshane any updates to the budget list?
     
  13. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Hey, thanks! No, I don’t have any new ones to recommend at the moment. I just haven’t had any opportunity to try some of the latest budget memes and releases.

    @La Cenric has measured the ultra cheap Sony MH755, which appears to be a $10 version of the MH1, which is on the list. The cheaper MH755 is a plastic housing but better (not flat) cable. Just keep in mind it’s a large bass boost that needs to be tamed through EQ, loose seal or a front vent tip mod.

    The Moondrop brand I mentioned above seems to have most of their models measuring pretty well (they look to target the Harman curve pretty well). They have some under $100 models. But again haven’t heard anything by them yet. I did order the Kanas Pro with yesterday’s eBay discount.

    @james444 may have some budget models he recommends after mods.
     
  14. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    I remember the Zero Audio Tenore being a favorite of mine a few years back, so I think I'll pick those up. Kinda sick of the lean sound of my Rockit R50s....
     
  15. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Tenores still hold their own. Zero Audio doesn’t have the best qc between units- some are bassier than others (and slightly different cable lengths, seriously) but even the bassier units are better than most.
     
  16. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    Agreed on the Tenores. I think the Hifi Walker A1/A2 do sound better, but you have to mod them. Plus their stiffer cable and larger housings make them not quite as comfy for everyone as the Tenores.

    And of course, Tenores can also be "fixed" if you get an overly bassy pair. ;)
     
  17. Augmentin

    Augmentin MOT - DUNU IEM Company

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    I finally heard the Solaris and spent more time with the Andromeda today. I compared them against the DUNU DK-4001, which I had in my bag at the time.

    Some thoughts:
    • Both the Solaris and Andromeda are crazy sensitive. I had to press at least 3 volume clicks higher on the BTR1K to volume-match the DK-4001.
    • The Solaris is quite impressive with rendering a deep, tall, and round sound space. It does pretty well with stereo pan effects as well. To my ears, it almost sounds like a semi-open can. However, I definitely understand what people like @La Cenric have said about hollowed out vocals. In my experience, an 800 ~ 1500 Hz boost with a relatively recessed 4000 Hz region gives the psychoacoustic illusion of tall, large vocals centered at the front of a soundstage. My goal here isn't to attract the zealots here, so
    • Overall, I like the sound of the Solaris and find it a technical achievement, but I don't feel the desire to drop one and a half grand on it because its sound signature isn't something that I would listen to everyday (don't need massive sounding vocals all the time). Mostly, though, it's that I find the Solaris not very ergonomically pleasing. The stem seats well in my ears and I get a good seal with decent isolation, but the gold part sticks out awkwardly and imparts downward rotational torque on my ear canals.
    • The Andromeda fits much better in my ears, though it also takes a slight backseat to the small and snug fit of the DK-4001. I can sleep on my side with the DK-4001. I'd have a little trouble sleeping decubitus with the Andromeda. I'd never try to do the same with the Solaris.
    • The Andromeda, with low OI, sounds... not bad. It's still good, but slightly disappointing, considering all of the massive praise that it has collected over the past year or two. I find it lacks bass definition and detail compared to both the DK-4001 and the Solaris. It tries to do the whole vocal isolation trick like the Solaris, but it isn't nearly as convincing, and thus the perceived size of vocals on the Andromeda aren't any bigger than those on the DK-4001, which has a more traditional-sounding, flat-ish, IEM-like approach to vocal staging. The one thing that the Andromeda does as well as, or perhaps better than, the Solaris is a convincing trailing end to the harmonics. It is what gives the Andromeda a sense of smooth fall-off in reverberance, and a open, boundless feel to the soundstage. However, I find the Andromeda doesn't do nearly as well in revealing detail compared to the DK-4001, and the Solaris as well. Is this a low OI thing or is it that the test unit I used seemed aged and not a fresh one (probably with dust and ear wax clogging its triple bores) ? The Andromeda just lacked definition compared to both the Solaris and DK-4001 when I listened.
    • Initially, I liked the tonal balance of the Andromeda better than the Solaris, but with each subsequent listen, I felt the Solaris pulled ahead overall. The Solaris' large, isolated vocals, despite feeling slightly hollow, present music in a unique manner that allows music to project a healthy Z-axis, and the Andromeda doesn't do it convincingly.
    • The DK-4001 holds its own against the Andromeda and Solaris. Its main drawbacks are a flatter, less vocal-forward soundstage presentation, and less even treble. Prior to hearing the Solaris and Andromeda, I thought the DK-4001 controlled its sibilance/harshness 6-8 kHz treble peak well, but against the Solaris, which has a similar peak, it's less well controlled, though not by too much. Its 10+ kHz upper treble presence seems less obvious than both that of the Andromeda and Solaris, and this is what I take to be the biggest technical 'flaw' of the 4001. Against the Solaris, its stereo panning ability just seems dead. I predicted this would be the case, as these obliquely-mounted dynamic drivers just don't have great 3D panning ability. For example, the EX1000 is lacking in this ability as well. The 4001 has more central bass than the Solaris, but I don't find it a drawback. I still find it to be really nice. To my ears, the 4001's more coalesced bass might actually be more pleasant sounding than the relatively mellow sounding bass of the Solaris.

    [​IMG]

    Additional Notes:
    • Listening order was: Solaris --> DK-4001 --> Andromeda --> DK-4001 --> Solaris --> Andromeda --> DK-4001 --> Andromeda --> DK-4001 --> Solaris
    • Only two tracks were used for comparison: (1) 'Sleep Away' by Lexie Liu, and (2) 'La Venus du Melo' by Stacey Kent. The former was chosen for its synthesized bass, which has more complex detail and layering than people would expect. It also has hi-hat and cymbal crashes that possess the potential for annoyance. Also, because I happen to like the song. The latter track was chosen for its acoustic bass, which has the potential to get out of hand with mid-bassy earphones. There's quite a lot of vocal detail, from guttural throat sounds to vocal vibrato. There are gentle cymbal decays that can inform an even high treble response or reveal unevenness.
    • I used SpinFit CP145 tips (included with the DK-4001) with all three earphones because the tips the store provided for the Solaris and Andromeda sucked. I have no idea what tips are recommended for the two Campfire earphones, whereas the DK-4001 was voiced with the CP145 in mind.
    • The listening rig was a FiiO BTR1K streaming AAC off Spotify at highest quality settings without loudness equalization from an iPhone Xs Max, so it's nothing fancy, but it has <1 Ω OI, so it's consistent. I know the Andromeda is supposed to sound better off higher OI sources, but for the sake of standardization, these comparisons were done with the same OI. Also, I only have a 90 Ω resistor adaptor, which would probably be too high anyways.
     
  18. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    This made me chuckle, 'cause only a few years ago you'd have been tarred and feathered for doing a top-tier IEM comparison from a bluetooth source. But bluetooth audio has come a long way and I too am "guilty" of comparing via BT all the time. Never noticed any influence on the outcome vs. wired, so me thinks high-quality BT streaming is sufficiently transparent these days.
     
  19. Biodegraded

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    HFW A1s are currently listed at $47.99 direct from the mfr but on their Amazon shop they're $23.89, with the A2 (no mic/remote) $1 cheaper. Seems pretty good. Tenores are currently $42.

    A1s seem to be well (and consistently) manufactured and solid. The cable and connections are strong, but I wish it wasn't so microphonic. I've now switched to shorter-stemmed tips, and the resulting deeper insertion brings out more mid-treble while leaving low treble alone.
     
  20. Augmentin

    Augmentin MOT - DUNU IEM Company

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    I think there's still value in a high quality wired source but when I'm on the go, I'm too lazy to lug around a big heavy DAP in addition to my other stuff. When it comes to comparisons, I think using BT is a non-issue if the listening environment is not well-controlled and I'm only listening for general differences in balancce, soundstage presentation, etc.
     

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