PENON Quattro- Bluishly Smooth​

Penon is a well-known manufacturer of iems and cables. They are based out of China and I have been exposed to a small number of their iems like Penon Fan (I still own it ), Penon Serial and Penon Volt. Their cables and connectors are top notch as usual. They have established themselves as a store and as a manufacturer.

While Penon’s core signature comes up easily in the Penon Fan, Penon Serial and Penon Volt iems with different emphasis on different parts of the sound signature, I am excited to try this new iem.

COMING ON TO THE PACKAGING—When I got the iem, I didn’t get much; it was just the iems and the cable with no tips. I have listed out what should be present in the packaging so you can check it up properly.

TECHNICALITIES-

The QUATTRO uses an independent 3-way crossover and 3-independent conduit design for better layering performance.

• Low frequency uses the latest horizontally opposed dual low-frequency driver to enhance the bass effect.
• Middle frequency uses a new generation of graphene materials providing more rich details and listening.
• High frequency uses a new process that makes the sound smoother and more delicate.

SPECIFICATION

• Driver：4 Dynamic driver
• 1 x 6mm custom dynamic driver for High frequency
• 1 x 8mm graphene diaphragm for Medium frequency
• 2 x 10mm composite diaphragm for Low frequency
• Impedance: 16 Ohm
• Sensitivity: 100dB
• Frequency response: 5Hz-30kHz
• Connector: 2pin 0.78mm
• Cable length: 1.2M, with 4.4 Pentaconn connector in the sample

PACKAGE

• Penon QUATTRO
• 9 pairs of silicone ear tips (SML)
• Earphone case
• Pouch
• Brush
• Clip

WARRANTY

18 months warranty is a refresher as its better than a 1 year warranty.

BUILD-

• IEMS-
  
  • These are made of resin and that just shines through with the blue-coloured iems. They are light and have a grill on the nozzle. The nozzle wasn’t too big to hurt my ears. They have 2 vents which are covered with grills and also coloured red and blue to indicate the R and L iems.
  • They fit me well like a lock and key and didn’t move at all. I have averagely sized ears (I use L and ML-sized eartips).

• CABLE-
  
  • The cable enhances the iem’s presence with its complementary blue colour. I didn’t get any cable noise while moving around with the iems and they had pentaconn connector which also looks strong. The cable is heavy, but not as much as EA 8W cable.

DISCLAIMER-

The Penon Quattro is part of a review tour organised by A.G and @Penon in my country. The sample belongs to the brand. I had the opportunity to listen to it for 7 days for the purpose of this review. This review is completely based on my experience with it, and all opinions, positive or negative, are my own and no one else’s. No external factors influence my review; only internal factors like my brain and heart influence it . Please try it yourself, if possible, since we all hear things differently. If you want to purchase it, you can buy it from the official product website from the link. PENON QUATTRO

SOME CONSIDERATIONS-

Source- laptop on battery with the Qobuz beta app and WASPI exclusive and direct mode being used, and also my phone with the Qobuz app set to High Res.

DAC used - PAW S1, no Efx Mode and 4.4 pentaconn cable being used to power them.

AMP – Topping A30s (Burson v5i added) and Xduoo mt 602 with Sylvania 1954 tubes was used to test out whether it was being underpowered and what interactions do I see.

Tips used are as follows: I dont remember their other 2 names but if i do i will add it here. But i settled on the CP 100 (red stem) ones as they were the best sounding and fiiting my ears perfectly.


REVIEW-
Usually, most reviews are based on the sound profile of an iem. But I want to change the format a bit and focus on the song and sound profile so I think it would make it much easier to understand what I am talking about.
So, keeping the legendary sound range of the human ear the same – we begin from the lower end of the spectrum i.e.

BASS and SUB-BASS

The song to be focused here, is FLIP- Glass Animals – Zaba.
It focuses on the beats of the drums with a small percussion working at the same to reach the same note density (I mean the sound volume/ intensity here). It easily distinguishes the instruments even though they are tonally different.
Next, we begin something which has a lot of percussive items along with big drums (like used in ancient tribal areas)- The song being used is -Woodfall Temple (Theophany).
Hearing the different big drums along with different percussive instruments leads me to believe that they are quite tonally distinct and easily felt through the song. The big drum hits at the beginning needs to have a bit more extension in its hit but was appropriate in the body of the note of the drum.
Next we shall see something with sub-bass- Here we going to use a famous track from Hans Zimmer – Why So Serious, check from 3:29 Minutes and you would know what I am talking about.
The sub-bass even though felt but felt a bit dampened. The body is coming through but the extensions seem to be a bit lacking and the thickness is a bit less. Penon seems to be focused on quality over quantity in this iem and separation is a more important factor, but I want a bit more of the sub-bass extension and body.

MIDS, VOCALS, LAYERING AND SEPARATION-

This works together, you have most of the body of notes of instruments in the mids, vocals compete with the instruments and thus what we expect is a certain degree of layering and separation between them. Hence all need to work together to provide some degree of accuracy and musicality.
Let’s, start with vocals- For Female vocals- Midnight at the Oasis – Renne Olstead and Uninvited- Alanis Morisettee; For male vocals – Circle of life – Carmen Twillie and Aint no Mountain high enough- II Divo.

Both vocals are epic, they are quite distinct even between multiple singers. Small sounds like lip smacks also come through easily. The high notes that the artists reach, are maintained but might require a bit more height in the soundstage. Female vocalist’s ssss sounds are handled beautifully and come through really well. I love the female vocals here, they seem appropriate, and the thickness of the voice is spot-on. For Male vocals, I might require a bit more thickness.

There are many songs I went through for the MIDS, Separation, and Layering- Instruments are lovely. They have a good body and tonality doesn’t seem to suffer from multiple instruments in the sound stage. The notes are a bit on the less thick side but probably done to establish the separation between the notes as they are quite easily detectable. I love the separation on this set; even far away instruments come through (check the saxophone/ trumpets in Tonight Tonight song – going at the left ear slowly increasing in the volume). The heights of the notes of different instruments seem a bit similar, ie they aren't reaching too high on the soundstage. But don’t worry, the notes horizontal and vertical spread is great so they won't seem congested. Tonality is slightly on the warmer side to help handle the upper mids and with this, even the harshest songs will be easily tolerable. Layering on an X-Y axis is good and easily separates multiple instruments, which can't be said for the Y-Z axis and X-Z axis; even though separated, the instruments feel way too near to each other.


HIGHS-
Use TANK! (Flix Mix)– COWBOY BEPOP / Moanin’ – Tommy Igoe and the Birdland big band - This iem is for those who want a smooth experience in the highs. This iem smoothed out the highs easily yet keeps a lot of energy in them. They are quite well separated and not thick or cause ear pain on long-term listening (at least 2 hours in my case). They reach good heights on the soundstage and are not too thick. The body of the notes is average but the separation here is also something that specifies quality. This iem does separation in a completely different way. But the tonality and horizontal layering is quite good and accentuate the clarity of the items.


Now let's see how this fares with an improved cable Effect audio Ares S 8W (UP-OCC Pure Copper Litz cable)-

I would be going through the same songs as mentioned above and would give a short overview of the interaction between the iem and the cable ( I do listen to both songs on the stock and the cable being tested to compare, keeping the volume indicator nearly same unless a bit more is required to hear).

Power requirement- I used PAW S1 to compare with the stock cable. A volume indicator of 48 works well with the stock cable, but with the Effect audio cable, it’s 55, and both are being used with High gain. So, it’s a slight bit more extra notches on the volume wheel.
With external amps, it’s a slight increase in my SS amp (A30 with v5i ), but with my hybrid amp ( Xduoo mt602 with Sylvania tubes) it doesn’t require much increase.



Changes that were observed- The first thing I noticed was that the notes reach higher heights in the head-stage with the body of the notes being more enhanced. There was more presence of notes of instruments, and it was more musical. Bass felt more articulate and has good extensions. Sub-bass was slightly more enhanced. Vocals were also equally affected by being more energetic and reaching higher note sizes on the head-stage. The highs felt to have become energetic but not sharp making the music more enjoyable. A Single pull of guitar strings is more enhanced and separated (check Stampede- Alexander Jean) Nuances are also better heard among the music.

Overall, would I recommend this cable. Well as a compliment to the iem nope, but as an upgrade to the iem yes, this cable achieves the energy that I felt was a bit missing in the iem mostly in the high-end and bass extension. Even nuances are better heard so clarity takes a good raise too. I am loving this cable upgrade to the iem.

Verdict- It does vary from the Penon Signature sound that i have listened to, but this is a refresher. The sound feels matured and smooth and a simple cable upgrade makes it a much better iem alltogether. I recommend this, yes but do save for a cable upgrade or if you have good silver or UPOCC copper litz cable.

NuPrime DAC-9x - The nearly All in One DAC-AMP

NuPrime is an entirely HIFI audio manufacturer. It started in 2014 to provide the best wide, dynamic music. Well, today we are gonna try their NuPrime DAC 9x. Do they deliver what they promise? we shall find out more on the upcoming segments.

DISCLAIMER- The NuPrime DAC 9x was sent to me by the Indian distributor of Nuprime products - Vivid Hifi. With that said all my opinions are my own and I haven’t been influenced by anything except my brain, heart and ears . All thanks to Vivid hifi, to trust me and send me this wonderful product. You can visit this link to buy it(not affiliated- but if you mention that my review helped in any way, I could gain more trust with them and bring you more reviews of new products ) - here

SPECS-
DAC- Dual ESS9028Q2M
Inputs: Rear panel

• USB: Type B 2.0 Hi-Speed, Windows OS: data stream up to 384KHz/24Bit and Native DSD 256.
  USB: Type B 2.0 Hi-Speed, Mac / Linux OS: data stream up to 384KHz/24Bit and DOP DSD 128.
• IIS/DSD: Supports PCM 44.1KHz ~ 384KHz/32Bit and DSD 64 ~ DSD 256 data streams.
• OPTICAL: Supports PCM 44.1KHz ~ 192KHz/24Bit and DOP 64.
• COAXIAL: Supports PCM 44.1KHz ~ 384KHz/24Bit and DOP 64 and 128.
• RCA: Up to 1 Vrms audio signal.
• EXTENSION: Supports PCM 44.1KHz ~ 192KHz/24Bit.

Outputs: Front panel

• TRS 6.3mm headphone out
  Output power: 1700 mW, 32 ohms, <0.01% THD (watts per channel).
  Output power: 135 mW, 600 ohms, <0.005% THD (watts per channel).

Outputs: Rear panel

• RCA unbalanced outputs: 4 Vrms
• XLR balanced outputs: 8 Vrms
• Optical S/PDIF out (PCM up to 192KHz supporting DoP format DSD64)
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 KHz / ±0.3 dB.
• SNR: > 110 dB.
• THD+N: < 0.0005%.
• Dimensions: 235 mm W x 281 mm D x 60 mm H (including feet)
• Weight: 2.5Kg
• Worldwide AC voltage: (90VAC~130VAC // 210VAC~ 250VAC) With Voltage Select Switch
• AC Fuse: Slow-blow, 2.5A, 250VA

Native MQA decoding support is added (if you care for it)

“NuPrime defined an USB Type-A port to carry S/PDIF data and 5V power for connecting to external wireless audio receiver using just one standard USB cable. The NuPrime Omnia WR-1, BTR-HD, Stream Mini, and Stream Mini DAC wireless receivers have a micro USB port that is compatible with this specification. This allows a standard off-the-shelf USB-A to micro USB cable to be used for power for the receiver as well as wireless audio data transfer in S/PDIF format.”

Taken off their site, seems like any good cable will do the job

PRICE- 1425 EUR / 1.41 LAKHS (WEW)

Spoiler: Spoiler

(P.S-they do discounts too )

UNBOXING EXPERIENCE
The package is quite big. But opening it, you are greeted with an beautiful blue manual haha. Now keep it it will be handy when trying the different options in the DAC. After the manual, you get the beautiful machined silver DAC-AMP (a little resistant to fingers ). Besides that, you get the remote, the USB B to A cable and the 3 pin power cable like you use with your PC power supply.



BUILD-
Solid, dense and quite heavy. It seems to be made of machined aluminium and does have a brushed metallic feel to it. There is good labelling of inputs and volume controls. The volume and input selection dials are also pretty great and they forever rotate haha. The feets are quite big and help to keep the DAC-AMP off the table.

The remote feels like any Chinese remote and takes 2x AAA batteries. It is quite light and the buttons feel good to click. It ain't mushy at all. But, I would have loved to see a way to decrease the volume faster with the remote than by clicking the vol(-) button 99 times.



USAGE-

• It's pretty straight - install the USB driver on your PC or MAC or LINUX.
• Similarly to switch it on just hold the input wheel for 2-3sec and the LED will blink and it will switch ON.
• The led is quite bright and will disturb sleep if you wanna use it as a bedside all in one, but you have an ON/OFF switch at the back, so just turn it off haha.
• To mute, you could use the remote or just press on the volume wheel.
• For MQA colors refer to the manual.

POWER OUTPUT-

• I don’t own many power hungry iems or headphones at all. But with what I have that is Headphones- Beyerdynamic TYGR 300R, Focal CLEAR, Sennheiser HD558 AND Hifiman DEVA , IEMS- EARSONICS GRACE, PENON FAN, KINERA URD AND BLON BL03. But it drove everything pretty easy and it has 1700mw of power, so it's an all in one except when you get the big guns haha
• For every input option the volume set is maintained, so no readjusting the volume a thousand times when you change input.
• For every volume requirement I have put the pic with that volume. If i missed it somewhere i will mention it for sure.

NOTE- THESE ARE MY IMPRESSIONS AND I GAVE AN OVERALL IMPRESSION AFTER TRYING OUT MY IEMS AND HEADPHONES. YOUR IMPRESSIONS MIGHT VARY FROM MINE BUT KEEP ON ENJOYING THE MUSIC.

OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS- (Using as an DAC-AMP)- P.S-This is subjective and may not match with yours )

MY PLAYLIST TO TRY- Enjoy

SUB-BASS-
Sub-bass is highly dependent on the iem, headphones or speakers that you are using, but the presence of it is dictated by the DAC-AMP you are using. With that said, here it's a mature yet energetic sub-bass experience. There is great dynamics as the extension changes quite frequently in sudden addition of sub-bass in the song. The energy in the sub-bass is quite controlled yet pulls up in songs where it is required without breaking a sweat. The notes extension is quite neutral, giving you a sense of projection of the notes. It goes quite deep at-least it could be felt with the different end devices i had. The tonality is quite neutral to warm, in the bass region but the attack is quite fast. The decay as already mentioned is quite balanced. Similarly the timbre is quite balanced too. The notes separation even with mid-low tier iems, is quite evident and provides you a sense of space that made me wonder “ What have i gotten myself into”- in--short, I wanna try top end DAC-AMPs more haha!!! The grittiness of the bass guitar felt really good showing the beautiful texture that this DAC delivers. Overall, a really good sounding beauty.



BASS-
What is a sub-bass without a good punchy bass as a companion? Well, this doesn’t disappoint either. The bass is punchy, dynamic and quite deep. The attack is quite fast but the decay is natural. The tonality is quite natural and a little dominant on the warm side. Quite smooth delivery of the timbre of the instruments, slightly fast but very near to the natural side. The bass goes quite deep and makes you feel it. You will fall for it . The tonality differences between instruments are great. Notes have quite a big body and the extension is quite balanced giving you that projection yet no mixing up with the other notes. There is quite a good deal of separation that will just keep you amazed. The width of the stage will keep you engaged pretty much in looking where the instruments are so beautifully placed. Use a large head-stage Hp or iem and I am pretty sure, you will be impressed.

MIDS-
VOCALS-
Vocals as I always mention are the soul of the song. Mix them up and they will break the feel that you get while listening to songs. This DAC nails the feeling of the song entirely. Let's start with the female vocals (Ladies first right ), the vocals have the right balance between body and the extension of the notes. Sharpness in the voice ain't there at all, rather it's quite smooth but texture pops in easily too. There is a good amount of air in the voices too, especially when listening to Renne Olstead songs. Her voice has a ‘ssss’ extension but this DAC handles it so naturally that you would hear it for a second and then it's gone in an instant, like when someone sings in front of you. The texture of the voices comes out beautifully too. The highs in the female voices are handled wonderfully too. Tonally it's quite balanced.

Male vocals will fill your heart so much in case of thick vocalists that you would forget to evaluate haha (true story-I tried for 7 days and i was just listening to music and time just went by ). The thickness of the voices of the male vocals are beautifully mastered (try this song Innocence- Gabriels- Bloodline). It still doesn't disappoint when the male vocalists extend their voices since you can feel the headroom this thing has. Plus the instruments surrounding the vocalists fill up the headstage differently giving the before statement more credibility. The tonally different male vocalists are also separated wonderfully. The notes are feel separated entirely when different vocalist song all together and the separation from the instruments also make it a enjoyable experience (time to forget the world exists haha).

INSTRUMENTS IN THE MIDS-
Well do I need to mention more on this, it's quite obvious by now haha!!! The DAC will help you skip the entire world easily. Instruments have that energy and dynamism that engages you easily in the songs. There is a neutral tonality overall, with slightly more energy to the upper mids. But the upper mids extra energy doesn’t feel sharp at all, rather adds more height to the guitar notes in the head-stage, making it more obvious. But the texture and tonal differences between different instruments are so smoothly delivered that, even with my blons I was abacked. The notes texture is quite obvious but the timbre is on the slightly faster than natural side. Quite obvious, they kept the separation of the instruments on the mind while tuning, as this was meant to be used as an DAC separately with your choice of amp on the end (more on that later down the review). The separation of the notes of the instruments are beautifully executed. Each note has its own extension, down the horizontal and vertical plane, and some, provide the projection to give a feeling of 3D space. Even the notes of the same instrument are separated, giving the body of the notes their own separation and their extension further separation when they end. You would expect not to feel this with low end iems but you would still get a part of it, alas with a proper headphone or iem, you will feel it for sure. The separation from the vocals are also beautifully executed.

TREBLE-
Treble is quite smooth but energetic when needed. It’s quite energetic and sparkly especially when the upper treble dominant instruments like SAX and trumpets come into the picture to give you that sudden jump. The dynamics are quite beautiful. There is faster attack and neutral decay to the notes of the instruments, but the timbre is slightly on the faster side. The tonality is on the neutral side but the tonal differences are beautifully mastered. Notes are separated easily between the body and extension of the notes. The treble isn’t sharp at all but rather it will complement the headphone or iems or speakers frequency response. This DAC might cut out a bit of sharpness in metallic instruments but in some cases, like my FOCAL CLEAR, it feels a little bit too energetic when a crash cymbal is hit. But, that wasn’t the case with the Hifiman DEVA or the iems either. What you will like, is the texture that, added with the separation of the notes is the most beautiful thing that you will listen to, mostly when listening to electric guitar solos ( try Eruption- Van Halen).

HEADSTAGE-
It’s not a wide stage per say as it depends on the end item mostly, but it does enhance the horizontal staging. The vertical staging is enhanced with the difference in notes height of the different instruments present. But the most important is the depth in the Z axis that is somewhat introduced with this DAC-AMP. Even the vertical depth (-ve Yaxis) has some improvement. Mostly the culmination of the stage, imaging, resolution and separation is at work to make the music more wonderful. Overall the headstage is on a horizontal straight line in front of you, but there is quite a lot of headroom and the imaging of the instruments makes it more of a 3D surround experience.

IMAGING, RESOLUTION AND SEPARATION-
We will start with something that I knowingly left out of the sound impressions, since I wanted it to be a separate part of this review. To be honest, this is the best part of the DAC-AMP, THE IMAGING. The imaging of the different instruments present is so precisely done that it makes it an entirely different experience. The presence of the instruments at different parts of your headspace is what makes this an engaging listen with any iem or headphone, even my meagre old speakers loved this. Add this with near perfect separation, the notes of instruments add such a wonderful amount of clarity that I just stopped taking notes and started listening and enjoying. I said it “as near perfect”, because I heard the burson conductor 3x and that outperformed this not by a lot but an appreciable amount for sure. Resolution is cherry on the cake. Adds more to the entire song by making it easy to listen to without breaking a sweat. Also, it adds the resolution in such a way that it's not ear piercing or too obvious. The cohesion is always maintained and musicality never breaks. Dynamics are added to the resolution and texture of the instruments too (haven’t yet owned any DAC-AMP that can do this).

COMPARISONS-
NOTE- BEFORE I START THIS SECTION OF THE REVIEW, I SHOULD MENTION THIS - THE ONLY DAC-AMPS I HAVE TRIED I HAVE MENTIONED, OTHERS THAT I HAD A CHANCE TO TRY AT HEADPHONE CONNECT, KOLKATA AREN'T MENTIONED. ONLY THE DIFFERENCES ARE MENTIONED.



CAYIN N6II
This ain't a DAC-AMP per se but with the modules, it becomes one haha. So I am gonna compare it for sure.



PAIRINGS-
IEMS- For Every one of them, the volume was from 5-10, plus the iems are way too small so felt bad to take a pic with the DAC haha


HEADPHONES-


WITH AMPS-
Some good things to note, you can control the volume from both the DAC 9x and also the external AMP giving you more control for low sensitivity headphones/iems.
Plus one feature that helped me a lot while comparing-

The AMP section of the Nuprime DAC 9x remains on even when an external AMP is connected, and once you remove the headphone from the 6.35mm jack of the Nuprime DAC 9x , the external AMP starts playing music. So A/B ing between the AMP section and external AMPS, was made really easy.



CONCLUSION-
Even though the price is quite high, the sound impression made me a fan of it. It delivers an excellent all in one choice. Now I haven't gone through multiple high end DAC-AMPS yet, but from what I tried recently at Headphone Connect KOLKATA, I am pretty sure this holds its own ground. As for the plethora of input and output options, this is quite adaptive. If only BT would have been added right into the DAC-AMP, it would be an all in one device. Would I recommend this ? Yes for sure. And if you find my review helpful while making a purchasing decision for this DAC-AMP, do let them know, so that I can get new stuff from them to try out

MUSE HIFI is a new player in the chifi market and has come to challenge the planar lower end market against the likes of 7Hz with their tech. Well, competition is what improves the market and I love it.
So today we try their new iem- MUSE HIFI POWER.

SPECIFICATIONS-

• Impedance: 32Ω.
• Driver Module: 14.5mm nanometer flat diaphragm planar magnetic driver.
• Frequency response range: 10Hz-40kHz.
• Plug Type: 3.5mm single-ended.
• Sensitivity: 106dB.

DISCLAIMER- I WAS SENT THIS CABLE FOR REVIEW BY MUSE HIFI AS A PART OF REVIEW TOUR IN INDIA. SURELY, I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR CONSIDERING ME AS A PART OF THE REVIEW TOUR BUT ALL MY OPINIONS ARE MY OWN WHETHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE AND WILL NOT BE INFLUENCED BY ANYTHING EXCEPT ME ALSO THANKS TO @machinegod FOR SENDING ME TO REVIEW IT.

UNBOXING-
Beautiful as every other chifi iem like I have seen between 100-200$. The thing I loved which was different, was the way the ear tips are presented in the box.



BUILD AND FIT-
The build is okayyyyy, but I highly doubt that if it falls, it will survive. It’s a semitransparent design and is quite light weight too.
The fit is good, but its generous size at the back, hits my concha a bit too much. Its bearable for an hour max but bigger ears have more of a chance with it.

CABLE-
An SPC beautifully covered in nylon clothing. Its looks and feels great. No sounds from wire when moving either too.

ACCESSORIES-

1. Case- Synthetic leather case
2. Ear tips
3. An ear tip cleaner

POWER REQUIREMENT-

With my N6ii with A01, High gain and 20-25 is good enough for me. So yeah, it does require power but not a ton.

NOTE- THIS IEM HAS BEEN USED WITH N6II WITH A01 ENTIRELY. THE XUDOO MT602 HAS GOOD SYNERGY WITH THIS AND WILL BE RECOMMENDED BUT NOT USED FOR THIS REVIEW. I HAVE ALSO TRIED AN PURE COPPER CABLE FROM THE STOCK CABLE OF MY IEM SHOZY POLA WHICH WAS ENOUGH TO MAKE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS EXCEPT THE FIT. THE ENTIRE REVIEW THOUGH HAS BEEN DONE WITH STOCK CABLE TO KEEP VARIABLES TO A MINIMUM.



SOUND IMPRESSIONS- KEEP IN MIND THEY MIGHT BE DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE-

SUB-BASS –

Adequately present with good rumble, well separated and extends well into the headspace. It’s quite energetic with good differences felt in between the different notes. The decay is great long enough to leave a slightly extended feeling of the note in your mind . It has a big loud hit to the notes body with beautiful fast attack to the notes but feels a bit lacking in punch. The timbre is excellent but slightly with a leaner tonality which seems to be the downside. Texture could be more enhanced which seems a but lacking in it. Now tonality is very dynamic, lending good differentiation between different percussion instruments. Well try with a copper cable and warmer source and it will be epic .

BASS-

The bass is quite balanced with no hint of being too much interfering with other frequencies at all. There is an abundance of energy just needs a bit of push with warmer and powerful sources (as in case of me its an amp XDUOO MT 602 (1954 Sylvania tubes). The best thing about this is that the hits on the snare drum is rather good and gives the tension with which the leather on the drum is tightened. What I love about this is that even though the tonality is slightly lean, the difference between different bass instruments is so beautifully presented that you would be abacked. Notes attack and extension are surprisingly good, but a little thicker body would be appreciated (Hence the need of warmer source). The upper bass could need an echelon with the mid-bass since sometimes you would want those thicker male vocals in some songs which seems a but lacking. The separation is so beautifully done that even the notes are well differentiated. The texture though is lacking for sure.

MIDS-




TREBLE-

Its there for sure. Its sparkly, energetic and well tonally distinct between different instruments present here. The notes have a small beginning and body, but the presence is quite easily felt. They are all widely separated and have a good headspace for the placement of the instruments. There is good amount of air present for sure. The metallic instruments might be a bit too much real with slightly leaner tonality making it slightly fatiguing and bit sharp when there’s triangle or bells present. While wind instruments and string instruments here have a beautiful presentation. The timbre is great too doesn’t seem to be lacking at all. The energy is great too, not lacking to surprise when needed. Upper treble might be a bit lacking as the notes top ends are not that much excellent. The notes height difference needs a touchup too.

HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-

This is beautiful to say the least. There is good 3D imaging in your head that happens with this iem. There is good width in the head stage that it feels to be coming from the corner of your ears. There is good stage depth (z axis) of the instruments too. The height of the notes could have been a bit more overall but its still good. What it requires is notes height difference to be more enhanced. Imaging even in the – Y-axis is sometimes present in certain tracks or at least it feels like it haha.

SEPARATION AND RESOLUTION-

Resolution is rather good with great transparency overall. The microdetails pop up like a kid’s eye when offered a candy haha!!! The microdetails though aren’t too much maturely presented, it just pops ups and doesn’t flow with the note’s presentation. But at this price getting such an iem is difficult. Separation is excellent overall. Inter-instrumental separation is surprisingly good with good inter-notes separation too, such that you would not stop to think even in busy what instruments were where and this I love for sure.

COMPARISON-

7HZ TIMELESS-
PROS-
Warmer tonality
Better bass texture
Taller head stage
Bass has bigger presence
Notes have bigger body
Timbre is pretty good

MUSE HIFI POWER-
PROS-

Wider head stage
Better rumble in sub-bass
Better microdetails
Better separation
Better female vocals
Better treble extension and air
Beautiful imaging
Transparency is much better



SUMMARY-

This is a straight up recommendation in case you have a warmer source and copper cable lying around. This will fit much better with anything warmer. But overall, with other sources it will be great too. This kind of separation and balanced sound, I have rarely tried something . The slightly spicier treble and leaner tonality is something you would get used to easily over time but this kind of beautiful true to life sound is rare at this price. Highly recommended (seems like I am repeating haha, but this is worth it)

EFFECT AUDIO AXIOM WITH CLEOPATRA

EFFECT AUDIO in 2009, was the beginning of a famous cable company . Effect Audio was founded by Suyang while he was still an Electronics and Electrical Engineering (EEE) student and since then has gone up in popularity. In the recent years, it has revived the modularity in the iem cable particularly on the connectors side with their ConX connectors. But with many companies bringing up their game, they also have now delved themselves into iem game with modularity in their mind. Well today we are gonna take a look at their most recent offering in this game with modularity also in mind- THE EFFECT AUDIO AXIOM .

DISCLAIMER- This unit and the add on module was sent to my friend @suman134 & BY @EffectAudio AND thanks to both of them, I get the chance to review it. Well as always, the opinions are mine alone and not influenced by friendship or some cosmic energy haha!

SPECIFICATIONS-

• Driver system: 2-way BA-DD hybrid
• Drivers: 12mm magnesium dynamic driver with LCP suspension (bass, mids), Twinned FK-series Knowles Balanced armatures (high frequencies)
• Crossover frequency: 4,800 Hz
• Crossover architecture: Proprietary RC architecture
• Impedance: 32Ω @ 1 kHz
• Sensitivity: 112 dB/mW @ 1 KHz
• Weight (without cable): 10.2 g
• MU System Modules: MMCX and CIEM (2-Pin)

PRICE-

USD $1,499 + CABLE + CASE

UNBOXING-

Not much to say about it. It doesn't depict much as a 1500$ iem unboxing rather a 20$ unboxing. The smell though when opening the box, was fragnant a lot due to the tea leaves inside . Felt like they used the cables packaging for the iem too .
The module's unboxing was very simple too. A cardboard box inside were the modules.
Rest the pics will depict the story.


BUILD AND FIT-

The build is solid and dense. It's a heavy little iem which fits excellent in my ears. The beautiful faceplate also gives a good little feel of elegance to the iem. They are well marked for left and right and feel solid in hand , wouldn't recommend drop testing though .

The module change is easy per say but removing them is a bit tough, i broke a nail . It's supposed to be pushed towards the iem in a direction outside and then it should pop out but not much info about that was presented in the case or on their website. An infographic about this would be great. But it does require quite a good deal of force. The screw to secure it is pretty good but I would have loved to see the plastic edge which goes into iem be changed into metal so it's gonna last longer . One more thing, the module needs to be fixed completely with the iem so there's no gap between them ( just keep this in mind while changing modules).



CABLE-

There's no cable being given and the reason being - the stock cables go into landfill. That might be the case in some manufacturers in the low end but not in the high end market. A simple effect audio cable should be added as this might show the pairing needed and the tuning that effect audio wanted to get and newbies get a glance at top end cable.

That being said, I do appreciate the whole environmental aspect of this but no body throws away a 150$ cable rather people reuse it .

That said, EFFECT AUDIO did send their CLEOPATRA cable for review of this iem. The cable was excellent . No microphonics, the connectors were solid and the entire cable had a good build that inspired confidence. It's a 26AWG, 4core pure silver UP-OCC cable with beautiful insulation so no kinks .

ACCESSORIES-

1. 3 pairs of tips M/S/L (where is my foam tips and tbh you need to provide something like AZLA sedna Xekaatic tips or EPRO HORN tips with such price range)
2. Card for warranty
3. 2pin or MMCX module
4. No case, nothing else, didn't feel like a 1500$ iem purchase.
5. Tea packet though i didn't use it

MODULARITY-

It’s a pin system with a small locking plastic extension at the opposite end of cable attachment, this needs a bit of refinement since removing the modules will cause some easy nail rip off , but it won't fall down for sure.

It's mostly an extension to the crossover design as described in the effect audio thread by @EffectAudio , which changes the sound pretty much.

BURN IN -

Yes it did require quite a few hours to open up entirely and reduce the sharpness in the treble region. But I used it for 15 mins at start took notes and then directly after 49 hours .

POWAHH-

It doesn't require much power though. My N6ii with R01 module was able to handle it easily at low gain 40-55 volume. I did run it through a desktop amp, not much change to be felt , though hybrid tube amps like my Xduoo Mt602 with Sylvania tubes were epic.

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

• N6ii and R01 (mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage, thicker tonality ensues too and yes much better treble experience ) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review.
• T01 didn't have good synergy and was too lean for my taste.
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (So beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 03 ) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as a phone source.
• Tips used were stock ‘M’ sized tips which were a great fit.
• To make the review a little different, I first picked up the silver module as my module first and then contrasted against the stock module.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MAY VARY FROM MINE-

1. THE SILVER MODULE- ITS MOSTLY AN EXTENSION OF CROSSOVER WITH THE PIN SYSTEM (IT WON'T EVER FALL DOWN, ITS LOCKED SUPER TIGHT, WELL GETTING IT OUT WILL BE AN UPHILL TASK (my nails crying) )

1. THE BLACK / STOCK MODULE-

CABLE CHANGE-

STOCK CABLE - EFFECT AUDIO CLEOPATRA-

Impressions are above so have a pic instead


PURE COPPER CABLE - RHAPSODIO RSD HYBRID CABLE-

Using that cable , increased the notes thickness a lot, maybe having a little too much reverb, but spacing around the instruments remained the same, more similar to the silver module. There is slightly more out of control exploding bass but with great texture and no bleed. The reverb is much better and the transparency is also excellent . The notes edge definition is also good but slightly blunted, not extending too much. The separation though is excellent. notes height difference is more enhanced here without sacrificing anything and treble is more engaging, dynamic and has a lot of energy overall. Trumpets now feel like trumpets getting to you . This is much of a more musical, lush and well separated but engageful synergy.


USING XINHS THE BLACK GOLD HYBRID CABLE- GOLD PLATED COPPER AND GRAPHENE PLATED COPPER CABLE.

Ohh my never thought, this pairing would be great . This custom made cable made my day with grace but this is very similar to Rhapsodio cable. The notes are not as thick as the Effect Audio cable or the Rhapsodio one, but on the balanced side, the reverb is excellent. There is less separation than both but very respectable for the price. But the notes edge definition is pretty great with a good height difference being felt. Treble is spicy in cymbals, triangles and other fast hit and fast decay instruments and like in a recording will cat- ch you off guard . This does make some instruments a bit more spicy but adds more spacing around the instruments. Air is slightly better too. Stage is now closer and more forward, but the width is very similar to the effect audio cable and Rhapsodio one. The transparency is more evident with better dynamics but with subtleness out the door in certain recordings .

USING TRN 16 CORE SPC CABLE-

Just for the sake of fun I tried it . The weight of the iems is more hence the cable tugs easily behind the ears. There is respectable separation and slightly less details and transparency compared to all above. Stage height is great but width takes a good hit overall. Reverb is present but less emphasized. Overall, still a good try.

COMPARISON-

EFFECT AUDIO AXIOM-
Pros -

Wider stage.
Tonality is thicker in upper mids and treble and mids.
Equal or maybe a bit less transparency than mest mk2 but depends on the module.
More space around instruments
Forward mids
Balanced sound signature
Treble is much better with stock module
Lush vocals with silver module
Modularity with change of sound with modules
Can be 2 pin or mmcx

UM MEST MK2-
Pros -

Taller stage
More dynamic than Axiom, grace.
More stage depth
Better depth
Bass and sub-bass more meatier and punchier
More details overall
Slightly felt more detailed but can be the upper mids talking
Tonality is definitely leaner unless you pair it with R01 and see the powahh of synergy
Better notes separation and edge definition ( 19/20 between them mostly)
Treble presence is better and airy overall.
Vocals are little backwards but synergy matters here more
Accessories are much better and include a good cable.
Price

PANTHER AUDIO LEGEND K8-
Pros-

More dynamic
Staging is equally wide and tall
Tonally thicker no synergy needed
Less detail
Thicker notes
Big bodied bass and no sub-bass but mest mk2 and axiom are way better.
Price

EARSONICS GRACE-
Pros-

Wider stage
More musical but requires tips change and synergy with cable
Layering and imaging is excellent
Timbre and instrument tonality is natural and on point
Tonal accuracy is better
Great treble without being bright
Transparency is great
BA sub-bass and bass texture , accuracy and detail.
Price is high
It Needs cable and tips to change for sure.



SUMMARY-

While EFFECT AUDIO has made a technically proficient iem with modularity concept first being introduced into an iem, they were a bit stingy with the whole accessories thing. But given the module change nicely changes the sound and also, with the stock module these sound great, it gets my recommendation for seasoned audiophiles. For new people to the hobby, start with something else, unless you have another good 100$ to 1000$ USD to spend for cable.

PATHER AUDIO LEGEND K8 - Panther has got a place in the jungle.

PANTHER AUDIO was founded in 2018 and is based in Hong Kong. They are pretty new to the audiophile market but have a lot of iems in their arsenal. Not known to many, but today, we are gonna review their 8BA iem - THE LEGEND K8.

DISCLAIMER- THIS UNIT BELONGS TO MY FRIEND @suman134 AND thanks to him I get the time to review it. Well as always, the opinions are mine alone and not influenced by friendship haha!

SPECIFICATIONS-

1. DRIVERS- 8BA- 2x LOW-MID BA; 2x LOW-BA; 3x MID-HI BA; 1x SUPER-HI BA
2. CROSSOVER- 4 WAY
3. IMPEDANCE- 13ohm @1kHz
4. SENSITIVITY- 116dB SPL @1kHz

PRICE-
6688 HKD OR 859 USD OR 64599.08 INR

UNBOXING-

Now this is an elegant unboxing experience, even though I got it from a friend still seeing the box you can get a glimpse of how it would be. On opening the box, you see a thankyou letter and also a plastic card with your S/N on it. The iems inside are beautifully placed and have a completely transparent shell such that you could see the entire BA and wiring all of it. Opening the box you are greeted with a good pair of boxes inside which are the tips and documents and yes i forgot the beautiful black leather case. Rest is the pics.

BUILD AND FIT-

The build of the iems is nothing to scoff at. Its light and transparent shell is just beautiful to look at. The material seems to be clear resin and the nozzle is quite long, big and bold. The 2pin attachment is pretty great too and won’t fall off ever.

Fit on the other hand is quite not that great. The nozzle size and length goes way into your ears and causes a bit of pain after over an hour. Good thing they have customs too.



CABLE-

It's a great looking cable but sadly with 3.5mm termination and no way to change it when buying universal versions of this iem. It’s non microphonic, soft, supple and also has geat chin slider too. It feels like an SPC with 8 core design and 2pin terminations. The ear guides are great too, just a bit too straight at the ends of terminations but not a trouble for me.

ACCESSORIES-

1. 3 pairs red silicon tips and 3 pairs black silicon tips
2. 6.35 to 3.5 adapter
3. Microfibre cloth
4. Cleaning tool
5. Leather carry case

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

1. N6ii and R01 (mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review. About 25-40 volume on HIGH GAIN since sub-bass is dependent.
2. On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (So beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 08 ) has been used.
3. Sometimes LG G8x as a phone source.
4. Tips used were stock ‘M’ sized tips which were a great fit
5. ENTIRE REVIEW IS WITH WIDE BORE TIPS AND THEN CONTRASTED WITH STOCK RED TIPS
6. My type of MUSIC - https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/7042455

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MAY VARY FROM MINE

SUB-BASS-
This iem is sub-bass light entirely. There is very little sub-bass rumble and energy.The sub-bass texture though isn't lacking in the notes. The notes are well dynamic and have great natural tonality. Tonal accuracy among the synths and the bass guitar is well established and not an easy feat to handle. Notes are well defined with a bigger body and great beginning and edge definition but lacking in extension into the depths of the sub-bass. The attack is fast with slightly fast decay which makes the notes very distinct and well separated overall. The timbre though is very less and makes you want more of it. The best thing though, you gotta push it through High Gain and see some improvement in the sub-bass especially in the rumble and feel.

Changing tips from wide bore to stock red stem tips, I found there was slight increase in the projection of notes of the sub-bass. But the separation in the notes was similar but what it lacked was a decrease in the width of the head-stage with added increase in the timbre and also stage depth. Was the change worth it!! Ohh hell yeah, this wasn't a wide iem to begin with but more stage depth and sub-bass made this a proper musical iem.

BASS-
Bass is heavy with a good punch and energy. There is great natural tonality with a great amount of dynamics overall that just keeps you in the song entirely. The attack is fast along with the decay, giving way to somewhat of a fast timbre with a slightly hurried presentation. But this provides great notes separation and definition. Notes are aptly defined with great beginning, big body that encompasses you and great edge definition. Plus the tonal accuracy is pretty great with notes height difference easily established. The notes height is also pretty great going from good physical depth to great heights in the stage giving a very big presentation.

Changing of tips to stock red stem tips, did increase the timbre and also the projection of notes. Decay was also slightly slowed giving way for a bigger headstage in Z axis feel. The punch is also enhanced. The tonality is slightly lean too it seems. But yes, the headstage is slightly reduced in the width but i can easily sacrifice a little bit of width for better naturalness and bass anyday haha!!!

MIDS-

TREBLE-
Treble is very dynamic with notes wanting your attention the entire time overall. There is good energy in the notes but the crunchiness of electric guitars, hi hats, cymbals etc are not that well perceived which might be a good thing or a bad thing depending upon your tastes. Wind instruments though like Trumpets, Sax etc dont wind down at all and even though the notes are smooth, the dynamics and the energy will have your ears bend their knees haha!!! Timbre is fast with fast attack and similarly fast decay but the edges of the notes are much more smoother. Treble lovers will find it smooth but those who like no extra edginess to their classical music will love it. Notes are well separated, have a thicker tonality and great definition to the body and beginning, but the edges are not that much emphasized and are rather smoothened out. Micro details do come through and it’s well emphasized musically overall.

Changing tips to stock red stem- The iems will be singing “ I have got the power” -Bruce almighty logic if you haven't figured it out by now . There is more of the notes edge definition with a slightly leaner tonality which makes this pretty great for bringing out the crunchiness and sparkle of the instruments in the upper mids and the treble region. Sax brings that chill in music sometimes that brings your complete attention. No change in dynamics but it seems like the airyness is increased a bit in the instruments with a little more separation in the notes which goes against the norm of above probably as the leanness is more here than the rest of the sound signature and it overweighs the projection of the notes.



HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-

This ain't a wide iem per se but the dynamics and height of the stage is excellent. The stage depth is decent with good real depth and the layering of the stage is pretty great too. Imaging is more on a small studio basis and it’s more of a diffuse presentation with layering helping to make them stand out as to which stands where. Headstage is more of W shape.

Tips change- It did not change the stage much except headstage width, reduced a bit, and imaging directional accuracy was slightly enhanced.

SEPARATION AND RESOLUTION-

Separation is pretty good, much so in the notes than in the instruments. Spacing around the instruments depends on the tips a little bit and airyness too. Instruments are rather layered than being spacious. Resolution is pretty great though, the microdetails are told musically and not too much enhanced. There are certain dynamics to the small nuances too.



COMPARISON-
SHOZY POLA-
PROS AND CONS-
Great treble sparkle and energy
Wider stage
Better layering
Notes definition and tonality is right on point
Mids are recessed slightly
Bass and sub-bass is better
Bass texture is better
Less dynamics
Micro Details are similar
Slightly analytical
Vocals feel recessed
Timbre is better.



THIEAUDIO MONARCH MK1
PROS AND CONS-
Analytical
Bass and sub-bass is much better
Micro-details are better
Transients are thrown at you
Lacks the electric guitars presence
Wider stage
Treble airiness is much better
Sparkle in the treble range is good
Spacing around instruments is much better



PANTHER AUDIO LEGEND K8
PROS AND CONS-
Musical entirely
Highly dynamic
Notes height and layering is much better
Stage depth is better
Micro Details presentation is dynamic and musical
Treble depends on tips but lacks a bit of airiness
Spacing around the instruments is lacking
Vocals are comparatively more lush
Treble is dependant on tips
Timbre is much better
Notes height difference is well enhanced
Thicker tonality.



SUMMARY-
Now this is a complete musical entity at its price. The dynamics and mids will entrance you mostly and with a cable change it's gonna be much better. Its not gonna overthrow the top dogs but it's at par with its musicality, So recommended: yes!!

BQEYZ AUTUMN - BQEYZ STRIKES BACK WITH ITS BEST OFFERING-

BQEYZ is another chifi man with a very good tuning history. I have tried their iem spring 2 and was a fan of its super energetic sound. Autumn as the name suggests would be a great iem as laid back and a musical listen I hope , let's find out more on it in my BQEYZ AUTUMN REVIEW.

DISCLAIMER- THIS UNIT BELONGS TO MY FRIEND @suman134 AND thanks to him I get the time to review it. Well as always, the opinions are mine alone and not influenced by friendship haha!

SPECIFICATIONS-

1. DRIVER UNITS: One (1) 13mm Dynamic Driver
2. IMPEDANCE: 46Ω
3. SENSITIVITY: 110dB
4. FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 10Hz - 40KHz
5. CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M
6. PIN TYPE: 0.78MM 2-PIN CONNECTOR
7. PLUG TYPE: 2.5/3.5/4.4 MM ( i got the 3.5mm)

PRICE-
199$

UNBOXING-
The unboxing is similar to other chifi manufacturers but the addition of such a big case makes it much better to carry all the filters with you as well. Rest the pictures will dictate.



BUILD AND FIT-
The iems are built of solid metal and have a bluish grey color. Filter change is pretty easy but you will need that magnet stick . The fit is great, no issues with it at all.



CABLE-
The cable is decent with lots of leeway and no microphonics. Sadly it's 3.5mm but you can choose between the 2.5,4.4 or 3.5, but nicely it's 2pin . The chin slider is also pretty good. Its an 4 core SPC cable too.



OTHER ACCESSORIES -

• A square circled-shaped IEM case.
• A three (3) pairs of black ear tips for bass enhancement of different standard sizes.
• A three (3) pairs of grey ear tips for vocals of different standard sizes.
• A cleaning brush
• Instructions and warranty card.
• A small metal plate that houses magnetic tuning filters, the bass filters (grey), Normal (gold) and Treble (silver).
• A magnetic stylus for change of filters.
• The four (4) core SPC litz silver grey cable. (You can choose different terminations either 3.5mm, 2.5mm and 4.4mm).

POWAH REQUIRED -
It does require a bit of power but any single or dap would be easily able to run it. I ran it on low gain with 35-55vol on N6ii with R01 module.

Now yes it does require some burn in to open up for me it was some nice good 52 hours of burn in for it to open up. Before burn in, it was a hot mess and wasn't my thing at all.

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

• N6ii and R01 (mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review. About 30-35 volume on Low gain
• The T01 module has better pairing overall, expands the stage, adds more details and the treble peaks are more controlled.
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes ( beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 07 ) have been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as a phone source.
• Tips used were stock ‘M’ sized stock tips, this was a great fit but used black tips which were a great choice for me and had no sibilance

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MAY VARY FROM MINE

SUB-BASS-



BASS-




MIDS-



TREBLE-




HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-



SEPARATION AND RESOLUTION-



COMPARISONS-


FIIO FD3 WITH UPGRADED SPC CABLE-
PROS-
Better wider stage and separation
Bass and sub- bass coherency is better maintained
More extended in the treble region
Great dynamics
Taller stage
More cohesive

BQEYZ AUTUMN
Pros-
More balanced signature
Better mid bass tightness and definition
Better inter-instrumental separation
Texture is better enhanced
Better notes edge definition
More controlled and balanced notes
Wider stage
Good change in sound with filters

TRI I3 PRO-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better treble details
Better sub-bass
Better stage depth and layering
Better transparency
Better mids
Note body definition was better.

TIN P1 PLUS-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better air in the string instruments
Better transparency
Better edge defintion of the notes
Better texture in bass



TIMELESS 7HZ
Pros-
Bass is warmer
Sub-bass is warmer
Better vocals than T1 plus
Less air
Less details

MOONDROP KATO-
Pros-
Excellent dynamics
Excellent tonal accuracy
Beautiful airy notes and treble (less than p1plus)
Well extended in the treble region
Has sub-bass and is mid bass heavy
Beautiful separation and spacing around instruments
Wide stage
Excellent imaging and resolution.



SUMMARY-

BQEYZ AUTUMN is a small beast in disguise. It has great dynamics and wonderful changes in sound with the filters. It's much more musical with bass filter, balanced with normal filter and energetic with treble filter. It's highly recommended for its price range.

SIVGA SV021 / ROBIN- NEEDS SOME MAGIC FORMULA TO SHINE.

SIVGA is a new chifi player in the audiophile headphone space and to be honest, I haven’t tried any of their headphones till now. But today, that changes and we are going to review their newest cheap offering – THE SIVGA SV021/ ROBIN.

DISCLAIMER- THIS UNIT BELONGS TO MY FRIEND @suman134 AND thanks to him, I get the time to review it. Well as always, the opinions are mine alone and not influenced by friendship haha!

SPECIFICATIONS-

• Drivers- 50MM DD
• Frequency response- 20 – 20,000 Hz
• Impedance- 32 Ω
• Sensitivity- 105 dB
• Weight - 275g
• Jacks- 2.5mm dual

PRICE-
149$ / 14500 INR

UNBOXING-
Not much just a carry bag and inside is a synthetic wood cups headphone with a beautiful black long cable and a 3.5 to 6.35 adapter. The pics will describe the rest.



BUILD AND COMFORT-
Given the price of this headphone, its build great. The synthetic wooden cups look great but they are not scratch proof haha!!! The headband is bleh and it’s a destructive one like that of focal, it will get ruined for sure within few months so headband cover is a must. The comfort is great as the cups are quite big and hold my entire ear nicely. These are though very light hence, very comfy for long sessions. The cups have a 2.5mm connection



CABLE-
Cable is pretty decent for the price and quite long overall and ends with a 3.5 mm jack. The black fabric sleeve of the cable has got some microphonics but hopefully will last longer than the HIFIMAN cable. Good thing is that they have a spring at the end of the jack and hence won’t get twisted. It’s a dual 2.5mm to 3.5m cable btw .



OTHER ACCESSORIES-

• A bag
• A 3.5 to 6.35 adapter

POWAH REQUIRED-

Not much required, even H gain and 25-35 volume on N6ii with R01 was good enough. Though the pairing wasn’t that great. T01 was a much better pair with addition of more details and energy required. Sub-bass lift was also felt more might be because of the definition of notes being improved.

NOTE- This HEADPHONE is used with-

• N6ii and T01 module & R01(mostly T01 since it adds more energy and details to the headphone and also better wider and taller stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review.
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (not such a beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 08 but I would stay since it becomes a beautiful entity but this requires a better silver cable !!!) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
• Review, I already wrote using R01 as my DAC but later when I tried the T01 it’s a good combo, so brighter DAC’s are preferred here.

NOW COMING ON TO THE SOUND OF THE SIVGA ROBIN/ SV021- (This is subjective and your opinions may vary)

SUB-BASS-

Sub Bass is decent at best. There is good tonality and minimal rumble but it does feel spacious. There is good note separation but sub-bass texture is missing. Tonality is slightly on the warmer side but tonal accuracy is quite good. Not much dynamics in the notes though and they don't go much deeper into the sub-bass region, so feels a little bit constrained for a closed back headphone.

BASS-

Bass is pretty good. There's good punch and overall energy in the bass. Not a lot of dynamism but the tonality is warm with slightly more emphasis on body of the notes. The notes have a big slow body with good beginning definition but the edge definition is not that great. The tonal accuracy is good but slightly off when the fast hits are considered. Instrument separation is not that great but the spacing around the instruments is present. Notes separation is average though overall.



MIDS-
Vocals are pretty good for the headphone but it’s a slightly warmish tonality. The vocal timbre is great but the female vocals don’t reach that extension in the notes that it should. There is no sibilance in the notes of the vocals and they lack a bit of air in the vocals. Male vocals have a good amount of weight behind them and it’s a pretty good listen. The dynamics in notes are slightly less though.

Instruments in the mids have great tonality which is still slightly warmish. There is good energy in the mids and they have good separation. The notes have great beginning definition with great body but lack edge definition. Instruments are not that well separated and feels congested, but have a space around them completely. But the notes are not that much separated. They notes have good tonal accuracy and okayish timbre. Lower mids are awesome for the price, but upper mids lack the needed energy and sparkle for it to shine.

TREBLE-

The treble is something this headphone does provide the energy for that but has no sparkle to get you off your seats. It’s a little smooth for me and lacks the sparkle of hi-hats, cymbals, electronic guitars etc and other metallic instruments. But wind instruments are pretty great for what they provide and just hits the right spot. There is much separation in the notes but instruments lack the separation in width and seems to have a small bubble around them in the stage sometimes overlapping one another. Though this is countered by the good layering among the instruments (more on that in the Head stage). Notes don’t have that dynamism to hold your attention and provide you the sparkle it requires. But the notes definition is pretty great except the edges. The timbre is good too and a warmish tonality is presented overall. Not much air in the treble region also.

HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-

Head stage is not much wide but for a closed back it’s okayish. There’s no proper height in the head stage and also the lacks good depth (-ve Y axis). But it has a good layering that helps even when the instruments have bad separation among them by placing them front and back. Imaging is decent for a closed back. It has good diffused imaging but great directional accuracy. It’s a V shaped headphone though mostly.

SEPARATION AND TRANSPARENCY-

Separation is not that great in between the instruments. They feel congested and overlapping sometimes but the layering does give a space around them which is this guy’s saving grace. Transparency is okayish. The details are okay for the price but the dynamics are constricted of the nuances.



PAIRING-

This will require a brighter and details heavy source to completely shine through. With T01 there was better separation and mids congestion slightly removed to make it a better listen. There is more treble energy and the proper ‘v’ shape of the headphone stage comes out. The Female vocals have now better extension too. Sub-bass is still very light but the bass is now more controlled and punchier. R01 don’t use with this.

Fits inside a focal case too haha!!!



COMPARISON-

HD58x
PROS AND CONS-
Way more separated
More details
More beautiful timbre
Bass is energetic
Wider staging
Great treble extension and energy
More balanced
Sub-bass light
Needed powahh

SHP 9600-
PROS AND CONS-
More energetic
Taller headstage
More bass and sub-bass
Separation around instruments is better
Better details
Timbre is decent
Not too wide
Might be bright for some in treble and upper mids
It does leak sound as its open back
Less comfy

SIVGA SV021
PROS AND CONS-
Midbass is energetic
Vocals are good especially in the case of male vocals
Great layering
Good space around instruments
No sound leak since its a closed back
Okayish timbre
Good stage depth and okayish depth
Mids congested
Instruments have bad separation
No height OR good width
Details are average

SUMMARY-
For a closed back this doesn’t set a bar. Some open backs have greater bass quantity and warmish feel than this while maintaining a wide stage and keeping the treble great. Even though this does some things great but still for the price, it’s not that good, check for a good price at around 60-80$ and then you can buy it for the sole purpose of background music when you are working, with utmost comfort.

7HZ TIMELESS - THE MUSICAL PLANAR

7Hz was founded in 2018 and is a relatively new audio company. 7hz Stands for 'Theta' wave, a frequency associated with harmony and meditation. With their first planar they made quite a wave in the industry and hence we are gonna take a dip into it today to see if it really there in mediation with the music or not, so here comes - 7HZ TIMELESS.

DISCLAIMER:
This unit has been provided to me from Theaudiostore.in for review. This review is completely based on my experience with it and all opinions positive or negative are my own and no one else’s (no one can have my thoughts ). Please try it yourself if you can, since we all hear things differently. The link for the iem is here.

SPECIFICATIONS-
Driver: 14.2mm planar driver
Impedance: 14.8ohm
Sound pressure level: 104dB/1Khz
Frequency response range: 5-40000hz
THD: <0.2%/1KHZ
Connector: MMCX
Nozzle diameter: 5mm

PRICE-
17990 INR OR 219$

UNBOXING-
Unboxing is pretty good like other chifi manufacturers. But the most different thing is the inclusion of that beautiful silver heavy metal case inside which were the iems and cable. Rest is pics



BUILD AND FIT-
The iems are built pretty nicely. They have a matte black shiny finish with their names on it with a beautiful silver color. They are rounded to accommodate the planar inside but the nozzle is small in size and has a good length, so fits inside the ears pretty easily. Fit is not an issue with me except it doesn't go that deep but good thing it's deep enough for me.

CABLE-
The cable is decent. There is no micro phonics, it's supple and doesn't tangle that easily. Mine came with 3.5 but 4.4 balanced connection is available. The cable is mmcx so I am a bit skeptical about the durability.



ACCESSORIES-

1. Aluminum case
2. Wide assortment of silicone tips in good cases
3. MMCX cable
4. Documents and QC card

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

• N6ii and R01 (mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review. About 20-36 volume on Low gain
• The T01 module has better pairing overall, expands the stage, adds more details and the treble peaks are more controlled.
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes ( beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 05 ) have been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as a phone source.
• Tips used were stock ‘M’ sized stock tips, this was a great fit but used red stem tips which were a great choice for me and had no sibilance

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MAY VARY FROM MINE

SUB-BASS-

The sub-bass is very dynamic. The energy is a bit lacking but the rumble is more dependent on volume, something that isn't new to me with planars. Using an amp even though it's sufficiently easy to drive, makes the rumble very much soulful, while keeping the other sounds in check from getting too loud. There is some texture too. The decay and attack are both fast with a kinda slightly thicker tonality. Inter-notes separation is good even with the thick notes Notes have a good body and beginning definition but edge definition is not that pronounced. Timbre is also fast hence projection of notes and reverb is less.

BASS-
Bass isn't lacking much behind sub-bass. The notes are equally dynamic but with greater energy and kinda soft. Addition of an amp, tightens the bass further but as such the difference is minimal. The mid-bass body is small and controlled but with good extension. Tonality is slightly natural here and accurate to the percussion instruments . Notes are well separated from each other due to fast decay and fast attack. Timbre is slightly presented but texture is more prominent overall. Notes edge definition needs more prominence along with extension of the notes.

MIDS-




TREBLE-
Treble is very smooth but has great energy. It's not extended well in the treble region. Certain instruments like cymbals, hi-hats and other metallic instruments have a full bodied feel, while air instruments like trumpets, saxophone etc have a very thin bodied feel. Electric guitars are great except in the extension of notes. Edge definition is missing in the notes , but the notes beginning is greatly defined. Tonal accuracy is good with slightly thicker notes. Dynamics are great with a beautiful fast attack and decay which just separates the notes pretty great. Inter-instrumental separation is much better here than the mids. Timbre is slightly present with microdetails being very transparent but premiered in a musical way entirely.

HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-
Headstage is lacking a bit. Only good thing is it's height. The depth(-y axis) is okayish but width is very small and stage depth is literally very very less. Only the small closed layers are felt sometimes. Imaging is entirely diffuse but the direction of the instruments are much better with instruments in the front rather presented on top.

SEPARATION AND RESOLUTION-
The beautiful thing about planars is their layering and separation, which thus iem has nailed in one while dismissing the other entirely. Inter-notes separation is pretty good but there is very less inter-instrumental spacing and separation. The tonally accurate notes rather help much better and hence makes them feel musical rather than being felt as congested. Resolution is average but whatever's present is musically shown with a little less transparency.



COMPARISON-

BQEYZ AUTUMN
Pros-
More balanced signature
Better mid bass tightness and definition
Better inter-instrumental separation
Texture is better enhanced
Better notes edge definition
More controlled and balanced notes
Wider stage
Good change in sound with filters

TRI I3 PRO-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better treble details
Better sub-bass
Better stage depth and layering
Better transparency
Better mids
Note body definition was better.



TIN P1 PLUS-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better air in the string instruments
Better transparency
Better edge defintion of the notes
Better texture in bass

TIMELESS 7HZ
Pros-
Bass is warmer
Sub-bass is warmer
Better vocals than T1 plus
Less air
Less details

MOONDROP KATO-
Pros-
Excellent dynamics
Excellent tonal accuracy
Beautiful airy notes and treble (less than p1plus)
Well extended in the treble region
Has sub-bass and is mid bass heavy
Beautiful separation and spacing around instruments
Wide stage
Excellent imaging and resolution.



SUMMARY-
If you are into the planar separation, stage height, treble and details , you are not going to like it much. But for those who want a good musical, smooth treble planar but small hint of planar transparency this is for you.

DUNU is a well-known chifi manufacturer in the western world. Their tuning has been epic in the midrange department of iems like SA6 and ZEN. But today we are gonna check out their latest Lower tier offering - THE DUNU FALCON PRO

DISCLAIMER:
This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review tour in my country organized by HiFiGo. This review is completely based on my experience with it and all opinions positive or negative are my own and no one else’s (no one can have my thoughts ). Please try it yourself if you can, since we all hear things differently. The link for the iem is here.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• SENSITIVITY: 112 ± 1 dB at 1 kHz
• IMPEDANCE: 26 Ω at 1 kHz
• TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION: < 0.3% at 1 kHz
• DIAPHRAGM: 10 mm diaphragm with amorphous diamond-like carbon dome (ADLC) and fully independent suspension surround- ECLIPSE TECH
• HOUSING MATERIAL: Stainless Steel
• TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION: < 0.3% at 1 kHz
• INTEGRATION(S): Dual chambered, anti-resonance shell design
• Interchangeable tuning nozzles (Atmospheric Immersion, Reference, Transparency)
• CABLE LENGTH: 1.2 ± 0.1 m
• CABLE MATERIAL: 6N silver-plated OCC copper
• CABLE CONNECTOR: Patented Catch-Hold® MMCX Connector

PRICE-

220$/ 20K INR

UNBOXING-

As always with our indian tours, I got a dunu case only in a packet. Inside were a beautiful pair of iems, with a single pair of tips, cable with all three connectors (3.5, 4.4 and 2.5) and filters . Rest is pics .



BUILD AND FIT-
It's a small, heavy and mirror finished with frosted corners beauty. It has a little footprint and worked well for me with the stock ‘M’ tips. Remember to keep it nicely otherwise it's a scratch lover . The iems corners are bevelled, frosted and has dunu and symbols written on it which looks cool!!!



CABLE-
It's a DUNU DW03 cable . So new and much better connectors and they are in beautiful silver colour now . The cable is pretty slick, no microphonics and works well with other iems too. It’s a 6N silver-plated OCC copper with the new DUNU Quick-Switch Modular Plug System (NEW). The new connectors feel well build more than the old ones too.



ACCESSORIES-

• MMCX cable w/ swappable jacks
• 2.5mm/3.5mm/4.4mm terminations
• 3.5mm to 6.5mm adapter(nope)
• lots of ear tips (I got just one pair)
• cleaning tool, microfiber cloth, and mesh baggy (got none)
• spare rings that go on nozzles
• swappable nozzles filters
• CASE

FILTERS-

Screw type filters with three filters. They also provide those small rubber rings to prevent over tightening of filters. Even though its easy to change filters, I wonder how long will the screw system last. Gives BQEYZ’s offering I like it more than the others.

POWAH REQUIRED-

Its required but not much you can easily go by with a Dongle. DAPs increase the dynamic range a bit and source differences are not much easily noticed; it still tries to keep its original tonality and all. So, yeah easy to run and not source dependant, great points in my book.

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

• N6ii and R01 (mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review. About 40-50 volume on low gain
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes ( beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 05 ) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
• Tips used were stock ‘M’ sized stock tips, this was a great fit.
• Entire review is done with the transparency filter since it was a match made in heaven for me

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MAY VARY FROM MINE

SUB-BASS-

It's good with this filter but it doesn't go very deep at all. The rumble is less and doesn't spread through. Notes of the sub-bass are pretty textured but lack a proper big lengthy body. Beginning of notes are pretty great but the edge definition is great but non-existent since it doesn't go that deep at all. The dynamics are okayish. It requires a bit more power to shine in the sub-bass and bass but this makes other frequencies a bit too loud for my preference. Transparency also follows the above.

BASS-

Bass is great. There's lots of texture with his dynamics. Tonality also is kick-ass . It's punchy but not too compressed and has good energy. Notes have a good body and great beginning to their sounds. They have good edge definition too but a little lacking in transparency. Timbre is less but there is quite fast decay and fast attack, so notes are separated a lot. There is good space around the instruments too. The bass could have used some more timbre given how wide the head stage is . Details will require a bit too much volume added so it becomes definitely loud but if you are listening to chill tracks, that won't be an issue.


MIDS-



TREBLE-

Treble is very smooth. There was a good amount of dynamism and good amount of energy in the treble region. There is not much air added in this region and it’s not sparkly enough to satisfy the treble lovers. The tonality is slightly warm but the tonal accuracy is excellent. Timbre is better of the strings and wind instruments. The metal instruments felt lacking in power hits. Notes are quite well bodied, with good definition in the beginning parts but lacking in the edges quite a bit. Notes height differences are not that well distinguished but still better than some other filters. The separation is pretty great and notes separation is also well enhanced. Overall, a smooth experience.

HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-

Head stage is very wide. Not much tall but good sonic head-room (some instruments note heights do reach the very top). There is good depth (-ve y axis) but stage depth and layering are excellent so much that it might be better than some twice as much iems. Imaging is legendary. Centre staging is much more enhanced but some songs make it stay between right and centre in some instances. You can feel instruments but also can see them sometimes. It's very precise .



RESOLUTION AND SEPARATION-

Resolution is good but at a given cost. It requires a bit of power to show the microdetails and increase its own transparency. But adds some loudness to the other frequencies which you may or may not like. Separation is excellent and just adds a better feel to the notes. Space around the instruments is just beautifully done but sadly not much air is presented in then or in the notes.

OTHER FILTERS-

Writing about filters among the main sound signature is a tedious process plus makes the whole read lengthy. But putting it in bulletins is much easier for me with my busy schedule and also easier to get a grasp of what's happening fast

So here we go.

• No stage depth
• No notes height difference
• Stage width same
• Stage height less
• No energy in the upper mids and treble
• Dynamics takes a slight hit
• Transparency takes a hit

• Slightly more decay in percussion instruments.
• No proper stage depth
• Stage width is less
• Stage height is the same
• Bass hits are more spacious
• Mids feels a bit too closed in
• Transparency takes a hit too
• Stage depth is good
• Separation takes a small hit

COMPARISONS-

BQEYZ AUTUMN
Pros-
More balanced signature
Better mid bass tightness and definition
Better inter-instrumental separation
Texture is better enhanced
Better notes edge definition
More controlled and balanced notes
Wider stage
Good change in sound with filters

TRI I3 PRO-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better treble details
Better sub-bass
Better stage depth and layering
Better transparency
Better mids
Note body definition was better.

TIN P1 PLUS-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better air in the string instruments
Better transparency
Better edge definition of the notes
Better texture in bass

TIMELESS 7HZ
Pros-
Bass is warmer
Sub-bass is warmer
Better vocals than T1 plus
Less air
Less details

MOONDROP KATO-
Pros-
Excellent dynamics
Excellent tonal accuracy
Beautiful airy notes and treble (less than p1plus)
Well extended in the treble region
Has sub-bass and is mid bass heavy
Beautiful separation and spacing around instruments
Wide stage
Excellent imaging and resolution

DUNU FALCON PRO-
Pros and cons-
Best cable with multiple terminations
Widest stage among all the above
Great vocals except autumn takes it a little much better with more air
One of the best timbres after KATO, slightly better than autumn.
Tonality is better than most except BQYEZ
Separation is great similar to many below it
Coherency is great
Stage height is less
Sound change in filters is not that much.
Bass hits and texture are great.
Not so great imaging
Transparency lacks



SUMMARY-

Given the price of this iem, it's easy to recommend it since you get a good cable too and also the connectors. But unlike others, that I have tried, the filters are not that great. In this category of 200$ and above iems, this stands above the 200$ category for sure but some 160-200$ iems are not far behind. So does this get a recommendation - yes!! But if you have wanna spend less, good options are around too with not much difference.

MOONDROP KATO- Lean and Beautiful

MOONDROP is a famous chifi brand and has been loved my many including myself for the clarity and soundstage it provides in the music. While I haven’t been able to try many high end Moondrop products, I do own the KANAS Pro which is a great iem of its time. But today we are gonna try a new iem of theirs which is regarded as an upgrade to their KANAS PRO and KXXS- THE MOONDROP KATO

DISCLAIMER:
This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review tour in my country organized by HiFiGo. This review is completely based on my experience with it and all opinions positive or negative are my own and no one else’s (no one can have my thoughts ). Please try it yourself if you can, since we all hear things differently. The link for the iem is here.

SPECIFICATIONS-

• Driver: 10mm-ULT dynamic driver
• Diaphragm: the 3rd generation DLC composite diaphragm
• Socket: 0.78-2Pin, sunken design
• Housing: MIM stainless steel, FULLY SCRATCH PRONE
• Nozzle: stainless steel-1 PAIR, brass -1 PAIR
• Cable: Silver Plated Copper – 3.5mm – 0.78 2-pin
• Impedance: 32Ω±15% (@1KHz)
• Sensitivity: 123dB/Nrms (@1KHz)

PRICE-

190$ OR 18K INR

UNBOXING-

It just came with a small moondrop packet and nothing else (KUDOS to INDIAN customs lol and atrocious shipping prices). Sadly, only one pair of SPARKS tips which were torn in the nozzle area a bit, were added, M sized. Rest the pics will describe.

BUILD AND FIT-
It’s a tiny little iem but it’s made up of steel entirely. Quite light though, but damn the finish is mirror finish so be ready for ton of scratches haha!!! It’s a small iem so you would need a size larger tip to hold it in your ears.




CABLE-
Now the cable is a beauty. Transparent connectors and two-way wound technique with 2 thick silver or white coloured wires (4 cores), made it look much like jewellery haha!!! I would love to see a bit more strain relief on 3.5mm jack. Now complains on the wires at all.

ACCESSORIES-

• BLUE HARD SYNTHETIC case.
• Ear-tips
• 3 pairs of SPARKS (I got only 1 pair sadly)
• 3 pairs of Foam tips (none I got)
• 4 core cable with high-purity copper plated with thick silver
• 1 cleaning brush. (None I got)
• Steel plate holding the 2 nozzles (got this )

FILTERS-
Changing filters is pretty easy and gives it a good change in sound. It's a screw in type.

Two filters are present, one is steel and the other is brass. Steel filter is a slightly airier and cleaner sounding filter with leaner tonality but very little negligible sub-bass. The brass one gives you the required sub-bass but still its light.

Changing filters this way is fine except when you are trying, it gets troublesome, its much better done by BQEYZ.

POWAH REQUIRED-

It's pretty easy to drive. My dap n6ii with r01 easily handles it at 40-50 volume level with low gain. Increasing to high gain doesn't provide much except a like more forward signature and slightly more dynamics but it can be just psychoacoustics. Bass is slightly better but I think it’s the bigger volume working.

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

• N6ii and R01 (mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review. About 40-50 volume on low gain
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (so beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 06 ) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
• Tips used were stock ‘L’ sized tips of BGVP A08 since the sparks tips made it much leaner, plus this was a great fit.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MAY VARY FROM MINE

SUB-BASS-

Brass filter-
There's good sub-Bass with the brass filter. The texture is awesome with an average rumble. Notes are very nicely defined and are very dynamic. Every hit is registered and is easily distinguished based on their height. The tonality is lean but tonal accuracy is pretty great. Notes also are thin in the body and do have a space around then. It just encompasses notes clarity like a pro as it has great timbre with fast attack and near natural but slightly on the faster side decay.

Steel filter-
All of the above is true except that the sub-bass volume and rumble is very low. The extension into the depths of sub-bass is also very low. You can just feel the texture of notes but in some songs when it's not emphasized in a song. Makes it feel boring

BASS-

Brass filter-
Given its mid-bass heavy iem, there's a lot of punch in the bass. The notes are very dynamic, textured and beautifully separated from each other . Notes definition is excellent as well . The timbre is natural with fast attack and slightly faster than natural decay. The notes body though has a big space around it and is well not voluminous but controlled. It extends pretty well though and the hits are nicely emphasized even by their difference in heights. Energy doesn't seem to be missing but the leaner tonality is not my fav thing i guess .

Steel filter-
Not much of any difference except slightly that the leaner tonality has increased and space around the notes and instruments are further enhanced. The body is a little short with great extension to the edges. The attack is much faster though.


MIDS-

Brass filter-
Ohh my it's a very beautiful presentation. There's good air around the instruments with great spacing in notes of those. They are all dynamic and easily distinguished from their notes' height differences and also from the entirety of the notes. Timbre is beautiful and this shows up a lot of micro details pretty easily. This has a natural decay but very quick attack and everything just pops up yet not in an ear-piercing way. The tonal accuracy is great but it's still on the leaner side so sometimes making the instruments feel thin, mostly though in the lower mids. The microdetails and air around the strings are easily distinguished and have an enhanced presentation.

Vocals- have a leaner presentation. The body has a big space around them as if they are singing in an open room. There's a good extension and the female vocals sound wonderful. It's a mildly 'v' presentation. Male vocalists lack the weight of their voice but are very distinct. There's a great number of micro details with air around their voice. The 'sss' are slightly more pronounced in the toughest of recordings without being too bright .

Steel filter-
Everything mentioned above is the same except that it's a slightly leaner tonality. The air in the notes and separation of instruments have improved. Vocals now seem as a complete 'v' shaped signature. Space around the instruments is also improved.

TREBLE-

Brass filter-
It's excellent in the treble region. There's good tonal accuracy with a leaner presentation to the notes. Dynamics and timbre are top notch. Notes are beautifully defined with great edge definition and heights difference. The air around the instruments and notes are presented with subtleness. The microdetails on the other hand have fast attack with normal paced decay. There is no hint of too much brightness present making it a smooth sailing . Extension in the treble region is lacking a bit but by far one of the best in this price range only being trumped by p1 plus.

Silver filter-
Very similar to above with a little more extension and airiness around the notes and the instruments. The tonality is slightly leaner and the transients are more enhanced.


HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-

It does not by any means lack that. There's a big wide stage with good sonic headroom and height. The depth (-y axis) is pretty great but the stage depth is slightly reduced. The instruments in front are more placed diagonally in the X- Y plane. Imaging though is precise and combined with great space around instruments, you would be easily abacked to find them having their own corners in the head-stage. Centre imaging needs some work though. Not much change is presented in between the filters.

SEPARATION AND RESOLUTION-

By far one of the best. The separation around the instruments is excellent with good space and air around them. Resolution is excellent too with three tonal accuracy and dynamics it will capture your heart in an orchestra or any other live recordings. With steel filter though, the airiness and separation is slightly more enhanced with faster transients. But this comes with a penalty of more lean notes.

COMPARISON-

BQEYZ AUTUMN
Pros-
More balanced signature
Better mid bass tightness and definition
Better inter-instrumental separation
Texture is better enhanced
Better notes edge definition
More controlled and balanced notes
Wider stage
Good change in sound with filters

TRI I3 PRO-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better treble details
Better sub-bass
Better stage depth and layering
Better transparency
Better mids
Note body definition was better.

TIN P1 PLUS-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better air in the string instruments
Better transparency
Better edge definition of the notes
Better texture in bass

TIMELESS 7HZ
Pros-
Bass is warmer
Sub-bass is warmer
Better vocals than T1 plus
Less air
Less details

MOONDROP KATO-
Pros-
Excellent dynamics
Excellent tonal accuracy
Beautiful airy notes and treble (less than p1plus)
Well extended in the treble region
Has sub-bass and is mid bass heavy
Beautiful separation and spacing around instruments
Wide stage
Excellent imaging and resolution.



SUMMARY-
For the price this would be an excellent purchase since for its pros, it's a master, with very little cons. This have such beautiful tonal accuracy and timbre. A copper cable might increase the tonal weight of the notes and make it more appropriate for male vocal thickness. Recommendation - it's highly recommended but needs small changes…

TIN P1 PLUS- A portable planar

TIN as a chifi company is well famous for its cheaper offerings rivalling a lot of other chifi manufacturers. It's well famous for its power-hungry TIN P1 planar iem which is an older offering. So today, I am getting to review the newer more efficient version of P1 - TIN P1 PLUS.

DISCLAIMER:
This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review tour in my country organized by HiFiGo. This review is completely based on my experience with it and all opinions positive or negative are my own and no one else’s (no one can have my thoughts ). Please try it yourself if you can, since we all hear things differently. The link for the iem is here.

SPECIFICATIONS-
Driver type- Planar
Impedance: 22Ω±15%.
Sensitivity: 108dB±3dB.
Rated Power: 5mW.
Maximum Power: 10mW.
Max Distortion: 1%@1kHz.

PRICE-
170USD / ~ 15k INR

UNBOXING-

This iem came in the classical Tin synthetic box and no retail box, otherwise Indian customs would have killed it with their exorbitant import prices . All the accessories were placed inside the box and it easily accommodated everything . Rest the pictures will describe .



BUILD AND FIT-

It's an all-metal build with a very small signature. Overall, it's not heavy but is kinda small so, in order to get a good fit, you have to use larger than your typical size ear tips. The cable is pretty good but it's mmcx and given TIN's reputation (my tint2 and tint2 plus all have those mmcx issues), they begin to show disconnections pretty easily with time, so be careful with your usage.



CABLE-

The cable is pretty good and has a lot of leeway. There is no micro-phonics and the only sad thing is it's 3.5mm and mmcx of TIN.

ACCESSORIES-

1. 2 pairs of foam tips
2. S/M/L Silicone narrow bore tips (clear/red & black)
3. Carry case

POWAHH-

This does require some power and becomes more dynamic but the overall increase is not much worth it. There might be some pairing issues like I had with my R01 module, but the T01 module of N6ii was great. A warmer source would be better to add more bass and sub-bass and slightly more thickness to the notes. Even with amping this is bass light.

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

1. N6ii and T01 module & R01(mostly T01 since R01 caused this iem to have too much sharp peaks in certain instruments with very fast loud notes in the treble region like triangles and crash cymbals etc) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review.
2. On desktop- N6ii T01 LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 08 but I would stay with it since it becomes a beautiful entity but this requires a better copper cable !!!) has been used.
3. Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
4. Tips used were stock ‘L' sized tips

NOW COMING ON TO THE SOUND OF THE TIN P1 PLUS- (This is subjective and your opinions may vary)

SUB-BASS-

Sub-bass is completely classical of a planar iem / headphone (at least the ones I have tried completely). It has a very small presence and good energy. There is a small feel of rumble in it and it seems sub-bass light completely. Addition of SS amps also did not increase the feel but did add some decay to make it have more feel overall. Some amount of increase in sub-bass volume is added and hence amping is needed but it's not much of a very big difference that warrants an amp for an optimal experience. Adding a warmer source would be a much better option but I don't have any at the moment to try, except R01, which isn't much of a warmer source plus don’t have great synergy with this iem rather T01 adds more of a sub-bass .

BASS-

The bass is punchy and dynamic. There is more of a mid-bass punch and not too much high-bass added. The tonality is on the leaner side and has a lot of texture proper of a planar iem. It’s full of bass energy but doesn't overshadow whatever the sub-bass it has. It has great attack and very fast decay giving a very fast and clean listen on the bass notes. Notes have a great beginning and big body with great edge definition. Amping kind of does add more punch to the mid-bass butt adds more dynamism too the light hits. Overall great experience



MIDS-

Let's start with the best part of a song - the vocals. Vocals are very clean with great definition to the words. There is more emphasis on the 'ssss' words. Vocals have great body and great extension with lots of air coming through the mic. Plus, each word is extensively clear and crisp with minute details being as clear as day. The overall feel is on the leaner side with slightly unnatural feel to the female vocals. Female vocals extend greatly but become slightly shouty with too much upper mids presence.

The instruments in the mids are greatly presented with lots of details thrown into the mix. The tonality is slightly on the leaner side. There is great stage depth and discreet space around the instruments. Lots of dynamics with a great way of presenting transients which have very fast decay and fast attack too . The timbre is present on the string instruments more than other keys or drums. Each notes have great definition and extension with beautiful reverb. The upper mids and lower treble are more enhanced than the lower mids and hence provide an energetic experience sometimes a little too much for certain instruments like triangles, crash cymbals etc which have very fast notes. There's also a great amount of texture added to the notes too.

TREBLE-

The treble is the most beautiful part of this iem which is best experienced with orchestra and other instrumentals. The beautiful extension in the treble region is excellent. There is lots of air in the instruments and beautiful reverb around the strings of the instruments. Notes separation and definition is excellent, rivalling some of the great iems in this price range. Dynamism is also great with tonality being slightly on the leaner side. The only thing I found as a con is, it sometimes becomes too much with cymbals, triangles , and shakers where the notes are kind of too much sometimes. The decay and attack are fast with good timbre in the wind and string instruments albeit lacking in the shakers and other metallic instruments .



HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-

There's great height and stage depth in the head-stage of the iem. But not much depth (-y axis) added but with enough width added it makes it feel have a much wider presentation. The instruments have been placed near the edge of the head-stage with notes going outside. The entire head-stage is balanced or slightly V shaped. Imaging is great with precise detailing of the instruments in space and sometimes even fooling us with its presentation.

RESOLUTION AND SEPARATION-

The separation and layering are truly that of a planar and it just is clear as water in that department. There's great resolution too which is revealing and kind of attaches you to it and makes you trying to find that in others . Each instrument is spaciously separated and their notes are well executed except shakers, triangles and other metallic fast paced metallic instruments.

COMPARISONS--

BQEYZ AUTUMN
Pros-
More balanced signature
Better mid bass tightness and definition
Better inter-instrumental separation
Texture is better enhanced
Better notes edge definition
More controlled and balanced notes
Wider stage
Good change in sound with filters

TRI I3 PRO-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better treble details
Better sub-bass
Better stage depth and layering
Better transparency
Better mids
Note body definition was better.

TIN P1 PLUS-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better air in the string instruments
Better transparency
Better edge definition of the notes
Better texture in bass



TIMELESS 7HZ
Pros-
Bass is warmer
Sub-bass is warmer
Better vocals than T1 plus
Less air
Less details

MOONDROP KATO-
Pros-
Excellent dynamics
Excellent tonal accuracy
Beautiful airy notes and treble (less than p1plus)
Well extended in the treble region
Has sub-bass and is mid bass heavy
Beautiful separation and spacing around instruments
Wide stage
Excellent imaging and resolution.



SUMMARY-

Now for the price and ability to run from portable sources has already made this way better on the go, than P1. But, at this price range and slightly higher there are more better and enjoyable options , but if you want the best extension in treble, lots of air, can change cable to OCC copper and want the feel of a planar without much bass and sub-bass, this becomes highly recommended.

FIIO FD3- Cheaper with lots of fun engraved into it.

FIIO as we all know it, is a Chinese company highly invested in the audiophile market. They have lots of impressive products and continue to impress the entire audiophile industry with their budget end to other highly priced products. Today we are going to take a look at a cheaper yet pretty good offering – THE FIIO FD3

DISCLAIMER- THIS UNIT BELONGS TO MY FRIEND @suman134 AND thanks to him I get the time to review it. Well as always, the opinions are mine alone and not influenced by friendship haha!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS-

• Driver : 12mm Diameter Dynamic Driver with DLC Diaphragm
• Frequency response : 10Hz-40kHz
• Impedance : 32Ω@1kHz
• Sensitivity : 111dB@1mW
• Max input power : 100mW
• Cable Material : 4 core High Purity Monocrystalline Copper Wire
• Weight : approx. 7 grams (Single Unit)

UNBOXING-

As always Fiio did an excellent job with its practicality and easiness of the unboxing. The addition of a pelican type case for the accessories and using it further for carrying the iems is pretty good idea and I hope others try to imitate that . Plus, an mmcx assist tool is a nice touch . Rest the pictures will dictate



BUILD AND FIT-

It’s a full metal build with a marble like faceplate. It’s looks awesome but the Fiio engraving inside kinda looks a little 3D like . These are pretty dense and removing the nozzle to change filters is pretty easy too.
Fit for me was great too. They fit nicely with a little pain being the stem hitting my ear, so turning it a bit forwards helped a lot.

CABLE-
The cable is pretty good, no microphonic at all. It’s not heavy too. The ear guides are pliable too. No worries about it about it.



OTHER ACCESSORIES-

• FOAM TIPS AND LOTS OF SILICON TIPS
• MMCX removal assist tool
• IEM brush
• Sound filter nozzle – check the rings – red – bass filter and black - reference filter
• The best thing- a pelican type carry case

PRICE-
99$ OR 8990 INR

POWAHH REQUIRED-

It’s pretty easy to drive, no issues whatsoever. I ran it on low gain 45 volume in my N6ii R01. Putting it to High gain did increase some stage height but I think it’s the volume that made me feel it rather than current driven into the iem.

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

• N6ii and R01 (mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review. About 40-50 volume on low gain
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (not so beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 04 ) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
• Tips used were stock ‘M’ sized tips which were a great fit
• ENITRE REVIEW IS WITH RED FILTER AND THEN CONTRASTED WITH BLACK FILTER(JUST FORGET RED FILTER EXISTS )

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MAY VARY FROM MINE

BASS AND SUBBASS-

Sub-bass is something near to excellent at this price range . It’s rare to see something which has this much sub-bass yet not overriding the bass. Tonality is on slightly natural to leaner side with very good dynamics. The decay is fast but this still maintains good timbre, a slightly more extension on the sub-bass notes would have great to have a very big room filling experience. There is great texture in the sub-bass and it’s quite energetic and goes quite deep to fill your cups with a smile .

Bass is excellent. Having the tonality to be slightly on the natural to more on the leaner side. It’s punchy and full of energy and also complementary to the sub-bass. The decay is fast and timbre is slightly faster. The texture is slightly less but for the price its pretty good. Notes are quite dynamic extending into the head-room quite a bit. They have good body with great beginning distinction, edge definition needs some work though. A very fun experience overall.

FILTER CHANGE TO BLACK- The black filter has some good changes to the bass and sub-bass that’s it’s worth a whole separate paragraph. Sub-bass has a little less rumble but is more controlled and well I like this more than the red filter. The sub-bass had less energy than the red filter but the texturing is enhanced more and it felt more in line with the rest of the sound signature. Bass on the other hand, had more punch and more controlled response . The body of the notes is more controlled and felt more extended. Timbre is slightly decreased and more controlled, but better transparent but felt much less energetic but in a good way. This is more to my liking I think than the red filter

MIDS-

Hmm , let’s start with the vocals. Vocals are balanced not lush nor lean. Male vocals are enough thick not to make you miss the thicker feel . Female vocals have those wonderful highs but they extend not too much into the head-room hence they feel slightly held back. The texture comes through as well the echoes or reverbs of their voice in certain songs. There is a little less air in the vocals but it’s does make it up with better micro-details. Notes have great body and no sibilance at all.

Instruments in the mids are really good. They have a similar leaner to natural tonality. Average amount of air in between them but with this filter, it feels completely congested. There is very little space around them and sometimes the notes do overlap a bit. The dynamics is great but the tonal accuracy is okay with an average timbre sadly. There is slightly fast attack and fast decay but given the congestion, separation is not much present . What this lacks, makes up for in the energy which is great with great notes height and musicality. Notes also have a good body and good beginning but edge definition is not that great. But it changes so much with the other filter that, I would recommend not to use this for any reason .

WITH BLACK FILTER- The mids are much more separated, balanced and much more in V’ shape. The congestion is much decreased and the notes have better edge definition. The energy is similar but the notes have taken a slight backseat in the stage. Much better transparency also with better details. The notes are also better separated making it a well wider stage and better differentiate the different instruments.



TREBLE-

Treble is pretty good here. There is great dynamics and energy to the treble region. Small amount of air in the notes are noted but not much around instruments. They are rather more separated by space around them and the imaging. The timbre of cymbals and string instruments here are much better appreciated. Notes are nicely defined except the edges, which feel to have been having less extension or blunted. It does have a faster attack here with a faster decay albeit not loosing musicality though. The sparkle in the treble is not lacking and overall demands a listener’s attention.

WITH BLACK FILTER- The treble is similar with changes in notes separation being the most important stand out. Notes are more defined and there is much better extension too. Much better separation in the instruments too and better edge definition of the notes. There is more feel of stage depth too.



HEADSTAGE, IMAGING, RESOLUTION AND SEPARATION-

Head stage is decent and doesn’t feel lacking. There is good width with tall heights but the stage depth is bit less, depth (-y axis) though is pretty good. Imaging is decent with a diffuse sense of instrument notes. Spacing around the instruments if could be improved would be great. There are good enough details but the presentation is without any dynamics and subtleness. Separation is not that great in the mids and bass, treble though escapes this. Transparency is great but nonmusical and lacks a sense of dynamism.

FILTER CHANGE TO BLACK- The sound characteristics change from complete L to complete V sound signature. The change in height of the notes is well felt too but the notes height differences is rather more transparent now than the red filter . The details are much better felt too. The stage depth is much better with good amount of separation in the mids. Spacing around the instruments is also more and mids feel V shaped but not congested anymore.

CABLE CHANGE-

Cable change will have a good impact on this iem. I used the Tenhz SPC cable since I didn’t have any mmcx good SPC cable with me, there was increased depth, better balance in the notes, better separation and good air. I would recommend a cable change for sure, since this seems like a very capable iem. Do try and lemme know in the comments below!!!



COMPARISON-
BQEYZ AUTUMN
Pros-
More balanced signature
Better mid bass tightness and definition
Better inter-instrumental separation
Texture is better enhanced
Better notes edge definition
More controlled and balanced notes
Wider stage
Good change in sound with filters

TRI I3 PRO-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better treble details
Better sub-bass
Better stage depth and layering
Better transparency
Better mids
Note body definition was better.



TIN P1 PLUS-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better air in the string instruments
Better transparency
Better edge definition of the notes
Better texture in bass

TIMELESS 7HZ
Pros-
Bass is warmer
Sub-bass is warmer
Better vocals than T1 plus
Less air
Less details



MOONDROP KATO-
Pros-
Excellent dynamics
Excellent tonal accuracy
Beautiful airy notes and treble (less than p1plus)
Well extended in the treble region
Has sub-bass and is mid bass heavy
Beautiful separation and spacing around instruments
Wide stage
Excellent imaging and resolution.

FIIO FD3 WITH UPGRADED SPC CABLE-
PROS-
Better wider stage and separation
Bass and sub- bass coherency is better maintained
More extended in the treble region
Great dynamics
Taller stage
More cohesive

SUMMARY-

It’s a very good iem for its price. The musicality aspect of it makes it a worthwhile purchase except the RED filter don’t use it at all. Black filter is love and yes cable change is a small must. Overall, a strong recommendation for this price range.

TRI I3 PRO- A NEW PLANAR HYBRID IN THE MARKET!!!

TRI is the luxury counterpart of the chifi manufacturer KBEAR. Given the reputation of both of the sister companies I have hopes that this I3 PRO will be a great iem and would overgrow the sales of the original TRI I3, which though I haven’t had the chance to hear but have had heard great things about. So, let’s dive into the review of
TRI I3 PRO!!!

DISCLAIMER- THIS UNIT BELONGS TO MY FRIEND @suman134 AND thanks to him I get the time to review it. Well as always, the opinions are mine alone and not influenced by friendship haha!

SPECIFICATIONS

1. Drivers: 10mm Planar magnetic + composite 8mm dynamic driver + 1 balanced armature
2. Impedance: 15 Ω
3. Sensitivity: 103 dB/mW
4. Frequency Range: 20 – 30,000 Hz
5. Cable/Connector: 2PIN (0.78MM)

UNBOXING-

Now TRI is well known for their beautiful and practical unboxing experience and this didn’t disappoint in that regard. It’s mostly similar to every KBEAR products I have tried but still the box gives such chromatic vibes that I played with it more than check the iems inside . Rest I will let the pictures dictate for you all





BUILD & FIT-

The Iem is solid dense metal with 3 grooves. It feels dense yet not too heavy in addition the silver colour just makes its shine through. The finish is mirror / metallic so be wary of legendary scratches if you won’t be careful !
Fit for me was just right, it’s just a tad bit big for my medium ears, so adjustment after two hours or so is needed. No vacuum feeling with it either



CABLE-

The cable is excellent as always with the TRI products. It’s a 5N OFC (oxygen-free copper) cable which has no microphonics, is pliable and thick, has some weight added to it.

OTHER ACCESSORIES-

1. Carry Box (feels a little bit small for this mirror finish iem)
2. Lots of tips
3. Cleaning brush and cloth will be needed trust me!!
4. Paperwork

POWAH REQUIRED-

This iem does need a bit of power for full potential but my DAP of 400mw was able to drive it fully too. So, depending upon the source it might be good / bad / okayish but try to give everything a bit of time (No burn in needed per se here no changes I encountered).

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

1. N6ii and T01 module & R01(mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review.
2. On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 08 but I would stay since it becomes a beautiful entity but this requires a better silver cable !!!) has been used.
3. Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
4. Tips used were stock ‘M’ sized tips but I felt wide bore tips of E horn pro ‘M’ size would be great and hence I am using that.

NOW COMING ON TO THE SOUND OF THE TRI I3 PRO- (This is subjective and your opinions may vary)

BASS AND SUB-BASS-

Sub-bass is rumbly enough to satisfy my tastes. The texture is slightly present but makes up with the rumble. The decay is fast and precise but rumble goes on for quite a little longer than the body of the notes. Overall tone is slightly leaner but still is very close to being organic . Addition of dynamism (not a lot but good enough) makes the experience much better. A lot of energy is present though which makes the overall experience pretty good .
Now coming onto the bass, the interaction between both the sub-bass and bass is pretty great. Everyone respects each other and maintains the balance between “The Darkside and The Force” . The tonality is on the leaner but close to natural side. It has that wonderful midbass punch and has a lot of energy there. The timbre is present but the decay is fast, but the it does leave a trail to ponder upon. The projection ain’t that much into the head-stage but it does give you a good feel of it. Notes have a good beginning and body but edge definition needs a slight improvement. There is good amount of separation of the notes but this still doesn’t give the planar experience that I had while using the LCD I3 and the HIFIMAN SUNDARA but the layering is pretty good between the different percussion instruments.

MIDS-

Vocals are the soul of the music and this defines that beautifully. The body of the notes of the vocalists just shine throughout the song and makes you feel the energy and the emotion in the song . Notes beginning is also pretty great but this does lack some extension in the ending (you can’t expect everything ). The tonality will be affected by what tips you use since the upper mids and treble will affect the overall signature but with my use of E-Pro Horn tips and KZ reverse starline tips (both wide bore tips), this just gives such a great natural feel to the voice, it breaks my heart why they didn’t add such wide bore tips (why Tri !!!, hopefully they see my review and start adding wide bore tips to their arsenal ). The air in the voice does come up but it feels a little cut off on the edges further giving the impression of low extension. The thickness of male vocals needs to be more pronounced but female vocals shine through with this leanness. They feel more balanced and doesn’t leave more to be found, on the other hand male vocals needs more love. Dynamics aren’t lacking in either of them and the tonality difference is also well perceived. Overall, a great experience but still makes you want more.



Instruments in the mids are really the best part of this iem. They are emphasized greatly and overall; the tonality is slightly on the leaner side with great dynamism in the notes. Timbre is confusing a bit, hi-hats and other metallic hits gives off a slight BA metallic timbre but guitars and other string instruments, even piano and other keys just seem have that planar presence and beautiful fast timbre. The decay is though fast and gives off a very small sense of projection into the head stage (don’t worry reverb is still felt though ). Notes are more beginning and body focused but with great emphasis on the body of the notes. Edge definition needs a bit more work but it’s still very good to give an enhanced sense of separation. The inter instrumental separation is great, every instrument has its own space and air, the layering is not top notch but still gives a planar presence to it. Lower mids does need some more thickness to the notes (even with wide bore tips it did improve but still needs more). Upper mids love the leanness and extend more than the lower mids but with using the stock tips, it was a sharp experience in some genre of music hence I shifted to wide bore tips. Otherwise, really a great experience with all genres of music.

TREBLE-

Treble presence is really good and energetic. It’s sparkly and really gives off a great feel when the trumpets and all go off . If you want a smoother experience this isn’t for you, but please don’t use it with stock tips use the wide bore tips, otherwise it will be a congested and very sharp experience . The tonality is slightly lean here, closer to natural (with wide bore tips) but with much better decay than the mids. The tambourines and other metallic instruments still have that slightly metallic BA timbre, others though don’t have that and shine through. The notes are well defined in every part, even the edge definition too. Air and transparency are pretty good in the instruments for the price but extension is required more in the notes. Separation in between the notes is pretty great and this just goes through to the instruments too. Micro details do come through but will leave you, still wanting for more, a slightly more increased transparency might have been required. The dynamics are still great and gives you an enhanced experience overall and really brings more excitement and energy to the music.



HEADSTAGE AND SEPARATION-

Now the head stage isn’t that wide but its quite tall and doesn’t lack at all. The layering is quite good and separation makes it much better. With stock tips, this might become congested but, wide bore tips it will become a different story all together. The depth (-y axis) is quite good and in stage depth is also enhanced with the planar driver presence. In between the instruments, there’s good space and some air, but slightly more width in the head stage would have been great.


RESOLUTION AND IMAGING-

Resolution is pretty great, not lacking in showing you the bad effect of badly mastered tracks too . Microdetails are slightly lacking but its quite good for the price and whatever is there, it pops up albeit neither musically nor on your face, but slowly creeping up. Transient are easy to track though and doesn’t make you want for more. Imaging is pretty great added with the layering. Its slightly diffused, but is still pretty good in maintaining the presence of the instruments over the head-stage.

COMPARISONS-

BQEYZ AUTUMN
Pros-
More balanced signature
Better mid bass tightness and definition
Better inter-instrumental separation
Texture is better enhanced
Better notes edge definition
More controlled and balanced notes
Wider stage

TRI I3 PRO-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better treble details
Better sub-bass
Better stage depth and layering
Better transparency
Better mids
Notes body definition were better.

TIN P1 PLUS-
Pros-
Better treble extension
Better air in the string instruments
Better transparency
Better edge defintion of the notes
Better texture in bass

TIMELESS 7HZ
Pros-
Bass is warmer
Sub-bass is warmer
Better vocals than T1 plus
Less air
Less details



SUMMARY-

The iem is pretty great for its price. It felt more like an DD with Planar staging missing out on the planar treble though. Using silver cable like TRN pure silver made it much more excellent and felt like the way to go haha!!! But overall, really good experience and I would surely recommend it!!!

KBEAR is well known for its good priced iems and has already made a name in the chifi industry. Today we will be trying out their KBEAR AURORA IEM.

DISCLAIMER:
This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review tour in my country organized by HiFiGo. This review is completely based on my experience with it and all opinions positive or negative are my own and no one else’s (no one can have my thoughts ). Please try it yourself if you can, since we all hear things differently. The link for the iem is here.

SPECIFICATIONS-

• 10mm Titanium diaphragm dynamic driver.
• Impedance: 18Ω±2Ω.
• Sensitivity: 105dB±3dB.
• Standard 2-pin 0.78mm connectors.
• 3.5mm single-ended termination plug.

UNBOXING-
As usual the unboxing of KBEAR IEMs and their sister company TRI is practical but beautiful too. But this time I was only sent a pack of tips and the carry bag with the iems and the filter cleaning tool in it.

Opening the box, I see the beautiful blue cable although 3.5mm (WHY!!! WHY !!!) and the mirror finished iems which I assumed would be fingerprint magnet and they are haha!!! Rest the pictures will depict

BUILD AND FIT-

The iems are built of polished metal and well you can even check your face on it . The slight bluish line surrounding gives it a great look. The fit is great for me although a little small, I had to use L tips for good fit. Its not causing any pain or anything and seriously the fit is great.

CABLE-

The cable is beautiful blue cable with no microphonics but felt dense and slightly heavy too. Its supple and easily slides on the ear skin but the termination is 3.5mm .

OTHER ACCESSORIES-

• TIPS(lots)
• KBEAR LEATHER BOX
• NOZZLE CLEANING BRUSH

PRICE-169$

POWAH REQUIRED-

This iem does not much power for full potential but my DAP of 400mw was able to drive it fully too. So, depending upon the source it might be good / bad / okayish but try to give everything a bit of time. Usual volume in silent passages was 35 at Low gain.

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

• N6ii and R01 (mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review. About 25-35 volume on low gain
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (not so beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 04 ) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
• Tips used were stock ‘L’ sized tips which were a great fit

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MAY VARY FROM MINE

SUB-BASS-

Sub-bass is pretty good. There is good energy and feel but the rumble lacks a bit. Tonally its accurate and there’s good timbre too. There is not much texture present and the notes are slightly having bigger body but less extension present in the ends of the notes. There is also less depth felt in the sub-bass. Fast decay helps in the congested tracks too but the energy between mid-bass and sub-bass is somewhat predominantly on the mid-bass side. It doesn’t feel hollow rather on the slightly thinner yet enough bodied side, and keeps the dynamic nature of the sub-bass. Separation though could have been more enhanced more which is what I felt like lacking the most but does it become muddy nope! Not at all.

BASS-

Bass is on the punchy and dynamic side. This also has fast decay and great control to the hits but the timbre is slightly faster. Tonally its accuracy is excellent rivaling its higher counterparts easily . The bass notes are nicely dynamic but lacks the notes edge definition. It has good texture and lots of energy but in a completely balanced fashion. The distinction between the notes is good but not good enough to satisfy at this price range. It feels a bit too closed in for that matter. Rest the dynamics of different percussive instruments note heights are greatly distinct and also the texture is good enough to satisfy my tastes .

MIDS-


TREBLE-

Treble is good, don’t feel too extended too. There is good tonal accuracy with a fast decay. The timbre is okayish but the presentation has great energy. Though it isn’t well extended at all. Air is lacking in the wind instruments. There are no offensive cymbals crash or trumpets blowing your head off . Notes are better separated along with the instruments and hence no congestion but still feels a like closed studio. Notes extend outward more and span the entire headroom. But not a hint of sharp sound, completely in offensive.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING-

It's not a very wide iem but instruments presentation is sometimes in the corners and their notes are spread outwards which may or may not be in your liking. The stage depth is pretty good but actual depth (-y axis) is not present. Height of the stage of good, every instrument notes reach different heights but they are close to each other a lot. There’s no sonic head-room left. Imaging is great with a slightly diffuse presentation but instruments feel that they don't have a bubble around them. Instruments are more situated in the front and back as layers though distinction is slightly diffused.


RESOLUTION AND SEPARATION-

Separation is not this iems strong point. Instruments and their notes are very close to each other and given the imaging, it goes for a studio experience rather than a theatre. Edge definition of the notes are not great either . Inter notes separation is similar too. Resolution is good with nuances coming up nicely. Though it's not overbearing but it did lack air and other small microdetails a lot. Seems like they kept musicality in mind but slightly sacrificing details in the meantime. Still, this is a good musical set .

COMPARISON-

FIIO FD3 WITH UOGRADED SPC CABLE-
PROS-
Better stage and separation
Bass and sub- bass coherency is better maintained
More extended in the treble region

AURORA-
PROS-
Better tonal accuracy
Better timbre
Better reverb and transparency.
Better vocals

TIN P1 PLUS –
PROS-
Better extension in both the ends of the spectrum
Better details
Better layering
Better stage depth
Better notes definition

AURORA-
PROS-
Better tonal accuracy
Non shouty vocals
No metallic timbre in the lower treble
Better make vocals

BQEYZ AUTUMN-
PROS-
Everything except

AURORA –
PROS-
Better stage height
Inoffensive completely

SUMMARY-
Seems like KBEAR went for a musical, inoffensive set completely this time around. Busier passages are not this iems strong point due to lack of good stage and separation, but other genres are pretty nicely handled. Given the competition at this price range and slightly above, this has a slightly lesser footing than others but, it’s the most musical set I have heard at this range so have fun listening to it .

VISION EARS is a small yet well known, owner driven company in the heart of cologne/Germany. They are well known in the audiophile community and other sound enthusiast communities and have been making a lot of configurations of iems (mostly customs) for the past decade. The best thing is, these are the best guys I have talked to ever; they are always helpful and do answer my queries as soon as they can. Their VE Premium line which includes the EVE 20 and ELYSIUM and now the PHOENIX and the EXT and their VE custom line consisting of VE2 - 8 (now having Universal options too) have created a great deal of name and fame for their wonderful Sound Signature and looks. But today I am going to review one of the universal line-ups of their VE customs- VE 8 Universal Design which is an excellent and well received TOTL model of VE. But does it hold up its place on the top, Let’s find out!!!

DISCLAIMER-Today I am getting to review the VE 8 Universal Design with a majestic faceplate (pics will make it look awesome)- the warm and emotional tuned iem of VE line-up. This has been provided to me by Vision Ears in exchange for my honest opinion for which I am grateful to both Vision Ears @Vision Ears, Amin Karimpour and @suman134 for including me in this tour. You can clink on VE8 to know more.

TECHNICAL DATA-

• Three-way-system with eight drivers
• Drivers: 2 x Bass – 2 x Mid – 4 x High
• Sensitivity: 120dB SPL at 1 mW
• Impedance: 22 Ohms (at 1 kHz)
• The ambience system opens the In-Ear a bit to the outside and diminishes the feeling of isolation.
• Extra sound-canal connects ear-canal and outer world.
• 3 differently strong dampers define the strength of the opening.

PRICE-
2150.00 €/ 2350.00 €

UNBOXING EXPERIENCE-

Now given the price of this iem and the atrocious Indian customs (which we still had to pay) this was sent in a small packet, inside which was a beautiful metal case written VE on top and a 'M' sized Symbio tips.



On opening the metal case with beautifully printed VE on top, there were two pink iems with coloured bubbles on the faceplate. It looks beautiful. The light reflects over the silver writing on the iem and just makes it more wonderful overall to look at.




The cable is as always, a 4core cable with soft housing and 3.5mm termination.


BUILD & FIT-

1) IEMS- This is a custom face plate edition and so obviously eye catching to say the least. The faceplate has blue and red bubbles on semi-transparent bottom which is very less seen. It looks quite good and man, it blows most of the iems I have seen in looks. But as the other VE lineups I have seen, this is similarly built with a strong sense of carefulness and serial number written on the concha side of the iems. They are made up of Resin it feels like.




2) FIT- The fit is a bit big and tight for me and sealed completely but there was very little sense of vacuum. Though it did become uncomfortable after 1 hours and had to be readjusted as the wing part could have been made a little smaller to enhance the feel more. Well I guess now why do they have customs!!!

3) WEIGHT- Nonexistent as per my ears

4) NOZZLE- Its 0.9cm long from the body and has a diameter of 0.6cm. No machine marks this time and it was pretty great looking.

5) CABLE- The cable is 4 strand, black soft plastic-coated ending on a 3.5mm connector. The cable is soft, non-microphonic and really vanishes with the iem (has the weight of hair haha ). The connectors are 2pin and have a small red circle and a small blue circle on either of them to indicate right side and left sides connectors
respectively (same as the entire VE lineup, except the upcoming Phoenix or the EXT finally new cables with 2.5mm balanced ). It’s a 2pin cable since the iem is 2pin (not changing anything from previous since its all the same on entire VE lineup haha ).


POWAH REQUIRED-

It’s really easy to drive even phones are sufficient to drive it easily. But this will require some power to show its dynamic range but the change is around 5-10% mostly YMMV

NOTE- This IEM is used with

• N6ii and T01 module & R01(mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review.
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 08 but I would stay since it becomes a beautiful Cough Syrup!!!) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
• Tips used were FINAL AUDIO E ‘M’ sized tips and Symbio tips both were great.

NOW COMING ON TO THE SOUND OF THE VE-8 CUSTOM FACEPLATE- (This is subjective and your opinions may vary)

SUB BASS-

WHY SO SERIOUS – HANS ZIMMER AND JAMES NEWTON HOWARD & BLENDER- YELLO (Haha!!) – The subbass in the first track, everyone knows (uhm BATMAN- The DARK KNIGHT ) and it shows how hard and deep the drivers will go!!! While in the second song (great funny lyrics), subbass presence is from around 56 sec, felt more on the right side and goes on for a lot longer!! Now I chose this track to check how much do they emphasize it and how does it do with vocals and other instruments. For instruments you could try from 2.09 mins.

The sub-bass is something to love here. For an all-BA set, this comes so close to an DD iem, that you will be surprised. Its something like when the DD and BA had a baby . The sub-bass has great amount of rumble, with lots of texture. Dynamics are not lost at all, which becomes evident from the “WHY SO SERIOUS TRACK” (it picks up on the volume slowly) and with the natural decay, you will be wanting more of that sub-bass, it’s addicting!!! The tonality is on the natural to slightly warm side which makes it great for a long listening session (would advise not to do it). There is no mixing of bass and subbass and neither overpower each other, it’s so much coherent tuning wew!!! Warning- the rumble will spread around you and get you hooked, good luck escaping!!


BASS-

PULL ME UNDER – DREAM THEATER – Now the above track has a lot of traditional percussion instruments which wasn’t fair to one of the modern most used percussive instruments – the drums!!! So, I added this track which shows the toms and snare drums used in a very detailed manner and we’ll separated, so it’s easier to judge them!!

WOODFALL TEMPLE–REMIX – THEOPHANY -Now this has a lot of things going but the most notable thing is the number of percussive instruments this song has!!! Experience it once to know the different kind of drums and piano and the multiple small notes – just everything going with so much coherence that it’s a pure heavenly feeling!!! (Don’t worry I am still alive!!! )

Given that I am confused between a DD and BA driver now (in bass) after trying out this iem, I would still say this has one of the best DD like BA bass ever. It has a slightly warm tonality present with almost natural decay. The timbre is real and gives off a wandering note into the sonic headroom (aka fancy way of saying the head stage), which will impress you and make you follow it. The toms in the first song with the snare and hi-hats, feel real and will impress the listener a lot. The beats are all separated at the body, the beginning and even at the edges. The midbass punch of the hits are also present without undermining other stuff going around, hence presenting a wholly energetic yet well coherent music that enchants the listener. The second song depicts some difficult combination of music and sounds with lots of different percussive instruments ranging from African djembe and conga with large drums in the background, but with this iem, there is not a single hint of mix of sounds but everyone has their own position but remaining coherent. The texture of the big drums does come around among everything too which is just wonderful. In summary- a wonderful presentation.


MIDS-

MALE VOCALS (This time it’s male first)-BEYOND THE SEA- BOBBY DARIN AND AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH- IL DIVO, MARVIN GAYE- Both of the songs have different vocalists (silly me obviously from the names LOL), but what I mean is their pitch. The first vocalist has lean and more balanced voice while in second song, there’s 4 different vocalists, all having different pitch and different highs they can go. The first song is vocals with wide distribution of instruments and the second song having vocals all different going sometimes together with also the instruments like placed near a lot to make it more energetic and drums going just behind them which makes it easier for me to distinguish mid bass bleed.

Male vocals are depicted as the vocalist dictate, if they change the pitch, the iems just changes but still keeps slightly thicker tonality overall. The notes change and voice change is handled exceptionally well. They feel like they have the freedom to open up and they extend nicely throughout everywhere. If there are more than 2 vocalists like in the second song, it still maintains the difference in their voices and lets them shine separately. The thickness in their words do come up and gives a beautiful impression. In short this is something which is just close to perfection.



FEMALE VOCALS- UNINVITED(Album version)- ALANIS MORISETTE- The female vocalist just impresses with their change in her pitch and gasps to add more feel to the song. There is also great charge in pace too with sudden addition to many instruments makes it a good challenge for an iem. With the slight musical queues and big drum hits in the back with the slow piano strokes makes the beginning a truly different difference. Wait for the entire thing to open up from 1.45min and you will be interested with the violin and other instruments just popping in, wonderful

Female vocalists sound real. They don’t have that way too enhanced feel when they extend their voices. Every breath comes through beautifully and the ‘sss’ have very minimal presence leading to no sibilance at all. The way the vocalists takes on the breath before going in makes it much more emotional and musical plus, the way this handles the microdetails in the vocals (like few lip hits, small breaths) so musically, it’s beautiful. The words have great body to them, not missing a single register and then the extension wow . Further more the change in the pace and loudness of the vocals are also beautifully presented. With some chorus music going on, with the main vocalist singing in the middle (THE TIDE IS HIGH- BLONDIE – EXAMPLE OF SONG), the difference is so easy to find plus you will the slight thicker voice so easily too. It’s also so well separated from the instruments that, it feels that have a space of their own surrounded by the music. In simple terms – one of the most lushest yet balanced presentation I have heard.



INSTRUMENTS IN MIDS- WONDER WOMAN’S WRATH- RUPERT GREGSON-WILLIAMS, HANS ZIMMER, - A just beautiful mixture of drums, violins and bass, electric guitars. Wait for the ends part of the song, where you can peacefully listen to the piano and violin. In this song, in between the big drum hits, the smaller hits are also present. Plus, check for the guitar placement it’s at the back.

ROUNDABOUT- YES- One of the most separated songs. Multiple things will just come and go in this song. Wait for the pace change in this song with small instrument hits in the song. It gets quite busy as the song proceeds further and further.

What is a tea without tea leaves so are the mids in a song. It’s not the whole part of the song but it’s what makes it exciting and let me tell you this iem didn’t squander that at all. This iem has a beautiful warm tonality with lots of great character. The instruments have very good separation with excellent micro details giving them a revealing presentation, but this presentation comes to be musical, so not a hint of tiredness even after 2 hours of music. The transient cues are also musical but have great resolution too. The decay is natural with organic timbre (both my amp and R01 and BTR5 and my phone LG G8x) that made it just have so much analogue feeling that I enjoyed it a lot (sometimes a little change is needed). The notes have great body with edge definition and beautifully emphasized beginnings that made them crystal clear even in instrument heavy tracks. The lower mids and upper mids have equal presence and both sound powerful wonderful. The dynamics are also great but the notes height, if could have been done a little more would have been more better. The air around the instruments like guitars felt slightly less than the competition but more of it in the treble section


TREBLE-

STAMPEDE- ALEXANDER JEAN- the change in the types of violin and added guitars and the odd percussive instrument is epic to listen overall. Wait for change in the pace of the music and added vocals makes it a wonderful listen plus the vocals and the violin’s extenion is well recorded and gets wonderful.

STAR WARS AND THE REVENGE OF THE SITH- JOHN WILLIAMS- Do I need to say more of this, it’s one of the best music tracks there. A beautiful amalgam of sax ,trumpets, drums and violin with slight hints of slightly ‘ting’ causing instrument Watch for the change of musical instruments pace and addition of bass / thicker trumpets which gives another feel at all from 1.40min. Another change coming in for use with much bigger drums and small transient sounds from 3.20min Further changes are also coming but I won’t spoil it, have fun

Let’s just say it’s not lacking at all. It has a great tonality with natural timbre. The wind instruments have good amount of air in them but still a little less that the competition. The presentation is smooth with adequate energy but slightly less sparkle. The decay is natural overall, especially with the trumpets and sax giving them great extension into the head-room but not enough sparkle to make you feel that high energy in those notes (aka smooth for me). Best thing this helps to enjoy the music over long time. The cymbals might slightly be too much in certain recordings but that’s very rare. The violin and other strings like electronic guitars sound lovely involving you with their timbre and presence into the head-room. Tambourines, bells and other metallic instruments don’t have that BA timbre rather slightly smoother presentation maintaining the tonality though. The notes dynamics are strong but this will need an improvement. The notes are well separated with very great definition to each part of them. The inter-instrumental separation is also wonderful, but the layering could have been improved. The positioning of the instruments is immaculate giving a strong sense of imaging and the projection of the notes of the instruments, makes it to have a grandeur yet smooth presentation. Notes height could have benefited from having a great height, still the note height differences between different instruments was well perceived so it’s given a plus in my book. The resolution was also very high but not at the cost of decreasing musicality which is very high plus in my book. Overall, a very smooth, energetic and organic performance.

HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-

It has a wide head stage (not the widest but wide enough) with good amount of depth (-y axis). The stage depth is also great but the layering of the instruments could have been done better. The height is also slightly less than what I expected . The positioning of the instruments is very good and combining it with great stage, gives it great imaging. It maintains the musicality still and the projection of notes helps it for that too. The space around the instruments is also pretty great but slightly more air would have had that planar like presentation.

RESOLUTION AND SEPARATION-

The resolution is this iem is on whole other level. It’s pretty much too much revealing, but not at the cost of musicality which is very good way to keep me hooked to this iem. Every transient has a body even whispers feel like people talking haha (watch “Grudge” THE MOVIE– you will know ). Separation is pretty great. The inter notes separation is pretty great but each party well differentiated. The inter inter-instrumental separation though is pretty good too, not a hint of entanglement. But slightly more air would have been better.


COMPARISONS-

With RHAPSODIO INFINITY MK2-

Ohh damn!!! I never wished to compare the either of two!!! But they are so different in what sound signature they are providing, it’s really easy to contrast but in this price range you won’t go wrong with either. The Rhapsodio MK2 is more of an analytical signature iem with great treble sparkle and details with great in stage depth and honestly slightly thinner notes. On the other hand, the VE8 is a very natural iem with musicality as its main focus, it provides way thicker notes and a great energetic in mids but smoother treble yet a musical experience. It lacks the stage depth and stage height of Rhapsodio but adds up with beautiful bass something that reminded me of a DD driver for sure. The notes of different instruments height, is much better in Rhapsodio but the natural timbre makes it up in VE 8. The decay is natural on rhapsodio while a little slower in VE8. I can go on forever but with either of them, it would be a great pick.

WITH EARSONICS GRACE-

TBH, this had me confused as to what would I prefer since I wanted to keep one of them, so I went on to extensively compare both of them. Now I won’t bore you guys with the extensive writing of them, but I will put up a short one for you all to read and then enjoy the CHRISTMAS. The VE8- beautiful and lush midrange and DD equivalent BA bass, natural timbre, great details, thicker notes, good transparency and a smooth treble while the GRACE (stock cable is shittier than even VE so yeah I used my XINHS Black GOLD – Graphene plated copper & Gold plated copper hybrid cable / the MEST MK2 stock cable / much better option the Rhapsodio stock cable) – neutral with stock cable/ Energetic with others, the bass has more texture and feel but not that DD feeling of VE8, layering and soundstage is much better, Treble extension and energy is much better, great details, Separation is much better, similar but slightly faster timbre and decay, notes slightly thinner than VE8. Now given the two, I would have kept both, but Grace provided that musical feel (with change of cables of course and I did try some with VE8 namely SAKESHI, Stock cable of MEST MK2 and also ARES II and yes the XINHS BLACK GOLD) with added staging and layering which was something that bewildered me and kept me coming for it more than VE8, plus I think the small shells helped with the fit so Grace was more comfortable. So, in very little words- Grace is technically superior but VE8 has that musicality aspect to it and Grace has great layering, in stage depth and better separation and VE8 has better bass energy and sub-bass but Grace, also changes with cable, so I kept the Grace and hence, friendzoned VE8 .


SUMMARY-

This is a wonderful organic iem and guess what!!! You get DD Bass on BA configuration of an iem. The details are top notch, the transparency is great and guess what you get a beautiful timbre. It just needs some good layering and staging and its gonna be something great!!! It provides a great musical experience that just makes you wanna hear it forever. Just the price keeps me at ground . But if you have that much to spend, you won’t be disappointed at all.

LUXURY AND PRECISION W2

Luxury and precision are well known for their higher end R2R Daps and so trying them out in one form or other, was in my list. The opportunity came up when the Conceptkart team through my friend, decided to do a tour in my country and I wasn’t going to give up the opportunity. So here we are with L&P W2 for review.

DISCLAIMER- The L&P W2 is provided by the courtesy of Conceptkart as part of review tour in INDIA. But this subjective review of mine, are my own thoughts and I am not being paid anything to say positive or negative about this dongle. That said I want to thank Conceptkart for giving me an opportunity to hear it!!! You can find a link to buy them here (not affiliated of course )

UNBOXING-
The pictures will speak for itself. It’s not much for the price but the added accessories made me happy seeing the practicality intended by the manufacturer.




TECHNICAL SPECS-

• Flagship Dual DAC chipset- 2xCS43198
• Balanced- 4.4mm Headphone output.
• Single-ended- 3.5mm headphone output.
• SPDIF output(3.5mm).
• NOTE - For iphone since they just allow 100ma, so beyond 70 volume it won’t work (volume choppy and cuts off) in iphone - so set High Gain and volume <70; in android- no such limitations)
• Easy firmware upgrade (link)
• Impedance: 125mw @32Ω for 3.5mm & 230mW @32 Ohms for 4.4mm
• Sensitivity (dB): 131dB
• Source Jack: 3.5mm TRS and 4.4mm TRRS
• EQ profiles: Classical/Jazz/Rock/Pop/Bass/Movie/Game
• Filters: Fast/Slow/NOS/LL Fast/LL Slow
• Audio Formats Supported: MP3/WMA/FLAC/WAV/PCM/DSD/APE

ACCESSORIES-

• USB-C to USB-C Cable
• USB-C to Lightning cable
• USB-C to USB-A adaptor
• Luxury and Precision W2
• Warranty Card
• Manual
• Where’s my cover

BUILD QUALITY-

It’s a solid little device. There is carbon fiber type skin on the back and whole thing feels to be made up of solid aluminum or steel. It just feels densely packed.



The screen is pretty good with great white numbers and good visibility. The screen can also be switched off to save your battery and also night time use, which is great practicality by the manufacturer.
The keys are clicky and have good actuation pressure. They are quite responsive too.



PRICE-27999 INR on sale / 299.99$

SOUND IMPRESSIONS (THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MIGHT VARY)

NOTE- I used quite a few iems and 3 headphones to discern on the sound impressions. It was already reviewed by few others and hence has good burn in already. I used Tune 02 more than tune 01 since it was too intimate and rounded. FLT used was NOS or FAST and high gain all the time. It was used with ipad air, LG G8x, Cayin N6ii and Samsung note10 lite.

SUB-BASS-

It’s rumbly and has good energy. There’s great dynamism in the notes and the notes decay is fast but still leaving an impressive timbre. The projection of notes is not limited and do fill the corresponding side headroom and doesn’t pan the entire soundstage in the background. The entire background is black and not a hint of graininess. The notes are well textured and separated from each other with great definition in the body, edges and also the beginning of the notes. The sub-bass extension feels a bit lacking but, the rumble is still not suppressed.

BASS-

The Bass is punchy and energetic to say the least. Using with headphones and iem with good DD and bass tuning, it punches haha . The body is balanced with great beginning and good edge definition. The decay is too fast which makes the timbre slightly lacking here. But the voluminous body and energy overall takes the cake. The tonality is slightly on the leaner side (I have been used to R2R DAP- N6ii with R01) but it does make it up with the beautiful dynamism of the notes. The separation isn’t lacking at all in between the notes either too. The projection of the notes is present but slightly blunted by the fast decay.

MIDS-

The mids are the most important part of a music- it’s the soul . Notes are well established in the entire structure of them and there is great amount of definition to them too. The mids are pretty forward and makes it good balanced signature overall. There is plenty of dynamism in the notes which makes the overall signature a lot musical for me. Tonality is slightly on the leaner side with fast decay but still maintaining a certain amount of timbre to keep certain amount of musicality overall. The inter notes separation is excellent and inter instrumental separation is excellent too but the space in between them seems to be very less. The imaging though seems good and overall makes the separation more in the Z axis. The microdetails pops up pretty nicely and doesn’t feel like piercing your brain haha . The upper mids have a little more energy than the lower mids. The lower mids lack a little notes thickness overall and hence it shows up in the vocals too as I will mention in the next paragraph.

The vocals are pretty good if you can manage with slightly thinner male vocals. The notes are well extended, textured and have proper definition to all the parts. Male vocals lack slightly in the thickness and seems to feel slightly limited with smaller body present but the extension is wonderful and the details come through awesomely. Female vocals are well extended, much better than the male vocals and are really nicely textured. Slight leanness works in favor of the female vocals and kind of maintains the wonderful high-pitched tone. It doesn’t become sharp or ear-piercing at all too.


TREBLE-

Treble is excellent. It seems to be well extended and airy. Notes are slightly leaner but the dynamism here makes up for it. The timbre is good with great natural tonality albeit some might consider slightly lean if you are accustomed to any warm sources. What will make you wonder though is, the great amount of microdetails and transparency and texture throughout. The energy is excellent and runs a good balance between being overly powerful to having the appropriate amount of energy needed. The notes are well defined especially the edge definition. Inter-notes separation is excellent and inter instrumental separation follows that trend too. Spacing ain’t much between the instruments but still they don’t feel congested at all. Air is present in the instruments but not much pronounced. Overall, these shortcomings are highly nitpicky I feel.

TECHNICALITIES-

It’s not a wide sound staging dongle but it presents a good amount of height and stage depth. The amount of transparency is also pretty great. There is great amount of dynamism overall in the notes and separation in between them is also really great. The imaging along with the resolution makes it pretty great for a musical yet analytical experience. The background is black all the time and not a hint of hiss or anything I heard with this.

PAIRINGS-
Overall – I would consider this in case of iems/headphones with pretty good soundstage and maybe a neutral to warm signature

WITH EARSONICS GRACE-

One of the best pairings overall. The greatly dynamic nature of the dongle adds more energy overall to the neutral signature of the iem. The slightly thinner notes can be managed with a copper cable but the return of the musical nature of this iem is further enhanced. The layering is also further enhanced in this iem. Since it’s already a wide iem, the shortcomings don’t matter much. Tune 02 might be better if you want a warmer presentation overall with this.


WITH FIIO FD3-

The pairing is okay or average I would say. The positives of having a greatly separated midrange, better bass control, punch and added details, is taken over the short soundstage provided, too much dynamism (if that’s a thing) and the cut in the sub-bass extension and timbre being more decreased, which seems to be the largest hit to this iems signature. Overall, I would recommend against it but YMMV.



WITH SHOZY POLA-

This was a great pairing. The mids being forward makes the signature more balanced and beautiful. Since the iem isn’t wide but the projection of notes and the separation of the iem makes up for it. The highly dynamic nature of the dongle makes it much better and also the addition of more punchy bass is much better. The treble is much better enhanced and extended and makes this a great pairing.



WITH FOCAL CLEAR OG

Is there a thing called as too much dynamics, well I think this might be that? haha . The bass and texture are well maintained but the reduction in sub-bass extension feels a little too much. Since Clear ain’t a wide headphone and has a spherical soundstage addition of too much height makes it not much better. The separation and accentuation of notes and also the treble with punchy bass is a welcome note but the lower mids especially the male vocals make it slightly less, against N6ii with R01 or PAW S1 pairing. Focal seems to like a thicker tonality source and hence may benefit from it. But this wasn’t that bad of a pairing, if I didn’t have a N6ii with R01 or PAW S1, I might have paired this with a tube amp and call it a day haha. Tune 02 was a better pairing, but having that much intimate staging wasn’t my cup of tea.


WITH SIVGA SV021 or ROBIN-

The pairing with this is much better. There is an enhanced level of separation and also the mids coming forwards to make it a much more balanced signature. There is more air in the treble region and also more details although slightly more but still better. The vocals though still need an uplift and can be considered with a cable change or some EQ.


WITH PS5-

With PS5 you need to switch on the UAC 1.0 mode to make it work. It does provide a lot of power and using it with any speakers with straight using 3.5mm jack, there’s no noise in the speakers. Plus, there is no latency and the sound is musical to slightly analytical. So overall, a pretty great experience.

COMPARISON-

LOTOO PAW S1-
Pros-
Similarly wide
Much better natural timbre
Better tonality
Better bass and sub-bass extension
Male vocals are much better.
EQ is better differentiated between the options

Qudelix 5K-
Pros-
Wide
Much better timbre
Much better sub-bass extension
Tonally similar
Better air in the notes

N6ii R01- (just sound comparison since it’s the only R2R I have and unfair comparison haha)
Pros-
Wider
Spacious in between the instruments
Better transparency and resolution
Better natural tonality and timbre
Better microdetails
Better treble extension
Better notes definition

L&P W2-
Pros-
Very dynamic
Great bass punch and energy
Good treble extension
Tall stage than N6ii R01
Treble is much more refined than both dongles
Female vocals are pretty good
Works with PS5



SUMMARY-

This is a wonderful dongle with great capabilities. It’s pretty dynamic and bridges a good gap between 100-300$. But I think its use is much with iems rather than headphones unless its high sensitivity ones like Focal. Overall, this will need some synergy to work greatly with something you have.

VISION EARS VE7-AN ADVENTUROUS ENDEAVOUR WELL EXECUTED!!!
VISION EARS is a small yet well known, owner driven company in the heart of cologne/Germany. They are well known in the audiophile community and other sound enthusiast communities and have been making iems (mostly customs) for the past decade. The best thing is these are the best guys I have talked to ever; they are always helpful and do answer my queries as soon as they can. Their VE Premium line which includes the EVE 20 and ELYSIUM and now the PHOENIX and the EXT and their VE custom line consisting of VE2 - 8 (now having Universal options too) have created a great deal of name and fame for their wonderful Sound Signature and looks. But today I am gonna review one of the universal lineups of their VE customs- VE 7 Signature Design which as per VE and I quote them “neutral, in the best sense of the word and a professional tool for everyone who likes an analytical sound”; but did they deliver on that? Let’s find out

DISCLAIMER-Today I am getting to review the VE 7 Signature Design- the neutral tuned iem of VE lineup. This has been provided to me by Vision Ears in exchange for my honest opinion for which I am grateful to both Vision Ears @Vision Ears, Amin Karimpour and @suman134 for including me in this tour. You can visit the link to know more VE 7.

TECHNICAL DATA-

1. Driver – 7 BA, 5-Way System-2 x Bass - 2 x Low-Mids –1 x Mids - 1 x Mid-High - 1 x Superhigh
2. Impedance- 12Ω @ 1kHz
3. Sensitivity- 116dB SPL at 1mW

PRICE-
1650.00 €

UNBOXING EXPERIENCE-
Now given the price of this iem and the atrocious Indian customs (which we still had to pay) this was sent in a small packet and a 'M' size Spinfit tips.


On opening the VE Hard Rubber packet, I am greeted by a beautiful looking pair of Spinfit on a legendary looking pair of IEMS with VE7 shining through them. The face plate of VE7 looks epic on the signature edition and shines brilliantly overall. The light reflects over the silver writing on the iem and just makes it more wonderful overall to look at.
The cable is as always, a 4core cable with soft housing and 3.5mm termination.

BUILD & FIT-



POWAH REQUIRED-
It’s really easy to drive even phones are sufficient to drive it easily. But this will require some power to show its dynamic range but the change is around 5-10% mostly YMMV

NOTE- This IEM is used with

• N6ii and T01 module & R01(mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review.
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 8) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
• Tips used were FINAL AUDIO E ‘M’ sized tips and Symbio tips both were great.

NOW COMING ON TO THE SOUND OF THE VE 7-Signature Edition.

SUB-BASS-

IRON – WOODKID- The big drum begins from 0.15min after a beautiful trumpet solo, with proper seal and some tasty Subbass iems, ohh my!! the rumble from the hits Did you think the song is just that, continue this goes on till the very end…Excellente musique ❤️

FLIP- GLASS ANIMALS- From 0.10min, wait for the beautiful textured Synth hits and the beautiful rumble. Lovely music which just gets on better and better and also don’t forget when the vocals come on from 1.20 min, there is the sub-bass still going on Feels epic!!! Then the Toms coming on from 2mins dot gonna be another epic with the surrounding support music and the it becomes easily busy have fun

For an all-BA set, this is nothing to scoff at. There is good rumble, great tonality and lots of texture . The dynamics are not overshadowed by rumble in any means and just shine through. No loss of resolution at all, even when too much music is going on all around. The fast decay though has its own demerits which causes it to not have a great room filling experience as the notes don’t linger at all. Notes body are slightly lean when compared to a DD iem but they make up with the separation and edge definition. This is different from what I have heard from Vision Ears yet since their other line up like EVE 20, VE8 and VE6XC all were BA but with nearly DD bass tuning. But given Vision ears has meant this as a neutral iem I can understand the emphasis given to the details and resolution this produces. But given all BA set meant to be neutral, this is one of the most effective and energetic subbass I have heard and it will impress a lot .

BASS-

SAVE YOUR TEARS- THE WEEKEND- The drums just start beautifully humming from the very beginning with a single kick bass and a snare and a sudden kick bass. This goes on the entire song and gives a good point of reference to compare with other parts of the music and also the vocals.

WOODFALL TEMPLE–REMIX – THEOPHANY -Now this has a lot of things going but the most notable thing is the number of percussive instruments this song has!!! Experience it once to know the different kind of drums and piano and the multiple small notes – just everything going with so much coherence that it’s a pure heavenly feeling!!! (Don’t worry I am still alive!!! )

The bass is awesome in a way that just makes you feel the energy of the song come through. There’s a lot of dynamism with the bass, combined with great resolution and texture, it’s fulfilling to say the least. Tonality is perfect and it doesn’t go sharp with the snare drum hits either. Notes are slightly on the leaner side with great beginning, body and edge definition. Energy of the mid-bass is good and doesn’t deprive you of much punch in that. A slightly more energetic punch would have been better. Decay of the bass is slightly fast than natural and hence keeps the notes separated but the projection is reduced as a result. But it’s not a bad thing at all, if you pair it with some good sources which makes it have a slightly more natural decay like R01 module of n6ii. The timbre needs a bit more work, it feels slightly fast and too tight. Even though, this bass isn’t like that of an DD iem but this works for me, the essence and energy are kept and I love it that way.



MIDS-

MALE VOCALS- WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER- BREAKING BENJAMIN- The vocalist here has sung his heart out completely and with the beautiful acoustic guitar in the beginning and then the change in guitar to electric guitar and addition of drums from 1.37min makes it a very lovely change.

Male vocals are very controlled and balanced. There overall aspect is not lush or thicker but more to bring out every detail in the words and voice. The tonality changes from thin to thick, as the singer deepens his voice is very beautifully executed. Vocals reaching higher extension when they sing their hearts out, is very much revealing too. Even with many instruments going on around the vocalists, the micro details of breath and lip smack does come through. A slight leanness is felt though in the vocals which is more felt when you know the singer has a thicker voice. No sibilance of any sorts I have felt.

FEMALE VOCALS- UNINVITED (Album version)- ALANIS MORISETTE- The female vocalist just impresses with their change in her pitch and gasps to add more feel to the song. There is also great charge in pace too with sudden addition to many instruments makes it a good challenge for an iem. With the slight musical ques and big drum hits in the back with the slow piano strokes makes the beginning a truly different difference. Wait for the entire thing to open up from 1.45min and you will be interested with the violin and other instruments just popping in, wonderful

Female vocals love the slight lean nature of the notes. Their change in speed and also extension is well executed. The gasps and other smaller details did come through. The sudden addition of lots of instruments does seem like a difficult feat to achieve but for this iem, it’s a “walk in the park” . The extension of the words in the singer’s voice is well executed and also beautifully pairs with other high extending instruments. The separation is also excellent. Vocalist sound open and energetic and separation just adds more glory to the iem tuning. Only thing needed is slightly more width to the beginning of the notes and this will be much better.



INSTRUMENTS IN MIDS- WONDER WOMAN’S WRATH- RUPERT GREGSON-WILLIAMS, HANS ZIMMER, - A just beautiful mixture of drums, violins and bass, electric guitars. Wait for the ends part of the song, where you can peacefully listen to the piano and violin. In this song, in between the big drum hits, the smaller hits are also present. Plus, check for the guitar placement it’s at the back.

ROUNDABOUT- YES- One of the most separated songs. Multiple things will just come and go in this song. Wait for the pace change in this song with small instrument hits in the song. It gets quite busy as the song proceeds further and further.

Mids are no exception to the vocals. They are just as beautiful. There is wonderful separation with good notes distribution over the soundstage. The tonality is slightly on the leaner side but it’s makes up with the notes texture and extension. Microdetails comes at you with great speed and precision yet maintaining musicality. There's not a hint of congestion in this iem let it be faster paced music or orchestra. The decay overall is slightly faster than natural but the timbre doesn’t suffer at all. Thicker bodied notes in the lower mids are missed but the edge definition and beginning are so well executed that this takes a backseat. The upper mids are beautifully done, no loss of energy or sibilance and also not to overly done. Resolution is pretty great too “none are left behind” . Overall, the dynamics are slightly less than what I would expect from the VE tuning but I think the resolution is what was tried and given more importance overall.

TREBLE-
STAMPEDE- ALEXANDER JEAN- the change in the types of violins and added guitars and the odd percussive instrument is epic to listen overall. Wait for change in the pace of the music and added vocals makes it a wonderful listen plus the vocals and the violin’s extension is well recorded and gets wonderful.

STAR WARS AND THE REVENGE OF THE SITH- JOHN WILLIAMS- Do I need to say more of this, it's one of the best music tracks there. A beautiful amalgam of sax, trumpets, drums and violin with slight hints of slightly ‘ting’ causing instrument Watch for the change of musical instruments pace and addition of bass / thicker trumpets which gives another feel at all from 1.40min. Another change coming in for use with much bigger drums and small transient sounds from 3.20min Further changes are also coming but I won’t spoil it, have fun

The lower mids consisting of electronic guitars and trumpets are beautifully executed. They are well extended with great tonality. Textured treble with great inter notes separation is something this didn’t miss at all . The upper treble is well extended but there is slightly less air than I have had felt with some others. Not a hint of sibilance. There is great amount of resolution and details too. Notes are slightly leaner than what I am used to but the edges definition is really good, the notes somehow make a single leaner line. The inter-instrumental separation is pretty awesome too. The only thing I would love to have more is the notes heights contrast and slightly thicker sound.



HEADSTAGE AND IMAGING-

This iem is of average width and height, but the added depth and interesting imaging in the Z axis makes the head stage both awesome and wonderful. The imaging of instruments is pretty sharp and gives off a space around them, making us feel the difference between what's in front and what’s in the back of the stage. It’s very similar to Focal clear in its staging.

RESOLUTION AND SEPARATION-

The resolution of this iem is one of the top tiers in its class. This though achieves that with musicality in mind and not being analytical, so if you wanna listen for long you can. Separation also goes hand in hand with the resolution. Inter notes separation is pretty great, all through the notes body, beginning and edges too. Inter instrumental separation is also pretty great and does not falter even in busy passages. Slightly more added width to the iem would have helped more.

COMPARISON-
MEST MK II- (with N6ii R01)
PROS-

VE 7-(with N6ii R01)
PROS-

VE 8- (with N6ii R01)
PROS-

SUMMARY-
This is a different venture of VE into a neutral tuning and for what it’s worth, I loved it. It’s way different that any of the VE iems I have tried and by far this has the best stage depth, treble extension and details than the previous models (not VE 8 of course). This is excellent in its category and is rivaled by MEST MKII mostly but it still stands on its own giving a wonderful experience. But still, I would advise to change cable to probably the stock cable of MEST MKII and SAKESHI of ARES AUDIO since even though the changes were little, they were noticeable and made the overall texture and treble much better.

TAC OBSIDIAN SPC CABLE

TACable which stands for Technical Audio Crafts, is a part of Hakugei cable company from China which offers really good quality but great affordable options. Hakugei is already very famous for their wonderful cable and I am pretty excited for their cheaper sister company cables. This is the first time I am encountering TACables overall but I have had my share of cable change for iems and headphones. I do believe cables change sound but how much depends on the iem/headphone a lot.

DISCLAIMER- I WAS SENT THIS CABLE FOR REVIEW BY TAC CABLES AS A PART OF REVIEW TOUR IN INDIA. SURELY, I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR CONSIDERING ME AS A PART OF THE REVIEW TOUR BUT ALL MY OPINIONS ARE MY OWN WHETHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE AND WILL NOT BE INFLUENCED BY ANYTHING EXCEPT ME

BUILD-

The build of the cable is excellent per say. The jack options are great but I would love to have it as 4.4 balanced connection but alas this came as 3.5mm jack but the jack is strongly built. The best thing about it was the 2-pin connection which always created a Click sound on entering the iem (Satisfying feel).

The only two things I would complain is the length of the jack and also the chin slider. The chin slider is easily displaced and the also the jack length is bit too much, and the thing that holds the jack with the cable, it seemed a bit flimsy.


But there is no microphonics and it was supple enough to not cause me trouble. Plus, the build inspired a confidence that I only felt from using 100$ or more cables haha.

SPECIFICATIONS-

Cable Structure- Black Litz 5N OCC/Litz silver plated 5N OCC
Configuration options- 0.78mm 2pin, MMCX, QDC (2pin config for the tour)
Plug options- 3.5mm, 2.5mm, 4.4mm (for the tour it was in 3.5mm jack)
Price- 20$

NOTE- MY SOURCE IS-
1) PORTABLE -N6II R01, BTR5 AND LG G8X
2) DESKTOP- DAC- N6II WITH T01 LINEOUT
3) AMP- TOPPING A30 MODDED WITH BURSON V5I D OR TOPPING L30 OR XDUOO MT602(NOT USED HERE FOR REVIEW BUT HEY IT DOES HELP TO ADD A BIT OF TUBE TOUCH)
4)IEMS TRIED- BLON BL03, PENON FAN, MOONDROP KANAS PRO, TINT2 PLUS, TIN T2 (BOTH WITH 2PIN TO MMCX CONVERTERS), EFFECT AUDIO AXIOM, EARSONICS GRACE

OVERALL SOUND CHANGES-

BASS AND SUBBASS-

Changes are well perceived here especially in the bass region. Bass is further tightened and added more of a punch but taking away a bit of timbre. This in turn increases the bass volume but gives away in terms of soundstage. The overall energy is increased given a forward presentation. But overall, there is slightly leaner tonality with notes being slightly lean.

Sub-bass changes are not that much but the rumble is slightly decreased but good increase in the texture of the notes. The notes are lean but there is increased separation . Overall, a lovely presentation.

MIDS-

Vocals are great but largely not too much of a change. Female vocals are enhanced more than the male vocals. Though slightly lean, still they don't feel compressed and has more airy presentation.

Instruments have been more stereo separated with more space between the vocalists and the instruments. The tonality is slightly lean and timbre is slightly missed. The notes are though sharper and more defined but lack extension in to the headroom. The resolution is further enhanced and micro details are more pronounced. Dynamism takes a slight backseat though.

TREBLE-

Treble presence is more engaging and enhanced. There is more energy and sparkle. Edge definition of the notes are better. Separation is much better with added air. Some sharpness can be felt when combined with bright iems likes Penon fan, slight amount of sibilance is present but that depends on iems more than the cable itself.

TECHNICALITIES-

The head stage is more stereo separated with good space between the vocalists and the instruments. There is a small headstage width enhancement but not much in height. The projection of the notes is muted and stage depth takes a small toll. Overall dynamics is slightly lost too. But separation is more enhanced. Notes are much more defined; edge definition is much better and inter instrumental separation is much better. The resolution comes up but I can’t confirm whether it's due to foreword soundstage or increased transparency. The imaging is more stereo that giving a sense of room or theatre.

COMPARISON-

TRN 8 CORE 2.5 BALANCED SPC CABLE (NOTE I DID USE 3.5mm CONNECTION FROM SOURCE FOR COMPARISON)
Pros-
Balanced
Better projection of notes and stage depth
Better dynamics and timbre
Tonally warmer and more towards natural

TAC OBSIDIAN 4 CORE SPC 3.5mm
Pros-
Better separation and definition of the notes
Better bass punch and tightened notes
Better build
Better transparency
Better airy treble with much more sparkle
Less sibilant

**** 16CORE CABLE 2.5 BALANCED (NOTE I DID USE 3.5mm CONNECTION FROM SOURCE FOR COMPARISON)
Pros-
Better dynamics
Similar separation
Tonally more natural and better timbre
Taller stage
Balanced

TAC OBSIDIAN 4 CORE SPC 3.5mm
Pros-
Better airy and sparkly treble
Better build
Better bass punch and tightened notes

KBEAR 4CORE SPC 3.5 WITH MIC
Pros-
Better dynamics
Better projection of notes and stage depth
Tonally more natural and has better timbre
Better notes height

TAC OBSIDIAN 4 CORE SPC 3.5mm
Pros-
Better airy and sparkly treble
Better build
Better bass punch and tightened notes
Better separation
Better transparency

SUMMARY-
Cable change is an interesting place in the hobby and many swear by it and many don’t, but for me it takes trial and error to find the perfect match for you (Not every thing is the same). Now this cable seems to be intended for warm/ having muddy bass iems to provide them a bit more treble extension and sparkle and also tighten the bass and the notes of all frequencies. For my Blons 03 this was a very good match but not so much with my PENON FAN which is slightly on the brighter side. So, your mileage may vary but at this price its hard to complain about this cable, it’s full recommendation if you want the things this cable provides.

BLON BL-MINI- THE MACARONY OF BLONS

BLON as a chifi company needs no introduction. The blons 03 made a huge wave in the audiophile world and it still is a great option. But now they have moved to newer models and hence comes from the bean (aka Blons 03) to macaroni (aka BLON – MINI ). So today we have “The Macaroni among Blon Familia in for review- THE BLON-BL-MINI”.

DISCLAIMER- THIS IS A LOANED UNIT FROM MY FRIEND AND ALSO OWNER OF THEAUDIO STORE AND ALL THANKS TO HIM TO LET ME TRY IT AND YOU CAN FIND MORE ON THE PRICE HERE

UNBOXING-
It is a simple cardboard box and rest the pics will dictate

SPECIFICATIONS-

• One 6mm DD
• Impedance: 16Ω
• Sensitivity: 20Hz-20000Hz
• Interface: 3.5mm
• Cable length:1.2m silver cable
• Mic optional – mine had it
• Driver: 6mm dynamic driver

BUILD AND FIT-
Seems like a stainless-steel build with the shape of macaroni. It fit me fine with the stock tips but I would suggest to change tips. But after long hours (ahmm 1 hour), it did become slightly uncomfy with stock tips and hence I changed tips to what I use with blons (can’t remember the name of it though, but its good tips). Still, I needed to reinsert after an hour to prevent my ears. But it isn’t a bad fit just needs some getting used to that’s all.



CABLE-
It’s difficult but the cable is pretty good for me & it wasn’t microphonic at all. Though if you live in a humid climate this might stick to your skin a bit. The mic is okayish, it picks up a lot of background noise. Though using better cables would be a better idea since the stock cable compresses the dynamics a lot.



ACCESSORIES-

• A WHITE typical blon cloth bag
• Tips 3 of those normal ones
• 1 ‘M’ pair of a slightly longer CP800 type tip

PRICE- 1890 INR

NOTE- MY SOURCE IS-
1) PORTABLE -N6II R01, BTR5 AND LG G8X
2) DESKTOP- DAC- N6II WITH T01 LINEOUT
3) AMP- TOPPING A30 MODDED WITH BURSON V5I D OR TOPPING L30 OR XDUOO MT602(NOT USED HERE FOR REVIEW BUT HEY IT DOES HELP TO ADD A BIT OF TUBE TOUCH)
4)Would like to add that my DAP N6ii ran it on Med gain at 30-40 on volume and on Topping a30s- low gain just 7-9 ‘O’ clock on volume wheel
5) The tips I used are the ones that came with Blon-MINI AKA Stock tips and also the tips that I use with Blon-03, I liked it more with my blon tips.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MIGHT NOT MATCH MINE-

BASS AND SUB-BASS-
This small 6mm DD iem really keep everything in check with a good deal of punch in the mids. The midbass and sub-bass have both great tonality and feel like a good-bodied DD sound, still feels a slight missing in that impact. They have too much controlled midbass with good energy and texture. The dynamics lack a bit and the inter-notes separation is okay for its price. The inter-instrumental separation is average though even for its price. The rumble is great of the sub-bass and I didn’t feel anything lacking. The bass though is tight lacks timbre and a natural decay, but for this price it seems to do good.

MIDS-
The mids are lovely. There's good tonality slightly on the neutral side with average but good for its price timbre. The dynamics lack a bit but they do have good enough separation. The decay is fast and transparency is good for its price. The microdetails are better than what I heard in this price. The notes have good beginning but the ends and body seems to be a bit lacking. The staging is great which gives it a small sense of layering but there is not much space among the instruments. I would like to see more changes in the heights of the instrument notes and more separation but at this price, I should not actually haha!!!

The vocals both male and female are decent. The vocals timbre is great and small microdetails albeit not many but they do come up. Air in the voice also comes up along with texture, not in a musical way though. They don’t feel lush but they have good presence and balance, so that I wouldn’t call them lean either. The different tonality when multiple singers are singing is presented pretty well altogether for the price.



TREBLE-
The treble has some good air and tonality in them. They do lack a bit of separation but for their price they seem really good. The tonality is okay but sometimes, the lower treble and mid treble becomes a little too bright. There is decent decay but timbre is too metallic for some instruments especially the bells. Treble don’t lack energy and has pretty good sparkle too. There is good dynamics here but still feels limited to some extent. There is okayish treble extension, but the detailed nature makes up for it and also the transparency helps. Overall, a very good experience for the price.

HEADSTAGE, RESOLUTION, SEPARATION AND IMAGING-
Head stage is good. There is good amount of width and stage depth but depth (-y-as if the bass is coming at you from your chin) is lacking. There is also very less height which makes this feel compressed (would suggest cable change here and tips change here). Notes height also are very less separated which makes it feel less dynamic. The separation is average even though it has a wide soundstage, the instruments feel like they are way too close to each other. The imaging is good though, its diffuse but the transparency helps here. The resolution is great everything it portrays comes up pretty nicely and there is good number of details for its price. All in all head stage is “V” shaped.



COMPARISON-



BLON –BL- MINI – THE BRO WHICH EVOLVED TO MACARONI
PROS-
Wider head stage and stage depth and layering
Better controlled bass
No midbass bleed (Blons had it a slight amount, without mod and tips)
More inter-notes separation
Slightly more details and transparency than Blon 03 not E1000C

BLON – 03 - THE BIG BROTHER YET A BEAN (modded with slaters mod and uses a KBEAR mic cable + some tips I don’t remember the name of )
PROS-
More musical
More dynamic
Better bass
Taller and thicker notes with good depth.
Better air
Better vocals
More natural timbre and tonality

FINAL E1000C – THE BOY WHO CAN’T BE DETACHED
PROS-
Much wider soundstage
More detailed and balanced than either of this
More stage depth and depth
Better transparency
Better imaging
Less dynamic overall
No detachable cables and better tips.

SUMMARY-
Without the presence of BL03, I would have probably loved this more. But with that there and also E1000c, I would just choose them since BL03 is more fun and E1000 is more technical, this is like in between them. But at this price, any of the three would be pretty good for any beginner who wants both fun and some technical. Just try to find a good fit.

FINAL AUDIO E1000

FINAL AUDIO is a Japanese iem (main brand is S’NEXT) brand that is just one of the oldest and famous brands in audiophile industry. They have always impressed people with their tuning and their impressive line-up. They have pretty good options in their top tier category, but do they hold up in the lower tier, we shall find out with this review of their lowest tier iem – THE E1000.

DISCLAIMER- THIS IS A LOANED UNIT FROM MY FRIEND AND ALSO OWNER OF THEAUDIO STORE AND ALL THANKS TO HIM TO LET ME TRY IT AND YOU CAN FIND MORE ON THE PRICE HERE

UNBOXING EXPERIENCE-
This is a simple cardboard box and the rest will be pics.


SPECIFICATIONS-

• Housing-ABS
• Driver- 6.4mm dynamic driver
• Cable-OFC
• Sensitivity-102dB/mW
• Impedance-16Ω
• Weight-15g
• Cord length-1.2m

BUILD AND FIT-
The fit is great, its barrel shaped and hence goes pretty in. The only thing I don’t like is the cable is non detachable. At this price and below even many add removable cables and this would great to see in further iterations. The stock tips are great and so no fit issues.

ACCESSORIES-

• No bags
• No foams
• Just final tips

PRICE- 1790 INR

NOTE- MY SOURCE IS-

• 1) PORTABLE -N6II with R01, BTR5 AND LG G8X
• 2) DESKTOP- DAC- N6II WITH T01 LINEOUT
• 3) AMP- TOPPING A30 MODDED WITH BURSON V5I D OR TOPPING L30 OR XDUOO MT602(NOT USED HERE FOR REVIEW BUT HEY IT DOES HELP TO ADD A BIT OF TUBE TOUCH)
• 4)Would like to add that my DAP N6ii ran it on High gain at 30-40 on volume and on Topping a30s- low gain just 7-9 ‘O’ clock on volume wheel
• 5) The tips I used are the ones that came with it and it gave a good fit.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MIGHT NOT MATCH MINE-

BASS AND SUBBASS-
Let’s start with the sub-bass, this definitely is an DD driver haha!!! The rumble is excellent and tonality is great. It goes to good depth but some song which wants more of body in sub-bass is slightly missing. It goes pretty deep into the sub-bass too.

Bass is really good. Great tonality and slightly faster decay. The timbre is slightly more needed to give a real instrument feel but its still very good for its price. The mid-bass is pretty tight and has enough punch and energy for me but won’t be satisfying for bass heads. The bass doesn’t have a big body but edge and beginning definition is pretty great. There is good inter-notes separation with great space in between instruments. More dynamics would be great which is the only con I could highlight at this price.

MIDS-
Vocals are really good. They are balanced, well extended and airy. The male vocals are well thick and have great tonality which helps in distinguishing other vocalists when multiple vocalists are singing. The female vocals are also great, some more vocal timbre would be great here though. No complaints but would love some more lushness added to it.

The instruments in the mids are beautiful for a slightly ‘V’ shaped signature. They have great tonality and as well as good instrument separation. It has great inter-notes separation with good spacing around the instruments and some amount of air too. They definitely have good micro-details too. Timbre is good for its price with a slightly faster decay which makes the projection of instruments a little less. But they do lack dynamism in the notes but the edge definition and body are good enough to make the distinction.

TREBLE-
The treble is decent. There is good amount of air and good extension too. The tonality is great but the energy and dynamics are slightly lacking. They have great separation among the instruments and good micro details too. The transparency is better than what I have heard in this price. Notes have good separation and there’s good body and edge separation too. The inter-instrumental separation is better and they have good space in between. The only higher notes volume difference lacks a lot and might need some work.

HEADSTAGE, RESOLUTION, SEPARATION AND IMAGING-
Now this is a very good part of the review. Headstage is very wide and has good stage depth. There is lacking of real depth but its there even though a little. Its not a tall stage though. The separation is very great for its price but the projection lacks due to faster decay. The resolution is good and good amount of microdetails for the price. The imaging is great but its diffuse and at this price I won’t ask for more.

COMPARISON-
BLON – 03 - THE BIG BROTHER YET A BEAN (modded with slaters mod and uses a KBEAR mic cable + some tips I don’t remember the name of )
PROS-
More musical
More dynamic
Better bass
Taller and thicker notes with good depth.
Better air
Better vocals
More natural timbre and tonality

BLON – 01 – THE BRO WHICH EVOLVED TO MACARONI
PROS-
Wider head stage and stage depth and layering
Better controlled bass
No midbass bleed (Blons had it a slight amount, without mod and tips)
More inter-notes separation
Slightly more details and transparency than Blon 03 not E1000C

FINAL E1000C – THE BOY WHO CAN’T BE DETACHED
PROS-
Much wider soundstage
More detailed and balanced than either of this
More stage depth and depth
Better transparency
Better diffuse imaging
Less dynamic overall
No detachable cables (super con for me) but better tips .

SUMMARY-
For the price, this is a great iem except the cables which are fixed. There is nothing more to ask at this price. But even though I love it, it feels like it lacks musicality a bit and hence won’t get into my commute iem, but this doesn’t mean that its not great, it might be musical for you (it’s just that I have become more used to other very dynamic iems). So, this gets my recommendation for sure for being a great technical iem at such a low price as this.