INTRO

KZ Acoustics is one of the more well known budget kings where they take and constantly tweak models, the KZ X Crinacle CRN Zex Pro is no exception. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a third iteration. KZ has taken liberties with marketing slang to advertise it as an electrostatic but then clearly indicate later it uses an electret microphone. Not the same thing, but seems a little misleading.

So the the original KZ Zex was sort of interesting from a driver standpoint, but sported the usual KZ style of tuning. It received mixed reviews with the CCA NRA being a slightly better take on it from what I have seen but not experienced.

The Zex Pro attempts to rectify some of the short comings by adding a balanced armature to pick up the treble. The tuning appears to be a complete departure from the KZ ZEX based on reviews I have seen of the original ZEX. Instead I believe the KZ X Crinacle CRN Zex Pro is actually inspired by the popular JVC HA-FD01 or Drop JVC HA-FDX1. So if you were curious what a JVC HA-FDX1 sounds like with a sprinkle of bass lift and a resonant treble peak around 8khz, this gets interesting.

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the receipt of these free earphones from KZ. I would like to thank the post office for delivering them to my mailbox without incident.

Tested at $35 with the LG G8 and Sony NW-A55, Liquid Spark DAC + JDS Labs Atom

GOOD TRAITS

• Not another KZ tuning, something different and balanced
• Fitment fits snugly
• Isolation

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

• Resonance around 8Khz, not just measured. Impacts Timbre.
• Higher volume improves staging, but at the expense of the resonance.
• Misleading “Electrostat” verbage if buying based on technology is how you make decisions.

PHYSICAL COMMENTARY

After removing them from the simple KZ white box, I surprised to find the KZ X Crinacle CRN ZEX Pro does not use the ZSN/ZS10 Pro/ZEX shell. Instead it appears to use what I think is the DQ6 shell that is more contoured and offers excellent isolation for a universal shell.

I received them shortly before my workplace decided to do some concrete ceiling work with a jackhammer. Perfect time to really put these to an isolation test. While I cannot say they are OSHA approved, I did find them to be excellent isolation when seated further away in a separate room, better than the more generic shells.

The KZ ZEX Pro 2 pin silver plated flat cable is a departure from the tangling prone twisted cable, and while it looks and feels meh, it does tangle less easily.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

• Detachable 0.75mm 2 pin 1.2m long cable with or without mic depending on order
• IEM pair
• 1 Pair each of S/M/L starline eartips

SOUND

So the KZ X Crinacle CRN ZEX Pro is not a minor incremental improvement of the original flavor Zex, but what is it? I had heard this signature before initially thinking maybe the ZSN series. After a quick measurement, I realized it looks eerily similar to the Drop JVC HA-FDX1 and well sounds a bit like it to.

The difference comes from a lower centered bass boost enough to add fullness to vocals and drums and upright bass that the JVC lacks. It departs from neutral but classifies as balanced for my definition. Vocals dance along the forward line, it’s a less vivid sounding than my preferred signature, but works great for jazz and classical.

For popular music the signature presents a studio effect. It doesn’t have the suckout though that more mellow KZ iterations such as the ZSN, or ES4 had with shoutier 2-4KHz treble plateau.

Listening to drums and cymbals I am picking up some extra twang from that resonance peak, this impacts the timbre as well. The KZ X Crinacle CRN Zex Pro treble experience is a nice departure despite that zest.

I feel like there is a hand off issue between the electret and the BA driver that reminds me of an audio tape slightly boogered up. I don’t always hear it, so it depends on if the music has information in that particular band.

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

Excellent width combined with above average depth is a good fit for the KZ X Crinacle CRN Pro. While it seems unfair to keep comparing to the Drop JVC HA-FDX1, instrument spacing and overall blackness doesn’t reach top ratings for the Zex Pro, I would classify as above average.

There is not a 10x difference here though so ignorance can be bliss. As volume is increased it starts to sound a little crowded, so best to keep it mid level or a tick north of that for more liveliness.

COMPARISON

BLON BL-03 ($25) vs the KZ X Crinacle CRN Zex Pro ($35)

So I should probably compare the KZ X Crinacle CRN Zex Pro to something in the same price bracket right? The Blon BL-03 was widely dispersed so this should give an idea. Obviously fitment is better on the Zex Pro. Less punch on drums, more blended in the bass for the Zex Pro, the BLON has more natural timbre whereas the Zex Pro gives a more spacious feeling and ambient room portrayal.

There is a minuscule hint of forwardness in the BLON BL-03 only compared to the Zex Pro. Together these two characteristics make the BLON BL-03 feel closed in compared the Zex Pro. Since the treble rise occurs later and that pesky peak around 8khz, cymbals and flutes get more prominence in the the spotlight.

HAPPY ENDINGS

While the misleading use of electrostat leaves a bad taste in my mouth, the rather different tuning makes this KZ X Crinacle CRN Zex Pro a foray into experiencing what some people might view as a more natural tuning with extra low end and narrow treble boost that distinguishes it as a vivid budget HA-FDX1-esque.

Consider it a less technical version where your college roomate has turned the bass boost and treble knobs on that 1970’s vintage stereo system to make it exciting. It’s sculpted custom universal adds more secure fitment with good isolation, so if you played with their earlier KZ ZSR or DQ6 models, you will know what I mean.

I rank these as nice to have budgets way different from other KZ offerings and no issues recommending to friends, but not replacing my daily mid-tier favorites in the $150-$200 category.

I had no idea these were Crinacle branded until later when I was told by KZ to use the new ridiculously long name. I can understand that “X Crinacle” is the moniker used for models with his hand in the tuning.

I respect Crinacle’s work, it’s just too long of a name. I would have actually ditched the Zex Pro portion and give credit where credit is due, and if people didn’t like it so what. Chi-fi is a fast moving target where 6 months from now there will be other things in the market catching our attention.

SPECIFICATIONS

GRAPHS

• Left vs Right
• Zex Pro vs JVC HA-FDX1
• Zex Pro vs Blon BL-03
• Impedance

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DISCLAIMER

Get it from any available reseller.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post KZ X Crinacle CRN Zex Pro Review (2) – Inspired By Drop JVC HA-FDX1? appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — None.

Executive Summary

The ddHiFi MFi06 and TC03 are digital cables that are well conducting, well insulated, built rugged and priced right. And they add optical appeal to our devices.

Introduction

ddHiFi have been favourites of our blog for quite some time. They produce very well designed, functional AND optically appealing audio accessories and even earphones.

I have tested their TC25i and TC28i adapters, their Carrying Case C-2020 as well as their Janus E2020A and Janus E2020B earphones. And I purchased a few of their audio adapters. For their accessories, the whole company is attached to our Wall of Excellence.

In this article, I am analyzing the MFi06 and TC03, two USB cables in the broadest sense. Both have a USB-C connector on one and, the MFi06 has a lightning plug on the other, and the TC03 a micro USB plug.

And all USB cables are equal, right? Zeros and ones transfer the sound, the stock cable is as good as the snake oil ones at $$$.

Erm, stop. Not always. The signal carried by the cable is not only zeros and ones (which are actually transmitted as voltage fluctuations), there may be some noise riding along the lines that affects sound quality. Two kinds of noise exist, “Electromagentic Interference” (EMI) and “Radio-Frequency Interference” (RFI).

If the data line is not effectively shielded, nearby electrical components (e.g., switching power supplies, other fluctuating electrical/magnetic fields from computer circuitry) can contribute to EMI that might pollute the USB data.”

Running power and data lines (from a phone or computer) through a single USB cable can cause additional interference and exacerbate the issue. Decrapifiers such as the AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ act as filters to reduce such pollution, but a “good” USB cable adds to this effect, too.

“Good” does not refer to the wire (that’s where the snake oil is) but to the insulation of the power and data lines against each other. In other words, a quality cable does not add anything, it makes sure that nothing is taken away from the signal quality.

A well-known example of the positive effects of insulation is the EarMen Sparrow dongle, that, when operated with a phone, can show strong interference in the shape of intermittent buzzing and clicking (subsides when switching the phone function off). The culprit is the stock cable, and a good third-party cable strongly reduces (but might not completely eliminate) the problem.

One measure of the shielding effectiveness of different cables, the resistance of shield terminations, was investigated in this thread.

Good-quality, well-shielded USB cables do not have to be expensive. USB audio pioneer Gordon Rankin reported very poor $$$ USB cables to me. It is all about the cable’s design, not the price.

ddHiFi are a company that offer a large range of imaginative, well designed, and well built accessories….and even a couple of earphones.

Physical Things

Both cables are 8 cm long. Wire material is high-purity silver-plated OCC copper.

Four strands of separately insulated wire serve as conductor. The inner insulation is teflon. The outer insulation is thermoplastic polyurethane imported from Germany. The aluminum alloy connector are cased in stainless steel to minimize external interference.

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is any of a class of polyurethane plastics with many properties, including elasticity, transparency, and resistance to oil, grease, and abrasion. Technically, they are thermoplastic elastomers consisting of linear segmented block copolymers composed of hard and soft segments.

As it appears, these cables are technically sound. They feature good conductors and sufficient internal and external insulation. Sonically, they are indistinguishable from the OEOTG cable and one other brand of which I could not identify (see photo at the bottom of this article).

Haptically, the MFi06 and TC03 are vastly superior over the typical stock cables and the Apple Camera Adapter. The connectors feel rugged, the cable is flexible and the shiny, pearly white TPU is dirt and grease resistant.

And, let’s face it, these cables also add a jewelry effect to our gear. Yep, they don’t just feel good between the fingers, they also look good.

All good so far, only one worry remains: the MFi06’s battery consumption.

MFi06’s Battery Consumption

The MFi06’s lightning connector features a decoding chip which draws current from the phone. The question is how much it contributes to the phone’s battery drain.

I measured battery consumption of different dongles (AudioQuest DragonFly Red, Shanling UA2 single ended, Hidisz S9 Pro single ended) with the Apple Camera Adapter vs. the MFi06. I then repeated these tests with two other Lightning to USB-C cables (OEOTG and an unknown brand) for comparison purposes. All tests were performed under identical conditions. The absolute values are meaningless, what is important are the relative values.

.

Results:

1) The Apple Camera Adapter has by far the lowest power consumption.

2) In my 3 h tests, the 3rd-party MFi chip in the ddHiFi MFi06 cable consumed between 130 and 220 mAh (23%-36%) more (for my specific test parameters) than the one in the Apple Camera Adapter.

3) All three tested 3rd-party cables appear to have the same MFi chip (approx. same battery consumption with Shanling UA2).

4) Battery consumption of the ddHiFi MFi06 cable varies vastly between dongles. It is much lower for the DragonFly Red that consumes by far the least battery with the Apple Camera Adapter.

In summary, the MFi06’s power consumption is acceptable for today’s ever increasing phone battery capacities.

Concluding Remarks

The ddHiFi TC03 and MFi cables do what they are supposed to do: they work as promised while adding appeal to our devices. And they don’t break our piggy banks.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

THE MFi06 and TC03 cables were supplied by the ddHiFi for my review – and I thank them for that.

Get them from the DD Official Store

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

Gallery

The post ddHiFi MFi06 and TC03 Digital Cables Review – Unplugged appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Intro

BLON released the A8 Prometheus following several models that fizzled after the success of the legendary surprise hit BL-03. The shell on the BLON A8 Prometheus is out of this world, part sci-fi, part abstract art it’s hard not to marvel at the odd looking structure. Advertised as a sports running flagship earphone, seemingly a bit oxymoronic it surprised me by fulfilling both prophecies. However, I came to realize like the Aliens movie franchise, there was something hiding waiting to surprise.

Disclaimer: They were on loan from the Art Haus von Loomis Johnson

Tested at $85: They can be purchased in the usual places such as Aliexpress, Amazon, Hifigo, Keephifi, etc.

Good Traits

Physical Attributes

Earphone makers that want to set themselves apart from the seemingly endless options these days must stand out. The shell on the BLON A8 is nothing short of different. I don’t recall anything else like it. The outer shell is a 3D hollow structure with a smaller enclosure for the single lightweight diaphragm dynamic driver.

It doesn’t boast any exotic particular materials DLC, Beryllium, Titanium, Unobtanium, etc, but sometimes you don’t need these to pull off a good sounding earphone. Since the shell is metal, this helps reduce weight and it would have been really cool if the structure was optimized to reduce wind noise..haha give it a couple of years and some manufacturer will figure this out and sell it at a premium price. While it’s not designed to reduce noise, it did an amazing job staying put in my ears even during a simple 3 mile hike.

The connectors on the BLON A8 are another oddity, they angle the earhooks towards your head which I thought surely would cause the earphones to push out of my ears. Maybe the opposite was true, it helps create some extra friction to reduce movement of the cables.

Hot tip: It’s important to play around with eartips on these. I did not get the included eartips from Loomis Johnson who previously reviewed the BLON A8. Instead I started with the olive shaped ones from my Tin Audio T2 Plus which turns them into bassy monsters reminiscent of the BMG DMG/Nicehck M6.

The Azla Sedna Light shallow was better, but shallow widebores similar to the ones included with TFZ King Pro were the best. The shallow widebore lets the midrange and treble shine a little more and in my case the seal was “loose” or not tight. This helped cut down on the steep bass rise, just as the BMG DMG third party nozzle with an extra vent release.. Since this is probably hard to duplicate, most of my comments will be based on using something similar to the stock tips.

Package Contents

• Burlap Storage sack
• Eartips
• 2 Pin removeable cable 1.2m silver cable

Sound

Tested with an LG V30, Sony NW-A55, Liquid Spark + JDS Labs Atom

Something was up with the BLON A8, every time I put them in the sound would be different, one minute they were bass monsters the next more balanced (not neutral). I consulted other reviews to see what was going on…

Sculpted bass, but then bass, bass and more bass?

“The Blon A8 Prometheus surprises with its bass quality—tight, well-sculpted and wholly free from bloom and bleed, with adequate but not massive  subbass throb” -audioreviews.org

“The BL-A8 have meaty, punchy bass. If you’re a bass head, you are in for a treat.” -Headphonehonesty

“BLON BL-A8 has meaty and thick lows. This model is perfect for bass heads as it gives a meaty deep rumble” -Headphonics.com

“If you crave those deep, visceral sub-bass rumbles that almost make you lose control of your sphincter then the BL-A8 will oblige.” -primeaudio.org

BASS is all about weighty slam, and it’s in a hurry to please the headbanger, so much so that sometimes the bass take the front stage and hollow the resolution. -nobsaudiophile.com

Originally I though the tips I was using allowed for a light seal. The real reason was more about the stem of the eartip pushing down over the vent hole. I am not sure why BLON made a decision to put a vent hole in the stem, perhaps it was a last minute tuning decision easier to rectify with the nozzle vs the shell? Who knows…well now we all know to watch out for this.

It makes sense why the shallow wide bore eartips work very well since these are less likely to push down over that vent hole. Another possibility is to use something with a thicker tighter stem so it doesn’t slip down. A combo of short, thick and tight would be super ideal, keep it clean folks.

Final Remarks

Rather than rehash what my fellow com-padre Loomis has already laid out for the BLON A8 Prometheus, I have to agree with his take on them and am wrapping this up early. I think these are attention grabbing socialites that did not make the splash they could have if it were not for the troublesome placement of that nozzle vent hole. Good effort BLON, one of your better ones minus the misstep on hole placement. I rank these cool to have if you use the right tips and avoid blockage.

BLON A8 PROMETHEUS SPECIFICATIONS

• Impedance 32ohm
• Sensitivity 115db
• 10mm driver
• 3.5mm 1.2m silver cable (mic optional)
• Color Options Silver/Gun Metal

GRAPHS

BLON A8 Left vs Right

BLON A8 Nozzle vent partially covered / eartip inconsistencies

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DISCLAIMER

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post BLON A8 Prometheus Review (2) – Smoking Hot Tip: Black Hole Ahead appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Boomy, texture-less bass
– Lack of sub-bass rumble at the extreme end
– Scooped lower-mids, male vocals sound muffled
– Treble sounds harsh when listening to higher volumes
– Imaging/staging/resolution are average at best
– Compressed dynamics

INTRODUCTION

KZ is perhaps the most popular chi-fi manufacturer and in terms of sheer number of models available I think they got everyone beat. I did not keep up with their hectic release schedule for the better part of the year, but the KZ ZEX did catch my attention. Why, you ask? The EST (Electrostatic) buzzword, of course.

Most IEMs in the budget range go for a single-dynamic or a balanced-armature hybrid setup, so the ZEX is a refreshing change of pace. Let’s see if the sound quality is as good as it’s supposed to be.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. KZ sent me the ZEX for evaluation.

Sources used: Hidizs AP80 Pro
Price, while reviewed: $25. Can be bought from KZ’s Official Website.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The packaging is no-frills but has all the necessities. You get 3 pairs of Starline tips (white) and a 2-core SPC wire. The cable itself is rather nice, especially given the price and how some manufacturers cut corners here. I wish there was a carrying case, but I am nitpicking here.
4/5

BUILD QUALITY

The KZ ZEX have plastic shells (including the nozzles) with a metal backplate. The finish is good with no visible seam between the plastic shell and the metal backplate. At the bottom of each earpiece you’ll find the 2-pin port (protruted ones, sadly). There are no vents which is surprising given the existence of a dynamic driver inside. A pretty generic build overall but it’s well-executed.
4/5.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Due to their lightweight nature and lack of vents, the KZ ZEX are very comfortable to wear and they isolate well. There is some pressure build-up but it only occurs occasionally. Not bad for a vent-less shell design.
4/5

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

The ZEX is very easy to drive and shouldn’t need any special source to sound its best. For the review I primarily used the Hidizs AP80 Pro. As for tips, I used the stock tips and they worked well.

DRIVER SETUP

KZ ZEX is a dual-driver hybrid, with a 10mm dynamic driver in charge of the lows and mids, and a 6.8mm “electrostatic” driver in charge of the highs. In reality, the electrostatic driver is a magnetostatic one and operates similarly to the principle of electret mics (just reverse-engineered). Despite the misleading marketing, the driver combination is quite rare in the budget realm and warrants a closer look.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The KZ ZEX has a V-shaped signature with the mid-bass bloom dominating the sound signature.

I usually start my sound section with the bass and then I go upward, but this time I’ll change things around a bit. The treble will be the highlight here for me because the KZ ZEX has a quite interesting treble response. In moderate listening volumes (around 70dB or so) the treble has a nice attack and sounds crisp without being overbearing or fatiguing. However, as you push the volume up, the treble becomes even more peaky ~5KHz and loses its composure.

I believe that this particular electret/magnetostatic driver is not suited for high SPL listening. So perhaps this is something to take note of when auditioning the ZEX. As for the midrange – it is not well-tuned. I am not a fan of the scooped out male vocals. Moreover, the upper-mids sound suppressed in high-pitched vocals, resulting in a boxy vocal reproduction.

The bass response, meanwhile, is mostly mid-bass focused and sub-bass rumble is not prominent. Bass lacks texture and has slow decay so bass notes can smear into each other. The emphasis on the upper-bass is a bit too much (rising from 700Hz almost) and this masks lower-level detail.

Speaking of detail, the ZEX isn’t particularly resolving even for the price. Dynamics sound compressed due to aforementioned upper-bass boost. Soundstage is below-average whereas imaging is basically left and right. Not much to write home about here.

Bass: 3/5
Midrange: 2/5
Treble: 3.5/5
Staging: 2.5/5
Imaging and Separation: 2.5/5
Dynamics and Speed: 2/5

KZ ZEX FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPH

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs BLON BL-03

The BLON BL-03 have been one of the few hype-trains that did not get derailed. It’s been a couple of years now that the BL-03 has remained the de-facto budget IEM recommendation.

In terms of overall build, comfort, accessories – the KZ ZEX are superior to the BL-03. The BLONs require a cable and tip change as the stock ones are horrible. When it comes to sound though, these IEMs go for different direction.

BLONs go for a slightly V-shaped tuning with warm mids and slightly rolled-off treble. The KZ ZEX on the other hand goes for a more pronounced treble response. In terms of midrange tuning and timbre, the BL-03 trounce the ZEX. I do think the ZEX has more sparkle in their treble. BL-03 bass is also more textured and doesn’t sound as smeared as ZEX.

Staging is middling on both whereas imaging is better on the BL-03. BL-03 also sounds more dynamic and less compressed than the ZEX. So apart from the treble, the ZEX is not really an upgrade over the BLON in most factors. Rather the opposite is often true.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The most interesting part about the KZ ZEX are their driver configuration and their treble response (in moderate listening levels).

Sadly, the midrange tuning isn’t up to the mark with overly recessed male vocals, and the bass is just slow and texture-less. The treble itself can get grainy once the volume is pushed up, so the ZEX have caveats all around.

The KZ ZEX falls victim to poor tuning decisions in the bass and mids despite having a fairly novel driver configuration. I hope KZ goes back to the drawing board and fixes the tuning issues in the upcoming model. For now, I cannot recommend the KZ ZEX.

MY VERDICT

2.5/5

Interesting driver configuration let down by questionable tuning decisions.

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DISCLAIMER

Get it from KZ Official Store

Our generic standard disclaimer.

PHOTOGRAPHY

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post KZ ZEX Review (1) – Patchwork appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Shell size of the BL-MAX may be too large for some
– Prone to attracting scratches
– Mid-bass lacks texture
– Lower-mids are recessed
– Treble is muted and rolls off early
– Average imaging/staging
– Somewhat compressed dynamics

INTRODUCTION

BLON has been around for a while as an IEM/Headphone manufacturer (circa 2014 as per their logo). However, they reached stardom with the BLON BL-03 which have earned a place in our Wall of Excellence as the de-facto budget IEM. Since the breakout success of the BL-03, BLON has tried to re-capture the lightning in the bottle but never gained the same traction.

Enter BLON BL-MAX, their latest attempt at improving upon the BL-03, or perhaps providing something different enough to co-exist (just as the BL-05S were). Priced well under $50, the BL-MAX face stiff competition, even from within the family itself. Do the BL-MAX justify their existence, or are they doomed to fall into obscurity? Let’s find out.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Dunu was kind enough to send me the Luna as part of the Review Tour (thanks Tom!)

Sources used: Questyle CMA-400i
Price, while reviewed: $36. Can be bought from KeepHiFi.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

BLON is notorious for their below-par (often atrociously poor) accessories. This time around, though, they decided to at least provide a good quality cable. The stock cable of the BL-MAX is quite good IMO and I don’t see any reason to go for a third-party one unless you are too bothered by the (slight) stiffness. The stock tips, as always, are horrible and must be ditched if you care about fit. Finally, there is the fabric carrying pouch.

Overall, it’s an improvement for BLON but things can get better.
3/5

BUILD QUALITY

Build quality of the BL-MAX is solid. Each earpiece has a two-piece metal assembly (zinc alloy) with a visible-but-unobtrusive seam. There is a singular vent near the nozzle and at the bottom you have the protruded 2-pin connectors (not my favorite). The backplate has a chrome-finish that’s prone to picking up smudges and scratches and looks similar to the earcups of the Apple Airpods Max.

It is a fact that the BL-MAX shells are rather… maximized and looks quite menacing in the photos. However, the inner-side is mostly ergonomic and slowly tapers into a more “human-like” shape. Overall, the build quality is as good as one should expect at this price with the scratches being a concern.
4/5

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Comfort seems to be a major point of discourse when it comes to the BL-MAX. For me it was not an issue once I swapped tips. For others, they found the housing to be too big to wear. I can only talk about my own experience but I also acknowledge that others may have issues given the unconventional shape.

As for isolation – it’s above-average once you get the right tips to fit.
3.5/5

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

BLON BL-MAX doesn’t need much amplification and ran fine on the Sony NW-A55 (which has fairly weak amplification). Eartips are another story, however. I highly recommend changing tips. Spinfit CP-145 worked great for me, your mileage may vary.

DRIVER SETUP

The BLON BL-MAX is their first dual-driver IEM with a 10mm CNT driver (likely 1st gen) for the lows and mids, and a 6mm micro-driver for the highs. The micro-driver uses a “lightweight” diaphragm as per the promo materials but the exact composition is missing. I assume it’s a PET/PEN diaphragm since a metal plating would surely be advertised.

An interesting thing is the orientation of the drivers which are stacked together vertically. This kind of driver assembly was first used on JVC’s FX-T90 and a “throwback” revival on the BL-MAX reminds me of the olden days.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

In a nutshell, the BL-MAX has a sub-bass boosted V-shaped signature with darker treble. Some also call this a W-shape these days.

Given the sub-bass prominence one would expect that the bass would be skull-shaking but in reality it’s not that dense of a bass response. You do hear the sub-bass rumble and some mid-bass punch but due to the driver limitation texture is lacking. The slow decay exacerbates the problem with the mid-bass sounding rather one-note. Fast-flowing bass sections are often reduced to a hum that fails to portray the rhythmic nature of these notes. I have seen some suggesting to EQ the bass to be even more prominent but I’d advise against that since this CNT driver is already at its limit.

Mids are quite alright though there is the obvious lower-mid recession that drowns out male vocals and low-notes in bass-heavy mixes. Fortunately, the upper-mid has adequate amount of gain and thus female vocals are well-articulated, so are string instruments and guitar riffs. Treble meanwhile is characterized by a noticeable peak around 5KHz that tends to make leading edge of cymbal hits somewhat exaggerated. However, the treble rolls-off quickly after that with perhaps a slight peak around 8KHz.

None of these treble are too noticeable in most songs since the sub-bass masks the peakiness. However, in songs with sparse instrumentation (acoustic tracks, singer/songwriter stuff) you may experience the unevenness in the treble region. The treble lacks extension and air and sounds darkened up top as cymbal and hi-hats decay abruptly, with no sense of airiness or sparkle.

Due to the recessed mids, soundstage feels “wide” but in reality it’s not very deep or tall. Imaging on the other hand was surprisingly decent and could even portray some “ordinal” directions well. Instrument separation was above average. General resolution is below average, and dynamics (both sudden changes in volume and gradual ones) are compressed. Compressed, as in: you don’t feel the immediacy of a sudden bass drop, or the minute changes in volume level of instruments/vocals. However, most budget IEMs fail in this category so no big deal there.

Bass: 3.5/5
Midrange: 4/5
Treble: 2.5/5
Staging: 3.5/5
Imaging and Separation: 4/5
Dynamics and Speed: 2.5/5

BLON BL-MAX FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPH

Channel-matching is very good for a budget IEM, so a job well done on that front.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs BLON BL-03

The OG superstar of the BLON family still remains unchallenged and seems to have been one of the rare “justified” hypes in recent years. The BL-03 is cheaper than the BL-MAX, has a worse fit, and requires both cable and tip changes.

However, once you have managed to get a fit, the BL-03 has a more analogue-ish tone with a warm tuning that offers a colored-yet-appealing midrange. The treble is also more present than the BL-MAX.

BL-MAX strikes back with better imaging, staging, instrument separation, and a deeper bass-reach. The sub-bass on the BL-MAX is better than on the BL-03. If you prefer to have a more mid-centric tuning the BL-03 is still an excellent IEM. For those who think the BL-03 needs more sub-bass or find the upper-midrange shouty – the BL-MAX can be a good alternative.

vs BLON BL-05S

The BLON BL-05S is my personal favorite BLON till date. It offers the best technicalities among all BLON offerings that I’ve tried and the tuning is pretty solid as well. The fit is a notable improvement over the BL-03 and even the BL-MAX but the cable and tips still require swapping out.

Once you change the cable and get appropriate tips, the BL-05S sounds better than the BL-MAX in nearly all categories except for sub-bass rumble (BL-05S is rolled-off in that region). Imaging and separation is class-leading on the BL-05S so the BL-MAX don’t sound that impressive anymore. However, the BL-05S has a controversial color and I know many who didn’t buy simply because of the jade-green paintjob. BL-MAX has their own idiosyncrasies though with the oversized shell, so it’s a toss-up between them on aesthetics.

For my personal taste and given the much improved technicalities, I will pick the BL-05S over the BL-MAX. If you think the BL-05S sound thin in the mids or too dry in the bass for your liking – BL-MAX might suit you better.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The BL-MAX did not stand out or impress in a hyper-competitive market and got overshadowed by its own brethren. It’s a complicated situation where BLON is somewhat bogged down by their own success.

BLON has been ramping up their release cycle lately with new IEM releases appearing almost every month. On one hand, it’s good to have more options in the market, and the potential for another “budget gem” is ever welcome. On the other hand we got this “scattershot” approach where brands try random stuff to see what sticks.

The BL-MAX does not look like a scattershot to me as the design and driver assembly hint towards a more planned approach. However, BLON did not get it right with their first dual-driver IEM, esp since dual-dynamic setups are hard to pull off. I hope BLON goes back to the drawing board, retunes the drivers/swaps them for something better, and while they are at it – redesigns the shell since it has caused fitment issues for some.

MY VERDICT

3.25/5

BLON BL-MAX fails to impress, but they are not too shabby either.

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DISCLAIMER

The Blon BL-Max was provided by KeepHifi and I thank them for that.

Get it from KeepHiFi

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PHOTOGRAPHY

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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Cons — Upper-midrange glare.

Executive Summary

The Shanling UA1 is a well-built and organic sounding budget dongle that could be a bit tamer at the top end.

Introduction

I recently analyzed the Shanling UA2, a rich and warm sounding dongle-shaped DAC/amp that features single-ended and balanced outputs – possibly the best of its kind below $100.

The company had slit the the $45 UA1 as an encore in that package, which was Shanling’s first foray into the world of small DAC/amps. It joins an army of sub-$50 dongles that presently crowd the market – but with a distinct difference: Shanling is a brand name that is also established in the premium segment.

Let’s find out whether “noblesse obliges” also works for the budget domain.

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

The box’s content is spartan: device, USB-C to USB-A adapter, and a manual. The enclosure is made of anodized aluminum, and the 3.5 mm headphone socket is reinforced with a gold-plated metal rim. There is a tiny LED status light by the socket. The haptic of the enclosure is top notch.

The fixed cable is made of high purity copper with cotton shielding against outside interference. The strain reliefs appear to be sturdy but a detachable cable would have been favourable.

Functionality and Operation

The Shanling UA1 is another entirely source operated/powered DAC/amp. It works plug’n’play with mobile devices and Mac OS, but requires a driver for Windows.

It is powered and operated from the source device and decodes Hi Res up to 32 bit/384 kHz and DSD 256. I have not found MQA decoding capability in the documentation.

Amplification and Power Consumption

I my 3h battery drain test of several dongles, the Dragonfly Black and Red had the lowest consumption on my iPhone 5S, the Shanling UA1 consumed about a third more, which placed it in the midfield. But it could have done far worse than that….see the detailed results. I would call the UA1’s battery consumption ok but not outstanding.

Power Consumption Test: Parameters and Raw Results

I tested the power consumption of several portable headphone amps connected to my iPhone 5S. The conditions were as identical as possible: 3 h test, volume calibrated to 85 dB  ± 0.5 dB white noise with Dayton microphone, no sim card, BT off, no other apps open; network on, 32 ohm Blon BL-03 iem, Genesis’s Supper’s Ready (from the Seconds Out album) played in an endless loop.

The iPhone’s battery was fully charged at the start of the test and the remaining charge was measured thereafter. The result is shown in the table below. Since the tests were performed at different times and considering the ongoing battery deterioration, the results have to be seen with a grain of salt.

[collapse]

Sound

Equipment used: Macbook Air/iPhone SE first generation; Sennheiser HD 600 & HD 25; Sennheiser IE 400 PRO, JVC HA-FDX1, TRI I3 Pro.

The Shanling UA1 features the ESS ES9218P (dac + amp), a “System-on-Chip” (SoC) that leaves the audio engineer little room for tweaking, it comes down to mainly filtering. This means devices with this SoC will actually sound alike or very close.

The UA1 is close to neutral, but has a faint tone colour with a slightly boosted bass, but also with an elevated upper midrange/lower treble, which adds some grain to the top end top-end that can be fatiguing to some in the long run – and that’s the UA1’s only downside. There is a companion app for Android phones that allows filtering which may mitigate the issue, but it does not work with a computer or iPhone.

Presentation is leaner compared to a $100+ dongle, but not in a bad way. Staging is fine. Midrange is clear and clean, and resolution is pretty good. Nothing sterile or analytical. I also did not record any hiss.

It drives my 300 ohm Sennheiser HD 600 with some pain but any iems, including the power-hungry planar-magnetic TRI I3 Pro earphones with ease.

The $99 Helm Bolt and Shanling UA1have a very similar general sound signature (and even a very similar build; the Bolt decodes MQA, the Shanling does not). The Bolt has less bass, which is a tad tighter and cleaner, it sounds more open and the vocals are more up front because of it, and it is a bit more dynamic. The UA1 has more low-end rumble whereas the Bolt is more composed and “sweeter” at the top end. These differences are not earth shattering but the Bolt appears o be better balanced by more sophisticated filtering.

When going up the ladder, the $85 Shanling UA2 has a richer, bassier sound, better staging, better 3D rendering, more punch, and the corners are smoother.

Concluding Remarks

At $45, the Shanling UA1 is an impressive performer with a warm-bright, organic signature, good staging, dynamics, and resolution that does justice even to $200-300 iems (I have not tested any higher-priced ones as I don’t have any). The only polarizing feature may be its hot upper midrange/lower treble glare, other than that it plays one league higher than its price and comes close to the $99 Helm Bolt that shows a few better rounded corners. However, the Shanling’s lively top end will bring some life to iems with an early treble rolloff.

I am a particular fan of the great haptic and build of Shanling’s UA1 (and also the UA2) that compare even to the most expensive models.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The Shanling UA1 was included with the UA2 and ME80 in a review package from the manufacturer. I thank them for that. I sent the UA1 to Biodegraded for a second opinion.

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You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Shanling UA1 Review – Prefab Sprout appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Nice build and good comfort. Beautiful shells.
Organic timbre.
Pleasant tonality.
Big bass yet with good quality and speed.
2 pin connector, better lifespan than MMCX in general.
Adequate accessories at this price bracket.
Easy to drive.

Cons

Below average isolation.
Shells may be a fingerprint or scratch magnet.
Not the best microdetails.
Not the most extended treble.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The KBEAR Aurora is a lush harmanish single DD set. It features a beautiful shell, organic timbre and great tonality. This set generally scores good marks across most departments, only perhaps lacking in treble extension and microdetails.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: 10mm Nano Titanium Plated Diaphragm
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20kHz
• Impedance: 18 Ω
• Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW
• Cable: 2 Pin (0.78mm), OFC Silver plated cable
• Tested at $169 USD

ACCESSORIES

The Aurora comes in a nice packaging featuring an Aurora Borealis motif.

Included are:
1) SPC blue cable (ties in nicely with the Aurora snowfield motif) – The cable is well braided, no microphonics, very thicc and substantial. The blue colour may be a bit too showy for some though.
2) Silicone tips of various sizes. Do tip roll to see what suits you sonically and for fit/isolation.
3) Carry case – faux leather, similar to the case seen in other KBEAR products
4) Cleaning cloth
5) Cleaning brush

The accessories provided are par for the course for a $100 USD range set.

I liked that KBEAR is using a cable with a 2 pin connector, I had my fair share of mishaps with MMCX type connectors after switching cables once too often, they ended up like spinning windvanes.

For the purposes of this review, the stock tips and stock cables were used, so as not to change the sound signature with aftermarket gear.

BUILD/COMFORT

Build wise, the Aurora has a shiny mirror like finish, akin to the HZSound Heart Mirror or Moondrop KXXS. The Aurora is quite light and smooth, it is well built with no funny edges to poke the ear. Comfort is very good. But due to the mirror like finish, this set may be finger print or scratch magnet, so do be careful with em.

The shells are quite a looker, while using them on the subway for isolation tests, a few curious commuters kept looking at the Aurora earpieces.

I didn’t have driver flex on my set, but this is partially related to ear anatomy an types of tips used, so YMMV.

ISOLATION

Unfortunately, the Aurora’s isolation is below average. I lost quite a lot of the bass frequencies when using them on a subway (bass is generally the first frequency lost in a noisy place). This skewed the sound to be a bit shouty in the upper mids/treble. So personally, I think the Aurora’s ideal sound is to be gotten when using them at home or in a quiet area.

DRIVABILITY

I tested the KBEAR Aurora with a Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp, Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp, Sony NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Plus v2 Mr Walkman Mod), smartphone, Shanling Q1 DAP, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, E1DA 9038D, and a Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 Amp.

The Aurora are relatively easy to drive, but scale well when amped, in the areas of bass tightness, soundstage, dynamics etc. They are definitely easier to drive than their older sibling the KBEAR BElieve.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The KBEAR Aurora is a harmanish warm set. The Aurora Borealis icy motif may give an impression that this is an ice cold set in terms of tuning, but far from it be. The Aurora is actually warm and lush and leans towards analoguish, rather than a sterile frosty wintery wonderland.

The bass of the KBEAR Aurora is midbass focused, it is north of neutral but not at true basshead levels. Subbass extends well, you will get your rumble for the subbass frequencies.

Despite the copious bass, the bass speed is quite agile, note weight is on the thicker side, yet with very minimal midbass bleed. Listening to some of the faster bass movements on songs such as Sting’s “Englishman In New York” (interlude portion), some slower DD drivers can make the bass notes sound like a nebulous haze, but the Aurora passes this test.

Bass is not as fast as BA bass though, but not many sets manage to get a good mix of bass quantity/note weight and bass quality (speed, without bleed). Timbre and texture in the bass is quite good, in keeping with its DD roots.

The KBEAR Aurora’s lower mids are slightly depressed (not overly so). There is a boost in the upper mids, but they have an upper mids that is a few dB lesser than a traditional harman IEM. So generally, they manage to thread a fine line of having a forward upper mids without going too much into shouty territory. Perhaps there is some upper mids glare if one uses them outdoors (poor isolation kills the bass and overly emphasizes the upper mids/treble), or on some poorly recorded tracks or at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve).

But by and large, this set doesn’t have the usual banshee upper mids seen in CHIFI tuning, the pinna gain here is around 10 – 11 db. Vocals are forward compared to instruments, and timbral accuracy for vocals is rather organic. I would describe the mids in the Aurora to be on the lusher and thicker side, but it may not have the best transparency or clarity. Think of an analoguish signature like the BLON BL-03 but with better technical performance.

The KBEAR Aurora has moderate treble extension, though it may not be as airy as some multi BA types. So sparkle is a bit tamed, cymbal and high hat hits are a bit muted with the tuning, but consequently, I don’t find the Aurora fatiguing. Some slight microdetails are lost as such. Sibilance is very mild.

In technicalities, the KBEAR Aurora have above average soundstage (in height, depth and width). Imaging and instrument separation are also above average at this price bracket (for a single DD set), though clarity and microdetails are not the best. Those multi driver/hybrid types at the $100ish bracket might be better at technicalities, but some of them have timbre or coherency issues. So different strokes for different folks, pick your poison.

Timbre on the KBEAR Aurora is very good. In fact, I’d say the Aurora have better timbral accuracy than the KBEAR BElieve and some other similarly priced single DD sets. Acoustic instruments like brass, woodwind and stringed instruments all sounded organic. Considering the KBEAR Aurora use a titanium driver, I was pleasantly surprised by the timbre (my past experiences with titanium drivers IEMs wasn’t the best when it came to timbre, eg DUNU DM480, Audiosense AQ7).

COMPARISONS

I have compared the KBEAR Aurora with a few single DD at the upper budget-midfi segment. Hybrids and pure BA types were left out of the comparisons as they have different pros and cons among the different transducer types.

KBEAR BElieve ($159 USD)

Compared to the older KBEAR BElieve, the Aurora is much easier to drive, and it has more subbass extension than the BElieve. The BElieve has more upper mids and treble, and also has better technicalities and resolution. The Aurora has better bass speed, especially at the midbass, whereas the BElieve’s midbass could be quite nebulous, especially when underpowered.

Timbral accuracy is better on the KBEAR Aurora, and it isn’t as hot in the upper mids either.

The KBEAR Aurora and the BElieve are kind of sidegrades, each have their pros and cons as such.

The KBEAR BElieve is no longer in production, but word on the street is that the Vento Conductor T-500 Pro is very similar to the BElieve, or might be an OEM of sorts. So if you are still looking for the BElieve, perhaps consider getting the T-500 Pro.

Tanchjim Oxygen ($269 USD)

The Tanchjim Oxygen is one of the benchmark single DD sets in midfi CHIFIdom. The Oxygen has a more extended treble and air and it also has all round better timbre, better technicalities and a better bass quality (better timbre, texture and speed). The Oxygen has a slightly thinner note weight though, when compared to the more analoguish sounding Aurora.

Definitely the Oxygen is the superior set, but it is $100 USD more expensive.

TForce Yuan Li ($119 USD)

The TForce Yuan Li is a bit less V shaped than the Aurora. The Aurora has bigger bass quantities and more subbass extension. Timbre is better on the Aurora, with the Aurora also having a not so hot upper mids region. Technicalities are also better on the Aurora.

Both sets have a very nice shell and accessories, but if you can top up the $50 USD or so, the Aurora is a marginal upgrade.

CONCLUSIONS

The KBEAR Aurora is a lush harmanish single DD set. It features a beautiful shell, organic timbre and great tonality. This set generally scores good marks across most departments, only perhaps lacking in treble extension and microdetails.

The “Aurora borealis” naming convention here is quite a good choice, as this set melds good looks and sound in a nice little package, like the northern lights.

Definitely the Aurora is a set that single DD lovers and timbre lovers should consider!

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You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank KBEAR for providing this review unit. It can be gotten at https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003109134536.html

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post KBEAR Aurora Review (1) – Aurora Borealis appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Fixed cable.

Executive Summary

The Helm Bolt is a very small and light MQA certified portable DAC/amp that excels in terms of its organic/natural reproduction.

Introduction

The source-operated dongle dac-amp has experienced a huge upsurge recently. Originally designed in 2012 to convert your phone into a high-quality digital analog player (dap) and first able to do so in 2016, the market is currently flooded with tens to hundreds of such devices – which makes it is essentially impossible for a single person to keep the overview.

Prices range from a handful of dollars to $400 with a crowding in the $80 to $150 range. The Helm Bolt fits into this sweet spot.

Helm is a young British-American company that specializes in portable devices from headphones/earphones to amplification.

The Bolt is the company’s sole portable DAC/amp that works with a phone, either alone or in combination with the Helm DB12 AAAMP amp. It appears to be a popular item as it is always sold out. Many favourable reviews of the unit exist already, so I would like to put it to my ultimate test.

Specifications

Visit mqa.co.uk for more information.

Physical Things and Usability

The box/s content is rather spartan: Helm Bold, USB-A adapter, and pleather storage case.

The dongle comes with a fixed USB-C cable, which is great for connecting to an Android device or a newer Mac, and, with the USB-A adapter, to a Windows computer. But using the Bolt with an iPhone requires the Apple camera adapter, which doubles the “snake” in length. Since the enclosure of this 8 g dongle is very small, the whole construct is effectively just an extension of the earphone/headphone cable.

The housing is made of metal and feels premium. The cable is cotton-shielded against outside interference and the strain reliefs on both ends could be a bit longer and sturdier.

The Bolt has no physical controls and is operated through its host device. It is completely plug-n-play, and does not even need a Windows driver.

The enclosure features a small LED that changes colour with playback rate/type: Blue SD Audio <= 48kHz – Red HD Audio > 48kHz – Magenta For MQA.

Headphone output level automatically detects headphone impedance and sets level accordingly: 1V for < 150 ohms, 2V for >= 150 ohms, which corresponds to low gain and high gain. The device is plug and play, there are no Windows 10 drivers needed. 

Amplification and Power Consumption

The Helm Bolt drives all iems I have thrown at it, but it reached its limits with the 300 Ω  Sennheiser HD 600. For large cans, Helm offers the Helm DB12 amp [product page],which can be used in series with the Bolt. The DB12 adds a constant 12 dB gain, and a 6 dB bass boost (if selected).

I my 3h battery drain test of several dongles, the Dragonfly Black and Red had the lowest consumption on my iPhone 5S, the Helmo Bolt consumed about a third more, which placed it in the midfield. But it could have done far worse than that….see the detailed results. I would call the Bolt’s battery consumption ok but not outstanding.

Power Consumption Test: Parameters and Raw Results

I tested the power consumption of several portable headphone amps connected to my iPhone 5S. The conditions were as identical as possible: 3 h test, volume calibrated to 85 dB  ± 0.5 dB white noise with Dayton microphone, no sim card, BT off, no other apps open; network on, 32 ohm Blon BL-03 iem, Genesis’s Supper’s Ready (from the Seconds Out album) played in an endless loop.

The iPhone’s battery was fully charged at the start of the test and the remaining charge was measured thereafter. The result is shown in the table below. Since the tests were performed at different times and considering the ongoing battery deterioration, the results have to be seen with a grain of salt.

[collapse]

Sound

Equipment used: Macbook Air/iPhone SE first generation; Sennheiser IE 400 PRO, Meze Rai Solo, JVC HA-FDX1; Sennheiser HD 600.

The Helm Bolt has an organic sound with a good tonal colour. It is not warm and not neutral, that is not dark and not analytical, but it strikes a balance between the them. The presentation is clean and lean (in a positive way), think of slimline – as opposed to fat and congested.

The Bolt is not the bassiest dongle, which keeps the vocals up front. Midrange is clean and clear with a tinge of warmth. One of its biggest qualities is the very pleasant, well-rounded, smooth, appealing top end. It works well with most earphone/headphone signatures and, in particular, helps taming shouty ones.

Compared to the $10 Apple audio adapter or the $10 VE Odyssey HD, the Bolt sounds much more refined and it is more powerful. The $50 Shanling UA1 features the same SoC and almost identical specs. Both therefore feature principally the same sound signature with one big difference at the top end: the Shanling is much scratchier/grainier in the upper midrange and lower treble. Helm must have applied effective filtering.

The Shanling UA1 is also a tad bassier which pushes the vocals back. The Bolt’s bass is tighter and cleaner, it has a more open sound with a wider stage, and it is a tad more dynamic.

Scaling up to the $200 AudioQuest DragonFly Red. The Red is punchier, bassier, fuller bodied with bigger staging and more midrange clarity and depth. Bolt is more relaxed, softer on the attack and has the lesser separation, but is sweeter in the treble.

Using the Bolt as a preamp and adding the Helm DB12 as an amp opens up the stage substantially, however takes away from the note weight. The sound is fluffier, bigger, “inflated” like a balloon. But since both devices have fixed cables, this combination can create some cable chaos in your pocket.

Concluding Remarks

The Helm Bolt is a fine sounding dongle which I like a lot. It may not have the strongest amplification but it has a very refined sound. It sticks out of the crowd by its small size and weight and convinces by its natural sonic reproduction. The Bolt has played any iem well for me I had thrown at it. It is a quality product and I am not surprised it is always sold out. It is a serious contender in the $100 segment.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The Helm Bolt was supplied by Helm Audio for my review – and I thank them for that.

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You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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A device gets attached to this Wall of Excellence when based on our private and of course subjective experience it performs so well within its technical and price category as to even discourage considering homologous alternatives.

If it ain’t here, WE don’t want it!

Please note that our WoE will not be limited to devices we actually published a review of. Nonetheless, all WoE devices have for long time been or still are part of our operative gear.

We start small and plan to expand our wall according to merit.

This Site is being consistently updated…please bookmark it and keep checking back!

In-Ear Monitors

Past excellences, now discontinued or superseded

Headphones

Digital Audio Players (“DAPs”)

Desktop Amplifiers

Desktop DACs

Desktop Integrated Headphone DAC/AMPs

Portable Headphone Amplifiers

Portable Integrated Headphone DAC/AMPs

Headphone DAC/AMP “Dongles”

Dongles are little DAC/amps without battery that are powered by their source device.

Accessories

The post Wall Of Excellence appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Small soundstage; hissy with sensitive iems, rel. high current draw.

Executive Summary

The highly rated VE Odyssey HD dongle is tested against the Apple audio adapter, both priced at $10. It is concluded that the Odyssey excels in amplification, build, and haptic, whereas the Apple prevails in terms of sound quality. Both dongles constitute very good value.

Introduction

Dongles – little source-powered DAC/amps – have been on everybody’s mind and phones for the last couple of years. I personally have used one since 2016 (with iPhone) as I don’t want to carry a dap as a 2nd device in my pocket. And I have given dongles a closer look in my reviews in the last 1.5 years.

Apple were the first to introduce the “Lighting to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack” a dongle that is a microscopic stereo digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a stereo headphone amplifier, a microphone preamplifier, and monophonic analog-to-digital converter (ADC) – and power converters to run this all. And it costs a measly $10. Not bad, eh? My review of this adapter is now one of our blog’s standard staples.

But the competition has not been sleeping, and Venture Electronics released the Odyssey HD in 2019, also priced at $10. The Odyssey HD has been riding on a wave of euphoria in some forums recently, to a point where it is believed to compete with and even outclasses dongles at multiple times its price.

If this was justified, the Odyssey HD should beat the Apple dongle hands down – for a start. Let’s put it to the test.

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

The Odyssey HD has a stellar build and haptic. Great industrial design with snug fitting premium metal connectors, good enough even with the $800 Cayin Fantasy. The cable between the 3.5 mm headphone jack and then USB-C connector looks somewhat cheap in context, but is actually Oyaide 102 ssc high-quality copper cable from Japan [Oyaide website].

The Odyssey HD is available with different headphone jacks: standard 3.5 mm TRS, or 2.5mm/2 mm TRRS, or 4.4 mm TRRS. While the balanced plugs work with balanced devices they do not produce balanced sound. The accessories are completed by an complementary Type-C to USB 3.0 adapter.

In comparison, the USB-C Apple audio adapter is flimsy, only comes in standard 3.5 mm TRS, and there is no USB-A adapter included. It is also available in a Lightning version.

Under the Hood…

The Odyssey HD features the Realtek ALC4042 chip, introduced in 2018. Typically, and against all urban myths, a dac chip does not tell you anything about a dongle’s sound. Different dongles with the same dac ship do sound completely different in almost all cases [as discussed here].

This is different in this case, as the ALC4042 is an SoC, a “System on Chip”, hosting both the digital analog converter and the headphone amplifier. You can purchase this SoC on Shopee, Tobao, or aliexpress. The current bulk price is about $4.50 per piece (I saw the iPhone 5s’ for $3.50 audio circuit on ebay ).

An SoC leaves the audio engineer very little room for tweaking. For example, he/she cannot add code (for re-clocking etc.) so that any two dongles with the ALC4042 will essentially perform alike or at least very similarly.

Power Consumption

I my 3h battery drain test of several dongles under identical conditions, the Apple audio adapter had by far the lowest consumption on my iPhone 5S, the Odyssey HD consumed about 2.5 times as much.

Power Consumption Test: Parameters and full Raw Results of more Dongles

I tested the power consumption of several portable headphone amps connected to my iPhone 5S. The conditions were as identical as possible: 3 h test, volume calibrated to 85 dB  ± 0.5 dB white noise with Dayton microphone, no sim card, BT off, no other apps open; network on, 32 Ω Blon BL-03 iem, Genesis’s Supper’s Ready (from the Seconds Out album) played in an endless loop.

The iPhone’s battery was fully charged at the start of the test and the remaining charge was measured thereafter. The result is shown in the table below. Since the tests were performed at different times and considering the ongoing battery deterioration, the results have to be seen with a grain of salt.

[collapse]

Sound

Equipment used: Macbook Air, iPhone SE (1st gen.); Sennheiser HD 600; JVC HA-FDX-1 @ 32Ω; Sennheiser IE 300 @ 16Ω.

Let’s have a look at the well established Apple dongle first. …Neutral, clear, clean and very precise. Basically as audibly transparent, good-sounding and clean-sounding to my ears as it gets. Precise and tight bass reproduction with sensitive multi-BA in-ears.

In comparison, the Odyssey HD is more powerful and therefore able to drive power-hungrier headphones or iems than the Apple dongle. It is also bassier and therefore not neutral. However, users report a hiss above 11 kHz with sensitive iems. Even company CEO “Wild Lee” admits to a high noise floor.

Iems with low impedance, let’s say 16 Ω, may not get enough current and sound muddy at the low end [the underlying physics is discussed here]. 32 Ω iems work fine. Attack is pretty soft, the Odyssey lacks that brittle crispness of the Apple dongle and it has a fairly narrow soundstage in comparison. The Apple does not distort with low impedance iems as it draws much less current, and it has the cleaner midrange and better controlled treble.

Both dongles are aching under the 300 Ω load of the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. The Odyssey HD amplifies louder but its attack is softer than the Apple’s, which is crisper while playing quieter. But, let’s face it, none of the two is well suited for running power-hungry headphones.

Throwing the $200 AudioQuest DragonFly Red into the mix: it excels with better imaging, better dynamics, and a richer sound than the two current protagonists. Even the $100 Helm Bolt is far superior over both Apple and Odyssey: it has a nicer tone colour, a sweeter top end, and is overall more homogenous sounding, albeit leaner and less punchy than the DragonFly Red.

But, the Odyssey is still MUCH better sounding than my MacBook’s integrated audio circuit.

Concluding Remarks

Well, there is no $10 miracle in this world, sadly. The Venture Electronics Odyssey HD is a well-built and decent sounding dongle that may not justify its current hype, but you can very well listen to music with it. It may not even beat the [probably heavily subsidized] Apple audio adapter in most respects but it provides more amplification power and has a more robust haptic.

At $10 these competitors are affordable enough so that you can pick them up both for your own testing.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

Disclaimer

The VE Odyssey HD was provided unsolicited by Venture Electronics for my analysis. I thank them for that.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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Comfortable, light, good build.
Neutralish sound – doesn’t colour frequencies, and potrays the connected IEM as it is.
Excellent sound quality.
Good battery life.
Modular system to allow MMCX and 2 pin options for IEMs.
Strong and easy BT connectivity and range. No dropouts for BT.
Has a mic to take calls.
Volume controller.

Cons:

No LDAC or aptX LL/HD
No charging case.
Hisses with highly sensitive IEMs.
No water proofing.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The NiceHCK HB2 is a bluetooth wireless adapter that has a modular MMCX/2 pin connector, this increases pairing options for detachable IEMs. It has great sound quality, good battery life and excellent connectivity.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 5.2 (Qualcomm QCC3040)
• Bluetooth coding: SBC, AAC, aptX
• Wireless range: 10 meters
• SNR: 59 dB
• Playtime: 13 hours
• Charging time: 1.5 hours
• Tested at $79 USD

ACCESSORIES

In addition to the BT adapter, it comes with:

1) Modular MMCX, 0.78mm 2 Pin and NX7 2 Pin types.

• This is the selling point of the NiceHCK HB2! It comes with a unique 3 types of detachable modules, where one can disconnect the module from the BT adapter, so one can use various IEM connector type housing with it – MMCX, 0.78mm 2 Pin and NX7 2 Pin types.
• The modular design is also good in that usually the connector area is the first point to fail after repeated wear and tear, so no biggie buying the detachable modules, rather than replacing the entire device.

2) USB-C charging cable

BUILD/COMFORT

The NiceHCK HB2 is very comfortable, light and ergonomic. I’ve even used it for 10 hour sessions and forgot it’s in use. The wire guides are flexible and they don’t impinge on the ears, even with a mask and spectacles on. The build quality is rather sturdy too.

The NiceHCK HB2 has no waterproofing mentioned in the specs unfortunately. But FWIW, I’ve used it in some slightly rainy conditions and even with gym and exercise for the past 3 weeks and there are no issues thus far, fingers crossed.

FUNCTION/CONNECTIVITY

Holding a long press on the back of the device turns it on. The left and right sides pair up automatically when turned on, and I had no issues with pairing it with multiple BT devices, all devices recognized the NiceHCK HB2 on the spot. Pressing the power button for 5 seconds conversely turns it off.

The buttons for the NiceHCK HB2 work as advertised:

Interestingly, only one side of the NiceHCK HB2 can be used independently without the need to turn on the other side. This can be an option for some who only want one side in the ear for calls, or say if the other side is being charged. One thing to nitpick is that the buttons are quite sensitive, and are located at the rear of the device, so they can be accidentally touched sometimes.

The NiceHCK HB2 has a mic and can take calls, with good sound quality for calls. I’ve tried it on a few online meetings with no complaints from the others in the conferences with regards to voice quality.

I also liked the volume controller on the NiceHCK HB2. In contrast, some BT adapters like the iBasso CF01 have no volume control on it, so if say one is far away from the BT device used to pair with it, one has to physically go over to the device to change the volume, unlike the NiceHCK HB2, which just requires a tap on the housing.

Connectivity is excellent on the NiceHCK HB2, I have not a single drop out whatsoever in the past 3 weeks that I’ve been using them. The BT range is about 10 meters or so, assuming no walls/obstructions are in the path.

The NiceHCK HB2 doesn’t come with a charging case unfortunately, but it takes around 1.5 hours to reach a full charge. Battery life is advertised at 13 hours, I think it is thereabouts ballpark from my testing, but as per most BT/wireless devices, that is expected to go down with repeated charging cycles, and it also depends on the volume one listens at and perhaps the file type (lossless versus lossy).

TECHNICAL ASPECTS

The NiceHCK HB2 uses the Qualcomm QCC3040 TWS chipset. It has BT 5.2 with support for aptX, SBC and AAC, but unfortunately doesn’t support LDAC or aptX LL/HD.

For the purposes of this review, I paired the NiceHCK HB2 with a range of 15 IEMs. From more power hungry sets like the TRI I3 (contains planars) and the KBEAR BElieve (low sensitivity beryllium driver), to some fussier low impedance/high sensitivity multi driver sets like the Audiosense T800 and TRI Starsea.

Pairings:

• Audiosense T800
• BLON BL-03
• BLON Cardinal
• iBasso CF01
• KBEAR BElieve
• Kinera BD005 Pro
• LZ A7
• Oriveti New Primacy
• Tanchjim Oxygen
• TFZ Tequila
• TRI I3
• TRI Starsea
• Westone 3 (MMCX modded)
• Westone W30
• Whizzer HE01

This device packs quite a lot of juice, and it could power the KBEAR BElieve and TRI I3 with headroom to spare. One thing I would have to nitpick, is that there is some hiss noted with high sensitivity type multi BA IEMs like those mentioned above.

One can mitigate the hiss to some extent by lowering the volume on the NiceHCK HB2, and just jacking up the volume from the BT device you are connected to. Generally the hiss also is not perceived when one is outdoors or when music starts playing anyway.

Dynamics are good on the NiceHCK HB2, there isn’t much loss of the subbass, which is a common occurance in TWS/BT sets. There is some loss of the higher treble, but when one uses BT and wireless stuff on the go and outside,

I think it is quite hard to really notice this. I really liked that the NiceHCK HB2 doesn’t colour the sound much, it just faithfully transmits the sound signature of the attached IEM. So far of the IEMs I’ve paired with it, they all sound the same in terms of general FR as the wired version of these IEMs, though of course wired gear in general tends to have better dynamics, microdetails and technical performance.

COMPARISONS

Even among wireless gear, I generally prefer BT adapters (like the TRN BT20S and TRN BT20), rather than TWS stuff, as I’d like to use my favourite detachable IEMs (with famililar sound signatures) on the go, and hence these BT adapters allow me to reuse the IEM. Plus I think that TWS buds are limited sooner or later by the BT tech or battery life (with repeat charges), so at least the IEM can be kept even if the TWS bud dies/gets outdated.

I’ve the TRN BT20 and TRN BT20S and the iBasso CF01 for these BT adapters. The NiceHCK HB2 sound better than these 3 in terms of sound quality/dynamics and also in terms of connectivity. The iBasso CF01 is more expensive, but comes with a charging case.

I’ve had a few drop outs with the iBasso CF01s and there is a shorter connection distance than the NiceHCK HB2. The iBasso CF01 also only features a MMCX non detachable connector, so that limits the IEM types that can be used with it. The iBasso CF01 has no volume controller as mentioned prior.

CONCLUSIONS

The NiceHCK HB2 is a bluetooth wireless adapter that has a modular MMCX/2 pin connector, this increases pairing options for detachable IEMs. It has great sound quality, good battery life and excellent connectivity.

If a charging case was added, this BT adapter would have been perfect, but as it is, I would recommend this set for those that want the convenience of a wireless connection on the go!

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You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

DISCLAIMER

I bought the NiceHCK HB2 with a discount from the NiceHCK Aliexpress shop: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002848089532.html.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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Cons — No balanced circuit; limited Hi Res decoding; no “DragonTail” adapter included. 

Executive Summary

The AudioQuest DragonFly Red is a dynamic and natural sounding miniature headphone amp (dac/pre-amp). As the more vivid sibling of the relaxed DragonFly Cobalt, it is sourced by phones or computers with minimal battery drain.

Introduction

AudioQuest is primarily a cable company, established in 1980, but they also invented this type of small, source-powered portable dac-amp. The concept goes back to a meeting at the 2010 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest between DragonFly’s designer Gordon Rankin, Joe Harley (AQ’s former Senior Vice President of Marketing and Product Development), Steve Silberman (AQ’s former VP of Marketing), and Bill Low (AQ’s founder and CEO). Steve had asked to create a USB cable with an in-line converter with RCA cables coming out of one end.

Looking at a USB stick, Gordon said, “You know, we can make it like this. It could have a USB-A plug at one end and a 3.5mm output jack at the other.” Gordon Rankin had a lot of experience to offer. He had designed his first dac (the Cosecant) in 2003 and simultaneously started working on asynchronous code. He is one of the pioneers of computer audio.

In 2012, the first DragonFly was released, with the “Red” following in 2016. My analysis of the DragonFly Red obviously comes 5 years late so that there has been ample time for reviewers and audio enthusiasts to establish its place in the audio community.

What was new as of 2016, is that all DragonFlys had small enough power consumption to be operated by a phone’s battery. Not having a battery of their own increases their lifespan quasi infinitely over the bulkier transportable dac-amps with non-serviceable batteries (facing planned obsolescence).

I only received the “Red” recently, but had purchased the $99 DragonFly Black v1.5 back in 2016, which has been my goto until now. And I recently reviewed the $299 DragonFly Cobalt, released in 2019, that features very similar (but not quite the same) specs as the “Red” (which can be a bit confusing for the potential buyer).

In the last 2-3 years, Gordon Rankin’s idea of small portable dac-amps has been adapted by many manufacturers, mainly from the Far East, who are currently flooding the market with countless models priced between $10 and $400, with the sweet spot between $80 and $150.

Two main questions arise and will be addressed in this review. First, how do the DragonFlys Red and Cobalt compare? Second, is the 2016 DragonFly Red still current or have the competitors overtaken Gordon Rankin’s innovation?

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

Just like the other DragonFly models, the “Red” comes with AudioQuest’s obligatory storage sheath and the “flight manual“. And, like the Cobalt, the Red is lacquered with car varnish. Guess its colour!

The DragonFly Red has a nominal output of 2.1 V (like the DragonFly Cobalt). This is no more than average in its category. Hobbyist Archimago measured a very low output impedance of 0.53 Ω. You find other detailed measurements by Stereophile and ASR (beware of overinterpretations).

Measurements, even if performed unbiased and correctly, cannot characterize a dac-amp sufficiently. They only give us half the story as there is no linear correlation between graphs and musical enjoyment/listening pleasure, sonic character/appeal, synergy, soundstage, separation, timbre, sense of ease etc. A correlation between electromagnetic and acoustic waves does not exist in physics. We need to deploy our ears for the ultimate test. There are plenty of examples where a “well-measuring device” does not impress sonically. Measurements are more important for product design than for practical testing. Alarm bells may only go up if measurements are “really bad”.

The DragonFly Red streams Tidal masters (MQA) and Qobuz, and works with all the non-audiophile streaming services such as Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud etc. And it is firmware upgradeable.

For DragonFly Red, the status indicator produces the following colors: standby (Red), 44.1kHz (Green), 48kHz (Blue), 88.2kHz (Amber), 96kHz (Magenta), MQA (Purple).

All DragonFlys can be sourced by a computer (no Windows driver required) or Android/iOS devices…and used as dac-amp with headphones/earphones, or as pre-amp with a dedicated amplifier. Their functionality is described in detail in my Cobalt review.

Amplification and Power Management

There is enough power to drive my 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600 headphone. The Red also operated all my iems and the mid-sized 70 Ω Sennheiser HD 25 or 60 Ω Koss Porta Pro with ease.

In my 3h battery drain test of several dongles, the DragonFly Red (and Black) had the lowest consumption on my iPhone 5S, the DragonFly Cobalt consumed about a third more, which placed it in the midfield. All DragonFlys stayed pretty cool during operation. But it could have done far worse than that….see the detailed results. In this respect, the DragonFly Red/Black are the clear winners and therefore most useful on the road.

Power Consumption Test: Parameters and Raw Results

I tested the power consumption of several portable headphone amps connected to my iPhone 5S. The conditions were as identical as possible: 3 h test, volume calibrated to 85 dB  ± 0.5 dB white noise with Dayton microphone, no sim card, BT off, no other apps open; network on, 32 ohm Blon BL-03 iem, Genesis’s Supper’s Ready (from the Seconds Out album) played in an endless loop.

The iPhone’s battery was fully charged at the start of the test and the remaining charge was measured thereafter. The result is shown in the table below. Since the tests were performed at different times and considering the ongoing battery deterioration, the results have to be seen with a grain of salt.

[collapse]

Sound Comparisons

Equipment used: Macbook Air/iPhone SE first generation; Sennheiser HD 600, Sennheiser HD 25, Koss Porta Pro; Cayin Fantasy, JVA HA-FDX1, Sennheiser IE 300, Sennheiser IE 400 PRO, BQEYZ Summer, Meze RAI Solo, Moondrop Aria, Shozy Form 1.4.

The AudioQuest DragonFly Red’s sonic qualities have been known for the last 5 years. But how does it hold up against its competition today?

In my perception, the DragonFly Red offers a rather vivid, organic sound with good extensions at both ends resulting in a marginally warm, immersive listening being off strictly linear. The slightly elevated bass contributes to a good depth but takes a bit away from the stage width, which results in a good three-dimensionality.

The Red is the most dynamic dongle I have tested. It has superb separation of good note weight, and is a bit edgy at the top end. The presentation is rather musical (as opposed to analytical) with good PRAT.

The DragonFlys are musical… The rest just gives you sound. Co-blogger and Red/Cobalt owner KopiOkaya.

The DragonFly Red is ahead of its immediate (external) competition listed here in terms of dynamics, microdynamics, and microdetail.

The equally priced and also natural sounding EarMen Sparrow offers an additional balanced circuit. The Sparrow is flatter, less vivid and less (micro)detailed than the DragonFly Red with a shallower but wider and taller soundstage (balanced circuit only). It is more powerful, and has a much higher battery draw.

The $129 EarMen Eagle was hailed by some reviewers to best the DragonFly Red. Eagle is more linear, less bassy, has a wider but flatter stage. Most importantly, it is leaner sounding not quite reaching the Red’s midrange body, dynamics, and resolution. But it has the DragonFly’s USB-A plug.

The $119 Earstudio HUD100 is the flattest/most linear of the lot, and also the least lively, which qualifies it for earphone testing and for use with very thick sounding (bassy) iems. The $119 Hizids S9 PRO is sonically almost indistinguishable from the HUD100. The $85 Shanling UA2 has rather warm and bassy signature. These three models lack midrange body and note weight, and vocals are rather thin compared to the Red.

DragonFly Red’s real challenger is the $299 DragonFly Cobalt. Most specs are identical between the two models. But the Cobalt has a more expensive dac chip, a different receiver chip, and some JitterBug USB-cleaning technology.

Both have different sonic signatures that broadly correspond to their shapes and colour: smoothly rounded in subtle blue vs. edgier in the louder red.

It is the exuberance and the lively treble that distinguishes the DragonFly Red from the smoother, more relaxed sounding, more composed and mature Cobalt. The Cobalt’s notes are more rounded and weightier, vocals have an unparalleled richness, smoothness, and naturalness in the dongle world.

The Red is more spectacular, more forward into your face/ears especially at the top end, where the Cobalt is easing off a bit. The Red’s liveliness works particularly well with powerful music such as rock, pop, EDM, anything that needs a good punch. The Cobalt plays its strength out in acoustic and jazzy music with emphasis on detail, microdynamics, and timbre.

You experience the principal differences between the two models best when having hightened sensitivity be it through a cold or hangover, or simply early in the morning.

JitterBug FMJ adds body and depth to the Red’s presentation, and it rounds the top off. Separate review of the “Bug” is here.

Is the DragonFly Red still relevant?

This question is frequently discussed in audio forums. The Red is very relevant to me. It depends how you look at it.

The present trends are: maxed out Hi RES (PCM: support up to 768kHz/32Bit; DSD: native DSD64/128/256/512), swappable sound profiles, maximum power, an additional balanced circuit, and perfect measurements. All that at a low price. If that’s what you are after, all DragonFlys are outdated.

If you don’t want to handle Windows drivers, they are not. And if you judge by sound quality, the Red has yet to find a challenger (beside the Cobalt).

The competing devices I have tested do not match the Red in terms of note weight, dynamics, and detail resolution. You may get more sound but not more musicality from the competition. There is still catching up to do with dac chip implementation, which is particularly evident in lean vocals reproduction and timbre.

So, what is the point of decoding super HI RES with a mediocre dac – and/or pairing it with a premium earphone?

The DragonFly Red also clearly leads the pack in power management: its low battery drain results an always cool (as opposed to hot) device.

And whereas the Red has had a long shelf life without any necessary re-issues (though it is software upgradable), the competition keeps pushing improved “Pro” versions of their products.

Another advantage of all DragonFlys is the USB-A plug, which makes it equally practical for Android and iOS devices. The new dongle generations mainly feature USB-C plugs or fixed USB-C cables, which result in cumbersome snakes when combined with the Apple camera adapter.

Sure, there are third-party lightning cables to connect to a USB-C socket, but their MFI chips are not optimized for Apple’s power management, which results in unreasonably high additional battery drains.

There are a few products that incorporate such ingenuity that they remain current and relevant over many years. Other examples are the Apogee Groove and Chord Mojo dac-amps, both unmatched since 2015. Gordon Rankin’s experience must have made this sustained difference in the DragonFlys’ case.

Vorsprung durch Technik?

What I use

Ok ok, everybody has different preferences. I am a phone guy who does not want to carry a second device (“dap”) around – and who wants to use the dac-amp between different devices. I don’t listen on my desktop computer so that my stack is catching dust. And my Shanling M0 dap, too.

Since 2016, my go-to has been the DragonFly Black, but in the last 4-5 months, it has been replaced by: the DragonFly Cobalt for acoustic/classical/jazzy music, the DragonFly Red for Rock/Pop and for on the road (low battery drain), and the EarMen Eagle for thick sounding/bassy earphones and headphones. And I am very happy with this.

On top of that, I am having a lot of fun experimenting with the AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ (I also had purchased the original JitterBug upon its release in 2016) and the ifi Audio iSilencer. More about these USB cleaners is coming soon.

Concluding Remarks

Considering its organic timbre and its rich midrange, the Red could be the best-sounding portable dac-amp I have tested. But it is not as the DragonFly Cobalt is one step ahead and takes over the title “Lord of the Flies” (apologies to William Golding). The DragonFly Red comes in second best, but it is also $100 cheaper.

My investigations have shown that the external competitors (I have tested) have yet to match the DragonFly Red in terms of sound quality, which, quite frankly, surprises me, too. They may impress with added features, balanced circuits, and amplification, but there is obviously still some room to catch up with the experience in asynchronous coding and the other nitty gritty that make your earphone/headphone sound “good”.

So, yes, the old “Lady in Red” is sonically still on top of the $200 class imo.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The DragonFly Red was kindly provided by AudioQuest up my request and I thank them for that.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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Unique midcentric tuning (rare in budget CHIFI).
Good accessories.
Excellent isolation.
Good timbre for a pure BA set.
Laid back, non fatiguing tuning.
Fast and clean midbass.
Good technicalities.
Easy to drive.
Will make an affordable budget stage monitor.
2 pin connector, better lifespan than MMCX in general.

Cons

Subbass and higher treble roll off.
Insertion depth affects the sound and comfort a lot -> varying impressions as such.
2D soundstage (wide soundstage but sounstage depth/height below average).
Lack of edge definition/bite – may be pro or con depending on personal preference.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The KBEAR Neon is a unique midcentric set, featuring good timbre, isolation and technicalities. It does have a subbass and higher treble roll off as per most single BA sets, but otherwise is a recommendation for vocal and mid lovers. There’s not many single BA or midcentric sets at the budget CHIFI segment, so this is a refreshing tuning for vocal and acoustic genres.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: Knowles 29689 full frequency Balanced Armature driver
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20kHz
• Impedance: 14Ω
• Sensitivity: 105dB
• Cable: 2 pin
• Tested at $49.99 USD

ACCESSORIES

Other than the IEM, the KBEAR Neon packaging comes with:

• Foam tips – 1 pair
• Silicone ear tips – 3 pairs (S/M/L)
• Carry case
• 4 core 4N copper silver plated cable – well braided, non tangly. Slight microphonics, but perfectly usable sonic wise.

Accessories wise, quite good for the price, I’ve seen worse in pricier IEMs, cough cough TRN VX. Everything is rather usable OOTB here, so no need to mess with getting aftermarket tips or cables, which can add to costs (looking at you BLON BL-03).

For the purposes of this review, the stock tips and stock cables were used, so as not to change the sound signature with aftermarket gear.

BUILD/COMFORT

The KBEAR Neon is a bullet shaped IEM following the legacy of the Etymotics housing, and is meant to be worn cable down. The housing is light and each earpiece weighs in at an amazing 2.3 grams.

Do note that insertion depth of the KBEAR Neon makes a humongous difference in the perceived sound, and also for comfort. This may also account for the different impressions that various consumers/reviewers will find with this set. With a shallower insertion, the KBEAR Neon’s bass is rather anemic, vocals are in the background and the soundstage becomes wider. With a deeper insertion of the KBEAR neon, the bass and upper treble are boosted and the sound seems better for me, things don’t sound so hollow or distant. One might need to try smaller sized eartips (either stock or aftermarket) to get a deeper fit, so it is not a case of using the usual sized tips you are familiar with on other IEMs.

Of course this is a YMMV situation as we have different ear anatomies and comfort levels for deep insertion IEMs. Though even with a deeper insertion on the KBEAR Neon, I find the comfort is acceptable for me, it isn’t as “violating” or deep fitting as the Etymotics series IEMs. For comparisons, I couldn’t use the Etys for more than a few minutes due to ear discomfort and ear abrasions (though granted the Etys had one of the best passive isolation in a non custom IEM and they did sound good). I’ve managed to use the KBEAR Neon for a few hours with the deep insertion method, without much issues.

As per most cable down IEMs, there are some microphonics, but this can be mitigated to some extent by using a shirt clip. Another tip I learnt in this journey, is that some folks use cable down IEMs as over the ear IEMs to minimize microphonics, it does look weird but it gets the job done, though it might wear out the cable at the bent point over the ear, but detachable cables can be replaced anyways, so no biggie. 

I liked that the KBEAR Neon featured a 2 pin connector, I had my fair share of mishaps with MMCX type connectors after switching cables once too often.

The only issue about the 2 pin connector of the KBEAR Neon, is that one may inadvertently connect it in a reversed polarity, causing out of phase issues. The KBEAR Neon housing can be rotated, there’s a dot on the IEM to signify the orientation of the IEM housing, so just make sure both dots are facing up or both are facing down. As per convention, the red dot is meant for the right earpiece, left dot is meant for the left earpiece. I didn’t hear any difference when both dots were facing up versus both dots facing down, but according to KBEAR, the dots are officially meant to be both facing down:

Anyways, if the music is out of phase, it is pretty obvious, music seems to be coming from behind the head and sounds weird. Alternatively, just use some free online links to check if your IEM is in phase, eg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUT6ZhFdLkA

If music is out of phase, just reverse one side’s housing and you should be back in phase.

ISOLATION

Isolation on the KBEAR Neon is excellent as per an unvented BA set. One of the better passive isolating IEMs I’ve tried so far.

DRIVABILITY

I tested the KBEAR Neon with a Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp, Sony NW A-55 DAP (DMP-A50 FEv2 Classic Mr Walkman Mod), smartphone, Shanling Q1 DAP, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, ESS ES9280C PRO DAC/AMP, and a Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 Amp.

The KBEAR Neon is easy to drive, no amping or heavy powered gear required. The Neon runs off practically any weak source. Though as usual amping can increase soundstage, microdetails and dynamics a tinge.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The KBEAR Neon is a midcentric set. Tuning is towards laid back, especially when shallow insertion is used. As per most single BA (balanced armature) IEMs, there is a subbass and higher treble roll off, resulting in limitations in extension of the FR at both extreme ends. Thus, bassheads best look elsewhere for your subbass rumble, and trebleheads best look elsewhere for your sparkle and air. But the Neon’s midcentric tuning is very well done, there’s really no harshness or peaks in the tuning, it’s a very agreeable and smooth midcentric set.

Having said that, one must be aware that midcentric tunings are very niche, they shines in vocals and acoustics genres, but they are not the best for bass forward music genres, eg EDM. Nevertheless, there aren’t many single BA types or midcentric tuned sets in the budget CHIFI arena, so the KBEAR Neon is pretty unique in this aspect.

The KBEAR Neon’s midbass is neutral and the subbass rolls off very early, as per the single BA physics. What the Neon cedes in bass quantity, it aces in quality. The midbass is very fast and tight and textured. It is the literal definition of “Fast and Clean” bass, with no midbass bleed. Mids are the star here, being boosted, but not harsh or shouty. It is a very transparent mids that lets all the vocals and instruments shine through, midlovers and acoustic/vocal lovers will have a field day. There isn’t the harsh 2 – 4 kHz area that plagues a lot of budget CHIFI tuning, this is a non fatiguing set. Treble wise, there’s slight sibilance, but it is still considered a safe treble for me, yet retaining good microdetails, though it isn’t the most airy treble, as per the higher treble roll off in most single BA sets.

Note weight on the Neon is on the thinner side, but that allows the single BA to move quite fast without any dulled transients. Timbre is surprisingly good for a BA set, it won’t beat a well tuned single DD in the timbral accuracy department, but it is one of the better sets for timbral accuracy for a pure BA setup that I’ve tried. Timbral accuracy on the KBEAR neon definitely trumps the garden variety KZ in timbre for sure. Acoustic instruments and vocals sounded quite natural in timbre, with maybe only a slight “plastic” quality in stringed instruments.

On one side of the KBEAR Neon housing, one can see the Knowles 29689 BA serial number, so this set does use Knowles drivers. But of course driver brand and even driver count is secondary to tuning and implementation, as we can see that some TOTL sets (cough cough Campfire Solaris) use Bellsing BA drivers, and some purported Knowles sets don’t sound anything special. But the Knowles house signature does shine thru in the KBEAR Neon, featuring a well rounded note with good technicalities, without needing to boost the upper frequencies to cheat and get the details in. As per some Knowles BA sets, there is a slightly blunted edge definition/bite in notes, this may be a pro or con depending on your personnel preference.

On to technicalities. As this set is a deep insertion type IEM, as per some Etymotics, soundstage is kinda 2D. Soundstage width is good, but height and depth are below average. But what the Neon cedes in soundstage, it makes up for in good left/right imaging. I’d take a set with precise imaging and more intimate soundstage, over a set with big soundstage but fuzzy and nebulous imaging. Details and instrument separation are good for this price range, the KBEAR Neon doesn’t use the typical overly boosted upper mids/treble cheatcode that a lot of budget CHIFI use to boost clarity and give fake details. The Neon manages to get the details in without going to shouty territory, and yet being quite a chill laid back tuning that one can use for hours without fatigue. Think of a monitoring type sound signature with good details, in fact I think the KBEAR Neon can be a good entry level stage monitor due to its isolation, good fit and good technicalities.

COMPARISONS

Here are some comparisons with single BA types. As hybrids/multi BA and single DD IEMs have their own strengths and weaknesses compared to single BA types, they were left out of the comparisons. I apologize as I don’t have any Etymotics IEMs with me now to do A/B comparisons, I returned them some time ago as I couldn’t tolerate the deep “violating” fit, but suffice to say the KBEAR Neon is much more comfortable for me than the Etys series.

Westone UM1 (1BA) ($99 USD)

The Westone UM1 is a 1 BA set that is tuned warm neutralish (but with a treble roll off). The Westone UM1 comes in a conventional bean shaped design, that is worn over ears instead of cable down like the KBEAR Neon. The Westone UM1 has worse isolation.

The Westone UM1 has worse details, imaging, instrument separation and clarity and has a more compressed soundstage width. The Westone UM1 has worse timbral accuracy. Both sets have a subbass roll off as per most single BA types, but the Westone UM1’s bass has a slight midbass bleed and is not as tight/textured/speedy.

Acoustic Effect TRY-01 (1BA) ($130 USD)

The Acoustic Effect TRY-01 is a 1 BA bullet shaped Japanese set that is also worn cable down. It has a non detachable cable (this may be a dealbreaker for some) and also has poorer isolation. The Acoustic Effect TRY-01 has slightly better technicalities and soundstage depth/height, but is more than double the price. Subbass extension is slightly better on the Acoustic Effect TRY-01, though the KBEAR Neon comes with better accessories.

CONCLUSIONS

The KBEAR Neon is a unique midcentric set, featuring good timbre, isolation and technicalities. It does have a subbass and higher treble roll off as per most single BA sets, though there’s not many single BA or midcentric sets at the budget CHIFI segment, so this is a refreshing tuning for vocal and acoustic genres. The KBEAR Neon’s sound is also quite drastically affected by insertion depth, but even with deeper insertion, I don’t find it as ill fitting as the traditional Etymotics types.

I have an admission to make, I’m not a single BA fan. I’m a single DD (dynamic driver) guy for general music listening, as they tend to give better timbral accuracy and tonality/coherency at the budget/midfi CHIFI segment, when compared to BA sets. BA bass that isn’t vented (in general), tends to move less air and have less decay, thus resulting in a less natural bass sound than traditional DD bass. In addition to the higher treble and subbass roll off, single BA types may be weaker in technicalities, when compared to multi BA/hybrids, as expected of a single BA physics limitation. Even if I do use unvented pure BA type IEMs, I use them for stage monitoring exclusively, due to their better isolation (generally unvented) and better technicalities than DD types.

However, despite my biasedness against single BA sets, the KBEAR Neon is a set I think is a keeper, as it shines in vocals and acoustic genres and can also perhaps be a budget stage monitor for stage use. Anyways most of us in this hobby have a few pairs of IEMs lying about, to suit different sonic signatures and music genres, and I think for those who don’t have a midcentric set in your Pokemon collection, the KBEAR Neon is a worthwhile set to consider. Just be aware that midcentric tunings aren’t all rounder, but they will really shine at vocals and acoustic genres.

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DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank KBEAR for providing this review unit. It can be gotten here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002637520309.html

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Cons — No storage case.

Executive Summary

The $129 EarMen Eagle is a rather refined sounding dac & amp that beats it immediate peers in terms of sound quality. It is the lowest priced dongle offering premium sound quality (of all the ones I have tested) imo.

Introduction

EarMen may be a rather young company that released their first products in 2020, but they have the very experienced premium manufacturer Auris Audio behind them. They are registered in Chicago but produce in Serbia, so you get an American-European product. Their first releases into the world of combined dac-amps were the excellent $199 Sparrow dongle and the $249 TR-amp, both receiving undeservedly little attention by consumers on our YouTube channel (You find the Sparrow video here and the TR-amp video there). But both products received high praises by reviewers.

The Sparrow is special in that it features a balanced circuit on top of the single-ended one, which appears to put the Eagle in its shadow, but undeservedly so, as we will find out. EarMen asked me to compare their Eagle to the AudioQuest DragonFly Red – which some reviewers have done already.

In this review, I will demonstrate that a comparison with the DragonFly Red is somewhat irrelevant and why I prefer the Eagle over the Sparrow. The Eagle simply has its very own merits and deserves to fly high above the radar of the dongle universe.

As mentioned before, I have written an extensive review of the EarMen Sparrow and both are overlapping in terms of functionality. I will therefore focus on my new findings with my experience in “dongle-itis” gained and rather focus on how the EarMen Eagle fits into the big picture.

Specifications

Download Manual: EarMen Eagle

Purchase Link: EarMen Shop

Tested at: $129

Visit mqa.co.uk for more information.

Physical Things and Usability

In the box are the EarMen Eagle, the warranty card, and a USB-A female to USB-C male adapter cable. This allows the Eagle to connect to Apple and Android phones/tablets, and any Windows/Mac computers. It features the ESS Sabre ESS ES9280 C PRO dac chip – which is well implemented.

As you may be well aware, the chip does not matter much for the sound as it is only one of many components. More important are its implementation (including filtering), the analog output stage, as well as the amp design and amp implementation. Therefore, devices with the same das chip may sound totally differently. One ingredient does not make a great meal, experienced chefs are needed. Luckily, they have good cooks at EarMen.

In contrast to its Sparrow sibling, the Eagle features a USB-A connector, a rarity outside the AudioQuest models. The EarMen Eagle therefore works with iOS devices (but requires the Apple Camera Adapter) without creating a “monster dongle snake”. And that’s why I prefer the Eagle over the Sparrow.

The actual EarMen Eagle is as sturdy and filigree CnC machined aluminium construction with top and bottom covered by glass…although I wished it had come with a sheath to protect it from being scratched. It has the same build and dimensions as the Sparrow.

The EarMen logo is illuminated depending on input:

• White – Connected
• Green – PCM/DXD/DSD
• Magenta – MQA
• Red – Not Connected

Functionality and Operation

A Summary Of What It Does

• Can be connected to Windows/Mac computers or Android/iOS sources
• USB-A connector works well with iPhone and Android alike (with included OTG cable)
• Works as a pre-amplifier or dac when connected to a dedicated headphone amplifier
• Drives small loudspeakers through its 3.5 mm output

AND Of What It Does Not

• …has no physical controls
• …needs no battery; draws power from source…and lots of it
• …is not driverless: needs a USB driver for Window computer
• …needs an Apple camera adapter or other third-party lightning cable for connecting to an iOS device
• …does not like driving power-hungry headphones, let’s say my 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600, is pushing it

Well, the first fail of most dongle manufacturers (imo) is the choice of a USB-C connector, be it a socket or a fixed cable. While this is mildly beneficial for Android users, it adds inconvenience to iOS users as they need to chain two cables together: an OTG one and the Apple Camera adapter, which results in a cumbersome “snake”. Yes, you can get third party lightning cables to connect to a USB-C socket, but their MFI chips are not optimized for Apple’s power management, which results in unreasonably high additional battery drains.

The EarMen Eagle contains no battery and is powered by the source device. It works plug ‘n’ play with computers, tablets, and phones (Windows/Mac/Android/iOS). And it requires adjusting the respective sound panel settings in Mac and Windows computers (and a Windows driver).

Volume is controlled from the source device – there are no buttons on the EarMen Sparrow. It is as easy as that. The EarMen Eagle decodes all 32bit/384kHz formats: PCM, DoP, DSD64, DSD128 and MQA. 

Amplification and Power Consumption

You have to give it to EarMen that they disclose detailed power ratings (see specifications above). The Eagle drives any iem and mid-sized headphone such as the 70 Ω Sennheiser HD 25 very well, but starts losing heft at the more power-hungry, full-sized cans such as the 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600.

In my 3h battery drain test of several dongles, the Dragonfly Black and Red had the lowest consumption on my iPhone 5S, the EarMen consumed about a third more, which placed it in the midfield. But it could have done far worse than that….see the detailed results. I would call the Eagle’s battery consumption acceptable but not outstanding.

Power Consumption Test: Parameters and Raw Results

I tested the power consumption of several portable headphone amps connected to my iPhone 5S. The conditions were as identical as possible: 3 h test, volume calibrated to 85 dB  ± 0.5 dB white noise with Dayton microphone, no sim card, BT off, no other apps open; network on, 32 ohm Blon BL-03 iem, Genesis’s Supper’s Ready (from the Seconds Out album) played in an endless loop.

The iPhone’s battery was fully charged at the start of the test and the remaining charge was measured thereafter. The result is shown in the table below. Since the tests were performed at different times and considering the ongoing battery deterioration, the results have to be seen with a grain of salt.

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Sound

Equipment used: MaBook Air/iPhone Se (1st gen.); Sennheiser HD 25; Cayin Fantasy, Sennheiser IE 300, Sennheiser IE 400 PRO, Moondrop Aria, Shozy Form 1.4.

The EarMen Eagle sounds essentially like the single-ended circuit of its sibling EarMen Sparrow. It is marginally off neutral with a bit of warmth added. Warm enough to work well with natural earphones, and neutral enough to work with warm sounding earphones. This makes it flexible with earphone/headphone pairings. It has a rather wide soundstage and a very pleasant, natural timbre, without any harshness or grain.

Voices are smooth, the imaging has some sense of ease, timbre is organic, transparency and clarity are good. The overall presentation is very musical, nothing is analytical or sterile. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Eagle, sonically, but rather everything right.

EarMen Eagle Compared

With tens of dongles on the market, it has become impossible for a single reviewer to keep the overview. As a rule of thumb, pricier models do NOT have necessarily more amplification but a better dac (implementation) in my experience, which translates to better sound. The Eagle’s money is not so much in the amplification but in the sound quality.

“Better sound” in this context means richer/fuller, with better microdynamics (“the small things”) and macrodynamics. It also means more organic/natural as opposed to digital. These improvements result in better musicality. This is not different with your desktop stacks.

I was asked to compare the EarMen Eagle with the $199 AudioQuest DragonFly Red. And the Red shows the Eagle’s limits, which is no surprise as it is 50% more expensive. The Red is bassier, punchier, and more agile & dynamic, it has more note weight and better note definition, and better detail retrieval. It is a bit fuller, richer, and smoother sounding. Vocals are more forward.

The Eagle has a wider but flatter stage. It is overall leaner sounding than the Red but also a bit clearer in the midrange. The Eagle is overall more polite. These differences are only obvious when A/B-ing. What plays into the Eagle’s hands is its more linear signature: the Red does not pair as well with thick sounding/bassy earphones, that’s where the Eagle excels.

Compared to the $85 Shanling UA2 and $109 Hidizs S9 PRO, the Eagle is ahead in terms of timbre. It sounds more natural and even, and it is fuller in the midrange. UA2 is the bassiest and warmest of the three. The UA2/S9 PRO feature an additional balanced circuit and more power. You have the choice: features or sound quality. Quantity vs. quality.

The Eagle’s closest competitor, sound wise, could be the $119 Earstudio HUD100, which is less dynamic but more linear than the Eagle. I prefer the HUD100 for earphone analyses and the Eagle for recreational listening.

In summary, I would draw a line in the sand and claim that the Eagle is the lowest-priced dongle with true premium sound. This is, of course, subjective.

Concluding Remarks

The EarMen Eagle (and the Sparrow) are the company’s first foray into source-powered portable amp/DACs. And it is a very good one. The Eagle sounds great without any major weakness, has excellent build, and it is practical with its USB-A connector. And that’s why I personally prefer it over the more expensive Sparrow. Of all the dongles I have tested, the Eagle is the lowest-priced one that offers premium sound quality imo, and it is worth pairing with the most expensive iems.

In the meantime, I have mailed the EarMen Sparrow to Biodegraded for a second opinion/review.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The EarMen Eagle was provided by EarMen for my review and I thank them for that. You can get the Eagle at the EarMen shop.

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You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

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I confess to being more stoked than usual to receive the latest from Blon, whose surprisingly refined, $30 BL03 has fully lived up to its massive hype and whose $42 BL05, while something of a sidegrade, also had its considerable virtues.

Enter the Blon A8 Prometheus, whose flamboyant design and $85 price tag suggest a company teeming with moxie. Its  metallic, open-holed shells (consisting of  14 irregular sides around a sealed cavity containing the single DD driver) looks like something out of the Terminator’s eye socket.

I have serious doubts if the open design actually has any sonic benefit, but it is certainly creative as hell. Packaging is minimal, and the burlap case is sorta useless, but the stock silver cable looks and feels premium.  I did find the Prometheus to be lighter and substantially more comfortable than its egg-shaped predecessors, although isolation is still sub-par and a lot of outside noise will intrude.  

At 32ohm/115db, the Blon A8 Prometheus seems like it would be pretty efficient, and it does get very loud with just a mobile. However, it improves considerably with amping, with better coherence and, in particular, more articulate reproduction of drums and percussion. The difference is so significant that I would not recommend these without an amp (I used the Cozoy Takt-C dac/amp for my observations below).

Unlike the Harman-tuned, generally polite and warm-sounding BL-03, the Blon A8 Prometheus opts for a bold, bright W-shaped  sound—forward and energetic, with added  (over)emphasis on the 5-10 kHz midrange area. Note texture is noticeably thicker than its predecessors and soundstage is wide, if somewhat low-ceilinged.  

Performers are well-separated, fairly accurately placed on stage and there’s an uncongested, airy quality to the presentation. They do have a bit of a clinical quality, in the sense that your ears get drawn to the prominent mid-frequencies rather than to a seamless whole, though overall clarity is excellent.

The Blon A8 Prometheus surprises with its bass quality—tight, well-sculpted and wholly free from bloom and bleed, with adequate but not massive  subbass throb. Mids are very forward and full—female  vox in particular sound forceful but also overamplified and  a tad shouty.  

Note 1: switching from stock silicon tips to foams does attenuate the midrange glare, but makes the bass boomy. I got the best results with Symbio W (silicone/foam) hybrid tips, which better controlled the low end. 

Note 2: these might adapt well to micropore taping or other nozzle mods; EQ would also help, though I’m generally too lazy to EQ.

Treble is crisp and very detailed but not especially smooth; some sharpness is presented on piano keys but drums have nice snap and sparkle. 

Timbral quality is the polarizing factor here. Compared to the cheaper BL-03, the Blon A8 Prometheus (seemingly by design) go for a more vivid,  amped-up tonality which works better for rock and techno and less well for acoustic fare—these sound more like an $85 hybrid than a DD.

While a palpably exciting listen, you don’t transcend the feeling you’re hearing a digital recording as opposed to a live performance Competitors at its pricepoint like the Tin T4 and Moondrop Starfield sound less digital and colored, especially at the high end, while the KBear Diamond is smoother, more cohesive and  more “live” sounding.

However, the Blon A8 Prometheus has tighter bass than the above, presents more microdetail and sounds “larger” and more expansive overall.  Moving up in price class to something like the Shozy Rouge or Simgot EN700 buys you better coherence and staging and more accurate reproduction, although rockheads may still prefer the gutsier presentation of the Prometheus.

So should you buy it? On its musical merits, it’s not audiophile-accurate but is still a lot of earphone for the money. Ultimately, though, it is as ear jewelry that Blon really scores and I would not be surprised if they sell tons of these to the fashionistas among us.  Kudos to them for designing something really different.

DISCLAIMER

These were provided to me gratis for review purposes by keephifi. I’ll pass ‘em on to the notoriously style-conscious Durwood for his opinion. 

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Cons — Balanced circuit only adds power but not headroom; two headphone sockets too close together; very high power consumption (on phone).

Executive Summary

The $109 Hidizs S9 Pro is a very powerful, linear, and good sounding portable headphone DAC & amp that features single-ended and balanced circuits.

Introduction

Ever since Gordon Rankin introduced the 2016 versions of the AudioQuest DragonFly Black/Red that could be used with a phone because of their intelligent power management, companies have jumped on that bandwagon. Many of them. After all, such devices are flexible in that you can use them with your computer and your phone…and you can migrate them to new devices should you replace the old ones. With no battery of their own, such dongles have an almost infinite life.

Some protagonists already predict the end of the dap as more and more listeners don’t want to have two devices in their pocket. I personally have been a huge dongle fan since 2016, whereas my dap is catching dust in the drawer.

Hidizs have been very active in the portable DAC-amp category lately, and co-blogger Loomis Johnson covered the original Hidizs S9. The S9 PRO is an upgrade in that it offers a different dac chip and two circuits, a balanced and a single-ended one.

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

There is a little LED light between them indicating

Functionality and Operation

The Hidizs S9 PRO works like so many dongles of its kind. You connect it to your phone or computer, it is source-powered and operated, and therefore does not contain any on-board controls.

A Summary of what it does

• Can be connected to Windows/Mac computers or Android/iOS sources
• Works as a pre-amplifier or dac when connected to a dedicated headphone amplifier
• Features two circuits: 3.5 mm single ended and 2.5 mm balanced
• Drives small loudspeakers through its 3.5 mm output
• Handles even power-hungry headphones well, imo up to 300 Ω

…and of what it does not

• …has no physical controls
• …needs no battery; draws power from source…and lots of it
• …both sockets are too close together to operate simultaneously
• …is not driverless: needs a USB driver for Window computer
• …needs an Apple camera adapter or other third-party lightning cable for connecting to an iOS device

Amplification and Power Consumption

Amplification is stellar. CqTek of the Hi End Portable Blog measured the Hidizs S9 Pro with an oscilloscope. His results exceed the manufacturer’s claims. Hidizs recommends their S9 Pro to handle power-hungry headphones with impedances up to 300 Ω. And it drives my Sennheiser HD 600 well.

In my 3h battery drain test of several dongles, the DragonFly Red had the lowest consumption on my iPhone 5S, the Hidizs S9 consumed about 2-3 times as much, which placed it last.

Power Consumption Test: Parameters and Raw Results

I tested the power consumption of several portable headphone amps connected to my iPhone 5S. The conditions were as identical as possible: 3 h test, volume calibrated to 85 dB  ± 0.5 dB white noise with Dayton microphone, no sim card, BT off, no other apps open; network on, 32 ohm Blon BL-03 iem, Genesis’s Supper’s Ready (from the Seconds Out album) played in an endless loop.

The iPhone’s battery was fully charged at the start of the test and the remaining charge was measured thereafter. The result is shown in the table below. Since the tests were performed at different times and considering the ongoing battery deterioration, the results have to be seen with a grain of salt.

[collapse]

Sound

Equipment used: Macbook Air/iPhone SE first generation; Sennheiser HD 600 & HD 25, Sennheiser IE 300, Sennheiser IE 400 PRO, Moondrop Aria, Shozy Form 1.4; AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ.

TL;DR: I have been testing and testing and testing dongles lately, until I got dizzy. The Hidizs S9 PRO does not disappoint, it sounds good even when you use more expensive dongles as reference, and it has no deal-breaking flaws. It shows a strictly linear and neutral signature across the frequency spectrum and sounds rather natural. Fortunately, it does not have the metallic, analytical, sterile sound of some budget dongles, as reported to some extent for the original S9, for example.

This linearity creates clarity in the midrange which makes for good spatial cues but voices are a bit leaner than with pricier dongles. The bass is as crisp and tight as it should be. Macrodynamics and soundstage are average in its class. There is essentially no difference in headroom or soundstage between the single-ended and balanced circuits.

Using the Hidizs S9 PRO with the AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ (phone and computer alike) added substance (richness), depth, and smoothness to the sound.

Hidizs S9 PRO compared

Considering the selection of dongles on the market, it has become impossible to compare all of them. As a rule of thumb, pricier models do NOT have necessarily more amplification but a better dac in my experience, which translates to better sound. So your money really is in the sound quality.

“Better” in this context means richer/fuller, with better microdynamics (“the small things”) and macrodynamics. It also means more organic/natural as opposed to digital. These improvements result in a better musicality. Cheap dongles may produce sound, expensive ones may product music. It is similar to your desktop stacks.

The Hidizs S9 PRO has essentially the same specifications as the $85 Shanling UA2 and both feature single-ended and balanced circuits. Although amplification power is practically identical, sound is slightly different. The Shanling has a thicker, boosted low end, a smoother lower midrange and a less edgy top end. Vocals are more rounded but are also more prone to be covered up by the mid-bass. The coin toss between the two is whether you like it warmer/bassier or more neutral but the general quality is the same.

All dongles mentioned below vary in features, I mainly focus on sound quality.

The $300 AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt offers a richer and more intimate midrange and an organic smoothness across the frequency range, while not being as powerful. All three models mentioned so far feature the same dac chip and the Cobalt offers the best implementation by far. In the end, you pay a premium for sound quality and not for amplification power or features. The Cobalt is sound wise above anything I have tested but it is also the by far most expensive. It is definitely diminishing return and you get better value in the Hidizs S9 Pro.

The Hidizs S9 PRO is not as dynamic (“punchy”) as the $200 DragonFly Red, and it also cannot offer the Red’s full midrange (which is also a bit behind the Cobalt’s). The Red’s midrange is also more forward but it has no balanced circuit and weaker amplification..

The $129 EarMen Eagle is power wise also behind the Hidizs S9 PRO, does not feature a balanced circuit, but it is more organic, more dynamic, and a bit richer in the midrange. And it has a wider soundstage and better separation but is overall still behind the DragonFly Red. However the differences to the Hidizs S9 PRO are nuances and not earth shattering. Your tradeoff is the lack of a balanced circuit and amplification.

The $120 Earstudio HUD 100 is also 100% linear. Both HS9 PRO and HUD 100 are very close in terms of sound and I may actually fail a blind test between them. Because of its neutrality, the HUD 100 has been my go to for earphone reviewing and tuning.

In summary, you get the sound quality you pay for but some amplification for free. DAC quality (which is largely independent of chip) and therefore sound quality are broadly correlated with price, whereas features and amplification power are not. The more expensive dongles simply sound fuller and more dynamic in analogy to desktop dacs.

The diminishing return probably starts at below $100. It really comes down to personal preferences, expectations, and wallet which one to pick, but pairing a $50 iem with a $300 dongle is as futile as pairing a $1000 iem with a $100 dongle.

Concluding Remarks

The Hidizs S9 PRO joins the gigantic pool of portable, source-powered dac-amps first introduced in phone-compatible versions by AudioQuest in 2016. It offers powerful amplification, single-ended and balanced circuits, low output impedance, and a good sound quality at $100. And the price is right. But it also drains your phone’s battery fast.

Some reviewers put the S9 Pro ahead of the pack even compared to pricier dongles. I cannot really comment as I don’t know all competitors but am not surprised.

It is amazing, how dongle prices have dropped and you have the agony of choice to pick the one that’s best for you. The Hidizs S9 PRO is one of the $100 options to consider. You get a lot for your money. And it works for me, too.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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The Hidizs S9 PRO was kindly provided by Hidizs for my review and I thank them for that.

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Excellent fit and good build.
Natural and organic timbre with great tonality.
Smooth and non fatiguing.
Above average technicalities (other than microdetails). Layering is a highlight.
Excellent price to performance ratio.

Cons

Non detachable cable.
Hard to drive, needs amping to scale better.
Not the most detailed set, not for analytical listening.
Below average isolation.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Tanchjim Tanya is a warm and lush harmanish set with great timbre and tonality. It is smoothness personified, admittedly it does needs some power to shine, but I can see this set as being one of the standout budget sets for 2021, with excellent price to performance ratio. I’d even stick out my neck and say that this may be the new BLON BL-03 for this year!

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: Dynamic Driver
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 42000Hz
• Impedance: 16Ω
• Sensitivity: 112dB/Vrms
• Cable: non detachable , but made of 4N oxygen free copper + Kevlar shaft core and litz structure
• Tested at $21.99 USD

ACCESSORIES

Other than the IEM, the Tanchjim Tanya packaging comes with:

• Spare filters
• Silicone ear tips of 2 types – the narrower bore ones boost the bass whereas the wider bore ones boost the higher frequencies.
• Velvet carry bag

Accessories wise, nothing to be sniffed at for $20ish USD. I’ve seen worse in pricier IEMs, cough cough TRN BA8. Everything is rather usable OOTB here, so no need to mess with getting aftermarket tips, which can add to costs (looking at you BLON BL-03).

Do note that the stock narrower bore eartips boost the bass, whereas the wider bore ones boost the higher frequencies. The Tanchjim Tanya is already quite warm and thick in sound, with a kind of veiled sound signature. So for those that want a bit more clarity and openness, I would recommend the wider bore stock tips, or you can try some wider bore aftermarket tips.

For the purposes of this review, the stock tips were used, so as not to change the sound signature with aftermarket gear.

BUILD/COMFORT

The Tanchjim Tanya is a bullet shaped IEM and is meant to be worn cable down. It is very light and well fitting, comfort is excellent. In fact, I’ve used it for many hours continuously with no discomfort whatsoever.

I didn’t find any driver flex for myself on the Tanchjim Tanya (but YMMV, as this is somewhat dependent on ear anatomy and types of ear tips used).

Sadly, the cables are non detachable, this area may be a dealbreaker for some, as this may be a point of failure down the line, or perhaps some might wanna use aftermarket balanced cables or even bluetooth adapters with it. But the cables in the Tanchjim Tanya are quite supple and not tangly, and there’s a strain relief.

This is not the noodle thin, non strain relief reinforced type of cable that makes your heart drop (looking at you Final E3000!), I think it looks and feels quite durable.

Personally, I would have preferred if it was MMCX as least, but I won’t beat this area with a stick, since it is a $20ish USD set, and some of the pricier Tanchjim products do not have detachable cables too -> also looking at you, Tanchjim Cora!!

As per most cable down, non detachable design IEMs, there’s some microphonics unfortunately, but it is not that bad, compared to the Sony MH755 or Final Audio E3000 in this area. The cable is also quite long, unlike the Sony MH755 where the too short fixed cable mandates that you can’t move too far from the source.

Strangely, the Tanya didn’t come with any L/R markings to let us know which side is which, but there’s a small dot on the strain relief insertion area (into the IEM) to denote that this is the left earpiece. This dot thing seems to be some relic design that I’ve encountered in some old school Japanese IEMs!

ISOLATION

As for isolation, the Tanchjim Tanya is below average in this area, as per the open backed design, but this design does aid in soundstage, which we will discuss below, so it is a double edged sword.

DRIVABILITY

I tested the Tanchjim Tanya with a Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp, Sony NW A-55 DAP (DMP-A50 FEv2 Classic Mr Walkman Mod), smartphone, Shanling Q1 DAP, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, ESS ES9280C PRO DAC/AMP, and a Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 Amp.

The Tanya is rather difficult to drive. In fact, it sounds meh from a lower powered smartphone, and scales nicely when amped. I mean, you can get sound from lower powered source, but it can’t sing. Ie soundstage, dynamics, microdetails are lost when it isn’t amped.

When underpowered, the midbass bleeds quite a fair bit and music sounds congested. I tried the Tanchjim Tanya originally with the Shanling Q1 DAP and the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro at 2V power (with a 3.5 mm adapter), it sounded a bit mushy and overly thick.

On amping this set with the Topping L30 amp, then the veil kind of lifted and I’m glad to report that this set can scale with power, and the bass can be cleaner when amped. Of course that brings us to the question of whether one should pair a $20 USD IEM with a more expensive amp, is that putting the cart before the horse?

As discussed, since the Tanchjim Tanya features a warmish veiled tuning, it does synergize better with brighter or at least neutral sources, rather than a warmer source which makes the mix too mushy and overly syrupy thick.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The Tanchjim Tanya features a warm harmanish tuning. Tuning is towards laid back and analoguish. The keyword to describe this set is “lush” and “smooth”. In a nutshell, the Tanchjim Tanya is a non analytical set, and is a set suited to chill back and enjoy music.

Tonality is very good, there’s a slight upper mids peak around the 3 kHz region, but it is far from shouty or hot and is very smooth and non fatiguing. In contrast, I couldn’t use the Moondrop SSR (which also has a 3 kHz peak) for more than 5 minutes due to the icepeak 3 kHz spike on it.

On to tonality. The Tanya is midbass focused. There’s a subbass rolloff, but there’s a tickle of rumble called for when the deepest bass registers are played. As discussed, when underpowered, the midbass smears and bleeds, but on amping the bass tightens quite a fair bit. The Tanya doesn’t have the most textured bass unfortunately, but that’s something I can close one eye for, considering the price.

Mids are thick and lush and this gives quite a lot of body to music. This may overly too thick for some, so it can be a pro or con, but those that like the analoguish sound will like it. The lower mids are slightly depressed until it rises and peaks at the 3ish kHz region. There’s no sibilance on this set, so it is a rather treble safe set, treble rolls off around 8 kHz or so.

Vocals are a tinge forward in this set due to the peak at the upper mids, but even on some shouty tracks, I did not find that the Tanya is fatiguing or shouty for me, it is a very safe and non fatiguing tuning. Due to the borderline darkish treble, some cymbal and percussion hits may be a bit too subdued and this isn’t the most detailed treble, but it for sure can be used for hours upon hours due to the non fatiguing tuning.

For those that find the tuning overly thick and veiled, as discussed, using a brighter source or wider bore ear tips may help.

On to technicalities, soundstage is above average in all 3 directions, as per the open backed design. Probably some multi BA/hybrid sets at this price bracket will trump it in technicalities, but the Tanchjim Tanya’s layering is very good for this price bracket, haven’t heard this in most $20ish IEM.

Imaging and instrument separation are above average, I felt it can cope with busy passages of music when amped. However, details are not the best, notes lack bite and edge definition as per the analoguish signature, so as discussed, it isn’t a set for analytical listening, but just to chill and appreciate music.

Timbral accuracy on the Tanchjim Tanya is truly excellent, I would term it as organic and natural. Indeed, this is a very good IEM for vocals and acoustic instrument lovers. In fact, I think it has one of the best timbral accuracy I’ve heard in a $20ish USD set, it even edges the fabled BLON BL-03 in the timbre department.

COMPARISONS

Here are some comparisons with some well regarded budget single DD types. As hybrids/multi BA have their own strengths and weaknesses compared to single DD types, they were left out of the comparisons.

BLON BL-03 ($25 USD)

The legendary BLON BL-03 is a harmanish set with a midbass bump, boasting superb tonality and timbre at the sub $30 USD region. Both sets sound a tinge analoguish and scale with amping, though the Tanchjim Tanya is harder to drive. Both sets also have subpar isolation and share a similar tonality and timbre. Perhaps the BLON BL-03’s midbass is a tinge more bloated.

I think the Tanchjim Tanya edges it in the timbral accuracy and technicalities department. The BLON BL-03, even though it has detachable cables, has a notoriously bad fit due to the too short nozzles. Hence, most people need to do spacer mods or use aftermarket eartips/cables to secure a better fit.

Thus, the BLON BL-03 may be closer to $40 – 50 USD if aftermarket tips/cables are factored in, whereas the Tanchjim Tanya is ready to go OOTB, no need to mess around or spend more on aftermarket gear for it. As such, I see the Tanchjim Tanya as a marginal upgrade and a better set in terms of investment. I daresay the Tanchjim Tanya may even be the BLON BL-03 of 2021!

BLON MINI ($29.99 USD)

The BLON MINI is much easier to drive, though the Tanchjim Tanya has better timbral accuracy, better technicalities and layering and imaging.

The Tanya has better accessories, though it has weaker isolation. The Tanchjim Tanya is more noticeably laid back in tuning, whereas the BLON MINI is more dynamic and in your face.

HZSound Heart Mirror ($49 USD)

The HZSound Heart Mirror is a neutralish bright set, with a more linear and neutral bass than the Tanchjim Tanya.

The HZSound Heart Mirror comes in a nicer shell (mirror like as per its namesake), with non detachable cables and a very nice packaging. Both sets scale superbly with amping, timbre are excellent on both sets.

In terms of technicalities, the HZSound Heart Mirror whips the Tanchjim Tanya, the former has much better transients, clarity, microdetails, imaging and instrument separation. Note weight is thinner on the HZSound Heart Mirror and it has less subbass and midbass quantities too, though the bass is faster and cleaner. The HZSound Heart Mirror is a much more technical and analytical set, compared to the chiller and more laid back Tanchjim Tanya.

Sony MH755 ($7 USD)

The fabled Sony MH755 is also another harmanish set with a bullet shaped design. The Sony MH755 really has quite good timbre and tonality, but I think the Tanchjim Tanya beats it in these departments. The Sony MH755 can be shouty at higher volumes (Fletcher Munson curve) at the upper mids. Isolation and technicalities are also better on the Tanchjim Tanya.

Both sets have non detachable cables, but the Sony MH755’s cable is very short and J shaped, with markedly bad microphonics. One can’t go too far away from the source due to the short length (without using a cable extender), unlike the longer cable on the Tanchjim Tanya.

The Sony MH755 is also very hard to find in the wild nowadays, with a lot of shops selling counterfeit sets, so getting your paws on a legit Sony MH755 is an arduous task now.

So, I see the Tanchjim Tanya as an upgrade over the Sony MH755, although it is more expensive.

Moondrop SSR ($39.99 USD)

The Moondrop SSR comes with a waifu anime otaku packaging. That in itself makes it the clear winner, enough said. Please move on to the next section.

Ok ok jokes aside, the Moondrop SSR is tuned somewhat diffuse-field neutral with an upper mids boost. Both sets are quite tough to drive and have subpar isolation, but the Moondrop SSR is technically superior and has better transients than the Tanchjim Tanya.

The Moondrop SSR falls apart tonally though, it is akin to shouting at the moon at the 3 kHz area, especially at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve), and this is a dealbreaker for me. Both sets have a boosted 3 kHz area, but the Moondrop SSR more so, it can even be quite icepick like on some recordings at this area. The caveat is that we have different hearing health, different sources, different eartips, different ear anatomy (affecting pinna gain) and we play our music at different volumes, so YMMV and Moondrop fanboys, don’t crucify me!

Anyways, timbre is also less natural and the note weight is rather thin on the Moondrop SSR, so it is a much more analytical and technical set than the laid back and chill Tanchjim Tanya.

Final Audio E3000 ($50 USD)

The Final Audio E3000 is rather L shaped, featuring a big nebulous midbass and a rolled off treble. The Final Audio E3000 is harder to drive than the Tanchjim Tanya.

The Final Audio E3000 has better technicalities when amped, in the area of soundstage, imaging and instrument separation/layering, though it has a poorer timbral accuracy than the Tanchjim Tanya.

Both sets are bullet shaped and have non detachable cables, but the Final Audio E3000’s cable is worryingly noodle thin, with more microphonics and no strain relief! Isolation is also poorer on the Final Audio E3000.

CONCLUSIONS

The Tanchjim Tanya is a warm, smooth and lush harmanish set with great timbre and tonality. It needs some power to shine, but with adequate juice, the sound is really good for the $20 USD asked, with this set presenting excellent price to performance ratio. I’ve no regrets skipping a Macdonald’s meal or two for the Tanchjim Tanya TBH.

One area to nitpick, is that the cables are non detachable, as this may be a point of failure down the line, or perhaps some might wanna use aftermarket balanced cables or even BT adapters with it. This non detachable aspect may be a dealbreaker for some even, but otherwise, I’ve really no complaints about the build.

The non fatiguing and smooth and lush tuning can really make the Tanchjim Tanya a set to just sit back and enjoy the music for what it is, and not to listen to the gear. I can see this set as being one of the standout budget sets for 2021, maybe one can even label it as the BLON BL-03 for this year?

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DISCLAIMER

I bought this set at my own expense, with a slight discount from the Yaotiger Aliexpress shop: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002568046521.html

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Tanchjim Tanya Review (1) – The BLON BL-03 For This Year? appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Availability of Spinfit tips can be a bit spotty
– Some experimentation required

INTRODUCTION

Third-party eartips are one of those things that you end up with a large collection of as you fall deeper into audiophilia. The reason is quite simple: universal earphones (i.e. non-custom IEMs) require fiddling with the tips more often than not. Moreover, eartips are just about the cheapest (and often most reproducible) way of tuning an earphone. So we all end up with boxes of eartips of our own, sooner or later.

Spinfit have been making eartips for a while now, and their claim-to-fame is the name-sake “swivel” mechanism that rotates the top of the inner-stem. This in turn helps to achieve a deeper, more secure seal as the top of the tip (along with the sound-tube) literally bends to get closer to the inner-ear.

In this round-up, we shall explore how well this mechanism works across a variety of IEMs. Models to be evaluated: Spinfit CP-100, CP-100+, CP-145, CP-145 (medical-grade silicone), CP-240, CP-360, CP-500, and the CP-800. The only two in-production models that I don’t have with me are the CP-155 (I don’t have a large-nozzle IEM at the moment) and the Airpod-specific CP-1025 (I don’t have an Airpod). With that out of the way, let’s head right in.

Note: The Spinfit CP-100 and the CP-500 are units I purchased myself. Rest were sent in by Spinfits themselves for evaluation. A huge shout-out to them. You can check out there entire catalogue of eartips here.

GENERAL BUILD QUALITY

All of the Spinfit eartips share some similarities in terms of build. They have a colored stem and the outer material is medical/food grade silicone. Each tips also has a depression/joint around the top of the internal sound bore. This joint allows the top of the tip to swivel 360 degrees around inside the ear-canal and (ideally) move past the bends in the ear-canal.

In all cases the internal stem is made of a stiffer material than the eartips themselves, though the stiffness varies depending on model. Now, let’s get into the details of individual models. For a more thorough look into the various dimensions of the tips themselves, please check out co-blogger Jürgen’s take on the Spinfit eartips.

SINGLE-FLANGE SPINFIT EARTIPS

CP-100/CP-100+

The Spinfit CP-100 is probably the most popular Spinfit eartips around. They are also the most widely available one. The original CP-100 model had a fairly stiff, color-coded stem (with color changing upon size) and the outer material was also fairly stiff. This model suited a number of IEMs especially those with a shallow nozzle (e.g. Dunu Luna, pictured below). The CP-100 was pretty much a utilitarian eartip, as in it would suit most models without affecting the FR too much or causing discomfort. I personally found the surface of the tip to be somewhat itchy after long-term use, and the stiffer outer layer didn’t have the best grip with the inner-ear wall.

Thus, we enter the Spinfit CP-100+. The new variant (which shall be released on Amazon soon) addresses my key complaint with the original CP-100: the stiffness and feel of the silicone. The new material is more supple and grips better. Most of all: the itchiness after long sessions is gone completely. In terms of ergonomics, this renders the CP-100 irrelevant.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Moondrop Aria, Moondrop Starfield, Dunu Luna, Meze 12 Classics V2, Shozy Form 1.1, BLON BL-03/BL-05S

CP-145/CP-145 (refresh)

These are currently my favorite Spinfit tips. They are the most comfortable in Spinfit’s lineup along with the CP-100+ and pairs well with most IEMs with the given nozzle size (~4.5mm). Usually the bass seem to get tighter with these tips on and in some IEMs I’ve also experienced a perceived expansion of soundstage. The older CP-145 has a more supple, grippier texture on the outside whereas the new, medical-grade silicone version has a more coarse texture and has slightly worse seal. The choice between older and the newer CP-145 isn’t as straightforward as they both perform very similarly and are equally comfortable. Whichever you get, however, you shall find them stellar.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Moondrop Blessing2/Aria/Starfield, 64Audio U12t, Final A8000, Dunu Luna, Reecho Insects Awaken

CP-360

The Spinfit CP-360 are specialist eartips meant to be used with TWS earphones. If you’re having trouble getting a fit with the stock tips that came with your earbud, give these a shot. The flange material is soft silicone and it’s very comfortable to wear due to the nozzle material not being too stiff. Isolation is also top-notch. Generally a good tip to have in your collection if you are into TWS earphones.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Samsung Galaxy Buds/Buds Plus/Buds Pro, FIIL T1XS, Lypertek Tevi

CP-500

The most interesting offering in Spinfit’s entire lineup has to be the CP-500. It has a larger bore diameter (~5.5mm) and is meant for large nozzle IEMs that require a wide bore to work best. However, I have found them to work on slightly smaller bore IEMs too. I purchased the CP-500 initially to use with the Final E5000 (as stock E-type black tips have too much mid-bass). The CP-500 was the only tip available at that time for final’s E-series IEMs thus I pulled the trigger. Ironically, I ended up using the CP-500 on IEMs other than the Final E-type, most notably Dunu Zen and the IMR R1 Zenith. The CP-500 with Dunu Zen, specifically, have an incredible pairing that elevates the (already great) Zen to new heights. The difference between the Zen + CP-500 and other tips were far too noticeable.

That preamble aside, the CP-500 has a soft flange along with a similarly soft bore. The flange also has a somewhat oily texture to it, resulting in a fit that’s not the most secure and requires a bit of a deeper insertion. It’s a very comfortable eartip but isolation is worse than the CP-100/145/360. This is an eartip I’d recommend if you’re someone who’s into “tip-rolling” (as in, experimenting with various eartips). The CP-500 provides interesting results with many IEMs.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Final E4000/E5000/E1000, Dunu Zen (best pairing for me), JVC FX-700, JVC FW-10000

CP-800

The Spinfit CP-800 is a specialized eartip meant for using exclusively with narrow-bore IEMs like the Shure, Etymotic ones. In case of Etymotic ER2XR this provides an interesting alternative to the stock triple/double-flange tips. The CP-800 has about the same bass and midrange rendition so those who find the stock triple/dual flange tips on Etymotics intrusive might find the CP-800 far more comfortable. I would recommend going for a smaller size than what you usually use with these tips (so if you usually need M, go for S). A size smaller will help with deeper fit. Sadly on the ER2XR at least, the CP-800 makes the treble roll-off earlier than the dual/triple flange tips. If you need more treble sparkle, the CP-800 might let you down on those IEMs. Shure IEMs like SE-215 worked just as well as the Shure Olive tips, however, with slightly improved fit.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Etymotic ER2XR/ER4XR, Shure SE215/SE846.

DOUBLE-FLANGE SPINFIT EARTIPS

CP-240

The Spinfit CP-240 is their only dual-flange offering. Usually dual-flange tips offer a deeper seal along with improved isolation. The CP-240, however, is a strange case. Due to the larger gap between the swiveling part on top and the second flange below, the seal breaks inside the ear canal and may lead to a loss of isolation. Moreover, the bass response lightens up a lot as a result. This might help if you want to tone the bass down on some IEMs but for me this particular tip didn’t really have a permanent place on any of the IEMs I’ve tried them on. The CP-240 also comes with adapters that you can slot inside the bore to reduce bore size and use narrow-bore IEMs like Etymotic/Westone/Shure.

Some suggested pairings for these tips: Westone, Shure, Etymotic IEMs with adapter, Meze 12 Classics V2 without adapter.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Writing about eartips can be confusing since it’s such a personal thing after all. This article is not meant to be taken as an absolute guide, rather a primer into what you might expect from the several Spinfit offerings. In the end, I can only speak from my personal experience along with the feedback I’ve gathered over time from other experienced users.

The Spinfit offerings are a must-have if you’re into collecting IEMs and love to experiment with several eartips. If I had to choose one SpinFit eartip among the 8 reviewed here, I would pick the CP-100+. It’s going to be widely available soon, it improves upon the original CP-100, and most of all it pairs well with most of the IEMs out there barring those with thin nozzles. Similarly, the CP-145 is a great choice and improves the comfort and sonic performance of many IEMs I’ve tried them on.

Among the rest, the CP-360 should be in your stable if you’re into TWS earphones, they are one of the few TWS-specific eartip after all. The CP-500 is a specialist eartip that can be unpredictable, and being the widest-bore tip in Spinfit’s lineup offers something unique. Finally, the CP-240 is something I couldn’t find a use for and the CP-800 didn’t perform as well as the tips it’s supposed to replace (for me). So these two don’t excite me as much.

Thus, I’ve covered most of Spinfit’s mainstream offerings. In the future I plan to make an entire post/thread where the eartips of all major manufacturers (along with a few obscure) ones will be covered. Let’s see how that one goes.

MY VERDICT

CP-100+/CP-145: Highly Recommended
CP-360/CP-500: Recommended

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DISCLAIMER

SpinFit Eartips can be found on Amazon.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Spinfit Eartips Roundup: A Comprehensive Comparison Between 8 Variants appeared first on Audio Reviews.