Cons — The usual earbud disease: lack of slam and depth; fixed cable.

Executive Summary

The NiceHCK EB2S is a metal-built warm-neutral sounding earbud with an organic timbre and great vocals reproduction that still lacks the bass slam and extension of iems or more expensive earbuds.

Introduction

NiceHCK have been known to the community for their quality earphone cables and their budget earbuds. Unfortunately, earbuds and I don’t harmonize very well as my ears somewhat resonate sound, which frequently results in non-existing upper midrange peaks (in my perception) and fatigue. This is luckily not the case with the EB2S.

I have reviewed the original NiceHCK EB2 in my early days (2018), and they beat my Sennheiser MX 560…after all, Sennheiser invented earbuds. And although I don’t like earbuds, the original EB2 were good enough to keep as reference.

Spoiler alert: the EB2S are a substantial upgrade over the EB2, they are enjoyable to listen to, and they provide good value. And I am really glad that they are good considering I had ripped apart the last three reviews units sent to me by NiceHCK. There is always hope.

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

In the box are the buds, a velvety storage back, several foams, and the paperwork. I have to say that I am not too keen on anime girls on the box aiming to increase sales. Earphones are earphones, and anime is anime.

The earpieces are made of metal and have a great haptic. The fixed high-purity oxygen-free fixed cable is somewhat standard and has average jewelry appeal for this class.

The earpieces have standard fit and comfort, and the usual lack of isolation.

Tonality and Technicalities

Equipment used: Sony NW-A55 ; stock foams.

The EBS2’s is a very pleasant sonic surprise. Typically, cheap earbuds sound thin and tinny, the EBS2 does not. It has some nice tone colour with a natural timbre. Sure, it does not have the depth and slam of expensive buds but it is by itself competent enough to be enjoyed by me.

Star is vocals rendering: voices are intimate, well resolving, they have decent weight (for an earbud), and are rather natural. Notes are well rounded – transients are as they should be. Midrange is overall very clean and clear.

Bass extension is the problem child, as in most earbuds. The EB2S digs somewhat down, much better than any other sub-$30 I have tested, but not as deep as any given iem. Nevertheless is there some sub-bass. Bass itself has good quality slam which lacks in quantity. In summary, the low end is rather light (hence the intimate vocals) but well layered and well composed.

Treble is well extended and surprisingly well resolving. Nothing strident up there. Interestingly, high notes are pretty forward.

This lightness of the low end results in a relatively shallow stage that has a good width nevertheless. Spatial cues is very good and so are instrument separation and layering.

All ok but I still miss the hard punch of an iem. For me, such signature is more for mellow moods.

The EB2S is superior over the original NiceHCK EB2 in essentially all aspects: soundstage, imaging, resolution, clarity…at a similar tonal temperature. It is more refined and mature at a similar price.

It also beats my previous budget earbud reference, a DIY by the late Head-Fier HungryPanda, in terms of staging and it smokes the VE Monk Go and similar $5-10 cruelties in a pipe.

The EB2S’ microphone works well for phone calls. You find a sound sample behind this spoiler.

Concluding Remarks

The NicHCK EB2S is a polite but mature sounding earbud for relaxed listening. It is a substantial upgrade over the original EB2. Considering the good quality of its inline microphone and the rather weak isolation, it is great for use in situations where you cannot completely disconnect from your ambient background whilst having to answer phone calls.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The EB2S was provided by NiceHCK and I thank them for that.

Get it from NiceHCK Audio Store

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

The post NiceHCK EB2S Review – Grown Ups appeared first on Audio Reviews.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Apogee Groove / Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / Ifi HipDac / Cowon Plenue 2 – donut foam covers – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Technicalities

Physicals

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

vs K’s Earphone Bell-LBs (€59,00 street price)

By design K300 indeed offer a different tuning compared to Bell-LBs: warm and V-shaped vs neutral. K300’s sub bass is very audible and delivers nice rumble, on par with quite a few IEMs actually, and unlike Bell-LBs where it is just hinted. Mid bass is more elevated, bloomier, denser on K300 vs Bell-LBs’ leaner, faster, punchier one.

Mids are obviously recessed and also leaner on K300, vs unrecessed bodied and organic on Bell-LBs. Highmids and trebles are similarly elevated on both, but obvsiouly cleaner, sparklier, airier on Bell-LBs, and brushed, warmed and inoffensive on K300.

Soundstage casting is very similar, in both cases absolutely holographic, a further bit more extended on K300. Imaging and separation are evidently much better on Bell-LBs as a direct consequence of much faster transiets all over the spectrum. K300 is somewhat harder to drive due to its 300 ohm impedance, and less expensive.

Considerations & conclusions

K300 are another definite hit by K’s Earphone, the same makers of BELL-LBs. They deliver a very well calibrated warm-bass tonality and a stunning holographic very extended stage, offering a really pleasing, relaxing musical experience.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post K’s Earphone K300 Review – Warm Relaxing Pleasure appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Here’s my analysis of K’s Earphone “Bell-LBs” model, which I recently personally purchased for € 59,00

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Apogee Groove / Sony NW-A55 mrWalkman / Questyle QP1R / Ifi HipDac / Cowon Plenue 2 – full foam and donut foam covers – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Technicalities

Physicals

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

vs Rose Mojito (was $ 259,00 – now discountinued)

Both are designed for with a neutral presentation in mind, but when directly compared Bell-LBs comes out “flatter-neutral” while Mojito sounds a bit more “balanced”.

Mojito delivers more sub-bass and a modest rumble vs just a hint of that on Bell-LBs. Midbass are similar in note body, Mojito offering a bit more elevation. Mids and vocals are equivalently refined and organic, very difficult to tell which is better. On both, male are “just good”, female are “wonderful”.

Neither driver ever scants into sibilance, but Bell-LBs do occasionally concede to shoutyness, which Mojito is totally free of. Stage casting is similar, Bell-LBs being just a bit deeper.

Imaging and separation are surely better on Mojito mainly thanks to the absence of treble shoutiness. Bell-LBs are way easier to drive and pair.

vs Rose Masya (was $ 129,00 – now discountinued)

Masya offer a bright-accented presentation vs a virtually pure-neutral coming out of Bell-LBs. Both buds deliver a just hinted sub-bass, with barely audible rumble. Midbass are similar, with Masya showing a bit more elevation.

Mids are better tuned on Bell_LBs which deliver thicker tone body and higher organicity. Vocals are hands-down better on Bell-LBs, female even more than male. Both drivers present a tendence to (occasional) shoutyness on trebles on some tracks, Masya more than Bell-LBs.

Technicalities are also very similar, with Bell-LBs showing just a bit more stage depth in comparison. Bell-LBs are much easier to drive and pair.

vs K’s Earphone K300 (€58,14 list, € 29,10 street price)

By design K300 indeed offer a different tuning compared to Bell-LBs: warm and V-shaped vs neutral. K300’s sub bass is very audible and delivers nice rumble, on par with quite a few IEMs actually, and unlike Bell-LBs where it is just hinted.

Mid bass is more elevated, bloomier, denser on K300 vs Bell-LBs’ leaner, faster, punchier one. Mids are obviously recessed and also leaner on K300, vs unrecessed bodied and organic on Bell-LBs.

High mids and trebles are similarly elevated on both, but obvsiouly cleaner, sparklier, airier on Bell-LBs, and brushed, warmed and inoffensive on K300.

Soundstage casting is very similar, in both cases absolutely holographic, a further bit more extended on K300. Imaging and separation are evidently much better on Bell-LBs as a direct consequence of much faster transiets all over the spectrum.

K300 is somewhat harder to drive due to its 300 ohm impedance, and less expensive.

vs VE Monk SM (Slim Metal) (€ 22,39)

Monk SM tonality is bright-neutral vs Bell-LBs being almost pure neutral. Both have just hinted sub-bass. Mid-bass is similar on both, a bit more elevated and organic on Bell-LBs.

Mids and especially vocals are monumentally better on Bell-LBs, whereas Monk SM sound deeply artificial, in addition to lean and untextured.

High mids and trebles are also arguably much more organic on Bell-LBs, shouty and fatiguing on Monk SM. Monk SM cast a deeper but narrower stage.

Detail retrieval on Monk SM is not as bad as their high mids and treble lack of refinement might imply, but Bell-LBs keep the lead with good margin. Microdynamics are also evidently better on Bell-LBs.

Both drivers are quite easy to bias power-wise, but Monk SM is way more capricious in terms of pairing (some sources excite their highmids making them sound like a portable transistor radio from the ’70ies).

Considerations & conclusions

K’s Earphone BELL-LBs are a pair a earbuds that acoustic and vocal music lovers may easily fall in love with.

They tick so many boxes at once: neutral tonality, spot-on timbre, comfortable fit, high resolving power, holographic stage casting and good technicalities, all paired with decent driveability and an affordable price.

Sure there is better at higher budget levels, but I couldn’t find anything remotely close in terms of sound quality on an almost purely neutral tonality at such a modest cost.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post K’s Earphone Bell-LBs Review – Budget Neutral Reference appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Subsequently followed by other models named Masya and Maria, all of these including the original Mojito are now discountinued to leave the field to the latest iteration called Maria II, which is the sole Rose Technics earbud model currently available.

I’ve had a chance to extensively audition both Mojito (originally priced at $259,00) and Masya, both being privately owned samples, and this article is about my experience with the former, with some comparison notes to add hints about the latter at the end.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup

Sources: Apogee Groove + Burson FUN + IEMatch / Questyle QP1R – stock full foams – Stock cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Technicalities

Physicals

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

vs Rose Masya ($ 129,00 – discontinued)

Masya is the model released by Rose Technics just after Mojito, and can be considered its economical (50% lower priced) version in a sense.

Unlike Mojito, Masya offers a bright-accented presentation to begin with, with a tint of warmth added to the lowmids to counterbalance a bit. Sub bass is almost entirely absent, while it’s very present and generating nice rumble on Mojito. Midbass are similar on Masya and Mojito, with Masya showing a somewhat less note body there.

Mids are more forward on Masya, I would say equivalently detailed and organic as on Mojito, and still free from any sibilance of sort, but Masya’s high mids do have a tendence to get shouty, and trebles are sometimes even slightly splashy on Masya, which does not happen at all on Mojito. Technicalities are also similar: Masya presents just a bit less of stage depth, and its instrument separation capabilities, especially on trebles, are limited on the upside when the driver goes shouty.

vs K’s Earphone BELL-LBS (€ 59,00 street price)

Bell-LBs are the sole example of almost purely neutral tuned earbuds which come at least somewhat close to Mojito’s refinement that I could find (at a fraction of Mojito’s asking price).

Sub-bass rumble is indeed present on Bell-LBs, but at an evidently lesser elevation compared to Mojito. Midbass on Bell-LBs and shares the same speed and punchyness with Mojito, but notes are a bit leaner and less textured (on Bell-LBs). Mids and vocals behave very similarly – ob both drivers females are better than males, which sound leaner and somewhat hollower. Female vocals and highmids some rare time get somewhat close to sibilance on Bell-LBs, which never happens on Mojito.

Trebles are well refined on Bell-LBs, there’s no shoutyness that I can assess much like it happens on Mojito. Treble balance in the general presentation economy is more prominent on Bell-LBs, which sound airier nonetheless. Technicalities are very similar, with the sole notable difference being that Bell-LBs cast a less deep stage.

Considerations & conclusions

Rose Mojito are no doubt, and by far, the most refined sounding earbuds I have ever auditioned. So much so that it’s not even appropriate to “compare” them with the overwhelming majority of the “most popular” earbuds, with which the sole real common part is frankly just the form factor category itself.

Oddly enough, if I had to define and introduce Rose Mojito to someone never having heard them I would say: consider them as a pair of openback headphones… in miniature size. Mojito deliver a spectacularly extended holographic sound field, high-end resolving power and superb instrument separation on a virtually pure-neutral presentation, and a 100% organic acoustic timbre. Listening to acoustic music on Mojito is nothing short of pure pleasure.

I wish I had the opportunity to audition their currently marketed evolution: Rose Maria II. You never know what may happen…

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Rose Mojito – Honorable Progenitor appeared first on Audio Reviews.

With this spirit I’m assessing a pair of Smabat Proto 1.0 modular IEMs which I got from the manufacturer for this purpose. Their street price is currently $79,00 – so not one of those excessively cheap chifi thingies – and you can find them on their website, besides multiple distributors on AE as always.

At-a-glance Card

Modularity for everyone

Extensive modularity on a finished product like IEMs is commercially a very interesting idea, clinging to all those who feel enticed by DYI but (right or wrong) look at themselves as impaired or more simply too lazy to take that route. With them in mind, Smabat Proto 1.0 is the closest thing to a Lego project box.

With Proto 1.0 you can:

Swap the main dynamic driver transducer.

You can take the transducer coming with the main package, and replace with a different version, sold separately, supposed to deliver a different sound presentation.

The housings can easily be opened and closed by bare hands, revealing that the driver’s cabling features a small plug/unplug fixing.

Sadly I only got the basic package, in particular I got none of the alternative drivers to check.

Add a filter onto the main sound output nozzle, to tune trebles behaviour.

The default being “no filter”, inside the box a blue little item is available which is supposed to be optionally plugged onto the nozzle to smash highmids and treble frequencies flat down by a whopping -7dB (!!). Not a small nudge at all, rather a dramatic intervention on the entire upper part of the presentation.

Roll another filter, installed directly on the housing, to tune bass behaviour.

By default a gold-colored little cap is installed, which is part of the house-tuning so to say.

Inside the box 2 alternative cap pairs are provided, carriying different mesh filters, and distinct by their colours: silver ones are supposed to smash mid and low frequencies (from 1KHz down) down by -6dB, while red ones are supposed to kick them way up by the same, opposite sign amount: +6dB. Again: a major intervention, not at all a fine tuning thingie.

Comments

Before getting to the sound analysis, I feel a few comments are in order here about Proto 1.0’s modular design.

Housing dampeners are very difficult to take out, the more so with the bundled tweezers, which I suspect are more aimed at facilitating plugging/unpligging the main driver’s connector. My wife’s “professional” eyebrow tweezers helped better with those colored dampeners. I suggested Smabat to finetune their design.

Proto 1.0 come equipped with a 10mm Titanium Diaphragm, 16 ohm impedance driver. According to Smabat, such driver is supposed to offer a warm, mid-centric presentation, good but not overly powerful bass, and rich and clear high frequencies. As you will read further down, this is not entirely true – but that’s not the point here.

As previously mentioned, both treble (nozzle) and bass (housing) dampening filters apply a nothing short of brutal variation to the “default” tuning. It’s quite evident that a lower-impact version of such filters would be very interesting to test. Questioned about this, the manufacturer commented “Regarding the silver damper, we will add some bass in subsequent adjustments”.

When I got this sample unit a few weeks ago on their Ali Express shop Smabat advertised 3 alternative drivers:  a Beryllium Plated Diaphragm (32 ohm) supposed to offer a “levelled presentation accross the entire frequency spectrum”, a Fiber Membrane (16 ohm) driver supposed to offer a more V shaped alternative, and a Dome LCP (22 ohm) supposed to offer a bright-enhanced alternative.

I obviously asked for those to be sent to me for a direct comparison, particularly the Beryllium Plated one (why that? simply because the default Titanium one is too warm, missing sub-bass and dominated by awfully bloating midbass – so I’d like to check how one which tuning is defined “levelled” in Smabat’s language would sound).

Sadly, the manufacturer’s answer was: “Other drives will be delayed, we are still testing to confirm. You can publish your assessment first.”

It’s worth noting that after a couple of weeks I checked again on Smabat website and there was no mention for a Beryllium Plated Diaphragm spare driver anymore, whilst a Titanium Plated Diaphragm (20 ohm) spawned in its place. Who knows if at least the range is to be considered final now, and when will those, or at least a few of them, be actually ready for shipping ?

Lastly, in addition to the two “user side” main vent openings (the main nozzle, and the other hole near the nozzle supposed to be equipped with bass-tuning dampeners), there is a third small vent opening on the housings’ back plates. Being a backside vent that is of course impacting on bass behaviour. Looking on the inside part of the removable backplate I can see a small white filter is installed. Oddly enough, Smabat does not offer spare / alternative filters to be rolled on that position. Why ?

All’n’all, everything seems to suggest that “Proto 1.0” is a quite meant naming for this product: it’s a prototype, and the first version thereof too!

Enough intro, let’s listen.

Full Device Card

Test setup

Sources: Apogee Groove / Apogee Groove + Burson FUN + IEMatch / Questyle QP1R / Cowon Plenue 2 – final E clear tips – Stock cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC tracks.

Signature analysis

Technicalities

Physicals

Specifications (declared)

Considerations and conclusions

Smabat Proto 1.0 is first of all a nice idea. Not a totally new one for Smabat, which indeed applied the same concept to their M-series earbuds before (a full review of Smabat M2s Pro will drop ReallySoonNow(tm)…), but at least to my knowledge this is the first time I see this applied to IEMs.

As I very quickly mentioned at the top, Smabat 1.0 is the closest thing to a Lego-project-box applied to IEMs. Let me add: it is so both in the pros and the cons. As for the pros, those are totally obvious: you really can “build your own IEM”, and you can even separately order “alternative” pieces to develop variations of your project to experiment with.

There are cons too, though. First of all, such alternative items are still somewhat work in progress at Smabat. I’m a positive thinker, and I want to believe this is just a temporary situation. What’s more serious, instead, is that the output sound quality – at least that coming out of the stock elements I got with the package – is not competitive with the best (non-modular) alternatives on the same price range. Without getting too far, a pair of final E3000 cost sensibly less, and run circles around Proto 1.0’s stock titanium drivers, for how hard you may try and combine filters on that.

Proto. Like “Prototype”, I guess. And even the first version of it (1.0). A first attempt. Good, as an appetizer. Now let’s wait for the main course.

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The post Smabat Proto 1.0 – Work In Progress? appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Spicy upper midrange, sounds thin, lacks body; not for loud listening.

Executive Summary

The Monk Go impresses most by its $5 price tag. It actually has decent resolution and technical merits but its complete lack of body and brightish midrange make them only useful for listening at very low volumes.

Introduction

I am not an earbuds person – and explicitly had asked to spare me from reviewing any more of them. This was ignored, so, hey, here are my reflections.

I had donated most of my own earbuds to a school in India and only kept the créme de la créme of these bass-less little plastic rascals.

The Monk Go is the cheapest of them all, and it is the challenger against the likes of the mighty Sennheiser MX 560 (purchased in 2008), the original Apple earbuds (from 2001), the Moondrop Shiro Yuki, and the HungryPanda HP560, a custom design by the late HungryPanda. 

It was Sennheiser that invented this type of headphone. At their peak, after the invention of the ipod and before the smartphone, earbuds roamed the world like dinosaurs, but Sennheiser cancelled most of their models when the better sealing in-ear monitors became widespread.

One of Venture Electronics’s focuses is earbuds in a range between $5 and $200. The $5 Monk (and later the Monk Plus) became famous as one of the most affordable earbuds on the market.

Strangely enough, their upscale models have impedances of up to 300 ohm (like the Sennheiser HD 600 series) and require strong amplification, best a desktop setup.  This is in strong contrast to Sennheiser’s original idea as the small form factor stands for portability. A strange paradox.

The Monk/Monk Plus also had a rather high impedance of 64 ohm, which made them pretty useless with smartphones. Extra amplification was required to drive these properly, which, to me, is cost prohibitive for a $5 earbud.

To everybody’s delight, VE recently released a 32 ohm version of the Monk, the Monk Go. As the name implies, this version is now finally for portable use. 

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

The Monk Go comes in a baggie with no accessories. The additionally supplied $3 Ex Pack Lite contained the foams I used. The shells follow the classic Sennheiser design and are built well. The cable is basic but works just fine. The whole assembly is reasonably rugged.

Comfort, fit, and isolation are as with any earbud.

Tonality and Technicalities

Equipment used: iPhone SE; MacBook Air with Earstudio HU100 | VE Odyssey Pro; Monk go with foams.

The Monk Go (with foams) has two faces: one at low volume and the other one when played louder. This lies in its sonic characteristics: lack of bass, lack of overall body/richness, spicy upper midrange…but it also offers acceptable resolution, imaging, and timbre.

At low volumes, the overall sonic impression is ok as the elevated upper midrange and the lack of congestion (no bleeding bass!) create a decent image with good transparency and air.

When turning the volume up, the lean sound becomes nasal, hollow, and aggressive. You will not find many earbuds that sound thinner.

Monk Go Compared

Cheap earbuds appear to have a big following, so I compared the Monk Go with the $12 Moondrop Shiro Yuki, the discontinued $20 Sennheiser MX560, the discontinued original Apple buds, and a custom-made earbud.

The 32 ohm HungryPanda DIY model with its Fengru LCK 1596 15.4 mm driver is the by far richest sounding of the bunch. Second comes the Sennheiser MX 560, which still has way more body than the Monk Go.

The Yuki Shiro sounds even thinner than the Monk Go, just awful. Apple’s original 2001 earbuds lack treble extension which makes them sound thicker in the midrange than the Monk Go, but they lack in top end.

When ranking them, I’d put the HungryPanda before the Senns and the Apple. Monk Go come in fourth, and the Moondrop last.

The most positive about this comparison is that you are not able to purchase most of these cruelties anymore, with the exception of the Moondrop Shiro Yuki and the Monk Go. You are better off with the $7 KZ EDX if you crave low-fi (these are iems)…

Concluding Remarks

Monk Go may be a good deal at $5, but the sweet spot of many audio enthusiasts is way above that. A realistic pairing would be a $50 phone or a $30 dap – which are hard to come by. So, while getting good material value, these would go into most people’s drawer-of-no-return in no time.

I rather spend my money on something else, or save to go a bit higher.  I spent several hours listening to the Monk Go – and lost several hours of my life.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

All Our Earphone and Earbud Reviews (with Links)

Disclaimer

The Monk Go were provided unsolicited by Venture Electronics and I thank them for that.

Get The Monk Go HERE.

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

The post Venture Electronics Monk Go Review – Emperor’s New Clothes appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Fit of the FIIL CC2 can be awkward
– Lack of noise isolation due to open acoustic design
– Sub-bass roll-off
– Midrange coloration may not suit everyone’s tastes
– Average resolution and dynamics

INTRODUCTION

FIIL has made a name for itself in the True Wireless and Wireless earphone/earbud/headphone space. They have a large collection of Bluetooth audio devices and most of them seem rather interesting in their respective price brackets.

The FIIL CC2 is an update to the original FIIL CC that was positioned as an Apple Airpods alternative. The half in-ear design and similarly open acoustic structure makes the CC2 rather different from the in-ear designs out there. The competition is strong in the True Wireless space, so let’s see how well the FIIL CC2 holds up.

The ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. FIIL was kind enough to send me the CC2 for evaluation.

Sources used: Google Pixel 6, iPhone SE

Price, while reviewed: $70. Can be bought from Amazon US.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

FIIL CC2 has a fairly compact packaging that covers the essentials. You get the earbuds themselves housed inside the carrying/charging case and a charging cable. Given the earbud style design, there is no need for silicone eartips, though I wish they had one of those silicone wings that helps better fit the earbuds.

The charging case, however, is fantastic. It’s a CNC-milled aluminium shell that houses an ABS plastic chamber (the chamber contains charging circuitry etc.). I love the design of the carrying case and it definitely stands out among the crowd.
4/5

BUILD QUALITY

The earbuds themselves are made out of plastic that has a metal-like finish in the stem and matte black driver housings. Each stem houses the battery and required wireless modules. At the bottom of each earpiece you will find two gold contact-points for charging and a mic. At the top, you get the status LED. At the side there is a dot that acts as a touch-input. Tapping it twice/thrice performs several operations (customizable in the app).

The earbuds are quite lightweight, though nothing feels flimsy or cheap. Solid build quality, overall, even if nothing extraordinary.
4/5

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

The FIIL CC2 earbuds have an Apple Airpods “inspired” shape (also called half in-ears), though there are differences in curvature of the driver housing. For me it was fairly comfortable but after a while the hard plastic shell became distracting. The fit wasn’t the most secure for me as well, though my friends had a much better time and they could even go on a run with these in their ears.

So I guess the fit will vary but should be fine for most people (unless you have non-earbud friendly ears like mine). Isolation is almost non-existent, however, so don’t expect these to drown out traffic/commute noises.
3/5

SOURCE, CONNECTIVITY, AND BATTERY LIFE

I used my Pixel 6 and Sony NW-A55 for most of the critical listening. I also tried with an iPhone SE and my laptop. The FIIL CC2 worked fine with all of them. Battery life was very good for my use since I didn’t listen to them longer than an hour. Simply sliding the earbuds back in the case recharges them and with just a few minutes of charging I could go on for another hour or so.

The problem with the battery life is mostly down to the continuous playback time: it’s about 3 hours or so if you use them without putting them back in the charger. The charging case holds charge for ~18 hours which is very good and I needed to charge the case once a week. It’s only if you are using the earbuds consistently for more than 3 hours shall you run into problems with battery life.

As for connectivity: Bluetooth connection was fairly stable. I didn’t notice any lag or random dropouts from any of my devices (ranging from BT 4.0 to BT 5.2) You can also install the FIIL App and customize the presets/change EQ modes/assign gestures. Finally, a small note about call quality: the FIIL CC2 mic records sound better than the much more expensive Apple Airpods Max. I had no problem talking with others even in moderately noisy environment and calls sounded loud and clear.
4.5/5

DRIVER SETUP

The FIIL CC2 uses a 13.1mm single-dynamic driver with a Titanium-plated dome and PET surround. The acoustic structure itself is open and thus expands the soundstage beyond your head, at the expense of noise leakage and isolation.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The general sound signature of the FIIL CC2 can be described as warm with a lower-treble tilt.

The most noticeable aspect of the sound is the sub-bass roll-off. You only hear sub-bass frequencies well from above 40Hz. The rumble factor is missing in action, though the moderately bumped up mid-bass does add some punch to the bass. Either way, the bass is not very textured is mostly tuned to give a sense of rhythm rather than cater to the bass afficionados.

Being very particular about bass myself, I was a bit disappointed but at least FIIL played within the limitation of the driver and acoustic structure rather than being overzealous with bass boost and add distortion.

Thanks to the mid-bass boost (which is fairly moderate and mostly thickens the lower-mids rather than cloud them) the vocals come through well even in some bass heavy mixes. However, there is some strange mid-range coloration going on. To my ears, the mid frequencies start to rise from 500Hz and then suddenly go down around 800Hz. Then it starts rising again from 1000Hz and peaks at 3.2KHz or so (to my ears).

So there is adequate pinna gain but the strange peaks between 500-1000Hz can make male vocals sound strangely colored and nasal at times. Female vocals were mostly fine and didn’t sound shouty to my ears. String instruments were decently portrayed though I think they could do with a bit more clarity (mostly due to the lower-mid tuning I guess).

As for the highs, the FIIL CC2 opt for a sizeable lower-treble peak at ~5.8KHz and then another mid-treble peak ~7KHz, after which the treble rolls off rather quickly post-10KHz. The 5-6KHz peak is definitely noticeable and brings cymbal hits forward and makes certain acoustic instruments sound metallic. It also makes some percussion instruments sound compressed. Overall, this treble peak isn’t too problematic (e.g. doesn’t introduce sibilance) but should definitely be EQ’ed down in the FIIL app IMO.

Lastly, the staging is rather open and definitely a neat trick of the FIIL CC2 due to its open acoustic design. Imaging is also better than average for the price range. Separation was good, but the overall resolution was rather average. Also note that the FIIL CC2 lacks in dynamics due to the sub-bass roll-off and lack of upper-treble.

Bass: 3/5
Mids: 4/5
Highs: 3/5
Soundstage/Imaging: 4.5/5
Speed/Dynamics: 3/5

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Apple Airpods

The Apple Airpods are nearly 3x as much expensive and doesn’t come with as neat a carrying case as the FIIL CC2. However, if you’re an Apple user it will integrate seamlessly with all your Apple devices. For someone like me who only use an iPhone sporadically – this is not a selling point. So I’ll focus on comfort and sound aspect mostly.

The FIIL CC2 was more comfortable for me than the Airpods, though both lacked isolation. The FIIL CC2 app is also something the Airpods lack (and CC2 is more customizable as a result) but then again if you are getting Apple products you do not do a lot of customization either way. As for sound, the Airpods are noticeably worse than the FIIL CC2.

The bass is looser and distorts easily on the Airpods in bass heavy sections. In the mids, the FIIL CC2 resolves slightly better than the Airpods with better separation. The treble is rolled-off on both but the CC2 has the lower-treble peaks that gives a sense of enhanced clarity and presence of high notes. Staging is deeper on the CC2 though both has an out-of-your-head staging, just that the Airpods feel more congested due to the bass tuning. Imaging is more precise on the CC2 as well.

Overall, I find the FIIL CC2 to have noticeably better sound quality than the most popoular True-Wireless earbud on the planet.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The FIIL CC2 is designed really well and has crossed off most of the checklist: good battery life, decent comfort, good call quality, above-average sound quality. The one area where it falls short is isolation but that’s an intended design decision.

However, based on sound quality alone, the FIIL CC2 will fall short of other wired earphones in the price range. Then again, that applies to even the most expensive wireless headphone out there.

So considering the limitations and the current state of the competition I can recommend the FIIL CC2 for someone who is looking at an Airpods alternative. It sounds better than the Airpods and while it lacks the seamless software integration of the Apple product, the companion app along with the large price gap makes the FIIL CC2 a good option.

MY VERDICT

4/5

A good Airpods alternative, though there are better sounding wired earphones out there.

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PHOTOGRAPHY

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

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INTRO

Smabat has released a second generation of earbuds designed for the tinkerers and modders but with a closed ecosystem of driver swaps and vent swaps for the Smabat M0 and M2s Pro model.

Smabat sent me the entry level moddable version the Smabat M0. The Smabat M2S Pro offers a thicker cable and a 40 ohm driver with just the dome reinforced with a titanium coating.

The Smabat M0 uses a fully coated titanium diaphragm. I thought the concept of selling tuning mesh and easily swappable drivers was interesting enough to see what it was all about. I love the idea of standardized parts.

GOOD TRAITS

• Cable
• Easy modding
• Soundstaging and openness

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

• Tonality improvements, slight bass lift

PACKAGE CONTENTS

The shell is metal and the driver actually just pops off via a rubber o-ring, it is not threaded so twisting is not the way to remove except when inserting back together to fit the wires back inside. The wires unplug via a connector, the original version of the M2S actually required soldering.

Most users will not have access to a soldering iron so the connector makes this concept more user friendly for sure. Inside the shell there is a replaceable vent but no extra vent mesh is included with the package.

The kit of mesh vents are sold from Smabat here or you can experiment with third party or DIY vents, and the different dynamic drivers can be purchased here.

The mccx cable is perfectly suitable for this Smabat M0, I actually used the same type of cable when I modded my Sony MH755. It is flexible enough that it doesn’t retain memory from coiling, it is fairly non-microphonic, and nimble which is important for earbuds that can easily fall out from excess weight.

There are also two sets of foam to cover the earbud for added comfort. One set has a hole in the center to allow minimal changes to the sound while the other set fully covers the driver. The storage pouch is made like an old style coin purse made of suede like leather.

SOUND

While I usually prefer in-ears over earbuds, I am no stranger to the differences between the styles. The Smabat M0 are bass light and thin sounding, lacking both in lower registers and midbass. Very similar to an in-ear that doesn’t seal properly. If I push them in closer, the bass comes alive but at the expense of clarity in the vocals and treble.

Male vocals, guitars, pianos and percussion instruments are missing note weight and fullness required to make them sound like-life. Female vocals sound dainty as result as well.

The Smabat M0 are clearly destined to accentuate the treble region and provide a light and engaging upper mid treble focus. Horns and stringed instruments are very present, however missing some of the lower grunt making them sound a bit hollow.

The stock Smabat M0 is clearly destined for treble lovers who want the bass to remain in the background and not muddy up the presentation. The good thing about the treble is that it is nicely presented and doesn’t reach piercing levels of pain just some minor sharpness. The upper octave is subdued a bit so it stops short of presenting too much airiness.

TECHNICALITIES

Since the Smabat M0 is so treble focused, everything feels light and airy with a good height lift, and soundstage feels wide as well. The missing bass however causes timbre issues making it hard for things to sound natural due to missing harmonics. Reminds me a lot of those small portable bluetooth boombox speakers but with better clarity.

COMPARISON

Senfer PT15 ($15) vs Smabat M0 ($35)

The Smabat M0 bass is very thin sounding compared to the Senfer PT15, the Senfer PT15 has better note weight as a result but sounds a little boxy and closed in. The upper midrange and treble on the Smabat M0 excel in clarity over the Senfer PT15 allowing the Smabat M0 to sound more spacious with a wider soundstage. The diameter of the driver insert is slightly larger on the Smabat M0. I don’t have much else in my stash to compare unfortunately.

FINAL REMARKS

Smabat has a good concept with the interchangeable parts, however the sound of the Smabat M0 model is missing vital information that could make it a general crowd pleaser. Instead it caters to those allergic to bass such as my wife, or someone who prioritizes wide open soundstaging instead of tonal accuracy.

One final surprise- even with the missing bass information I found it gives EDM music a large wide open music venue feeling. Since electronic music doesn’t rely so much on tonal accuracy, the large venue sound can be enticing.

SPECIFICATIONS

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DISCLAIMER

Smabat sent these to me for a charge that would feed a hungry child for a day. They can be purchased direct from Smabat on their website or Aliexpress.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

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

The post Smabat M0 Review – Modding for the Tool Free appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Excellent tonality, timbre, technicalities.
Good accessories.
Good fit – can be won cable up/down. Also is MMCX detachable; most TOTL earbuds still come with fixed connection.
Nothing harsh in tuning.
Easy to drive.
Excellent timbre.
Big soundstage, good imaging, not congested even in complex pieces.

Cons:

Fit not the most secure.
Lacks subbass as per most earbuds.
TOTL earbud sound comes at TOTL pricing.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The NiceHCK EBX21 is truly a TOTL summitFI earbud. It boasts a neutralish tuning with minimal harshness throughout the frequency response. The NiceHCK EBX21 also has excellent technicalities and timbre, and can truly be endgame for earbud aficionados.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: 14.2 mm LCP diaphragm
• Frequency response: 20 – 32000Hz
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Sensitivity: 121dB/mW
• Cable: MMCX (comes in 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm or 4.4 mm termination options)
• Tested at $219 USD

ACCESSORIES

Other than the earbud, the NiceHCK EBX21 packaging comes with:

• Silver plated copper tinsel + silver plated OCC cable – During ordering, you can choose whether to get a choice of 2.5 mm or 3.5 mm or 4.4 mm termination. The cable itself is selling for 100 bucks or thereabouts online and I know some folks would have preferred if they can just get the earbud without the cable for half the selling price. FWIW, the cable is very impressively braided and supple, one of the best cables I’ve used in a haptic sense. It comes with a chin cinch, and the MMCX locks quite satisfyingly with a click. The surface of the cable is apparently woven with PP yarn, and this is advertised to give better durability.
• Array of covers (full foams, donut foams, silicone rings).
• Magnetic clasp for cable.
• Carrying case – very spacious and well built.
• Tested at: $219
• Purchase Link: hifigo

For the purposes of this review, the stock cable and full foam covers were used.

BUILD/COMFORT

The NiceHCK EBX21 has a very good build, it is made of metal with a matte finish. It is comfortable and very light. It can be worn cable up or down, depending on your ear anatomy and preferences. Thankfully, this is one TOTL earbud that has a detachable cable, unlike some of its TOTL brethen that are still stuck in 2021 (no pun intended) in non detachable formats, which may be a potential source of failure down the line. 

Fit wise, YMMV as we have different ear anatomy. But for myself at least, the cable is on the heavier side, and does tend to drag the earbud out of the ears due to the weight. I managed to counter this by using the earbud over the ear, or by thickening the fit by ending 2 layers of foams (be it donut or full foams or silicone rings) so as to give it more density to sit in the ear.

ISOLATION

Well isolation and earbuds are an oxymoron. Earbuds are very niche and are actually closer to open backed headphones than IEMs per se. The earbuds generally have much better soundstage than IEMs in general, but they also tend to have poor subbass response due to the lack of isolation (as they are sitting out of the ear canal), and are hence best used in an environment which is quiet.

DRIVABILITY

I tested the NiceHCK EBX21 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 NiceHCK EBX21 is very easy to drive, and amping is not generally required. Though amping can increase dynamics, soundstage and perhaps microdetails a tinge.

I was actually expecting it to hiss like a snake due to the high sensitivity stated in the specs, but surprisingly there wasn’t much hiss.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The NiceHCK EBX21 features a quite neutralish tuning. It is very smooth with minimal peaks/troughs in the tuning, yet managing to maintain lots of microdetails. Quite a few CHIFI earbuds and IEMs “cheat” by boosting the upper mids and lower treble to get more clarity and a sense of perceived details, but here, you can really tell the NiceHCK EBX21 manages to get the details in without cranking it.

Imaging, clarity, soundstage and instrument separation are really top notch, definitely the best earbud I’ve heard in terms of technicalities. Soundstage is wide, deep and tall. The NiceHCK EBX21 can keep up with fast portions or complex portions of music with no congestion or issues. I daresay when fitted well, it has resolution approaching some IEMs, no easy feat for a earbud.

In terms of the bass, this set is midbass focused. Midbass is neutral, subbass is unfortunately rolled off like most other earbuds, both in terms of quantity and extension. Among earbuds, the SMABAT series earbuds will still beat this set in terms of absolute subbass amounts/extension. Bass on the EBX21 is very textured though, and of high quality, with no midbass bleed. Bass accuracy and speed are good.

Mids are transparent and very detailed, with no harshness at the upper mids. Vocals are very clear yet not shouty. I really liked that this set can portray forward vocals without veering to shoutiness, which is a very tough line to balance.

Treble extends moderately well, and is pretty good for a earbud. Though most IEMs will probably still beat earbuds in treble and subbass extension as mentioned. Sibilance is very mild, and cymbals and highhats sound very natural with no splashiness. This is a very well rendered treble, it is not fatiguing yet it still manages to give a good amount of microdetails and treble extension.

In terms of timbral accuracy, the NiceHCK EBX21 is really excellent. Vocal lovers will like this set. Instrumental timbre freaks who are OCD about timbre will also have nothing to complain about. Note weight is moderate.

COMPARISONS

SMABAT ST10S Black Gold ($124 USD)

The SMABAT ST10S Black Gold (not to be mistaken for the Black Silver variant which has a lower impedance and is tuned differently), is a neutralish set with a subbass and 3 kHz area boost. The SMABAT ST10S Black Gold is much much harder to drive as per the higher impedance. Both sets can be worn over ear or cable down, but I get a better fit with the SMABAT ST10S Black Gold.

The SMABAT ST10S Black Gold has a deeper subbass extension/bass quantity and is the bassiest of my earbuds. However, the SMABAT ST10S Black Gold does have a 3 kHz area spike that can be apparent with poorly recorded material or at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve).

In terms of instrumental timbral accuracy, the NiceHCK EBX21 wins. Also in terms of technicalities such as details, imaging, instrument separation and soundstage, the NiceHCK EBX21 trumps the SMABAT ST10S Black Gold.

SMABAT ST10 ($75 USD)

The regular SMABAT ST10 is another earbud with good subbass extension/quantity. It has a thinner and colder mids with poorer instrumental timbre than the NiceHCK EBX21. Like the SMABAT ST10S Black Gold, this SMABAT fits similarly and can be worn over ear or cable down, and I get a better fit with the SMABAT ST10 than the NiceHCK EBX21.

The SMABAT ST10 has better subbass extension and bass quantity as discussed. In terms of technicalities such as details, imaging, instrument separation and soundstage, the NiceHCK EBX21 beats the SMABAT ST10.

Earbuds Anonymous ($50 USD)

The Earbuds Anonymous is quite hyped on certain audio forums. For me, it lives up to its name of being a very anonymous earbud. It is L shaped with a non detachable cable. The bass is copious but has a midbass bleed. The treble is missing on the Earbuds Anonymous too and I would describe the sound of this set as muddy (and that is being generous). One of my worse earbud purchases in recent times.

In the areas of technicalities, tonality and timbre, the Earbuds Anonymous is a few levels behind the NiceHCK EBX21, and the Earbuds Anonymous sounds quite low res in comparison.

CONCLUSIONS

The NiceHCK EBX21 is truly a TOTL summitFI earbud. It boasts a neutralish tuning with minimal harshness throughout the frequency response.

In terms of the 3 Ts of timbre, tonality and technicalities, this earbud is excellent across these departments and scores near full marks for these areas, and indeed, the NiceHCK EBX21 is truly one of the best earbuds I’ve heard. If only it had a bit more subbass extension (like the SMABAT series earbuds), then I think the tuning would be perfect.

The cost of the NiceHCK EBX21 is unfortunately quite high for a earbud, and as usual, diminishing returns do exist in this hobby. As per going deeper down the audio rabbithole (not only for earbuds but for most audio gear in general), we might need to pay 10 times more to obtain a slight improvement from the budget/midfi segment, though I would say the NiceHCK EBX21 can probably be endgame for earbud aficionados. It might behoove you (once you know the sound signature you like) to just invest in one good TOTL set and call it a day, as buying multiple budget sidegrades does add up to a midfi/TOTL set soon enough. But of course, this is easier said than done, and FOMO is real, and multiple hypetrains come out on a weekly basis. Though if you follow my advise to just buy one TOTL set and go minimalistic and kick out all the budget sidegrades, my boss Jurgen will be not be happy as there will be less viewership for his blog and youtube channel!

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You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank HIFIGO for supplying this review unit. It can be gotten here: https://hifigo.com/products/nicehck-ebx21-flagship-flat-in-ear-earphones

Our generic standard disclaimer.

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

The post NiceHCK EBX21 Review – EB Stands For Endgame Bud appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Gear of the Year: Just in time for Christmas we list our our personal favourites of 2020 – the portable audio we personally enjoyed most. Note, these are not necessarily the best, but the ones we…you got it. Therefore, these are highly personal, subjective listings. Please be aware we don’t offer reviews for everything we like/we list here (yet).

That Christmas tree on the right is a carryover from last year. It stood in the lobby of the Windsor hotel at the Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro…and it should be a symbolism for looking forward to travelling again. Viva Brazil!

Most of our reviews would have not been possible without our 2020 cooperating partners. We thank:

Acoustic Effect, ADV, Akoustyx, Apos Audio, Azla, Bill Barraugh/Audiotiers, Blon, Cozoy, CVJ, ddHifi, Dekoni, Dunu, EarMen, Earstudio, Hifigo, iBasso, ifi Audio, KBEAR, Keephifi, Moondrop, NiceHCK, Opa Audio Store, Sennheiser, Shenzhenaudio, Shozy, Smabat, Tempotec, Tronsmart, TRN, Vision Ears, V-Moda, Wooeasy Earphones Store, Yaxi, Don’tkillusifweforgotyoujustsendusanotandwefixit. 

For the companies: you can check for your products/yourself in the search field on the right-hand side.

Note: we do not make any money (or getting compensated by products) through the gear we review. No affiliate links, trackers etc. We keep the conflict-of-interest potential as low as possible by attempting to stay at arm’s length.

As to the popularity of our reviews with you, the reader: our top-viewed BLOG POSTS for 2020 were (click to go to the respective article):

1. Simplified Guide To Silicone Eartips (~13,000 views in early Dec 2020)
2. Tin Hifi T2 Plus Review
3. Blon Bl-03 Review
4. KZ ZSN Pro Review
5. Blon Bl-05 Beta Photography
6. Tempotec Sonata HD Pro Review
7. Moondrop SSR Review
8. Drop JVC HA-FDX1 Review
9. Apple Audio Adapter Review
10. Earphones Of The Year 2019
11. Sennheiser IE 500 PRO Review
12. Reversing Starlines Eartips
13. TRN V90 Review
14. Moondrop Starfield Review
15. Sony MH755 Review

Total Number of Blog Posts in 2020: 186

Facebook Group (est. 2020-01-01)| https://www.facebook.com/groups/audioreviews: >5200 members

YouTube subscriptions | https://www.youtube.com/c/audioreviews: 660

Our most-watched YouTube Video of 2020:

And yes, this blog grew and grew and grew in 2020. We are now 8 reviewers on 3 continents. Below are our personal favourites of 2020…

Baskingshark…Singapore

My 2020 favourites in the following categories are:

Earphones

$300 – 500 USD:
LZ A7. Provides a mind boggling 10 tuning configs (or more with aftermarket tuning nozzles). It has excellent technicalities, good fit, good isolation, and the best part that surprised me is that the LZ A7 has very natural timbre for a BA/piezo containing tribid (other than the higher treble frequencies handled by the piezo). Most folks would find an ideal sound signature with it, maybe except diehard bassheads. 

$200 – 300 USD:
Audiosense T800. It has good technicalities, is “fun sounding” and excellent isolation nearing 30 dB. Even though it contains a BA bass, it sounds like a DD bass due to a vented subwoofer. The T800 may be a bit on the bright side, so it isn’t the best option for treble sensitive folks, but you can use knowles filters, warm sources or eartips to tame the treble.

@ $100 – 200 USD:
TRI I3. Smooth, balanced, grand and coherent despite the weird 1 planar + 1 BA + 1 DD config. It needs amping though, the planars handling the mids are quite power hungry. It has one of the best soundstages at the $100ish region when amped, with sweet planar mids. Treble is safe, bordering on darkish, so maybe not for trebleheads.

KBEAR BElieve. “Bearly believable” for a full beryllium set at this price? The KBEAR BElieve sports a smooth and refined U shaped tuning, great technical chops in the mids and treble areas for a single DD. It has good timbre for acoustic instruments but is very hard to drive, as per the 98 dB sensitivity. It sounds muddy, congested and slow in the bass with a low powered source, but scales beautifully when optimally amped, so those that don’t intend to get an amp best look elsewhere. With power, the KBEAR BElieve does hit about 70% of the technical performance of the famed DUNU LUNA, at 10% of the price! 

@ Sub $100 USD:
HZSound Heart Mirror. Nice mirror like shells, as per its namesake, it is a neutralish bright set, excellent timbre for acoustic instruments. I like how it manages to get a forward upper mids without going into harsh or shouty territory, a very fine line to balance. The Heart Mirror has good transients and speed on the driver. Note weight is thin and soundstage is not the best though, and it needs amping to shine, sounds meh from a smartphone. Good set for vocal lovers and timbre lovers, but maybe not so all rounded due to the lack of bass, but it takes to EQ in the bass like a champ.

Favourite earbud for the year:
SMABAT ST105 Black Gold. Neutralish set with subbass and upper mids boost. If you have always looked down on earbuds for not having subbass, think again. The SMABAT ST10S Black Gold has the best subass quantity and extension I’ve ever heard in a bud. It has excellent technicalities, is MMCX
detachable and can be worn over ears or cable down. It needs amping though, as per the 150 ohm impedance. Not to be mixed up with the SMABAT ST10S Black Silver, which is tuned differently (and has lower impedance).

Best lucky bag/Fukubukuro/Mystery bag:
Urbanfun YBF-ISS014 – it is extremely exciting to see whether u get a beryllium vs “noble metal” driver. Or a working versus wonky mmcx. Even newer batches of the Urbanfun have been reported to have QC problems in the audio forums.The Urbanfun can be summed up in this statement by Forrest Gump: “My Mom Always Said Life Was Like A Box Of Urbanfuns. You Never Know What You’re Gonna Get.”

Best price to peformance joke IEM of the year:
TRN golden ears $14,750.00 USD IEM paired with $3400 USD xiaofan ortiz “king of the gods” cable. Mere mortals cannot hope to use these gear if not you’ll be struck down by lightning! I hope the Bellsing BAs inside are also made of gold!

Biodegraded…Vancouver, Canada

Sorry, from me you get stuff that mostly hasn’t been reviewed. In no particular order; and most aren’t new this year.

Digital transports:
Pi2Design Pi2AES (+ Raspberry Pi)
For streaming (via wifi or Ethernet cable) digital music from your computer, you could go cheap and crap like a Chromecast or Airport, brutally expensive like an all-in-one streamer from Naim or PS Audio, or this $US 149 HAT for a Raspberry Pi which will produce excellent quality AES or S/PDIF digital audio to feed into your audiophile DAC. DIY aesthetic & philosophy, audiophile quality, fantastic convenience once you figure out how to set it up (variety of OS solutions, some better than others).

Amps/Preamps:
Ifi Audio Zen Phono RIAA phono preamp
$US 149 for excellent resolution and transients and the ability to work with a wide range of cartridges. Might benefit from an improved power supply such as Ifi’s own iPower, but my jury remains out on that. Audioreviews summary here.

Amp accessories:
GE JAN 5670W vacuum tube
Cheap and widely available true new-old-stock military-surplus tube that works really well as a 6DJ8/6922 preamp tube substitute (great in the Schiit Vali 2).  Nice tight lows, smooth but detailed mids, sparkly highs. 6922 to 5670 adapter required to translate the I/O pin pattern so nothing blows up.

Headphone accessories:
Yaxi pads for Porta Pro / KSC75 / PX-100
Tastefully boost bass and treble while (on the Kosses) lowering the prominent 5kHz peak. And they’re comfortable! Audioreviews summary here.

IEMs:
Drop/JVC HA-FDX1
Champion single-dynamic earphone with great DD timbre and almost BA-fast transients. Slightly boosted in the uppermost mids, heavy in the ears, intermittent availability, but huge bang-for-buck. Audioreviews summaries here and here (note that Loomis isn’t their greatest fan).

Headphones:
Fostex T50RP Mk3 with cheap angled pads and other mods
Closed or semi-open (depending on how much you stuff the cups) planar magnetic phones that with a little effort (see eg here for ideas) can be made both neutral and extended while retaining deep bass and technicalities. Need amp power to perform.

Players:
USB Audio Player Pro
Gets better with every update. Neutron is more configurable, but unnecessarily so. Put this on your Android phone, plug in a USB DAC/amp, and enjoy great lossless sound quality on the go. Equalizer plugins available. Android only though.

Durwood…Chicago, USA

CCA this year might as well been a lump of coal, it’s only two letters shy of selling your soul. If you want to talk to your boring Uncle Bob, (no offense Bob’s of the world) get yourself an iBasso IT00 or Tin Hifi T2 Plus you knob. Your uncle Bob is the guy who has lots of interesting things to say, but leaves you wondering what did you just listen to today. My only favorites this year were TRN STM who is the punk that your family doesn’t like to talk about and the Shozy Rouge as your killer looking date that likes to party but not shout. Waiting to see if Shozy Form 1.4 is in good form, only thing I decided to buy during the holiday sales storm. BQEYZ Spring 2 was a nice lively upgrade to the BQEYZ Spring 1, but fix that bass man, maybe take some lessons from the Nicehck NX7 Daniel son. Some of my friends from last year are still good folks to have around, Sony MH755, BLON BL03 for sleeping, and TinHifi T4 (I just wish you would hang in my ear longer than a few minutes of sound). Simgot EN700 is a carry over as well. I like a mild V if you can see.

Jürgen Kraus…Calgary, Canada

Blon BL-05s: These are very articulate playing single DDs also appeal to me through their hideous colour. Probably my most used items of the year (together with the JVCs and Shozy Form 1.4 below). Following the footsteps of the popular Blon Bl-03 – the Blon Bl-05s disappeared fast in the big black hole of anti-hype. And for a good reason: they look like the Bl-05, smell like the Bl-05, measure like the Bl-05, but the Bl-05 had been thrown on the market prematurely, and they sucked. The more distinguished audience may have realized that Bl-05 and Bl-05s have different drivers and sound completely different.

Drop JVC HA-FDX01: Hailed as arguably the best single DD on the market until Dunu Luna and Final Audio A8000 took over, this labour of love was originally only available 665 times….which has extended to above 2000 by now while the price dropped to $200. Carryover from 2019. Still my best earphones because of their organic timbre and great resolution.

TRI I3: Planar magnetic. Something totally different. Big and bold sounding yet soothing. Nothing offensive, nothing dull.

Sennheiser IE 400 PRO ($349): The best of their PRO series. Classic Sennheiser quality midrange. Super ergonomics. Nobody will dislike this one.

Shozy Form 1.4 ($199): The Shozy team somehow got their tuning 100% right. The Form 1.4 simply sound appealing to my ears…warm and fuzzy.

Guilty Pleasure: I pull the $70 FiiO FD1 out for the road: nice’n’punchy.

Vision Ears Elysium in the Endgame category. At 2500 EUR hand made by elfs and some Rhine mermaids in Cologne, out of reach for longer than a week (borrowed). Produce vocals better than real life but also melts credit cards. Cymbals as crisp as Swedish bread…

Perversions and Subversions: the Moondrop Spaceship at $20 beats the Moondrop SSR and SSP…less accurate but the better “junk food” for my ears. Moondrop have a history of undercutting their own mid-tier earphones with their budget offerings…we remember the $30 Crescent and the $180 KPE.

Inasmile Cable Protector: Discovery of the year. 20 cents that protect my fraying Apple cables from total breakage.

I still use the Koss PortaPro headphones with Yaxi earpads for video conferencing and listening when I need comfort around my ears. Also great are the Koss KSC75. Grab all of them when you can, they are affordable standard staples. And my standard full-sized cans are still the Sennheiser HD 600.

Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dac/amp dongle ($40): comes at the price of an adapter – but with all possible adapters to connect this little rascal to anything, including iPhones. Good enough to drive any iem. The very best dongles are the $199 EarMen Sparrow run on their balanced output, and the $120 Earstudio HUD100. In terms of larger portable dacs/amps (with integrated battery), I like the $199 ifi Audio Nano BL, the $149 ifi Audio hip-dac, and the $249 EarMen TR-amp. And I don’t think I need a bigger desktop amp.

Question mark of the year: The KBEAR Believe with their Japan sourced Beryllium drivers were too cheap to be true…which was underlined by some competing cheater Be-less Beryllium earphones and doubt seeded by the Dunu competitor. Hey, but the Luna have that Chi-Fi peak…

Personal Disappointment of the year: the continuing Chi-Fi peak between 2 and 4 kHz that kills western eardrums…TRN are leading the charge…the TRN BA8 cuts steel like butter.

Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir…Munich, Germany

I’ve tried and reviewed more stuff this year than ever, and part of it (actually, most of it) is due to the awful home-arrest that we’ve all succumbed too. Hope things get normal soon, sigh.

IEMs: 

Final E500 ($20): This otherwise “cheap/beater” IEM does one thing better than *anything* under $100 – binaural tracks and gaming. At least it did so until its brethren VR3000 came out, but I’m yet to hear that and that’s got a 4x price tag attached to it. People call the Sony MH755 the best value IEMs, for me it’s the Final E500.

Dunu Studio SA6 ($550): This is a great all-rounder IEM. Great bass for an all-BA IEM, the lower-mids are full and organic whereas upper-mids tread the fine line between forwardness and shoutiness. The treble has good amount of sparkle and air. Great design and accessory pack. Really, hard to pick a fault.

Honorable mentions: Final E5000, Samsung Galaxy Buds, Moondrop Blessing 2, Sony IER-M9, Final FI-BA-SS, Dunu Luna

Headphones:

Koss PortaPro X + Yaxi Pads ($40): Just buy one. Don’t be stingy. Thank me later. 

Sennheiser HD650 ($300): The once and forever king. The HD6XX esp is a no-brainer. Scales better than any headphone I’ve tried.

Honorable Mentions: Hifiman Sundara, Focal Clear, Final D8000

DAPs:

Sony NW-A55 ($200): If your primary need is to run efficient IEMs, look no further. Great ergonomics, actually usable UI, good display, fantastic battery life, and then there’s the MrWalkman mod to turn it even more awesome. The only “budget” DAP I recommend. 

Questyle QP1R ($600): Questyle made the QP1R 6 years ago. It’s still one of the best DAPs out there when it comes to overall dynamics.

Honorable mentions: Cowon Plenue V, iBasso DX160, Sony ZX300

Desktop sources:

YULONG Canary II ($230): One of the best budget all-in-ones I’ve come across. Criminally underrated too which is a royal shame.

Questyle CMA-400i ($800): The all-in-one system I ended up with after countless trials and tribulations. Perfectly aligned to my tastes.

Honorable Mentions: iFi Zen Can, Headamp GSX-Mini

And that’s a wrap. Hopefully 2021 brings us better times.

KopiOkaya…Singapore

This year there are 8 of us, thus there are more choices for our readers to choose from.

This year also marked the year of COVID-19…. Meaning, people are staying home longer and more often, thus they can listen to their gears on desktop systems other than portable music players and phones. Fortunately, desktop gears are much better and more affordable now.

Desktop DACs:

Denafrips Ares II (US$700): I don’t own one but my friend do. If you like natural, organic sound with a huge, deep, tall soundstage and don’t mind its higher price tag, look no further… This is it! 

Topping E30 (US$130): A nice warm-neutral DAC. It doesn’t sound as natural, as organic or has a huge soundstage like the Ares II but it offers great audio at an affordable price.

Note: Extremely sensitive to the quality of power supply used. Make sure you power it with something decent like the iFi iPower X.

Desktop Amps:

Yulong Canary II (US$250): This is actually a DAC/Amp with a Class A amplification stage. It posseses a warm-neutral sound signature with lots of low-end drive thanks to the Class A topography. Very good value and performance consider this is both a DAC and an amp! 

Topping L30 (US$140): My current reference amp… If you have noticed, so far I don’t have any balanced amp in my list. When I tune earphones, I never tune them in balanced, simply because if it sounds good in single-ended, it should sound even better in balanced… Well, this is usually the case! The L30 is great (for me) because it has a gain REDUCTION switch for IEMs with high sensitivity… Not many headphone amps have such feature. This is a very neutral, clean and transparent amp that doesn’t colour the sound of the source. That’s all I ask for when tuning earphones.

Portable DAC-Amps:

FiiO BTR5 / Shanling UP4 / EarStudio ES100 MK2 / Qudelix 5K (US$120 or less): I don’t want to decide which is better. To me, each has its pros and cons but my point is… acceptable Bluetooth quality listening is finally here! Almost everybody owns a smartphone these days, so why not use it as a music player? Some of you despise this idea but c’mon… A TOTL DAP still runs slower than my $150 Android phone operating on Android 10.

Earphones:

Etymotic ER4XR (US$350): My reference for tuning hybrid earphones. If you are familiar with Etys you should know their earphones have a near-neutral Diffuse Field Target tuning. The “XR” version has slightly more bass. 

Etymotic ER2XR (US$100): Similar to the ER4XR except this uses a single dynamic instead of balanced armature, thus my reference when I tune dynamic earphones. The ER2XR has more natural timbre and punchier bass than ER4XR. You can forget about Moondrop SSR/SSP if you plan to buy one. This is better.

Note: Etymotic earphones are to be worn deep inside the ear canals touching the bone… #Etyheads call “deep insertion”. This can cause discomfort to first time Etymotic users but you will get used to it eventually… I used to hate it but I am OK with it now.

Headphones:

Singapore is too damn warm for headphones, unless using air-conditioning while listening to music… Sorry, I am too cheap for that. Electricity is expensive here.

Loomis Johnson…Chicago, USA

TRN STM–$20 wunderkind is not, as Durwood aptly states, a purist’s earphone, and it veers towards sounding over-pixilated and artificial. However, it has that certain toe-tapping rightness that keeps me reaching for it over much pricier “audiophile-tuned” pieces. Did I mention it’s $20?

KBEAR Diamond—you can spend a lot more and get a bigger stage or a richer timbre, but this smooth, highly-resolving single DD is awfully refined for the price, with class-leading coherence and premium aesthetics and build.

Cambridge Melomania TWS—they don’t have ANC, EQ customizability or the bells and whistles of their Apple/Samsung peers, and microphone is sub-standard. However, they sound damn good for wireless buds—and are surprisingly good value at <$99. 9 hour battery life a plus.

Honorable Mentions: Shozy Rouge, Shuoer Tape.

Slater…Cincinnati, USA

Slater is short for “See Ya Later”…and you will see him later…

And This Was The Previous Year:

The post Gear Of The Year – Our Personal 2020 Favourites appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Needs TLC for some to meet their sonic preference.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Smabat M2 Pro is a very well built, highly customizable earbud that lets you choose your sonic preference signature. It comes with two different tuning modules. Upgrade drivers are available at extra cost.

INTRODUCTION

Smabat is a Chinese company that specializes in quality earbuds – but not only. Whatever they do, they put a lot of extra thought in it. For example, their new $50 Smabat X1 earphone has tuning switches. I have already reviewed the Smabat ST-10, an earbud with a very special fit. Earbuds are great for people who want to listen to music while not being completely detached from their surrounding environment, for example when awaiting a phone call. Earbuds may be comfortable as they are not pushed into the ear canal, however they typically lack on their low end. I would the Smabat ST-10 amazingly bassy – and the Smabat M2 Pro is reasaonbly good in this aspect, too.

50 years ago or so, there was the modular synthesizer: modules could be added to the core unit to make it a bigger, more versatile instrument. The Smabat M2 Pro is, strictly speaking, not a modular earbud as claimed – as nothing is added – but parts can be exchanged. In the case of the Smabat M2, the user has the choice of two included tuning modules. Co-blogger Baskingshark has examined and described the tuning possibilities in great detail. Please have a look at his review. I am focussing on the sound of the Smabat M2 Pro in this note. You find additional photos appended below.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver Unit: 15.4mm titanium plated diaphragm material
• Frequency Response: 10 Hz – 22kHz
• Impedance: 40 ohms
• Sensitivity: 110 dB/mW
• Cable type: MMCX
• Tested at $45.50 USD
• Product Page: Smabat M2 Pro
• Company Page: https://www.smabat.com
• Purchase Link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001267044768.html

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

You can read about the box’s content, build and comfort, as well as the tuning modules and process in Baskingshark’s review. Included are two different tuning modules, which are small disks that are easily inserted into the earpieces. You can alsoswap the whole driver out for higher-quality ones – but these are not included. Quick comments: great metal shells and cable. Top notch for a budget earbud.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

Follow these links for some background information:

My tonal preference and testing practice

My test tracks explained

Equipment used: iPhone 5S

First a warning: perceived tonality of earbuds may depend more on ear canal shape than of earphones or headphones. I pin this to the generally questionable orientation of earbuds in the ear, which is close to 90 degrees off relative to the ear canal. During my listening test for the Smabat ST-10 review, I perceived strong shoutiness (elevated upper midrange) whereas the graph did not show a substantial “pinna gain”. This misfit of graphing and sonic perception may stem from reverberations inside my ear. Therefore, please take my sonic description of the Smabat M2 Pro with a grain of salt. And I say it right away, I perceived the sound with both tuning modules, albeit different, as shouty and overly aggressive. A thicker third-party textile cover solved the problem. Listening with the included rubber covers emphasized the shoutiness, and without any cover, the sound was nasal, tinny, and unbearably bright. Here my description for both tuning modules using the included but rather thin textile covers. These covers also improved the hold in my ears.

T1 module (“mid and high pitches clearer”): bass and bass extension are rather good for an earbud, bass is tight and articulate, actually really good, however vocals are lean and overly nasal, sharp, harsh, and aggressive, way too shouty for my enjoyment. There is some sibilance. Treble has good extension and resolution. Stage is expansive with good spatial cues, wider than deep. Timbre would be great when subtracting the sharpness. The other technicalities such as separation and layering are also good.

Replacing the stock covers with thicker third-party textile covers, thickens the bass to thumpy, syrupy, and slow while the lean nature of the vocals remains intact to the most extent, unfortunately. This throws the low end and lower midrange out of balance: too thick and slow below vs. too thin and aggressive above. Treble remains unaffected. In summary, the ticker textile cover appears to mainly thicken my low-end perception whereas midrange remains too energetic.

T0 module (“high, medium, and bass frequencies are uniform”): this module essentially evens out the kinks of the upper midrange to some extent, but vocals remain too sharp, and too shouty for my ears. Adding the thicker third-party foams appear to finally work for me. Bass and vocals are thickened at the expensive of midrange clarity and spatial cues. Bass extension is perceived as improved and mid bass is borderline boomy, but it is not as thick as with the other module, and quite acceptable. Excess energy is being removed from the vocals which improves the note weight and makes the image darker. Depth is added to the stage but also some congestion. Vocals are richer and fuller bodied and the shoutiness has essentially been reduced to “borderline”. As with the other module, the thicker foams do not appear to affect the treble, which remains crisp and well resolving. In summary, there is a tradeoff: tonality improved at the expense of technicalities. I like the volume and body with this module/cover combination. It show who finicky these things are and how a small variation in cover thickness can make a big difference. And it may work differently for you.

In summary it may take a bit of fine-tuning to find the tonality that fits one’s preference.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Smabat M2 Pro is a very well built earbud that is sonically a good step up from the $10-30 fare. It has a natural (to slightly metallic) timbre and is highly customizable. They are a good option for people who want quality sound but don’t like using eartips or who need to be aware of their surroundings while listening to music.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank SMABAT for providing this review sample Get the M2 Pro from the SMABAT Store.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

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

IMAGES…

The post Smabat M2 Pro Review (2) – Do It Yourself! appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Good build, light, comfortable.
Detachable cables.
Can be worn cable down or over ear.
Multiple permutations in sound signature – depending on foam cover type, driver type and tuning module type.
Good timbre.
Good subbass extension for a earbud.

Cons

Would require soldering skills to change driver (changing of tuning module doesn’t require soldering thankfully).
Above average technicalities for a midfi earbud, but not classleading, with occasional hazy imaging/congested instrument separation during complex tracks.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The SMABAT M2 Pro is midfi earbud in terms of sound quality with good timbre, but the real selling point is that the SMABAT M2 Pro is a mercurial chameleon, giving one many options in tuning the sound signature of your choice via a modular design. There are different permutations in driver type, tuning module type and foam cover type. DIYers will have a field day with this set, but those not so hands on will still find plenty to like about this earbud.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver Type: stock driver in box is a 15.4 mm titanium plated diaphragm. There’s options to buy an aftermarket full sized titanium unit or even the ST10S black gold driver (these are not included and you might need soldering skills).
• Frequency Response: 10 Hz – 22kHz
• Impedance: 40 ohms
• Sensitivity: 110 dB/mW
• Cable type: MMCX
• Tested at $65 USD
• Purchase Link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001267044768.html

ACCESSORIES

Other than the earbud, it comes with:

• 1 set of 4 strand single crystal copper mixed wire – very well braided and of high quality, no microphonics.
• 1 pair of silicone covers.
• 1 pair of full foam covers.
• 2 pairs of tuning modules – this will be discussed further below under “Sound & Technicalities”.
• Card pin (for removal of tuning modules).

I find the full foams gives a warmer sound (though with slight loss of details) whereas the silicone covers makes the sound clearer and brighter with better microdetails. The upper mids/lower treble can get a bit hot with the silicone covers with the stock tuning module, but I’m treble sensitive, so YMMV, and the basshead in me prefers the full foams for the warmth.

BUILD/COMFORT

The SMABAT M2 Pro has a very high quality metal shell, and I’ve used it for hours at a stretch and fallen asleep with it in my ears without discomfort. Additionally, it can be worn cable down or over the ears and is smaller than the SMABAT ST10 predecessors, which some had a problem with fit wise.

The SMABAT M2 Pro comes with MMCX detchable cables, which is very good to see in earbuds, as even some TOTL earbuds costing a hundred dollars or more have non detachable cables, which may be a potential area of failure down the line. In addition, some folks may be keen to use balanced cables or wireless adapters with it, so I really like the non detachable option in this set. The MMCX are of good quality, neither too loose or too tight, and they lock satisfactorily without spinning.

DRIVABILITY

The stock driver (40 ohm) in the SMABAT M2 Pro is drivable from lower powered sources such as a smartphone, but it scales better in dynamics, details and soundstage with amping. There’s an option to put an aftermarket 150 ohm ST10S Black Gold driver unit inside, and that will probably need more juice than the stock driver.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The SMABAT M2 Pro has authentic vocal and instrumental timbre and above average technicalities as befits a midfi earbud, with nice soundstage. Instrument separation and details and imaging are not classleading compared to the predecessor, the SMABAT ST10, and imaging is occasionally hazy. In fact imaging and instrument separation are one level behind on the SMABAT M2 Pro compared to the SMABAT ST10, especially when it comes to complex tracks.

With regard to customizing the M2 Pro’s sound signature, other than the full foams vs silicone covers influencing the sound, the sound can also have multiple permutations:

You can watch this video below to see how the tuning modules can be swapped. It is quite easy to do with the provided card pin in the box, just be careful to protect the wire to the driver when screwing on and off the driver:

Now to complicate matters, there is an option to install different driver units for the SMABAT M2 Pro. The M2 Pro’s stock driver is a 15.4 mm dome titanium driver, but one can buy an aftermarket full sized titanium unit or the ST10S black gold driver (these are not included in the box and you might need soldering skills to install these; soldering kit and aftermarket drivers are sold separately in the SMABAT Store on Aliexpress).

The various driver types and their purported tuning signatures are described below (pics taken from the SMABAT store page), and also below is a video on how to solder the drivers.

DIYers will have a field day with this, but I’m not very good at soldering, hence I just stuck to the stock drivers for this review. Even with the stock drivers only, I already found quite a lot of variation in the sound signature with just the silicone covers vs full foams and the 2 provided sets of tuning modules, so I’m rather satisfied. But I would be happy to hear from the adventurous ones who have tried their hand at soldering and exploring the other driver types!

COMPARISONS

I don’t have the recently released SMABAT ST10S Black Gold or Black Silver earbuds, but I did some A/B testing with the original SMABAT ST10. I read that in the forums, after the first batch of ST10s were fixed for the MMCX issues, there were retuned versions of the ST10, so possibly there are 3 versions of the ST10 on the market. I’m not sure which version I have as I bought my ST10 second hand.

As the mercurial SMABAT M2 Pro has multiple sound profiles as above, I decided to put full foams plus use the more V shaped (and bassier) tuning module (ie tuning module 0) which is in the box (not preinstalled), so as to give the bassiest config to compare with the SMABAT ST10 (which is known to have great subbass extension for a bud). These are my findings:

• The ST10 has better bass extension and quantity even with the SMABAT M2 Pro on the most bassy config as above.
• The ST10 note weight is slightly thinner with a slightly cooler tonality and less authentic timbre than the SMABAT M2 Pro.
• SMABAT M2 Pro has slightly more recessed lower mids.
• Technicalities wise, the ST10 is ahead, with better soundstage, better imaging, instrument separation, clarity and details on the ST10. The SMABAT M2 Pro gets congested with complex tracks, whereas the ST10 handles these with more ease.
• Fit wise, the ST10 is larger and slightly less comfortable.

Hence, I think the original SMABAT ST10 is still better in technicalities and bass quantity/extension, but SMABAT M2 Pro may have better timbre/note weight and fit. Though the SMABAT M2 Pro has the edge in having multiple sound signatures.

CONCLUSIONS

The SMABAT M2 Pro is one of the pioneers in earbuds that incorporates an innovative modular concept for different tuning modules and driver units. It would make DIYers very happy and give a wealth of tuning options, in addition to using the silicone covers/full foams to modify the sound.

Sound quality is very good for a midfi earbud and it has a good fit and build and detachable cables to boot. While technicalities on the SMABAT M2 Pro are not classleading, the timbre on the SMABAT M2 Pro is great like other midfi buds and and coupled with the tunable sound signatures, it brings a lot of things to the table. For DIYers, the SMABAT M2 Pro will be a major dream come true, but even for the lay consumers without soldering skills, this is one set that earbud lovers should consider.

MY VERDICT

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You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank SMABAT for providing this review sample in exchange for an honest opinion. My views are my own. It can be gotten here at: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001267044768.html

Our generic standard disclaimer.

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

The post SMABAT M2 Pro Review (1) – Mercurial Chameleon appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cheap.
Balanced tuning.
Light and comfortable, good build.
Good technicalities (for a earbud).
Minimal harshness/sibilance.
Detachable cables at this price point.

Cons:

Average soundstage width.
Thin note weight.
Bass lite, with subbass roll off (may be a pro or con depending on your bassheadedness).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Yinyoo BK2 is: Beautifully Balanced, Bang for Buck, Brilliant Bud, No Brainer Buy!

Not for Bassheads.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Impedance: 16 Ω 
• Sensitivity: 96 dB
• Frequency Response: 5 – 50000 Hz
• Cable: detachable MMCX
• Tested at $21 USD

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

ACCESSORIES

In addition to the earbud, it comes with:

1) Detachable 3.5 mm SPC cable (MMCX) – hardly seen in buds at this price point. In fact some TOTL sets costing more than ten times may not even come with detachable cables.

2) Generous assortment of foam covers (full foams and donut foams)

3) Shirt clip

4) Semi rigid case

BUILD/COMFORT

The BK2 is comfortable and light. The build looks robust enough, and I’m very happy that something at its $20ish USD pricing can incorporate detachable MMCX connectors, as non detachable cables may be a potential point of failure down the line. The MMCX doesn’t lock with a satisfactory click however, though so far I haven’t had the MMCX area detach on me while in use.

DRIVABILITY

The BK2 is drivable from lower powered sources like smartphones, though it scales slightly better with amping.

SOUNDSTAGE

Soundstage width is an area of weakness on the BK2 compared to similarly priced earbuds: it is average in width at best. Height and depth of soundstage is above average.

SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The BK2 is not exactly neutral, but is very balanced with a slight upper mids boost.

Technicalities are good for a bud at its pricing.

Timbre on the BK2 is good for acoustic instruments, but note weight is on the thinner side.

Bass:

Bass is neutralish in quantity, with a slight midbass hump. There’s a subbass roll off around 30ish Hz. It lacks subbass rumble when compared to IEMs, but this is a common issue in buds, and I’ve certainly heard worse in other buds.

Mid bass quality is good and tight and accurate, with no midbass bleed.

Mids:

Mids are detailed and clear, but perhaps some specialist midcentric buds may be better solely in the area of vocals. Upper mids are slightly boosted relative to lower mids, but there is minimal harshness.

Treble:

Lower treble on the BK2 is slightly boosted compared to higher treble, but there is minimal sibilance and harshness, and the BK2 still manages to retain quite good details/clarity. Treble extends moderately well but is not a true treblehead bud.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The BK2 was originally priced close to $50 USD during launch and maybe at that price it would not be a universal recommendation, but now at the $20ish USD pricing, it is a no brainer purchase.

The BK2 sports a well balanced tuning, with good technicalities and few weaknesses. I’ve always looked down on earbuds for years due to my preferences for IEM isolation and subbass, but the BK2 really opened my eyes to what a earbud can do for an affordable price. Indeed, the BK2 is my most used earbud in my earbud rabbithole collection, and it is the very definition of bang for buck.

MY VERDICT

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You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

DISCLAIMER

I bought the BK2 at my own expense from Aliexpress.

It can be gotten at $21 USD onwards.

The post Yinyoo BK2 Review – Bud Wiser appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Excellent timbre.
Lush mids – great for vocals.
Above average soundstage.
Above average technicalities (imaging, clarity, details, instrument separation).
Non fatiguing tuning.
Minimal sibilance.
Good build with well braided and thick cable.

CONS:

Lacking bass quantity and extension.
Lacking treble sparkle.
Non-detachable cable.

Specifications:
– Driver: Dynamic
– Sensitivity: 106dB
– Frequency response: 18Hz – 20kHz
– Impedence: 16Ω
– Cable: non detachable

Accessories:
In addition to the earbud, it comes with:
– semi rigid case
– shirt clip
– multiple full foams and donut foams of different thickness

Build/Comfort:
The Datura Pro is made of sturdy metal and the shell is of good quality. It is light and comfortable.

The cable is non detachable. Fortunately, the cable is well built, well braided, very thick, non tangly and non microphonic.
The Datura Pro can be worn cable down or over ear. There’s no left/right marking on the earbud, but a horizontal indentation on the stem of the left side earbud is the only indication that it is the left earpiece.

Isolation:
Like other earbuds, isolation is a weakness compared to IEMs. As such, it’s best suited for home use, both to preserve good sound quality, preserve bass frequencies, and to protect one’s hearing from jacking up the volume outdoors due to the poor isolation.

Soundstage:
Above average width. Depth and height of soundstage are average. 

Sound:
The Datura Pro is drivable from smart phones but scales better with a DAC/AMP (in terms of dynamics, soundstage and details).

The Datura Pro is a N shaped set, with boosted mids and higher treble/subbass roll off. The timbre is excellent, with average note weight and good texturing. As such, it is a good set for vocals. Acoustic instruments sound very well rendered on the Datura Pro. Technicalities (imaging, clarity, details, instrument separation) are above average for a earbud, but not classleading (I would say the Yinyoo BK2 has better technicalities at this price range).


Bass:
Midbass and subbass quantity is lacking on the Datura Pro, with quite a marked subbass rolloff below 60 Hz. Luckily the Datura Pro takes very well to EQ, so no biggie boosting the bass. The bass is of good quality though, with good speed and texture. It smears minimally during complex bass movements. I did not hear any midbass bleed. Due to the lack of bass, it may not be an all rounder for every genre.

Mids:
Mids are my favourite aspect of the Datura Pro. It has boosted mids that makes vocals the highlight of the music, imparting good details and good timbre to voices. The upper mids are boosted relative to the lower mids, and only on very rare ocassions did I detect shoutiness at the upper mids.

Treble:
There’s a slight boost at the lower treble region; it rolls off towards the higher treble regions. Cymbals are not splashy and sound quite well replicated. I’m treble sensitive and I like the Datura Pro’s treble, but trebleheads may not like it due to the lack of airiness/sparkle. Details and clarity at the treble region are not the best in view of the treble roll off. Sibilance is minimal, and it is quite suited for long chill listening sessions. I feel there’s gonna be a tradeoff for having a non fatiguing listen versus sibilance and brightness, so one has to choose your poison.

Conclusion:
The Datura Pro is a great earbud that has good timbre. Due to the lush mids, chill non fatiguing tuning and comfortable fit, I’ve fallen asleep with it in my ears on more than one occasion!

It’s not an all rounder due to it’s tuning (rolled off bass/higher treble), but vocal lovers will love it. As such, I wouldn’t recommend it for trebleheads and bassheads, unless EQ is applied. Honestly in the similar price bracket for earbuds, I would still pick the Yinyoo BK2 on most days, as the latter has better technicalities and a more balanced tuning, which makes it more all rounded. Hence, those intending to purchase the Datura Pro should know that the tuning may not suit everyone, but what you will get is a niche midcentric earbud, which shines especially in vocals.

MY VERDICT

Our rating scheme

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You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.

DISCLAIMER

I bought the Datura Pro from Aliexpress (via FAAEAL lucky bag) at my own expense. Current price is about $25.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

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

The post FAAEAL Datura Pro Review – Mid Centric Gem appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Recessed mids; some technicalities could be improved.

You find a series of photos of the Smabat ST-10 on our blog HERE.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Smabat ST-10 is distinguished from the usual Sennheiser lookalike earbuds by its over-ear fit and a much fuller, juicy low end triggering a meaty, homogenous sound. It should appeal to people who like an in-ears sound but not an in-ears feel.

INTRODUCTION

Much has been written about the Smabat ST-10 and I refer the attentive reader to the 10 or so existing reviews. I’d like to present you with distilled and condensed information focusing on the relevant features of this earbud.

SPECIFICATIONS

Product Name: Smabat ST-10 metal earbud
Model: ST-10
Type: Earbud
Impedance: 45 Ω
Sensitivity: 115 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 10-22000Hz
THD: <1% @ 1 KHz
Plug Interface: 3.5 mm
Cable Length: 1.2 m ± 5cm
Colour: Green
Plug Type: Line Type
Interface: MMCX connector
Drive unit: Single 15.4mm dynamic drive unit
Price: $99 (at the time of this review)
Purchase Link: NiceHCK Audio Store

IN THE BOX…

…are a fine pleather case, three pairs of screens, a largely textile-coated cable, the ear pieces, and a manual.

PHYSICAL THINGS

The earpieces are made of metal and plastic and appear to be sturdy. They certainly feel like quality between the fingers. The cable is old-school textile-coated up to the splitter and has a chin slider as well as memory wires for over-ear wear.

The Smabat ST-10 have a different fit compared to regular earbuds in that the cable is being worn over-ear and the hold is maximized by memory wire. First, I had real fitting problems, but this was my inexperience with the design. In fact, with foams added, the earpieces stayed firmly in place and were firmly held in place by the memory wire. Isolation is, of course, minimal: you still hear the doorbell while grooving.

The Smabat ST-10 were easily driven with my iphone SE but the sound improved substantially with the AudioQuest Dragonfly dac/amp. With the earpieces uncovered, the sound was aggressive so that I settled for normal-thickness foams. Sound will vary according to foams used, keep that in mind when reading the next section.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

JK’s tonal preference and testing practice

What strikes me is that the Smabat ST-10 have much more bass and sub-bass extension than any earbud I have listened to. The low-end is in fact the dominant sound element. It provides a decent, visceral, but never overwhelming punch right from the bass/sub-bass transition and contributes to a meaty, substantial, big, and clean image. Yep, the Smabat ST-10’s sound is warm without being thick, as opposed to being analytical and sterile. A mid- bass hump is missing (bass is fairly linear). Nevertheless is the bass boosted quite a bit above neutral, its decays pretty naturally (with the Dragonfly and the foams used), but it smears somewhat into the lower midrange. And while this boosts the low voices, it pushes the higher voices back, which helps create a good depth. Regardless are voices not “overly” distant. Upper midrange and lower treble stay fairly flat which saves us from shouty, splashy high voices and instruments, sibilance, and hardness…all fairly smooth and relaxed up there. Speech intelligibility is very good despite the recession. Treble picks up above 10 kHz which adds to the good air but also a sizzle to some cymbals.

With the Dragonfly, the soundstage has both a decent width and a good depth. The sound is natural and organic. Other technicalities such as clarity, layering, separation, imaging etc. remain so so. The Smabat ST-10’s sound works best when seen as an entity: a meaty sound and good punch leading to lots enjoyment (outside of analytical listening). The Dragonfly cleans and smoothens the image, broadens the soundstage, and it contributes to a slightly overdone but always pleasant, punchy, and amazingly contained and textured (sub-)bass that leaves a pleasant sensation in my ears (despite some lack of overall detail resolution). And I am not known as a bass lover. In summary, the Smabat ST-10 is distinct from budget earbuds such as the ISN Audio Rambo [review], NiceHCK EBX [review], or the “old Sennheisers” by having a bigger body that is mainly fed by an unusually lively low end.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Smabat ST-10 is an earbud for people who don’t like their ear canals intruded by silicone/foam tips, but who want an over-ear fit for optimal hold on the go. Sound wise, they cater to listeners who appreciate a full-bodied, warm sound with a well-extended low end that comes close to a dynamic-driver earphone. The right amplification produces a smooth and homogenous image that leads to a satisfying, engaging listening sensation. Upon first testing, I was rather skeptical of the Smabat ST-10, but with foams and Dragonfly, these sound fabulous to my ears.

DISCLAIMER

The review unit was supplied by the NiceHCK Audio Store for my critical independent review. Thanks to Jim and also thanks to Smabat for quickly resolving a technical issue. The frequency response graph was kindly provided by Head-Fier ClieOS.

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The post Smabat ST-10 Review – The Earphone Earbud appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Cons — Lean on bass.

INTRODUCTION

I have to admit that my knowledge of earbuds such as the ISN Audio Rambo has caught thick layers of dust lately. Starting out my portable experience in the mid 2000s, the second generation Apple earbuds were my one-and-only go-tos…until I sadly lost them more than 10 years ago. A pair of low-end Sennheiser earbuds had to do as substitute, but they were soon replaced by in-ears and small, foldable headphones, that did the job for a long time…until affordable Chifi multidrivers appeared some three years ago.

In-ears turned out to be better isolating, therefore not affect one’s surroundings, they had a meatier low-end, and they became available with fancy driver arrays that revolutionized detail resolution in the budget sector. But earbuds have always maintained their faithful followers as they are comfortable, typically are pleasant sounding and less prone to fatiguing peaks, you don’t miss the door bell — and one gets their bang for the buck.

Earbuds came lately back to my attention when a hungry however generous fellow Head-Fier provided me with a handful of his DIY models. I was amazed how good they sounded. This renaissance was fuelled further when Penon Audio sent me the ISN Audio Rambos for a review — also rather surprisingly.

I have not heard or read much about ISN Audio other than they specialize in cable development and production including OEM and ODM orders — and the Rambo is their earbud flagship out of two models they offer.

SPECIFICATIONS

Driver Size: 14.8mm
Frequency: 6-25KHz
Impedance: 32Ω
Sensitivity: 115dB
Plug Type: 3.5mm/2.5mm
Cable Length: 1.2m
Price: $65 (3.5 mm audio edition); $69 (2.5 mm balanced edition)
Purchase Link: Penon Audio

IN THE BOX…

…are the earbuds with attached cable, 2 pairs of foam covers (plus one spare), 4 pairs of donuts covers, short clip, carabiner, and a sturdy high-quality case.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, HAPTIC, AND BUILD QUALITY

Well, an earbud is an earbud, right? Yes, right, but this one has really small and ergonomically shaped stems that handle very well. Reason for the good haptic is also the hard polycarbonate use which feels good between my fingers. The same material is used for the chin slider, splitter, and headphone jack…the latter has a sturdy rubber strains relief. The braided cable is thin, tangles up a bit easily, but it has no microphonics and rolls up to next to nothing. Handy!

ERGONOMICS, COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Well, and an earbud fits like an earbud, right? Well, bloody well right, it does. Like all earbuds I know, the isolation is (intentionally) not great, it sits well in my ears and is as comfortable as ever.

SOURCE AND EARPIECE COVERS

The ISN Audio Rambo with their 32Ω impedance need a bit of juice. They can be played with a phone on higher volumes but I got the best results out of the audioquest dragonfly black dac/amp attached to my iPhone SE. I used donuts and full foams as covers and didn’t find a sonic difference between them. Both were equally fine.

TONALITY

JK’s tonal preference and testing practice

The big picture: The ISN Rambo is characterized by warm, bright, clear, and open sound with sugar treble as its outstanding feature.

The details: The Rambo’s most outstanding feature is its textbook quality treble: it is very well extended, yet unobtrusive and not fatiguing and it adds sparkle: high piano notes sound seductively pearly and the opposite of splashy and screamy. High violin tones sound as smooth as butter. Absolutely beautiful. The Rambo has the best treble of any iem or earbud I have reviewed yet.

The bass is nimble, disciplined, it decays at a realistic speed, but it rolls off a bit early and there is no strong sub-bass. The upper bass also does not support the lower midrange well.

The midrange is reasonably intimate but does not get much support from the low end so that voices could be a bit firmer in some tracks. This is enhanced by a very wide soundstage that stretches the image in analogy to widescreen cinema and also by the upper treble which adds much of the air and sparkle. The soundstage is wider than deep but it can have a respectable depth in some tracks. What “bails out” the voices is the great timbre the Rambos offer.

The forward treble and the light bass also result in an outstanding clarity of the image. Layering and instrument separation are great but suffer a bit when the instrumentation gets busy.

As to usage, I am really enjoying classical music with the ISN Rambo because of the timbre, wide stage, and the shiny treble. The unexaggerated bass certainly does justice to an orchestra’s rhythm section. Celli sound great and so do pianos. Jazz also sounds good owing to the good separation and timbre and the bass is sufficient for brass instruments.

When it comes to rock music, the Rambos may be a bit lean on the drums, which can sound a bit tinny in some cases. Obviously, fans of hip hop and drum-and-bass should look elsewhere.

In summary, I’d describe the sound as very refined.

VALUE

Since earbuds in all price classes can be really good sounding, the underlying question is whether the Rambos are worth their money and where the difference lies with respect to the cheaper competition. I picked the highly rated $25-30 NiceHCK EB2 [review link] for a representative comparison. The Rambos are definitely built better from higher-grade materials which includes the cable. The KB2 has a fuller, darker image owing to more bass, which is a bit cruder than the Rambo’s with lesser treble extension/quality. The Rambos sound more refined with better detail resolution, a wider stage, a better timbre, and their very clean treble. Nevertheless would rock fans probably prefer the “simpler” EB2s, which are also very respectable.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The ISN Audio Rambo is a good sounding and well built earbud that is worth its asking price in my opinion (which would be my personal sweet spot for earbuds). If you own this one, you may not need a large number of budget ones. The Rambos excel over cheaper models by their treble extension, clarity, and wider stage. Particularly the smooth and pearly treble is outstanding. It is a good allrounder that I particularly like using for classical music, jazz, and the odd folk/country music, but not so much for rock. If there are “trebleheads” out there (in analogy to bassheads), this one could be interesting for you.

DISCLAIMER

I thank Penon Audio for kindly slipping the ISN Audio Rambo in with a warranty return of another earphone for the sole purpose of my independent review. I particularly thank them for their quick communication in warranty matters.

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The post ISN Audio Rambo Review – Delightful Treble Treble Treble appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Note: Earlier specimens of the Smabat ST-10 had issues with the MMCX connector. According to Smabat, the included cable is the culprit. The latest batch is apparently flawless. If you need Smabat’s contact information, send me an email.

The post Photographed: The Smabat ST-10 Earbuds’ Physique appeared first on Audio Reviews.

The post NiceHCK EB2 Review – The Sennheiser Killer appeared first on Audio Reviews.