Chinese Brands - IEMs Discussion

There’s been a lot of recent development from Chinese companies on the IEM and Ear Bud market. I’d like to start a new discussion on discoveries and discussion of new products out of this country, as there are quite a bit that are competing directly with the traditional headphone powerhouses.

There is already some discussion on the https://forum.headphone.com/t/the-ultra-cheap-iem-thread/1963 but there are now more higher priced Chinese products that can slug it out with the big boys.

Here’s some other Chinese Brand IEM Discussion links from this Forum:

BGVP DMG Review by @antdroid

Revonext QT2 Review by @pwjazz

My top 2018 IEM list which features a lot of Chinese products by @antdroid

KZ ZSA Review by @Crezo

TRN V80 Review by @Crezo

KZ ZS6 Impressions by @Crezo

KZ BA10 Review by @antdroid

TRN V80 Review by @antdroid

Yinyoo V2 review by @Nimweth

KZ ZS4 Review by @Nimweth

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This is a great idea. I purchased the BGVP DM6 and am looking forward to comparing it to the other IEMs I have already.

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How is it?

I wrote a review recently on the BGVP DMG and posted on various sites including this one. Here’s the link: BGVP DMG IEM Review

I really like it. I should be getting a DM6 sample in some time in the future when they get their inventory/orders sorted out, which could be forever and a day from now. :slight_smile:

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Not an IEM but Hidizs AP80 came in. It’s so tiny! Great looking screen and device. Runs Hiby OS which means you can stream to and from Android and iOS using Bluetooth or use it as a DAC.

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My BGVP DM6 is still on they way from China, thank you for asking. I’ll post here once it get s chance to listen.

I have the Hiby R3… I never use it though, I can bring it Sunday if you’re interested in it…

Some new IEMs I recently received from various sources:

Nicechk EP10 - Apple Earpod looking earbud/IEM that has a super slick metal finish. It’s got some initial bass heaviness that seems to have relaxed after initial use. For the $9 “lucky bag” 11.11 sale price, its a steal. Very good detail and fun v-shaped sound. It’s about $18-20 now, but in my opinion still worth considering. The cable is nice but easy to get knotted.

KZ ZSN - (provided by Linsoul for review) Initial impressions is that this is the $20 bargain IEM of the year. Very clean, neutral sound signature which is unlike any from the KZ Lineup. Good build quality and detachable cables too. Can’t really beat that for the price. Sounds a lot better than its asking price. Highly recommended.

Whizzer Kylin - just got these in this week from Linsoul as well - Knowles-based 2-BA IEM with a slight v-shaped sound signature. Good build quality. Shallow-fit however made it difficult for me to find a set of tips that fit well in my ear without falling out or losing seal. Great cable included, as well as case and overall presentation of packaging. More to come.

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The newest KZ AS06 showed up in my mailbox today. First listen is that it’s quite bassy.

Looks and feels like the AS10. No idea what the price is but it probably is around $45 I’m guessing.

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I apologize to those who do not like graphs in advance.

Knowledge Zenith AS06 Measurement Data

To others, here’s the latest measurements from the AS06 I took vs the rest of the KZ Lineup I have EARS data.
Data taken with MiniDSP EARS. Many disclaimers yada yada. This data is RAW data from the right side IEM only. Most of my measurements were checked 5-7 times or more for consistency. All measurements are using foam tips.
Measurements are normalized to 0dB at 300Hz.

AS06 is in black . FR chart basically shows it to be V-shaped and leaning a little dark, but with slightly elevated bass. I can tend to agree with this from my initial impressions. I found it to be bassy and recessed mids and missing a little upper end energy.

Here is the AS06 with compensation applied. The compensation is the Diffuse Field compensation which is normalized to the Etymotics ER4 series (from what MiniDSP supplied to customers).

KZ AS06 IDF FR.jpg

Distortion data is average. KZ ZSN is low though.

KZ IEMS THD.jpg

AS06 driver matching is pretty good.

KZ AS06 (Driver Matching).jpg

Waterfall CSD Data on the AS06 - not sure how much I trust this data.

KZ AS06 - Waterfall CSD.jpg

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While it’s too early to give listening impressions, here are measurements of the Tenhz T5, taken using a Dayton iMM-6 microphone using a vinyl tubing coupler. Measurements are calibrated but uncompensated, using 1/12th smoothing.

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T5? Is that new? Never heard of. Would love to hear the impressions. Looks a little dark in the measurement. I really liked their P4 Pro.

Yeah, it’s a new 5BA IEM, currently available at an introductory price of $140 if you bring it up with the seller.
Having not actually heard the P4 Pro, my guess is that the T5 is better on technicalities (better bass articulation with a Knowles BA, better imaging, better instrument separation), but they probably have a similar netural-ish sound, with the T5 being slightly darker.

Whizzer Kylin

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Those are cool looking!

Edit: not purple though :wink:

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Purple would have been end game.

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Here’s my review of the Whizzer A-HE3 Kylin. As it is not a budget IEM, I did not post it in the more popular IEM thread.

Introduction

The Whizzer Kylin is a unique looking IEM with a very attractive blue aluminum shell with a gold-plated Whizzer logo that stands proud of the shell. This IEM retails for $159 and comes in a nice package including a selection of tips and a very nice and attractive PU Leather round case. The case itself, is also engraved with the Whizzer logo and the model name, “Kylin.”

In terms of fit, I found that these were quite challenging to wear. The IEM housing is rather small, which fits very comfortably when you can keep it in. I found the shallow nozzle to be frustrating to keep a good seal and to remain secure in my ear. It took several rounds of tip rolling to finally land on something that worked well enough. I ended up using Symbio-W hybrid tips, though it still occasionally came loose from my ear.

Sound Quality

The Kylin has a general V-shape sound signature with elevated bass and recessed mids. To balance it, the treble is extended and boosted. I found the soundstage to be medium width, and imaging to be good, though not great.

On initial listen, it sound quite bassy, but after swapping around tips, I found the bass to not be overbearing. The IEM features Knowles BA drivers, so one would expect that the bass is relatively tight compared to a dynamic. In general, I found the bass to be mostly clean and tight.

The mids are recessed and slightly compressed. Vocals do seem to fall a little behind the rest of the track, but it’s nothing of major concern. On it’s own, I never felt the mids to be troubling. It’s only when I started A-B-ing with other IEMs that I found the mids/vocals to be slightly compressed and missing something. This was more evident when comparing it to the BGVP DMG, which comes in at the same price range ($149 MSRP). The DMG is also V-shaped but the mids are more coherent and cleaner than the Whizzer Kylin.

When you move up to treble, the DMG also sounds more extended and detailed. This seems to be backed by my MiniDSP measurements when comparing them overlayed on each other.

They both generally follow a similar shape, with the Kylin extend more in the bass, but dropping off more in the treble region. So it seems like you can pick and choose your poison here.

Overall

I found the Kylin to be a decent to good IEM. It has issues with fit for me, and some compression in the mids. It does have good bass response that doesn’t feel muddy or bloated. It’s only when I compare it to the similarly priced DMG that I find some general problems with it. That’s not to say the DMG is a perfect IEM, but in my opinion, the DMG is a better coherent, fun, IEM than the Whizzer – but only slightly more. As they are the same price, I’d recommend the DMG over it.

Credits:

This IEM was provided to me a review sample by Linsoul Tech. If you are interested in either the BGVP DMG or the Whizzer Kylin, please check out their internet store at http://www.Linsoul.com or visit their Amazon links to purchase!

BGVP DMG : https://www.amazon.com/BGVP-DMG-Fidelity-HiFi-Detachable-Audiophile/dp/B07G97631K

Whizzer Kylin : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K2WJ6XX?pf_rd_p=c2945051-950f-485c-b4df-15aac5223b10&pf_rd_r=F5XWETJVPH5ZWCC634PG

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After a lot of reading, drooling of shininess and seeing nearly perfect Hartman target curve charts, I bought the Moondrop Kanas Pro.

It looks stunning in photos so I’ll wait and see if it lives up to the hype visually and audibly soon enough. Shipping from HK usually is pretty quick.

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The Moondrop Kanas Pro actually caught my attemtion a while ago when I stumbled upon some pictures of them. They certainly do look visually stunning in the photos so I’m excited to see if they live up to that in person. And of course if they actually sound good.

Luckily for me, I have not fallen down the Chi-Fi rabbit hole yet but these threads are making it more tempting by the day!

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P1020781

Whizzer Kylin – Moondrop Kanas Pro – BGVP DMG

Just got the Kanas Pro IEM in today. It’s shiny. The nozzle length is quite long so fit can be a little weird. I found SpinFit CP155 and CP145 to work well though for me.

Very neutral sound, with warmth. Bass is lean. Treble extends and is clean and detailed. Mids are smooth.

Fingerprints… may drive me mad. But they are pretty, and thus far sound pretty good.

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I played around with different tips again, and ended up still settling on the SpinFit CP145 tips. They worked best for fit and seal for me given the lengthy nozzle. Seal is pretty critical on these IEMs.

I’ve also noticed that source seems to matter a bit too. I did not bring my iFi IEMatch with me today, but just trying it out on a few different sources seems to exhibit different behaviors.

It sounds rather thin on both my DAPs, the Hidizs AP80 and the Pioneer XDP-300R (with balanced cable). But when I amp up the XDP-300R with the Liquid Spark (using 2.5mm out to RCA in), the low end sounds much more full, and its quite noticeable going back and forth, while leaving the IEMs in my ear, and volume matching.

With the Spark as a source, these things are sounding wonderful, and extremely well balanced. With the Pioneer DAP, it sounded a bit thin. A switch of tips would bring the bass back up, though with a little more discomfort for my ears.

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