IEMs Discovery & General Discussion

Great review @Precogvision. Another enjoyable read!

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Very informative review @Precogvision.

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I recently bought a set of Audeze iSine LX’s per their Valentine’s Day special. [They sold out shortly after I got mine. I’m not sure if this was actually a close out sale in disguise.]

Initial Impressions

Burn in: They sounded distorted, dithery, and wonky at first – sort of like a rotating room fan placed too close to a wall and blowing curtains around. The midrange was twisted and uncomfortable with vocals. So, I let them play for about 24 hours and tried again. They were much better on the second day.

Fitment: They come with ear hooks in the box and slick silicone tips installed. After struggling with the (fragile feeling) hooks, I decided to remove them and add my own foam tips (New Bee - large). This allows the iSine LX to rest in the outer ear without any hooks, and it is reasonably comfortable for such a large device.

Tone: In contrast with most headphones and IEMs that I own, out of the box these sound dead, hollow, flat, and lifeless. So, I put them on the THX AAA 789 to maximize their technical performance and routed them through a Schiit Loki EQ. They come to life and approximate my version of “neutrality” with the middle range (2nd and 3rd knobs) boosted. I used to own the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (open), which also had a dead spot in the mid-high range. Does Audeze have similar driver issues with all of their lower end products?

Summary: With EQ the Audeze iSine LX is a decent product. They successfully shrink planar technology to in-ear size, and retain the open-air feel of headphones. I see myself using them as one in-ear alternative in the future. But, they look absolutely ridiculous. At least mine are dark…

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EQ is why the Cipher cable is so good with the Audeze iSine’s and my LCDi3. If you use ROON, there will be EQ settings for the iSINE 10, iSINE 20 and the LCDi4. This should be without a Cipher cable. The LX’s probably are similar to the iSINE 10 setting. It seems that Audeze is well away of the need for EQ of some sort with these.

Hadn’t thought of running them through my Loki, that was a good idea. I have the 20s, and liked them so much I got the LCDi3. These LX’s were out of stock, I was thinking of getting them for my wife to use with her iPhone 11, but she’s just not an IEM girl. She’ll play music through the iPhone speakers!!!
Or use Airplay to a Sonos, sometimes.

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Cipher cable…sigh… I paid $59 for the iSine LX and the only Cipher cables I find now are $99 Bluetooth cables. So…probably won’t go down that path. Too soon to say. Audeze painted themselves into a corner, as it appears impossible to sell an inexpensive version (no Cipher cable) with good sound quality. Average buyers may balk at both the look and the tone.

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Review of Empire Ears ESR (Empire Studio Reference) MKII.

Take a look here:

Empire Ears -Official thread - Official IEM Model Discussion - The HEADPHONE Community (headphones.com)

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I ended up grabbing the original Blessing 2 and am really liking it. It sounds like we might have similar tastes - Thanks for the recommendations!

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Thanks for this. Been looking around for more feedback on the Yume and this is a great review to help me along with my decision since I’m very intrigued by it!

Time to clear the backlog. I got the Kinera BD005 Pro the beginning of this month, though only now that I got the time to evaluate it. Here it goes.

This review is a copy-paste from my website with some editing: Kinera BD005 Pro review: Relax taking to the "next" level
You can also see my disclaimer to know about my methodology: Review Disclaimer

Information:

The Kinera BD005 Pro was kindly provided by HifiGo in exchange for my honest review

Build and Accessories:

  • Instruction paper
  • 3 pairs of IEM tips (S/M/L)
  • Unbalanced 3.5mm 2-pin cable (with mic included)
  • IEM case
  • The IEM itself

Nothing much to say here since most of the packaging is somewhat generic. The case is one of the more generic types that you can find online with the branding “Kinera” and motto etched on the cover. The cable is a 4 cored copper cable with an L-shaped plug. Both the Y-splitter and the 2 pin connectors are enclosed with metal. At least in the model that I am having here, the cable also supplies with a small controller and microphone for telephoning. It was nicely braided and doesn’t get tangled or microphonic much during my usage.

Kinera BD005 Pro shell design has a 3D resin shell with a pesudo-custom fit, there are three variations of the shells which you can choose (Red/Blue/Grey). Decorations like the golden particle with the brand name “Kinera” printed on the backplate remained the same with all variations. The BD005 Pro has fairly short nozzle which explains the eartips shape.

Regardless, this is a small IEM comparing to others similar shaped IEM on the market. The BD005 Pro provides a comfortable fit for someone having small ear like me and has good isolation.

Sound:

All of the data regarding frequency responses can be found on my database here

The Kinera BD005 Pro follows a mild V-Shaped signature leaning towards the warmer side. In my first listening impression with the IEM, I don’t think it’s outright bad, but the more I listen, the more problems I managed to pick out this IEM and some of them would be the reason why I would make the BD005 Pro a less preferable option on my recommendation list regarding its tonal performance.

The problems:

“Muted” is the first word that comes into my mind when I listened to this IEM. The treble response on this IEM is underwhelming . The roll off occurs too soon, giving percussions like cymbals having a tone that is dark and unenergetic. Hits are soft and the instruments noticeably lack presence when it comes to busier tracks. Niches genres like Speedcore is a hard victim of this too, for example in tracks like ///Under Construxion/// from Camellia where the entire song sounds deadly suppressed in the upper range.

A smaller problem regarding the BD005 Pro tonality that I have is the midrange. The ~8dB raise to 2kHz isn’t too bad: female vocals as a result are slightly forward which works in terms of my personal preference. But its presentation keeps remind me of how a telephone would sound, noticeably with vocalists like Mitsuki Nakae in tracks like ABSOLUTE CASTAWAY - 金平糖レトロチカ-ノクトメモリア-. Though, this likely to be a combination of the upper midrange, the lack of upper harmonic presences and, most importantly (imo): timbre .

Not mentioning the coherency, the BD005 Pro face the common plasticky BA timbre issue that a lot of hybrid/BA model around this price range have: the whole midrange is coated with a grainy, hazy sensation which somewhat reminds me of the ThieAudio Legacy 3 . Another thing to note that 005 Pro has a smoothed-out feeling in terms of transient, hence while it would work for someone going for a relaxed listening, it’s not something I would recommend for technical listeners.

The merits:

What’s great (or at least, decent) about the BD005 Pro is actually in its bass response. Of course, were if this is me I would hope for more focus towards the sub region to rule out some of the bloats that it has. But, the BD005 Pro actually have decent bass texture and tactility to back. So those problems aren’t really serious by the end of the day.

And to my surprise, the soundstage/imaging performance of the BD005 Pro is competent for the price that it is being offered. There is some sense of spaciousness in the recordings: stage has decent depth and height. Instrument layering is adequate - there are some smearing comparing the grand scheme of things for sure, but for this level of pricing, it’s on the upper echelon.

Choice Comparisons:

vs Shozy Form 1.1:

At first glance from the comparison graph, one would think that the BD005 Pro and the Shozy Form 1.1 have similar presentations in term of sound and I would partly agree with that observation. Minus some small oddities in the frequency range, both IEM are geared towards a relaxed listening but personally, the Form 1.1 can be regarded as a step up from the BD005 Pro for good reasons.

Of course, I am not saying that the BD005 Pro doesn’t have any leverage here: it has better soundstage and imaging than the Form 1.1, the bass is more controlled with better transient and not to mention that the Form 1.1 have a peak somewhere over 7kHz which can be sensitive for some ears.
But, even from a perspective of a relaxed listener which seems to be the target of both of these IEM, I cannot help but think that the Form 1.1 would be a better pick here. In terms of the damage from the flaws, the Form 1.1 doesn’t seem to be affected that severely comparing to the BD005 Pro. Over than that, the 25$ difference in my opinion isn’t that big and in exchange, you would have an IEM that has a richer tone, better timbral, arguably better resolution and, a treble response that is not dead.

You get the gist of it: this is mostly a one sided win geared towards the Shozy Form 1.1. So unless you cannot afford the price difference, I would recommend getting the latter all the way if possible.

vs BLON BL-05:

Here is a fairer comparison, BD005 Pro vs BLON BL-05. Let’s start with my quick summarization of the BL-05 since I haven’t got the chance to talk about it yet: Spacious, yet shouty.

Ok, that was a bit of an exaggeration on the former part; the BL-05 isn’t the most spacious thing I have ever tried, but definitely above average when it comes to music separation and staging.
But yeah, that is how I felt with the BL-05, the shoutiness of the IEM was the main reason why I am not confident in recommending it, were if it was the BL-05S from the beginning, I would put it on my green list.

Anyway, back to the main topic. Both the BD005 Pro and the BL-05 share similarities in terms of staging, with the BL-05 do have its coherency to leverage with the BD005 Pro’s detailing ability (yes, it’s a little bit better). You can also somewhat argue that the BD005 Pro has better tonality due to its “relaxed” sound and vice versa where the BL-05 provides a better treble extension. But, I see it as a toss up between the two since both do have the same level of “destruction” in terms of the flaws that they have, just with different reasons.

By recommendation, I won’t outright say the two are bad, but to be honest, I am not fully confident in recommending both either.

Conclusion:

Overall, what I can say about the Kinera BD005 Pro is that it is an “OK” IEM that does have some quirks to compete in the market. But, there are too many problems with this product that I find it hard to recommend it confidently. Still, not a bad IEM and if you are looking for relaxed IEM, you can still give it a shot.

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Kinera make some of the best looking IEM’s, have they ever made a good sounding one :dollar: for :dollar: :man_shrugging:

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Usually I find it more tolerable if the pricing was lower. The Kinera Tyr for example was quite decent imo.

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Great rewiew and comparison piece @Banbeucmas.

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@antdroid, any chance you’re getting the DUNU EST112 sent to you for review?

lol - i just happen to be getting the prototype unit sent to me soon for feedback. hopefully by end of weekend.

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Thanks to some good friends and fortunate circumstances I get to spend a few days with some great IEMs

Some ‘first few hours’ impressions:

Of the 3, based on my immediate first impressions, the Nio and Z1R are the clear favorites. The Z1R is really impressing me on this second round (I owned one for about a month a couple summers ago). Holy Mary Mother of Balls does Z1R’s bass sound good through the M8. Shanling’s stated intent to provide a signature as smooth, powerful and alluring as carved jade is really coming to fruition here…Z1R + M8 is possibly the nicest standalone bass I’ve heard in a portable setup. Any fears that the M8 and Z1R wouldn’t compliment each other well are entirely unfounded to my ears. Could the Z1R be the more v-shaped compliment to Ely I’m seeking…time will tell. The treble on the Z1R is also really nice though having gotten used to Elysium’s treble it’s not quite as impressive as it was the first time I heard it. The Z1R’s treble can be a touch metallic at times and I often wonder if DD treble has a tendency towards this because all the times I’ve really noticed it have been in DD IEMs. The treble on the VE Elysium has pretty much entirely converted me to the school of e-stat treble…it’s detail, speed, clarity and if done well lack of harshness and bite…is unbeatable.

I’ve got a newfound love and respect for the Z1R right now. It helps that the longer stemmed Sedna tips (that I didn’t have before) seem to be entirely mitigating any fit issues I had when I owned it. Further, my source at the time of owning Z1R was the n6ii + A01-- that particular board tended to bump the mid-bass slghtly and that may have exaggerated the slightly veiled mids on Z1R. I still notice this to some extent but it’s not bothering me as much now.

Really liking the bass on the Nio…it’s a bit more technical/detailed than I was expecting on the whole and altogether it’s a fun and engaging listen. That said if I were to own one I’d probably EQ down 2 and 4K by a couple DB each.

The M9 has failed to connect with me so far, but I will try again. Initial impressions are that the M9 is like a u12t with thicker bass and a dash more personality-- though neither the u12t or M9 IEMs seem like they will take down Andro and VE8 as my favorite BA IEMs. More impressions to come.

Mini shootout:
+Nio => Decent Mid-range presence and instrumental timbre, vocals nicely placed in the mix, great balance, decently detailed, layered and technical, impactful slightly elevated controlled bass.

-Nio => Not quite as technical (layering, staging, imaging etc.) as some other hybrids I’ve heard (Z1R, Solaris, Legend X, MEST), can be a little shouty in the 3-5K region at times though this can be remedied for the most part with EQ.

+Z1R => Peerless bass texture & extension, which the M8 absolutely milks for everything it’s worth (seriously this is a heavenly pairing), fantastic staging and technicalities, great mid-range texture, if a little too tucked behind a veil of bass at times (though admittedly this is nowhere near as noticable on my M8 as it was on my n6ii+a01), a really fun and engaging sound overall.

-Z1R => A little too v-shaped for me to be my only IEM (ie., as with the MEST often I find myself zoning out on the amazing bass whereas in my ideal setup my attention is drawn to the whole of the sound), highs can be a touch metallic-- though I wouldn’t go so far as to say “harsh–” at times.

In summary: My overall preference is for a balanced, open, natural and accessible midrange-- which is why I tend to gravitate primarily to “bass lite” IEMs like Elysium, Solaris SE and Andro. If I had to pick one of the Z1R, Nio or M9 to be my only IEM it would be the Nio due to its more balanced and accessible mid-range. The Z1R is shaping up to be my ideal choice as a secondary more “fun sounding” IEM to complement Ely. I didn’t mention the M9 as much as I’ve only had a bit of time with it and haven’t really connected with it-- it honestly sounds like someone took an Andro 2020, thickened the bass and sucked the heart and soul out of the sound.

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Fantastic comparison piece @jrockwell. You certainly have tried most TOTL iem’s now. How are you finding the overall fit of the Z1R?

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The fit is fine. When I had the Z1R previously the best tips I had were spiral dots and I found it impossible to keep the Z1R in my ears for long stretches-- they were always sliding out of my ears. This time around I have OG Sednas on hand which are made of a much firmer material than spirals and have a longer stem-- these two factors work brilliantly for me with the Z1R as I am able to now get a deeper more secure fit and keep them locked in place in my ears comfortably for longer sessions.

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Funny story: at CanJam NY last year I tried the Z1R with whichever tips - Sony ones? - they were using at the exhibit desk. I removed the IEMs and both tips remained stuck in my ears. Sony didn’t have any tweezers. I then spent 20 minutes going from booth to booth asking if anyone had any tweezers. I was rescued by a kind rep for Westone.

Lesson learned: always take a pair of tweezers with you when you go audition IEMs!

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Thanks for a great insight into the synergy between the M8 and the Z1R’s…being a Z1R owner and lover :metal: and looking to get a new mid-tier source in the next few weeks have you by chance had a chance to listen to the DX300 as these two are in my sights right now :beers:

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My missus has done many such extractions bless her lol

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