# August 2025

# Palavox Akasha Unboxing & Impressions

29-31/08/2025

Unboxing here.

TOTL anon here, it's been a while, I hope you schizos have been well.

Anyways as promised I bought the Palavox Akasha, here's an unboxing dump

The IEMs in question

POS collection status report (and +Salnotes Zero which I didn't bother including in the pic).

Akasha impressions a few days later

Sup bro neat new pos. I'll look forward to demoing Akasha someday. Any insight about the company? Just some new young guys based in Shenzhen?

iirc Palavox is the higher-end sister brand of Artpical. Unfortunately their team is made up of faceless vets, but they do know how to tune. Primarily their appeal is the avant garde aesthetic of their pos (just look at Artpical Bloody Angel)

...that's quite something

Wow that's amazing. I like how it borders on being both flashy but also minimalistic. It's a nice break from the the usual 'gemstone' cliche.

Why did you buy that pos...

To support my local retailer for taking the risk of importing niche "literally-who" sets

>that storm already has baby versions of it
Such as? I've probably heard over a thousand pos by now (courtesy of living next to thehangout), and I still have yet to come across a budget alternative to recommend to newfags

mini storm- xenns top pro, ziigaat odyssey
mini top pro- ziigaat crescent
>probably heard over a thousand pos by now
doubtful

>mini storm- xenns top pro, ziigaat odyssey
>mini top pro- ziigaat crescent
I've heard all these in-person and they sound nothing like Storm

>probably heard over a thousand pos by now
>doubtful
go ahead and count the number of impressions in the gazette and extrapolate by 8 years

[Stopping here since it goes on for a while]

WOW editorzo finally has a job again!!

pretty sure editorzo abandoned the gazette

welcome back TOTLzo, I was tired with constant war of deafzos, craving some posts written by someone who actually uses his ears
waiting for cable reviews, impressions of various OFC vs silver vs silver-plated OFC models and differences in sound

Impressions here.

Impressions after using Palavox Akasha over the weekend:
TLDR: Mid-forward, extremely wide-sounding, shrill air-maxxing pos with literally no mid-bass.

>Timbre
Akasha has this really clean and analytical tuning to it as a result of having zero mid-bass impact. Upper-mids and treble energy causes the Akasha to be shrill-sounding with lots of air/shimmer. But it is not lean-sounding, A/Bing with something like the Helios, you can tell the Akasha does have relatively thick lower-mids to it, but most of the time it is overpowered with its shrillness.

>Bass
No idea why Palavox even bothered putting a DD. Akasha has zero mid-bass. As for subbass, the Akasha does have BCD drivers which gives a slight hint of subbass rumble and texture. Bass on the Akasha is best described as ‘rumble with no slam/decay’.

>Uppermids/Treble
Akasha is quite the shrill pos, but because of its late pinna gain, it’s not shouty – female vocals have this breathy texture, and the midrange has this glassy sheen to it. The Akasha has tons of air and is very extended – much better than the Helios.

>Soundstage
One of its strong points. Very wide-sounding. Comparable to Storm in that regard.

>Cons
Noteweight for lower-register instruments is a real problem area: the lack of mid-bass punch and slam makes bass guitar sound really anemic; you can barely make out the strumming. It’s impossible to hear the initial “thump” on the jazz drums so all you get is the constant shimmering of cymbals/snares.

I wouldn’t use the Akasha for instrumentals because Akasha just lacks that initial slam to give instruments authority.

>Pros
Detail monster with great separation for busy/fast electronic tracks or female poison genres like jpop/kpop. Transients are sharp and fast, and the lack of mid-bass bloom/decay allows you to scrutinize details in the music.

Verdict: Very unique tuning and worth demo-ing for the experience. Canjam goers should make an effort to audition this pos if possible.

ok nigga... now cable/source/tip/rock roll and do a 180 with your opinion

# Anon's thoughts on TWS

31/08/2025

I have in fact abandoned true wireless and gone back to wired headphones. Spent months sourcing a pair of Momentum in-ear from Japan lol. I also got several Sony Walkmans with built-in ANC piping to wired earbuds, and imo they easily sound better than any true wireless product up to $200.
True wireless is a huge source of electronic trash. Extra batteries, short shelf life/designed to be unrepairable. Railway workers in Japan have to pick up from the tracks, dozens of them falling out of people's ears each day, they even invented special contraptions for this. You can't be green or sensible and still use one of these things, that's just hypocrisy at the highest level. And - even LDAC is not as good as a physical cable. I'm just gonna say it. These 6-8 years was just one big running around for nothing, My answer is I've gone back to the wired earphones I'd been using before all this and I'm happy as a clam. Should have never fallen for the true wireless con.
True wireless is nice some of the time, but I also realized later on that I only "can't tolerate cable" when I'm having low-energy days. It's a great reminder to work on my health.

ehh I love my tws when I'm exercising
and when I'm doing shit that needs 2 hands and I want some music to drone out the boredom

# IEM Collection Impressions

29/08/2025

Just wanted to thank whoever steered me towards the EPZ P50 and Tanchjim Origin a few threads back. Nice sets. The pos I have now I enjoy them in this order:
EPZ P50 => Tanchjim Origin > Chopin => Nova >> Kiwi Ears Astral
I tried the Origin first and I was surprised by how pleasant the signature was. From the frequency curve I wasn't expecting it. It's definitely bright leaning but the mid bass hump compensates for it perfectly. My only complaint would be the heavy-weight shells; they feel premium but they fall off if I try to sleep with them.
The P50 were underwhelming at first but I later realized how balanced it is; nothing stands out too much and everything is a relaxed listen. My favorite set so far as this is what I usually look for. Very comfortable, I also ordered a custom design as I don't like the original look very much, nice option.
The KE Astral were a complete disappointment. They definitely are fun at first but they have an absolute ridiculous high treble peak (9dB! @ 15kHz) which is extremely noticeable, everything sounds unnaturally airy and cymbals sound disgusting. Not sure why reviewers don't comment this, so far I've only seen TimTuned mention it but it totally ruins the set for me, otherwise they'd be fine. I can only think that most people who review these already have some hearing loss above 14kHz and thus don't notice it. But it sounds terrible to me, especially if coming from other pos/headphones/speakers. I can hear up to 17kHz and I'm sure many people here can too so I definitely wouldn't recommend them.
The Chopin/Nova are my favorite Harman sets, but I don't enjoy Harman too much. The Chopin are more comfortable to wear and are more fun, but the mid bass hump is a bit too much for me. The Nova are more relaxed (which I enjoy more) but I had to change the eartips as they started to fall off and the female 2-pin plug of the left side doesn't hold the male connector anymore and they fall off so I don't use them anymore.

>sleeping with origins
lol
>nothing stands out too much and everything is a relaxed listen.
true, nothing special but that's what's special about it in a way
>Not sure why reviewers don't comment this
i also had a very prominent peak in the treble but i think this might be an hrtf and hearing age issue

>i think this might be an hrtf and hearing age issue
The peak is prominent in the measurements I've seen. Not that treble peaks are uncommon, but it might be annoying if you're sensitive to treble.

right but whether or not this is a problem for each person is up to hrtf and hearing age

Oh yeah definitely. Preference is subjective after all.

this peak is literally why it is called astral

didn't know stars sounded like shit

Nice you settled on some stuff you like. Yup P50 is pretty great, I often reach for it even with lots of others.

# NiceHCK YD520 Impressions

27/08/2025

Nicehck YD520 are pretty good for $15. These might replace the ED9 pro as my favorite bullet IEMs.
They don't stick out far at all, I can sleep on my side with these against the pillow. Great overall balance and imaging. Build quality is cheap generic plastic, I can see exactly where these will break in half, but that won't be hard to fix.

Think of it as an upgrade to the old Sony buds and Panasonic ergofits.

You know which iems I kinda miss? The Sony MH1C. Couldn't tell you why. It must've been 8 years since I've heard them. They were a pain to wear, but they sounded so smooth and unfussy (if a little undetailed).

The YD520s have unusually good detail retrieval (possibly better than the Q1 pro) but also sort of sound "low-def" like the KZ ATE did.
Very good tuning but probably not the best distortion because of the cheap PET driver. The treble and off gassing plastic stench will probably be a bit much for some people

Similar to KZ, I think Nicehck is best at making cheap single DD earphones that sound better than mainstream Sony, JVC, Phillips et al. They've both beat the "stuff a bunch of random shit in a cable-up IEM" gimmick to death. Time to go back to basics.

# Tripowin Zonie & Final Audio E tips for the Sennheiser IE200 Impressions

27/08/2025

My feelings on Tripowin Zonie and Final Audio E (black) tips for IE200. Maybe this'll help someone.
The Tripowin Zonie is noticeably less microphonic than the stock cable, but still has some rumble when I move my head around. With the higher quality feeling cable comes a lot of extra weight though, and sometimes I'd rather have something lighter like the stock cable. I prefer the Zonie and will keep using it. I had to remove the plastic rings from the cable's MMCX connectors to get it to fit the IE200, which is a massive negative (for the IE200).
The Final Audio E tips at SS size are almost the same size as the stock silicon tips at S size, so no significant changes in comfort. Isolation is around the same, slightly better at isolating treble than stock. I find it hard to a/b test these accurately, but changes in sound are not drastic at all. There might be slightly more bass. The most important difference, and the reason why I got these tips, is that the treble has improved for my ears. The stock tips had a weird sibilant, thin sound for my ears; S-sounds were harsh, sometimes almost like white noise (a subjective effect, of course). Final Audio E tips made the treble softer, still pronounced, but way nicer. I have the tape mod applied too just in case.
The under-performing IE200 is very enjoyable with these and I'm glad to finally have an IEM that agrees with my ears.

>The stock tips had a weird sibilant, thin sound for my ears
of course it's sibilant lmao ie200 is a horrible sibilant piece of shit
and its awful treble is getting boosted by your length mode resonance

# Soundpeats T3 Pro Impressions

27/08/2025

I fell for the scarbir shill and bought the soundpeats t3 pro sounds like sh*t
Never trusting this kite again

# Chat is this true?

19/08/2025

/iemg/ facts:
>no one itt listens to music
>no one itt enjoys music
>everyone itt has no friends
>everyone itt thinks contrarianism will make them cool
>everyone itt are seething virgins

# Shenzhen International Audio Show (SIAS) 2025

15-18/08/2025

SIAS #4 : Moondrop new product seminar
1, The darkside is a concept of a ultra high end planar magnetic driver featuring 100mm gold + sliver engraved planar driver
Estimated price is 20000 cny or 2785$
2, The Laputa is the next flagship of Moondrop featuring 100mm planar magnetic driver and a fully openback design
Price is 5000 cny or 700$
3, The golden age 2 feature a 13mm dual suspension planar magnetic driver, with homegrown chip by moondrop called the type one
Price is 500 cny or 70$
4, The Space Travel 2 Ultra feature the same 13mm planar magnetic driver as the golden age.
Price is 199 cny or 27$
5, The Moondrop x SMSL DHA15 is a AIO DAC+AMP solution featuring dual cirrus logic cs43198 + opamp, capable of outputting upto 15w@32 ohms per channel
Price is 2999 cny or 420$ ( the weed number )
6, The Dawn Pro 2 feature dual cirrus logic cs43198 with upto 4vrms output
Price is 300 cny or 42$
7, The Authentic feature dual DD consist of 1 10mm and 1 13.5mm DD tune to V shape based on the concept of the old audio technica ckm sth.
Price is not yet unveiled

wow ultra garbage

Slop is back on the menu boys!

Come visit us at our booth if you can!

nice castle, beesh

pics of the prototypes?

Tanchjim new engineering prototype of the Kara Pro ( white ) and a hybrid iem with unknown info ( black )

jesus what and ugly looking POS...

Day 2

Today marks Day 2 of the Shenzhen SIAS Audio Show!
At our launch, we previewed our upcoming lineup: RSV mk2, Se6 Live, the new RS10, RSX AE Edition, Edge, and Karma.
Exciting things are on the horizon—stay tuned!

ALL LOOKS LIKE ASS
I want zero 2 tuning with q1 pro shell and cool faceplate
why the fuck won't they make it??

Extra Gossip

Noteworthy Gossip From SIAS
>Tanchjim showcased new engineering prototype of the Kara Pro and a hybrid iem with unknown info
>Truthear new dual DD IEM with 10mm + 12.5mm stacked DD, ugly shape
>Softears RSV mk2, Se6 Live, the new RS10, RSX AE Edition, Edge, and Karma
>Moondrop there's a new collab with cringy (Meteor tuned to IEF 2025). New tws updates Space Travel 2 Ultra and Golden Ages 2 with their planar driver and 5128 VDSF tuning
>EPZ P70 and 530 Pro
>Hiby Yula is a low end single DD IEM with PEEK diaphragm and shure-like shell, price is 288 yuan or about 40$. Hiby x FAudio Project Ace JP feature a 12mm DD with triple air chamber for acoustic purpose and a 1.2 tesla power magnetic core, price is 1998 yuan or 278$
>Seeaudio next flagship in the seeapex series, support customization in shell and tuning, cost even more than the Mobius I ( 7800$ )
>7hz x Fatfreq prototype, dual planar setup tune to pop/vocal

PMP/Dongle
>Truthear portable amp/dac with a volume knob similar to HiBy W4 form factor
>Shanling/Onix new Beta dongle featuring 2x CS43198 and tube amp to output upto 550mw@32 ohms
>HiBy W4 is a DAP featuring dual cirrus logic cs43198 + 1500mah battery + qcc5181, with the ability to turn into usb DAC and bluetooth DAC. Other feature include Magsafe for iphone and "uncharge" mode where the w4 in it's usb dac mode use the internal battery instead of power from type C.
>Hiby R6 PRO II 2025 feature dual Cirrus Logic CS4308P DAC and a aluminium shell compare to the r6p2. Price is 4698 yuan or 650$
>Hiby new RS8II DAP, the most powerful DAP yet with Snapdragon 8 gen 2, no info yet
>Fiio M27 DAP feature Qualcomn Dragonwing QCS6490 which is the extended support version of the Snapdragon 778G, pair with a QCC5181 bluetooth codec, android 13, 8+256 onboard storage and 9200 mah replacable battery the DAC part feature a pair of ESS9039s PRO with discrete opamp upto 5w@32 ohms per channel output

>Seeaudio next flagship in the seeapex series, support customization in shell and tuning, cost even more than the Mobius I ( 7800$ )
Mogged by g10.

mogged by [pic of TKZK Ouranos]

>no customization
Literal garbage.

I hope those chinks put the shenzhen curse on you to where your buttplugs give you uncurable hemerrhoids or your lose a buttplug in your butt, whichever comes first

>no innovation
>no good budget deals
>no originality
GRIM AS FUCK

>innovation
we've hit the ceiling in what we can do with pos.... what do you want???

time to solve mod length resonance problem

>Spacetravel 2
Damn is it finally time to upgrade my wireless pos? I have the Space Travel 1s and am looking for longer battery hours and better anc / wind noise generaton.
Or should I just shell out during a sale for the Robin's?

space travel 2 does have longer battery life. space travel ultra will be planar tws which is interesting dunno what it'll mean for battery life

I'll wait and see. Definitely watchlisting the Robin's on Amazon (best no questions asked warranty in Europe).

# Sennheiser IE200 Impressions

17/08/2025

I actually got the IE200. I had two reasons for doing so -- I found a good deal for them used at a fair price, and they have a small nozzle diameter.
The smallest stock silicone tips are the only ones that fit my baby ears. If the nozzle was even a millimeter larger in diameter, I doubt it'd fit.
Sound is good. Nothing compared to my planars yeah, but good. A little hollow. I did the tape mod and took damping foam from another pair of the stock tips and added that to the ones I use for double damping, which slightly reduced some sibilance I was experiencing. Chi-fi at the same price range obviously beats these, but for my circumstances (baby ears) these are very good.
Isolation is a bit disappointing, but alright enough, better than my closed backs at least. The microphonic cable is the worst part and I'm getting another one ASAP.
No regrats.

# Crinear Daybreak Impressions

15-16/08/2025

Finally got daybreak... What can I say? It is pretty good. They are kinda smaller than I expected from all the photos and videos. Very comfortable so if you are fine with semi custom shells or if you find q1pros comfortable these ones should be too.
Sound quality is as expected. If you are familiar with jm-1 tuning well... that's basically what it is. Nice bass, smooth treble, great mids. Do they sound that different from my vaguely jm-1 tuned SM4s? Not really? But on the other hand I don't really feel the need to fuck with EQ (outside of ear canal resonance).
Surprisingly standard medium eartips were pretty comfortable but using spring tips just brings comfort to another level. And relaxes treble even more which is nice. Tried triple falange tips too... They made sound very shouty and basically unlistenable for me which is the first time I get such an effect with them lol. I got coffee tips too but they are couple of days away still. Doubt they'll beat spring tips but more tips is always nice.

Some other pos I have

Nice review. So what's your favorite pos of those you own? Especially for using outside in noisy environments where you have to turn the volume up.

Probably daybreaks and unironically wyvern black remaster lol Tho they are not as comfortable. I feel like they all mostly isolate the same so experience outside will be similar. For higher volumes something with relaxed treble should be good but literally anything will be fine if you EQ. (Can't say I can recombed wyverns black because I feel that me liking them is a personal thing more than anything)

Comparison with the Wyvern Remaster

lol... Fun fact. I was comparing daybreaks to all my other POS... and wyverns remaster with my usual EQ and coffee tips basically sounded almost the same. I even put daybreak in one ear and wyvern in the other and it didn't feel like I'm wearing 2 different IEMs. Not sure what I was expecting desu...(About my EQ - I wasn't trying to match JM-1 or anything just added a bit more bass, more mids, and was moving treble shelf around until music stopped sounding "muffled". I don't usually lower 3k but did for this comparison). So yeah make of that what you will.

# We miss you Saint.

15/08/2025

Where is the Saint when need them most

We gifted him a very long vacation.

His estrogen was laced with microplastics. He never recovered.

# Kinera Celest Wyvern Remaster Impressions

14-15/08/2025

Also got the Wyvern Remaster. Excellent comfort, excellent cable, excellent looks, but not so good tuning. The mid treble suckout is real, and you don't even get a sibilance free upper treble. The older non remaster was better tuned but had inferior comfort, accessories and build. I especially like the plastic anime card they included here.

>sibilance free upper treble
thing barely has any treble how did you get sibilance there?'

Above 10K. Always get nasty spikes there from 95% of pos. If EQ didn't exist I'd still be a headposser.

well that sucks for me it's smooth outside of usual mode length resonance... with simple treble shelf shit plays real good

I almost bought the Qing, then I saw that treble thing, and all of them show that huge dip around 10khz on the graph.
It's only really worth it if you are treble sensitive, (I like salnotes zero so I can handle it). The cymbals sound really weird and muffled in most rock songs, the Gate has this problem but probably to a lesser extent. Hopefully the Q1 Pro is better

# Don't know why this made me laugh

14/08/2025

>crickets outside raising my noise floor

# Anon can't go back

12/08/2025

>parents get me pajeetpod pros for birthday
>freaking love them. Great features, seamless for being TWS
>seriously think they sound freaking good. Good soundstage, good separation, etc.
>switch back to this autistic pagpag garbage and have a listen the next day. Also amazing sound
>go back to airpods to compare
>Can immediately pick up the uneven treble and lack of dynamics.
Screw you guys why do you ruin nice things. I just want to be a normie and enjoy music. airpod pros are really good in a vacuum and still good enough on their own but why tf did I have to have my ears assaulted by completely flat downtilt diffuse field treble it’s always gonna be in the back of my mind.

not everything is about min maxing quality
sometimes you just want convenience

The airpod pros sound good enough for sure. Kinda hard to pinpoint a change because their general tonality is actually quite nice.
That deep insertion is just ridiculous an absolute game changer. Still gonna use my pros 90% of the time they’re much comfier

>damn this steak is good

Don't airpods have EQ? Not sure if it's rudimentary like Snoy's, but it should help alot. Personally, as long as whatever device I wear is comfy and has relaxed treble like Faaeal's earbuds, then there's not much to complain about.

# 7Hz Salnotes Zero Impressions

12/08/2025

So it turns out all the people saying these lack bass were using the wrong tips and getting a "partial" seal which lets the Bass and Techs escape.

Once you get them to seal correctly they're pretty much end game level techs and they have a very balanced FR but it sounds almost "digital" like a balanced armature IEM. The cable sucks ass though, I might just use the one off the Gate and leave that one cable-less.

ugly shell gives inferior techs

Sort of true, I think the bulky shape is the reason why it is difficult to seal properly.
I don't think I've had any IEM that was this tip-sensitive since the KZ ATE. Where the Gate in particular fits the ear much better but changing the tips doesn't really change the sound.

>end game level techs
>almost sounds digital like a BA.

I still enjoy my zeros from time to time but you have no idea what you're talking about

# TempoTec V1 Impressions

11/08/2025

The new Tempotec V1 looks decent, has a moderately smooth UI (given all the limitations), a pretty comprehensive feature set including direct streaming from Tidal/Qobuz, and has half decent output power from balanced out as well.

It's such a shame that the actual sound quality is so... meh. I thought of using it as a transport with the Muse M5 Ultra, but the USB output is noticeably less resolving than my phone (Pixel 9 Pro). There is likely some bit truncation going on that's completely fuzzying up the sound.
As such, this one goes in the drawer, likely to never see the light of day again. #sigh

The balanced port on mine doesn't work. No sound. I contacted support and at first they responded and then they just went quiet on me. Guess I got chinked.
Also there is no PEQ, even though it says on their website that it has it.

What lens and camera did you use btw? Nice bokeh

>It's such a shame that the actual sound quality is so... meh.
It passes most of the tests perfectly, but jitter is really fucked up for a modern device, also phase is not linear and there are some group delay issues.
Probably clock settings are really fucked up.

# Moondrop Meteor Impressions

10/08/2025

Moondrop meteors blow my $1000 headphones out of the water. I don't know what wizardry they used but they're the single most immersive audio experience I've had, and that's after testing basically every recommended IEM in the market recently.
In 3 days they basically destroyed all my preconceptions about sound, and for myself I used to value technicalities, now I value emotion. They're probably the first ever pair to be able to draw out the full emotions of a female vocalist, and now my headphones and Q1 just sound veiled on that aspect.
Another way to describe it is for my whole life, I was listening to music, but now I'm feeling music.

# Anon's IEM Ranking List

09/08/2025

Current ranking of my IEMs

KZ ED9 Pro (Balanced nozzle)

Truthear Gate

7hz Salnotes Zero

Tripowin Vivace

KZ ATE

KZ Ling long
---- Bad, but too much of a hoarder to toss them ----

Tanchjim One (3.5mm version)

7hz Salnotes Zero 2

KZ DQ6

Samsung / AKG earbuds (these ones are 2nd gen and not as good as the originals)

KZ EDX

Tin Hifi T2 (Might be broke? Very dark sounding).

You should try an IEM that has bass

# Anon's customized endgame

07/08/2025

Endgame. Mr. EPZ was so generous he actually sent me "free" set of G10, but without custom faceplate tech they are worthless.

how much for the customization? $45?

One set of EPZ g10. Thats why i said that i got free one.

# Moondrop Space Travel 2 Impressions

07/08/2025

Space Travel 2s came in a week early, posting my thoughts after a day of use. I mostly got these because my 1st gen Airpods finally died and I needed a cheap TWS to replace them.

Build quality is okay, albeit the plastic feels cheap; expected for $25. While the open-top design of the case is admittedly flashy, it's not getting any points in the durability department.
Fit is decent, slightly on the larger side. You get 3 extra pairs of tips. They aren't as comfortable as the Airpods, but nudging them doesn't cause them to sound like complete shit which is a plus. Note that rolling tips can be a pain because it plays/pauses everytime you touch the thing.
Sound is passable. Bass is nonexistent, nothing EQ can't fix. I use wireless pos for podcasts and background music when I need my hands free on the go so I'm not paying attention to sound quality, if I want good sound I'll plug in my wired pos.
Not sure about ANC because people that care about it are faggots who don't want to wear soundproof earmuffs over their pos.

Overall not bad/5. There's probably better TWS pos in the same price range, but how many have a waifu that goes "do do-do" when you turn them on?

>battery life
>anc
useless RETARD stop polluting /our/ haven with garbage shit

>battery life
Been using them for 6 hours straight and still have 1/3 battery left, that should be good for 99% of people
>anc
It's off

Obligatory outdoor closeup of pos because all professional reviews have them and having one automatically makes it professional

ok i was rude, nice color matching

lol thanks for your kind words anon

Nigga using a steve jobs era iphone

>Bass is nonexistent
fucking things barely fit in my ears and I still can hear decent amount of bass lol

# Truthear Gate & Tangzu Wan'er 2 Impressions

06/08/2025

I just received a pair of Truthear Gate and a pair of Tangzu Wan'er SG2 (goated in the OP guide).
Have just listened to one song on each so far. Initial thoughts:
Truthear Gate sounds good. Good bass, treble isn't fatiguing. Wan'er 2 however sounds similar to the Simgot EW300, but worse. Bass isn't thumping as much as the Truthear's, but worse of all, it is super sibilant and ear raping. Not a fan at all after 3 minutes of listening to them.

Felt the same about waner 1 and to a lesser extent wyvern pro, very shitty nobass sound profile, cant even use this as a casual listen on the go

Interesting... brighter less bassy pos sounds like less bright and bassier one for you. do you feel like gate has a deeper fit than waner?

>techs

# Truthear Pure & Tanchjim 4U Impressions

04/08/2025

Anon from few threads ago asking about the truthear pure here.
I received mine and am testing it mainly with zts for electro and Frozen Starfall for female vocals. I'm comparing it with my tanchjim 4U in atmo, and I prefer the pure overall for now. I find it richer in sound and slightly more detailed in certain areas. I prefer the bass on the 4U for now, and the female vocals on the 4U are more detailed and prominent.
The pure is nevertheless more detailed and the sound is richer overall. It's fairly neutral and warm, but less warm than the 4U and a little darker. I don't find it muddy, contrary to what some people say, at least for now. This is my first day listening to it, so I'll test it more throughout the week. Maybe I prefer it for now because it's new.
I think I'll keep it and switch between it and the 4U depending on what I'm listening to.
However, I feel like it picks up more ground noise than the 4U. Is that normal ?

>However, I feel like it picks up more ground noise than the 4U. Is that normal ?
Is it louder at the same volume? It could just be more sensitive.

I think he pure is at base louder than the 4U so to test it I'm trying to tweak my PC so that the output sound is at the same level.
And yeh tested that way I hear more ground and floor noise with compared to my 4U or ath m50x. I think it's a question of the sensitivity of the iem and the quality of the sound equipment, because I only have a scarlet solo for sound.
It's not really a problem, but it's the first thing I noticed.

# TWS Charging Issue Warning

03-04/08/2025

A word of warning about chinky TWS and possibly all TWS: the contacts will get dirty, and the buds will stop charging. Really annoying, because the buds will stay connected to your phone while in the case while draining battery. I cleaned the contacts on the buds and the case with Q-tips and some IPA, which fixed the problem. Somehow my old ass galaxy buds which I've owned for 3 years now have never had this issue, while I've owned the Mino and Pill for only a few months and they've both developed this problem. I've used the Mino at the gym which may explain it but the Pill hasn't been used for any physical activity.

this is part of the reason why wired > wireless

This constantly happens to me on my Airpods too, very annoying

how the fuck does that Moondrop one even fit on your ear? I can't tell what I'm looking at

Like so

Why would you buy the pill if not to use during physical activity? It inherently has worse sound quality

I bought it because it looks weird. I only use TWS for podcasts/videos so sound is not a concern.

Just wash yourself. I've been using the same two pairs for months and they still look like brand new.

try acetone next time

# Kinera Celest Dark Phoenix Impressions

01/08/2025

First IEMs, the Celest Dark Phoenix. I have always preferred the in-ear earbuds type, but I don't have good audiophile ears so I just picked something I thought looked cool. I really like the resin shells and they sound good to my ears. I heard a lot of people didn't like the Phoenix Call tuning, but this one is a re-tuned version that's apparently a little bit more relaxed

huh.. the tuning of these things...
well as long as you like them

enjoy em. i like them too

God damn those look sexy as fuck