# December 2024

# Kefine Klean Condensation Issue

31/12/2024

Got the Kleans and on their second week he Right Earpiece began losing volume. Put it back in the case with silica gel per recommendations but the loss starts again after several minutes of use. I'm going to return them unless any vets have insight on preventing this spontaneous supposed 'Condensation' issue

# Mass IEM Impressions

11-31/12/2024

Same anon that visited the Hangout.

Auditioned some pos.

>Performer 5+2
A non-shouty Harman (SM4/Nova) with slightly better subbass. P5+2 still sounds lean with poor note weight. Low pinna dulls the liveliness of string instruments. Female pop is less exciting. I don’t get the point of this pos. 5/10.

>Softears Studio 4
Sounds more full-bodied than the P5+2. But poor sub-bass slam and a distinct lack of air. It’s a tonally correct Harman IE tuning, which might be impressive a year ago but the Mega5EST and Crinacle Dusk just flat out beats the Studio 4 in timbre. 6/10.

>Crinacle Dusk (DSP)
Sounds similar to Mega5EST. But female vocals and snares have a slight edginess to them. Nothing wrong with that, some may perceive it as sounding more detailed. But I think it sounds sibilant. Analog Dusk tames the harshness a little.

Dusk over M5E for Vocaloid and mandopop. M5E for everything else. 8/10.

>Thieaudio Hype 4
Very nice low-end and treble. Also sounds fuller than the P5+2 and Monarch MK3. Nicely executed U-shape. Trades blows with the Symphonium Crimson. Fun and exciting pos and frankly one of the best mid-fi IEMs I’ve heard. 10/10.

>Subjective Ranking
Hype 4 > Dusk > Studio 4 > P5+2

More pos.

>Symphonium Helios
Treble specialist – airy and ethereal-sounding. It’s a budget Annihilator. Low-end instruments like the cello sound a tad blunted but whatever it’s a pretty good one-trick pony. 10/10.

>Empire Ears Triton
Bassy dark signature. Extremely muddy on my weebshit playlist. But bass is deep with good physicality (bass guitar sounds really good). Unfortunately, treble dip kills extension and results in a fast decay, which hurts timbre. 3/10.

>Elysian Pilgrim Noir
Has a similar treble “crisp” like the Annihilator/Helios, but not as refined. In comparison the Noir sounds dry and harsh. 6/10.

>Subjective Ranking
Helios > Noir > Triton

I'm posting my blog whether (you) like it or not.

>Mangird Tea Pro
U-shape adjacent tuning which has been executed really well. Despite the squigs, it is not as warm sounding as the Mega5EST. Sub-bass packs a nice punch. Really reminds me of the Hype 4, albeit with slightly less energetic treble, but still just as resolving. A fun U-shape for the treble-sensitive. 9/10.

>Tangzu Xuanwu Gate
Treble specialist – bass-lite, airy and ethereal-sounding. Resembles the Symphonium Helios and Annihilator. But treble extension pales in comparison to the real kilobucks. Female vocals and piano sound sparkly, but string and wind instruments lack authority and have an unnaturally fast decay. It’s a one trick pony but it’s good at its niche. 8/10.

>Softears Enigma
Another attempt to ‘improve’ upon the Twilight by adding more treble and bass. It didn’t work with the RSV so why did Softears expect the second attempt to be any different?
Ironically the Enigma ends up sounding more like the Studio 4 than the Twilight; and you can buy the Studio 4 for one-tenth of the price. 3/10.

>Kinera Verdandi
A female vocals specialist. Mogs its competitor the Supernova because the Verdandi actually has good BCD implementation and brings good subbass slam and rumble. But it is slightly sibilant and string instruments sound overwhelming due to the exaggerated pinna. 7/10.

>Flipears Artha
Another “class 3 listener” tuning. Sounds exactly the same as the Eminent Ears Ruby. Weak bass with hot treble. Uninspiring. 3/10.

>Nightjar Duality
Imagine listening to the U12T while in the middle of an earthquake. Midrange is CLEAN despite the monstrous bass. The bass of the Duality is very deep and visceral, the type of bass that is felt rather than heard. That explains why the Duality can be so lean-sounding while causing head-splitting tremors. Actual bass wizardry and blind buy tier. 10/10.

Demoed these to see what the hype is about.

>Thieaudio Monarch MK2
Sounds just like the squigs. JM-1 type of timbre/tonality, with a nice pinna gain to bring life to female vocals. Better upper-mids and treble than Mega5EST and Dusk. For weebs who want a full-bodied low end and noteweight, but also exciting female vocals. 9.5/10.

>Letshuoer Cadenza 4
I see anons shilling this so I wanted to see what the hype is about.

The Cadenza’s treble has that “sharpening filter” like some summit-fi sets, which causes mild sibilance. If you can tolerate the “shout” it probably sounds highly resolving and detailed.

Thus I think the Cadenza’s upper-mids are slightly more resolving than the Supermix 4’s. But its low-end is really weak with no slam/physicality. It sounds really lean, probably more than strict Harman sets like the Nova.

Imo the Hype 4 and Tea Pro are better sets (though very minor) over the Cadenza. They can do the same “resolving” treble like the C4, without sacrificing its low-end. 6/10.

Even more!

Niche kilobuck pos impressions:

>Plussound Sonora & Volta
American pos. Volta has a “class 3 listener”-adjacent tuning – albeit with slightly fuller lower-mids. Reminds me of the EE Odin. Low-end is detailed, but treble is mildly sibilant. 5/10.

Sonora – Similar to the Volta but with a smoothed treble, and yet so incredibly detailed. Also, better treble extension than the Volta. It’s like Plussound intentionally tuned the Volta to be shit to push customers towards their flagship Sonora. At least the Sonora doesn’t disappoint. 9/10.

(I would’ve rated the Sonora a 10/10 if not for their god-awful shells)

>Eminent Ears Sapphire
Bassy V-shape. Sounds warm and muddy at times. But nothing inoffensive. Bass texture isn’t the best but treble is sparkly and detailed – better than the Ruby at least. 6/10.

>Jomo Audio Impulse Ti
Dark horse for POS of the year. Well-executed U-shape tuning. Low-end is superb, and upper-mids are incredibly resolving. One of the best bass I’ve heard – probably on par with the Nightjar Duality. Richbros need to check this pos out. Super underrated due to a lack of shills. 10/10.

Picrel for how garbage the Volta/Sonora shells are – those angles are SHARP and Plussound expects you to put this fucking torture device in your ear.

Fuck you anon...

Mass pos impressions (New Year’s Eve edition):

>Dunu DK3001BD
Harman with boosted treble, lots of treble. Sub-bass is weak, and the lower-mids sounds thin like other Harman pos. Squigs show a slight boost in the 300 to 1khz range (compared to Harman) but the difference is barely audible. String instruments also possess a weird timbre due to the unnatural treble extension. Female vocals end with a sharp ‘SH’ in its articulation. May sound incredibly resolving if you have hearing loss but for me it was quite sibilant. If you want airy, sparkly treble get the Xuanwu Gate instead. Blind-buy the Braindance and roll the HRTF lottery at your own risk. 4/10.

>Tripowin Vivace
Bright V tuning (no it doesn’t sound warm to me). Female vocals were slightly sibilant, guess I got unlucky on the 6 to 8khz peak. Timbre is good – there’s decent noteweight and fullness in the low-end. But separation is poor – accompanying vocals sound mushed together. Resolution isn’t the best either. I guess it’s an okay budget option. 5/10.

>Kiwi Ears x HBB Punch
Nice sub-bass rumble, and the bass booms like thunder. Bass quantity is good but quality is absolute ass. Drum rolls on the timpani sound like a muddy mess and it’s almost impossible to hear the individual hits. The low res, pillowy bass bleeds into the lower mids and turns male vocals into mush. Freddie Mercury sounds absolutely wasted. What a fucking shame because the upper-mids and treble are actually fairly decent and resolving. 1/10.

>Truthear x Crinacle Zero
Bright shouty pos. The lack of sub-bass makes the Zero sound brighter than Harman. Great female vocals though. Weebs should like this. 6/10.

>Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED (with impedance adapter)
Bassier, warmer set than the OG Zero. The REDs sound “fuller” and is a better generalist than the OG. But I wish there was more pinna because female vocals sound a tad recessed in comparison. Resolution is passable (albeit muddy). Okay budget set. 7/10.

# Sony NW-A50 series Walkman player Skin Project

28/12/2024

Looks like a cool project, keep it up anon.

hello i did a thing https://github.com/unknown321/wampy

looks cool, may try later, do you think an already modified (to be in english) japanese device will have trouble?

I think you should be ok, make a backup just in case. There is a link to backup instructions in the readme.

# TRN MT5 Impressions

27/12/2024

If measurebro who graphed EDC Pro and TRN MT5 is lurking? thank you.
The MT5 is great. I don’t believe in burn in but whatever happened after a few hours they mellowed out in the 6-8khz region. Awesome little v-shape but good tonality. These graph similarly to some of the simgot stuff and they’re full metal single dd too so I imagine they’re probably somewhat similar. Nice set and the eartips are easily my favorite I’m copping more, they’re literally just better moondrop springtips.
note: this dude’s coupler looks borked on the left tip anyone else who measured them has good channel matching which is why I aligned to just the right side which seems more accurate with my own impression+other graphs

Glad you enjoy them, definitely a great little set, love the subtle look and small form factor. The tips were decent from what I remember, but nothing standout on my end.
Don't have the EA1000 or 500LM currently, but they did indeed sound similar from memory. There were differences in the treble but that's to be expected. The Simgots do feel more premium in the hand, weightier and nicer metal finish imo.

# iBasso DX340 Criticisms

22/12/2024

After a day with the DX340 I have a few scathing remarks (part one):

>Weight
Shit is fucking heavy. The entire chassis is stainless steel and weighs 550g on my scale. Even though the screen is small enough for one-handed navigation, but you need to both hands support that weight.

>12v DC-in
This shit is a gimmick. It is not a true battery bypass like FiiO’s implementation, the DX340’s battery % still goes down regardless. The only thing 12v DC-in does is enable super gain mode which is helpful for powering behemoths like the Nightjar Duality but otherwise completely useless.

Also, the external 12v PSU IS NOT GROUNDED and so you can hear background hiss on sensitive IEMs.

>Stock screen protectors
Fucking blows, both the stock glass and film screen protectors are incompatible with the leather case. The case pushes against the edges of the film and creates bubbles, while the glass makes it impossible to remove the case.

Plus the stock screen protector has this abrasive rubbery hand-feel. I ended up getting a custom matte protector done specifically for the DX340 instead.

Also forgot to mention they provide screen protectors for the back too, which is of course incompatible with the case.

>Temps
Finally, something good. The DAP is lukewarm at most, even on super gain mode.

>Double tap to wake
It’s there at least.

>”Recents” homescreen softlock
Basically, if you enter mango player (iBasso stock music app) through the homescreen and press “recents” in the navigation bar, you get softlocked into recent apps with the homescreen superimposed on top (see picrel).

Now none of your inputs will register, but thank god the navigation bar still works.

After a day with the DX340 I have a few scathing remarks (part two):

>Mango player
iBasso stock player sucks. It doesn’t automatically index songs in my microsd card – you have to navigate through the subfolders and play the album for the first time before it gets classified under “All music” and only then is it able to be reached via the search bar.

>Audible treble roll-off
Fuck R2R and fuck 1-bit DACs. I don’t know what analog FIR filter iBasso uses but there’s audible treble roll-off which completely neuters the Annihilator’s specialty. It doesn’t seem to affect the Alter Ego or Duality much but I would not recommend pairing this DAP with bright sets unless your intention is to tame the treble.

The only saving grace (cope) is that it pairs well with warm/bassy sets. But now I need to find another source for my bright pos.

Anyways I am fucking seething.

# FLOAUDIO BLUELOVER Impressions

20/12/2024

Ordered bluelover last month for 37USD and got stuck due to postage fuckup, finally arrived.
Fully filled resin, look and feel really nice, shell on the big side, QDC connector with KZ cable, faceplate/shell absolutely mogs the entire KZ toy-like line.
Sound good if you have good low impedance source (pos 10Ohm), extreme sound variation if your sources differ in output impedance.
If you want some full BA pos, these are worth a blind if you can get them under 40USD.

Btw Audiosense DT600 is a 1:1 identical IEM, and yeah as far as output impedance it just depends what kind of sound you want. Audiosense even included adapter in their packaging. Funny enough in stock form they are pretty adherent to JM-1, but with an exaggerated hump 150-500Hz and darker treble.

So much pricier for a flashier faceplate and accessories.
Oh yeah the bluelover has KZ-like unboxing, there's nothing besides the bare minimum.
About the darker sound, I love it, single DDs I put an extra 500 mesh to make them sound good to me, so the bluelovers are fine, brighter than Explorer.

No "hard" proof on that second statement, but measurements are very similar to one another.

# FiiO JA11 Review

18/12/2024

I bought the JA11 dongle a few weeks ago and posted a quick review here, just wanted to add some additional things I noticed. After continuously using the dongle for more than 10 minutes at a time it seems to start stuttering, I only used it with EQ enabled so perhaps it doesn't happen with EQ disabled I just wouldn't know. Taking the dongle out and plugging it back in fixes the issue, but it is quite annoying. I'm not sure if this is a common issue or specific to my device, however I did check the legitimacy online with the QR code it came with so at least I can say that it's a legit dongle causing these issues. I also know that it's an issue with the dongle because my JM30 dongle doesn't have these issues.
If you can't use software EQ for whatever reason and don't mind this too much it still seems like a good product otherwise, though I personally won't buy another one when this one breaks.

F**o'd

You'd think that jcally would be a chinkier store, given the smaller size and cheaper products. But my fiio m5's battery has also expanded, breaking the back of the device off, after like 4 years of use, while a friend's shanling m0 still works perfectly fine. I don't think I'll be buying fiio again in the future.

# Nightjar Acoustics Duality Unboxing

17/12/2024

Alterego anon here...my preorder has arrived

>Divinus velvet + nicehck 07 tips
>Case with iems + cable
>Thank you card
this unboxing is underwhelming wtf

Duality in /iemg/?? I wasn't expecting that
Is that a bass monster as ppl say?

Yeah it's a clean sounding bass monster. Editor anon has already included my duality impressions in the gazette.

Fuck me forgot the pic

last pic of dump as contribution to editor's size database
just wanted to document the unboxing for duality since there's barely any online

# /iemg/'s thoughts on new pos (Potafes - Portable Audio Festival)

13-15/12/2024

New Tanchjim X Effect Audio Cable collaboration for a 2DD pos (bouncing off the New Release Radar post), and a limited edition "Lost Manor" version fo the Tanchjim Origin (new cable, maybe another stand).

>Tanchjim x Effect Audio (2DD) $??
So, the name is FORCE !

not liking this grill design at all, looks like it's designed to gunk up easily

I love Tanchjim simple and elegant designs, but this one doesn't do it for me.

metal faceplate + cheap toy bodied plastic = kz looking ass mf

>hardware not even matching
im with other anons on this one, this pos is not up to usual tanchjim standards design and aesthetics wise.

I FUCKING NEED THAT LOST MANOR WTF
PERFECT MATCH FOR LUNA
IS THIS THE PERFECT DUO?????????
SISTAS WE CANNOT FUCKING LOSE, THAT SHIT IS NOT IN MY VOCAB!!!!

Engraved Origin?

FUCK I ALREADY HAVE THE ORIGIN
POTAFEST ANON PLEASE CONFIRM

yes, but more weeby tuning too

>more weeby
even brighter than og origins? that was pretty bright as is ngl
did they specifically say that it was retuned?

origin filters didn't change the tuning at all but i think one of these now changed it a bit more, better wait for official measurements to be 100% sure

>maid Asano
Too bad that pos looks pricey.

>that slightly disappointed expression
Diamonds

AAAAA WHY I'M POOR

>Have woman
Ok i'm buying tanch next

New MASSIVE Moondrop (flagship?) pos.

>Moondrop METEOR (IEM? Headphones?) $??
So, 13mm DD. 2BA, 4 Planar
HOLY CHONK POS !

They wanted the truthear market

that's one of the ugliest pos i've ever seen, i'll probably buy it

Those make my nova look small.

>metal
>thicker than solis
>added fucked ugly bump too
>thick cable
sweet mother of ergonomic hell...

SHOCKING news from transcordian
This is the variations sucessor !!

are they fucking retarded? what the fuck even is this...

Earlets don't look!

>that shell
You've got to be fucking kidding me. And the comical contrast with S Spring Tip on that cancerous growth of a nub nozzle.
>poorfag TWS 13mm driver shoved into a premium product
That's the opposite of how trickle-down R&D should work.
3001BD clears that driver config and FORCE clears that shit cloth-covered cable. What a meteoric pos, bravo Moondorp

earussy meteor

The orc-ears keep winning

This is equivalent to shoving a 10 inch cock inside a petit asian

how big of a DD would fit in there, I wonder

# New Release Radar

13/12/2024

# Kinera Celesst IgniteX Beast Impressions

13/12/2024

IGNITE X ARE IN. Here's some thoughts about them:

I really hadn't realized just how close the tuning was for all celest products until i found a squig that actually had all the pairs i own to compare them together. The most common thought i have when switching between them is that the resolution just keeps getting better but they all sound relatively similar. None of them sound particularly bad, but you notice an increase in sound stage with every step up you do. The cool thing about the ignite x too is that they're shaped exactly like the wyverns so the comfort is 1:1. Ignite X could basically be seen as upgraded wyverns. The Plutus sound almost identical, but are the only ones shaped weird because of the BC driver. and man that BC driver makes bass fucking 3d. plutus still mogs but as far as tuning goes, all 3 are right up my alley.

If I were on a strict 50 dollar budget and couldn't go higher, the ignite x feels perfect. I wouldn't complain if these were like 30 dollars more expensive.

# KZ EDC Pro Impressions

10/12/2024

EDC Pro arrived today. Initial impressions: feel poorly made, don't weigh anything. Expected for 5 dollars. Cable also feels pretty flimsy. Comfort is passable so far
Sound seems good enough for the cost. Standard Harman tuning, maybe lean a little bright.
I got these solely to stay hooked up to my ekit so I don't have to swap pos around.

# Letshuoer Cadenza4 Impressions

10/12/2024

Cadenza4 arrived. I'm surprised they are not recommended more.
They sound amazing, have the best fit of any IEM i have ever tried, great built quaity, case and cable, 2.5. 3.5 and 4.4mm connector and even some nice tips.

# POS

07/12/2024

Image is too long, it's in the archive.

# Shozy P20 and Aoshida E20 Impressions

06/12/2024

>Shozy P20
Good case, bleh other accessories. Well built shells, fit is uncommonly decent for planar. Modest sensitivity, not hard to drive.
Joins my top 3 planars (other two being OG P1 MAX and T10), edging out S12 Pro. S12 Pro too hot 6-12kHz and has usual wonky planar mids transition (i.e. early 2kHz peak and odd damping dip). P20 has more typical pinna gain resulting in appropriate female vocal timbre, balanced with warm thumpy bass and good treble extension.

>Aoshida E20
Decent case and cable. Well built shells, I never like unfinished 3-D print resin though. Shells are fairly small but aren't particularly ergonomic, so fit is just OK. Specs suggest less sensitive than most IEMs, and it is indeed the case.
Surprisingly pleasant sound. I say that because I usually don't like tucked bass. Mid bass and lower mids still have enough body for my liking, and the general pros of Harman-like tuning are there, engaging sub bass and upper mids prominence. Can be a tad bright with the presence ~5kHz, but nothing offensive.
>+80ohm adapter
Good bassy fun and part of why I redeemed it. Still a realistic and listenable sound. In that regard, water-cooler talk and comparison to Deuce is apt. (I demo'd Deuce previously, not an AB comparison) The main difference is as graphs suggest, E20 has more prominence 5kHz upwards arguably better balancing appropriate amount of clarity to overcome high bass levels.
I can share graphs if any anon wants. Otherwise I'll get around to it on my own time. Btw out of many pos, I only use one other set with 80ohm adapter, ivipQ V12.

# Truthear Gate and Campfire Audio Andromeda S Comparison

06/12/2024

the gate sounds shockingly lean and bright compared to the andromeda S, and the gate's only tone advantage is its much stronger sub-bass. transients are about as clean on both. for me, the gate's soundstage is good, but the andromeda S's is noticeably better. this comparison really emphasizes just how much the andromeda S sound is "warm, but with sparkling treble".

# QCY Melobuds Pro Impressions

06/12/2024

Melobuds Pro arrived. Initial impressions: default tuning is dog shit, takes some weird settings on the graphic eq, but the sound isn't awful, for tws. No huge complaints.
Anc is surprisingly good for the price. Comfort is alright for me, they're huge though, so manlets may struggle with comfort. They don't weigh anything which helps with comfort.
They feel very light and poorly made, but for $25 what can you expect. Controls work well and you can do a lot in the app.
I know tws is off topic, but these get recommended often so I thought I'd share my opinion. I like going wireless when I'm working so I can move around freely, and I'm only after background noise. Built in mic is handy too.

# FiiO BTR17 Day 3 Impressions

06/12/2024

day 3 of my **** BTR17:
still working great. I do have some grips with the software though:
-the FiiO control webapp doesn't work on linux
-there are some settings that are only adjustable on the android app (like call volume and distortion cancellation settings). there's really no reason this can't be in the menu on the device
-theres a bunch of filter settings but their descriptions are in a special kind of esoteric chinesium and all sound basically the same so I have no idea what any of them do
also this thing is pretty picky when it comes to power, if you plug it into a shitty charger it'll bitch about "low voltage" and just not charge

# Filled by the Truthear Nova, and filled with regret

05/12/2024

Why hasn't anyone told me that Nova is so fucking big??

it's over...

earlet

fits my ears perfectly
I did warn everyone that my ears are pretty big though

we do mention it, all the time.
same applies to turdear x cringeacle zero.
which makes them immediately pos.

retard

what the fuck lol
are they bigger than SM4?

much bigger, truthear is renowned for their massive pos

dang
good thing I went for sm4... even they are quite big already compared to Aria SE...

Truthear is the real man girth

Holy mother of pos

jesus, fucking tiny child ears

We. Told. You. To every motherfucker that asks about truthear we keep telling them comfort and fit > everything but you bums won't listen. You want to listen to some shit reviewer instead that recs reds, hexa, nova, etc that are all shit for fit.

# Never say yes to QDC

04/12/2024

I bought a KZ ZSN Pro a year ago (Friend's recommendation) and the left connector just fucking disintegrated. Anyone ever have that experience with KZ? Never been to /iemg/ before and I see KZ already has a reputation so I'm guessing it ain't just me. At least they were cheap.

>left connector just fucking disintegrated
many such cases
(common occurrence with QDC connections)

Is that something I should avoid when getting a new IEM, then? In my case it looks like the glue holding the connector became brittle and crumbled, picrel. I was hoping it was a KZ thing so I could just move brands and pretend this never happened.

holy fucking shit

I don't even know HOW it happened. I noticed the audio was failing on my left, decided to pull the connector off and the whole thing came apart. I didn't even apply any force, also one of the wires was already snapped which probably explains the left channel failure.

Rat in peace.

So much for that. Think I'm gonna replace it with a Truthear Gate, another friend recommended me the Hola but that doesn't seem to exist anymore. I just want something cheap I can listen to music with.

what the fuck??? i've been using iems for nearly a decade and I've never seen that shit in my life.

I was a headphonefag my whole life before this so your guess is as good as mine.

That's what you get for buying cheap chink shit

Worked well while it lasted, at least.

HOLY FUCK WITNESSED

# Inawaken Dawn-MS and Shanling M1 Plus DAP Impressions

03/12/2024

the pos continue to roll in. busy with other stuff atm but excited for the m1 plus

very based purchases anon, hopefully my pos comes in soon

>he didn't buy an Innioasis Y1
You're a chump!

>Inawaken Dawn Ms
Good inclusions: ideal size hard zip case, SML normal and wide bore tips that are softer than bottom-barrel crap, adequate cable that is lightweight but not the most tangle resistant. Moderate shell size, shorter-average nozzle but presents no wearing problems. Great high-transparency shell and solid yet light build.
Moderate sensitivity. Like most modern 1DDs the tuning is generally competent. Noticeable tilt towards bass, warmth, and darker upper treble. Bass is omnipresent and forward with plenty of heft. Upper mids and female vocals are centered but take a step back in bassier tracks. Uppermost treble rolls off naturally, a comfortable treble level.
Most suitable if someone is prioritizing prominent mid bass thump / lower octave instrument articulation with balanced male and female vocals and safe treble.
Not suitable if someone prioritizes squeaky clean female vocals, is allergic to bass, or desires airy extension.
Overall nothing extraordinary, but a solid bassy set that justifies it's asking price.

>Shanling M1 Plus initial impressions
Includes: DAP (pre-installed screen protector), 1 extra screen protector, USB-A -> USB-C cable, documents. Arrived v1.4, I updated to FW v1.8 no problems.
I like most aspects of the build. Slight asymmetric body makes it ergonomic to hold. Volume wheel operation has satisfying click and solid feel. Prev/PlayPause/Skip buttons are also solid and tactile, differentiated by slight size difference and small engraved icons. Port orientation is irrelevant to me but some audiotards get their panties in a bunch over it. M1 Plus is microSD and USB-C on bottom, 3.5 + 4.4 on top.
Fairly happy with the OS and UI/UX. Intuitive and simple, customization is done in a few minutes in only a few sub-menus. CPU is fast enough to react quickly, but touch accuracy can be a bit imprecise at times compared to modern flagship operation. Not a great display in terms of color or refresh rate, but serviceable in the context of entry-level DAP.
>Annoyances:
Battery is an approximate visualizer, I don't see an option to enable numerical %. Also can't predict or see how close it is to full charge.
Infinite scrolling track info. When the metadata is long (i.e. many contributing artists) it's oddly fast which makes it a useless visual distraction.
Data transfer was slow via USB. Didn't troubleshoot at all, but quite an inconvinience if this is the only / main way a person wanted to transfer files to the microSD.
That's all so far. Satisfied overall. I knew going in it had some nerfs to streaming like no cache, irrelevant to me as a full local file user. The sound is fine, no pops when connecting or disconnecting from either output, no particularly noticeable noise floor, smooth flawless playback, plenty of driving power headroom.

No PEQ?

No. Just basic 10-band +-6dB sliders at preset, non-adjustable frequencies

why cant these dapniggers figure out how to add peq, its insane

Why not hiby r4? Battery is user replaceable in that one.

quad low-tier dacs is a meme, android OS, heard it had noticeable noise floor and subpar audio, aesthetics and design look like ass and i like to use DAPs without a case, volume wheel > buttons, etc.

>Battery is user replaceable in that one.
in the M1 Plus manual, it talks about replacing battery with similar type / size. i may be wrong and don't know the specifics, but i'll assume then it's possible to replace the battery of M1 Plus

# Anons clean their pos; you should too

02/12/2024

>One IEM side starts sounding quiet
>Think it is clogged, doesn't look like it, rub my shirt on it
>No change, switch it to the other side
>It's still quiet, just obviously on a different channel
>Test cable security, no changes
>Mild concern about fugged drivers since it was really expensive and I really like these daily drivers of over three years now
>>Dab a very faint bit of liquid on a very soft shirt and rub against the filter
>Blow to dry
>Seemingly back to normal, probably subtle clogging spots.
Relieved, though I probably need to swap a filter soonish. I feel like I stumbled upon endgame IEMs from the beginning by buying Tanchjim Darlings as my first pair.

>Remove my clogged IEM filters
>Swab my precious Darlings IEMs all over with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab, then the same for the eartips and connector terminations
>Install new replacement filters
>Clean glasses lenses
>Swab out my ears a little, and listen to the exceptionally crisp audio while drinking liu bao tea.
Make sure to maintain your IEMs, anons. It's easy to put it off, but it is always so much better once you do. My ear tips have noticeably better grip now as a bonus.

Cleaned my earussy with H2O2 today, will clean the filters on my pos in a few weeks.

Someone make a maintenance guide. I'm afraid to destroy mine in the process.

I'm scared shitless of cleaning the filters to be honest. I feel like I'd just push all the gunk deeper into the nozzle where I can't get to it without removing and replacing the filter and that seems like way too easy to fuck up and break everything