Audiophilepure

https://headfonics.com/2019/12/dunu-dk-3001-pro-review/

“How you receive and react to the bass response of the DK-3001 depends a bit on experience and expectation. One might think a 13mm dynamic driver would chuck out tons of coloration and smash something like the ultra-V shaped heavy-hitting Polaris 2 out of the park. That is not the case here with the DK-3001 PRO. This is a very linear and controlled low-end with a lighter than expected overtone.

Whilst the timbre is still a dynamic driver DUNU seems to have done an admirable job of reducing the worst excesses of dynamic drivers. That means it is fairly quick and tight sounding, very nicely layered and does not overpower the lower-mids with what I would describe as a very smooth transition from the upper bass into the lower-mids.”

https://www.headphone.guru/the-new-lcdi3-portable-in-ear-headphones-incredible-portable-audio-any-way-you-want-it/

“While the LCDi4 offers a more balanced and neutral presentation, the LCDi3 offers a touch of warmth and sweetness that will be more forgiving of your upstream source and offer a very pleasing and easy listening experience for long periods of time. Throwing in pretty much every accessory that you’ll need (except for maybe the kitchen sink), these new in-ears will have you off to the races regardless of how you want to use them (Apple iDevice, wirelessly, or wired to a fantastic source). If you’ve always wanted the LCDi4, but wanted to save some money at the same time, I strongly suggest you give the LCDi3 an audition and strong consideration; you won’t be disappointed!””

https://headfonics.com/2019/12/beyerdynamic-xelento-wireless-review/

Lower mids on the Xelento wireless are dipped so some of its instrumental timbre lacks a little presence despite the good bass fundamental.

Lower pitched male vocals slip and slide among the instruments and sound a little distant. Mind you they do not lack clarity and the separation is better than what I was expecting for a V-shape.  If your main fare is hard rock or classic indie guitar work where a lot of energy comes from 500Hz to 800hz including male vocals you might find the Xelento is not the most ideal pairing.

However, that 1-5k gentle rise does tease out some cracking higher pitched vocals, especially female vocals such as Winona Oak and Samantha James. This is where I feel the Xelento wireless really excels.

https://www.headfonia.com/lime-ears-aether-r-review/

“The general tuning is to the neutral side but with a high musicality factor and a smooth-ish delivery. With the switch “off” you get a more neutral, balanced an linear tuned sound. Flick the switch “on” and the sub bass comes in to play without changing anything else from bass to mids. Flicking the switch doesn’t dramatically change the sound signature it just makes the low end leaner, bigger, deeper and more impactful. I have to say I keep the subs switched on almost 100% of the time, it’s just more fun. But if you want the sound signature for some songs or sources to be less bass deep, then just use the Aether R with the neutral setting.”

https://www.headphone.guru/fiio-fh7-iem-stepping-up/

“I began my listening tests with the Balanced filters, the Medium Balanced tips, and the stock single-ended cable with the FiiO M11. Pulling up “Can-Utility and the Coastliners” (Genesis – 16/44.1kHz) on Qobuz it became instantly obvious that tip selection would have to come first. For the Balanced tips, I found the large to be the most comfortable and provide the best seal, but the sound was not what I was looking for in my neutral setting. The midrange was a bit pronounced and the bass was more in the background than I expected.”

https://headfonics.com/2019/10/rha-cl2-review/

“

You get some excellent depth on the CL2, no doubt about that. It is a closed headphone so it is not an expansive or super airy soundstage but it doesn’t lack in power and more than neutral of neutral sub 100Hz.

The dip in the lower-mids pulls back instruments as does the fade from 4k onwards. It is not dark though, there is a small boost from 8-10k but again, it is really that 1-4k boost that pushes everything front and center and can lead to percussion and some higher pitching vocals dominating the stage.

Lower pitching vocals can lose a little presence also, especially if pitching the same as surrounding instruments. They tend to sound a little diffuse and lacking in separation. If you need strong guitar work to resonate and step forward in staging presence the CL2 is not working to its strengths.

https://www.headfonia.com/westone-b30-b50-review/

“Treble-wise it’s the same story. The B50 has more detail, extension and air in treble with better articulation. You have more transparency and resolution in highs, resulting in a more open presentation. The distance is the same however; cymbals sounding from behind so they’re not the focal point.

Sound-stage is also better with the B50, thanks to its capabilities in the mid & treble sections. The sound has more room and width, and that creates more space between the elements of a song. This provides a better imaging with a more 3D staging performance. The overall transparency is quite good, despite the sound signature which is darker than many IEMs.”

https://www.headfonia.com/astell-kern-ak-t9ie-review/

“From a build quality perspective these are very nice. They consist of three separate parts. The bottom shell, the top shell and the face plate. Top and bottom shell are in the same gunmetal colour, but the face plate is slightly lighter. The entire body is pretty shiny and if you are worried about getting your smudgy fingerprints on there, you should be. Because the AK T9iE shows you every little bit of dirt and leaving prints on it is very easy. If you’re like me and you hate that, you’ll clean them every day.

The T9iE comes with an MMCX connection, so you can cable roll if you have a suitable cable on hand. The original AK T8iE had massive problems with its MMCX sockets. Back in 2016 I owned a pair of them as well. After two months they died on me because of a failing socket. Of course the warranty covered that, but still a bummer. With the T9iE it seems A&K/Beyerdynamic is now using a more robust socket. I haven’t had any issues in the months that I used them.”