Inside the meta tunning I would go: Ziigaat Doscinco = Very energetic, great bass, but tone down upper treble Thieaudio Hype 4 = Natural levels, great extended upper treble. Amazing soundstage and pinpoint sound positions Dunu Davinci = Great lush mids, almost warm but inside the natural. Relaxed upper treble Can’t go wrong with meta with those
3 of the 4 seem so hit or miss with Hype 4 being the only one which is mostly praised but also decent bit more expensive. I love 61T's aesthetics until i found out how chunky they are with no vents or w/e they're called. I have TRI Starsea (very dated IEM ik), its chunky too and the amount of pressure build up is just awful for small-ish ears like mine and it has a vent that is supposed to help i can't imagine how the 61's would be which is my biggest worry with that particular set.
@Divinity_vA i get what you mean, I never knew what was meant by the pressure build up until I grabbed the Hydros...but some clarion tips helped a bit. Yeah I never realized how much comfort really does impact the listening experience. I managed to grab the Dynaquattro for under 200 so I went with that, hoping it is a solid pair.
@@guatobean2869 Oh, absolutely! With Starsea, even if i use the smallest tips, i feel as if my head is going to explode. Oddly, i didn't see that many reviewers touch on that with the 61T only BangsAudioReviews or Akros, not sure. But as someone who has experienced the "pressure build up", i really don't want to repeat it. I just today ordered Letshuoer S12 Pro as i want to try Planar and the Aliexpress price was just irresistible - 160$ for S12 Pro + DH03 or 110$ for S12 Pro only but since i don't have any DAC and my motherboard is old it was a nobrainer. But hey, 11.11 is on the horizon and there is a whole month until then so you never know, lets see if there are some appealing discounts.
This set in particular comes in at a price point where people might expect a level of resolve that isn't apparent out of the box. I had to be fair, its there, but the tuning isn't showing it off as much as it should.
Enjoyed the review Paul as always, despite its flaws I love this set, especially for my more acoustic world music collection, which is over 75% of my collection atm. I always enjoy a different point of view, especially coming from you who makes me feel more like a noob with each review. The stock tips didn’t work for me. I had to go to my medium EPZ M100 tips. Once I got that sorted out, happy daze..! I almost forgot to mention my first set. I got in a few weeks ago were defective. The right channel sounded like the buzzing of a hornets nest. The replacement set seems to be A-OK so far keep up the great content. I learned something new every time you upload. I will have to admit the da Vinci is probably a better implementation of the new Meta tuning.
I would probably say the same on acoustic, sounds better as less subbass, but I'd want it to sound a bit more resolving without turning it up to 11. As I said, the drivers are decent, it can sound better, but the tuning is what it is. I will also admit that I didn't expect the tips to work, but other brands are doing the propellors so I think that is here to stay for a bit.
Something like that. No different than the Harman target proper. Most brands did a modified Harman rather than perfect match to the target. Its fine to hit a target, but it still needs to be a $200 experience which is going to take some tweaking
Eh, Meta might turn out fine, the specific implementation in sets will vary. Also the price comes with expectations and you need to meet those as well as hitting a target.
As far as I understand it, JM1 has a flat bass target, which is tuned up due to the preference adjustment from research on in room speakers. That preference adjustment is where the bass arguments come, from both Harman and JM1
I will admit to being picky on bass levels especially on sets with lower treble. I would also say its at the heart of the resolution complaint on KE4. If you are going to prioritize bass over mids, better be spectacular, otherwise drop them under the mids.
When this was first announced I was expecting it to be a Quartet replacement, but it ended up being nearly twice the price while still getting lukewarm reviews. Seems like a bit of a miss.
I love the tuning on the KE4. My only issue with them is the lack of proper venting. And Unfortunately, Tangzu Sancai or Foam Tips dont work for everyone.
Right, some people don't want to deal with that at $200. I can't blame them as I know Tang Sancai help, but I typically don't get a good seal. Helps but has other issues.
Yeah, its super hard to pull off a big stage with the KE4 tuning. As I said, poke at it with EQ, bump some treble and you can make it sound bigger. But Hype 2 is better
Yes, probably recommended over 80db only. It isn't a low volume set at all and you need quite a bit to get the dynamics. After that, not enough there to keep me engaged, but yes, its for higher vol people.
Yes, interesting but as I said, I think it needs some tweaks to the target on this set. I don't think it was a great match and then the price complicates the matter. People have expectations for the price beyond hitting a target. That being said, people who are primarily timbre heads, they will get it. Everyone else just notices their priorities as not being the priority.
You mentioned EQ-ing in this video and I kinda have a question, but not sure if there is really an answer for it lol. When EQ-ing, is there like a general rule of thumb on like what the max amount of boost you should add to any given area on the FR? A quick google search of this question leads the the answer being to keep the boost at 6db or less, otherwise it will cause major distortion. Would love to hear your opinion!
Best thing is just to try it and go with what sounds good to you. If. There is a distortion max then if would be handy to know but personally I've never had this happen. Depends on the IEM and how ti's tuned to start with and what the driver can handle.
I do small EQ, 3db or less usually. Anything more than that and you are probably changing the tuning which is fine as you bought the set, use 6db if it makes you enjoy the set more. For me, I try to spot fix some points so it still resembles the original, just small tweaks to make it shine. As I said, its your set, tweak it as much as you want as this will often delay your next purchase which is a great side effect.
My advice is to enjoy the P5 for as long as possible before looking for a new set. Most people get a new set, love it, and then want more, Don't do that, enjoy it, get used to it. I also never heard P5 so I have no idea, but make sure the fit is right, try all 3 sizes of tips.
@@PaulWasabii the middle sized tips is working the foam tips n other didnt work and was painful for me Also ordered a dac in 3300 Tiandirenhe - ES Pro ES9318C DAC Dongle Excited to try it out Thanks for ur suggestion about not purchasing a new one - really mind was playing tantrums for having a new one it is sounding good and am getting used tonit
Curious as to what your go to iem is.. I have the xenns tea pro and I love them.. but I keep switching to my fidue a91 and the tea pros.. I’m satisfied with both but I have the itch to get something else.. I wanna try the zempire audio ze51b for the bone conduction.. what’s been your favorite iem..?
I rotate but I do really like the Tea Pro. Kinda surprised me but at the same time, they are really solid tuners. Reviewers are the worst as they don't have enough time to enjoy their own sets. A couple recents that stuck with me, the S12 2024 and Pilgrim Noir. To really bump above those, you are in tribrids with EST or something special and I don't have that much desire to buy and sell $1-2k sets to find the one I like. I also find myself worrying less about the next set and just enjoying music on some that I have, EJ07M, RSV, Timsok, Twilight. What I said on S12 2024 review, go back and rediscover some classics with sets you have, that wasn't BS, but that set filled a gap and its amazing on some older tracks that you may know but haven't heard in a long time.
@@PaulWasabii I’ve always been so curious about the softear twilight.. don’t know if I’d ever dare spend that much on a single dynamic as silly as that sounds.. tho after the blon 03 blew me away years ago I can understand how.. almost pulled the trigger on the ej07m cause it advertised to drummers, but I backed out.. sounds like I might have to give it a try.. I’ve never tried est.. thanks for your response.. keep up the good work..!
Waiting for them to figure out that with this type of "correct" midrange tuning, you don't need as much as bass or treble. And of course, also gonna wait for this tuming to go to the $100-150 range.
I do think the price was a bit more than it should have been as people are willing to pay some premium for something new or innovative, but there needs to be a reward also. Hit those promised mids.
Hey, i am looking for an iem around 40 dollars which has comfort ,energetic sound and sometime gaming. Kiwi ears Cadenza, Moondrop chu 2, EPZ Q1 Pro, Kinera Celest Abyss and Blond Bl 03 are in my list. I have used tangzu waner and Truthear ear gate. Truthear GATE was a little bit big for my ears and its sound was also not enough for me. So can you suggest me a good iem for 40$
Your best bet from the budgets I've tried are Simgot ew200 (good for gaming too), Kiwiears Cadenza, CCA C12. They all lean brighter but are great, Cadenza is more balanced out of the 3. However, if you like the warner sound hit up the fudu on sale, it's nice with some dunu s&s tips.
Most of those sets are going to be similar to Wan'er. Perhaps slightly different sound, but mostly different flavors and sidegrades. Maybe Simgot EW300, energetic sound, sharp sound for gaming.
Here is the issue, KE4 is basically trying to be the anti-SM4, the anti Harman style. KE4 is more relaxed, more natural, more organic, lower engagement. SM4 is almost the opposite of those, over energetic, less natural, more technical, more engaging.
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Another honest thoughtful review. Always appreciated!
Loved what you had to say about these. I'm better informed by a mile! Thanks!!
Inside the meta tunning I would go:
Ziigaat Doscinco = Very energetic, great bass, but tone down upper treble
Thieaudio Hype 4 = Natural levels, great extended upper treble. Amazing soundstage and pinpoint sound positions
Dunu Davinci = Great lush mids, almost warm but inside the natural. Relaxed upper treble
Can’t go wrong with meta with those
Thanks for the Meta roundup. That list will only grow longer
Great review as always, learn something new every time, thank you Paul!👍👍👍
I think we are all going to get an education as this tuning rolls out to more brands
Nice!! This is exactly what inwas looking for in preparation for 11.11 👍
KE4, Dynaquattro, Hype 4, and Butterfly 61t are all on deck!
Very nice
3 of the 4 seem so hit or miss with Hype 4 being the only one which is mostly praised but also decent bit more expensive. I love 61T's aesthetics until i found out how chunky they are with no vents or w/e they're called. I have TRI Starsea (very dated IEM ik), its chunky too and the amount of pressure build up is just awful for small-ish ears like mine and it has a vent that is supposed to help i can't imagine how the 61's would be which is my biggest worry with that particular set.
@Divinity_vA i get what you mean, I never knew what was meant by the pressure build up until I grabbed the Hydros...but some clarion tips helped a bit. Yeah I never realized how much comfort really does impact the listening experience.
I managed to grab the Dynaquattro for under 200 so I went with that, hoping it is a solid pair.
@@guatobean2869 Oh, absolutely! With Starsea, even if i use the smallest tips, i feel as if my head is going to explode. Oddly, i didn't see that many reviewers touch on that with the 61T only BangsAudioReviews or Akros, not sure. But as someone who has experienced the "pressure build up", i really don't want to repeat it.
I just today ordered Letshuoer S12 Pro as i want to try Planar and the Aliexpress price was just irresistible - 160$ for S12 Pro + DH03 or 110$ for S12 Pro only but since i don't have any DAC and my motherboard is old it was a nobrainer. But hey, 11.11 is on the horizon and there is a whole month until then so you never know, lets see if there are some appealing discounts.
Thank you!
My favorite thing about your approach is that you regularly talk about "tuning to the drivers." Preach it, brother.
This set in particular comes in at a price point where people might expect a level of resolve that isn't apparent out of the box. I had to be fair, its there, but the tuning isn't showing it off as much as it should.
Enjoyed the review Paul as always, despite its flaws I love this set, especially for my more acoustic world music collection, which is over 75% of my collection atm. I always enjoy a different point of view, especially coming from you who makes me feel more like a noob with each review. The stock tips didn’t work for me. I had to go to my medium EPZ M100 tips. Once I got that sorted out, happy daze..! I almost forgot to mention my first set. I got in a few weeks ago were defective. The right channel sounded like the buzzing of a hornets nest. The replacement set seems to be A-OK so far keep up the great content. I learned something new every time you upload. I will have to admit the da Vinci is probably a better implementation of the new Meta tuning.
I would probably say the same on acoustic, sounds better as less subbass, but I'd want it to sound a bit more resolving without turning it up to 11. As I said, the drivers are decent, it can sound better, but the tuning is what it is. I will also admit that I didn't expect the tips to work, but other brands are doing the propellors so I think that is here to stay for a bit.
Perhaps the sweet spot is something in between Meta and Harman.
Something like that. No different than the Harman target proper. Most brands did a modified Harman rather than perfect match to the target. Its fine to hit a target, but it still needs to be a $200 experience which is going to take some tweaking
10.52 minutes says everything i ever needed to know about
Meta.
Eh, Meta might turn out fine, the specific implementation in sets will vary. Also the price comes with expectations and you need to meet those as well as hitting a target.
As far as I understand it, JM1 has a flat bass target, which is tuned up due to the preference adjustment from research on in room speakers. That preference adjustment is where the bass arguments come, from both Harman and JM1
I will admit to being picky on bass levels especially on sets with lower treble. I would also say its at the heart of the resolution complaint on KE4. If you are going to prioritize bass over mids, better be spectacular, otherwise drop them under the mids.
When this was first announced I was expecting it to be a Quartet replacement, but it ended up being nearly twice the price while still getting lukewarm reviews. Seems like a bit of a miss.
Yes, the price is a bit up there for the lukewarm reviews. Right idea, perhaps should have been tweaked.
yeah I went for the s12 24 instead and I'm quite impressed.
I love the tuning on the KE4. My only issue with them is the lack of proper venting. And Unfortunately, Tangzu Sancai or Foam Tips dont work for everyone.
Right, some people don't want to deal with that at $200. I can't blame them as I know Tang Sancai help, but I typically don't get a good seal. Helps but has other issues.
Nice review, I've been talking myself out of adding it to the arsenal for a week. Is the Hype 2's head-stage more immersive than the KE4?
Yeah, its super hard to pull off a big stage with the KE4 tuning. As I said, poke at it with EQ, bump some treble and you can make it sound bigger. But Hype 2 is better
Great set for loud volumes over 80bd
Yes, probably recommended over 80db only. It isn't a low volume set at all and you need quite a bit to get the dynamics. After that, not enough there to keep me engaged, but yes, its for higher vol people.
@PaulWasabii like myself . Lol. Maybe you should do a video for people like Mr. All sets good above 80db.not bad
Thanks for the heads up! Not sure spending the extra money is worth it over Hydro...
Would you pick Hydro over the KE4?
Yes, KE4 is really for folks looking for that target. There should be more sets with that target later.
Thanks 👍
The late pinna and low pinna sets are interesting to me, but everyone seems to have different issues with these, but nobody seems sold on them.
Yes, interesting but as I said, I think it needs some tweaks to the target on this set. I don't think it was a great match and then the price complicates the matter. People have expectations for the price beyond hitting a target. That being said, people who are primarily timbre heads, they will get it. Everyone else just notices their priorities as not being the priority.
You mentioned EQ-ing in this video and I kinda have a question, but not sure if there is really an answer for it lol. When EQ-ing, is there like a general rule of thumb on like what the max amount of boost you should add to any given area on the FR? A quick google search of this question leads the the answer being to keep the boost at 6db or less, otherwise it will cause major distortion. Would love to hear your opinion!
Best thing is just to try it and go with what sounds good to you. If. There is a distortion max then if would be handy to know but personally I've never had this happen. Depends on the IEM and how ti's tuned to start with and what the driver can handle.
I do small EQ, 3db or less usually. Anything more than that and you are probably changing the tuning which is fine as you bought the set, use 6db if it makes you enjoy the set more. For me, I try to spot fix some points so it still resembles the original, just small tweaks to make it shine. As I said, its your set, tweak it as much as you want as this will often delay your next purchase which is a great side effect.
Hi Paul just purchased Aful performer5
Any suggestions forhow toextract maximum goodies out of it
Am a newbie in this audiophile journey
My advice is to enjoy the P5 for as long as possible before looking for a new set. Most people get a new set, love it, and then want more, Don't do that, enjoy it, get used to it. I also never heard P5 so I have no idea, but make sure the fit is right, try all 3 sizes of tips.
@@PaulWasabii thanks man
@@PaulWasabii the middle sized tips is working the foam tips n other didnt work and was painful for me
Also ordered a dac in 3300
Tiandirenhe - ES Pro ES9318C DAC Dongle
Excited to try it out
Thanks for ur suggestion about not purchasing a new one - really mind was playing tantrums for having a new one it is sounding good and am getting used tonit
Curious as to what your go to iem is.. I have the xenns tea pro and I love them.. but I keep switching to my fidue a91 and the tea pros.. I’m satisfied with both but I have the itch to get something else.. I wanna try the zempire audio ze51b for the bone conduction.. what’s been your favorite iem..?
I rotate but I do really like the Tea Pro. Kinda surprised me but at the same time, they are really solid tuners. Reviewers are the worst as they don't have enough time to enjoy their own sets. A couple recents that stuck with me, the S12 2024 and Pilgrim Noir. To really bump above those, you are in tribrids with EST or something special and I don't have that much desire to buy and sell $1-2k sets to find the one I like. I also find myself worrying less about the next set and just enjoying music on some that I have, EJ07M, RSV, Timsok, Twilight. What I said on S12 2024 review, go back and rediscover some classics with sets you have, that wasn't BS, but that set filled a gap and its amazing on some older tracks that you may know but haven't heard in a long time.
@@PaulWasabii I’ve always been so curious about the softear twilight.. don’t know if I’d ever dare spend that much on a single dynamic as silly as that sounds.. tho after the blon 03 blew me away years ago I can understand how.. almost pulled the trigger on the ej07m cause it advertised to drummers, but I backed out.. sounds like I might have to give it a try.. I’ve never tried est.. thanks for your response.. keep up the good work..!
Waiting for them to figure out that with this type of "correct" midrange tuning, you don't need as much as bass or treble. And of course, also gonna wait for this tuming to go to the $100-150 range.
I do think the price was a bit more than it should have been as people are willing to pay some premium for something new or innovative, but there needs to be a reward also. Hit those promised mids.
Hey, i am looking for an iem around 40 dollars which has comfort ,energetic sound and sometime gaming. Kiwi ears Cadenza, Moondrop chu 2, EPZ Q1 Pro, Kinera Celest Abyss and Blond Bl 03 are in my list. I have used tangzu waner and Truthear ear gate. Truthear GATE was a little bit big for my ears and its sound was also not enough for me. So can you suggest me a good iem for 40$
Your best bet from the budgets I've tried are Simgot ew200 (good for gaming too), Kiwiears Cadenza, CCA C12. They all lean brighter but are great, Cadenza is more balanced out of the 3. However, if you like the warner sound hit up the fudu on sale, it's nice with some dunu s&s tips.
Most of those sets are going to be similar to Wan'er. Perhaps slightly different sound, but mostly different flavors and sidegrades. Maybe Simgot EW300, energetic sound, sharp sound for gaming.
hi..how this one stack up against supermix 4??
Here is the issue, KE4 is basically trying to be the anti-SM4, the anti Harman style. KE4 is more relaxed, more natural, more organic, lower engagement. SM4 is almost the opposite of those, over energetic, less natural, more technical, more engaging.
vs hype2 that has same configuration ?
For me, still Hype 2. KE4 is the right idea, but the tuning is less appealing
What is project meta? Is that an iem coming out soon?
Crinacle has an iem collab in the works, thats what he is calling it on squig for the time being