u/Divided_By_Zeroo

I recently got the Juzear Defiant and I’m still trying to understand whether what I’m hearing is just the tuning, my source, or possibly something with my unit.

My source is a Hidizs AP80 Pro Max, usually through 3.5 mm.

A few things I’ve noticed:

• The Defiant needs noticeably more volume than my FiiO JD1 to feel equally full. On the AP80, the JD1 feels fine around 35, while the Defiant usually needs around 40–45 with Gain OFF.
• With Gain ON, the Defiant sounds noticeably more energetic and less restrained to me.
• Bass quantity is clearly lower than on the JD1, especially on someone like Travis Scott tracks. I know the JD1 is bassier, but the difference surprised me.
• Pushing the Defiant further into my ears doesn’t really increase the bass, so I don’t think it’s simply a bad seal.
• I’ve tried different tips and also experimented a little with bass settings on the AP80. They help somewhat, but the JD1 still has significantly more bass quantity.

At the same time, the Defiant can sound absolutely amazing.

Purple Rain was honestly one of the best listening experiences I’ve had. Vocals were extremely clear, instruments sounded crisp, and the balance between everything felt almost perfect.

But with denser rock tracks, I’m having a very different experience.

On AC/DC’s Shoot to Thrill, for example, the guitars and drums feel quite prominent and the vocals can become difficult to understand. If I increase the volume, the vocals become easier to follow, but then the guitars/drums are also getting too loud for comfortable listening.

So I’m trying to figure out a few things:

• Does the Defiant normally need more volume than other easy-to-drive IEMs?
• Do other owners find it a little restrained at lower listening levels?
• Does anyone prefer using it with higher gain?
• How strong is the bass supposed to feel? Not compared with a basshead IEM, but does it still have obvious punch and sub-bass presence?
• Do male vocals sometimes get pushed behind guitars/drums on dense rock mixes?
• Is it normal for the Defiant to sound spectacular on some recordings but noticeably less balanced on others?
• Is there anything specific I should test to rule out channel imbalance or another QC issue?

I’m not expecting the Defiant to sound like the JD1. I’m mainly trying to establish what a healthy/normal Defiant is supposed to sound like before I decide whether this is just a matter of getting used to the tuning.

Would especially appreciate responses from people who actually own or have spent a decent amount of time with the Defiant.

I am pretty new into the hobby, recently got a Hidizs AP80 Pro Max and a Juzear Defiant, and I’m trying to figure out whether what I’m hearing is normal.

I’m using the Defiant through the 3.5 mm output. With Gain OFF, I usually need around 40–45 volume before it starts sounding properly full and alive to me. Below that it feels a little restrained.

For comparison, my FiiO JD1 already sounds loud/full enough around 35 on the same DAP.

When I switch Gain ON with the Defiant, the difference is pretty noticeable. It sounds louder, more energetic and less restrained. I obviously lower the volume after switching Gain on, but I still seem to prefer the Defiant that way.

So I wanted to ask:

• AP80 Pro Max owners: what volume range do you usually use with IEMs?
• Do you normally keep Gain on or off?
• Defiant owners: does yours need more volume than your other IEMs?
• Has anyone found the Defiant to sound better or more dynamic with higher gain even after roughly matching the volume?
• Is 40–45 with Gain OFF completely normal for something like the Defiant?

The weird part is that the Defiant can sound absolutely incredible depending on the track.

Purple Rain, for example, was genuinely one of the best listening experiences I’ve had. Everything sounded extremely clear and crisp, and the balance between Prince’s vocals and the instruments felt almost perfect.

But on something denser like AC/DC’s Shoot to Thrill, the guitars and drums feel much more dominant and the vocals can get harder to understand. Turning the volume up helps the vocals, but then the instruments are also too loud for me to listen comfortably for long.

So I’m mainly trying to understand whether this is just the Defiant’s tuning, something about how the AP80 handles gain/volume, or whether there’s anything else I should check.

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who owns either of these, especially if you’ve actually used the AP80 Pro Max and Defiant together.