Price: ~$165 | Music: 9/10 | Gaming: 8/10

I am genuinely stumped by the SIVGA Lyrebird.

Looking at the frequency response graphs, this IEM should have even less bass than the CrinEar Reference, which has less but great bass response. Except Lyrebird somehow sounds even better. More punch, proper sub-bass rumble and a low end that makes absolutely no sense to me looking at those graphs. Thankfully, I reviewed the graphs only after I had spent over 10 hours with it.

I was enjoying it so much that I didn't even bother swapping the stock tips. And the rest of the tuning? Almost tailor-made for my ears.

As always, I maintain a running ranking list of 170+ headphones, IEMs and other audio products, with ratings and impressions. Link is in my profile.

Bass

Lyrebird has a noticeable mid-bass elevation around 150–300Hz, giving it a little more punch than my Xenns Mangird Top Pro. I think part of what I am hearing comes from how the mid-bass rises relative to the sub-bass. It creates a satisfying sense of impact without needing an enormous bass shelf.

The low end stays controlled, never becomes muddy and does not interfere with vocals or the neutral-bright character of the IEM. Honestly, this is one of the more enjoyable bass tunings I have heard recently. It has completely challenged how much I can trust frequency response graphs to predict my enjoyment.

Mids / Vocals

This is where Lyrebird moves away from my usual warmer preferences. It has more upper-midrange energy and a noticeably vocal-centric presentation.

The interesting part is that pinna gain peaks around 2.5kHz and backs off near 3kHz. That is almost exactly how I prefer my upper mids. There is also some additional energy around 4.5kHz, which gives female vocals a wonderful sense of presence.

I put on True Love by Loreen, and wow. Her voice has rarely sounded this good on anything I own, outside perhaps my HE1000 Unveiled and Top Pro. On many of my other headphones and IEMs, the instrumentation can overshadow her vocals. Lyrebird brings them forward with an energy that I find absolutely intoxicating.

I can understand someone who prefers more relaxed vocals finding this excessive. But dammit, if it doesn't work for me.

Treble / Air

Lyrebird is bright. There is no getting around that. What surprises me is that its treble emphasis somehow avoids my usual painful areas, particularly around 6–7kHz. I get plenty of clarity and perceived resolution without the sharpness that normally accompanies a tuning this energetic.

The only thing I would have liked is more air above roughly 12kHz. The upper treble does not feel quite as extended as some of my favorites. This is also the frequency region where I would urge caution. Depending on your own sensitivities, Lyrebird could either sound spectacular or be far too aggressive.

For my ears, the balance is remarkably close to perfect.

Gaming

The extra energy also translates well into gaming. Imaging is accurate, directional cues are easy to identify and separation holds up well during busy multiplayer sessions.

The main limitation is stage size. Lyrebird does not have the same width or depth as Arete 2 or Astral, which provide a better sense of distance. Still, I had a very good time gaming with it.

Build / Comfort / Accessories

Good grief. The attention to detail here is ridiculous for $165.

The combination of wooden faceplates and metal shells looks stunning. These are genuinely some of the prettiest IEMs I own. Comfort is even better. Project Monolith previously had my favorite shells for fit and comfort. Lyrebird has surpassed it. The shells are small, lock securely into my ears and sit flush enough that I can comfortably lie on my side with them.

Then there is the cable. One of the nicest stock cables I have used. It is thin, compliant and straightens itself almost immediately when taken out of the case. Even the little black Velcro strap is a nice touch. My 4.4mm termination also has a small spring for strain relief, something I wish more manufacturers would include.

The accessories continue the theme:

• A beautiful mustard-colored carrying case that feels premium and actually fits into a jeans pocket
• Ear tips neatly organized in their own plastic case rather than thrown into bags
• Packaging artwork that complements the wood-and-metal aesthetic

My only complaint is the lack of swappable terminations. Mine comes with 4.4mm, which suits my setup, so it is hardly a dealbreaker.

I wish more manufacturers paid this much attention to the entire package.

Comparisons

THIEAUDIO Hype 4

Lyrebird gives me more energetic female vocals and a punchier mid-bass presentation.

Hype 4 has greater low-end weight and smoother mids, making it the more relaxed choice for bass-heavy music.

Binary Acoustics 1900

Lyrebird has more mid-bass punch and brings vocals closer.

Binary 1900 has a more polished upper treble, greater air and a smoother vocal presentation. Both are excellent for music, but with noticeably different approaches.

Juzear Light Shuttle

Lyrebird is brighter and more vocal-focused, while Light Shuttle has fuller low-end emphasis and a more balanced overall tuning.

Light Shuttle also offers a larger stage and stronger separation for gaming.

Xenns Mangird Top Pro

Lyrebird delivers a little more mid-bass impact and greater upper-midrange energy.

Top Pro remains ahead in resolution, layering, separation and upper-treble extension. It is still my reference for combining music and gaming performance in one IEM.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2

Lyrebird is my preference for music, particularly its bass and female-vocal presentation.

Arete 2 remains the stronger competitive gaming option, with better positional accuracy and a more spacious stage.

Final Thoughts

At $165, I am getting a listening experience that rivals some of the best IEMs I have tried. And frankly, I have heard kilobuck IEMs that I enjoyed considerably less.

I am not suggesting Lyrebird is technically superior to those products. I am saying that personal tuning preferences matter enormously, and this IEM happens to suit mine exceptionally well.

The best part?

No tip rolling. No EQ. No fighting the tuning. I just put it in my ears and enjoy the music.

Thanks to Jackrabbit Media for sending this across. As always all thoughts are my own and no input was provided by them for this review.

Price: $59.99 | Score: 7.5/10

The DUNU Subsurge, launching October 20, is a $60 dual-dynamic IEM with a 10mm LCP bass driver and an 8mm titanium-coated driver for mids and highs.

I generally prefer warmer tunings, while DUNU tends to sound a little cooler and brighter to my ears. Subsurge follows that character, but the bass makes it a genuinely fun listen.

As always, I maintain a running ranking list of 170+ headphones, IEMs and other audio products, with ratings and short impressions. The link is in my profile if you are interested.

Bass

This is easily my favorite part of Subsurge. Guess that's where the name comes from... sub bass surging... 👀.

With the right tips, particularly DUNU Candy and SpinFit W1, that bass driver really knows how to wake up a song.

I spent quite a bit of time listening to my full library and loved the bass on:

• Purple Sun and I Get Weak by Cannons
• bad guy by Billie Eilish
• The Weekend by 88rising & BIBI
• Nishanka and Lost in the labryinth by Contra & Pushloop

The bass hits hard, has good sub-bass presence and makes these tracks come alive. What I particularly enjoy is how it responds to the music. When the track demands bass, Subsurge delivers. When it doesn't, the low end stays under control. It is lively without becoming muddy or bloated. For the people who complain about "muddy bass" on the red lions, this is the antidote imo.

Mids / Vocals

Vocals stay front and center without becoming shouty. That is already a big win for me given my sensitivity around 3kHz. Most of my music sounded great, but there are some limitations in resolution.

(Everything I Do) I Do It for You by Bryan Adams is one example where vocals can lose a little definition. On busier tracks such as It's My Life by Bon Jovi, separation also starts to struggle. These are not constant issues. I would say nine out of ten tracks worked perfectly well for me. Generally I find vocals boosted compared to similar budget sets.

Treble / Air

Treble is generally very safe, with good clarity and no obvious peaks that triggered my usual sensitivities (around 6-7K Hz). I would have liked a little more extension and air in the upper treble. The presentation can feel slightly constrained up top compared with some of my other IEMs.

The benefit is that vocals stand out more than on something like Red Lion or NICEHCK Tears, without the upper frequencies constantly demanding attention.

Gaming

I also spent time gaming with Subsurge and came away reasonably impressed. Imaging is precise, and I had no particular difficulty following positional cues.

The limitation is soundstage. It feels relatively small compared with some of my favorite gaming IEMs, so there is less sense of distance and space. For games like BO7 MP it is absolutely fine. Also single player games like Gears of War E-Day with small corridor type level design there is no disadvantage. In larger arena shooters, some limitations start to show up like trying to guess distance to target in BF6. Still, I could game on it just fine.

Build / Comfort / Accessories

First, these shells are beautiful.

The deep-blue, galactic starfield finish is easily one of my favorite things about Subsurge. The resin shells also look and feel more expensive than the asking price suggests.

The shape reminds me quite a bit of 64 Audio IEM shells, which have consistently been among my favorites for comfort and fit. I really like this style of ergonomic shell, and DUNU has done a great job with the design. At approximately 6g per side, they are also lightweight.

The package is generous:

• Ten pairs of ear tips, including DUNU Candy and S&S options (that's 25$ value right there)
• A thin, attractive and compliant copper cable and I really like the turquoise / blue-ish color
• A functional storage pouch
• A cleaning kit

My only real complaint is the 3.5mm-only termination on this version. I would have preferred interchangeable 3.5mm/4.4mm connectors, like the system included with Juzear Nimbus.

DUNU also has a separate USB-C version with a microphone.

Comparisons

Tangzu Red Lion

Subsurge gives vocals more prominence, while Red Lion, particularly with Penon Liqueur Orange tips, has more upper-end air and a larger-feeling presentation.

NICEHCK Tears

Subsurge is cooler and more energetic. Tears has a warmer, more relaxed sound with excellent bass rumble. Its tiny shell is also exceptionally comfortable.

Juzear Nimbus

Subsurge has a more straightforward tuning. Nimbus offers multiple nozzles and greater tuning flexibility, although I strongly preferred the white nozzle. I also found Nimbus struggled to maintain separation during chaotic gaming.

Juzear Defiant

Subsurge is the cheaper option for bass-focused listening. Defiant is technically stronger, with better staging, layering and separation. It remains my preference for a music/gaming all-rounder.

Final Thoughts

Would I recommend Subsurge at $60? Yes, particularly for pop and bass-focused music. I think it is the best I have heard at this price or below it thus far. It is quite the banger. If you want impactful bass, prominent vocals, comfortable shells and a generous accessory package, this is a very good purchase.

If your priorities are bigger stage or competitive gaming, I would spend more on something like Juzear Defiant.

I would also happily take Subsurge over quite a few IEMs I have tried in higher price brackets. The $50–100 category is brutally competitive, but Subsurge has enough going for it to earn a recommendation from me. Having said that my experience in this price bracket remains limited. Though, from the ones I have tried like Chu 2, Red Lion, Tears, Gate, HE Cai Wen Ji etc., I feel the extra spend might be worth it for some.

And those gorgeous blue shells certainly don't hurt.

Finally, thanks to HiFiGo for sending Subsurge over for review. They had no input into this review, and all opinions are entirely my own.

Price: $59.99 | Score: 7.5/10

The DUNU Subsurge, launching October 20, is a $60 dual-dynamic IEM with a 10mm LCP bass driver and an 8mm titanium-coated driver for mids and highs.

I generally prefer warmer tunings, while DUNU tends to sound a little cooler and brighter to my ears. Subsurge follows that character, but the bass makes it a genuinely fun listen.

As always, I maintain a running ranking list of 170+ headphones, IEMs and other audio products, with ratings and short impressions. The link is in my profile if you are interested.

Bass

This is easily my favorite part of Subsurge. Guess that's where the name comes from... sub bass surging... 👀.

With the right tips, particularly DUNU Candy and SpinFit W1, that bass driver really knows how to wake up a song.

I spent quite a bit of time listening to my full library and loved the bass on:

• Purple Sun and I Get Weak by Cannons
• bad guy by Billie Eilish
• The Weekend by 88rising & BIBI
• Nishanka and Lost in the labryinth by Contra & Pushloop

The bass hits hard, has good sub-bass presence and makes these tracks come alive. What I particularly enjoy is how it responds to the music. When the track demands bass, Subsurge delivers. When it doesn't, the low end stays under control. It is lively without becoming muddy or bloated. For the people who complain about "muddy bass" on the red lions, this is the antidote imo.

Mids / Vocals

Vocals stay front and center without becoming shouty. That is already a big win for me given my sensitivity around 3kHz. Most of my music sounded great, but there are some limitations in resolution.

(Everything I Do) I Do It for You by Bryan Adams is one example where vocals can lose a little definition. On busier tracks such as It's My Life by Bon Jovi, separation also starts to struggle. These are not constant issues. I would say nine out of ten tracks worked perfectly well for me. Generally I find vocals boosted compared to similar budget sets.

Treble / Air

Treble is generally very safe, with good clarity and no obvious peaks that triggered my usual sensitivities (around 6-7K Hz). I would have liked a little more extension and air in the upper treble. The presentation can feel slightly constrained up top compared with some of my other IEMs.

The benefit is that vocals stand out more than on something like Red Lion or NICEHCK Tears, without the upper frequencies constantly demanding attention.

Gaming

I also spent time gaming with Subsurge and came away reasonably impressed. Imaging is precise, and I had no particular difficulty following positional cues.

The limitation is soundstage. It feels relatively small compared with some of my favorite gaming IEMs, so there is less sense of distance and space. For games like BO7 MP it is absolutely fine. Also single player games like Gears of War E-Day with small corridor type level design there is no disadvantage. In larger arena shooters, some limitations start to show up like trying to guess distance to target in BF6. Still, I could game on it just fine.

Build / Comfort / Accessories

First, these shells are beautiful.

The deep-blue, galactic starfield finish is easily one of my favorite things about Subsurge. The resin shells also look and feel more expensive than the asking price suggests.

The shape reminds me quite a bit of 64 Audio IEM shells, which have consistently been among my favorites for comfort and fit. I really like this style of ergonomic shell, and DUNU has done a great job with the design. At approximately 6g per side, they are also lightweight.

The package is generous:

• Ten pairs of ear tips, including DUNU Candy and S&S options (that's 25$ value right there)
• A thin, attractive and compliant copper cable and I really like the turquoise / blue-ish color
• A functional storage pouch
• A cleaning kit

My only real complaint is the 3.5mm-only termination on this version. I would have preferred interchangeable 3.5mm/4.4mm connectors, like the system included with Juzear Nimbus.

DUNU also has a separate USB-C version with a microphone.

Comparisons

Tangzu Red Lion

Subsurge gives vocals more prominence, while Red Lion, particularly with Penon Liqueur Orange tips, has more upper-end air and a larger-feeling presentation.

NICEHCK Tears

Subsurge is cooler and more energetic. Tears has a warmer, more relaxed sound with excellent bass rumble. Its tiny shell is also exceptionally comfortable.

Juzear Nimbus

Subsurge has a more straightforward tuning. Nimbus offers multiple nozzles and greater tuning flexibility, although I strongly preferred the white nozzle. I also found Nimbus struggled to maintain separation during chaotic gaming.

Juzear Defiant

Subsurge is the cheaper option for bass-focused listening. Defiant is technically stronger, with better staging, layering and separation. It remains my preference for a music/gaming all-rounder.

Final Thoughts

Would I recommend Subsurge at $60? Yes, particularly for pop and bass-focused music. I think it is the best I have heard at this price or below it thus far. It is quite the banger. If you want impactful bass, prominent vocals, comfortable shells and a generous accessory package, this is a very good purchase.

If your priorities are bigger stage or competitive gaming, I would spend more on something like Juzear Defiant.

I would also happily take Subsurge over quite a few IEMs I have tried in higher price brackets. The $50–100 category is brutally competitive, but Subsurge has enough going for it to earn a recommendation from me. Having said that my experience in this price bracket remains limited. Though, from the ones I have tried like Chu 2, Red Lion, Tears, Gate, HE Cai Wen Ji etc., I feel the extra spend might be worth it for some.

And those gorgeous blue shells certainly don't hurt.

Finally, thanks to HiFiGo for sending Subsurge over for review. They had no input into this review, and all opinions are entirely my own.

I bought the Softears RSV MK2 with my own money. Nothing sponsored or affiliated.

I also maintain a running ranking list with 170+ headphones, IEMs and other audio products in the link in my profile.

Score: 8/10

RSV MK2 was my best of show at CanJam 2026. I loved the bass, detail, smooth presentation and, most importantly, thought I had finally found an expensive IEM that did not trigger my treble sensitivities.

Ownership changed that.

Three tracks exposed the problem the most:

• 12 to 12 - Sombr
• Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
• Jaded - Koe Wetzel & Ella

There is a metallic zing on certain vocals that I eventually traced to problem areas around 3.3kHz and 7.2kHz for my ears.

Bass

This is still my favorite part of RSV MK2. There is a lot of bass, but it stays controlled, textured and clean. Compared with something like Martilo, RSV MK2 carries more mid-bass instead of concentrating most of its energy down in the sub-bass. That gives drums and bass lines more body without turning muddy. It can hit hard without taking over the presentation. Some of the notes were really like a kick in the guts. I loved it!

Strangely, some tracks can still sound a little lean overall despite the amount of bass. I think that comes more from the rest of the tuning than the low end itself.

Mids / Treble

Most of the time, RSV MK2 sounds smooth and refined.

Then you hit the wrong vocal. Chasing Cars gives Gary Lightbody's voice a sharp edge. I heard similar problems on 12 to 12 and Jaded, with both male and female vocals capable of triggering it.

That is what made this difficult to catch during a shorter audition. After listening to it over 15 hours it was quite apparent and would show up in unexpected places. I tried tip rolling and Kiwi Ears Flex cleaned it up but not all of it. But I do not want to rely on a particular tip or permanent EQ as typically, the higher the price, the higher the expectation of perfection.

Male vocal sibilance would show up mid listening reducing my overall enjoyment from RSV MK2. This was driven by the 7.2kHz peak.

Technicalities

RSV MK2 is technically very capable. Detail retrieval is strong, layering is clean and separation remains intact even with the substantial bass response.

It is also coherent. Nothing sounds obviously disconnected or out of place. The overall technical presentation works really well.

Gaming

Gaming was less impressive. In COD BO7, the bass could make smaller positional cues harder to pick out once the match became busy. The upper-frequency zing also became more noticeable with scorestreaks, grenades and gunfire going off together. It works, but this would not be my choice if gaming is a priority. You can have a better time using Astral or Arete 2 for close to 220-250$ on discounts.

Fit / Accessories

The shells are large but fit my ears reasonably well and maintained a good seal.

My bigger complaint is the cylindrical case. I did not like how the IEMs sat inside it and replaced it because I was worried about putting unnecessary pressure on the pins.

At this price, I expected a better case design. It does come with IEM pants though. So there is that and a cleaning brush.

Comparisons

Xenns Mangird Top Pro

RSV MK2 has more bass quantity and body.

Top Pro is more resolving, separates better and works much better for me across both music and gaming.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2

RSV MK2 is the stronger music set, especially if bass matters.

Arete 2 is considerably better for gaming, particularly positional accuracy and keeping cues readable during chaos. With bass switch on, it can keep up with RSV MK2 in bass as well (though more sub-bass focused).

Binary Acoustics 1900

RSV MK2 has much better bass, which is the weakest part of Binary 1900 for me.

Binary still wins overall for music because its vocals and upper frequencies are more consistent with my preferences. I can listen to this endlessly.

Juzear Light Shuttle

RSV MK2 has better bass texture and greater overall refinement.

Light Shuttle is the easier all-rounder and performs better for gaming, which becomes especially interesting considering the price difference. It can also show some upper-frequency zing on certain tracks, which I covered in my recent review.

Punch Audio Martilo

RSV MK2 has the more refined bass response and stronger technical performance.

Martilo gives me more outright sub-bass and gets surprisingly close in enjoyment for substantially less money.

Final Thoughts

It is quite important to spend more time with audio products. That is why I clearly call out Audition vs. Ownership in my ranking list. The more time you spend with a product the more you learn about its quirks and how presentation can change for different use cases. RSV MK2 went from an amazing memory to something I could not quite make work after living with it. And at $699, “almost” is not enough. Guess I would need to find something else to Hear The Truth. :). On to the next one!

I bought the Punch Audio Martilo with my own money. Not sponsored or affiliated.

I also maintain a running ranking list with 170+ headphones, IEMs and gaming/music recommendations. Link is in my profile.

Score: 8/10

I liked Martilo when I first tried it, but ownership has moved it up a little for me. It gets labelled as a basshead IEM, and there is definitely a lot of bass here. But after spending more time with it, I am not sure I would call it a true basshead set.

Basshead Lite is probably closer.

It hits hard, especially in the sub-bass, but never turns into a muddy wall of bass. You still get vocals, details, separation and surprisingly good gaming performance.

Bass

This is obviously the main attraction. There is a large sub-bass boost and it can hit properly hard when the track calls for it. It reminds me somewhat of Astral with a much bigger bass boost.

What keeps Martilo under control is the mid-bass. There is less mid-bass emphasis than something like RSV MK2, so the bass does not become thick or start bleeding into everything else. Even with the quantity, it stays tight and controlled. That is not to say that RSV MK2 feels bloated in mid bass. I actually think this is why someone expecting a ridiculous bass cannon might come away slightly disappointed.

It has a lot of bass. It just does not sound messy and remains technically competent. Astral still has the advantage in bass texture and overall technical performance, but Martilo gives me more outright low-end quantity.

Mids / Vocals

This will probably be the most divisive part of Martilo. The mids sit further back than some of my other IEMs. That generally works well with my preferences. I prefer the ear gain to rise before 3kHz rather than pushing hard directly through 3kHz, and Martilo avoids the shout I get from a lot of IEMs tuned more aggressively there.

Most vocals sound perfectly fine. There are some exceptions. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson and Here I Am by Bryan Adams can put the singer noticeably further back than I would prefer. Male vocals can also occasionally show some sibilance. I noticed it with Morgan Wallen and Ed Sheeran in particular.

It is track dependent rather than something I hear constantly. I would 8/10 times the vocals sounded absolutely fine for me.

Treble / Air

Treble is generally safe. There is some energy around 6.1–6.2kHz, which works well with my ears because my problem area tends to sit slightly higher, around 6.6kHz.

So I still get enough treble presence for detail without the sharp, pinching effect I can get from sets that peak directly in my sensitive area.

There is also a decent amount of air. Astral is airier, particularly higher up around the 14–15kHz region, but I would not describe Martilo as dark. There is enough upper-end extension to keep the bass-heavy tuning from feeling closed in.

Technicalities

This was better than I expected given the bass quantity. Details remain easy to hear through the mids and treble, imaging is good and separation holds up when tracks get busy.

Astral is still clearly ahead in resolution, bass texture, air and overall technicalities. That does not really bother me with Martilo because I am buying it for a different reason. I want the bass boost without destroying everything sitting above it.

Gaming

This was the biggest surprise. I expected all that sub-bass to make Martilo pretty mediocre for competitive gaming.

In COD BO7 multiplayer, footsteps were easy to trace and separation remained good even with gunfire, explosions and killstreaks going off around me.

I went in expecting something around 5/10 gaming performance. It ended up closer to 7–7.5 territory. That is very respectable for something this bass-heavy.

I still would not buy Martilo specifically for gaming. Around similar money, Arete 2 is considerably better, and Astral is also stronger technically.

Fit

The shell is actually quite similar in shape to Astral. It protrudes out of my ears rather than sitting flush, but unlike some larger IEMs I never had trouble maintaining a seal. The stock tips are also genuinely good, so I have not had to fight with tip rolling just to get Martilo working properly. No major fit complaints from me.

Comparisons

Softears RSV MK2

RSV MK2 gives me better bass texture, more detail, cleaner layering and a smoother overall presentation.

It also carries more mid-bass, while Martilo puts more of its emphasis lower down. My full RSV MK2 review is still a work in progress.

Xenns Mangird Top Pro

Top Pro is much more resolving and better at layering and separation. Its bass is also more controlled and textured.

Martilo gives me considerably more bass quantity and sub-bass impact.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2

Arete 2 is the gaming pick.

Martilo is the bassier music-first option that happens to game surprisingly well.

Binary Acoustics 1900

Binary 1900 is the more refined music IEM and slightly stronger technically. It is a very easy listen.

Martilo has the bass response that never overwhelms the music.

Juzear Light Shuttle

Light Shuttle is the more balanced all-rounder and the better choice if music and gaming carry equal weight.

Martilo is the pick when sub-bass comes first.

Final Thoughts

I think calling Martilo a pure basshead IEM oversells what it is trying to do. If you want absurd bass quantity above everything else, there are probably better options.

Martilo gives you the bass boost without forcing the rest of the tuning to pay for it. That is why I ended up liking it more after ownership than I did during the initial audition.

Basshead Lite. And I mean that as a compliment.

P.S. I am not a basshead so it is no surprise that I really enjoyed the tuning of Martilo.

Sent to me by HiFiGo for review. No expectations on what to write. All thoughts are my own. I maintain a list of over 170 products that I have tested and put impressions on in the link in my profile. Might be worth a look before your next purchase decision. This is my first source review.

In general with delta sigma DACs, my very subjective impressions are that I do not prefer the ESS DAC chip implementations. They normally sound sharp and/or sibilant to me. I am generally Ok with Cirrus or AKM chips. This is first time I am trying a SG chip so I don't really have too many reference points. For desktops, I am a bit biased towards R2R implementations. Now many people would claim that differences in chips is placebo. I don't know how to refute or agree to those statements. Now with that out of the way, let's get to the review.

The MuseHiFi U3 is $29.99.

Rather than plug in one IEM and write about “desktop-grade architecture,” I compared it with three DAC/amps I already use:

• Allegro Mini
• SNOWSKY Melody
• FiiO BTR17

Then I ran them across five IEMs and two headphones.

Test Setup

IEMs

• Xenns Mangird Top Pro
• Binary Acoustics 1900
• CrinEar Reference
• CrinEar Project Monolith
• Juzear Light Shuttle

Headphones

• PhilPhone Open
• HIFIMAN Arya Stealth

Everything was tested balanced except PhilPhone Open was 3.5mm.

I kept the music consistent:

Midnight Sun - Zara Larsson
Bass and sub-bass.

Runaways (feat. Bonnie McKee) - The Midnight
Male/female vocals and sibilance.

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Male vocal shout.

Three tracks, four DACs, seven different IEMs/headphones. Enough swapping for one evening.

IEMs - Results

The Allegro Mini handled two of the five IEMs fine. With Top Pro and Project Monolith, bass lost weight and definition. CrinEar Reference was particularly noticeable. Sub-bass impact sometimes sounded more like sticks hitting rather than the deeper bass response I know from the IEM.

The U3 handled Top Pro, Binary 1900, Reference and Light Shuttle without any obvious problem. Monolith was the exception. It reached enough volume, but sub-bass rumble and bass impact were weaker.

The SNOWSKY Melody and BTR17 handled all five without any issues.

That is about where the U3's power ceiling started becoming audible.

Headphones

The gap became much larger here.

Allegro Mini could not get either PhilPhone Open or Arya Stealth loud enough for me.

U3 got PhilPhone Open to a perfectly usable volume. There were some timbre compromises compared with the stronger sources, but I could happily listen to it at decent volume. This is a 300 ohms headphone run through normal 3.5mm port so I wasn't really expecting miracles. But it worked fine (probably because it is easy to drive in general).

Arya Stealth was too much. It got loud, but bass definition was poor and impact was missing. Increasing volume also made the treble progressively splashier. So yes, the U3 can technically make an Arya Stealth loud but I would not use the pairing.

The SNOWSKY Melody did better, although Arya still lost a little sub-bass authority.

BTR17 had no problem (which is strange as in portable mode the power between BTR17 and Melody Snowsky is similar).

Clean Signal

The U3 was completely quiet in my testing. No audible hiss or background noise with any of the IEMs from either my iPhone 17 Pro Max or PC motherboard. That matters more to me than most of the marketing language around the internal architecture.

5-Band PEQ

You also get 5-band PEQ. Frequency, gain and Q are adjustable, and five bands are enough for most of the corrections I actually use. On iPhone there is no native app, so I had to use the web interface. Not ideal, but it works. I attached 2 shots for reference.

For $30, having proper PEQ at all is a meaningful feature.

Build and Form Factor

This is probably U3's biggest advantage over a lot of cheap dongles. It feels better built than the Allegro Mini, and the direct-plug design means there is no short USB cable hanging between the phone and DAC.

I still think the wooden SNOWSKY Melody looks better, but the U3 feels more substantial in hand. You also get both 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs in an 18.8g device. MuseHiFi quotes up to 125mW output.

That makes it considerably more useful than many of the cheap JCally dongles I would normally look at in this price range. For example, the JCally JM6 Pro has only a 3.5mm output and is rated at 60mW into 32Ω. The JM7MAX gets much closer in power at around 118mW into 32Ω, but it is still 3.5mm only.

So between those, I would take the U3. I get 3.5mm, 4.4mm and PEQ in the same device.

Battery Drain

I also checked battery use.

Same phone, Low Power Mode, roughly 75% volume, five songs played consecutively.

Allegro Mini: ~1%
U3: ~2%
SNOWSKY Melody: ~2%
BTR17: ~1%

This is obviously not laboratory-grade testing because iPhone battery percentage moves in whole numbers, but U3 was not doing anything unusual here.

Then There Is the Competition

This is where buying a $30 DAC gets complicated.

The TRN Black Pearl is around $37 and on paper gives you 3.5mm + 4.4mm, 10 band EQ and up to 320mW from balanced. I have not compared Black Pearl directly, so I am not making a sound-quality claim. But specifications alone make it serious competition.

Then there is the SNOWSKY Melody at roughly $40. For another ~$10 you get 10-band PEQ, 3.5mm + 4.4mm and around 250mW into 32Ω from balanced, essentially twice the U3's quoted maximum output. And unlike the Black Pearl comparison, I actually tested this one.

Melody handled Project Monolith better and got further with Arya Stealth.

The U3 counters with the cleaner direct-plug form factor. I personally think at around $25 price point (which will inevitably happen) this is a very strong contender.

Final Thoughts

For $29.99, the U3 did far better than I expected. It handled four of my five IEMs properly, drove PhilPhone Open to a usable level, stayed completely quiet and gives me both 3.5mm and 4.4mm plus 5-band PEQ.

Its limits are also pretty clear. Project Monolith starts exposing the weaker bass drive. Arya Stealth exposes the rest.

For IEMs and easier headphones, though, there is not much here to complain about.

I would take it over the usual cheap single-output JCally dongles like JM6 Pro or JM7MAX, and the Allegro Mini has now become difficult to recommend over it.

The real question is whether you stop at $30, or spend another $10. I think on discounts, it is a very competitive product.

I recently ran a fairly stupid ear-tip gauntlet.

I tested 15+ tips across three IEMs:

• Xenns Mangird Top Pro
• Binary Acoustics 1900
• Project Monolith

I used the same three tracks with every tip:

• Birds of a Feather - sub-bass and vocals
• This Is What You Came For - vocals, sense of space/air and sibilance
• The Weekend by BIBI - bass and vocals

The Juzear Render Pro ended up being one of the more interesting tips in the entire test.

Juzear markets it as a liquid silicone + memory foam hybrid, with the silicone forming the outer shell and memory foam underneath helping maintain the seal. The product description also leans toward clear vocals and fuller bass.

My experience was different.

Across all three IEMs, Render Pro consistently did three things:

Reduced bass.
Brought vocals forward.
Added air.

Treble quantity itself stayed fairly similar. And that combination turned out to be much more useful than I expected in select use cases.

I maintain a list of 170+ audio products in the link in my profile. It might be helpful to go through them for your next purchase decision. Today I also added short notes to the 16 tips in the file with my experiences.

Sound Changes

The bass reduction is the first thing I noticed. Compared with stock tips, SpinFit W1 or Penon Liqueur Orange, sub-bass loses some weight and rumble. That may sound like a downgrade, but on the right IEM it absolutely is not. If the IEM already has too much low-end energy, Render Pro effectively cleans up the bottom end and lets the rest of the tuning breathe.

Vocals move forward slightly, but without adding obvious shout. Air also improves, which gives the presentation more space and makes individual elements easier to follow.

So instead of behaving like a bass-enhancing tip, Render Pro worked more like a tonality correction tool for me.

The Project Monolith Surprise

This was the most surprising result of the entire test. I normally need heavy EQ to make the Project Monolith listenable for me. Stock, the bass balance and overall tonality are not where I want them. With the Render Pro, I could use the Monolith without EQ. That is not a small change.

The bass cut removes a lot of the excess weight, vocals come forward, and the added air improves the overall balance enough that the Monolith becomes perfectly usable as-is.

For me, that was the clearest example in the whole test of an ear tip meaningfully changing an IEM rather than just nudging it slightly. I expected Render Pro to alter the presentation. I did not expect it to replace the EQ I normally use on Monolith.

Gaming

This is probably where I like Render Pro most. Reducing bass while opening up the presentation helps smaller positional cues stay clearer.

Footsteps are easier to pick out, directional information comes through cleanly, and the extra air helps separation. This was most noticeable with Top Pro where usually the sub bass rumble in Nuketown somtimes masks footsteps. With render pro I was able to hear things even more clearly than the normal stock tips on Top Pro. It reminds me of enabling the footsteps preset EQ on my Maxwell 2.

That makes Render Pro especially useful on IEMs with too much bass for gaming. I will be testing it later with Arete 2 with bass switch on to see if the results are reproducible. You keep the body of the IEM, but remove enough low-end masking to make spatial cues easier to read.

I would not buy Render Pro to increase bass. I would absolutely use it to turn a bass-heavy IEM into a better gaming set.

Comfort

This is where it loses points for me. The Render Pro is simply too wide for my ears. I think I need a SM version. S is too small or M is too wide.

The hybrid construction itself is clever. You get the smooth surface of liquid silicone with foam underneath helping the tip hold its shape and seal. This is a massive upgrade compared to foam tips that I dislike a lot (and why you don't see them on my list).

Juzear lists compatibility with 4.6–5.5mm nozzles, with S, M and L sizes available. The outer diameters are also fairly substantial, so I would pay attention to actual dimensions instead of assuming your normal size will fit.

For my ears, comfort is clearly worse than something like SpinFit W1, Softears UC Clear, AE100 or Kiwi Ears Flex.

How It Compared With the Other Tips

SpinFit W1
One of my favorite basshead tips. Adds bass and sub-bass, improves mid clarity and reduces treble. Much better if you want more low end.

Penon Liqueur Orange
Similar direction to W1, but can add even more rumble. Render Pro goes almost completely the other way. This is what fixes hollowness in Red Lion for me.

Tangzu HE Sonic
Better if the goal is to improve vocal naturalness while leaving the rest of the tuning mostly intact. This I use with Crinear Reference.

Softears UC Clear / Angel Ears AE100
Good choices when I want to preserve the stock sound almost completely. Can use with anything.

Kiwi Ears Flex
Adds a touch of bass, pushes vocals forward and increases air. More energetic than Render Pro and significantly more comfortable for me. I love this to add a bit of low end energy on Binary Acoustics 1900.

Juzear Render Pro
Less bass, more vocal presence, more air. The specialist option. And now to improve my time with Project Monolith lol.

Final Thoughts

The Juzear Render Pro is not a universal upgrade. If your IEM already has the bass level you want, Render Pro may take away something you like.

But if the IEM is too bassy, too dense or slightly closed-in, Render Pro can improve the balance dramatically. The biggest proof for me was Project Monolith.

For gaming, the bass cut and extra air are also genuinely useful.

Mark from Super*Review worked on this to get a better sounding earphone. The idea came from using the huge amount of measurement data on Squig.link, alongside listening and community feedback, to shape something that would work for a broad range of listeners rather than chase one extreme tuning target. After spending time with it, that description fits and I would call it a success story.

I ran it through my usual tracks, including the ones that quickly expose shout, sibilance, weak bass or poor separation. Outside a few known sibilant spots, the Light Shuttle just worked.

What surprised me most is the level of quality at around $190. This does not sound like a typical budget IEM. The clarity, separation and overall refinement are closer to what I normally associate with the $300–500 range.

Music: 8.5/10
Gaming: 8.5/10

I maintain a list of over 170+ products I have had a chance to audition and/or own in the sheets link in my profile. Might be worth a look. It also covers aspects of what I enjoy and why and might help your next purchase decision.

This IEM was sent to me by Hifigo as a review unit. All thoughts are my own. You can buy it from their store or any other shop that you like.

Bass

The first clear improvement over the Juzear Defiant is bass. Light Shuttle reaches slightly deeper into the sub-bass and adds more body through roughly 300–600Hz.

That extra energy gives bass more tactility and weight without making the presentation thick or bloated. The K17 R2R pairs beautifully to bring out the tactile nature of the bass.

It also addresses the main weakness I had with the Binary Acoustics 1900. I still prefer the 1900 overall for music, but bass was its weaker area. Light Shuttle has better depth and physical presence.

Mids / Vocals

Vocals sit ever so slightly further back than Defiant but are still front and center. The small reduction in forwardness creates more room around the singer and contributes to the larger sense of stage. Vocals remain sweet and natural, with no hint of the 3kHz shout that bothers me quickly on many IEMs. Defiant is slightly more immediate on select tracks but overall Light Shuttle sounds more spacious and gives an impression of high end audio.

Treble / Detail

Clarity and detail retrieval are probably the highlight of the Light Shuttle. This is another clear refinement over Defiant. There is some energy around 6–7kHz and again near 8kHz. On a few tracks I can hear an occasional SSS or slight sibilance, but it never became consistently fatiguing. The biggest thing is no metallic sheen around the treble region. That energy adds air and keeps the presentation open.

The Binary 1900 still sounds a little more polished through the upper treble to me, particularly across roughly 6–10kHz, but Light Shuttle reaches a similar level of detail and overall refinement with a slightly different and safer approach.

Stage / Separation

Light Shuttle has a convincing sense of space without sounding artificially stretched. The slightly more relaxed mids and extra treble air help individual instruments occupy their own positions. Separation also remains strong when the mix becomes busy.

That carries directly into gaming.

Gaming

Light Shuttle is excellent for gaming. Imaging is accurate, stage is larger than Defiant, and distance information comes across well.

The extra treble energy helps footsteps and smaller positional cues cut through gunfire and explosions without forcing an aggressively bright tuning.

The Arete 2 is still better for pure positional accuracy and reading cues in heavy firefights. The Top Pro resolves extremely dense scenes better.

Light Shuttle gets very close while also giving me a stronger all-round music presentation than most gaming-focused IEMs.

Comparisons

Juzear Defiant

Light Shuttle gives me deeper bass, more body, better clarity, more stage and more air.

Light Shuttle is the more refined IEM and worth the additional 80$.

Binary Acoustics 1900

The 1900 remains slightly stronger for music because its upper treble sounds more polished.

Light Shuttle has the better bass response and performs better for gaming once the mix becomes chaotic. I think you can't go wrong with either. Pick Shuttle if you want more low end. Pick Binary Acoustics if you want more treble/air.

CrinEar Reference

Reference can resolve very well, but I use HE Sonic tips and EQ around 3.2kHz and 6.6kHz to get it where I want.

Light Shuttle works much closer to my preferred tuning stock. I would pick it over reference hands down.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2

Arete 2 still wins for pure positional gaming.

Light Shuttle gives me fuller bass, sweeter vocals and the stronger music presentation. This one saves you about 90$.

Xenns Mangird Top Pro

Top Pro remains the technical step up.

It has better resolution, layering, separation and bass control.

Light Shuttle is the answer on a budget.

Build and Accessories

The physical package is also much better than I expect around this price. The shells look bespoke rather than generic, with the grey design giving them a premium finish.

The blue carry case is genuinely beautiful and fits the aesthetic of the IEM perfectly. I love Juzear cases.

The cable includes both 3.5mm and 4.4mm interchangeable terminations, so I can move between portable and desktop gear without changing cables.

The overall package feels properly finished rather than built down to a price.

Final Thoughts

The $200 bracket is getting very interesting.

We now have two IEMs around this level that, for me, deliver technical performance I previously expected from noticeably more expensive products:

Binary Acoustics 1900 and Juzear Light Shuttle.

Both bring excellent clarity, separation and refinement into a much more accessible price range.

Light Shuttle adds stronger bass, very good gaming performance and a tuning that works across almost everything I throw at it.

The build, accessories and design also feel far more premium than the price suggests.

And sonically, we are now getting close to the level of technical performance I associate with sets such as Astral and Arete 2, without having to move into the $300+ bracket.

“IEM for the People” is such a fitting name for this one.

NICEHCK sent me the Tears as a free review sample. They had no input into the review and all thoughts are my own.

I have spent a fairly stupid amount of money on audio. Then something like the NICEHCK Tears shows up for around $35 and makes me question a few decisions. I maintain a list of over 170+ audio products in the link in my profile with short reviews and ranking. Might want to check it out.

The headline is simple:

Dat bass.

Sound

The bass is easily the star. There is proper rumble, weight and impact, but it does not turn into the bloated wall of bass. It also avoids the hollow feeling I initially had with Tangzu Wan'er 2 Red Lion before fixing that with Penon Liqueur Orange tips.

The mids are also very well judged for my ears. There is a rise around 2.5kHz, followed by a drop around 3kHz rather than continuing to push the pinna gain. That is exactly the kind of tuning that works for me because stronger 3kHz gain can become shouty very quickly. Vocals stay natural.

Treble is warm rather than bright. It is extended enough, but there is no splashiness, no S-bombs and no obvious sibilance.

The overall presentation actually reminds me quite a bit of my Satyr 4: warm, bassy, relaxed and easy to listen to. I can just put these on and forget about any form of technical analysis and just enjoy music in its purest form.

Tears vs Red Lion

These two are closer than I initially expected. I have covered Red Lion extensively in my OoopusX Op 22 review.

With Penon Liqueur Orange tips, Red Lion has excellent bass, natural vocals and a little more air up top. That extra air also gives Red Lion the larger-feeling presentation.

Tears is the warmer set. It has slightly more of that bass-and-rumble-first character, while Red Lion feels a little more open.

I currently have:

Tears: 7.5/10
Red Lion: 7/10

Tears edges it overall for me, but they are very comparable.

Tears vs OOPUS X OP22

OP22 can be excellent, but it needs more work. Same review as above has more details. With the right tips, especially SpinFit W1, I can tame the areas that bother me in the upper mids and treble. Bass On gives OP22 huge low-end quantity. Tears offers slightly less. Overall Op 22 requires more work on the treble side of things when things get busy.

OP22: 7/10

The Simpler Budget Sets

I also spent time with Tangzu Cai Wen Ji, Moondrop Chu 2 and Truthear Gate.

They are all safe budget IEMs, but none of them does anything particularly special.

Tangzu Cai Wen Ji - 5/10

The standout here is vocals. They sound natural and are easily the reason I rate Cai Wen Ji above Chu 2 and Gate.

The included Tangzu HE Sonic tips also work extremely well for me, and the nozzle size is much more reasonable.

For gaming, there is a slight benefit for footsteps, but I would not buy it specifically for gaming. There is an anime card that some people might like? I guess.

Moondrop Chu 2 - 4/10

This is my sleepy IEM. Completely uninspiring. Also completely harmless.

It is the kind of IEM I can put on when I do not want anything demanding my attention.

The metal shell feels nice, although the nozzle is very wide and has a substantial lip. I also found gold-colored traces in the box, which does not inspire huge confidence in the coating over the brass shell.

Truthear Gate - 4/10

Similar story. Safe, simple and easy to recommend if somebody just wants a cheap IEM that does not do anything crazy. The package is better than Chu 2 with two sets of tips, and it is cheaper, although the shell is plastic.

The large nozzle is again the main fit issue for me.

Gaming is whatever.

Comfort and Build

This is another area where Tears punches well above its price. The shell is tiny, lightweight and almost button-like in the ear. It is one of those IEMs that just disappears once I put it in.

Stock tips work for me, which is increasingly rare. The vented shell also helps it avoid that heavily plugged-up feeling I sometimes get from more sealed IEMs.

You also get a simple pouch and cable tie, which is plenty at this price.

Comfort is genuinely top notch.

Gaming

Gaming was better than I expected.

For small arena shooters, Tears is perfectly fine. Imaging is accurate enough to place sounds properly, and the tuning never becomes tiring.

The limitation shows up in larger maps and more spacious shooters. The stage is not big enough to give me great distance information, so judging exactly how far away something is becomes harder.

That lines up with the music presentation too. Tears is warm and relatively intimate rather than airy and expansive.

So for sub-$100 gaming IEMs I have tried, my current gaming preference order is:

Defiant > Red Lion > Tears > OP22 Bass Off > Nimbus White Nozzle > Pure > OP22 Bass On

Tears works. I just would not choose it specifically for like BF6 type of gaming.

Final Thoughts

This is the kind of budget IEM that makes the hobby slightly ridiculous.

$35 gets you genuinely excellent bass, natural vocals, safe treble, great comfort and perfectly usable gaming performance. Also you can walk around looking decent without drawing attention to yourself (unless that is what you want ;)).

There are better technical IEMs. There are airier IEMs.

But as a cheap, warm, basshead set that I can put in my ears without immediately looking for different tips or EQ?

Tears is excellent. And yes, it makes some of my audio spending look increasingly questionable.

In the words of my good friend (almost 2 decades in this hobby) who got them on my recommendation recently:

"these hit, holy S H I T, WTF lol"

Over the past few days I have been on the hunt to try more and more IEMs for no particular reason. I initially recognized a problem and then followed through by trying a few kilo buck IEMs (impressions within).

I believe between my posts here and IRL there was a mention of Aful Dawn X as the IEM to try. So I finally got around to it.

These are quick impressions, not a full review. I spent around 30–40 minutes with the AFUL Dawn X, swapping back and forth with my Xenns Top Pro using the same songs.

My first impression was that Dawn X sounded like a slightly more refined Top Pro. The longer I swapped them, though, the more I realized there are actually a few areas where I prefer the Top Pro.

Bass and Bone Conduction

Dawn X has a little more texture and physicality down low. I expected the bone-conduction driver to be much more obvious, but I couldn't really isolate it most of the time. There were maybe one or two tracks where I thought I felt something extra.

That isn't necessarily strange. Bone conduction needs good mechanical contact with the ear and does not have to feel like an obvious vibration. Dawn X also didn't fit or seal quite as naturally for me as Top Pro, which could have reduced the effect.

Vocals

Top Pro vocals sound more natural to my ears. This lines up nicely with my own preference around ear gain. I generally prefer the rise to happen around 2.5kHz, rather than having a stronger 3kHz emphasis. Top Pro gets there around 2.5kHz and then starts backing off around 3kHz, which works extremely well for me.

Dawn X is still good here, but Top Pro lands closer to my preferred vocal presentation.

Treble

This is probably the biggest difference. Dawn X maintains relatively more energy through roughly 6–8kHz, while Top Pro has more of a dip there.

For my ears, the Top Pro approach works better. On tracks where Dawn X can give me the beginning of an SSS sound, slight sibilance or splashy treble, Top Pro usually avoids it.

Top Pro has noticeably more energy again around roughly 10.5–14.5kHz, which gives it an airier presentation without triggering the part of the treble region that bothers me.

That combination is basically ideal for my taste: Less 6–8kHz irritation, more upper-treble air without any peaks/pinch.

Technicalities

Both are excellent. Dawn X has a little more bass texture and overall polish, but stage, layering and separation are already so strong on Top Pro that switching back never felt like any form of downgrade, just different.

And because I actually prefer the Top Pro vocals and treble balance, the comparison becomes much closer than the price or driver count would suggest.

Quick Verdict

Dawn X is impressive and probably has that final bit of refinement that can work for some. But after repeatedly swapping the same songs for 30–40 minutes, I still felt like Top Pro was giving me 97–99% of the experience (if you can put a number on sound?), while actually doing a few things more to my taste.

I would still consider a Dawn X used at the right price. But replacing my Top Pro with one?

I don't see the need today.

Wanted to share my thoughts on the Binary Acoustics 1900 after using it for both music and gaming.

On day one I listened for almost 8 hours, with only short breaks, and went through most of my library.

The last IEM that made me do that was the Xenns Mangird Top Pro.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Score

Binary Acoustics 1900: 9.0 / 10
Binary Acoustic 1900 gaming: 8.0 / 10

Most of the deduction comes from gaming.

Gear / Tips

Sources:

• FiiO K17 R2R
• FiiO BTR17

Tips:

• Stock
• Penon Liqueur Orange

I preferred Penon Liqueur Orange.

The BTR17 worked fine, but the K17 R2R gave bass more body and punch and made the stage feel more holographic.

Overall Sound

The 1900 fits my preferences extremely well.

I am sensitive around 3.2–3.5 kHz, where too much pinna gain becomes shouty, and around 6–7 kHz, where peaks quickly turn into sibilance.

Some JM-1 style tunings do not work for me because of this like on Crinear Reference and Crinear Project Monolith.

The 1900 avoids those problem areas and is surprisingly very closely aligned to my preferences.

Bass

Bass has excellent depth, texture, slam, and decay without bleeding into the mids. My only initial issue was the deepest sub-bass on a few tracks. On Limit to Your Love, for example, I wanted a little more rumble at the bottom when using BTR17.

Penon Liqueur Orange helped, and moving to K17 R2R filled it out further. After that, bass had the weight I wanted without becoming thick or bloated.

Mids / Vocals

Mids are the star of the show. I tested a lot of vocal-heavy tracks and never found vocals shouty, harsh, or strangely colored.

Female vocals worked especially well on:

• The Greatest
• Die on a Hill
• Anyone
• Fire for You
• Runaways

Breaths and small vocal details come through clearly without the voice sounding artificially sharpened.

Male vocals also have proper body on tracks like:

• Crazy
• The Door
• Ordinary
• Let’s Make a Night to Remember

Treble

Treble is probably my favorite part. I tested several tracks that expose sibilance very quickly:

• Faded
• Stereo Love
• Summertime Sadness
• This Is What You Came For
• Lose My Mind

No painful S sounds and no obvious 6–7K sting. The impressive part is that treble still has plenty of air and detail. With the K17 R2R, instruments feel placed around you rather than sitting on one flat plane. That holographic presentation was one of the reasons I kept listening for hours.

Gaming

Gaming is very good, especially in smaller competitive maps.

With the stock tips:

• Imaging is sharp
• Footsteps are easy to locate
• Left/right positioning is precise

In Black Ops 7 multiplayer, cues were easy to read.

Battlefield 6 is also extremely immersive. Gunfire, vehicles, explosions, and environmental sounds have good scale.

Stage is smaller than Top Pro and Arete 2, but roughly around Astral for me.

The limitation shows up when BF6 becomes completely chaotic. When several firefights, explosions, vehicles, and vertical cues overlap, separation can lose some definition. Occasionally I would miss whether something was above, below, or slightly further away.

Dropping volume by a couple of notches helped.

Packaging / Build / Comfort

Packaging is excellent.

The shells feel premium with:

• Resin body
• 316L stainless-steel faceplate
• Tasteful inspired design

The included case is also practical rather than oversized. It is thin enough to fit in a jeans pocket while still holding the IEMs, spare tips, and a small dongle DAC.

Comfort was excellent. An almost eight-hour first session says enough there.

Comparisons

Xenns Mangird Top Pro

Larger stage, better separation in chaotic gaming, and slightly higher resolution.

The 1900 gets surprisingly close for much less money and gives me fuller bass.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2

Still my stronger pure gaming pick, especially when several positional cues overlap.

For music, I prefer the 1900.

Kiwi Ears Astral

Astral has more immediate bass energy and excitement.

The 1900 sounds more natural through the mids and is easier for long listening sessions. Stage is fairly similar.

CrinEar Reference

Reference is slightly more resolving and has a very coherent bass transition.

The 1900 is much easier for me to use stock because Reference needed EQ around 3.2K and 6.6K.

CrinEar Monolith

Monolith gives more bass quantity and physical impact. But required heavy EQ for me to use it across my library. Some tracks worked well and some were absolutely butchered compared to my preferences.

The 1900 is an all-rounder for my library.

Who Should Buy This?

I would strongly consider the 1900 if you:

• Have around $200
• Listen to a lot of vocal-heavy music
• Want strong bass without muddy mids
• Like air and detail but are sensitive to sibilance
• Want one IEM for both music and gaming

I would look elsewhere if competitive gaming is your only priority, maximum resolution matters more than price, or you want huge bass quantity above everything else.

Final Thoughts

At around $200, I would consider the Binary 1900 a blind buy if your preferences are similar to mine.

It is one of the few IEMs I have tried that didn't have one issue or the other.

The review unit was sent to me by HiFiGo. They had no input into the review and all thoughts are my own. You can find the Binary 1900 through HiFiGo's website and their AliExpress / Amazon storefronts.

Wanted to share my thoughts on the OoopusX OP.22 and Tangzu Wa'ner II Red Lion.

Review is not sponsored. I bought both with my own money.

For OP.22 I am using SpinFit W1 tips. For Red Lion I use Penon Liqueur Orange tips and a normal analog cable. I would avoid the DSP version of Red Lion as it made the sound hollow from my iPhone.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Scores

OoopusX OP.22: 7.0 / 10
Tangzu Wa'ner II Red Lion: 7.0 / 10

Overall Sound

OP.22 is the more energetic IEM with more sub-bass, upper-mid presence, and treble energy. OP.22 needed more tip rolling. SpinFit W1 improved bass quality and reduced the vocal shout and sibilance I was hearing.

Red Lion is smoother and more relaxed. Bass is impressive for the price and vocals sit naturally. Red Lion paired extremely well with Penon Liqueur Orange.

Bass

The bass switch is the main feature of OP.22. With bass on, there is noticeably more sub-bass rumble and impact. This is my preferred setting for music.

Red Lion has less bass quantity but enough punch and texture without pushing into the mids.

OP.22 bass on: more rumble and impact
Red Lion: more balanced low end
OP.22 bass off: cleaner for gaming

I absolutely love the bass on this set as it gives me both a tactile feeling while remaining clean and well textured.

Mids / Vocals

OP.22 has quite a bit of energy around 3 kHz.

I heard shout or sharpness on some songs such as:

• This Is What You Came For
• Summertime Sadness
• Lose My Mind, particularly Doja Cat's vocals

SpinFit W1 reduced this enough that vocals now sound fine. Red Lion is a considerable smoother listen and does not push vocals as hard and sounds more natural through the mids.

Treble

OP.22 has persistent energy through roughly 6–8 kHz, which matched the sibilance I heard on some tracks. It is noticeably brighter in that area compared to Red Lion. Red Lion is smoother and easier here, though it gives up some air and detail.

Gaming

The bass switch changes OP.22 quite a bit for gaming.

With bass on, explosions and gunfire can cover smaller cues.

With bass off, the mix clears up and OP.22 becomes much better for competitive play.

Red Lion still gave me easier footsteps in Black Ops 7. Its presentation happens to line up better with my ears / HRTF in that game.

My current gaming ranking under $100:

1. Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity
2. Tangzu Wa'ner II Red Lion
3. OoopusX OP.22 - bass off
4. Juzear Nimbus - white nozzle
5. Truthear Pure
6. OoopusX OP.22 - bass on

Defiant remains the strongest when fights get busy because layering and separation are better.

Nimbus with the white nozzle is balanced and clear but sits behind the top three in separation.

Pure has sharp imaging despite its smaller stage, but loses smaller cues more easily when the mix gets busy.

Accessories / Packaging / Comfort

Red Lion has the much nicer package.

You get:

• Large presentation box
• Carrying case
• Cleaning cloth
• Multiple sets of tips
• Nice red shells
• Carrying case

The packaging looks much more expensive than the price suggests. Not sure how they can sell it for 16$ on sales. OP.22 is basic by comparison. You get the IEMs, cable, and two sets of silicone tips in a simple black box. Also costs about 30$ on sale.

Both are light and easy to wear. I had no issues also with any build quality etc.

Final Thoughts

Both land at the same score, but for different reasons.

OP.22 is the more energetic option and the bass switch gives it useful flexibility between music and gaming.

Red Lion is cheaper, smoother, packaged better, and happens to work extremely well for footsteps in BO7.

I think having both in your pocket is not a bad idea for a bass head on a budget.

Wanted to share my thoughts on the OoopusX OP.22 and Tangzu Wa'ner II Red Lion.

Review is not sponsored. I bought both with my own money.

For OP.22 I am using SpinFit W1 tips. For Red Lion I use Penon Liqueur Orange tips and a normal analog cable. I would avoid the DSP version of Red Lion as it made the sound hollow from my iPhone.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Scores

OoopusX OP.22: 7.0 / 10
Tangzu Wa'ner II Red Lion: 7.0 / 10

Overall Sound

OP.22 is the more energetic IEM with more sub-bass, upper-mid presence, and treble energy. OP.22 needed more tip rolling. SpinFit W1 improved bass quality and reduced the vocal shout and sibilance I was hearing.

Red Lion is smoother and more relaxed. Bass is impressive for the price and vocals sit naturally. Red Lion paired extremely well with Penon Liqueur Orange.

Bass

The bass switch is the main feature of OP.22. With bass on, there is noticeably more sub-bass rumble and impact. This is my preferred setting for music.

Red Lion has less bass quantity but enough punch and texture without pushing into the mids.

OP.22 bass on: more rumble and impact
Red Lion: more balanced low end
OP.22 bass off: cleaner for gaming

I absolutely love the bass on this set as it gives me both a tactile feeling while remaining clean and well textured.

Mids / Vocals

OP.22 has quite a bit of energy around 3 kHz.

I heard shout or sharpness on some songs such as:

• This Is What You Came For
• Summertime Sadness
• Lose My Mind, particularly Doja Cat's vocals

SpinFit W1 reduced this enough that vocals now sound fine. Red Lion is a considerable smoother listen and does not push vocals as hard and sounds more natural through the mids.

Treble

OP.22 has persistent energy through roughly 6–8 kHz, which matched the sibilance I heard on some tracks. It is noticeably brighter in that area compared to Red Lion. Red Lion is smoother and easier here, though it gives up some air and detail.

Gaming

The bass switch changes OP.22 quite a bit for gaming.

With bass on, explosions and gunfire can cover smaller cues.

With bass off, the mix clears up and OP.22 becomes much better for competitive play.

Red Lion still gave me easier footsteps in Black Ops 7. Its presentation happens to line up better with my ears / HRTF in that game.

My current gaming ranking under $100:

1. Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity
2. Tangzu Wa'ner II Red Lion
3. OoopusX OP.22 - bass off
4. Juzear Nimbus - white nozzle
5. Truthear Pure
6. OoopusX OP.22 - bass on

Defiant remains the strongest when fights get busy because layering and separation are better.

Nimbus with the white nozzle is balanced and clear but sits behind the top three in separation.

Pure has sharp imaging despite its smaller stage, but loses smaller cues more easily when the mix gets busy.

Accessories / Packaging / Comfort

Red Lion has the much nicer package.

You get:

• Large presentation box
• Carrying case
• Cleaning cloth
• Multiple sets of tips
• Nice red shells
• Carrying case

The packaging looks much more expensive than the price suggests. Not sure how they can sell it for 16$ on sales. OP.22 is basic by comparison. You get the IEMs, cable, and two sets of silicone tips in a simple black box. Also costs about 30$ on sale.

Both are light and easy to wear. I had no issues also with any build quality etc.

Final Thoughts

Both land at the same score, but for different reasons.

OP.22 is the more energetic option and the bass switch gives it useful flexibility between music and gaming.

Red Lion is cheaper, smoother, packaged better, and happens to work extremely well for footsteps in BO7.

I think having both in your pocket is not a bad idea for a bass head on a budget.

Wanted to share my thoughts on the Truthear Pure.

Review is not sponsored. I bought it with my own money.

The two main comparisons are Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity at a similar price and CrinEar Reference, which costs almost 4X as much on sale.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Score

Truthear Pure: 7.5 / 10

Gear / Tips

Sources:

• FiiO K17 R2R
• FiiO BTR17

Tips tried:

• Stock light grey
• Stock dark grey
• Penon Liqueur Orange
• Tangzu Sancai normal bore
• HE Sonics black

I settled on HE Sonics black, which are also the tips I use on CrinEar Reference.

K17 R2R added a little more body to the bass. BTR17 was perfectly fine as well.

Overall Sound

Pure is a vocal-forward IEM with a fairly intimate presentation. Vocals sit close, imaging is sharp, and treble is easy to listen to.

The stage is similar to CrinEar Reference and noticeably smaller than Defiant, Arete 2, or Top Pro. The sound feels more in the head than around you. Bass needed the most work.

Bass

Sub-bass rumble is lacking, while mid-bass can sound a little bloated. On some tracks it almost feels like someone is hitting sticks. The transition from sub-bass into mid-bass is also not as smooth as I prefer.

Tip rolling helped quite a bit. The stock light and dark grey tips did not fix it. Penon Liqueur Orange pushed things in a direction that started sounding unnatural. Tangzu Sancai normal bore was closer. HE Sonics black worked best.

Overall, CrinEar Reference handles bass much better. The transition is smoother and the low end feels more coherent. Defiant is more sub-bass focused, which gives it a cleaner and more tactile presentation and transition from sub-bass to mid-bass doesn't add bloat like it does for Pure.

Mids

Mids are the highlight. Vocals are forward and both male and female vocals generally work well. There were a few exceptions:

• Bittersweet Symphony had some glare
• Summertime Sadness could edge into shout (e.g., I am listening to this song on Arete 2 right now and don't have similar issue as Pure)

HE Sonics reduced both enough that they stopped being a major issue. If you like vocals close and centered, Pure does that well.

Treble

Treble is actually very easy to listen to. There is virtually no sibilance and notes generally sound correct. This is a breath of fresh air compared to my experience with Reference where I had to drop 3200 and 6600 bands to fix shout and sibilance respectively.

The trade-off is air. There is not much sparkle or extension up top, so Pure can feel a little boxed in, e.g., in the song Thunder.

In a couple of tracks, instruments got buried when the mix became busy, but most songs were fine.

Gaming

Gaming was better than expected. Stage is limited, but imaging is sharp and precise. I could locate footsteps fine most of the time.

The issue came when score streaks, grenades, gunfire, and footsteps all happened at once. Smaller cues became harder to pick out.

Dropping the volume by one notch helped.

Defiant, Arete 2, and Top Pro all handle busy fights better and remain my preferred choice for gaming.

Comparisons

Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity

Defiant is still my preference around this price. It has more space, more sub-bass, and a more natural presentation. Pure has more forward vocals but Defiant gives me bigger soundstage and sparkle and air I like.

CrinEar Reference

I paid around $80 on sale for Pure versus around $320 on sale for Reference. Reference is more resolving and has clearly better bass (even though it doesn't show up in the graph). Pure has the easier treble. I had to EQ both shout and sibilance out of Reference. But once EQ-ed I still prefer reference over Pure. Having said that the competition for Reference feels much larger than Pure.

Packaging / Fit

Packaging is fine. You get a decent selection of tips. The cable is mediocre but non-intrusive. I do not really care for the anime packaging. The shells have some weird angles and initially pinched the back of my ears slightly, but that mostly resolved itself over time.

Final Thoughts

Pure is a decent buy around $80–90, especially if you like forward vocals and do not want aggressive treble. The main weakness is bass. The main strength is the mids.

I still prefer Defiant around this price, while CrinEar Reference is the better IEM overall if you are willing to spend much more and EQ the treble.

Wanted to share my thoughts on the Truthear Pure.

Review is not sponsored. I bought it with my own money.

The two main comparisons are Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity at a similar price and CrinEar Reference, which costs almost 4X as much on sale.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Score

Truthear Pure: 7.5 / 10

Gear / Tips

Sources:

• FiiO K17 R2R
• FiiO BTR17

Tips tried:

• Stock light grey
• Stock dark grey
• Penon Liqueur Orange
• Tangzu Sancai normal bore
• HE Sonics black

I settled on HE Sonics black, which are also the tips I use on CrinEar Reference.

K17 R2R added a little more body to the bass. BTR17 was perfectly fine as well.

Overall Sound

Pure is a vocal-forward IEM with a fairly intimate presentation. Vocals sit close, imaging is sharp, and treble is easy to listen to.

The stage is similar to CrinEar Reference and noticeably smaller than Defiant, Arete 2, or Top Pro. The sound feels more in the head than around you. Bass needed the most work.

Bass

Sub-bass rumble is lacking, while mid-bass can sound a little bloated. On some tracks it almost feels like someone is hitting sticks. The transition from sub-bass into mid-bass is also not as smooth as I prefer.

Tip rolling helped quite a bit. The stock light and dark grey tips did not fix it. Penon Liqueur Orange pushed things in a direction that started sounding unnatural. Tangzu Sancai normal bore was closer. HE Sonics black worked best.

Overall, CrinEar Reference handles bass much better. The transition is smoother and the low end feels more coherent. Defiant is more sub-bass focused, which gives it a cleaner and more tactile presentation and transition from sub-bass to mid-bass doesn't add bloat like it does for Pure.

Mids

Mids are the highlight. Vocals are forward and both male and female vocals generally work well. There were a few exceptions:

• Bittersweet Symphony had some glare
• Summertime Sadness could edge into shout (e.g., I am listening to this song on Arete 2 right now and don't have similar issue as Pure)

HE Sonics reduced both enough that they stopped being a major issue. If you like vocals close and centered, Pure does that well.

Treble

Treble is actually very easy to listen to. There is virtually no sibilance and notes generally sound correct. This is a breath of fresh air compared to my experience with Reference where I had to drop 3200 and 6600 bands to fix shout and sibilance respectively.

The trade-off is air. There is not much sparkle or extension up top, so Pure can feel a little boxed in, e.g., in the song Thunder.

In a couple of tracks, instruments got buried when the mix became busy, but most songs were fine.

Gaming

Gaming was better than expected. Stage is limited, but imaging is sharp and precise. I could locate footsteps fine most of the time.

The issue came when score streaks, grenades, gunfire, and footsteps all happened at once. Smaller cues became harder to pick out.

Dropping the volume by one notch helped.

Defiant, Arete 2, and Top Pro all handle busy fights better and remain my preferred choice for gaming.

Comparisons

Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity

Defiant is still my preference around this price. It has more space, more sub-bass, and a more natural presentation. Pure has more forward vocals but Defiant gives me bigger soundstage and sparkle and air I like.

CrinEar Reference

I paid around $80 on sale for Pure versus around $320 on sale for Reference. Reference is more resolving and has clearly better bass (even though it doesn't show up in the graph). Pure has the easier treble. I had to EQ both shout and sibilance out of Reference. But once EQ-ed I still prefer reference over Pure. Having said that the competition for Reference feels much larger than Pure.

Packaging / Fit

Packaging is fine. You get a decent selection of tips. The cable is mediocre but non-intrusive. I do not really care for the anime packaging. The shells have some weird angles and initially pinched the back of my ears slightly, but that mostly resolved itself over time.

Final Thoughts

Pure is a decent buy around $80–90, especially if you like forward vocals and do not want aggressive treble. The main weakness is bass. The main strength is the mids.

I still prefer Defiant around this price, while CrinEar Reference is the better IEM overall if you are willing to spend much more and EQ the treble.

Yu9 Que Review

Wanted to share my thoughts on the Yu9 Que.
Review is not sponsored. I bought it with my own money.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works for me and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and my own personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Score
Yu9 Que: 6.0 / 10

Overall Sound
Que is an IEM with excellent bass trapped inside a tuning and shell that did not work for me. The stage is decent for an IEM, but I did not hear the massive stage people claimed. It sounded medium to me and not bigger than Arete 2, Astral, or Top Pro.

The main issue was the upper half of the tuning. I heard problem areas around 1300 Hz, 3200 Hz, and 6700 Hz. Vocals could sound pushed, treble had splash, and sibilance kept showing up even after EQ.

Some tracks sounded fantastic. Others were hard to listen to. Example tracks that sounded hard to listen to were Chasing Cars, Set Fire to the Rain, It’s my life, what I want, beautiful things.

Some tracks that worked great were rain dance, the greatest, the weekend, remember the time.

Bass
Bass is star of the show. It has real punch and weight. On the right track, Que sounds fun, powerful, and impressive.
Bass has enough body for music, and low-end effects in games have proper impact. This is easily the best part of the IEM. With the right track, it really shines never overwhelming the mix.

Mids / Treble
Mids and treble are where Que lost me. Vocals could sound pushed back a bit in a way but still sibilant and sharp. The 6700 Hz area was especially rough for my ears. I tried EQ, but I could not remove the sibilance without making the rest of the sound worse. Que needed too much work and still did not settle for me. The tuning changes continued to impact timbre for me to the point where it didn’t sound correct.

Gaming
Gaming was better than music, but I still would not pick Que for competitive play. Directional cues were usable, and the airy presentation helped, but busy fights felt crowded. Footsteps, gunfire, background noise, and effects were harder to split apart than on Arete 2, Astral, or Top Pro.
For casual gaming, it works. For competitive gaming, I would pass as bass would overpower most of the important cues in a multi party fire fight. 1 v 1 was fine though.

Comparisons
Kiwi Ears Astral
Astral is also energetic, but it worked better for me overall.
It has more controlled bass, better stage, and fewer tracks that completely fell apart for my ears. Straight up I prefer it over Que. Bass is comparable. Timbre is much better on Astral.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2
Arete 2 has less bass impact, but I trust it much more for gaming. Directionality is cleaner, separation is easier to follow, and treble is smoother. This is typically my gaming pick.

Xenns Mangird Top Pro
Top Pro gives me the detail and separation Que seems to chase with treble. It is cleaner, more natural, better controlled, and works across far more music and games. This is what I use most of the time so of course I am biased.

QC / Fit
Comfort was mediocre to terrible for me. The shells pushed on the back of my ears and caused pain. The nozzles are also pretty long. There are no filters, so the sound feels very direct at mid to high volume.

The cable felt cheap, closer to something I would expect from a much cheaper IEM.

The rest of the package is complete and looks nice.

Final Thoughts
Yu9 Que was a highly anticipated IEM for me and people kept calling it a giant killer. Sadly it did not work for me. At this price range I try to focus on enjoying things for what they are so I sent it back. Hopefully someone else will have a better time with it than I did.

Yu9 Que Review

Wanted to share my thoughts on the Yu9 Que.
Review is not sponsored. I bought it with my own money.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works for me and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and my own personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Score
Yu9 Que: 6.0 / 10

Overall Sound
Que is an IEM with excellent bass trapped inside a tuning and shell that did not work for me. The stage is decent for an IEM, but I did not hear the massive stage people claimed. It sounded medium to me and not bigger than Arete 2, Astral, or Top Pro.

The main issue was the upper half of the tuning. I heard problem areas around 1300 Hz, 3200 Hz, and 6700 Hz. Vocals could sound pushed, treble had splash, and sibilance kept showing up even after EQ.

Some tracks sounded fantastic. Others were hard to listen to. Example tracks that sounded hard to listen to were Chasing Cars, Set Fire to the Rain, It’s my life, what I want, beautiful things.

Some tracks that worked great were rain dance, the greatest, the weekend, remember the time.

Bass
Bass is star of the show. It has real punch and weight. On the right track, Que sounds fun, powerful, and impressive.
Bass has enough body for music, and low-end effects in games have proper impact. This is easily the best part of the IEM. With the right track, it really shines never overwhelming the mix.

Mids / Treble
Mids and treble are where Que lost me. Vocals could sound pushed back a bit in a way but still sibilant and sharp. The 6700 Hz area was especially rough for my ears. I tried EQ, but I could not remove the sibilance without making the rest of the sound worse. Que needed too much work and still did not settle for me. The tuning changes continued to impact timbre for me to the point where it didn’t sound correct.

Gaming
Gaming was better than music, but I still would not pick Que for competitive play. Directional cues were usable, and the airy presentation helped, but busy fights felt crowded. Footsteps, gunfire, background noise, and effects were harder to split apart than on Arete 2, Astral, or Top Pro.
For casual gaming, it works. For competitive gaming, I would pass as bass would overpower most of the important cues in a multi party fire fight. 1 v 1 was fine though.

Comparisons
Kiwi Ears Astral
Astral is also energetic, but it worked better for me overall.
It has more controlled bass, better stage, and fewer tracks that completely fell apart for my ears. Straight up I prefer it over Que. Bass is comparable. Timbre is much better on Astral.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2
Arete 2 has less bass impact, but I trust it much more for gaming. Directionality is cleaner, separation is easier to follow, and treble is smoother. This is typically my gaming pick.

Xenns Mangird Top Pro
Top Pro gives me the detail and separation Que seems to chase with treble. It is cleaner, more natural, better controlled, and works across far more music and games. This is what I use most of the time so of course I am biased.

QC / Fit
Comfort was mediocre to terrible for me. The shells pushed on the back of my ears and caused pain. The nozzles are also pretty long. There are no filters, so the sound feels very direct at mid to high volume.

The cable felt cheap, closer to something I would expect from a much cheaper IEM.

The rest of the package is complete and looks nice.

Final Thoughts
Yu9 Que was a highly anticipated IEM for me and people kept calling it a giant killer. Sadly it did not work for me. At this price range I try to focus on enjoying things for what they are so I sent it back. Hopefully someone else will have a better time with it than I did.

Yu9 Que Review

Wanted to share my thoughts on the Yu9 Que.
Review is not sponsored. I bought it with my own money.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works for me and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and my own personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Score
Yu9 Que: 6.0 / 10

Overall Sound
Que is an IEM with excellent bass trapped inside a tuning and shell that did not work for me. The stage is decent for an IEM, but I did not hear the massive stage people claimed. It sounded medium to me and not bigger than Arete 2, Astral, or Top Pro.

The main issue was the upper half of the tuning. I heard problem areas around 1300 Hz, 3200 Hz, and 6700 Hz. Vocals could sound pushed, treble had splash, and sibilance kept showing up even after EQ.

Some tracks sounded fantastic. Others were hard to listen to. Example tracks that sounded hard to listen to were Chasing Cars, Set Fire to the Rain, It’s my life, what I want, beautiful things.

Some tracks that worked great were rain dance, the greatest, the weekend, remember the time.

Bass
Bass is star of the show. It has real punch and weight. On the right track, Que sounds fun, powerful, and impressive.
Bass has enough body for music, and low-end effects in games have proper impact. This is easily the best part of the IEM. With the right track, it really shines never overwhelming the mix.

Mids / Treble
Mids and treble are where Que lost me. Vocals could sound pushed back a bit in a way but still sibilant and sharp. The 6700 Hz area was especially rough for my ears. I tried EQ, but I could not remove the sibilance without making the rest of the sound worse. Que needed too much work and still did not settle for me. The tuning changes continued to impact timbre for me to the point where it didn’t sound correct.

Gaming
Gaming was better than music, but I still would not pick Que for competitive play. Directional cues were usable, and the airy presentation helped, but busy fights felt crowded. Footsteps, gunfire, background noise, and effects were harder to split apart than on Arete 2, Astral, or Top Pro.
For casual gaming, it works. For competitive gaming, I would pass as bass would overpower most of the important cues in a multi party fire fight. 1 v 1 was fine though.

Comparisons
Kiwi Ears Astral
Astral is also energetic, but it worked better for me overall.
It has more controlled bass, better stage, and fewer tracks that completely fell apart for my ears. Straight up I prefer it over Que. Bass is comparable. Timbre is much better on Astral.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2
Arete 2 has less bass impact, but I trust it much more for gaming. Directionality is cleaner, separation is easier to follow, and treble is smoother. This is typically my gaming pick.

Xenns Mangird Top Pro
Top Pro gives me the detail and separation Que seems to chase with treble. It is cleaner, more natural, better controlled, and works across far more music and games. This is what I use most of the time so of course I am biased.

QC / Fit
Comfort was mediocre to terrible for me. The shells pushed on the back of my ears and caused pain. The nozzles are also pretty long. There are no filters, so the sound feels very direct at mid to high volume.

The cable felt cheap, closer to something I would expect from a much cheaper IEM.

The rest of the package is complete and looks nice.

Final Thoughts
Yu9 Que was a highly anticipated IEM for me and people kept calling it a giant killer. Sadly it did not work for me. At this price range I try to focus on enjoying things for what they are so I sent it back. Hopefully someone else will have a better time with it than I did.

Wanted to share my thoughts on the Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity Edition.

Review is not sponsored. I bought it with my own money.

Closest comparisons for me are Xenns Mangird Top Pro, Kiwi Ears Astral, and Fresh Reviews Arete 2.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works for me and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and my own personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Short version:

The Defiant Gamefidelity feels like a baby Top Pro / Astral.

Same general direction: clean separation, decent stage, and smooth treble. It does have less bass and slightly less clarity (or dare I say resolution) compared to Top Pro, Astral or Arete 2.

The surprise is how easy it is to live with and the package is excellent for around 100$. Usually cheaper on discounts (I think I got mine for like 85$).

My rating: 8/10

Price / Package

Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity Edition

Typical price: around $100

The package is one of the main reasons to buy this. You get a nice pocket case which also has space for extra pair of tips or a dongle DAC. The blue shells look great and fit me really well. They are also now vented unlike initial versions. The cable is a highlight with an inline mic and changeable termination of 3.5 mm and USB-C. There is a pack of tips that I didn't use since the default tips worked really well for me which was a pleasant surprise as well.

Score

Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity Edition

8/10 overall
8/10 for gaming
8/10 for music

Overall Sound

The easiest way to describe Defiant is:

Top Pro / Astral direction, but smaller and cheaper with slightly less bass.

Bass is lower than both. Detail is quite comparable to Astral or Arete 2 which are triple the price. Overall tuning brings about clarity and separation that I like. It has enough clarity, enough bass, and enough separation to sound more expensive than the price suggests.

Bass

Bass is not huge but is well textured and maintained. I believe if you want more bass you get a Fiesta (though I have not tried it myself). Astral bass is star of the show. Top Pro has better texture. Arete 2 has a bass switch which can become very enjoyable. For me, bass sits somewhere between Arete 2 without the bass switch and Top Pro.

Defiant gives enough bass for music without making vocals muddy. For a 100$ set the presentation is quite good for my tastes.

Gaming / Mids / Treble presentation

Gaming is better than I expected. Bass never comes in the way. The main advantage is separation. In busy fights, footsteps, reloads, shields, gunfire, and background noise are easier to follow than most things I have tried in this price range (I am looking at you Aful Explorer which was a very difficult IEM to game on). I think if your budget is a 100$ and you want something for competitive gaming, this just fits the bill perfectly. Games I tested include Black Ops 7, BF6, a couple of story games like Last of Us 2 and Resident Evil Requiem. Definitely a cheaper option than most headphones I have tried and also other gaming focused IEMs.

The best part is that the treble does not annoy me. I am sensitive around 2–4K and 6–10K, and Defiant stayed smooth for me. Usually I have peaks in IEMs around 3K so tunings like JM-1 don't work for me. Similarly, I get a peak around 6-7K which can be quite painful but surprisingly defiant didn't have it. This means vocals in music also remain sufficiently in the center of the mix. It reminded me a bit like Sennheiser HD 505 with its vocal presentation.

Comparisons

Xenns Mangird Top Pro

Top Pro is one of the best IEMs I own. It offers more detail, better bass, more air, better separation, more natural sound.

Defiant gives a smaller taste of that style for much less money.

Kiwi Ears Astral

Astral is bigger, bassier, brighter, and more exciting. Bigger issue for me was comfort of Astral.

Defiant is calmer, smoother, and easier for long sessions.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2

Arete 2 is still the better pure gaming IEM for me.

Defiant is somewhere between the default and bassy tunings of Arete 2. Technically it does not match Arete 2 in gaming performance.

QC / Fit

No QC issues with my unit.

Shells look great, cable is nice, and comfort was fine for me.

Fit is personal with IEMs, so your experience may vary.

Final Thoughts

Defiant Gamefidelity is an IEM I recommend a lot and also see it recommended a lot simply because the value dimension is insane. Thankfully, Juzear has fixed some of the QC issues and upgraded the package a bit. I think Juzear is also coming up with its own versions of tunings compared to the Z reviews collab. They already have Fiesta which is the bassier set, the Nebula which apparently gives more refined sound at 30$ more and Light Shuttle which is double the price. I would need to test against them to make a conclusion of value.

Having said that you can't go wrong with Defiant as is. With discounts and sales at around 85$ the value is hard to beat. I remember r/dracomies doing a video where he pit defiant against a ton of IEMs and for like 3-5 mins kept saying how Defiant is better than all of them.

I completely understand where he was coming from so if your preferences align with that then might be time to hit Hifigo store, Ali Express store or Amazon for your set. I would buy from them so you are assured of solving any QC issues (if you have them). I know quite a few people bought this set and are having a good time with it.

Wanted to share my thoughts on the Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity Edition.

Review is not sponsored. I bought it with my own money.

Closest comparisons for me are Xenns Mangird Top Pro, Kiwi Ears Astral, and Fresh Reviews Arete 2.

I also maintain a list of all the audio products I have used and what works for me and why in the link in my profile. I cover over 150 audio products with short summaries, ratings, and my own personal rankings. Nothing is paywalled, sponsored, or has affiliate links. You can click the link in my profile to access it.

Short version:

The Defiant Gamefidelity feels like a baby Top Pro / Astral.

Same general direction: clean separation, decent stage, and smooth treble. It does have less bass and slightly less clarity (or dare I say resolution) compared to Top Pro, Astral or Arete 2.

The surprise is how easy it is to live with and the package is excellent for around 100$. Usually cheaper on discounts (I think I got mine for like 85$).

My rating: 8/10

Price / Package

Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity Edition

Typical price: around $100

The package is one of the main reasons to buy this. You get a nice pocket case which also has space for extra pair of tips or a dongle DAC. The blue shells look great and fit me really well. They are also now vented unlike initial versions. The cable is a highlight with an inline mic and changeable termination of 3.5 mm and USB-C. There is a pack of tips that I didn't use since the default tips worked really well for me which was a pleasant surprise as well.

Score

Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity Edition

8/10 overall
8/10 for gaming
8/10 for music

Overall Sound

The easiest way to describe Defiant is:

Top Pro / Astral direction, but smaller and cheaper with slightly less bass.

Bass is lower than both. Detail is quite comparable to Astral or Arete 2 which are triple the price. Overall tuning brings about clarity and separation that I like. It has enough clarity, enough bass, and enough separation to sound more expensive than the price suggests.

Bass

Bass is not huge but is well textured and maintained. I believe if you want more bass you get a Fiesta (though I have not tried it myself). Astral bass is star of the show. Top Pro has better texture. Arete 2 has a bass switch which can become very enjoyable. For me, bass sits somewhere between Arete 2 without the bass switch and Top Pro.

Defiant gives enough bass for music without making vocals muddy. For a 100$ set the presentation is quite good for my tastes.

Gaming / Mids / Treble presentation

Gaming is better than I expected. Bass never comes in the way. The main advantage is separation. In busy fights, footsteps, reloads, shields, gunfire, and background noise are easier to follow than most things I have tried in this price range (I am looking at you Aful Explorer which was a very difficult IEM to game on). I think if your budget is a 100$ and you want something for competitive gaming, this just fits the bill perfectly. Games I tested include Black Ops 7, BF6, a couple of story games like Last of Us 2 and Resident Evil Requiem. Definitely a cheaper option than most headphones I have tried and also other gaming focused IEMs.

The best part is that the treble does not annoy me. I am sensitive around 2–4K and 6–10K, and Defiant stayed smooth for me. Usually I have peaks in IEMs around 3K so tunings like JM-1 don't work for me. Similarly, I get a peak around 6-7K which can be quite painful but surprisingly defiant didn't have it. This means vocals in music also remain sufficiently in the center of the mix. It reminded me a bit like Sennheiser HD 505 with its vocal presentation.

Comparisons

Xenns Mangird Top Pro

Top Pro is one of the best IEMs I own. It offers more detail, better bass, more air, better separation, more natural sound.

Defiant gives a smaller taste of that style for much less money.

Kiwi Ears Astral

Astral is bigger, bassier, brighter, and more exciting. Bigger issue for me was comfort of Astral.

Defiant is calmer, smoother, and easier for long sessions.

Fresh Reviews Arete 2

Arete 2 is still the better pure gaming IEM for me.

Defiant is somewhere between the default and bassy tunings of Arete 2. Technically it does not match Arete 2 in gaming performance.

QC / Fit

No QC issues with my unit.

Shells look great, cable is nice, and comfort was fine for me.

Fit is personal with IEMs, so your experience may vary.

Final Thoughts

Defiant Gamefidelity is an IEM I recommend a lot and also see it recommended a lot simply because the value dimension is insane. Thankfully, Juzear has fixed some of the QC issues and upgraded the package a bit. I think Juzear is also coming up with its own versions of tunings compared to the Z reviews collab. They already have Fiesta which is the bassier set, the Nebula which apparently gives more refined sound at 30$ more and Light Shuttle which is double the price. I would need to test against them to make a conclusion of value.

Having said that you can't go wrong with Defiant as is. With discounts and sales at around 85$ the value is hard to beat. I remember r/dracomies doing a video where he pit defiant against a ton of IEMs and for like 3-5 mins kept saying how Defiant is better than all of them.

I completely understand where he was coming from so if your preferences align with that then might be time to hit Hifigo store, Ali Express store or Amazon for your set. I would buy from them so you are assured of solving any QC issues (if you have them). I know quite a few people bought this set and are having a good time with it.