I have a few test songs myself, not necessarily songs I like, to help me figure out a few things about the IEM/headphones I am using. The songs that I use consistently are

dark cat - BUBBLE TEA https://youtu.be/7PYe57MwxPI

Andora - Shining Star https://youtu.be/o46RXAmxjQI

Queen and David Bowie - Under Pressure https://youtu.be/a01QQZyl-_I

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody https://youtu.be/fJ9rUzIMcZQ

I often do my first 4 songs testing with these songs at least to hear for a few things. I'll often start off with a few Queen albums before going else where. I used to mostly just start off with Queen and go for there but lately I've just been trying to standardize part of my testing so there is some level of control. Once I get to the Queen albums I start to use local files over stuff like Youtube. I normally have these 4 on Youtube so if I am not at home or my tablet is not with me I can at least have some form of consistency.

Edit : I'll also listen to songs as soft volume and louder volumes just to get a sense for the bass since I can only have a tolerance for so much bass. It's not about the bass ratio to everything else but just now much bass there is. Like If an IEM has less bass I can turn it up louder then a IEM with lots and tons of bass.

How did I get the Nova and ER3SE

I like used things especially when the price is right. I liked my last Truthear IEM which was the Hexa. I thought maybe the Nova would be an upgrade and a good gift but it turned out more sidegrade rather then an upgrade. So I bought a deal I couldn't pass up, it came with a Truthear Nova, ER3SE and Grados SR60E as a lot. With the Nova to be given as a gift, ER3SE used an earplug that plays music and Grados me to mod. Only one and a half of those came true which is me modding the Grados SR60E to something I can give to my niece. It turns out I kept the Nova and gave the ER3SE to my friend. He is using it as an earplug that makes music, but before I gave it to him I got to test out a few thing as I wanted it for myself. It turns out his earhole is small and he wanted something to plug out the noise and honestly it sounded perfect for him. I'll get to reviewing the ER3SE.

ER3SE

I wrote this before giving to my friend just didn't take a picture which is and oops on my end. But as I said this was more for me to use as an earplug that also music originally. I was talking to my friend and he was talking about how IEMs are really too big for him to handle and he wanted something small and to cancel noise and honestly I decided there I'd give him the ER3SE instead.

Let's go talk with my biggest problem with the ER3SE and that's the tips it comes with and the in-ear part, like in in your ear. The default tips it came with hurt my ears that I had to stop using any IEMs for like 3 days. I did order the Comply P-series tips from Amazon and honestly it felt so much better, it was what I wanted for something like this. Honestly if they would put in tips like that I would have been much more happier with an ER3.

The likes were it sounded very detailed with it's 1 BA, which leads to another problem is that it had very little sub-bass with the Comply ear tip and with the default tips I did not noticed the sub-bass at all though that might be due to the fact my ears were hurting from original tip and I never noticed it. But if you wanted to focus on a certain part of the song like the guitar it was very easy to pick it out on the ER3SE. Though if I were to actually buy it new and not in a lot I'd think the ER3XR might have been pretty good.

Review from my friend "If I had to explain the ER3SE is like pure fancy music brained "everything is so clear I am seeing said song in a new light""

Nova

So to get with this being my 2nd Truthear IEM I was hoping it would hit twice and let it also hit for him like the Hexa did for me. The review it's mostly going to be about listening to music with them since it's pretty much what I do with them. I once again will be using the Kiwi Ear Flex instead of the tips that came with the IEM, once again I am disappointed by the tips Truthear gives you. I don't listen to music very loud lately and honestly has done amazing for my hearing. So around 18.75 to 62.5% on the IPad depending on what I am doing but at around 25% it the bass and subbass hits pretty well for me.

If you read my review on the Hexa you've heard this before. Like the clarity feels the same as the Hexa, in fact this feels like a side grade to the Hexa in many ways. So it was kind of a disappointment originally to me when I got to hearing the sound of the Nova. It felt like the bass wasn't hitting as well Hexa while the sub-bass hit just as well as the Hexa. The bass on the Nova sounds not as full as the Hexa but it's not by much. The detail and trebles gave me Hexa feel which makes sense since they are both made by Truthear, which I also love. And the shell is noticeably larger then the Hexa. There are things I noticed about the Nova though given time using it. While the shell is bigger and if fits your ears can handle it, it's way more comfortable then the Hexa to me and I can keep it in longer due to it's shell shape. I kind of wish the shell had the same shape just be smaller. The other thing is that the sound stage is bigger which has advantage. While it's not so wide I can't tell difference in some songs, but the small bit of Broodwar I watched of Artosis and Tasteless voice when they were casting and the game sound in the background it was much more enjoyable then the Hexa.

I honestly do like the Nova but there problems I have with it where I can't recommend it over the Hexa and at the time of writing on Amazon it's 170 dollars while the Hexa is 90 dollars. For nearly buying 2 Hexa I would hope it would be a bit more better. While I would have paid extra for how good it fits me the 170 is a bit too muich when there are amazing 100 dollar IEM. If you can find it on sale or used I would say it's much more worth it at that point. It has not so good ear tips and while I like the cable colors it's made out of cloth which takes me out of the experience. The moment the cloth cable and my cloth rub or I hit the cable with something I can hear the noise it makes. It's large size does not help it. If the price of the Nova was better I honestly think it would be better then the Hexa because I value comfort a lot in the IEM. It had a lot of potential with it's sound stage and comfort which hurts me to say. I wanted to love these IEMs so much.

Conclusion

It's a good IEM but not at the price while the Hexa and Pure exist. I like the comfort a lot and the sound stage is fairly good. The tip and cable is not it. If they made it smaller and cheaper while keeping the rest I think would be a good product at full price.

Edit : I added a line about how the fit is just good but not 80 dollars good.

Well compare to my last review it's going to be way way shorter on talk and review.

I went to Microcenter to look at stuff outside of audio gear. I decided to go to audio section and saw some nice things. I saw the Nice Buds and for 10 dollars I had to give them a try. While trying to make a review for this it was hard to come up with how do I review this? How do I put what I want into words. Like I haven't found a cheap one I actually enjoy, but I enjoyed these. Every like cheap IEM I see people recommend is like it's really good for the sub 20 dollar price, then you got the GK Kunten which is like 5 dollars more then this. I cannot say they are actually good but once again it's 10 dollars what are you expecting.

So let's get the things about these I like, the bass, it feels comfortable and it's 10 dollars

The bad the cable feels so cheap and flimsy. It feels like a 10 dollar earbuds.

Now the part I have hard time putting into words. I really can't compare these to another IEM/earbuds because it's kind of it's own class. It's kind of a blast when I first got like my first MP3 players and used the buds that came with those. But these sound better as it does have some level of bass that's enjoyable. The treble sounds like it's struggling. It took me a while to figure out but it feels like if you were to build an earbuds in Minecraft and brought it to this world. It's kind of pixelated but it has a strong bass-line. Please forgive me for my pun. It's not something you would want if you want a "good" earbud but it's fun. Things feel kind of blocky and chonky with some nice bass like you know that video with the haircut buzzing around your head, it would sound like you were in Minecraft hands and buzzer would be the best way to say it. It's like having that 3rd party controller you hand your friend, while bad you can also find the good in it. Like it has good ergonomics and the rubber on the analog stick being nice but like the buttons feel blocky and chonky. As a serious contender you can't take it seriously, but as an adult to having fun with music it's just dumb fun.

I couldn't take good pictures of it so it's time to reuse an image

Edit : I spent about 2 to 3 hours with these earbuds more notes I realize I should have put in

Another enjoyment I have with this is it was easy to hear my children through these, but if the angle of the these were off by a little bit it felt like there is very bad seating

Edit Again : Fixed some words changed IEMs to earbuds.

I don’t know where to find another bag like this about this size but also got a magnet to close it. It’s lasted me over 15 years with daily use but the inside is slowly falling apart. I am thinking of getting it stitched up inside and keeping it as a back up bag for later. Anybody can at least send me in the right direction.

Edit : I really like the magnetic part to easily open and close it and that case in the. Bag is a iPad for size

Edit : I did some good search for like Fossil Messenger Bag Canvas 1954 and it's combinations, but came up with not what I wanted. I am fine with the same bag but newer too. Don't know if my searching is flawed and I am looking up the wrong things.

AHHHH this is the 3rd time I have to write this because my drafts got deleted twice. But you can ignore the first parts of the review if you want to just know my thoughts on the IEM. It's just story time and just a reminder of how I got here.

The headphone phase of my life

So before I was into IEMs I was into headphones. For a while all I bought were cheap headphones or earbuds from like Bestbuy under 30 dollars. It wasn't until I bought the Sony MDR-V700DJ because of some reviews at the time, it's been a long time since I hear music from it since it broke because of the plastic parts at the hinges. My memories of it was it was pretty good but like it didn't blow me away. I then had moved on a few other headphones, but the ones that really got me into music was stop listening to like review sites and getting an AKG K240 MKII from a forum post. That was when I first used an audio equipment and was like oh this is good. At that point I stopped looking for audio equipment until Massdrop happened. I had heard about the K7XX and 6XX HD. For some odd reason I had a lot of money and bought both and for a long time I enjoyed both of those headphones but also it was the moment I knew it was over for me. This was about the time I started to care about a few things about my audio equipment and never gone back to cheaper headphones. During this time I never really went to IEMs or earbuds because I hated the way the felt in my ears or sounded. At this point from memory almost all IEMs were for like musicians or were bullet style and I didn't like that. So I only had cheap ones at this point and I did do a mystery box from Massdrop at one point and got something nice to only have it be stolen. So my feelings for IEMs or earbuds were negative at this point. I had the thoughts of why worry about IEMs when I got these headphones which feels nice and sound really good. IEMs will never hit this point is what I thought.

Cheap Chi-Fi was not it for me

So at this point I just kind of ignore IEM/Earbuds for a while. The thing that got me to think about IEMs or earbuds at this point was the Airpod 2. It wasn't a gift or I bought it, at this point I didn't have much money and was working at a laundromat. Somebody left some Airpods behind and I left it in the lost in found. I kind of wanted to take it home for myself but I was like let's just wait. After a few days passed I get a call asking if there was an Airpod there. I told him there was and connected to my phone to check what nickname was on the Airpod and it was something Bear. The guy then said it was his but since he lived so far away and didn't expect me to ship it out just told me to keep it. I honestly like the Airpod for convenience more then anything. It felt not bad in my ears and honestly I could leave them on my ears for a long time and I had eventually gotten an Airpod 3 and 4 because of that.

Somewhere in-between getting the Airpods I had heard about the hype for the Moondrop Chu. How it was a revolution and how it beat 100 dollars IEMs for the price of 20 dollars. I feel for the hype, but to be fair at this point I don't know what 100 dollars IEMs sounded like. I knew what Airpods sounded like but not IEMs. I tried it and honestly I wasn't impressed. I tried it for a few weeks I didn't like it and gave it to a friend. Rather it be because the fit wasn't right or the tuning I couldn't tell you right now. It did sound good from memory, good enough that I was willing to try some cheap chi-fi. During this time I bought a few of them and honestly was not impressed. Like I would have not wanted to use them over the Airpods I had. They sounded good but not good enough. Honestly with what I know and like now I would like to try them again if I didn't just give them to friends and family over the years.

Hexa I thought it sucked but turned out I was wrong

I was like this was my last time buying IEMs and if this wasn't it I am off IEMs for good. I bought them because at this time I stopped using review sites and started to see what IEM channels were saying about them and the Hexa just dropped. And I was like if they still said good things when Black Friday came around I would get these. Black Friday came around and I got them for about 70 dollars after tax. I got them and it was the first time I listened to IEMs and thought oh wow these sound good. There was something to this though I had bought some Bluetooth adapter with it so I can have wireless listening experience. And was like it's still not good enough for me to want to use it over my headphones or Airpods. I was like this was not it for the price I paid for this.

A year had passed and I was like these IEMs are kind of a waste I'll see what people say about these one more time before I decide to sell them and people still talk about how good they are. But during this time I had somehow found a post about ear tip rolling and trying different ear tips helps a lot. I bought the Kiwi Ear Flex because I wanted the filter, turns out this was an amazing choice for me. I ditched the Bluetooth and changed filters and well turns out after doing some testing the adapter made the seal not as good. That with a different filter gave the IEM to me a new and different light. Like where was this the year I bought it. For once I was happy with an IEM. Sure there are things about it I didn't like but that didn't matter I had heard music with details I haven't really heard in headphones and understood how sub bass in music was meant to be used. The Airpod 3 really didn't have much sub bass and the 4 hasn't been released yet which does have sub bass you could hear at not so loud volume. This was when I knew I would get more into IEMs but I was dealing with children and couldn't get into them as much as I would like. After the children grew up a bit where I didn't have to always be on the look out for them crying I got back into it again, but now I am back into the audiophile hobby again. Just want to get like 1 more IEM in the 200+ range and a DAP.

Review

Yeah we are finally here now. I won't rate the tuning as that's all subjective but I'll talk about it. I honestly love the tuning of these IEMs when I am not listening to them at like 25% or lower volume on my IPad. Around 25% to 62.5% on an IPad I can hear everything I want, the bass isn't heavy. That does not mean it can't do bass well, what bass I hear from these sometimes sound so perfect like it hits it and it doesn't feel like some brown notes. Vocals sounded great and like popped out which I haven't really heard in headphones. At lower volumes the bass is a bit too weak and if I am listening to something to try to nap I do put it at around 25% volume. If you listen to it at a softer volume you can tell it's there if you are focused on it but since I am trying to nap at that point I am not focused on it. These IEMs aren't exciting but that's ok and I love these IEMs. Though they aren't my current favorite they hold a special place in my heart and I come back to these IEMs a lot time to time.

Some negative things about the IEM. I dislike the shape of the IEM and wish it had a better fit but that might be just on me. While I do think the tip is no big deal but with the two Truthear IEMs I have I rather not use them. The cable which is the most minor things I dislike. I just don't like the way it feels and I dislike right angle jacks for my setup. Nothing really too big to complain about this IEM but if you need that bass. I would like to see interchangeable face place with the screw there but that’s very minor.

Would I recommend these IEMs, that depends if you are already deep in the hobby you should know already. If you are new to the hobby or want something neutral sound that can do everything I would recommend these. The price at 90 dollars now I would still recommend these. These IEMs make me happy to listen to music with and I go back to it time to time even with all the other stuff I have. If I go back to it still with other audio equipment it's an easy recommendation.

How does it compare to the Airpod 4

I am using the Airpod 4 as a control and doing comparisons but won't compare the EQ itself. These will also include my thoughts on the IEMs itself. Well if I have the intent of listening to music I prefer the Hexa. The way it handles the sub bass is way better and the clarity on it is better, that's at least with the Kiwi Ears Flex. If I am going out on a walk I do feel like the Hexa might fall out of my ears and that's not a risk I am willing to take so I am sticking with my plastic Airpods that can survive a fall on hard concrete from my head. The other things is I plan on sleeping with them in my ears I prefer the Airpods. The only other thing I like the Airpods more in case use is listening to audio books.

Sub bass - At low volume I do prefer the Airpods as it seems to have more of it as low volume, but the moment I go beyond 25% I prefer the Hexa's sub bass more. It just seems to have a better handle of it. I just does a good job at what does come out.

Bass - I prefer the Hexa all the way, it sounds a bit more refined to me then the Airpods. What bass I get out of the Hexa with sub bass sounds nearly perfect compare to the Airpods. And at higher volumes I can feel the bass and sub bass of the Hexa while with the Airpods I can only hear them.

Treble - Both of these are inoffensive and don't hurt my ears. Though once again while they both can hit the trebles the Hexa seems to do a perfect job compare to the Airpods. There are songs that I have with different IEMs that will hurt my ears these won't hit that loud for them. I noticed this problem listening to The Little Sea by Kessoku band and the vocals of Kita hurt my ears on a different IEM, but not on the Hexa and Airpods.

Vocals - So this is a bit weird when it's just spoken language I think the experience on the Airpod is better but in songs I prefer the Hexa always. They sound a little more clear then the Airpods but then listening to details like hearing people breath and it's picked up on the mic I can hear it much better details on the Hexa and honestly I think that gives the music a bit more character.

Instrumentals - Once it's Hexa not a surprise there, the only problem in this case is when some people leave in the sound of people moving their fingers on the guitar and it makes a high pitched scratching sound. While most of the time it's fine I think it adds character some songs over do it and it's painful when it's over done. But the Hexa makes it easier for me to separate the instrumentals and as long as I am around 40% volume I can focus on the instrumentals and the bass is enough for me to not forget about them.

Conclusion

It's not a very exciting or fun IEM but I love them. It does everything I need an IEM to do and do well. Personally I like the tuning of the EQ on these but that's all subjective. Glad to have these in my life and wished I got to tip rolling and not using the bluetooth adapter.