u/cl0ckw0rkaut0mat0n

A couple months ago at this point I discovered through Instagram a new brand in the indie ultraniche handmade perfumery sphere called CodruD parfums, which through a mix of very interesting looking fragrances and very affordable pricing intrigued me enough to buy (with my own money, nothing here is sponsored) 2 of their fragrances. Nox, Darkness Formula (which I posted a review of a little while ago, some may remember) and Vela, Black Sea formula which I will be reviewing now. As I said in my previous review this will be more literary than technical.

According to the brand, Vela is a fragrance that is inspired by a vessel sailing across the black sea, combining salty air with whatever fruits the crew managed to scavenge up for food. As they set sail onto a calm sea, night slowly falls upon the boat, swallowing it whole, letting nothing remain. The ship vanishes into the dark and nothing is left of it but driftwood and the fruit, floating on the surface of the water.

It's notes are:

Top: Ozonics • Fruits • Mango • Watermelon

Middle: Salt • Fig • Seaweed • Fig Leaf • Sea Water

Base: Ambergris • Driftwood • Iso E Super • Musk

And its concentration is 21%

On skin the first impact comes from the mango and the watermelon, giving it a fruity blast of sweetness, which is quickly counteracted by the salty green dankness of the seaweed. The sweetness slowly tones down with time and the sea water note becomes more prominent, but it never overtakes it. Finally the fruits lose all definition and the sweetness mixes with the ambergris, wood and the salt water to make one of the most unique summer scents I've ever tried. Contrary to the name the fragrance is not dark but lively. The fruits are idealized but you can detect that in the background there is something lurking that is dangerous and unknowable, kind of like the olfactory version of thalassophobia.

Personally if I had to pick one out of the 2 for wear I'd go for Nox, it's more “versatile" and to my personal tastes but this one is also an absolutely excellent work of art that I cannot recommend enough if anything I said is intriguing to you. It's on the more challenging side of wear and longevity is average, projection in the beginning is monstrous tho.

It's currently out of stock but new batches come out fairly regularly, they are announced on their Instagram (codrudparfums) and bought through their website (codrudparfums. com).

Recently they announced a new fragrance called Opilio, Carpathian formula, which looks to be a honeyed animalic fragrance with notes of honeycomb, burnt sugar, rum and goat hair, so I'll be getting it the day it drops, and reviewing it on here as soon as I can.

Thank y'all again for reading my overly verbose rambling, if there are any questions please leave a comment and I will answer to the best of my abilities.

Have a nice day.

A while ago through Instagram I discovered a Romanian/British brand of indie perfumery called CodruD, and their whole deal intrigued me, especially their prices, which are insanely affordable for an ultraniche, handmade fragrance. They release fragrances in batches so when I managed to catch a restock I bought (with my own money) 2 of their fragrance: Nox, darkness formula and Vela, black sea formula (which I'll be reviewing later, once it gets more wear). I also want to work on my descriptive writing a little bit so expect the following to be more literary than technical.

Nox is a fragrance that tells the story of walking into a thick, dense European forest, where the weathered path slowly is reclaimed by nature. Said path continues, getting darker and deeper into the forest, until it reveals a clearing housing a cemetery and a church, which, although long abandoned, still hangs thick with all the gravitas of its function. The only thing illuminating the darkness of the valley is a single candle, and the pure white eyes of an unidentified figure that darts away, but somehow you feel it remains there.

The notes of the fragrance are

Top: Grass • Ozonics • Rain • Water

Middle: Dirt • Moss • Oakmoss • Leaves

Base: Frankincense • Resins • Stone • Minerals • Musk • Skin • Iso E Super

And its concentration is 18%

On skin I can say the notes are very appropriate, it opens with a dark, rooty, almost carrot seed like scent that slowly gets lifted by the ozonic notes and the petrichor. The green notes remain from opening to drydown in the back of the profile, especially the oakmoss, which compliments the ethereal elements in the ozonics very well. Eventually the earthiness dies down and from it comes the mineralic coldness of damp stone, with a very slight touch of sweetness, probably from the musks and resins.

Overall it's a really evocative fragrance, very complex yet not particularly hard to wear or unpleasant in any way. In spite of its, on paper, low concentration, the longevity of the fragrance is quite good, lasting the entire day. Projection is on the more intimate side, which I guess is appropriate for such a scent.

Honestly I'm in love with this fragrance, everything from the presentation to the scent is top tier, and honestly it's insane that you can get it for 25 pounds.

They can be found on their website (codrudparfums. com) and recently on their Instagram they teased a new fragrance that looks to be a boozy, honeyed animalic, so I'm quite excited for what he's got coming up.

Thank y'all for reading my overly verbose rambling, if there are any questions please leave a comment and I will answer to the best of my abilities.

Have a nice day.

Good day, everyone. So here is my review of the new set of IEMs from the brand Juzear, the light shuttle (1DD+4BA+2MP). First off, a disclaimer: HiFiGo did provide these to me for review free of charge, and all they asked for was my honest thoughts in the form of an online review, so take this review with as big a grain of salt as you believe that merits. That said, all opinions here are fully my own, and I have made the attempt to review these as if I had bought them with my own personal money. Also keep in mind all of my opinions are based on the price range unless stated otherwise, so when I say excellent, I mean excellent at the price range. These are available on HifiGo for $184.99 currently (from a normal price of $189.99).

So with that out of the way, I'll continue with the review.

Most of this review was done powering them out of my Fiio BTR11, but I also tested them with both the DTC DACs from DUNU.

TLDR: These are a very well-tuned set of iems; they won't set the world on fire and have some very tough competition in their price range, but they fit well with the upper echelon of other similarly priced iems. Their sound signature is a bit more daring than many of the iems coming out today, yet not to a level that I think they will be hard to like. They also solved the pressure buildup issues, so that's not something to worry about with this set.

Starting from the accessories package, it's average at the price range, nothing exceptional, but also nothing is missing. It comes with the classic juzear case that also comes with the defiant/fiesta. It's a zipper-closing hardshell leather case that feels solid in terms of crush resistance, but the size and shape are not the best. It is both a bit too small to hold anything beyond the iems but also too thick to comfortably place in a pocket. I would like it a bit more if it were flatter and a bit bigger, but overall it works. The cable, like other juzear iems, is excellent. It's a white 2 wire braid that splits into 2 single wire cables past the Y split. It's thick and heavy, feeling really well made. It has some memory and doesn't fold flat, but it is very supple and not microphonic at all. All hardware on the cable is metal. The chin cinch is functional and not too tight or loose. The 2 pin does that thing where the shell is flush but the cable has a plastic protrusion as if the shell had a recessed 2 pin, which is a minor issue but always disappointing whenever it occurs. It features the same swappable termination system that other juzear cables have, coming with 3.5 and 4.4 mm jacks and for an extra 6 dollars a USB C dac, (Mine was the base version, but if the jack is the same as the defiant GF edition then i can confirm its pretty good). It comes with 3 sets of ear tips, a normal bore silicone, a shorter, stubbier widebore silicone and a set of foams, both of the silicones feel good and gave distinct sound signatures when used.

As for the earpieces themselves, I have to say it, I flat out don't like how they look. The faceplate is CNC machined aluminum with a resin inlay and a black cubic zirconia gem at the bottom. There is just too much going on, and it feels like nothing fits with each other. There is the pattern on the frame of the inlay, the inlay itself, and the gem, each of which individually could be the design idea for an iEM faceplate, but when put altogether they fight each other and just don't mesh well. I think a flat faceplate just featuring the inlay would have been a much better decision because the inlay pattern is actually quite pretty to look at, and I can't think of any other iem that looks like it. The body of the iem is a black DLP 3D-printed shell that is relatively compact for the large number of drivers it contains. The inner side of the shell has some very slight custom molding that makes it fit quite well in my ear with no hotspots after long sessions. The nozzles appear visually identical in size and shape to the ones on the Defiants/Fiestas (although at a slightly different angle), so they are slightly above average in size. It is a metal nozzle with a lip to hold onto eartips and a steel mesh to prevent anything going into the tuning structures of the drivers. Overall I find these quite comfortable, being able to even fall asleep with them on. You'll probably be happy to know that these new shells use a different venting system than the defiants/fiestas, with a big oval port out the top of the shell, meaning I didn't get any pressure build up nor driver flex.

Overall I found these to sound best with the narrow silicone tips, given they allowed the best fit and smoothed out the treble, so all sound impressions from now on were written based on using those.

Now for sound impressions, keep in mind I would describe myself as an unashamed extreme treblehead, but I will try to make the impressions as tuning agnostic as possible.

These were tuned along with Mark from Super* reviews, similar to the Juzear Harrier released a couple months ago, but unlike that one, these took a less “safe” tuning, yet I like these much more. These are a very nice take on slightly v over neutral tuning with a small boost in the bass and treble, yet remaining clean and analytical. Their intention was to showcase the mids without sacrificing anything else in the sound signature, which I believe was achieved quite well. They handle basically any genre quite well, but things like classic rock and vocal-led music really shine with these.

Starting from the bass, it's nice and deep, with good rumble whenever it needs to without getting out of control; it has good physicality and good elasticity. It does color the rest of the sound signature but isn't enough to smear the mids, and the treble is elevated enough to balance it out. It's not a lean amount of bass, but also it doesn't have an amount I'd consider basshead or anything remotely close. If you want bass that will shake your teeth, these aren't for you. I would recommend you look elsewhere for that, but for the normal consumer, I think the bass on these is pretty good, but it's missing something for me to call it excellent.

The mids are probably the most impressive part of the sound signature; there is a tendency to sacrifice these even with mild V-shaped tunings, but these are crystal clear even in spite of that. They aren't even remotely wonky, and they place all instruments exactly where they should be. Even through the warm bass and elevated mids, these have a lot of space to breathe, and their party trick is how they reproduce vocals; they are powerful, and you get a very good sense of detail in the performance. Both male and female vocals are very good, but I think it reproduces male vocals ever so slightly better, giving them a very nice depth.

The treble is slightly elevated over neutral but not too much, just enough to cut through the warm bass. I think it's the “weakest” area of the tuning, not that it's bad; it's acceptable, but it's not as good as the rest of the sound signature by a smidge. It is airy and well extended, but it lacks a bit of sharpness in my opinion; it sounds a tiny bit blunted and tends to flatten out in more complex recordings, but that also makes it greatly inoffensive, and I can't imagine anyone having issues with sharpness or sibilance. As a treblehead, these don't exactly satisfy me, but I understand that my tastes are pretty far away from the population's average, so it's a bit soft for me; it might be very good for you.

As for the technicalities, these are surprisingly wide in terms of soundstage, and their instrument positioning is quite good. They don't lack detail in most cases, but as I previously mentioned, in more busy tracks the treble doesn't shine as much as I would like, so some microdetail is lost. They are quite comparable to the Daybreaks in most cases, but they handle those select recordings better.

Now for the comparison section, I'll try and compare them to things in a similar price range or that were asked for in the announcement post, but sadly I haven't had the opportunity to try every IEM, so some that I have been asked for comparisons for that I haven't tried are the Punch audio Martillo/Portazo, the Truthear Pure White, the Ziigaat Crescent/Arete 2, the CKLVX Lava, the Erand Resonance 5, the Thieaudio Hype 4, the Kiwiears Astral, the 7 Hertz Diablo/Divine, or the Crinear Reference/Nightfall.

Vs. truthear Pure: Still, even after all these years, my second favorite is under 100 dollars (behind the hexas), but I'd take the light shuttles over these; the treble is more noticeable, and the bass is more dynamic and tighter. They are also more technical.

Vs. Juzear Defiant (gamefidelity edition): I've yet to try the original, but from reviews that have tried them both, they are very close to one another. The Defiant is more V-shaped and less clean/vocal-focused. I'd take the light shuttle over them because you don't lose much emotion but gain quite a bit of technicality and quality in the mids. It also has the redesigned venting system, which might be a dealbreaker when thinking about the defiant.

Vs. Ziigaat Odyssey 2: While these are the Ziigaats I like the most, it's still a very low bar to clear, as I've never been able to get along with the Ziigaat house tuning. These hide the problems i have with them by subduing the treble behind some admittedly quite nice bass, in terms of bass the odyssey wins because of its feelings and slam, and the shell is metal instead of resin, but its mids are inferior to the light shuttle, and its treble is not even remotely close to the light shuttles, even with the small issue i have with it.

Vs. the juzear Fiesta: A very different iem, this one is completely aimed at bassheads, so the amount of bass is overwhelming in comparison to the much more restrained and clean light shuttle. If you want overwhelming bass, the fiesta is the better choice, but for everyday listening, the light shuttle wins handily.

Vs. the crinear daybreak: these might graph similarly, but from memory they feel different; the daybreak is sharper in the treble and has leaner bass, but with a slight increase in lower mids. I think in terms of quality these are comparable, and the decision will be a question of personal taste. I like the sharpness of the daybreaks treble, but if it's too much for you, then the daybreaks are a good option that gives a similar experience but with a more retained treble.

Vs. Moondrop Dusks (I was only able to try them with no DSP): while they are better iems than the light shuttles, not by enough to justify the price difference, I feel the same towards the daybreaks.

Vs. Xenns Mangrid Tea Pro: Another iem that graphs really closely to the light shuttle, but in this case I remember them feeling closer than the daybreaks. The treble on the Tea Pro is unequivocally better, and the bass is better quality, but they are almost twice as expensive, so if you want something close to those without breaking the bank, the light shuttles are a solid choice.

Vs. the Juzear Harrier: As stated above, I think the light shuttles are a much better version of the harriers; the bass is comparable, but the mids and the treble take more risks, and I like them much more.

Vs. the DUNU 142: an old favorite of mine, and something I would suggest if asked what to get under 300 dollars, its more expensive than the light shuttle but in this case I think its worth the price difference, the bass is better, the treble is better, the mids are comparable and the accessories package is nicer, if you want to remain under 200 then the light shuttle is a great shout but if you can save more i would recommend the 142.

Vs. the Binary Acoustics 1900: These iems are probably the set that makes the light shuttle the hardest to recommend, because for 40 dollars more you get an iem that I think would be a recommendation at 500 dollars. Like the 142, it beats it in both bass and treble but also in its mids and looks; its accessories are a little bit worse, but everything else more than makes up for it. So unless you are set on spending less than 200, I would heavily recommend just saving up and getting the 1900s.

In conclusion, the light shuttles are a great pair of iems stuck in a really competitive segment of the iem market; they make a good case for themselves at their price but are pretty close to some other exceptional iems, that make them somewhat less attractive. Overall, in a vacuum, the light shuttle itself is a quite good set, and I can give them a strong recommendation.

Songs I use to do preliminary tests on IEMs (I listen to much more if I have the time, but these are a minimum before I solidify my opinion.)

ALI WILD SIDE

Tuki HYURURIRAPAPPA

Ski mask the slump god Faucet Failure

Beelzebub's Cathedrals of Mourning

Aliceband Wolf

Fukashigi no carte

An Unkindness Fragments

Big wild City of Sound

Antonio Banderas Canción del Mariachi

Malcura Gerudo Valley

Berlioz deep in it

Thank you guys for your time; I'll be happy to answer any questions or pass on any suggestions to HiFiGo. Good day!

They are still quite fresh in my hands so I'll save my full impressions for later, is there anything you guys would like me to mention specifically or compare it against?

​

Recently Instagram recommend me the account of a small Ukrainian indie brand called The Tower perfumes. Their bottles looked very cool and their fragrance notes quite intriguing, so when a friend went to Ukraine he got some samples from them and was able to share 4 of them with me, and I wanted to make a small review of them.

The 4 fragrances I was able to try are: Witch Sex, The Grief, Aileen Wuornos, and Slaughterhouse no. 5 (biyna n.5).

Witch Sex

notes:

Plum, white flowers (top)

Patchouli (mid)

Amber, ambroxan (base)

The brands best seller and I can see why, it opens up with a fruity blast of sweetness and settles down into a clean, cakey style patchouli. It's not as dark as the name/bottle would imply but it's still very wearable and still interesting, I wouldn't mind a full bottle. Projection is slightly above average while longevity is 7 hours on my skin.

The Grief

Notes:

Lily of the valley, cold sea air, ozone (top)

Anise, mineral notes (mid)

Amber, guaiac wood, woody notes, leather (base)

Inspired by the feeling of sudden loss, it plays an interesting trick with the opening. The first sniff on skin was actually sweeter than I was expecting, but it almost instantly left, leaving a mineralic, almost chlorine like scent but somehow still keeps some of its warm facets.

The ozone note really impressed me. More artistic and less wearable than WS but not overly so. Projection is intimate but longevity is very good, I could smell it on skin the next day.

Aileen Wuornos

Notes:

Dried fruit, patchouli (top)

Nut accord, smoke (mid)

Guaiac wood, tonka bean, clove (base)

Based on one of the US most well known female serial killers, I have smelled my fair share of challenging fragrances, yet this one is up there as one of the most. The smoke note dominates the entire fragrance quite hard, and there is this musty, rotting wood undercurrent to everything, along with some facets that remind me of old rubber. Both projection and longevity are quite intense. I sprayed my hand and couldn't smell anything else for several hours. Someone will probably love this one but it's a no from me, but as liquid art it captures the idea of its inspiration perfectly.

Slaughterhouse no. 5 (biyna n.5)

Notes:

Cream, milk, butter, jasmine (top)

Sugar, patchouli, dry meat (mid)

Castoreum (base)

This one was the one that hooked me in yet also scared me the most, inspired by a meltdown at a meat market, the moment I saw it I knew I had to try it. Since I opened the bag, even without spraying the sample my room has smelled faintly of butter. On skin it opens in a very uncanny way, it's an almost gourmand lactonic opening with a pretty fotorealistic butter and cream scent, but there is something unsettling in the background. I wouldn't describe it as dry meat, it does indeed remind me of meat but more like raw beef if you removed the iron aspects. Slowly it loses some of its milkiness and goes into a more smoky and dark direction contrasted with some crystalized sugar sweetness. My fears were completely unfounded, while unusual, this one is more wearable than AW, possibly even TG. I genuinely could only describe it as calming, nostalgic even. I am wearing it currently and I can't say I'm anything but impressed. Longevity is slightly above average and projection is moderate.

Overall I really enjoyed the brand and will be looking into their future releases, hopefully I have the chance to try more of them at some point.

Thank you guys for reading and have a very nice day.

Good day, everyone. So here is my review of a relatively new set of IEMs from the brand Binary Acoustics, the 1900 (1DD, 1 passive radiator, 4BA). First off, a disclaimer: HiFiGo did provide these to me for review free of charge, and all they asked for was my honest thoughts in the form of an online review, so take this review with as big a grain of salt as you believe that merits. That said, all opinions here are fully my own, and I have made the attempt to review these as if I had bought them with my own personal money. Also keep in mind all of my opinions are based on the price range unless stated otherwise, so when I say excellent, I mean excellent at the price range. These will be releasing for $235 on July 15 8 AM Beijing time (July 14 5 pm PDT). The links to get it on HifiGo are here

HiFiGo Official Site: https://hifigo.com/products/binary-1900

HiFiGo AliExpress: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256812478398881.html

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6HWWKND

Amazon JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0H6NVPKCB

Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0H6G3XFGR

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0H6G3XFGR

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H6G3XFGR

HIFIZOO AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012570843775.html

Binary Official Site: https://binary.audio/products/upcoming-binary-1900-10mm-dd-6mm-passive-diaphragm-4ba-in-ear-monitors

So with that out of the way, I'll continue with the review.

Most of this review was done powering them out of my Fiio BTR11, but I also tested them with both the DTC DACs from DUNU.

TLDR: I came into this review with incredibly high expectations due to how the previous Binary Acoustics IEM, the EP321-mems, happens to be one of my favorite IEMs of all time even without accounting for price range, so the 1900 had some really large shoes to fill. After having it and listening to it for a while, I can say that it doesn't disappoint. Although it has some flaws in the non-sound aspects, it is an excellent IEM where it matters and has now slightly surpassed the DUNU 142 as my favorite IEM in the price range. It is also not just a mini mems, the sound goes in a very different direction, meaning that they are not redundant in the same collection, and if you didn't like the mems it's possible you'd like the 1900s.

Starting from the accessories package, it's very similar to the one that came with the mems, which was my biggest problem with those, but at 70 dollars cheaper, it's more excusable (although it still has some faults). It comes with the same branded cloth case as the mems, it feels well made, and it is a good size, but it's not particularly sturdy and has limited crush resistance. It's on the larger side for IEM cases but not large enough to not be pocketable and can fit the IEMs with the cables, a tip case, and a small dongle DAC. making it a good, all in one grab and go package. The cable is very similar to the one that came with the mems. It's not the same one, and I like this one more. It's a silver 2-wire twist that goes into 2 single wire cables post Y split. It's softer and more pliable than the mems cable, allowing for better behavior, so while still thin, it presents almost no memory and lays flat when wrapped. It is not microphonic at all. The hardware is generic but functional; it comes with a normal chin cinch that locks ok but could be better. The plastic flat 2-pin from the mems was changed to an extended metal 2-pin that does not fit flush to the non recessed port in the shell, which is always a disappointing choice, although for functionality it allows for the cable to be used in other IEMs with recessed ports (personally, I think the cable aint good enough for that to be a consideration in most cases tho). It's also disappointing that it is either 3.5 or 4.4 mm and that it does not have a swappable plug system, at 235 dollars, it's not a dealbreaker for me personally, but with cheaper iems having this, I'd be remiss not to mention it. The worst part of anything related to this iem are the eartips. It comes with 2 identical sets of generic eartips, which I really don't like. This is not due to anything with the sound; they sound great, but the build. The stem of these eartips is really hard, which causes the nozzle to feel a lot fatter than it actually is, causing me to become fatigued and sore after wearing them for medium lengths of time. This, combined with the fact that it only comes with one option of eartips, is also disappointing. As with the mems the cable and the tips were its worst aspects, but thankfully they are the easiest ones to solve, so while these are negatives, I can't dock that many points from it.

As for the earpieces themselves, I really like their aesthetic. The faceplate is a CNC-machined stainless steel plate that has some really interesting patterns that remind me of prehispanic reliefs laser annealed on it (someone said they look like the subtonic storm, but these are not engraved, they feel flat). In comparison to the mems they look flatter than them at their best but better than them at their worst. When the light hits and you get the kaleidoscope effect, few iems are as beautiful as the mems but when that doesn't happen, the faceplates are kinda boring, so the 1900s are more consistent in looking interesting, but they have less of a wow factor. The body of the iem is the exact same 3D printed resin as the mems but now in a black color (it is still transparent, and the drivers can be seen when holding it up to the light, but it isn't as visually cool as the clear resin on the mems.) It feels really well made overall. The inside is slightly molded to the ear contours, making it quite comfortable to wear. The 1900, like the mems, is on the smaller and compact side of iems at the price. The nozzle is resin and is relatively short and stubby (6 mm at the end), with a lip to hold onto eartips. The nozzle also has 3 acoustic tubes with filters to prevent wax buildup. The faceplate has a large circular venthole in the bottom, which prevents any sort of pressure buildup or driver flex, allowing me to use them for long sessions (once I changed the eartips.)

As stated previously, for reasons of comfort, I cannot use the provided eartips, but thankfully, unlike the mems, these aren't as tip dependent and don't require deep insertion for the best sound. Overall, after tip rolling, I ended up putting them on DUNU Candy tips, mostly because of comfort. Most other tips I tried sounded very nice as well, but personally, I'd go with narrower bore tips; it preserves the balance better than wider bores.

Now for sound impressions, keep in mind I would describe myself as an unashamed extreme treblehead, but I will try to make the impressions as tuning agnostic as possible.

The idea of these, according to the brand, was to start from the Chopin, which was really well regarded, and crank up its excitement with bigger bass and better mids and treble. I haven't tried the original, so I can't confirm this, but it certainly feels like an extremely exciting IEM. These are a really tastefully done W shaped IEM with unbelievable bass texture, clear, crisp mids that aren't swallowed by the lows or highs, and a treble that, while a bit on the sharper side, is still very sparkling and enjoyable. Unlike the MEMS, these go much further into the musical side of the spectrum without losing that analytical edge. These are excellent for all musical styles I've thrown at them, but bass heavy genres like EDM and hiphop really shine with these.

Starting from the bass, it is my favorite part of the sound signature. It has much more bass than the mems, honestly it's teetering on the edge of basshead for me, but it doesn't feel at all bloated or muddy. It rumbles and slams both to a similar extent and has the same authoritative, visceral character of the bass on the mems but in much higher quantity. The decay is very quick, and it has a sense of impact that I haven't felt in many other iems, even those praised for their bass. It almost doesn't bleed into the mids at all but still remains fun. I don't listen to much phonk, but using these on those songs makes it sound like they have headphone sized bass, which is honestly really impressive.

The mids are where some of that fun is pulled back a bit to let more analytical aspects of the music shine. It is warmer than the mems but not by very much. String and brass instruments have very good lifelike texture. Both male and female vocals sound excellent in these, but female vocals are emphasized and pushed forward more than in most other sets I've tried. I personally enjoy that in these, but it could be a problem for other people.

The treble might be this iems most contentious aspect. As much as I would love it, it doesn't have the same magic that the mems driver gives the EP321, the treble is powerful but not as uniquely smooth as the mems. It's still very clear but has a little bit of overt sharpness that might bother more treble sensitive listeners. It has a really well extended air region, and it still feels very detailed.

As for the technicalities, these are the opposite of the mems, their soundstage is much wider and more expansive both in terms of length and depth, but it is less detailed, and the instrument separation isn't as standout, at the price, it is still way above average, but it just isn't as good as the mems.

Now for the comparison section, I'll try and compare them to things in a similar price range, but sadly I haven't had the opportunity to try every IEM, so some that I have been asked for comparisons for that I haven't tried are: the Thieaudio Hype 4 mark 1/2 and Origin, the DUNU Vulkan, any of the SA6s, the Softears Volume S, any Simgots, the Punch audio Martillo/Portazo, the Aful Performer 8, the Ziigaat Arete 2, the Tanchjim Soda, the Kiwiears Orchestra 2, or the Crinear Reference/Monolith.

Vs. Moondrop Blessing 3: Sometimes I wonder if I should keep including the B3 in comparisons. It is a good iem but it's also quite old and not as popular as it once was, but it is a good starting point for iems at the price range. There is not a single thing I think it does better than the 1900s, the bass is leaner and less textured, the mids aren't as clean, and the treble isn't as sparkly. I'd take the 1900 over these any day.

Vs. Moondrop Harmon: A set that is worse than Moondrop's own single dynamic driver IEMs under 100, like the Aria 2, so of course they cannot even begin to hold a candle to the 1900.

Vs. Ziigaat Arcanis, Estrella, and Horizon: My distaste towards almost all ziigaat iems remains my most controversial IEM opinion. Their house sound doesn't mesh with my ears at all, their treble is unacceptably metallic and tinny for me, so I just can't imagine using them for long periods of time. I'd take the 1900 over all Ziigaats combined.

Vs. Ziigaat Odyssey 2: This one remains the only Ziigaat I can stand, the bass boost and the relaxed treble do enough to overcome the treble texture issue for me. Still not my favorite, but I'm not baffled by people recommending it. I still wouldn't take it over the 1900, but it's a step in the right direction.

Vs. Hisenior Caño Crystales: If the 1900 is fun done right, the Caño Crystales is fun done wrong. I find it to be way too aggressive in both the treble and the bass, I couldn't listen to more than 1 song on it before I wanted to take them off. It's a Marmite item, if you like them, you might like the 1900 for a much more restrained version of fun, but for me, the 1900 is superior in every way.

Vs. Elysian Pilgrim: This is a very good IEM, but tuningwise it is a world away from the 1900, it's much colder and analytical, to the point where I think it's overly flat and boring, but it's a question of tastes between these 2. The 1900 is closer to what I like, but the Pilgrim is also a good alternative for those that prefer something different.

Vs. Moondrop Dusks (I was only able to try them with no DSP): A better blessing 3, tuned really well to the new meta target, which I love, but at this point that tuning has been done to death, and you can get excellent examples of it for cheaper, like the Daybreak. I like the fun provided by the 1900 over the Dusks for everyday use.

Vs. Xenns Mangrid Tea Pro: Probably the most hyped IEM in the price range currently, and for good reason, it really is an excellent IEM, but I think the 1900 does what the Tea Pro does but better, especially the bass, which is something that is incredibly impressive considering how good these are and the price difference between them.

Vs DUNU Vulkan 2: I have a full in depth review of this one, so I won't waste your time; the 1900 beats it handily.

Vs. the DUNU 242: Another IEM I go into great detail in its own review, and it fares better than most others against the 1900 because it does not compete directly, it has a special sauce in the mids that the 1900 doesn't match, but its treble and bass aren't as good, so it's another set where both are solid options and the choice depends on taste.

Vs. the Juzear Harrier: I also have a not particularly positive review of this one, it just wasn't for me. It was all bass, and everything else suffered for it. I'd take the 1900 over these every time, but if you are treble sensitive, then these are a better choice for you.

Vs. the DUNU 142: My previous favorite IEM under 300 dollars and the closest thing in the price range to the 1900 in terms of my personal enjoyment, but I think the 1900 has narrowly supplanted it. Although the 142 has smoother, nicer treble and excellent bass, the bass on the 1900 is so beautiful I think it takes the head to head on by a smidge. The DUNU comes with a much better accessories package in comparison.

In conclusion, the excellence streak of the guys over at Binary Acoustics has been continued with the 1900, which is an absolutely excellent IEM sonically, slightly let down by a mediocre accessories set. Overall I think it will be much easier to like iem in comparison to my beloved mems and at the price range, it's an absolute titan that I cannot recommend enough.

Songs I use to do preliminary tests on IEMs (I listen to much more if I have the time, but these are a minimum before I solidify my opinion.)

ALI WILD SIDE

Tuki HYURURIRAPAPPA

Ski mask the slump god Faucet Failure

Beelzebub's Cathedrals of Mourning

Aliceband Wolf

Fukashigi no carte

An Unkindness Fragments

Big wild City of Sound

Antonio Banderas Canción del Mariachi

Malcura Gerudo Valley

Berlioz deep in it

Thank you guys for your time; I'll be happy to answer any questions or pass on any suggestions to HiFiGo. Good day!

Just got my set of the currently unreleased 1900 by binary acoustics from the folks over at HifiGo, and with how much I adored their previous release (the ep321-mems) these have big shoes to fill. I have been cleared to reveal these drop on the 15th of July at $235. My first impressions are very positive but I'll be writing a full on review dropping on their release date. If you guys have any suggestions for my review or comparison requests please do tell and I will answer to the best of my abilities.

Thank you and have a very nice day!

Good day, everyone.

​

So here is my review of a relatively new set of IEMs from Juzear in collaboration with Vivir Digital (a mexican reviewer that, for full transparency, I had not heard about until the release of these), the Fiesta (1DD, 3BA). First off, a disclaimer: HifiGo did provide these to me for review free of charge, and all they asked for was my honest thoughts in the form of an online review, so take this review with as big a grain of salt as you believe that merits. That said, all opinions here are fully my own, and I have made the attempt to review these as if I had bought them with my own personal money. Also keep in mind all of my opinions are based on the price range unless stated otherwise, so when I say excellent, I mean excellent at the price range. So with that out of the way, I'll continue with the review. These are currently (depending on your timezone) selling on HifiGo's website (https://hifigo.com/products/juzear-x-vivir-digital-fiesta), amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2YDGF6D) and aliexpress (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012187899336.html) for $107.99, down from $129.99, due to the prime day sale (23rd to 26th, more on that at the end).

​

Most of this review was done powering them out of my Fiio BTR11, but I also tested them with both the DTC DACs from Dunu.

​

TLDR: These are a quite well done bass cannon specialist set, at a very attractive price, so if that's what you want then I do heartily recommend them even with some of their more negative quirks. With that come some drawbacks that make them less apt for general recommendation, not that it's a bad thing, but it's not going to be for everyone. Although for those that like them I can think of few things that will scratch that itch like this at the price range. Also most of the physical characteristics of this IEM are basically identical to the Defiant so if you've read my review of that you might want to skip the physical build section as a lot of my thoughts will be the same.

​

The unboxing experience is nice but nothing special, the iems come sufficiently protected that I don't think they will have any problems with shipping damage.

​

As for the accessories package, it is improved slightly over its brother the Defiant. It comes with the same hard shell leatherette case with a zipper closure. It's a bit too thick and bulky for pocket travel and a bit too small to be a perfect grab and go package but it is sufficient to hold the iems with the cable, and some tips. I also don't particularly like how the mesh pocket at the top is so taut, making it so that the tips just fall out of it and into the main compartment with any sort of movement. It also comes with 2 sets of eartips and a set of foams. The clear silicone set have a wider bore and a much stouter depth while the black silicone set are narrower in bore and longer in depth, giving you 2 distinct sounds.

​

One of the things it does that separates it from its brother is the cable situation. Unlike the Defiant GFE that comes with 1 cable with swappable termination this one comes with 2 cables, one with a 3.5mm termination and a microphone and one with a 4.4mm termination. This comes with the tradeoff of not having a swappable termination but also having an extra really well made cable that you can put on other iems. Personally I prefer this option given I don't really swap terminations very often and the extra cable looks beautiful on my DUNU 242. In terms of build they are very similar to the Defiant GFE cable but in red instead of blue and with no swappable termination. They are 4 core, 2 wire twists that split into 2, 2 core cables past the Y split. It's on the lighter side in terms of weight but feels well constructed and solid. It has some memory and doesn't lay perfectly flat when on a surface but nothing major. It doesn't tangle badly and is soft and supple. I couldn't detect any microphonics from the cable and the inline mems microphone on the 3.5mm cable is pretty solid. It's good enough for calls and gaming, but it's not going to replace a dedicated desktop mic. One issue I have with the Defiant as well is that it comes with a chin cinch but it's fairly useless as it can't get past the microphone. The 2 pin is still the extended kind which isn't the best in terms of aesthetics but for functionality is good as it can fit even deeply shrouded IEMS. It also comes with a small microfibre cloth and one of the most interesting things I've ever seen bundled with an IEM. As soon as you open the box, the first thing you see is a paper with 2 QR codes to different music streaming services (tidal and spotify) with curated playlists from Vivir Digital himself, loaded with the greatest hits of latino party music. While these are not my predilect genres of music it does cover all the classics and is very comprehensive, as well as doing a very good job of showing what these IEMS were made for, which I think is a pretty incredible touch, and more brands should do stuff like this.

​

Now onto the iems themselves, I think they look even better than the Defiants GFE. The faceplates have a hypnotizing mix of reds and yellows, with some flecks of green mixed in, which makes them look like flickering flames captured into resin. The rest of the shell is the same as the defiants with one very notable exception. They are 3D printed and CNC finished resin with a semi-custom shape and a metal nozzle. It's a pretty light iem but the nozzle is on the larger side of medium (6 mm). It has a pronounced lip to hold onto the eartips and a metal mesh filter. The inside wing is only very slightly pronounced so while they don't cause any hotspots I can't say they lock in fully. On the side of the IEM is where it differs from the Defiant. The Defiants pressure relief vent is smaller, which might have contributed to the feeling of pressure buildup in some people's ears, but these have a much larger vent that have completely removed that feeling to my ears, allowing me to say they offer little to no pressure buildup at all. My biggest issue is the driver flex, while there is no pressure, the way the iem interacts with my left ear (and not my right, just the left one), causes the driver to crinkle quite audibly when talking, walking or even shifting my jaw, the sound goes away when playing music but I would prefer it not doing that at all. That said overall like the Defiants these are quite well built and very comfortable.

​

After doing a round with all the provided eartips, the best sound and comfort combo for me was the black silicone narrow bore tips, for the simple reason that they enhance bass, and if you have a basshead iem why would you want to tame the bass?

​

Now for sound impressions, keep in mind I would describe myself as an unashamed extreme treblehead, but I will try to keep the impressions as tuning agnostic as possible.

​

My overall sound impression is that these do what they set out to do, be a very fun, energetic basshead set very well, but in doing so they have traded some quality in the mids and technicalities. It offers a clearly warmed up and bass boosted sound without being too extreme. This is very much not an analytical set, this is for when you just want to put something on and headbang or dance to it. With all that said it does limit the genres I would recommend these for, classical, orchestral and even jazz don't really work on these but latino music, hiphop and the heavier rock genres sound very good on these. The tuning is not for everyone but for those that want it it's great.

​

Starting from the bass, it's the whole raison d'être for these. It's big, bombastic and hits like a sledgehammer. It has a visceral subwoofer effect that is quite impressive. The subbass digs deep and decays very pleasantly, but it lacks some tightness. With this amount of bass unless you scoop the mid bass very heavily some of it will bleed into the mids so it is not perfectly clean but it is by no means overly smudgy or bloated.

​

The mids sadly were sacrificed a little bit at the altar of that bass, they sound a bit wonky and give a hollowness to both male and female vocals that while not a dealbreaker it certainly is a bit distracting. Other than that they are ok, I’ve heard better and I've heard worse, but if you buy an iem with this amount of bass it's an expected tradeoff. I had similar feelings with the defiant so if that midrange works for you then this one shouldn't be an issue.

​

The treble here is on the darker side, it lacks a bit of that sparkle that I like, but then again I'm very peculiar with my treble and prefer it much spicier than the average person, so this could be a me complaint. It extends far enough and provides enough air to cut a bit through the bass but I would like more emphasis on it, but that would risk turning it into an extremely v shaped set which I think would go against the spirit of it.

​

In terms of technicalities they also aren't exceptional, I would put them even behind their brother the Defiant GFE. The soundstage is on the smaller size and some of the microdetail is lost in the gobs of bass. Instrument positioning and sound layering are still pretty good, even in busier more complex tracks.

​

Now for the comparison section, I'll try and compare them to things in a similar price range, but sadly I haven't had the opportunity to try every IEM.

​

Vs the DUNU Kima 2s: these are very different iems, the kima 2s are a relaxing soft set for calm listening, these are massively more bassy and energetic, as well as more technical.

​

Vs the Moondrop Aria 2s: These only beat the fiestas in the mids, their bass is smaller yet somehow more flabby, and they even lag behind in technicalities somehow.

​

Vs the Pula Unichrom: These are similar to the kimas but with more bass, yet still way less than the fiestas, so the energy and technicalities make me prefer the fiestas.

​

​

Vs the Truthear Hexas: these are the anti-fiestas, so if you tried the Hexas and found yourself thinking you would like the diametric opposite of these then go for the fiestas. I still love the Hexas and they fit my tastes better but I can see why someone would go for the Fiestas.

​

Vs the Truthear Pures: These are the Hexas but warmed up, still much more neutral than the Fiestas, and while they still remain my default under 100 dollar recommendation, they are so different from the fiestas they can really be compared directly. If you want neutral you go for the Pures, if you want balls to the wall fun then the fiesta is more appropriate.

​

Vs the Truthear Novas: these are a much more traditionally tuned set of iems, following quite closely the Harman target. While popular this tuning was never to my taste, it always felt too thin for me, so the Fiesta feels more full and cohesive to me, as well as being more comfortable, although it loses in terms of technicalities.

​

Vs. the Juzear Defiant gamefidelity edition: The Defiants are another titan in the price range, and probably the closest point of comparison to the fiestas, while still being quite far away. The fiestas trade in the impressive clarity of the defiant for amazing bass, so overall they are more warm and energetic. They have comparable mids, maybe a slight tinge better and I prefer their treble on them, but they are still far enough apart to not step on each other's toes, satisfying different groups of people.

​

Vs the Aful Explorer: It's been a very long while since I was able to try these so take this comparison with a lot of caution but I don't remember liking them much. They are warm but way too smoothed over for me, so if given the option I'd take the fiesta over the explorers.

​

Vs the Xenns Tea pro: someone asked for this in the comments of my announcement but I don't think this a fair comparison considering they are 3 times the price. The Tea pros are the better iem in every way, the only reason one would take the Fiestas over them is if they wanted much more bass.

​

Vs the Fatfreq Deuce: Probably the iem these most remind me of, the deuce has more bass and is cleaner, but it's also much more uncomfortable and twice as expensive, so if you want a mini Deuce then it doesn't get better than the Fiesta.

In conclusion I think that these iems are not for everyone, but they have a niche they fill for a super basshead iem at 100 dollars, which is greatly appreciated. If that sounds interesting to you I can’t think of a better recommendation, but not everyone will love these and there are better options if bass cannons aren't what you are looking for.

​

Now for the sale, HifiGO will be having a sale from the 23rd to the 26th and it includes some of my favorite iems. In my personal opinion the best deals on the sale are:

​

​

The Binary audio EP321-mems for $247.99 (down from $309.99) which I have reviewed on my page (although it's closer to a love letter than a review).

​

The DUNU DN142 at $199.99 (from $249.99) which i also liked quite a lot and if not for the mems would be my favorite iem under 500 dollars.

​

The Aful performer 8s at $319.99 (from $399.99) which is a pretty solid iem at the price but with the discount it makes a very smart buy.

​

Thank you guys for your time; I'll be happy to answer any questions or pass on any suggestions to HifiGo. Good day!

​

Songs I use to do preliminary tests on IEMs (I listen to much more if I have the time, but these are a minimum before I solidify my opinion.)

​

ALI WILD SIDE

​

​

Tuki HYURURIRAPAPPA

​

​

Ski mask the slump god Faucet Failure

​

​

Beelzebub's Cathedrals of Mourning

​

​

Aliceband Wolf

​

​

Fukashigi no carte

​

​

An Unkindness Fragments

​

​

Big wild City of Sound

​

​

Antonio Banderas Canción del Mariachi

​

​

Malcura Gerudo Valley

​

​

Berlioz deep in it

​

​

Good day, everyone.

​

So here is my review of a relatively new set of IEMs from Juzear in collaboration with Vivir Digital (a mexican reviewer that, for full transparency, I had not heard about until the release of these), the Fiesta (1DD, 3BA). First off, a disclaimer: HifiGo did provide these to me for review free of charge, and all they asked for was my honest thoughts in the form of an online review, so take this review with as big a grain of salt as you believe that merits. That said, all opinions here are fully my own, and I have made the attempt to review these as if I had bought them with my own personal money. Also keep in mind all of my opinions are based on the price range unless stated otherwise, so when I say excellent, I mean excellent at the price range. So with that out of the way, I'll continue with the review. These are currently (depending on your timezone) selling on HifiGo's website (https://hifigo.com/products/juzear-x-vivir-digital-fiesta), amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2YDGF6D) and aliexpress (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012187899336.html) for $107.99, down from $129.99, due to the prime day sale (23rd to 26th, more on that at the end).

​

Most of this review was done powering them out of my Fiio BTR11, but I also tested them with both the DTC DACs from Dunu.

​

TLDR: These are a quite well done bass cannon specialist set, at a very attractive price, so if that's what you want then I do heartily recommend them even with some of their more negative quirks. With that come some drawbacks that make them less apt for general recommendation, not that it's a bad thing, but it's not going to be for everyone. Although for those that like them I can think of few things that will scratch that itch like this at the price range. Also most of the physical characteristics of this IEM are basically identical to the Defiant so if you've read my review of that you might want to skip the physical build section as a lot of my thoughts will be the same.

​

The unboxing experience is nice but nothing special, the iems come sufficiently protected that I don't think they will have any problems with shipping damage.

​

As for the accessories package, it is improved slightly over its brother the Defiant. It comes with the same hard shell leatherette case with a zipper closure. It's a bit too thick and bulky for pocket travel and a bit too small to be a perfect grab and go package but it is sufficient to hold the iems with the cable, and some tips. I also don't particularly like how the mesh pocket at the top is so taut, making it so that the tips just fall out of it and into the main compartment with any sort of movement. It also comes with 2 sets of eartips and a set of foams. The clear silicone set have a wider bore and a much stouter depth while the black silicone set are narrower in bore and longer in depth, giving you 2 distinct sounds.

​

One of the things it does that separates it from its brother is the cable situation. Unlike the Defiant GFE that comes with 1 cable with swappable termination this one comes with 2 cables, one with a 3.5mm termination and a microphone and one with a 4.4mm termination. This comes with the tradeoff of not having a swappable termination but also having an extra really well made cable that you can put on other iems. Personally I prefer this option given I don't really swap terminations very often and the extra cable looks beautiful on my DUNU 242. In terms of build they are very similar to the Defiant GFE cable but in red instead of blue and with no swappable termination. They are 4 core, 2 wire twists that split into 2, 2 core cables past the Y split. It's on the lighter side in terms of weight but feels well constructed and solid. It has some memory and doesn't lay perfectly flat when on a surface but nothing major. It doesn't tangle badly and is soft and supple. I couldn't detect any microphonics from the cable and the inline mems microphone on the 3.5mm cable is pretty solid. It's good enough for calls and gaming, but it's not going to replace a dedicated desktop mic. One issue I have with the Defiant as well is that it comes with a chin cinch but it's fairly useless as it can't get past the microphone. The 2 pin is still the extended kind which isn't the best in terms of aesthetics but for functionality is good as it can fit even deeply shrouded IEMS. It also comes with a small microfibre cloth and one of the most interesting things I've ever seen bundled with an IEM. As soon as you open the box, the first thing you see is a paper with 2 QR codes to different music streaming services (tidal and spotify) with curated playlists from Vivir Digital himself, loaded with the greatest hits of latino party music. While these are not my predilect genres of music it does cover all the classics and is very comprehensive, as well as doing a very good job of showing what these IEMS were made for, which I think is a pretty incredible touch, and more brands should do stuff like this.

​

Now onto the iems themselves, I think they look even better than the Defiants GFE. The faceplates have a hypnotizing mix of reds and yellows, with some flecks of green mixed in, which makes them look like flickering flames captured into resin. The rest of the shell is the same as the defiants with one very notable exception. They are 3D printed and CNC finished resin with a semi-custom shape and a metal nozzle. It's a pretty light iem but the nozzle is on the larger side of medium (6 mm). It has a pronounced lip to hold onto the eartips and a metal mesh filter. The inside wing is only very slightly pronounced so while they don't cause any hotspots I can't say they lock in fully. On the side of the IEM is where it differs from the Defiant. The Defiants pressure relief vent is smaller, which might have contributed to the feeling of pressure buildup in some people's ears, but these have a much larger vent that have completely removed that feeling to my ears, allowing me to say they offer little to no pressure buildup at all. My biggest issue is the driver flex, while there is no pressure, the way the iem interacts with my left ear (and not my right, just the left one), causes the driver to crinkle quite audibly when talking, walking or even shifting my jaw, the sound goes away when playing music but I would prefer it not doing that at all. That said overall like the Defiants these are quite well built and very comfortable.

​

After doing a round with all the provided eartips, the best sound and comfort combo for me was the black silicone narrow bore tips, for the simple reason that they enhance bass, and if you have a basshead iem why would you want to tame the bass?

​

Now for sound impressions, keep in mind I would describe myself as an unashamed extreme treblehead, but I will try to keep the impressions as tuning agnostic as possible.

​

My overall sound impression is that these do what they set out to do, be a very fun, energetic basshead set very well, but in doing so they have traded some quality in the mids and technicalities. It offers a clearly warmed up and bass boosted sound without being too extreme. This is very much not an analytical set, this is for when you just want to put something on and headbang or dance to it. With all that said it does limit the genres I would recommend these for, classical, orchestral and even jazz don't really work on these but latino music, hiphop and the heavier rock genres sound very good on these. The tuning is not for everyone but for those that want it it's great.

​

Starting from the bass, it's the whole raison d'être for these. It's big, bombastic and hits like a sledgehammer. It has a visceral subwoofer effect that is quite impressive. The subbass digs deep and decays very pleasantly, but it lacks some tightness. With this amount of bass unless you scoop the mid bass very heavily some of it will bleed into the mids so it is not perfectly clean but it is by no means overly smudgy or bloated.

​

The mids sadly were sacrificed a little bit at the altar of that bass, they sound a bit wonky and give a hollowness to both male and female vocals that while not a dealbreaker it certainly is a bit distracting. Other than that they are ok, I’ve heard better and I've heard worse, but if you buy an iem with this amount of bass it's an expected tradeoff. I had similar feelings with the defiant so if that midrange works for you then this one shouldn't be an issue.

​

The treble here is on the darker side, it lacks a bit of that sparkle that I like, but then again I'm very peculiar with my treble and prefer it much spicier than the average person, so this could be a me complaint. It extends far enough and provides enough air to cut a bit through the bass but I would like more emphasis on it, but that would risk turning it into an extremely v shaped set which I think would go against the spirit of it.

​

In terms of technicalities they also aren't exceptional, I would put them even behind their brother the Defiant GFE. The soundstage is on the smaller size and some of the microdetail is lost in the gobs of bass. Instrument positioning and sound layering are still pretty good, even in busier more complex tracks.

​

Now for the comparison section, I'll try and compare them to things in a similar price range, but sadly I haven't had the opportunity to try every IEM.

​

Vs the DUNU Kima 2s: these are very different iems, the kima 2s are a relaxing soft set for calm listening, these are massively more bassy and energetic, as well as more technical.

​

Vs the Moondrop Aria 2s: These only beat the fiestas in the mids, their bass is smaller yet somehow more flabby, and they even lag behind in technicalities somehow.

​

Vs the Pula Unichrom: These are similar to the kimas but with more bass, yet still way less than the fiestas, so the energy and technicalities make me prefer the fiestas.

​

​

Vs the Truthear Hexas: these are the anti-fiestas, so if you tried the Hexas and found yourself thinking you would like the diametric opposite of these then go for the fiestas. I still love the Hexas and they fit my tastes better but I can see why someone would go for the Fiestas.

​

Vs the Truthear Pures: These are the Hexas but warmed up, still much more neutral than the Fiestas, and while they still remain my default under 100 dollar recommendation, they are so different from the fiestas they can really be compared directly. If you want neutral you go for the Pures, if you want balls to the wall fun then the fiesta is more appropriate.

​

Vs the Truthear Novas: these are a much more traditionally tuned set of iems, following quite closely the Harman target. While popular this tuning was never to my taste, it always felt too thin for me, so the Fiesta feels more full and cohesive to me, as well as being more comfortable, although it loses in terms of technicalities.

​

Vs. the Juzear Defiant gamefidelity edition: The Defiants are another titan in the price range, and probably the closest point of comparison to the fiestas, while still being quite far away. The fiestas trade in the impressive clarity of the defiant for amazing bass, so overall they are more warm and energetic. They have comparable mids, maybe a slight tinge better and I prefer their treble on them, but they are still far enough apart to not step on each other's toes, satisfying different groups of people.

​

Vs the Aful Explorer: It's been a very long while since I was able to try these so take this comparison with a lot of caution but I don't remember liking them much. They are warm but way too smoothed over for me, so if given the option I'd take the fiesta over the explorers.

​

Vs the Xenns Tea pro: someone asked for this in the comments of my announcement but I don't think this a fair comparison considering they are 3 times the price. The Tea pros are the better iem in every way, the only reason one would take the Fiestas over them is if they wanted much more bass.

​

Vs the Fatfreq Deuce: Probably the iem these most remind me of, the deuce has more bass and is cleaner, but it's also much more uncomfortable and twice as expensive, so if you want a mini Deuce then it doesn't get better than the Fiesta.

In conclusion I think that these iems are not for everyone, but they have a niche they fill for a super basshead iem at 100 dollars, which is greatly appreciated. If that sounds interesting to you I can’t think of a better recommendation, but not everyone will love these and there are better options if bass cannons aren't what you are looking for.

​

Now for the sale, HifiGO will be having a sale from the 23rd to the 26th and it includes some of my favorite iems. In my personal opinion the best deals on the sale are:

​

​

The Binary audio EP321-mems for $247.99 (down from $309.99) which I have reviewed on my page (although it's closer to a love letter than a review).

​

The DUNU DN142 at $199.99 (from $249.99) which i also liked quite a lot and if not for the mems would be my favorite iem under 500 dollars.

​

The Aful performer 8s at $319.99 (from $399.99) which is a pretty solid iem at the price but with the discount it makes a very smart buy.

​

Thank you guys for your time; I'll be happy to answer any questions or pass on any suggestions to HifiGo. Good day!

​

Songs I use to do preliminary tests on IEMs (I listen to much more if I have the time, but these are a minimum before I solidify my opinion.)

​

ALI WILD SIDE

​

​

Tuki HYURURIRAPAPPA

​

​

Ski mask the slump god Faucet Failure

​

​

Beelzebub's Cathedrals of Mourning

​

​

Aliceband Wolf

​

​

Fukashigi no carte

​

​

An Unkindness Fragments

​

​

Big wild City of Sound

​

​

Antonio Banderas Canción del Mariachi

​

​

Malcura Gerudo Valley

​

​

Berlioz deep in it

​

​

Review on it is coming relatively soon, is there anything you guys would like me to include or compare it too?

Good day, everyone. I am mostly an IEM reviewer, but I also like full sized headphones sometimes so today I come with a review of the recently released Mortise from the very popular IEM brand DUNU (Please bear with me if I make any mistakes or omissions, all constructive criticism is appreciated). It is an openback 50mm dynamic driver headphone that was sent to me by the guys over at DUNU. First off, a disclaimer: DUNU (who I've worked with previously on a couple of occasions) did provide these to me for review free of charge, and all they asked for was my honest thoughts in the form of an online review, so take this review with as big a grain of salt as you believe that merits. That said, all opinions here are fully my own, and I have made the attempt to review these as if I had bought them with my own personal money. Also keep in mind all of my opinions are based on the price range unless stated otherwise, so when I say excellent, I mean excellent at the price range. So with that out of the way, I'll continue with the review. These are currently selling on the official Dunu AliExpress store for $409.99 dollars, (discounted from $429.99 dollars).

These have been powered out of my DUNU dtc480/800 as DACs and my douk audio U10 mini as an amp. I have also found these to not be particularly fussy with amplification, being able to be powered straight out of the audio jack of my computer or my fiio btr11 .

TLDR: I was honestly surprised by how competitive these are even in the incredibly clogged up price range that is the 400 dollar mark. Their build quality is excellent, are incredibly comfortable, and while the tuning isn't revolutionary, it's good enough to hang with the most popular of its peers. It also presents a different character to the bulk of stuff in the price range which can make it an interesting proposition for someone that wants something different but not completely out of left field.

Starting from the unboxing experience, it's as grand as you can expect for the price, the box is large and very solidly made, everything comes well packaged and feels appropriate for what you are paying for without feeling like they overspent on the package.

As for the accessories package, it's actually very nice. They come with a cloth covered hardshell case that has a zipper closing. The inside is covered in a felt material and it has a pocket in the upper side and a velcro pocket that you can move around. One thing that's interesting is that the case is large enough to house the headphones with the cables still connected, which I remember recently Mark from Super* Reviews remarking that they are extremely rare. It also comes with a branded egg bag. The single crystal copper cable is, like with the ones that come on their IEMs, excellent. The bottom is a cloth sheathed twist that upon the Y-split turns into 2 rubber coated 2 wire twists that terminate with 3.5mm connectors. The cable also has a larger version of the q-lock system DUNU uses on their IEMs cables allowing for swapping between 3.5 single ended to 4.4 balanced very easily on the fly. Another thing that makes it unusual for a headphone cable is the fact it has a chin cinch (which might seem useless but given the adjustment method of these it actually makes a difference in terms of comfort.). It behaves really well in terms of wrapping and staying flat on a table for the most part. It looks very chunky but in practice is actually quite light and comfortable. The hardware is well machined and feels solid. I get no microphonics from it. It also comes with a 3.5 to 6.5mm adapter for if you want to plug them into a speaker amp.

As for the headphones themselves, it's another home run. Aesthetically I think they are very beautiful. Their build quality is great, they honestly feel comparable to Meze stuff, which we all know for how good their build is. These are on the smaller side, and they are very light on head (about 325 grams). The only plastic parts on the headphones are the rings around the grills and the tabs inside the headband, everything else is either metal or wood. The cups are made of real american black walnut that has been machined really well, making them look and feel insanely premium. They are on the softer side in terms of clamp pressure due to the Dan Clark style wire headband. The headband is held via a spring suspension system and it feels like real leather (I cannot confirm this tho). It's soft, plush and wide enough to not cause a hotspot on my head even after long sessions of use.

The pads are a pleather material with a cloth panel on the area that touches your skin. Their inside measurements are about 5cm by 6.5cm (or 2X2.5 inches) but are a quite unusual shape, with the backside being much taller than the front end, causing the headphones to sit on a slant. It was an unusual position for headphones to sit on my head, but I got used to it fairly quickly and now I can wear them for hours with no issues. The earpads are mounted via a ring system that while removable, doesn't make it easy, and given the unusual shape of them I suspect these aren't really made with pad swapping in mind (although I don't have pads I’d want to swap them too so I hope somebody later on can determine if im right or not). The driver is protected by a cloth layer that does touch my ears but doesn't really bother me. They do leak some sound but much less than any planar headphones I’ve ever experienced. The dual 3.5 connectors at the bottoms are angled to avoid any issues with the cable touching my shoulders which is always a classy design choice that makes headphones feel premium and well thought out. Overall the only headphones in the price range I can think of that beat these in terms of comfort are the Meze 99s, which is very high praise.

Now for sound impressions, with iems in an unashamed treblehead but I've found that I gravitate towards warmer tunings when listening to full sized headphones, that said I will try to keep the impressions as tuning agnostic as possible.

My overall opinion on the sound of these is that they are a very pleasant, warm and relaxing set with excellent visceral bass, clear mids and relaxed, but still present treble. All thiscombines to make a very enjoyable listening experience that while not as technical and sharp as its planar competitors, stands out in terms of its musicality and smoothness.

Starting from the bass, it's probably my favorite area of tuning. It's got a thick and heavy slam to it, more midbass than subbass focused. It's not as controlled as it could be and it lingers a bit but it gives the sound a very pleasant lush warmth to be built upon. It doesn't encroach or add muddiness onto the mids. I wouldn't call these basshead but they could be made that easily with eq. Its physicality was what most impressed me about these.

The mids are always the hardest part of the tuning for me to talk about. I don't find the mids on these exceptional but they still are quite well done. They feel natural and effortless, they replay instruments faithfully and with enough detail, although they don't get to the point of feeling dry or analytical. Vocals are very emotive on these, with gravitas and power. Personally I think they replay male vocals a bit better than female ones due to the added warmth but both are very good.

The treble is on the calmer side, it is shiny enough to cut a bit through the bass but not enough to call it a v shaped tuning. It's clean and airy with no tinniness. They have some pretty good extensions and present all aspects of the music. They feel even and without any sharp peaks to my ears. I think these won't have any sibilance issues unless you are exceptionally sensible. They could be turned up a little bit but I suspect they were kept calm on purpose.

As for the technicalities, I think it's probably its weakest point. The warmth of it covers up some microdetails and I find the soundstage to be more on the intimate size (which, hot take, I prefer over overly wide soundstages, but I know that's a rare opinion) although it does do depth better than many other headphones I've heard before . Instrument positioning and separation is quite good and it doesn't get jammed up even in faster, more complex tracks. These do not feel as precise nor fast as a planar but the DD brings its own flavor to counteract that difference. I would recommend these to someone that wants a clarity and detail focused set for analytical listening, this is a set to sit down and get lost in the music.

Now for the comparison section, I will write comparisons between them and some headphones I put them head to head against directly, but sadly I don't have access to all the most popular headphones so if something is not on here either I haven't heard it or I did a long while ago and don't want to misrepresent them by going from memory.

Vs. Moondrop Para 1

These are much less comfortable and light, they feel more industrial and less refined. Their treble is quite spicy and sharp, the Mortise is smoother overall, as well as warmer and its bass is much more physical and less dry. The paras are wider in terms of soundstage but I'd take the Mortise over them.

Vs. Moondrop Para 2

An improvement over the original Paras but still not what I would have wanted for a sequel. The frame comes with the same issues in terms of build and comfort. Their treble is still overly sharp, although not as much as the original. Its bass lacks texture and warmth. Mids are more natural than the original but less than the Mortise. I'd take the Mortise over either version of the Paras.

Vs. Hifiman Edition XV

The headphone to beat at the price, warmer and smoother than other hifiman egg planars. Comes with some of the comfort issues the egg planars have, but feels better built than the others. Treble presents more micro detail. These feel wider and airier but the mids are less lush, vocals lack a bit of power and presence. These feel less colored but a bit more sterile. If I could I'd have both these and the mortise for different moods.

Vs. Hifiman Ananda Nanos

These used to be my favorite headphones at the price, but now I don't like them as much as I used to. Their treble is much sharper and metallic, bass is as quick but not as full bodied. They offer much more details but can get fatiguing relatively quickly. The edition xv feels better balanced overall and I'd take both the XV and the mortise over it.

Vs. Meze 99 v2s

A closed back set, it feels claustrophobic and small in comparison. The overall idea of its sound is similar, a warm relaxing set not for critical listening but for kicking back and relaxing. Technicalities lag behind the mortise but bass texture is better. In terms of build quality the Mortise is honestly comparable which is pretty impressive. The lushness of the mortise bass reminds me more of these than any of the open backs I compared it too.

Vs. Meze 109 pro

These are comfort incarnate but I'm really not a fan of the sound, treble feels wonky and thin, bass doesn't have the nice, defined impact I want, it feels crunchy. vocals have a hollowness to them, I'd take the Mortise over these any day.

Vs. Austrian Audio Arranger

Feel cheap in comparison in spite of being more expensive. Treble is a bit too blunt for me and the bass isn't impactful enough to counteract it but the mids are very impressive, especially the lower registers. Overall these are ok but are missing a je be se quoi, and at 3 times the price I really can't justify recommending them over the Mortise.

Vs. Sennheiser HD600

The permanent gatekeeper of the price range. The built/aesthetic/comfort has never felt the best and the Mortise beats them handily in these aspects. I understand why they are such an audiophile darling, they really are very good, their timbre is truly excellent. Although to me they are a bit too sterile and while correct don't move me emotionally the way other headphones do. Consciously they are probably better than the Mortise but if I were given both I would use the Mortise more often. Bass rolls off way too hard and they are missing that slam that I crave in overears.

Vs. the Moondrop Horizon

These ones were never really loved by the community, while I understand the reason I think they weren't given a fair shake. They are a dark set but the way some reviewers talked about them seemed wildly excessive to me. They really aren't competitive with the Mortise tho, it's a very different level.

Vs. fiio FT5

Launched before the moment I think it finally clicked for fiio with headphones, bass is pillowy and floaty, treble is nice but a bit too present in the mix and mids feel squished in. They feel well built but not as premium as the Mortise. It's an ok choice but not competitive at the price range.

In conclusion I think DUNU really did an exceptional job with these, creating a set that fits in the upper echelon of the very densely populated price range it competes in. Everything it has, from its build to its sound is delightful and very easy to like. Overall if it wasn't obvious by this point I greatly recommend these.

Again, great thanks to DUNU for sending me these, thank you for reading and if you have any questions or comments for me or for DUNU please leave them in the comments. Have a nice day!

Songs I use to do preliminary tests for audio equipment (I listen to much more if I have the time, but these are a minimum before I solidify my opinion.)

ALI WILD SIDE

Tuki HYURURIRAPAPPA

Ski mask the slump god Faucet Failure

Beelzebub's Cathedrals of Mourning

Aliceband Wolf

Fukashigi no carte

An Unkindness Fragments

Big wild City of Sound

Antonio Banderas Canción del Mariachi

Malcura Gerudo Valley

Berlioz deep in it

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Good day, everyone.

So here is my review of a relatively new set of IEMs from Juzear, the Defiant Gamefidelity Edition (1DD, 3BA). First off, a disclaimer: HifiGo did provide these to me for review free of charge, and all they asked for was my honest thoughts in the form of an online review, so take this review with as big a grain of salt as you believe that merits. That said, all opinions here are fully my own, and I have made the attempt to review these as if I had bought them with my own personal money. Also keep in mind all of my opinions are based on the price range unless stated otherwise, so when I say excellent, I mean excellent at the price range. So with that out of the way, I'll continue with the review. These are currently selling on HifiGo's website for $109.99.

Most of this review was done powering them out of my Fiio BTR11, but I also tested them with both the DTC DACs from Dunu, and straight out of the USB C port of my phone.

TLDR: I've never had the chance to try the original Defiant, but if it's anything like this I see why it's often praised so highly in the under 100 price bracket. This iem is excellent and truly slots into the price range quite well by not following the trend of the new meta tuning, while still providing a lively and engaging sound with enough technicalities to compete with its peers.

The unboxing experience is nice but nothing special, the iems come sufficiently protected that I don't think they will have any problems with shipping damage.

As for the accessories package, it's pretty solid for the price range (its strongest competitors, the truthear brothers, as much as I love them, I have to admit come with not very good accessories). It comes with a hard shell leatherette case with a zipper closure. It's a bit too thick and bulky for pocket travel and a bit too small to be a perfect grab and go package but it is sufficient to hold the iems with the cable, and some tips. I also don't particularly like how the mesh pocket at the top is so taut, making it so that the tips just fall out of it and into the main compartment with any sort of movement. This iem comes with 2 sets of eartips and a set of foams. The clear silicone set have a wider bore and a much stouter depth while the black silicone set are narrower in bore and longer in depth, giving you 2 distinct sounds, which is honestly a great thing that not all iems, even more expensive sets do.

One of the main selling points of this iem is the cable it comes with. It's a frankly beautiful blue 4 core, 2 wire twist that splits into 2, 2 core cables past the Y split. It's on the lighter side in terms of weight but feels well constructed and solid. It has some memory and doesn't lay perfectly flat when on a surface but nothing major. It doesn't tangle badly and is soft and supple. On the end it has an interchangeable connector system that is secured by a screwable ring. It can be switched easily and feels solid. I also like how it's not overly large even in comparison to non switchable terminations. The cable is not microphonic. It also has an inline mems microphone that is good enough for calls and gaming, it's not going to replace a dedicated mic but it does its job fairly well. The cable comes with a chin cinch but it's fairly useless as it can't get past the microphone. It also has a button on the microphone that pauses and plays audio. The cable comes with a 3.5 and a USB C connector. The USB C is fairly clean and doesn't really produce any background noise I could complain about. Another complaint I have about the cable is purely aesthetic but it has 2 pins for a iem with a shrouded connection but the iem has a flat 2 pin port, casing it to jut out in an ugly way. This is a little disappointing but unfortunately very common even in multi hundred dollar iems so here its a footnote. All that said this is the best cable I've ever handled in an iem at the price range. The set also comes with a gray microfibre cloth and a little acrylic stand to remind you that this, like the original, is still a collaboration with youtuber ZeosPantera from Z reviews.

Now onto the iems themselves, I think these are incredibly beautiful. The faceplate has an absolutely mesmerizing mother of pearl pattern and some metallic designs like other juzear iems. The MOP faceplates shift from white to greenish blue depending on how the light hits them making them look exceptional. The shell is a 3d printed and CNC finished deal with a semi-custom shape and a metal nozzle . It's a pretty light iem but the nozzle is on the larger side of medium (6 mm according to my ruler). It has a pronounced lip to hold onto the eartips and a metal mesh filter. The inside wing is only very slightly pronounced so while they dont cause any hotspots I cant say they lock in fully. The side of the shell has a very large vent which is probably a response to the controversy the originals had with pressure buildup. These do still build up some pressure but nothing I've not felt in other iems and I can use them for several hours with little to no issues, since I haven't tried the originals I cant say if this is better or worse than they were but given how minor I feel the issue is with these i can say this isn't a problem for me. These have some driver flex, which is always unpleasant but at least in my set it's not very loud and only occurs when I press them while they are already in my ears so I can easily ignore it by simply avoiding touching them.

After doing a round with all the provided eartips, the best sound and comfort combo for me was the black silicone narrow bore tips, they gave me the best bass texture and were the most comfortable, so everything going forward is using those.

Now for sound impressions, keep in mind I would describe myself as an unashamed extreme treblehead, but I will try to keep the impressions as tuning agnostic as possible.

My overall sound impression is very positive, these are a refined take on the v shape, with warm yet clean bass, a serviceable but a bit dry midrange and soft and relaxing treble. While still fun and engaging they do not sacrifice much technicalities leading to a colored sound that is precise enough to satisfy people that are more into the details. Based on the graphs it lowers the treble from the original, which, according to reviews I've read, seemed to be one of its biggest sticking points, meaning that it addressed one of the pain points of an already very well tuned iems. I find the tuning really easy to like and very universal.

Starting from the bass, It's clear and well controlled, it slams more than it rumbles. With the amount it has you would expect some warmth but its transition into the mids is a bit scooped so it doesn't take over the tuning. I wouldn't recommend this iem as a basshead set, it lacks the quantity and physicality of bass for that, but I feel that for the average person the bass will be perfectly satisfactory.

The mids in these are probably the area of the tuning I have the most issues with, they aren't bad by any means, but they do push the vocals a bit unnaturally forward giving instruments a wispy quality that makes them feel a bit hollow. This is most noticeable with male vocals. Overall I've heard better mid ranges at the pricepoint but I've also heard much worse.

The treble of this iem is very smooth and well extended, although it doesn't have the bite I personally love in my iems. It's airy and has no tinnyness to it. Its timbre is honestly quite impressive at the price with its butteriness. In terms of amount it's on a good track to have wide appeal for most listeners and music genres.

In terms of technicalities are ok but nothing groundbreaking, these are sold as gaming iems, so while I don't game to a competitive level I can imagine these provide sufficient precision in positioning and layering to be used for said purpose. The only complaint I have with these is that in very fast or complex tracks they do flatten out a bit and become a bit of a wall of sound rather than a separated stage. As for their soundstage it's actually quite wide for the price range with both good height and depth.

Now for the comparison section, I'll try and compare them to things in a similar price range, but sadly I haven't had the opportunity to try every IEM.

Vs the DUNU Kima 2s: these are 2 very different iems, the kima 2 is a much more relaxed tuning, but it falls behind in fun and engagement for me, especially in the treble area I'd take the defiants GFE over the kima 2s.

Vs the Moondrop Aria 2s: its bass is more flabby and less well controlled but its mids are more natural, it also falls behind in terms of technicalities, I also don't like how they look, another win for the defiant GFE.

Vs the Pula unichrom: similar to the kima 2s these are a warm set but the bass is better than the defiants GFE, slammier and more full bodied, their timbre is not as good as the buttery smoothness of the defiants GFE, nor is it competitive in terms of technicalities, so Id take the defiants GFE over these.

Vs the Truthear Hexas: still, after all these years my favorite iem under 100 dollars, although I understand why some people really dislike it. Its bright neutral tuning is very different from the defiant GFE, which is more “fun” and colored, while being less anemic in the bass region. Personally I feel it's a sidegrade but I suspect most people will prefer the defiants GFE over the hexas.

Vs the Truthear Pures: These are what I suspect is the biggest competitor to the defiant GFE, I put them a slight step below the Hexas in terms of how much I like them, and I recommend them much more often because the warmer neutral of the new meta tuning is incredibly easy to like. The Defiants GFE have a different character than these more neutral iems so although I think they are a sidegrade as well, they are a very solid alternative for the people for which the new meta tuning just doesn't work for, which is a surprisingly large amount of people from what I've seen.

In conclusion I think these have made their claim in the price range and have formed a trinity with the Hexas and the Pures, all of which are at a similar level for me but have enough variation in tuning to be a purely preferential choice which one you go for, meaning I can heartily recommend these.

Songs I use to do preliminary tests on IEMs (I listen to much more if I have the time, but these are a minimum before I solidify my opinion.)

ALI WILD SIDE

Tuki HYURURIRAPAPPA

Ski mask the slump god Faucet Failure

Beelzebub's Cathedrals of Mourning

Aliceband Wolf

Fukashigi no carte

An Unkindness Fragments

Big wild City of Sound

Antonio Banderas Canción del Mariachi

Malcura Gerudo Valley

Berlioz deep in it

Thank you guys for your time; I'll be happy to answer any questions or pass on any suggestions to HifiGo. Good day!

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The guys over at hifigo have told me that the revamped juzear defiant gamefidelity edition is ready to launch by next week and is currently available to buy on hifigos website, and AliExpress (and will be available on Amazon next week). I have a review on it coming next week as well, so if there is anything you guys would like to ask me or hifigo about them, or anything that you would like me to mention in my review I'm happy to hear it.

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Recently the guys over at Dunu released their entry into the mid level price, full sized headphone world and they have sent it to me for a review. If you guys have any questions for me/Dunu, or anything specific you would like to see in my review I'm happy to listen

Thank y'all and have a lovely day.