Anyone who wants AMAZING sounding in-ears/headphones for $16... read this!

[TubeStack]

Still quite active over there

And quite upset about a local camp counsellor.

 

[texhex]

Word to the wise on these.

The screens are only held in by a rubber cement like glue and they come out quite easily. I just barley pressed in on these to clean them and they both came out without much pressure. It's a good thing these are only $20 cause now they are trashed. I don't think I would feel comfortable putting these into my ear canals now that I know how easily these tiny little pieces can come out.

Yikes!

 

[DLC86]

After seeing this thread yesterday I ordered a pair of Truthear Hola for 24€ on amazon, should receive them next week (these are available for around 17€ from chinese sellers too but shipment takes longer)
Kinda similar to the Chu in frequency response but these have a detachable nice quality cable and I dig their looks and, given the price, I chose to start my IEM journey with these to see what the fuss is all about, even though there are other more accurate (but slightly more expensive) models.
I also tend to like slighlty warmer headphones usually, so these might be more to my liking than other more accurate models. The only thing that worries me a bit is that peak around 13 kHz, but we'll see...

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Similar to how my Skullcandy buds looked after a few years of abuse. Not really sure where the little pieces went. Probably still stuck in my ears

 

[TheOrangeChannel]

Awesome! Really glad you got it sorted out! Yep, with the right fit, the eartip should be doing all the sealing without having to bury them in your ears.

It’s a bit counterintuitive, but if you’re using a slightly too small eartip and getting them to seal by inserting too far, sound quality and comfort will improve with a larger eartip.

I'm inclined to try these as we just went to our own IEM setup and the Shures I have shure sound like garbage.

 

[Cactusprick]

The biggest reason i could never use these IEM is that I get super annoyed by my own breathing and gulping. Is it just me? If I need a good attenuation then I just go for tight closed cans… but I may try ordering these cheap ones.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

The biggest reason i could never use these IEM is that I get super annoyed by my own breathing and gulping. Is it just me?

I only ever use IEMs when recording drums, vocals or playing and singing live where I'm focusing on the performance. I tend to care less about the nuances when I'm focused on what I'm doing.

They're a necessary evil for me when I'm singing.

 

[lolainnb]

I don’t even know you people, but had to check it out for $20

 

[metropolis_4]

I decided to check out the Chu and I’m really glad I did! I can’t even believe how good these things sound for $20. It’s kind of mind blowing.

I’ve been using Blue MoFi for home practice and the Chu have so much more clarity and detail.

I already ordered a second pair

 

[SwirlyMaple]

Word to the wise on these.

The screens are only held in by a rubber cement like glue and they come out quite easily. I just barley pressed in on these to clean them and they both came out without much pressure. It's a good thing these are only $20 cause now they are trashed. I don't think I would feel comfortable putting these into my ear canals now that I know how easily these tiny little pieces can come out.

Yikes!

Those screens are actually replaceable (for when they get dirty--you can buy a bunch of them for not much $ from Moondrop), but they shouldn't be falling out under normal use. I'll keep an eye on mine.

There are aftermarket eartips that will fit the Chu which have a smaller bore and would prevent that screen from falling into your ear if it did somehow come loose, if anyone wants a reliable solution. I personally like SpinFit brand eartips.

Edit: the filter screens are $5 for ten pairs https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/...xxs-starfield-earphone?variant=39936461963415

 

[texhex]

Those screens are actually replaceable (for when they get dirty--you can buy a bunch of them for not much $ from Moondrop), but they shouldn't be falling out under normal use. I'll keep an eye on mine.

There are aftermarket eartips that will fit the Chu which have a smaller bore and would prevent that screen from falling into your ear if it did somehow come loose, if anyone wants a reliable solution. I personally like SpinFit brand eartips.

Edit: the filter screens are $5 for ten pairs https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/...xxs-starfield-earphone?variant=39936461963415

Thanks man! Order placed. The replacements look like a much better solution than what these come with. The filters mine came with are three pieces (metal screen, rubber o-ring, paper filter) and they are all separate, so they fall apart once that metal screen is moved. Good thing I didn’t go with my gut reaction and just toss these buds in the trash. Thanks again.

 

[NightWalker]

I decided to check out the Chu and I’m really glad I did! I can’t even believe how good these things sound for $20. It’s kind of mind blowing.

I’ve been using Blue MoFi for home practice and the Chu have so much more clarity and detail.

I already ordered a second pair

i have the Blue MoFi but i dont like how they sound with the Kemper,Axe 3 or the QC

 

[SwirlyMaple]

we just went to our own IEM setup and the Shures I have shure sound like garbage.

Are they the SE215? If so, yeah. I have some too and they sound just like you say. Shure makes some pretty good stuff, so it's always baffled me how poorly they tuned their line of in-ears.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

The only thing that worries me a bit is that peak around 13 kHz, but we'll see...

Headphone measurements (especially in-ears) get unreliable in those higher frequencies. The measurement rigs have their own resonant frequencies when coupled with the headphones, and those resonances won't necessarily be the same as your own unique ear canals with the headphones inserted. It's part of the reason you always see some spiky funny business in headphone measurements in the highest frequencies. Ultimately you have to be the final judge on how it sounds with your own biology :)

FWIW, some wireless ear buds (Apple's Air Pods Pro, and I think Samsung's as well) have a measurement mic which senses the resonances and freq response from the coupling with your ear canal, and actively alters the headphone response to correct for it. Some of those Bluetooth options sound fantastic as a result, but they're useless for live monitoring because of the Bluetooth latency.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

Where'd ol' Swirly go?

Hey there JT, I've just been busy with work lately. I'm alive though! And I even upgraded my avatar with 115% more maple content. Now I've got a hankering for some boiled whipped cream to top them with...

 

[SwirlyMaple]

And quite upset about a local camp counsellor.

Lol. Nah. I just enjoy pushing a certain someone's buttons when they push others'. It's practically its own sport. I think he gets some kind of satisfaction out of it too, if I'm being honest

 

[DLC86]

After seeing this thread yesterday I ordered a pair of Truthear Hola for 24€ on amazon, should receive them next week (these are available for around 17€ from chinese sellers too but shipment takes longer)
Kinda similar to the Chu in frequency response but these have a detachable nice quality cable and I dig their looks and, given the price, I chose to start my IEM journey with these to see what the fuss is all about, even though there are other more accurate (but slightly more expensive) models.
I also tend to like slighlty warmer headphones usually, so these might be more to my liking than other more accurate models. The only thing that worries me a bit is that peak around 13 kHz, but we'll see...

View attachment 6028

I just received these and after a quick listen I'm pretty impressed! The level of detail and the cleanliness on bass frequencies is outstanding, and they sound (expectably) pretty flat across the whole spectrum except for a slight boost on the low end (which I like a lot) and maybe some tiny peaks on the very high end, but nothing ear-fatiguing, just some frequencies that stand out a bit more on hi-hat and cymbals.

They are also pretty comfortable to wear, stay in place quite well with the right size of eartips and provide a good isolation.

The only downside I've found till now is the cable being a bit microphonic, I hear this low end rumble when the cable rubs against my T-shirt, but it's hearable only when listening at medium-low volumes.

I've also heard from reviewers that eartips are not the best quality, from what I see there's nothing wrong with them though, the material seems the same as those you find on sony earbuds, actually a bit softer cuz the outer membrane is a bit thinner than those.
But I'll buy some higher quality eartips in the near future just to see the difference.

Overall pretty happy with the purchase, they're not that far sound-wise from my Sennheiser HD58x, which is a lot to say for a 24€ IEM.

 

[aflynt]

Inspired by this thread I ordered a Moondrop Chu and TinHiFi C3. Got them both yesterday.

The CHU is a bust for me. Couldn’t get a great fit. It just kind of floats there in my ear held in place by the tip which isn’t really all that stable.

The TinHiFi C3, on the other hand, is amazing. Absolutely perfect fit and seal. The cable it comes with is fantastic. The sound is great as well. I’ve been using the 7hz Timeless for the past year or so, which sounds incredible, but is kind of obtrusive looking on stage. The C3 sounds close, but with much better fit and smaller footprint. I guess the low end may be slightly muddier on the C3, but otherwise they seem in the same ballpark. I used the C3 at rehearsal last night and it worked great. Everything sounded clear and full and it stayed put when I was singing too.

-Aaron

 

[NightWalker]

The CHU is a bust for me. Couldn’t get a great fit. It just kind of floats there in my ear held in place by the tip which isn’t really all that stable.



-Aaron

get the comply foam tips that is what i did and now the seal is perfect

 

[aflynt]

get the comply foam tips that is what i did and now the seal is perfect

I’ve got some for a set of KZ’s in a drawer somewhere. I’ll check them out. I think it’s more the shape of the IEM itself though and the length of the stem. Just nothing to rest on in my ear and stabilize/isolate against.

-Aaron