Recent comments in /f/headphones

m3ga_p1xel t1_j9tqetp wrote

Reply to comment by mmry404 in From KZ to S8: impressions by mmry404

I was also blown away with the S8's when I demo'ed them. They're honestly tuned so well but are hardly discussed these days because of the bias towards new products. Definitely agree with you on the treble quality and extension since it's almost impossibly good compared to even my B2:Dusks, which lean sibilant in some areas. In a sense they are closer to the Kato than Dusk. These are the IEMs I will pick for my favorite under $1k. Glad you liked them- definitely a leap of faith but very much worth it!

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c0ng0pr0 t1_j9tmr4v wrote

Reply to comment by Not-Icarus in Having a hard time differentiating between Spotify and tidal hi-fi by Not-Icarus

Have you used any other IEM driver type?

You may need to up the power settings on your amp to hear all the details.

Planar drivers need more power than DD & BA drivers to get the same emotional impact, and possibly detail retrieval.

There’s an energy efficiency problem still being solved for mini Planar drivers.

Ex: Same music, hardware (except IEM set), same volume/gain settings… different amount of audible detail/emotional impact… just because not enough energy is going through the planar driver to fully energize the entire surface.

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Mando992 t1_j9tml6t wrote

Reply to Having a hard time differentiating between Spotify and tidal hi-fi by Not-Icarus

I tried tidal for a while and tested their Hi-Fi and Master Quality Audio against the Spotify „Very High“ Setting. After I volume matched both players (tidal player was louder for me) there was really no difference between the two. I blind tested with a friend and neither of could tell if one of them was better or worse.

So I just decided to stick with Spotify.

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mmry404 OP t1_j9td024 wrote

Reply to From KZ to S8: impressions by mmry404

I upgraded from KZ and NiceHCK to Moondrop S8 and here are my impressions. (TL;DR: great bass)

I've been in this hobby for a year, my first IEM being NiceHCK nx7 pro. I never upgraded until recently, except for getting some KZs for beating at the gym. I used Wavelet to eq them to Harmann, so getting a Moondrop was a logical step. I was worried that the b2 dusk would be not enough of a step up because of diminishing returns, so I decided to go straight for the S8. Didn't have the opportinuty to check them out before purchase, so I only relied on reviews. Finally they have arrived, and here are my impressions:

The first thing to catch my attention was, surprisingly, the bass. Not its quantity, rather quality. I wasn't expecting anything, as the reviewers warned about the S8's BA bass lacking punch and weight, but that was not my experience at all. This bass extends DEEP, like I never heard before. It's like having a subwoofer in my head. This bass never gets in the way of other frequencies, but makes every track sound really fat and substantial. The transients are fast, and this combination makes listening to drums simply amazing. I am not a basshead, but I just love the S8's bass.

Then, other aspects of the sound grew on me. The soundstage is wide, and the resolving ability is excellent across the board (this I expected, but still, wow). The highs are never sharp, and I found mself turning the volume way up because the highs are much more tame then on the KZs etc. The usual stuff about hearing new nuances in my fav tracks, yada-yada... They are also immensely beautiful. My only issue, apart from trash stock cable, is the fit. i will have to find the right tips, as my ears get a bit tired after a while.

I was afraid to set my expectations too high, but I got so much more then I expected. The diminishing returns thing was holding me back from upgrading, but I'm glad I did. It's a shame that Moondrop IEMs are hard to come across to try them, so the purchase kinda requires a leap of faith. They are worth every penny. If the b2 dusk are even remotely comparable to the S8 for half the price, then you should probably get them right now.

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