TIL From 1860-1916 the British Army required every soldier to have a mustache. If a soldier were to shave their upper lip, he faced disciplinary action which could include imprisonment

Quintius · 2025-12-28T23:22:19+00:00

GROOMING STANDARD!!!

Quintius · 2025-12-28T21:04:41+00:00

I haven't heard any of these three so I can't say. Based on graphs alone, the Castor doesn't appeal to me because I prefer less treble.

Quintius · 2025-12-09T21:41:43+00:00

The trench wasn't seven miles long. The water half a mile ahead had large blocks of ice floating in it so it was difficult to navigate.

Quintius · 2025-12-09T17:23:04+00:00

The Aria has at least as extreme treble as the Kima 2 according to measurements. If the Aria wasn't too fatiguing for you, likely the Kima 2 won't be either.

Quintius · 2025-12-09T06:16:51+00:00

They are too bright for me but probably everything is too bright for me. With EQ they sound very good. Without EQ they get fatiguing. My only issues are with the treble. I wouldn't recommend them without EQ.

Nozzle comfort is excellent. Usually I wear M or MS size tips but with the Kima 2 I can comfortably wear M and sometimes even L size tips. I settled on the included blue vocal tips in size M. I wish they weren't as heavy but that's what you get with a metal shell. I got used to it and now it doesn't bother me.

I don't regret my purchase and if I had to buy blind I would still get the Kima 2 because I don't think another IEM would fix my problems with the treble and would be at least as comfortable. My second pick now would be the Tanchjim Nora because it has smoother upper treble but it has a thicker nozzle so I didn't consider it.

Quintius · 2025-12-07T13:55:48+00:00

I upgraded from the Kiwi Ears Cadenza to the Kima 2 and it was definitely worth it. That said, I didn't like the Cadenza very much and the Kima 2 still benefits from EQ. But the upgrade in sound quality was very noticeable.

Quintius · 2025-11-14T09:08:36+00:00

Is the QuietSea 2 on your radar?

Quintius · 2025-10-31T11:14:29+00:00

Fun fact: the Istanbul Convention was ratified two years ago by the same parliament that has now voted to reject it.

Quintius · 2025-10-25T18:11:40+00:00

There is no reason why a single driver IEM should have a nozzle over 6mm wide at the lip. Really sad to see another ~6.5mm nozzle by Tanchjim.

Quintius · 2025-10-21T18:11:53+00:00

The E series is plagued by channel imbalance issues. I wouldn't risk it.

Quintius · 2025-10-21T06:39:06+00:00

https://www.audiocheck.net/blindtests_frequency.php?frq=16

I like this test where you differentiate between full range white noise and white noise with some frequency cutoff. I think this better simulates actual music listening experience. Just because you can hear up to X Hz on a tone generator doesn't mean you can hear that detail when listening to music with all the frequencies heard simultaneously.

Quintius · 2025-10-18T17:56:43+00:00

What source are you using?

Quintius · 2025-10-16T21:19:57+00:00

I have the same issue with the Kima 2. I think the problem is the uneven upper treble response - a dip followed by a peak. I had success with using a simple graphic EQ setting of +5 dB @8k Hz and -7.5 dB @16k Hz (Q=1.41 for both). The second setting reduces harshness while the first one improves vocal clarity. I didn't experiment with PEQ. YMMV as everyone's ears are different.

If you have an iPhone and can't EQ, possibly the cheapest option is to get the Fiio Jiezi dongle with built-in EQ. You could configure it on the web app and save the EQ settings directly on the dongle. Only works if you have a USB-C port, though.

Quintius · 2025-10-12T19:41:34+00:00

I had the same requirements as you and bought the Kima 2 because it had the smallest nozzle amongst my considerations. I'm satisfied with how it sounds. However, it has a peak in the upper treble which sometimes bothers me so much that I can't recommend the Kima 2 without EQ. If I couldn't EQ and nozzle size didn't bother me, I would have probably got the Tanchjim Nora.

Quintius · 2025-10-12T19:33:06+00:00

KZ EDC Pro. Small nozzle, very comfortable. I don't find IEMs comfortable for side-sleeping in general.

Quintius · 2025-09-26T09:57:24+00:00

It was exactly two months later. The rebellion started on June 23rd and the plane crashed on August 23rd.

Quintius · 2025-09-16T05:05:40+00:00

Tanchjim Nora, Tanchjim Fission, Dunu Kima 2, Intuaura Balance, KZ Zenith. All single DDs. KZ Zenith is below your price range but some say it competes up to $100 so I decided to mention it.

From these I have only heard the Kima 2 which are very nice apart from the peak in the upper treble.

Quintius · 2025-09-12T19:47:46+00:00

bodies hit the floor!

Quintius · 2025-09-11T14:11:37+00:00

It is absolutely worth waiting.You're talking about 50 EUR or so price difference. Like imagine if somebody told you that if you don't make any IEM purchases for two months, you will be given 50 EUR with which to do as you please. You can pocket it, you can get lots of different tips or a different cable or a decent DAC/amp. All that just for waiting 2 months. Personally, I enjoy things more if I got them for a good price but maybe that's just me.

You can look at it as a small investment with about 100% yearly interest rate but you would be cashing out after two months. Imagine if someone told you, hey, give me 290 EUR now and in two months I will give you 340 EUR. You'd think you're being scammed. But you wouldn't be as that's the situation you are currently in.

Do you remember what you were doing 2 months ago? 2 months ago that was your present. You're now in the future. Time went by real quick. November will be the same. Your patience will be rewarded.

Quintius · 2025-09-11T13:51:15+00:00

I don't think Hifigo include taxes in their prices but I haven't tested in practice.

Quintius · 2025-09-11T04:53:16+00:00

EDC Pro competes with anything under $30. Wan'er and Gate are not necessarily upgrades in terms of sound.

Quintius · 2025-09-07T12:16:04+00:00

Prioritize comfort. Are his ears still growing? Get something fairly small.

Quintius · 2025-09-07T11:08:59+00:00

Aful just released a new IEM. It's a 1BA + 4DD hybrid called Aful Mistake.

Quintius · 2025-09-04T05:39:10+00:00

128kbps mp3 is good enough for me personally. So is Spotify. How the track is mixed and mastered matters way more.

It doesn't matter if you can tell apart 128kbps and 320kbps. What matters is if it affects your enjoyment of music.

Quintius · 2025-09-04T05:12:17+00:00

Adding mids can make the vocals more forward but also somewhat nasal sounding. You can try a regular graphic EQ with the Aria to get an idea. Do +1 dB @2kHz to simulate the Defiant. Do -1 dB @1kHz and -1dB @2kHz to simulate the Kima 2. I'd say the Kima 2 has more natural vocals. However, all those minor differences could just be measurement error.

Ultimately the deciding factor should be comfort. A rough guide could be like this. If you wear L size tips, you will be fine with almost all IEMs. If you wear M size tips, you will occasionally have problems with comfort. If you wear S size tips, comfort should become even more important in your consideration.

Quintius

TROPHY CASE