Submitted by mmry404 t3_11aqf1m in headphones
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mmry404 OP t1_j9ttobm wrote
Got them used, so was REALLY hoping I would get the box. Glad I did, uwu
AutoMorbirator t1_j9uqi2k wrote
You can always feel free to ask about the box if it's not specified. Almost all used items are less valuable without the original box.
mmry404 OP t1_j9td024 wrote
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.
m3ga_p1xel t1_j9tqetp wrote
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!
thatcarolguy t1_j9trmkr wrote
I wouldn't say it's so much a bias towards new products but moreso the current state of the market including newer products. Today we have our pick between Dusk , Variations and the OG B2. I guess a lot of people don't see a reason to pay more than those for what can be achieved with a simple EQ tweak (if they prefer less bass on variations for example or less treble on B2). Personally, I would never consider the S8.
mmry404 OP t1_j9tti76 wrote
Yeah, I dismissed the Variations based on looks mostly (kinda cringey to admit lol), but I was also worried that they have too much bass. Also I already have a tribrid (insert a joke about fake drivers), so I wanted a pure BA set to try something new. And on the contrary, I was concerned about b2's treble not extending enough and decided to skip them, not being able to demo. But now I will shill b2 dusk to all my friends as a cheaper alternative to my holy grail s8
mmry404 OP t1_j9trwn0 wrote
Thank you! That's an interesting take on the Kato, I never even considered them as they are single driver. You mean they have smoother treble response then the dusk? Did you demo them too? How well do they resolve compared to dusk?
I thought of myself as a treble lover cause my NiceHCK nx7 pro's have the sharpest treble imaginable, which I endured stoically. I kinda mistook their sharpness for good resolve, only now do I realise my mistake. Still, pretty good iems for the first one, I guess
m3ga_p1xel t1_j9tslbr wrote
I own the Kato and Dusk. I personally prefer the Kato despite the shortcomings with their resolution. A bit more muffled in comparison since the Dusks are more detailed. But the treble response is much more smooth and the bass is controlled. Likely more to do with BA bass vs 1DD bass.
mmry404 OP t1_j9tv1z9 wrote
I'm pretty sure the dusk's bass is also dynamic, it has 1DD+3BA setup. I doubt that the DD is dedicated to some other frequency band other then the bass. On the other hand, I'm not sure I believe the stereotypes about the driver types anymore, such as BAs being thin, DDs not resolving as good etc.
anuress t1_j9wjn5g wrote
Sometimes we overestimate the bass amount that we need
mmry404 OP t1_j9xfbx3 wrote
Yeah, I was playing around with wavelet on my old iems, EQing them to Harman and IEF target, and came to a conclusion that the Harman has just enough bass to sound substantial, but not overly bassy. IEF neutral tune sounds pretty brittle. OFC there are limitations to EQ, I understand that, but otherwise I had no opportunity to fiddle with different targets, so.. I was shocked by the sheer extention of the S8's bass, like, all the music just has an extra sub bass layer now that I never heard before. That's crazy to me. Maybe that's cause of its unvented fit, I dunno
Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 t1_j9tptlz wrote
At 689 euro for the pair I sadly have to pass for a few years I'm afraid 😶.
Happy with my recently purchased Moondrop Aria's though!
exnka t1_j9u3i63 wrote
Try to find it on 2nd hand market. Here in my country, an used s8 price dropped to 250$ alrdy.
mmry404 OP t1_j9u40f0 wrote
Whew man, yeah I paid a lot more than that and there was only one in my country.. S8 for 250$ is to die for
Comprehensive-Net553 t1_j9vrdqt wrote
Can I get the source, that price is a steal
Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 t1_j9u6nwv wrote
I will let you know when I'm ready to upgrade, 250 $ is not a bad price, haven't found those prices on local second hand websites in Switzerland or EU.
mmry404 OP t1_j9tqvmk wrote
Thank you very much! Arias are great too! I mean, I'm just happy to find that those $100-ish iems are not yet on the quality/price plateau, which means there is something to look forward to!
Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 t1_j9tt41v wrote
Very true, of course for me there will be a moment to upgrade in the future and happy to see you are over the moon with your new purchase!
mmry404 OP t1_j9txcg3 wrote
Sure! I kinda hesitated at first, but then I figured that my ears don't get better as I age, so I pulled the trigger
Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 t1_j9u0ywk wrote
Well deserved, enjoy!
Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 t1_j9vq6mh wrote
It was pay day today so pulled the trigger on a HiBy FC4 DAC Dongle. The audiophily continues 😅
mmry404 OP t1_j9whtld wrote
Yay! Congrats! Yeah, dongles are a must, as even KZ stuff shows just how shitty my built-in phone dac is (cheap samsung..). Did you notice those artifacts too? I am using the iBasso dc05, didn't even try to run the S8 out of the phone jack, as my ears would probably bleed. Are you planning to run your dongle balanced?
Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 t1_j9xw490 wrote
Running IEM directly from the phone did give me an idea of how good they were compared to normal headphones (or 5 USD IEM's I started with, funnily enough as hearing protectors when riding a motorcycle and as replacement for my helmet speakers from my satnav / phone), it was not long after my first "few bucks IEM that I went into the Rabbit Hole of reddit on them, and here we are today.
The Aria's are superb imho when it comes to IEM's at that price level, but having them now for a while I do notice a bit of tinkering with EQ is needed to get to something I like to listen too more then EQ-less.
Of course I will not try to tinker with the EQ when the HiBy in between for period of time, maybe to change some settings afterwards.
Gotta work from the basis ;)
mmry404 OP t1_j9xx61n wrote
Does that HiBy dongle have an app with volume control? Been looking into balanced dongles today, and somehow it seems like a rare feature, though I find it to be essential, as android's own volume control is not granular enough. My iBasso has that and it's a must IMO
Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 t1_j9xxdof wrote
Good point!
It has a 30 step volume control on the dongle itself (look at the 3rd picture on their website: https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-fc4).
Android volume control sucks, i had the issue when I connect a Bluetooth speaker which volume control buttons control the phones volume control. Can never find the right level 🤣
mmry404 OP t1_j9xy3az wrote
Oh that's cool, will consider it then, thanks!
mmry404 OP t1_ja27fqi wrote
Will you please let me know about your impressions when your hiby arrives? I liked the fc5 model, it only has 4.4 balanced output and is a bit smaller than the fc4, though a bit more expensive, probably cause of glass
Puzzleheaded-Pen4413 t1_ja2ha8o wrote
Sure thing, even though I just started with this audio-hobby. So don't expect a super detailed experience report (but will do my best of course!)
DesTiny_- t1_j9trc0n wrote
That's a big jump
NightmaresNdust t1_j9v0zpb wrote
So you already won the audiophile game, congrats on the speedrun haha. Jokes apart, I'm curious about which KZ you have? Just to get the full picture
mmry404 OP t1_j9v4xf4 wrote
Yeah, that ambivalent feeling of hitting the endgame(?) like, I'm happy but kinda hope that there will still be surprises ahead..
I had the CRN, but then my gf's brother borrowed and lost them and got me the ZSN pro X instead (he isn't into iems, and I didn't want the CRN anyway after all that transpired, haha). The CRN were well-tuned, sounded a bit wider then the others, but didn't resolve that well (duh). The ZSN are OK for a gym beater. I mostly used the NiceHCK nx7 pro, these have competent, but scooped mids and the harshest treble imaginable due to its piezo driver, which I mistook for resolving ability at the time. Still, these were better then all the KZs I tried
BTW, how do ppl in here put their gear into their profile? I only registered my account today and am still figuring things out
pimpys t1_j9vbgg6 wrote
>BTW, how do ppl in here put their gear into their profile?
on the right panel on this sub you have "user flair preview" click on it.
[deleted] t1_j9tczxx wrote
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MikePineda t1_j9vt0yr wrote
Those look like the stock tips that the Tansio Mirai Sands comes with out of the box. I've been curious about the S8 before I got my Blessing 2 in late 2020. I was convinced they weren't worth it when the B2 does at least 90% of what the S8 does for half the price. Still tempted to try it though.
mmry404 OP t1_j9wgi1b wrote
Yeah, those are some of the tips I had lying around, they work best for me at the moment, but still I'm waiting to get some spinfits. I also cut up one spare eartip to make a ring that serves as a bushing that doesn't let an eartip go too deep on the nozzle to better fit my right ear (not on the photo, as it looks janky)
Haven't tried the b2, but also am very curious to try, especially now that they have these crazy new wooden faceplates! There must be diminishing returns, so yeah, I'd expect 80-90% performance out of b2. I hope one of my friends gets it so that we can properly demo them head to head. Another difference between the two is that the S8 is unvented, and I was curious to experience that isolation. I love it
MikePineda t1_j9wlbk6 wrote
I went for the Wooden Green faceplates during the 2020 November 11th sale because I couldn't decide on a custom engraving image (and I wasn't familiar on how to properly format the image for engraving use anyway).
I wished there were a way for me to demo IEMs above $500 where I'm from without having to buy and return them. This is why I'm hesitant to buy IEMs like the Monarch Mk2, U12T, S8, etc.
mmry404 OP t1_j9xeud6 wrote
Yeah, there is an issue with the monarch that it's shell is very large, so that's a no go without a demo, however I would consider S8 to be a relatively safe purchase because of the safe tuning and adequate fit
YummyBaldy t1_j9wlzq8 wrote
You are not using a balanced cable, waifu wants some more juice
sxiller t1_j9ws07u wrote
This. The S8's benefit greatly from a balanced cable. One of the few IEM's in my collection that makes a noticeable difference.
mmry404 OP t1_j9xeg5e wrote
Oh, really? That's super interesting, can you please tell me more about the differences? I am a little skeptical about the balanced connections, but was considering upgrading the dac, so why not?
sxiller t1_j9xfnx8 wrote
Really the biggest changes from what I can tell is the power in the delivery of the bass. Also male vocals become more prevalent and less recessed. Everything else stays pretty similar but with a noticeable bump in general volume.
I highly recommend you try it, it's pretty night / day difference to me.
mmry404 OP t1_j9xg8ep wrote
Wow.. Yeah, the volume thing, I noticed the S8 to be a bit power hungry, or maybe I just love to turn them up. You mean bass gets more energetic at the same volume relative to unbalanced? There's no way I can demo it, so I guess I'll just go balanced then, thanks!
sxiller t1_j9xia69 wrote
Surprisingly it has even more of a punch than I didn't think BA drivers could manage. Even at lower volume levels.
mmry404 OP t1_j9xfvdk wrote
Also, what kind of a dac would you recommend? I recently learned about the moondrop dawn, would that be a good match? I don't want to use a DAP and would gladly just continue with a dongle
sxiller t1_j9xidzp wrote
I power all my IEM's through a FiiO BRT5 which is a portable dac / amp combo.
mmry404 OP t1_j9xoi43 wrote
Dang, been reading about bit perfect streaming all morning and my head is beginning to hurt, there's just so much more stuff to learn... guess I'll do my research before any future upgrades regarding DACs, DAPs and streaming
sxiller t1_j9zvpcs wrote
Don't worry about streaming quality really. Bad or poor audio mixing in certain albums will always be more noticeable. A couple of examples are System Of A Down's self tilted album, and A lot of Avenged Sevenfold's earlier albums. Those will always sound poor regardless of the streaming quality or the medium you are listening through.
Just make it easy, get a portable dac / amp combo and let your IEM's do the rest of the work and you'll save yourself the headache and worry.
mmry404 OP t1_ja0337m wrote
Oh sure, as a musician myself I understand that very well! There are many horrible sounding albums out there... Guess that was my compulsive perfectionism kicking in :) I'm better now, haha
No_Analysis6187 t1_j9ts0gm wrote
Wet dream for weeb music enjoyer