[TiMSport]

A play on words that means Chinese High Fidelity (HiFi)

I didn’t know what all the hype was (among nerds into this kind of thing) but I stumbled across some bloggers that reviewed these mysterious low-cost earphones or IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) and other audio gear about a year ago. There were a number of people pushing these roughly $35 IEMs made in China that they claimed would blow away anything most people owned, including earphones that cost hundreds of dollars. Of course I was pessimistic that anything that cheap could be worth a shit. I said to myself screw it, why not? I’m only out 35 bucks if they suck and I can return them. I bought them and after receiving them a few days later, I about shit myself over how great they sounded. Even convinced friends and family to try them out. No one was disappointed. These are no joke and made all the earphones I’ve had until now sound poor in comparison. I thought I had some good ones too. The difference is these are over-the-ear type IEMs which took a bit of getting used to. They’re basically earphones that extend slightly into the ear canal and have the audio wire wrapped over your ear usually.

If you’re in the music biz or audio recording or the like, this style is nothing new for you. I think people that like using Bluetooth and/or wireless sets may not care for having to use a cable but it’s by far worth it to me due to the sheer sound quality in return. Mind you, this is a super cheap pair. This was the beginning of my journey down the rabbit hole and haven’t looked back since.

In case anyone is interested in risking a whole 35 bucks (actually $38.99 on Amazon now) via Prime, they are called “Linsoul BLON-03 HiFi 10mm Carbon Diaphragm Dynamic Driver In-Ear Earphone IEM with 0.78mm 2pin Detachable Cable (without mic, silver)” to be precise. Yeah it’s a mouthful to say but trust me on this one. This is a perfect starter kit if you will.


Now the thing with IEMs is each person’s ears are unique so there’s never truly a one-size-fits-all situation when it comes to the actual ear “tips” being used. This is another world when it comes to tips, but there are endless choices out there for various tips made from different materials. I use a Japanese brand called Final Audio and their black silicone tips. They are excellent but you need to find the appropriate size to fit you well.

For the record, I have absolutely no affiliation with these brands but just passing along a wonderful experience I’ve had in discovering cheap but very high quality audio gear in case you're not familiar with it.

If you want to do some research on the whole Chi-Fi scene you will find plenty with Google and find endless sources and articles and places to shop. This market has matured over the past year and I haven’t kept up with it. A well-respected blogger found on YouTube that goes by the name of BGGAR (Bad Guy Good Audio Gear) that has been at this for a while and a no nonsense reviewer of products is a good source of information. He is the reason I came across the BLON-03. There are plenty others but he’s refreshing and extremely informative. There are also lots of sources for reviews such as Headphonics, Headfonia, Crinacle, etc.

I’ve inched my way up and pulled the trigger on a few more higher end IEMs and complimentary gear to go along with them. If you like music and audio gear, this is a fun hobby but you have to be careful because there are just so many brands out there, and most of them you won’t find at your typical retail outlet. That’s why it’s good to do your due diligence and see what these people are saying about all of these products.

I will say that some of the best gear I’ve bought is from one of the more established Chi-Fi companies called Fiio and their stuff is excellent and reasonably priced. If you look at their company’s website they remind me of a Chinese Sony. I’ve gotten lucky and picked up a few of their items on eBay (open box not used) for really good prices and have been extremely happy. You can really get lucky on eBay every now and then as many of you know. Never thought I would need a HiRes wireless DAC amp like this. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

Sorry I couldn't figure out how to arrange the photos the way I wanted so they all ended up at the bottom. They're just some pictures of a few of the items I have collected this past year.

1. Fiio Q5s Hi-Res wireless DAC amp
2. Fiio Q5s Hi-Res wireless DAC amp
3. BLON-03 IEM (best value bar none!)
4. Fiio FH5 IEM (quad driver hybrid type)
5. Fiio FH5 IEM with accessory kit

https://www.fiio.com/q5s

https://www.fiio.com/fh5

[Murf993]

So I'm a bit of a hifi guy, I love tube amps. They aren't cheap, but if you have a look at what's coming out of China it is shocking at what you can get for a fraction of the price of ones build just about anywhere else. Selling them on Amazon, and they get great reviews. I won't buy one though, I am seriously trying to not buy stuff from China....won't get all political though.

[4Hockey4]

Originally Posted by Murf993

So I'm a bit of a hifi guy, I love tube amps. They aren't cheap, but if you have a look at what's coming out of China it is shocking at what you can get for a fraction of the price of ones build just about anywhere else. Selling them on Amazon, and they get great reviews. I won't buy one though, I am seriously trying to not buy stuff from China....won't get all political though.

Agreed 100%. Buy local (jebus is that a political statement now ?!?!)

I'm still trying to get my turntable stylus dialed in...getting Riverstone gauge assistance this weekend

I did discovered recently my "builder grade" house we bought used has Polk speakers in wall..nice surprise.

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by Murf993

So I'm a bit of a hifi guy, I love tube amps. They aren't cheap, but if you have a look at what's coming out of China it is shocking at what you can get for a fraction of the price of ones build just about anywhere else. Selling them on Amazon, and they get great reviews. I won't buy one though, I am seriously trying to not buy stuff from China....won't get all political though.

Yeah I hear ya man. I felt the same but couldn't resist because the pure value proposition for stuff coming out is simply.... irresistible? I'm weak! What my main point originally is the incredible sound coming out of a $35 IEM.

My dad builds tube amps as a hobby and would also be surprised at what they're doing over there.

Are you familiar with Line Magnetic Audio and their tube amps? I guess they're supposed to really be something and considered a bargain though they run in the thousands.

In any case there are a bunch of really good Japanese audio companies as well, and not the the big box brands everyone has heard of.

[Murf993]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

Yeah I hear ya man. I felt the same but couldn't resist because the pure value proposition for stuff coming out is simply.... irresistible? I'm weak! What my main point originally is the incredible sound coming out of a $35 IEM.

My dad builds tube amps as a hobby and would also be surprised at what they're doing over there.

Are you familiar with Line Magnetic Audio and their tube amps? I guess they're supposed to really be something and considered a bargain though they run in the thousands.

In any case there are a bunch of really good Japanese audio companies as well, and not the the big box brands everyone has heard of.

I am familiar with Lin Magnetic. I lurk on https://www.canuckaudiomart.com there is a USaudiomart as well, I've bought and sold here. I'm on this site daily just cruising. I'm thinking I'd like to get a 300B SET amp and a set of Tannoy Turnbury or Kensington's....

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by Murf993

I am familiar with Lin Magnetic. I lurk on https://www.canuckaudiomart.com there is a USaudiomart as well, I've bought and sold here. I'm on this site daily just cruising. I'm thinking I'd like to get a 300B SET amp and a set of Tannoy Turnbury or Kensington's....

These?

[MKSixer]

Trigger pulled. Delivery tomorrow.

[Murf993]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

Trigger pulled. Delivery tomorrow.

On the buds?

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by Murf993

On the buds?

Yes. On the buds. Will test it then move on to the amps.

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

Yes. On the buds. Will test it then move on to the amps.

Cool. Just to clarify are you talking about the inexpensive BLON-03s? If so, be advised you're going to receive a really funky and cheap packaging that has led to an Internet full of jokes about it. For the money it's not about the packaging though.

If you're interested, the best reviews of these BLON-03s were from the reviewer I mentioned BGGAR. He posted this back in 2019 when they first came out. This guy has a cult-like following because they love his no bullshit style. I guess he's a dude originally from Hawaii and now lives in Japan. Lots of stories. He just posted a really interesting segment about Chi-Fi coincidentally which is very interesting and talks about maturation v. saturation of the market for these products. He is not a paid influencer so I respect his opinions and apparently many others do as well.

Another one that is quite frankly hilarious called Z Reviews and he goes by the nickname Zeos Pantera. He's hilarious too and I recommend you check out his review of the BLON-03s. Funny as shit.

For the record, since this IEM came out in 2019 there has been a ton of other low-cost ones that are probably better but just not sure about the price point. Like I said in my initial post, you definitely cannot lose for $35. Stuff like Bose is a joke in comparison when considering how much they cost. Oh speaking of Bose, try to find anything that resembles an actual specification for their earbuds.

Personally I had replaced the cable that came with those BLON-03s as they are very cheap and flimsy, but they will still reproduce sound that's quite good. I ended up getting an upgraded cable from Amazon called HiFi Hear (yeah, I know). These cost close to the cost of the buds but when I realized how good the core buds were, I knew I would invest in a quality cable that is way more comfortable and better sounding. It's an 8 core silver plated copper litz wire, one that looks nice and is soft and pliable and easier to route over your ear. You'll know what I'm talking about once you receive the original cable that comes with the BLON-03. They are not good so you'll want to replace them.

Sorry if you're already somewhat familiar with this kind of stuff but whenever you buy accessories, you have to make sure you choose the appropriate connectors. In this case it's a 2-pin connector style. You will have choices when buying these things online.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I will reiterate that I have zero connection to any of these vendors but simply wanted to share my experience as have many on the Internet about their joyful surprise with these IEMs. I know some people would rather refrain from not buying "local" but I can assure you nothing out there can compete, certainly not at this price point.

Take a look at a well known American company called Campfire Audio based in Portland, OR. They make awesome gear but their stuff is $$$. I never knew earbuds/IEMs could cost so much. They're a good outfit though. You will find plenty of people comparing their ChiFi products to stuff they make and often times what they got is better. For the record, many of these ChiFi companies are legit and they have spent many years with R&D and they have invested money in their production labs and have cutting edge tools to make this stuff. I've read about people visiting factories for QA checks and verification. What they do nowadays with resin materials and 3D printers is mind bending. Think custom-made buds to fit your ears and multiple driver hybrid products. Fascinating stuff really.

I'll save this for a future post though, lol. Some seriously cool shit out there.

[Murf993]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

Cool. Just to clarify are you talking about the inexpensive BLON-03s? If so, be advised you're going to receive a really funky and cheap packaging that has led to an Internet full of jokes about it. For the money it's not about the packaging though.

If you're interested, the best reviews of these BLON-03s were from the reviewer I mentioned BGGAR. He posted this back in 2019 when they first came out. This guy has a cult-like following because they love his no bullshit style. I guess he's a dude originally from Hawaii and now lives in Japan. Lots of stories. He just posted a really interesting segment about Chi-Fi coincidentally which is very interesting and talks about maturation v. saturation of the market for these products. He is not a paid influencer so I respect his opinions and apparently many others do as well.

Another one that is quite frankly hilarious called Z Reviews and he goes by the nickname Zeos Pantera. He's hilarious too and I recommend you check out his review of the BLON-03s. Funny as shit.

For the record, since this IEM came out in 2019 there has been a ton of other low-cost ones that are probably better but just not sure about the price point. Like I said in my initial post, you definitely cannot lose for $35. Stuff like Bose is a joke in comparison when considering how much they cost. Oh speaking of Bose, try to find anything that resembles an actual specification for their earbuds.

Personally I had replaced the cable that came with those BLON-03s as they are very cheap and flimsy, but they will still reproduce sound that's quite good. I ended up getting an upgraded cable from Amazon called HiFi Hear (yeah, I know). These cost close to the cost of the buds but when I realized how good the core buds were, I knew I would invest in a quality cable that is way more comfortable and better sounding. It's an 8 core silver plated copper litz wire, one that looks nice and is soft and pliable and easier to route over your ear. You'll know what I'm talking about once you receive the original cable that comes with the BLON-03. They are not good so you'll want to replace them.

Sorry if you're already somewhat familiar with this kind of stuff but whenever you buy accessories, you have to make sure you choose the appropriate connectors. In this case it's a 2-pin connector style. You will have choices when buying these things online.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I will reiterate that I have zero connection to any of these vendors but simply wanted to share my experience as have many on the Internet about their joyful surprise with these IEMs. I know some people would rather refrain from not buying "local" but I can assure you nothing out there can compete, certainly not at this price point.

Take a look at a well known American company called Campfire Audio based in Portland, OR. They make awesome gear but their stuff is $$$. I never knew eabuds/IEMs could cost so much. They're a good outfit though. You will find plenty of people comparing their ChiFi products to stuff they make and often times what they got is better. For the record, many of these ChiFi companies are legit and they have spent many years with R&D and they have invested money in their production labs and have cutting edge tools to make this stuff. I've read about people visiting factories for QA checks and verification. What they do nowadays with resin materials and 3D printers is mind bending. Think custom-made buds to fit your ears and multiple driver hybrid products. Fascinating stuff really.

I'll save this for a future post though, lol. Some seriously cool shit out there.

Bose has a lot of haters, I have the Accoustomass home theatre and it serves the purpose, but you are right. They don't publish specs regarding performance for any of their products.

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by Murf993

Bose has a lot of haters, I have the Accoustomass home theatre and it serves the purpose, but you are right. They don't publish specs regarding performance for any of their products.

To be fair, I don't hate Bose per se, I just think they have a lot of very overrated products that are asking a premium price due to the name attached to it. I've had a couple of Bose home theater surround systems that did the trick in the past. Owned a few cars with Bose audio systems and they were just meh. B&O is far superior for car audio systems IMO. One of the things I have enjoyed about some of my Audis.

What I hate about Bose is their earbuds/earphones/headphones. They do not publish specs at all and I hate that. Not even simple crap like frequency response. I have no idea why they hide that data because pretty much EVERYONE provides it. I know people love their noise canceling headphones but I'm not a fan. I own IEMs that are not designed to cancel noise but they do a pretty good job of blocking out a lot of external noise.

I've been tempted to snap up a pair of HIFIMAN headphones though such as the Sundara. They are cheap and reportedly fantastic sounding for planar magnetic full sized headphones
They make a number of high end headphones that are critically acclaimed. The guy is based in New York.

[TiMSport]

I've been eying these bad boys called Unique Melody "Mest" which many are raving about. Combines some really interesting technologies including something called a "bone conduction driver". These are $$$ though.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Frequency response range: 20Hz-55KHz
Sensitivity: @1KHz 118dB
Impedance: 14Ω
Driver Count: 8
Crossover: 5-way crossover system
Driver Configuration: 1Dynamic low+2BA Mid high+2BA High+2EST Ultra high+1Bone Conduction

[Murf993]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

I've been eying these bad boys called Unique Melody "Mest" which many are raving about. Combines some really interesting technologies including something called a "bone conduction driver". These are $$$ though.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Frequency response range: 20Hz-55KHz
Sensitivity: @1KHz 118dB
Impedance: 14Ω
Driver Count: 8
Crossover: 5-way crossover system
Driver Configuration: 1Dynamic low+2BA Mid high+2BA High+2EST Ultra high+1Bone Conduction

How does something that small get down to 20Hz?

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by Murf993

How does something that small get down to 20Hz?

I have a pair of ultra rare IEMs by a small company called Hyla out of Japan. These are the best ones I have ever owned. I had never heard of such sub bass in my life and not the smack you over the head kind of bass but quality and low rumble bass that makes the hair on the back of my neck raise on certain music I listen to. I tend to listen to a lot of electronic type music.

These CE-5s I have also go down to 20hz. They only made 200 sets of these so I feel lucky to own a pair

https://www.hyla-audio.com/ce-5

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/hyl....22833/reviews


I also had a custom cable made for it from an American company called Moon Audio in NC. Terminated it with a 4.4mm Pentaconn Sony connector for my balanced output on my Sony DAP. Sounds great!

https://www.moon-audio.com/bronze-dr...one-cable.html

NOTE: You need to hear the capabilities of these masterpieces whether it's the Unique Melody brand or Hyla or a bunch of others. They are no joke and will absolutely stun you with their sonic capabilities. I hyped up a $35 pair of IEMs because they are shockingly good for something so cheap. Of course when you spend hundreds of dollars it's another level. You gotta start off cheap in order to clear out any pessimism you may have and go from there.

I love this line a reviewer had for this set:
"When listening through the CE-5 from Hyla, one doesn’t monitor audio, they experience music."

My Hyla CE-5 set:

[zx10guy]

Nice to see another audio enthusiast here.

I'm going to have to try these IEMs out. I'm running a set of Shure SE535s.

I also second Moon Audio. I've been using them for years. I first used them to make up custom sets of Cardas Crosslink interconnects in balanced configuration. I don't remember if I bought the Crosslink speaker cables from them or my local specialty shop. I recently used them to make up a set of balanced cables for my Oppo PM-3s.

For the Shure, I use a portable amplifier from Ray Samuels Audio called the Predator. It also has a built in USB DAC. For the Oppo PM-3s, I use a Ray Samuels F35 Lightning. Currently using that amp with a single ended source. I'll be looking to get a DAP with balanced outs to mate up to this setup for full balanced audio through the entire chain.

On the tubes front, I have a Vincent Audio PHO-700 phono preamp mated to a VPI HW19Jr with a MKIII platter, Audioquest PT8(or 9 can't remember), and a Sumiko Blue Point Special EVO III.

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

Nice to see another audio enthusiast here.

I'm going to have to try these IEMs out. I'm running a set of Shure SE535s.

I also second Moon Audio. I've been using them for years. I first used them to make up custom sets of Cardas Crosslink interconnects in balanced configuration. I don't remember if I bought the Crosslink speaker cables from them or my local specialty shop. I recently used them to make up a set of balanced cables for my Oppo PM-3s.

For the Shure, I use a portable amplifier from Ray Samuels Audio called the Predator. It also has a built in USB DAC. For the Oppo PM-3s, I use a Ray Samuels F35 Lightning. Currently using that amp with a single ended source. I'll be looking to get a DAP with balanced outs to mate up to this setup for full balanced audio through the entire chain.

On the tubes front, I have a Vincent Audio PHO-700 phono preamp mated to a VPI HW19Jr with a MKIII platter, Audioquest PT8(or 9 can't remember), and a Sumiko Blue Point Special EVO III.

Nice! I'm glad there are other enthusiasts here as well!
As for the IEMs, do give them a shot and see what $38 will buy you today.

The Shure IEMs you have are respectable and have been around for a long time I believe and are not cheap. I think this is a perfect example for you to benchmark the inexpensive BLON-03. I'm sure you will be very surprised. As I told others, you'll want to use a different cable for sure.

FWIW, this guy who calls himself Crinacle is a well respected reviewer of IEMs and headphones, especially all of these Chi-Fi brands and models. He doesn't limit his reviews or analyses to them however, as he also includes a number of American, Japanese and other brands as well. I bookmarked this following site a while ago and use it as a reference. It's a really nice ranking list he put together. Of course he's just one guy out there with his own opinions on audio gear like this, but based on what people seem to think about his opinions, I have gathered it serves as a very informative source.

You will see your Shure IEMs in the list, as well as a couple of others I have mentioned earlier. What is fascinating to me is you can see the astronomical prices on some of these units all the way across the spectrum to very inexpensive ones. Technology has really taken off and produced some unbelievable earphones.

https://crinacle.com/rankings/iems/

[TiMSport]

MKSixer, did you take delivery of the buds?

[freakystyly]

I picked up a set of Edifier TWS1 a couple months back. I have no huge complaints about them at that price point. I haven't used them a whole lot but noticed there's a lack of depth at low volume levels likely from the batteries taking up space. For what they are, I think they're great. They aren't joking about the con being very slippery.

https://www.soundguys.com/edifier-tws1-review-28516/
https://www.amazon.ca/Edifier-TWS1-T.../dp/B07TTB8S8F

[fiveohwblow]

Is it just because I’m mobile, or do the links in the OP not contain options to purchase? Just want to verify before I go searching.

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by fiveohwblow

Is it just because I’m mobile, or do the links in the OP not contain options to purchase? Just want to verify before I go searching.

Hi there. If you mean my initial post, I provided a few different links for product reviews as well as a couple simply showing what I had purchased online via Amazon for an upgrade cable for the cheap buds I highlighted. Not sure what you may not be seeing though.

The links in the very first post I made was to show a company called Fiio which I'm a big fan of. These were not links for purchase per se, but to this manufacturer's website. I was just showing off some cool gear that I had never seen from anyone else including a certified HiRes wireless DAC amp. I bought mine (Q5s) on eBay which was a great deal. I just checked the company's website and when I click on Buy Now it doesn't do anything. Not sure if that is what you're talking about?

Nonetheless, if you Google any of these products it will provide you with the appropriate links to retailers that sell their products I think.

Aliexpress seems to be a popular retail outlet for a lot of Chi-Fi gear though I have never used them.

If you're interested in the cheap buds (BLON-03) or IEMS, you can get them on Amazon which is where I got mine.

[TiMSport]

If anyone has experience with products that fall into this category, please share. I'm interested in hearing people's experience with this stuff.