Love that quick tease on the M23, looks nice.. not as bulky as I thought it would be, I just pulled the trigger on an Ibasso DX 180, but was going to get the M23 ... hmm I hope I made the right choice we shall see... look forward to your review.. Aful makes some dope ass IEM's hands down.
Thank you for the detailed and well explained video Andy!! I am sold and bought myself a pair which is expected to arrive next week. Do you think the Moondrop Dawn Pro will be a good pairing to drive it?
Hey Andy, thats a great analysis. Also it would be great if you can create 4 columns beside the overall score denoting the sub-scores. Ya, I can download the excel and do it my self but since you keep on updating the excel it would be helpful for the larger audience. Actually its difficult to keep a track of so many numbers and a summary kind of 4 columns will surely help all.
Thanks. I take your suggestion into consideration. On the other hand, the overall score is determined by 20 sub scores, so I need to ascertain if freezing the fist 4 will make sense, because I don't want to give the wrong impressions that all that difficult task of grading an IEM determined by the first 4 only by my audiences, because some critical factors are actually located on the Technical side which is the last 15,16 and 17th columns
Hi, I want to buy this instead of dunu falcon ultra as it's too harsh for me with both nozzles, and eq didn't help. Is it sensible choice or i should try eqing dunu harder cause maybe it's noticeably better than aful? Also I see you saying bal is better but i really wanted to use a dongle like fiio ka11 (cable extension form factor) instead of my current fiio ka17 which makes deploying and using iem on the go too awkward. Is bal sound that much better that i still better go for the 4.4 route? Nice review!
It seems you are super sensitive to high frequency, so I think this Explorer with narrow bore nozzle will work for you. Use BAL cable if you have KA17, but if your DAC is purely 3.5mm SE and they still have power, no issues at all with 3.5mm SE
Hi Andy! Good midbass? Am I right that these headphones will be good for metal/rock? What headphones in general would you recommend for these genres of music? (nice to have striking drumkick).
Yes, that is true, great for Rock/Metal this one. Just remember that the characteristics of Explorer Midbass is more on smooth transient vibe rather than crisper punch like what you get from Tanchjim ZERO or Hidizs MP145/Final A5000. A matter of preference
I really enjoyed this set especially with velvet wide bore tips. What do you think is the bare minimum dongle that can run this IEM? I'm usually at home and I use topping dx1 and its more than enough for this set but it is too inconvenient to use for on the go even though it is relatively small for a desktop dac amp. I'm considering fiio ja11 atm since I need to save money for now and I bought a single ended cable if that matters.
Bare minimum go for Venture Electronics ODO, the $5 dongle that delivers sound quality surpassing dongles priced above $100. For the very best later you can get ONIX Alpha XI or iBasso DC07Pro
Hi Andy, Aful Explorer vs Delci (if you disregard the price difference) what would you recommend? Esp for Doom Metal, Metal, and orchestral or diana krall type ?
It is not as straightforward. For Metal, Delci offers more and denser Bass and smoother edged decays, but it slightly (very slightly) lacked the resolution and imaging Explorer has. Explorer also offer more relaxed Midbass and a bit more transparency overall. You need to determine which one you prefer more? Since you also mentioned orchestral and Diana Krall into the mix, then Explorer would be a better choice for being less colored and less warmth compared to Delci, but then again, the coloration offered by Delci is also what makes it pleasantly musical too. As I said, not a straightforward thing, you need to decide which sound presentation you will like the most
@donglemadness thanks a ton for that detailed reply. Thought it would be an easy choice (towards explorer) between the two. good I checked with you! Good to hear that Delci is punching above its weight. Tempting to try what has captivated you so much at that price.
@@donglemadness Did you try the Cincotres? They both have a new BA, as I understand it. I suppose the Explorer didn't use the same one (given the price)
@@DrinkWater713 Nope, haven't tried that one too. Just check the ranking list provided in this video and only the ones I listed are the ones I have personally tested
As mentioned in the comparison section, Nova is a thoroughbred Harman based tuning with heavy emphasis on Subbass and a bit more energetic too, Explorer in comparison is less aggressive and more relaxed, a bit more of Midbass presence. But really both are equally matched in many ways
My go-to dac reviewer is slowly turning into my go-to iem reviewer. One interesting thing I noticed is the Explorer makes Metallica's worst sounding album( cough..cough.. Death Magnetic) sound pretty good. Overall a good pair for most of 80s metal IMO.
I am pretty excited about the Dita Audio Project M. Heard great stuff about its treble air and mids. Luckily, no overwhelming bass there apparently. Will probably bite!
@@DrinkWater713 Honestly, between the two of them, neither as the tuning is not exactly my cup of tea, too bass heavy for my taste and not as transparent (a bit too colored both of them), my taste is something like Etymotic flat sound or SIVGA Nightingale. But if I have to choose between the two, I go for P5 if I want Subwoofer type of Bass, or Explorer if I want relaxed super smooth sound
I'm coming from a 7Hz Salnotes Zero. I'm looking for an IEM around this price point($100~) with a sub bass focus and textured bass with overall better technical performance and more detail compared to my 7Hz Salnotes Zero. My main genres are EDM and Pop. Do you have recommendations that fit the bill?
Good question, most likely no, to do BAL, all four channels need to be used for audio signal in/out, there's not enough section on the 4.4mm BAL jack to accommodate another cable for MIC, and that's why you will never see 4.4mm BAL cable with MIC
