I think it’s easy to get carried away in the iem game however for me saving up and buying the U12t (second hand) was the right thing to do. It’s so easy to end up buying multiple cheaper sets that can add up to what I paid or possibly even more than the U12t.
I almost impulse bought this midway through your review as I have been in the hunt for my next iem. Yes, it's an addiction but admitting you have a problem is the first step in recovery!....Anyways...I ended up waiting for the end of the review at which point you did the exact comparison I was looking for (as an owner of both a B2 and the FDX-01). My ears are probably a bit more sensitive to brightness and sibilance than yourself Mark, so it sounds like they won't be my "cup of tea"! But nevertheless, I did want to offer a big "Thank you" for another great review.
I haven't yet bought my first IEM, but I will soon. I'm not an "audiophile" by any means but I find your videos so enjoyable and almost therapeutic to listen to. Not to mention that I'm learning quite a bit and discovering new artists along the way (Ghostly Kisses is fantastic!).
Got these yesterday. These are bass light with very forward-mids, gonna too bright for most people, I don't mind this tuning but will always take a more balanced mid focused tuning coming from the likes of the Legacy 4. Also, really hard to drive without an amp. (Probably due to the Volume's very low impedance) On the plus side, the Volume has good technicalities (Bass texture and staging.) I don't know why Softears went with this tuning direction given that they can tune with more balance in mind. (Especially when the Volume is easily the most accessible IEM on their current catalog.) It's no surprise Mark likes the Volume, he is the biggest SSR fanboy on the web. (Not sponsored by Moondrop Spring tips.)
You can block the BA nozzle with a dampening filter or use a bit of cotton, assuming you can hear the upper mid peak. Very solid IEM with the peak tamed. Don't see the Volume getting any traction tho, not sure why given that people can finally try a Softears IEM without totally breaking the bank.
I just got the KATO based on your review and I have been loving its bass extesion/texture, mids, and coherency. Would you call the Volume as an upgrade over the KATO? (I know they are at different price bracket but I've had way more expensive IEMs and I prefer KATO over them).
Thanks for the excellent review! About to pull the trigger on these and will probably sell my Midnight to buy these - from what I'm hearing, I will definitely enjoy these more than the OG B2 but curious as to your thoughts on these vs Dusk - the lower and mid range graphs for these and the Dusk are incredibly similar - would love to hear more about the differences between the two!
These were gathering dust in my IEM library for weeks and I decided to try them again. I think the Volume is a decent alternative to the B2 / B2:Dusk but isn't quite there. Dunno, maybe you want something that sits between the OG B2 and Dusk? Because that's basically what the Volume is.
Interesting comparisons. Of the three, the only ones I personally own are the Drop + JVC HA-FDX1 & they are my favorite. I prefer them with the 50% filters installed. I also prefer wearing them down. I would also add they the FDX1 sometimes go on sale as I got mine for $175 & I've often seen them for $199. Drop has had a tough time keeping them in stock! Spiral Dots & Spring Tips are my two favorite ear tips. I would advise anyone considering the Spring Tips to move up a size as they run small.
Another great content review Mark of the Softears Volume, I just received my Softears Volume from HiFiGo this week and I changed the eartips to the large Moondrop Spring tips, I'm not treble sensitive but some reviewers on RU-vid saying there's a peak at 3k on the treble region, but so far I'm liking it like what you said is a fun iem, question would change the cable on the Volume, and another question which is better overall iem between the Variations or the S8, & have a great, wonderful, blessed, positive, productive and safe week.
Nicely Done. I noticed you don't talk about the lack of a screen anymore. It seems common place on more expensive iems to have larger bore holes & no screens, but who wants to ruin an iem.
Since you won’t be doing as many shows this year, what about using some of the IEMs you have but won’t be reviewing as part of the comparison section. Right now you typically use 3 IEMs for this but what if you added a 4th IEM to the mix? Just a thought. Every show you is greatly appreciated. 👍🏼
How do these compare to the moondrop variations? Looking for a good fun sounding neutral with bass boost and good technicalities iem and these two fit my criteria. Wondering if its worth paying more to move up to the variations or if i should try these first to see if i like them.
What cable are you using on the blessing 2? They looked awesome. Also if im using the small and medium stock b2 eartips, which size of the spring tips would u recommend?
How does the volume stack up to the variations? I want to pickup a variations but my ears have always been picky for the more "uniquely shaped" IEMs, I've tried the volume in a store and it was fairly comfortable. Sadly none of the local stores here carry the variations for a demo.
If you can try Blessing 2, that fits exactly the same as Variations. Sound is different versus Volume in a lot of ways. Overall I prefer Variations, but Volume is fun in its own right, more contrasty, brighter, with more bass felt more of the time.
I cant decide between the volume or the kato. I have the aria and i love the tuning, but i havent been able to find an upgrade with similar tuning. ive got 1000 bucks to spend
I can't help but think, for what it does, it is way to expensive... I tested it together with the RS10 (Which is heavily overpriced. Its basically the Moondrop S8 just for an higher price, nothing more, nothing less) and even though this is way cheaper, almost 10% of the price of the RS10, it is still overpriced to me. The XBA-N3 is from 2016 and still outperforms this IEM for roughly the same price (with Sonys proprietary drivers Made in Japan). Even though the XBA-N3 does have a bit stronger bass (which, in this price range, should result into an slower/lower quality bass) the XBA-N3 is actually faster and does have the better textured bass. The Treble is much smoother and linear and even though the Softears Volume at first sounds like it has more detail, playing some demanding songs shows that the amount of detail is actually much higher on the XBA-N3. They are not as forward, but there is more there. But, by far, the biggest difference is the sound stage. The XBA-N3 does have an large and big soundstage in all directions while the Softears Volume, like the RS10, sounds pretty claustrophobic. I mean its not bad, by no means, it is an good sounding, fun and high quality In-Ear, but after 6 years and for roughly the same price (at least in germany), you should be able outperform the competition. To my experience, the Softears Volume is on the Level of the FiiO FH3, around that. And this is nothing bad, the FH3 is an excellent In-Ear that really re-defined its price bracket. But the FH3 actually costs the price it is worth. Its MSRP in germany waas 139€ and right now sells for 109€ which is an absolute no brainer. The Softears Volume on the other Hand... i don't know. Its just an FH3 with a different tuning that costs roughly 3-times the price because it says Softears on the box. I'd say its over priced. I'd rather get the FH3 for 1/3 of the price or the XBA-N3 which is significantly better for roughly the same price. At this price point, i don't see any reason to get the Softears (no matter which of them)
May I ask regarding the eartips Mark, the claim is that moondrop spring tips will reduce the treble response and when I observe the design, on the stem, it has two parts and the harder one is actually shorter than the whole stem. I'm guessing that because of that, the end of the nozzle can move or compressed more than normal tips thus reducing the treble. I notice you install it very far on the iem as it look flush with the iem's nozzle. Do you notice significant changes in treble response? thanks in advance
I've talked about this in the Q&A for this video, but the #1 reason I use Spring tips is fit security. Any difference in sound is too personalized for me to extrapolate as advice.
@@SuperReview I see, thank you for that. Based on my experience, I find that the moondrop spring tips is by far the most comfortable material to my ear. The thinness of the material really helps.
Hi Mark, may I ask a favour to review the Hifiman HM800 since it has the most different approach from the common dongle dac. Really curious on how it performs sonically and why choosing that certain configuration. Thanks in advance
It's a good concept, but I probably won't review it. I have designed a similar concept with a few more problems solved that I would love to review, if it existed :D
Any idea where you can buy a variety pack of spring tips (S,M,L)? I'm tempted to try them but not sure what size will fit me. All I can find are single size 3 packs for ~13USD
Have been listening to the Kato for the last 4 months and have been thinking about upgrading to the Dusk, now looking at the Softears volume as well. Is it enough of an upgrade over Kato or should I go straight to Variations? Thank you
@@SuperReview I really enjoy the tuning of the Kato and I'd say I'm looking for more of the same with better dynamics and more detail and perhaps a little more treble air. Thank you again.
I have a dusk, and when I listen to music, the vocals are emphasized a lot, so it feels like it's approaching me, which makes it feel less space. Would volume be a good alternative? Need more space and little less vocal emphasizing and little more base boost.
@@SuperReview Oh my... I should cancel the order. I have been waiting for a month to be deleverd and they informed me that shipping would start on March 21st. The Korean youtuber said Softears IEM usually feel more space than other IEM. Can you recommend me IEM with a rich space and good resolution $200-400? I have pro x50, dusk, wf-1000xm4 (I feel the xm4 has more room space then the ohter i have)
I saw the official measurements of the Moondrop Spring Tips just now bcs I want to buy some. But one thing that makes me curious is the size of them that they stated. The largest size is said to be less than 12mm which is really weird. Can you confirm this, or measure the size of all the tips? Just wanted to ask this before I purchase some
They're a little small. Here are some measurements I made versus stock Moondrop tips. Stock Moondrop tips are very typical in size: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LvEPImixmvA55N76RdOyHvrXvK-X9mAmSjf-A5-oDpo/edit?usp=sharing
@@SuperReview my right ear is plugged and that takes exactly half the fun out of listening. Still keeping my good ear to the ground for news of new Super* Review episodes.
@@SuperReview Yes. I got an ear-scope from Amazon and and cleaned it out. When they tell you not to use Q-tips in your ears they are speaking truth. But maybe I am over sharing. 🙂
