Monk IEM “Biggie” REVIEW

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It’s Biggie when he was smalls…get it? Nah? nevermind…

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I will do a review and post it … and hit up the social networks when it’s done.

Biggie and Smalls and the “7 day Theory”

Day #1

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Figured Biggie would get clear benefits from a hardware bass boost.

This set-up Note4 and FiiO Q1mkII is much better than the X7II with stock AM3A amp.

Vinyl rip of…yeah Vinyl rip of All Eyez on Me sound nice. Bass boosted by EQ and hardware and some boost in treb and this sounds much nicer. All the dope mixing by Johhny J and D.J. Quick behind 2pac’s lyrics shining through.

Day #2

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I figured the Shozy Alien + would provide the power for VE Biggie but it is revealing the need for an eq in the late bass /mids?

Is the bass blooming into the early mids or are they recessed? Never seen a chart but it is one of the 2. Shame the Shozy doesn’t have even a basic EQ as the pair seems great but not enough tweakability. Actually sounds like something needs a boost more than a cut…

I will work on other devices EQ’s. This coulda been a nice pairing as the Shozy is epic in sound and ghetto in all else.

Day #3

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Sounds better than the Shozy because of EQ but still not shining like with the hardware bass boost on the Q1mkII

This is good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not bass boosted goodness 😉

Day #4

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Sorry about the finger prints but it was crashing again 😦

Headfonics reviewed this while it was still on a early beat firmware which blew my mind. 3 months later and it is still having issues. 3 moths ago Hiby was crashing, the storage was going ghost and most folks reported that. Some sites need to balance being first with being….looking like a moron/tool/hype site

I got nothing about Biggie. Thing wouldn’t start. likely not a good pair due to power and limited EQ. I like the device but it needs work.

Sorry Biggie. Day 4 just walked out the door and didn’t leave nuttin’

Day #5

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Pairing Biggie with the OPUS#2

Using the same EQ I used on the X7MKII and it sounds very good. This is still not as good as the Q1MKI which is really tripps since that is a amp/dac and it’s not very expensive but like the Melody ME.1…The Biggie seem to sound best with a good hardware bass boost.

I told Lee pretty quick that I liked Small the best of the 2 but with a good flick of a bass switch that choice is less easy. These need power. No question. Particularly to get good bass and through what seems like a slight veil? Not sure, but the increased dynamics that come from power do a lot for biggie

Day #6

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Mmm, no.

The more power the better. That is without doubt. Burn in be damned, these need to be kicked in with some juice. Gonna try to throttle em with an amp then see where we at.

Day #7

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Best pairing…and most potent source. Q1MKII with bass boost might be better though.

Biggie likes power

MONK IE BIGGIE

Style In-Ear

Detachable Cable

Connectors 0.78mm 2pin

Driver Dynamic

Resistance 80Ω

Sound

The Biggie monk IEM reminds me of the TFZ 5s.

Biggie has a detachable cable and fits better due to smaller housing though.

 

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2pac’s   “Shorty wanna be a Thug”

 

Lots of minute details going on in the background and if the bass is elevated to a tactile level the mids and some details get lost.  They are named after my favorite Hip hop artist’s chief rival but they are not best suited for basshead or bass dominant stuff.

 

Some folks will be happy to hear that

 

 

 

 

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“Wanna be startin’ Somethin'”

This sounds better as it does not require a big bass boost and the mids are left along to play back the Quincy jones engineered audio info fest. There is a lot going on and you can catch most of it at regular listening levels.

 

 

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“Never Goin’ back Again”

 

Not as crisp as Biggies brother “Smalls” but pretty much what the TFZ gave me.  I sometimes think I shoulda started with Smalls but I got a feeling Biggie will be left behind little brother over time so I start with biggie.

 

 

 

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Foreplay/It’s been such a long Time

 

Because of the electric guitar’s range the Biggie actually do good here because the mix is done well and besides the “Foreplay” minutia the rock group members come through nicely though the vocals seem a tad back

 

 

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Biggie is not a stage monster.

This album sounds great but I use it for stage mostly and that is not this sets strong point.

 

 

So where the fuck are we?

 

Bass

Can slam with power but it WILL hurt the mids. I gotta feeling they are slightly elevated stock leaving less headroom before distortion or a veil forms. The Sony EX series are basically flat and have lots of room and 16mm and good power input handling so they are rare. Most single dynamic will start choking on 55Hz boosts.

 

**Hardware bass boost can help as it is not a DSP like EQ is…not really anyway, it helps this set a lot**

 

Mids

 

Fine as they are but will get pushed back by bass EQ.  Use a hardware bass switch to leave the mids alone as much as you can. These are not mid forward so you will push them back even further

 

 

Treble

 

Surprisingly not bad. The “V” ish sig means the treble is there and not piercing at all. Could be rolled after 9-10Khz but that shouldn’t bother most folks

 

If “Smalls” wasn’t so damn good and coming with “Biggie” I might like it more but little brother steals Biggie’s spotlight.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Lee.

 

It’s about the music, the clan and being in it.

It’s never been about the money.  That, that is Strictly business. Venture Clan is about more than business. They helped a person, not in the clan, I hope not, cuz I sent a mail telling him to show some damn respect so if he is family…my bad.

I do not do good things to make others happy. I do them to make myself happy….about myself. Lee is like that.

Try and join the clan and get booted for being a fool or supported for trying not to be.

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If you are a power user Biggie will be fine as he needs amp and a bass switch but since you get the really excellent brother “Smalls” (pic top of review…white IEM)…you get BOTH for less than you pay for 1 mediocre set from many companies….you pull triggers…you pull them nowz!!

 

https://www.veclan.com/engappliance_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=23

FiiO F9 PRO Full review

The FiiO F9 PRO. FiiO’s 1st real Approach to Audiophiles

The FiiO F9 PRO is a shot at Audiophiles who enjoy a detail filled listen with tuning that resembles the classic Sony EX1000 among others. Did they hit the mark? Lets check it out.

 

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The F9 Pro uses

(x1) Dynamic 9.2mm PEK Polymer nanocomposite driver

(x2) Balanced armature drivers. the “Knowles” TWFK-30017-000

 

 

Impedance is 28 Ohm

Max input rated at 100mW

 

 

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Design

 

 

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FiiO has made an all metal design with an MMCX connect and mesh covered nozzle with a lip for securing the eartips. The interior is lined with plastic to secure the driver and reduce resonance.

 

It feels like an aluminum peanut. It fits like a piece of hearing protection which is to say it fits really really good with the proper eartips which depend on your ear size.

 

 

 

Inside the Box

 

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Inside you find 

As mentioned above:

 

Hard shell case

Soft carry case

(x1)  2.5mm balanced cable

(x1) 3.5mm single end  (SE) cable

(12) sets of ear tips 6 bass enhancing sets and 6 balanced sound sets

 

 

 

 

 

Sound impressions:

 

STAGE

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Foreplay/It’s been such a long Time

 

The wide spacey intro “Foreplay” is the kind of stadium rock anthem the the F9 PRO shine on. The treble clarity and peaks create a great sense of space. There is no perceived restriction on the virtual playback stage. Live recordings or those with large presentations from Classic to live 70’s arena rock shine on these

 

 

 

 

MIDS

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Gold Dust Woman

 

Male and Female vocal Fundamentals are stretched across the entire mid range.

Stevie Nicks and at times Lindsey Buckingham and others sound well balanced and well placed. The mids would be slightly forward or proper. There is no recess detected to my ears. The mid to early treble is one of the strong points of this set. Guitar also sounds very good both electric and acoustic.

 

 

BASS

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Dazed and Confused

The opening notes of John Paul Jones Bass guitar are clear and extend into the harmonic range nicely. The lower sub-bass seems to be somewhat lacking. These are not basshead in any form nor were they advertised as such

 

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According to FiiOs own advert it is a relatively neutral bass tuning with no real increase or recess along it’s range.  It sounds that way. Some folks may want to add roughly +3dB or more/less depending on tastes for a fuller sound in the lows with more impact. An EQ will work a hardware bass switch would be ideal for many.

 

 

 

 

TREBLE

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Shorty Wanna be a Thug

 

 

There is a ton of studio deck mixing going on on this track and the better the treble the more you will hear. Everything comes through loud and clear. The F9 has a peak at 7-8Khz. The PRO has one at close to the same point according to their graph. it seems less harsh than the F9 to me? They could graph out identical but while it sounds like a bright IEM it does not grate on me like the F9 did initially. I got used to it or this is just a bit better in resolution, clarity and no worse than the F9 peak perhaps better. This could be my brain getting burnt in though so take that with 2 grains of Salt

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

Did FiiO do what they set out to do?

 

Well, if the graph they made was what they wanted then yes. It sounds very detailed with a large presentation and a tame bass region. No noted recess in mids. That is what they showed in their own graph and that is what they did, to these ears.

 

If you like the Sony EX1000 like I do ( I fracking love em’!!) then you would like these and they fit much much better than the Sony.

 

 

Initial unboxing video

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy at:

AMAZON

https://www.amazon.com/Headphones-Earphones-Detachable-Monitors-Compatible/dp/B077L3S4MQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1512140121&sr=8-2&keywords=FiiO+F9+PRO

 

 

 

 

FiiO provided this sample to me for free.

Thank you to FiiO and thank you for reading

 

 

http://www.fiio.net/fiio

 

 

EDIT:

 

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With the bass boost on the Q1mkII I fully rec these. They are great without but they are to my taste with so I rec. They sound fantastic now.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

 

Unique Melody ME.1 Planar IEM REVIEW

**Waits for Unicorn IEM**
Unique Melody: Hold my Beer, I got this..

Like a Game of thrones, The Sony EX1000 has finally been put down

by the Unique Melody Me.1

Unique Melody ME.1

The Unique Melody Me.1 is what is known as a “Planar” IEM

It is a technology developed and used for expensive headphones costing in the thousands of dollars. Recently the technology, forms of it, have been miniaturized and used in IEM or “In Ear Monitors”.  This is a very good thing for music listeners obsessed with detail. The minutia that is barely audible and sometimes lost to harmonic distortion is now available to you, the O.C.D crowd (me) and people who expect the whole recording to be played back…ALL of it

 

 

Sound impressions

Unique Melody ME1 FiiO X7MKII

Finest, clearest most impressive sonic playback of any IEM I have ever heard at any price.

The black quiet background is unlike any BA,Hybrid or Dynamic driver I have ever tried. It is absolutely addicting.

A Benchmark.

The sound of the needle gliding along between tracks on a vinyl rip is like being there. Next to Mom’s record player again, young, loving music and not analyzing it.

The moments between “The Battle of Evermore” and “Stairway to Heaven”

zepyy

Those kind of moments are why I love this hobby.

I decided before starting to write this to just say what i think without trying to be some balanced robot infonator passing facts and general thoughts on to you. Nah, fuck that, these fucking RULE!

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Bass

It is very much like the Sony EX1000. No measured increase of note between 20Hz and 1Khz. It is very clear and the speed of planar is second to…nothing. Bass guitar is outstanding. The pluck and pull and resonance of bass strings on some thing like the Violent Femmes “Blister in the Sun” is pure joy.

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Who is she? No idea? Mommy or Daddy sure know their freakin’ music though. Whole album sounds sick on the Unique Melody Me.1

EDIT:

The best pairing for this IEM is the FiiO Q1MkII with it’s hardware bass boost switch. Most any good amp with a good bass switch will bring out the thump in these in a way an EQ cannot. Most DD or BA can be EQ’d to a reasonable point but for thump these love a good hardware boost..to my ears anyway.

Mids

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Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are an awesome pair of Male and Female vocals. Christine Mcvie reaches a little higher and brings in what is the sole weakness of the Planar…all of them. From 1.5Khz to approx 4.5Khz there is a harmonic event. A dip. Just prior is often a hump. Vocals on planar IEM without EQ can come off as shouty or odd if no EQ work is done.

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Bass can go up because…it’s planar,

mids will not become veiled.

1Khz is very sensitive with this IEM IMO and it is my dip.

I do that at 400-500Hz usually but here it is 1Khz then I slow rise peak between 4-6Khz

Pretty simple and the payoff is perfect mids that transition to treble well, anchored by tight and authorative bass if you want it to be

Treble

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“Telephone Line”

Woooo!! WOOOOO!!!

every crispy little detail pulled out and layed there for you. NOTHING shaded, trimmed,dulled…nothing. I coulda used any track with some sparkle but I was listening to this, wanted to try the widget so BAM….there ya go.

Science,  muf __kers!!

UM13

Product Specifications

Impedance: 23.1 Ω
Diaphragm Diameter: 18.5 mm
Magnet Type: Dual-Layer High Strength Neodymium

Shell: 3D Printed Medical Grade Acrylic with CNC Finish Connector Type: 2-Pin Protruding Connector
Cable: 6N Single Crystal Copper
Cable Termination: 3.5 mm Headphone Jack

You can change the cable..

But why??

 

 

Pimp C would blush….then wear it.

The cable is sick, the comfort is great (I use comply) the earhooks are soft and easy to adjust to your ear and the cable is sick….did I mention that?

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Good

Un rivaled SQ

Speed of driver and it’s assurance of the TOTL quality

Very responsive to EQ

Comfortable for long listening

The cable is unicorn hair dipped in gold

Bad

EQ near 1.5-4.5 Khz would be advised

hardware bass boost really needed to push bass properly

Ugly

Your desk without these on them

I once watched Twister6 stumble over announcing one top of the line IEM after the other till he said he would stop making such grand statements and I thought..pffft, get a grip dude!

Now I am looking at my EX1000 considered by many old timers and myself to be the apex of dynamic in ear monitors. And I find myself rationalizing that they are in the Dynamic driver world but I am just splitting hairs over here. The Unique Melody Me.1 are the finest IEM on the market and they are not over $1000, they are not even near Unique Melody’s most expensive IEM yet here I am calling them the King.

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Do I rec em?

They are in the header image of this site.

 

You can purchase the Unique melody Me.1 here (below)

UM Universal ME.1 Planar magnetic Drivers IEM

https://www.amazon.com/Unique-Melody/pages/12077511011

 

 

 

 

I wanted to try a 2 pin for the Audeze since it is kinda ghetto stock IMO.

I contacted him and he sent me the BT version after some back and forth.

I like the Blue Benz

You wanna try the white one?

Um actually.

Standard….Automatic?

Um…er……standard?
I admired the car salesman like vibe.

And hell, BT buds suck pretty much so picking my own 2 pin set and making them BT is pretty damn convenient. I got em for free so my White Benz feels pretty damn fine.

Does free make a difference in a positive review?

Probably does on some level but I got complaints so not enough to prevent sharing that so no….

Comes in a nice box.
Who cares?

Box people care…that’s who!!

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  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Smart-assistant support
  • aptX Codec
  •  Microphone
  • Media-control

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I thought the red would indicate (right) but it actually goes only on left of isine20

Red is left on all IEM tried and the notch on the rubber surrounding the termination might be better if it has no bend. Easier to wear down or make earhooks or he could on request though cable is short so there is limited cable to work with.

Everything was worn upside down or backwards so maybe this set was a mistake?

If I turn the logos facing inside they fit a bit better on the 64 Audio U12 but not great. i gotta think this is an odd set.

Red is left and logo turned in makes them fit better on some sets.

U12
LEAR Ae1D
Shozy hibiki

EDIT:

From PlusSound,

The red is right side with screws required to face outward, as provided in the instruction card. The only exception is with Audeze units which has the groove reversed, but red is still on the right. When customer specifies Audeze, we know not to include the cable bend. Otherwise, it would have it to make it more comfortable.

Pairing with all DAP’s with Bluetooth was very simple.

Keep holding button down until red and blue blink rapid and look for it on the DAP and pair.

Had no issues with any device

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My man cave has Hawaiian beach towels on the ceiling

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Stay gangster.

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PRO

Take whatever the fu you like with you and suffer no audible loss in quality.

CON

Unit housing kinda big .If i wear the cable behind my head like some Sony sets it fits better on the U12 and Hibiki but then I have to reach behind my head to touch the controller which is right behind my ear

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If you have a set where the plug is on top and not bottom this is something to consider

Thanks to the guy who sold me the white instead of Blue Benz.

It was free

#1stworldproblems
#nobodycareswhatyouwantHBB
#thisnewsiterokz

http://www.plussoundaudio.com/

AUDEZE iSine i20 (Review coming)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specifications

Style In-ear, universal fit
Transducer type Planar magnetic, semi-open
Magnetic structure Fluxor™
Magnet type High-grade neodymium
Diaphragm type Ultra-thin Uniforce™
Transducer size 30mm
Maximum power handling 3W
Maximum SPL >120dB
Frequency response 10Hz – 50kHz
THD <0.1% @ 100dB
Impedance 24 ohms
Cable type non-microphonic
Dimension 31mm x 35mm
Weight 11g (per side)

 

Package Includes

  • Certificate of authenticity
  • User guide and warranty
  • 1.5m audio cable, 1/8” stereo plug input to 2-pin plug ouput
  • 1.5m Cipher cable, Lightning plug input to 2-pin plug ouput

 

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