jiyeon

What's the purpose in using clicky switches if you don't want them to click?

WeChat shut down but not WhatsApp seems like kind of a half-ass move to me. Both are just as bad as each other, especially with Facebook at the helm of WhatsApp.

What's the purpose in using clicky switches if you don't want them to click?

Two types of people:
 

I still have my DS Lite from a decade ago, vivid memories of playing Mario Kart, Animal Crossing Wild World, and other smaller games on it, it was one of my favorite handheld consoles at the time.
I do now own a Nintendo Switch so the death of the DS isn't hitting me as hard since I'm still on the Nintendo train though.

As most people already speculate, Nvidia has a plan B to fight AMD just like the Super series back in mid-2019. Very interesting. 

What kind of musician? These would be suited to bass guiatarists the most, I feel. The M50x lack in every frequency range apart from low-end, and even the low-end is far from clear.
 
I'm going to take a shot in the dark and assume your dad has used nothing else, because these sure do not make very good monitors.

The KZ ZST is an off-the-shelf 'in-ear monitor' with a modest pricetag of just $20 from Amazon. This low entry cost is affordable and easy to invest in for the average consumer, so I thought I would pick these earphones up after seeing multiple reviews praising these as one of the most affordable pieces of hi-fi to come out of China, with the visuals and features to match and blend in with the big guns. I bought the colored purple & blue version and later found out that there may be a deviation between the black carbon fiber shelled KZ ZST and the colorful version of the KZ ZST, the difference of which is merely a bump in low-end and a sprinkle of more high-end. I don't think they're terribly different and so I'll be writing my review on the perspective of the colorful version of these earphones. I've had these for about a week, and sank in around 10 hours, whether it was at my desk at home, or out and about on commutes or at work.
 
The KZ ZST earphones feature a dual-driver setup, specifically a single Dual Dynamic accompanied by a single Balanced Armature. They also feature a dual-pin removable cable which terminates into a right-angle L-plugged 3.5mm headphone jack. Coming from my daily drivers the FiiO FH5, the move down to a dual-driver setup had my expectations somewhat low, but I still anticipated what kind of sound quality and signature the KZ ZST would produce.
 

 
The design of the KZ ZST are quite nice, with their colorful faceplate along with the signage of the 'ZST' moniker. The shell is also shaped ergonomically to universally fit ears of all shapes and sizes, which is a plug as this creates a nice seal for most people. The design is vastly different from other $20 earphones found on the market, I love that KZ has gone above and beyond to make the ZST look premium and stylish.
While it is a plastic construction, the plastics are fairly solid and are actually transparent to display the internal workings of these earphones, such as the big dynamic driver up front with the balanced armature next to it.
 

 
The cable is also fairly good, but nothing stellar. It is a dual-pin detachable cable that is fairly thin and unbraided, so it's prone to tangling which is a shame. The terminators at the middle and end of the cable are also made of this odd rubbery plastic which doesn't scream quality to me. I feel as if the cable is where KZ had to cut corners and it shows in how crudely-constructed the cable is.
On the flip side, the addition of the hooks at the end of the cable where the earphones connect is great, it has this memory construction which contours to your ear once you have put these on, and they are awesome. I can forgive the flaws of the KZ ZST for this subtle touch of flair and care as this is one thing about the KZ ZST that I did not expect would be done right, especially for this price point.
 

 

 
Highs:
The highs are exceptionally bright to the point where is very noticeable sibilance and hiss. While the highs in something like female vocals are nicely pronounced, the sibilance is there and it hinders the listening experience. The sibilance does not take away from the whole thing though, as songs like Ariana Grande's 'God is a woman' still manage to keep the bright and colorful vocals in check whilst not kneecapping the other frequency ranges. I might be beating a dead horse, but the highs are piercingly bright for me, and I usually prefer bubbly and colorful highs.
 
Mids:
The mids are the KZ ZST's kryptonite. The mids are not as pronounced as the lows or highs, and are quite quiet and shy in comparison to both, creating a very V-shaped sound signature. When listening to something like Twice's 'Knock Knock', the mids in the instrumental sound very far back as the highs and lows grunt their way forward in the composition. The mids are also not particularly well-separated either, instrumentals tend to sound very close and claustrophobic, even though highs and lows sound airy and wide.
Drake's 'One Dance' is also another example of this, the instrumentals while noticeable and distinguishable, the soundstage just isn't there.
 
Lows:
The lows are where the KZ ZST shines along with the highs. The lows are nicely pronounced and punchy. Eminem's 'Til I Collapse' makes the most of the KZ ZST's awesome lows. The 1-1-2 drums are deep and punchy while still not muddling the mids and highs. Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' is another great example of the lows of these earphones. The rumbling low tone throughout the song is greatly pronounced and doesn't interefere with the other frequencies which is exactly how lows should be done.
 

 
I will now listen to some songs using the KZ ZST. I have these directly hooked up to my PC which is using a Sound Blaster Audigy Fx card, however there is no additional EQ tweaks enabled, as I want to listen to music with these with as stock of an experience as possible. Similarly to my other reviews, I will be listening to music using the 320kbps audio quality from Spotify as I feel this is a good representaion of the average consumer who would be likely to stream music using something like Apple Music or Spotify. I'm going to comment on particular sections as a whole instead of commenting on particular parts of the song like I do for full album reviews.
 
Song 1 - BTS (방탄소년단) - Mic Drop (Hip-Hop K-pop)
Intro: The bass is outrageously pronounced and punchy here. The synth while having a dirty sound, is super clear and pronounced. The intro is a real head-banger thanks to the awesome punchy lows produced here. The bass is also not overly warm or muddy here which is excellent for the listening experience. Verse 1: This is where the mids get to play around a bit, and it's a modest and subtle detailing from the mids here. The highs and mids in the vocals are clear and nicely-detailed, with the bass still hitting hard and contributing to the composition well as it does not interfere or muddle the other frequencies. Overall so far, there is an awesome blend of bass from the lows and the enhanced detailing from the combined strength of the mids and highs. Pre-Chorus: The highs and mids are utilized well here, the vocals are clear and detailed, with the intrsumentals also sounding clear albeit a bit bright. Chorus: The lows are definitely the contributing factor here. They create so much punch and deepness to the song. The vocals and instrumentals are also nicely-staged and clear, but the lows stand out a lot. Verse 2: Similarly to the first verse, the lows stand back a bit which allows the mids and highs to develop. The dual driver setup is used well here in both verses. Bridge: I can't speak enough about the level of excellence the lows have, not just in this song, but in general. The single dynamic driver is awesome at low-end reproduction and since it's separated from the balanced armature, manages to just go nuts without muddling anything else up. It stands on its own legs. Song 2 - John Travolta - Greased Lightnin' (70's Pop)
Intro: The intro to Greased Lightnin' is farily simple and is honestly more a show of the soundstage than anything else. The small stings are nicely pronounced after the small whispery yet clear dialogues. Verse 1: The mids are surprisngly nice here, the instrumentals such as the tamborine and the piano are clear and sharp, with Travolta's vocals also warm and husky. This is one of those times where the $20 price tag is shocking for how good the sound reproduction from the KZ ZST can be depending on the situation of the composition. Chorus: The chorus is beautifully presented using the KZ ZST. The vocals are well-separated from the subvocals and the piano medley. I love that I can also distinguish the light saxophone mid-way through the chorus too. Everything is nicely detailed and clear. Verse 2: Similarly to the first verse, this part is also nicely-presented thanks to how the KZ ZST are tuned. The subvocals are nice and clear too and also well-separated from Travolta's main vocal as well as the instrumentals. Bridge: So the bridge being mainly an instrumental solo, there is a lot of emphasis on instrumentation separation and clear detailing. The KZ ZST do this perfectly. The saxophones, pianos, drums, everything is greatly blended together to create an awesome instrumental bridge.  

 
I really did not expect much buying into the KZ ZST for a mere $20. I expected at most tinny highs and overly muddy highs. But what I got after some time with these is detailed and clear albeit a bit bright highs, decent mids, and amazing lows. I was definitely caught off guard with these.
 
The design of these is great as well, they fit right into a modern in-ear monitor design with the universal, ergonomic fit. The addition of the removable cable is also a bonus, and at the $20 price tag as well, which allows for easy replacement of cables should the one that came with the KZ ZST breaks, but even then, the cable would probably come out to be almost half the price of the buds themselves which is mind-blogging to contextualise.
 

 
So overall, these are great earphones for the everyday person, there is minor sibilance and the mids aren't very pronounced with that V-shaped sound signature, but the overall aesthetics, fit, and the sound quality of these earphones more than make up for it. Couple this with 320kbps audio such as Spotify streaming, and you've got yourself some capable earphones to take around wherever you go.

When you need a diving license to replace a hard drive. 

I am going to stay clear of any 'gaming' products that IKEA makes, frankly I don't think furniture is where gaming matters, even chairs for that matter with the Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody.

ROGKEA?

Exactly, wish I had heeded the warning about M40x being the better pick in my original purchase, but I was seduced by the foldable earcups.  I've obviously moved onto better audio since then so I no longer have a use for my M50x, fortunately for my ears!
 
Awesome stuff! I've never been one for wireless headphones, but I love wireless earphones, the convenience of having no wires feels airy and so nice.

I got these about a week ago time to do the review.
This is my second review of a moondrop product

Build of the IEM's
these are made out of metal the screws oxidize (doesn't effect performance) paint kinda chipped due to me not paying attention 
Build of the wire
doesn't have memory (doesn't curl up) gold connectors the housings are not made out of metal, but this doesn't bother me due to it having a replaceable wire pros
flat response this great on voice and I will say good mixing (which I do a lot but since COVID not so much) they fit well in my ear and block out noise easily also good build for the price a OK amount of bass cons
flat response takes time to get used to ( I listen to alot of rock and it sounded not right but after a while it was fine) it gets uncomfortable after 2 hours of having them in ( I found this after listening to a school zoom for about two hours) some people will say this has weak bass I feel this has just right amount My conclusion this meant for a performer or a sound engineer and not meant for the general public listening (but are pretty nice for me).
But if you like flat response and are on a budget these are great considering the big brands like shure and sennhiser cheapest IEM is 100 dollars (at this point I would get the moondrop star fields)
 
 

Hi, and welcome to my experience with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, a pair of headphones which I've longed after for over four years, and I've finally been able to afford them after months of working at my new job.  I bought my white ATH-M50x for £113 from Amazon UK, and after using them for a bit, that is about as much as I'd pay for them at retail price.
 
Disclaimer before I pitch in my two cents, yes I know there were other options out there that are far superior in terms of sound and build quality, but my decision to buy these particular headphones boiled down to these things, in no particular order:
Aesthetics - the white aesthetic of the headphones are beautiful Portability/Flexibility - the fully-rotatable earcups that fold up to boot, as well as the detachable cables My desire for new headphones Admittedly, the sheer popularity of these headphones With that out of way, I'll pitch in my perspective, as a non-audiophile, on the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.
 

 

 
Firstly I'll talk about the design and build of the ATH-M50x. When I first got them, I was struck at how large they were since I had never seen a pair of ATH-M50x in the flesh before buying them, even the box it came in was much larger than I imagined.
 
When I first took them out of the box, I felt the nice materials that Audio-Technica had used, and was also greeted to the three detachable cables which are a neat touch for the portability of these headphones. The detachable cable was one of the most compelling features of the M50x in my mind, and it certainly paid off and now I use the coiled cable for desktop use and the shorter two for other uses such as using the headphones with my phone.
 
Additionally, the fully-foldable earcups were one of the top three features that I was anticipating for these headphones, and they didn't disappoint. The foldable earcups make for portability that I've never experienced before, they're so compact and fit into the included pouch nicely.
 
The design of the headphones are amazingly-beautiful too, it's fully white with silver accents, it looks super classy. The headphones themselves are larger than I expected and thus look a slightly large on my head as well as feeling heavier too, but the design is definitely not something I'm ashamed of.
The headphones have quite a modern design to them, althought the headband and the hinges look quite dated to me, which actually contributes nicely towards the timeless design of the M50x.
 

 

 
Onto the main reason why I bought these, the sound quality.
 
It's a contradictory statement because again, I had never touched or seen these headphones with my own eyes before I bought these, but coming from standard consumer-grade headphones such as the Status Audio HD One, Sony MDR-ZX310, and some earphones such as the Sennheiser MX365, Sennheiser MX375, and the Samsung AKG earphones, I had no doubt that the M50x would tower over them all.
 
I'm not the best at explaining things, so I'm going to put some songs and I'll talk about my experience with the songs while wearing these headphones.
 
A bit of background on the type of music I listen to:
Korean Pop Bubblegum - Twice, Apink, Red Velvet etc Dancehall - KARD, BTS, (G)-I-DLE, Got7, Stray Kids, Day6 Ballad - BTOB, Cheeze, EXID, Taeyeon I'm not too great at explaining specific terms, so I'm going to try my best at explaining parts of songs using my own terminology.
 
I'll be listening to the YouTube music video versions of these songs, so the timestamps displayed are for those.
 
Song 1 (Bubblegum Pop) - Apink - Eung Eung
0:12 - The intro synth jumps up and down and is so pronounced and clear, then slowly gets accompanied by drums and a light lullaby of a female vocal which is super soothing to hear, everything is balanced and everything has its place on the sound stage. 0:45 - The female vocals accompanied by what I can tell is a light synth and a faster backing synth form harmony nicely to keep the pace of the song flowing as well as keep the female vocals in the spotlight, I can hear the faster background synth nice and clearly which is amazing. 0:59 - The background chip-tune is high and pronounced which gives so much body to the verse, especially since the vocalists at this section is so crisp and clear. 1:12 - I love that it all comes together nicely, with the chip-tune accompaniedby the intro synth and again the beautifuly-pronounced female vocals. I could hear every bit of it including the light bass reverb, the vocals again stand out the most here. 2:44 - I really love how much the female vocals shine in this section, I can hear every chord and it's entrancing how soothing they sound, especially since they are accompanied by a light chip-tune. 3:12 - This part is pretty much an enhanced intro and I love every bit about it. The synth is so sharp, the drum hit is so much more pronounced, and the soft hum by the female vocalist is a beautiful set. Song 2 (Dancehall/EDM) - Stray Kids - District 9
0:20 - The hard-hitting synth and bass combo is a blast of metal to my ears, quite literally, because it sounds so metallic and rough, accompany that with the harsh raspy voice of the vocalist and it's quite a badass combination that is so energetic 0:42 - The second the vocalist just tears up the scene and the bass and drums just explode, it is an amazing listening experience, the drum hit is so pronounced, the vocalist is so clear, and the guitar is so rough and gritty, it makes for an energetic and soulful chorus 1:04 - Hearing the vocalist say "District 9" followed by a piercing synth, heavy bass, and light synth in the back is again such an energetic vibe. 2:32 - Hearing this vocalist's exceptionally low, growly, and raspy voice accompanied by the synth, guitar, and light clapping is such a badass moment to hear, followed by a build-up to the chorus that just finishes on an epic note. Song 3 (Pop Rock) - Day6 - Shoot Me
0:06 - The melodic vocal flow combined with the drums and the synthiser makes for an ominously-low sound which is excellent given the vibe of the song. 0:34 - I absolutely love the drums replicating the gunshot, it stings my ears every time and it's epic, especially since it's followed by a series of guitars, synths, and light bass which makes for an awesome head-banging rock metal song chrous. 1:14 - The raspy dirty guitar riff is so rough and gritty accompanied by the vocal's indeed rough and gritty vocal tone, with the symbals in the off-beat. 1:15 - The harmony of the vocalist's mid notes with the symbal hits and the light guitar run is so light and crisp and makes for an amazing low note.  

 
Okay so that ended up being more of what I appreciate from K-pop music, but the TL:DR I suppose is that, I can hear everything in such clarity and sound signature than I used to be able to. The sound is impeccable for the type of music I listen to, where female vocals generally dominate the scene, or else it's the backing instrumentation that steals the spotlight. The instruments are so pronounced and the vocals are so clear, it's great.
 
I want to touch once again on the build and design, these are super portable headphones, and it has an amazing design to boot. These are super stylish headphones especially in white, at least to me.
 
I hope you can appreciate that I am by no means an audiophile or even anything close to a music producer/analyst, as you could tell from my terminology in explaining parts of songs.
I'm simply a music lover, I take what I want that provides me with the best listening experience I can get for my type of music whilst also having headphones that look classy and premium, and the ATH-M50x ticks all of those boxes.
 

Not afraid to admit I am the same, influenced by MKBHD, found better audio, now I hate them.

Ignorance is bliss, after exploring deeper into audio, the M50x just don't match up to anything else in its pricepoint. I'm certain if I had stayed away from the audio scene, I'd feel the same, but my pair no longer service me. You're lucky!

Amazon have reportedly sold items at absurdly high increased prices by up to 1,000% during the course of the global pandemic. A report from the Citizen - a report of which is so extensive with graphs, charts, and the works - has conducted and found key evidence that Amazon has raised the prices of essential products ala price gouging to raise an insane profit during the pandemic, and would actually be considered illegal in many states.
 
 
In the report, it was found that mid-2020, prices on items had tripled-to-quadrupled in price in order to raise an insane amount of profit on Amazon's end, which is ironic as Amazon had claimed to stamp down on price gouging earlier into the pandemic.
Citizen's report ironically enough uncovers Amazon's shady dealings with these particular products and puts a foot down on Amazon's deceit and deception towards its own policies.
 
It is also noted in the same report that Amazon was alerted to price gouging on bottled water during Hurricane Irma, and took no actions to address the gouging problem. This 2020 edition of Amazon not following its own policies, or indeed lacking a policy to follow in the first place is likely not the last.
 
Citizen has also detailed items that were sold on Amazon between the months of February and August 2020, with Amazon's price, the price they were expected to be sold for, and of course, a percentage to put these numbers into perspective.
 
 
The disposable face masks are the most heinous crime of the bunch, with how obvious face masks are for the current economy, it's no secret Amazon with its shady dealings would go out of their way to make sure they maximise their profit off the politically-fueled piece of facewear.
 
 

 
Hand sanitizer is just as criminal, with the price being ramped up particularly in August, as the graph below shows:
 

 
Amazon were also reported that third-party sellers were price-gouging as well because of the financial relationship between Amazon and them. The reason for this is because 25% of Amazon's entire retail revenue comes from third-party sellers, once again, this explains why Amazon would want to take the route that maximises old Jeff's pockets.
 
 
The article was very long and exhaustive, and I take no credit in any of the data collected, that is all from the Citizen, and I highly recommend that you give the whole report a read as it is insightful to the heinous business that is Amazon at this time.
There are a lot more data regarding the price comparisons on their official source that I have linked below.
 
It is insidious that Amazon, one of the world leaders in capitalism, backed by the richest man in the world, would fall as low as to price gouge on their own website, and allow third-party sellers to do the same. It is heinous and sickening as I have been a customer for ages and haven't really thought twice about it.
The report is really eye-opening, especially when read in full, about the entire scheme of the whole operation and the price gouging that Amazon and their partners have done in the past year.
 
Source: Citizen

The FiiO FH5 is a 2018 in-ear monitor flagship and have a hefty pricetag of $250. As a person whose best piece of audio equipment before acquiring these in-ear monitors was Audio-Technica's ATH M50x, my review of which you can read here, I expected big things such as a wider soundstage, wider frequency response range, enhanced clarity, clearer mids and highs, as well as a more enjoyable listening experience in both casual and critical sessions in general. So, I got the FiiO FH5 as an early Christmas present to myself, and ordered them late November earlier this year just as my Amazon Prime expired, so I got them next-day free of charge on top of that $250 price tag.
I have had these in-ear monitors for just under two weeks now and easily 70 hours sank into things, and here's my in-depth review.
 
The FiiO FH5 consists of a single dynamic driver coupled with 3 of Knowles' Balanced Armature drivers, making these in-ear monitors a quad-driver hybrid. The dynamic driver is present to represent the bass team with the triple balanced armature drivers to run for the mids and highs team. This combination of dynamic and balanced armature drivers is in theory a perfect match for covering all the frequency ranges and then some.
 
I was recommended the FiiO FH5 as I am a listener of Korean pop and its many subgenres such as bubblegum, ballad, R&B, soul, with a strong emphasis on female vocals in particular. I came from the TIn HiFi T2, which were great for the type of Korean pop I listen to, but they lacked low-end and had some strong sibilance about them so I wanted something a bit more premium. Enter the FiiO FH5.
 

 
The design of these in-ear monitors are extremely premium-looking and look like they would pair perfectly with a high-class supercar. FiiO's marketing notes on the FiiO FH5 lists that the lines on the faceplate of the FiiO FH5 were based on exotic supercars, and I can see exactly how that might be. The lines remind me of the likes of the McLaren 570S' frontal third, the BMW M2's frontal third, Ferrari 458 Italia's rear third, as well as the general shape of the Mercedes A45 AMG. This is such beautiful styling. The shape of these in-ear monitors is also designed to contour with many ears, given that these in-ear monitors are designed with a universal fit in mind. Classy design indeed.
 

 
The included MMCX-to-3.5mm cable is just as classy, with its angled hook-like connectors to better fit the over-the-ear style of these in-ear monitors. The cables' ends are also color-coded to match the FH5's color-coded rings, blue for left, and red for right. The cable is nice and thick, I bet I could abseil with this and not have it snap. The cable is rigid as well which aids it in literally never tangling over itself.
 

 
Included in the FiiO FH5's box is this set of 26 different eartips (including the ones attached the in-ear monitors themselves). These different eartips are made to vary the sound signature of the in-ear monitors, such as favoring vocals, bass, or giving a balanced sound signature. There are also a trio of memory foam eartips if you prefer memory foam over the silicone tips that are provided in the aforementioned different sound signatures.
 

 
I personally chose the vocal eartips myself as I prefer prioritising the highs in female vocals over anything else. In terms of how much of a change a different tip could make, it's not night and day. In my experience, I had to pay attention to which tip I was using and look out for the change in sound. It's still a great addition to have included so many bonus tips to try and it adds to the value of the in-ear monitors as a whole.
 

 

 
Highs:
The highs are crisp and detailed, a good example of presenting high quality highs is in Apink's 'I'm So Sick' chorus or the entire composition of fromis_9's 'Love Bomb' as they both utilise female vocals heavily and have a chirpy and bubbly background instrumental.
As I am using vocal tips, my highs might be a bit more enhanced than others who elect to use bass or balanced tips for example. I have not used any other eartip extensively as I have used vocal tips 100% of my time with the FH5s.
Despite the highs being crystal clear and full of life, there is little to no sibilance found in the sound signature of the in-ear monitors. I'm made to believe the lack of sibilance and hiss in the highs is thanks to the amazing sound isolation in the fit of these in-ear monitors. I have fairly standard and small ears, so these in-ear monitors fit almost perfectly and block out any outside noise.
 
Mids:
The mids are also just as detailed as the highs, I feel in my experience and sense of sound, the mids are a lot more prominent than the highs. A good example of the mids being a crucial role to the sound experience is Dragonforce's 'Ashes of The Dawn', where the electric guitars are extremely present along with the drum hits. Where the mids also shine is in instrumentation seperation in this part of the frequency response. Using Boney M's 'Rasputin' as an example for instrumentation seperation, the two guitars in the introductory segment of the song are perfectly seperated, and shine even further when the third guitar, a piano, as well as the vocals are introduced. These balanced armature drivers do not play around, giving a clear and concise mids sound floor. The mids is easily the strongest part of the FiiO FH5s.
 
Lows:
The lows are excellently presented on these in-ear monitors. Using Dethklok's 'Go Into The Water' as an example of excellent lows, the tenudo-like bassline of the song is almost head-shakingly clear and rumbly. Every guitar pluck is outrageously punchy and deep. The chant-like vocals are also husky and cavernous, the noise floor from the bassline is super satisfying.
Green Day's 'American Idiot' is another excellent example of fantastic lows on the FiiO FH5. The bassline for this song is amazingly profound and heavy-hitting to the ears. The bass is vibrant, vivid, and full of clarity. It's not muddy and also not overly done. Mind I also use vocal eartips, so bass eartips may even enhance the bass noise floor a bit more compared to what I am personally expericing using vocal eartips.
 

 
I'm going to listen to some songs using the FiiO FH5 fed through my PC which is using the Sound Blaster Audigy Fx soundcard with no additional features like EQ or surround enabled for the vanilla experience. I'm going to be using the Spotify version of each song at 320kbps to listen. I usually do timestamps but I feel as a better representation of the sound signature of the FiiO FH5 that I will comment on the different sections of the song to highlight the highs, mids, and lows altogether.
 
Song 1 - Momoland (모모랜드) - Bboom Bboom (뿜뿜) (Bubblegum K-pop)
Intro: The introduction's soft and sweet guitar melody is vibrant and clear, with the lows helping out the guitar's range a lot. The saxophone-like instrument gets the highs in full gear and does it well, with the mids managing to seperate the lows and highs nicely with no muddiness or sibilance. Verse 1: The vocals are vibrant and clear here with no hissing, which is impressive given the low noise floor the guitar in the background is still pulling off. The sparkly notes found in the instrumental are also pleasant to hear and are clear despite being very far back in the composition itself. I find it amazing that despite the naturally-closed soundstage of the FiiO FH5 that it manages to achieve a balance of composition to make sure nothing is muddy nor hissy. Pre-Chorus: The highs and mids shine a lot more here, there is still no noticeable sibilance nor hissing found even though the whole instrumental in this section has raised an octave or two. The vocals are still crystal clear and the guitar still manages to stand out. The slight synth in the background is ever so slightly muddled in between all the rest of the composition but still noticeable enough to distinguish itself from the rest of the instrumental. Chorus: Here is where the lows of the first verse and the highs of the pre-chorus come together seemlessly. The vocals combined with the lows of the instrumental are perfectly balanced and in such great clarity. I must stress again that I am using vocal eartips so with a different pair of tips, the highs may not be as seperated and the lows might even be deeper than now. Verse 2: In Momoland fashion, the second verse contains a lot of girl crush and urban hip-hop themes, these lows are not as exaggerated as the first verse, but are still comfortably low and deep. The vocals are also still extremely clear here. Bridge: The soft, pillowy vocals are a great use of the triple balanced armature drivers inside the FiiO FH5, these vocals are carried effortlessly forward despite the booming bass in the background of the song. It's amazing how well-balanced these in-ear monitors are in terms of sound signature. Song 2 - Shawn Mendes & Camilla Cabello - Señorita (Modern Latin Pop)
Intro: The deep, prolonged guitar strums combined with the quick, sharp, high guitar plucks perfectly balance each other with no muddiness or hissing. They are both full of clarity. Verse 1: Cabello's vocals make the highs shine hard with her tweety and nasally vocals. This combined with the same long guitar strums make for a nicely balanced composition that the FiiO FH5 can wholely appreciate and represent. Mendes' entry with his whispery and modest voice fills in the mids and also continues the guitar instrumentals. The cracks in Mendes' vocals chords are eerily present when listening to this song using the FiiO FH5, they are amazingly clear. Especially the latter section of the song with the subvocals from Mendes. Chorus: Mendes and Cabello's vocals are greatly matched and clear, the separation between the two vocalists is outstanding, and the continuation of the guitar is ever present. Clarity and balance are the main takeaways from the chorus of this song. Verse 2: The guitar is picked up a notch, as well as Cabello's vocals. The mids and highs are once again present and clear here, with the hint of deep, low bass still giving the composition some body. Bridge: This is easily the busiest section of the song. Despite this, Cabello and Mendes' vocals are still clear and far forward, with that returning guitar still audible and the light subvocals also making an appearance. This is one part of the song where it can be slightly muddled but not enough to notice in casual listening sessions. Song 3 - Green Day - American Idiot (Punk Rock)
Intro + Verses: The edgy and dirty gutiar solo is amazingly clear despite being purposefully nasty and unkempt, the kickdrum pauses are also punchy and vibrant. Chorus: The evidently punk-rock instrumentals are amazingly vibrant and fun, with the vocals also clear, the vocals are slightly overpowered by the instrumentals but I feel like this was done on purpose with a song of this nature. This simple composition is highly effective and punchy using the FiiO FH5, and I'm not even using bass eartips to listen to American Idiot. Bridge: This guitar and drum solo is amazingly fun and vibrant, the guitars are in perfect sync with the kickdrum also punchy and deep. There is also a light symbal audible in the background and I am amazed at how balanced the FiiO FH5 is at keeping the composition separated. I also love that the vocals are still clear and raspy to properly represent the vocalist's true sound signature.  

 
I picked up on the audio scene pretty late this year and only got fully invested when I first purchased my Tin HiFi T2, which I bought after requesting recommendations for budget-oritented in-ear monitors made with mids and highs in mind. While they were good, I sought after more, and just after two weeks, the FiiO FH5 introduced themselves to me.
I thoroughly believe the FiiO FH5 is going to be my ultimate in-ear monitors, for the price it is unbelievable how good they sound. Take with salt, as I have only tried a handful of audio equipment, with the FiiO FH5 easily topping all of them, and in every department.
 

 
Having originally bought these for Korean pop where songs tend to be on the fun and saturated side with enhanced highs and mids, I'm proud to say that I am in love with the FiiO FH5's bass and low-end reproduction. The FiiO FH5 is so good at the low-end and it's all thanks to the single dyanmic driver as it handles the responsibilities encompassing the low-end.
The mids and highs are just as clear, vibrant, crisp, and detailed as well, there hasn't been a time when I'm listening to a song and the vocals haven't shone brightly. The mids are greatly separated and allows for amazing instrumentation separation on the FiiO FH5.
 
I am completely satisfied with dropping $250 on the FiiO FH5, and actually from the unboxing and addtional accesories, not to mention the aesthetics, I would've thought these retailed for so much more. These in-ear monitors are amazing at balancing the lows, mids, and highs, and I suppose that's exactly what makes these my personal favorite in-ear monitor, and probably the best in-ear monitors I will ever get the chance to use in my entire life.
For that $250 price tag, personally, I'd say that is well worth it and then some.

Amazon have reportedly sold items at absurdly high increased prices by up to 1,000% during the course of the global pandemic. A report from the Citizen - a report of which is so extensive with graphs, charts, and the works - has conducted and found key evidence that Amazon has raised the prices of essential products ala price gouging to raise an insane profit during the pandemic, and would actually be considered illegal in many states.
 
 
In the report, it was found that mid-2020, prices on items had tripled-to-quadrupled in price in order to raise an insane amount of profit on Amazon's end, which is ironic as Amazon had claimed to stamp down on price gouging earlier into the pandemic.
Citizen's report ironically enough uncovers Amazon's shady dealings with these particular products and puts a foot down on Amazon's deceit and deception towards its own policies.
 
It is also noted in the same report that Amazon was alerted to price gouging on bottled water during Hurricane Irma, and took no actions to address the gouging problem. This 2020 edition of Amazon not following its own policies, or indeed lacking a policy to follow in the first place is likely not the last.
 
Citizen has also detailed items that were sold on Amazon between the months of February and August 2020, with Amazon's price, the price they were expected to be sold for, and of course, a percentage to put these numbers into perspective.
 
 
The disposable face masks are the most heinous crime of the bunch, with how obvious face masks are for the current economy, it's no secret Amazon with its shady dealings would go out of their way to make sure they maximise their profit off the politically-fueled piece of facewear.
 
 

 
Hand sanitizer is just as criminal, with the price being ramped up particularly in August, as the graph below shows:
 

 
Amazon were also reported that third-party sellers were price-gouging as well because of the financial relationship between Amazon and them. The reason for this is because 25% of Amazon's entire retail revenue comes from third-party sellers, once again, this explains why Amazon would want to take the route that maximises old Jeff's pockets.
 
 
The article was very long and exhaustive, and I take no credit in any of the data collected, that is all from the Citizen, and I highly recommend that you give the whole report a read as it is insightful to the heinous business that is Amazon at this time.
There are a lot more data regarding the price comparisons on their official source that I have linked below.
 
It is insidious that Amazon, one of the world leaders in capitalism, backed by the richest man in the world, would fall as low as to price gouge on their own website, and allow third-party sellers to do the same. It is heinous and sickening as I have been a customer for ages and haven't really thought twice about it.
The report is really eye-opening, especially when read in full, about the entire scheme of the whole operation and the price gouging that Amazon and their partners have done in the past year.
 
Source: Citizen

On Amazon, either by themselves or by third-party sellers.
 
 

On Amazon, either by themselves or by third-party sellers.
 
 

Ignorance is bliss, after exploring deeper into audio, the M50x just don't match up to anything else in its pricepoint. I'm certain if I had stayed away from the audio scene, I'd feel the same, but my pair no longer service me. You're lucky!

Ignorance is bliss, after exploring deeper into audio, the M50x just don't match up to anything else in its pricepoint. I'm certain if I had stayed away from the audio scene, I'd feel the same, but my pair no longer service me. You're lucky!

Please stop tagging me.
 
Why have you done every single thing I advised you not to do? You're far too impatient to solve your problems...