HiFi Mai Tai

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October26 Summary – The Coming of the Great Darkness

Winter is coming. The darkness is already here. In the UK the clocks have changed. This strange ritual completed as it always is in the build up to Halloween. A ceremony whose purpose is lost on most people but you know we have to keep those farmers happy. The Halloween ghosts and witches will be coming soon and that is always a tough time for farmers so we do what we can to help. And there is no limit to what we are willing to do. We basically time travel for them.

Anyway time to leave the farmers alone and head back to the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar. Back to the land of IEMs and good audio. The winter might be tough for some but it might also be an IEM paradise. The sales of the winter, aligned with the promise of new IEMs. Its possibly the best time of year to be in this hobby so lets get to. Lets wrap up those IEMs reviewed by me, ‘The Bartender’ in the month of October.

October26 Summary – The New IEMs

This month saw three new IEMs make their way to the beach bar and for once in a relatively timely manner with all three being pretty recent releases. Guess the postal service to our little island paradise is going through a modernisation process. All the better for the delivery of IEMs.

This months cocktails were as follows:

The TRN run seems to have continued from last month with the arrival of the TRN MTX a single dynamic driver for which I paid just £6. For only £6 it would be unfair and unrealistic to expect the world but this IEM did a last deliver a small country. Belgium maybe. A country the same size as peoples under wear. Not sure if its Belgians or people with large underwear that will be the more offended but it is one of those strange saying that people weirdly seem to use.

I think I am right in saying that the TRN MTX is the successor to the TRN MT5 and is latest in the MT line. To date I haven’t reviewed any other TRN MT IEMs but the TRN MT5 has been on my to do list for a while so that review will be coming.

The TRN MTX is a bass forward tuning. The bass probably punches above its price point both in terms of its quantity and its quality though it can overpower the mids. As a typical budget V-shaped tuning the mids are definitely the unloved child here and despite a decent balance of weight and clarity there is some muffling and some softening of the mid-range sound. For an ultra-budget IEM the treble is good in that it is relatively restrained. Perhaps the days of really harsh metallic treble in budget IEMs are over. Perhaps we are entering a new are of cultured refinement more accessible than ever before. Or perhaps more likely the world is already falling apart and people would be pushed over the edge by terrible piercing treble.

Compared to some of its ultra budget rivals, the TRN MTX is not a bad option. It’s better than the ND NX2 and KZ EDX Pro. It might even be better than the KZ Gale but that probably has a lot more to do with personal preference. The TRN MTX biggest challenge though is that for not a lot more money you could have the Tangzu Red Lion or Moondrop Chu 2 so perhaps saving up for a little longer is the wiser choice. And that is pretty sound financial advice generally but remember I am only a bartender though I am the Bartender.

The second IEM of the month was the NiCi HiFi 42 Quantum Wanderer. An IEM with an incredibly long and puzzling name featuring a dynamic driver and a bone conduction driver for which I paid £39.

As is nearly always the case for budget IEMs this is another bass first tuning. To my ears at least the 42 Quantum Wanderer put a little more emphasis on the mid bass slam than the sub bass rumble. This gave it a nice impactful hit but also maintained shape and texture. There was some bounce and energy to the bass that was very enjoyable if a little slow.

The 42 Quantum Wanderer is not a bad IEM for the price but the older KBEAR KB02 is a pretty similar sounding IEM and I got that for almost half the price. The KB02 is probably a little more steeply V-shaped and this pushes the vocals further back and brightens the overall sound but really on most tracks there isn’t an awful lot between these two and therefore the KB02 is the sensible option. Its the money smart option.

And finally, this month saw the slightly belated arrival of the Juzear Nimbus a single dynamic driver IEM for which I paid only £26. It should be noted that I got a pretty steep discount on this IEM and more typically it is available around the £50. At £50 its not a bad option but at £26 it’s a very compelling option. I would definitely encourage you to wait for a good sale. Actually, I would always encourage waiting for a sale. It’s just the sensible thing to do. Wow so much money advice this month. Might have to rename myself as the Banker (eww no. Just no.)

Though not lacking bass it perhaps the mids that really shine with this IEM. The bass is fast and clean and gives them plenty of space. There is a really good balance to this IEM. Its not too bassy not too bright the mids are nit really pushed forward or too recessed. To me it sounds balanced. Balanced but not boring. There is enough energy here to make an engaging and captivating sound.

As ever check out the Comparison Page to see how these IEMs and more compare. The Comparison Page is updated at the end of each month to include the IEMs reviewed in that month. Updates to the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar also now allow for comparison of performance by budgets, by driver types and by brands.

Easy Recommendation

My easy recommendation is a very easy recommendation this month. It just has to be the Juzear Nimbus. Especially if you can get it on a good sale.

Just to be clear I am not saying that you have to have the Nimbus in your collection. There are plenty of other IEMs that can do everything the Nimbus can do. But if you want to have one of these three the Nimbus is the best pick and if you are in the market for a single dynamic driver around this price point I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Juzear Nimbus especially if you are either still exploring your own sonic preferences or if you just want a simple upgrade from wireless earbuds.

So yeah you don’t have to get it but equally if you want it it will probably live up to your expectations. Too many ‘it’s in that sentence.

My Favorite

The Juzear Nimbus is also my favourite out of these. I do like the sparkles and glitter of the 42 Quantum Wanderer’s design but there is also something very appealing about the classy simplicity of the Juzear Nimbus. Its almost like it doesn’t need to show off as it already knows its the best. Additionally, that metal build is great and adds a premium feel to the Nimbus certainly more so than a £26 IEM has any right to but maybe not more than is expected of a £50 IEM. Guess it all really just depends on how much you pay. This is the most true consumer advice ever. Though probably far from the most useful.

October26 Summary – The One To Beat

The idea behind this section is that at the end of each month my favorite is compared against the one to beat from the previous month with the winner staying on for another month. This comparison does not consider the price or the specifics of the sound. It is simply a new favorite vs my reigning favorite. And only one can survive to the following month.

The one to beat is still the BGVP Feather. I have found myself wandering over the past month if it should actually be the TRN Whaleshark but either way I am afraid that nothing from this month is in contention. This is not really surprising when considering the cost of the IEMs reviewed this month. In has been a cheap month with nothing approach the cost of the Feather or the Whaleshark.

So its another month of the BGVP Feather remaining on top. The BGVP Feather is still the one to beat.

October26 Summary – Upcoming IEMs

As the year draws to end so do the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar Bartender Reviews. The plan is for three more reviews in November and then a period of reflection for December. The box of to be reviewed IEMs that I keep actually only has three new IEMs in (and of course the Tangzu Waner Red Lion for review). So I guess these are the IEMs that will see us through to end of year. And spoiler they are all single dynamic driver IEMs. Its time for the Dynamic Driver Dash to December. On your marks get set go.

And that about does it for the October26 Summary. As ever if you have enjoyed your stay at the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar then please subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Instagram.

Enjoy your cocktails!