"All of my gears are in the budget category (BL-03, Vidos etc). I am also just a normal consumer and certainly not an expert audiophile with 40 years of experience so your mileage may vary as always. Most of my music are in japanese, so if you're a fan of japanese music we may have the same taste."

Preliminary

As I look for TC200 alternatives, I've come across an earbud named K64 (very relevant around 2017) and gave it a try (price is around $6), many people say its neutral bright which is right up my alley, my toho bossa nova really like such signature.

Used for 1 week with stock foams. Used with different kinds of music ranging from pop to bossa nova.

Equipment

CX-31993

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Audio Player

Onkyo HF Player (Stock Note 9 Jack)

HibyMusic (CX-31193 DAC, exclusive usb access disabled)

Target Sound Signature

Any signature will work, as long as the iem/earbud can image and stage the instruments and vocals well. But if we're talking about specifics, U-shaped or balanced leaning to either bright or warm.

Main Section

The first thing that I notice with this earbuds is that they need power, I need to crank my volume up to 80-85 in my CX-31193 to properly drive them. After that you're set to go. K64 kind of reminds me of my Tingo TC200 but the treble is refined and it does not have that upper mids glare that TC200 shows in some tracks. Its bright but never piercing or harsh. The only thing that may be lacking with this buds is the mid bass punch as it seems to be flat in the bass region. Some people may also find it boring due to that.

Treble

Good amount of air, not as sparkly as TC200 but is more detailed, never harsh or sibilant. Controlled and very well extended. Cymbal hits has proper life and death it's also not too forward. Excellent, my favorite part of this earbuds.

Midrange

Open and smooth, its a bit lean compared to my Cat Ear Mimi and TC200, but male and female vocals are still detailed and clear. The vocals are also not too warm nor bright, it sits in the middle. In my opinion, its much more natural than all of the earbuds I've tried so far. I like it more than my Vido, Ancestor and TC200. Male vocals and female vocals are not sparkly however it feels alive and detailed.

Bass

Linear, low in quantity, no midbass bleed, fast and controlled, has that cutesy subbass rumble to accompany the whole spectrum. Midbass quantity is less than TC200, but still has that punch. Bass heads stay away from this earbuds.

Edit: Improved with 2 days burn in, bass is now like Faaeal Ancestor but more toned down and more textured.

Stage

Wide, natural and immersive. Better than TC200. The stage is out of your head. Once you wear it, the sound will diffuse in different location instead of staying in a closed space.

Imaging

Above average, very good positional cues, instruments have physicality. Vocals are dead center and not being disturbed by any instruments. Outstanding!

Comparison

Catear Mimi - Mimi is midcentric, treble and bass roll off too early. K64 has that spice in the treble that Mimi's missing. K64 stage is wider and image the instruments much better and clearer. Mimi also has a veil while K64 does not.

TC200 - K64 is more balanced, while TC200 is more v-shaped. TC200 has more bass, while K64 has more refined treble. Stage is wider with K64. Even with K64 refined treble I still think that TC200 sounds a lot brighter than K64. TC200 will also sound thin once you tried K64.

K64 treble has more note weight compared to TC200. TC200 has more punch in the bass, however K64 will give you more texture specially in the smooth jazz bass riffs.

Iris Ancestor - Ancestor is more bassy, but not the boomy type of bass. Its tight and deep while also avoiding mid bass bleed. K64 sounds like ancestor but the treble is more sparkly, bass is toned down and mids are more detailed. K64 sounds like a softer and sparkly version of ancestor. Stage is wider in K64.

Vido - Vido has that fog and is bass and mids focused. K64 is miles ahead with clarity. Vido is more smooth and easy to the ears, while K64 can be used for analytical listening.

K'searphone Nameless - Nameless is like a bootleg BL-03, however mids are not that detailed, a bit more warmish, stage is more narrower and treble is not that refined. K64 is in another league, soundstage is wider, mids are more satisfying, treble sparkles without being harsh or too bright and its more balanced. Driver is also more capable in K64.

Shop Links if you need it.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001864519734.html

There's two version in shopee, the one with the l-type plug and the one with a nicer cable. Both have the same sound just different cable material.

https://shopee.ph/Ksearphone-K64-K64S-Flat-Cable-Music...

Recommended Tracks/Genre

1. Toho Bossa Nova (ShibayanRecords)

2. Jazz

3. Classical

4. Most Anime OP and ED

- Daisy (Stereo Dive Foundation)

- Kago no Naka Tori (yourness)

- Kioku no Hakabune (Ito Kashitaro)

- ODDTaxi (Punpee)

- Sekai wa Koi ni Ochiteiru (CHICO with Honeyworks)

- List goes on

4. Indie Rock / Alternative Rock

5. Most Pop songs

Tracks/Genres that are not that good with K64

1. Electronic

2. Trap Music

3. Most genres that requires heavy bass.

"All of my gears are in the budget category (BL-03, Vidos etc). I am also just a normal consumer and certainly not an expert audiophile with 40 years of experience so your mileage may vary as always. Most of my music are in japanese, so if you're a fan of japanese music we may have the same taste."

Preliminary

Burned with white noise for 24 hrs. The default donut foam was used.

My Target Sound Signature

I enjoy various signatures like Neutral Bright (For Toho Bossa Nova), Neutral with Bass Boost or U-shaped with little to no midbass bleed. (As long as the iem/earbud can image and stage instruments well its an S-tier for me)

Equipment

Galaxy Note 9 (Neutralish with Hints of Warmth)

CX=31993 DAC (Bright Neutral)

Dell E6420 (Warm)

Player

Poweramp (U-shaped, narrower stage)/Onkyo HF Player (Neutral)

Note: I'm not an audio expert with 40 years of experience. And I certainly do not have tinnitus to prove my claims. So take my review with salt and always cross reference.

Main Section

Before burn in the Mimi is kinda underwhelming, I came from Tingo TC200 and Vido, and Mimi doesn't have that distinction or special quality. Burn in kinda improves the bass response but the treble is still lacking. EQ fixes the lack of treble but lets stick first with the stock Mimi sound.

Bass

Underwhelming, sub bass rumble is missing, midbass punch is there but lacks body and authority. Tingo TC200 also has a cutesy sub bass rumble but still has that satisfying bass to accompany the whole spectrum. Even with electronic tracks Mimi's bass is unsatisfying, its like the bass is one noted. Mimi almost has no midbass bleed which is good for the mids.

Midrange

Two words, Airy and smooth. The mids on the Mimi is spectacular, its not congested and full of details, best part of the Mimi. The details in the voices can be heard and most acoustic track may shine with this type of mids. The mids also give way more focus on macrodetails instead of microdetails.

Treble

Where's my treble at? Really where is it? With the Mimi spectacular mids, there is this undying thought in my head that I need more treble. The treble just rolls off too quickly and some details are being left off. This is why Mimi's more superior with macrodetails and microdetails are just lacking. Because of the early treble roll off, the bite on some instruments are non existing its like the harmonics are covered with a cloth. If you're considering this as an upgrade to the Tingo Tc200, don't.

Soundstage

Wide but lacks depth, more intimate that my vido and tc200. Kinda reminds me of my Knameless.

Imaging

Is aight, instruments are panning from left to right within the stage. The vocals are front center. The issue with the treble can be fixed using EQ.

Poweramp is the recommended player for Mimi since Poweramp pushes the bass and treble a bit more compared to other players. With EQ, Mimi can go one and one with Tingo Tc200 due to its mids.

Stock Mimi Recommended Tracks

1. Acoustic

2. Rock and some Pop songs

3. Live

Meh Replay

1. Toho Bossa Nova

2. Pop

3. Jazz

4. Classical/Instruments heavy tracks

"All of my gears are in the budget category (BL-03, Vidos etc). I am also just a normal consumer and certainly not an expert audiophile with 40 years of experience so your mileage may vary as always. Most of my music are in japanese, so if you're a fan of japanese music we may have the same taste."

Preliminary

Used for almost a week with stock foams. Device used for playback is Samsung Note 9. Preferred sound signature is balanced with warm tilt. This review is subjective take it with a grain of salt.

Notes

At first the bass is kinda distorted specially with heavy bass tracks, but after burn in the bass distortion became minimal.

Sound Breakdown

• Highs are okay and not sibilant, however it lacks bite.

• Vocals are thick. There's more emphasis on the lower midrange compared to the upper midrange, making male vocals more emphasized and female vocals to lack some clarity.

• Bass is somehow wooly but it has great depth and there's subbass.

• There's some unrefinedness to some music, specially complex tracks.

• Like there's some distortion on the midbass.

• Resolves drums thump and kick very well without stepping on the vocals.

• Analog sounding, unfatiguing.

• Instrument separation is good.

• Microdetails are below average.

• Stage is intimate yet around your head.

• Imaging is below average, some music elements are kinda mushed up with each other.

Earbuds Preference

Clarity

Tingo TC200 >> K nameless > Kube Black > Vido Blue

Bass

Kube Black >> Vido Blue > K nameless > Tingo TC200

Vocals (Mids)

Vido > Tingo TC200 > Kube Black > K nameless

Staging

Tingo TC200 >>> Kube Black = Vido Blue > Knameless

Imaging

Tingo TC200 >>> Vido Blue = Kube Black > Knameless

Microdetails

Tingo TC200 > Kube Black > K nameless > Vido Blue

Sample of Good Tracks for Kube

1. If You Ever Come Back (The Script)

2. Odd Taxi (Skirt and Punpee)

3. The Boy and the Magic Robot (Ito Kashitaro)

4. Tonariau (The Oral Cigarettes)

5. Most Mainstream Rock and Pop Songs

Sample of Tracks to Avoid

1. Toho Bossa Nova (Bass Overwhelms some tracks)

2. Asterhythm (Nagi Yanagi) (Some Complex Pop Tracks in General)

3. Electrocutica and Treow

4. Orchestra

5. Some Anime Songs (E.g Fate:Apocrypha OP1)