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Erak606
69
Jan 5, 2018
Have there been any reviews on this yet? I'm really eager to jump on this but I want to know how much of an improvement it might be over the exclusive 5's or the Shure SE215's.
phattio
17
Jan 5, 2018
Erak606isn't TFZ (in general) known for being aggressive/bright sounding?
Eli35
653
Jan 5, 2018
Erak606This is a new model, the previous Exclusive King have been reviewed a lot, there's even an "Exclusive" thread on Head-Fi, pun intended: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tfz-exclusive-series-reviews-and-impressions-now-with-1-3-5-and-king-reviews.852820/
Meringo
166
Jan 5, 2018
Erak606+1... especially since I just bought the Exclusive 5. I'm wondering if I would have been better served with this.
cheguevaro
30
Jan 5, 2018
MeringoI have the Exclusive 5 and the Exclusive King. The Exclusive King to my ears is the better earphone. I've looked for reviews on the King Pro and none seem to exist yet, which raises question marks.
Meringo
166
Jan 5, 2018
cheguevaroThanks for the insight. I usually rock higher end stuff, a Periodic Be and Vibro Labs Maya. I started looking at TFZ since the last few models were super bass heavy. Thought it might be fun to have that signature in my collection if they were under $150ish. Knowing that I'm not chasing resolution (i'll turn to my other 2 for that) would the 5 or King (and/or pro) server me well? As a decent bass cannon?
boot2skull
93
Jan 5, 2018
MeringoDitto, my Exclusive 5s are in the mail now. They will be my first TFZ experience so I'm eager to check them out before considering something in this range from TFZ.
Eli35
653
Jan 5, 2018
MeringoTFZ Exclusive 5 is a pretty good bass cannon for the price: excellent build quality, fun v-shaped sound without too much sibilance or bass leaking, decent clarity & detail, and it has that super-deep chunching bass you're looking for. The Exclusive King doesn't have that much bass, it's more treble-focused and has better soundstage. For under $100 I doubt you can find a better bassy IEM than the Exclusive 5.
Price-performance, any of the TFZ models are not too good if you compare them to some other chi-fi IEMs: probably the best price-performance bass cannons would be the Memt X5 (my actual workout IEMs, really amazing for the price, try them out!), or the even cheaper Rock Zircon because even being slightly "worse" for me (mids too recessed, undetailed highs, worse soundstage) they cost almost half the price. Other remarkable bassy IEMs that I don't have are the I-Into i8, Senfer XBA-6in1, Swing or Tingo IE800 (very similar, yet different) and Winintone RG-EB601.
Eli35
653
Jan 5, 2018
MeringoFor more budget chi-fi opinions & reviews, check one of these sites, both are great in their own way: https://audiobudget.com/leaderboard/iem http://www.aproear.co.uk/review-list/
Meringo
166
Jan 5, 2018
boot2skullMy E5 just arrived. I'm pretty blown away by their performance for how inexpensive they are. Unfortunately for Massdrop, I'll be canceling my King Pro order.
SciHobo
168
Jan 5, 2018
phattioThe exclusive king standard are known for being bright, tfz in general is known for their v shaped, aggressive house sound and good soundstage/imaging. My guess is they use number"5" to label their basshead sets, 3 for more balanced and king for treble forward (1s are entry level, 2 and 4 I can't speak of).
I own series 5 and exclusive 5 and love them both, I avoided the original king due to its reputation for being bright, but I'm in on this king pro. I'm hoping it has near the level of bass of the exclusive 5 with more sparkle, if so, I might be done in my search for my ideal headphones.
To date I've found zero impressions of it but I would assume it's a more refined king and treble forward but so far none of us really know for sure.
Ive decided I can't wait till February so I've ordered mine from lend me ur ears, which I should get in about 10 days. I'll post impressions as soon as I feel they've adequately burned in, but unfortunately it won't be until this drop has ended.....
phattio
17
Jan 5, 2018
SciHobothanks for the reply!
boot2skull
93
Jan 9, 2018
MeringoJust got my E5s over the weekend. My daily drivers are Shure 215 and I'm quite pleased with the TFZs. The Shure's sound great but to me they're feeling a bit flat. I was looking for a little more sub bass and a livelier sound, and the Exclusive 5s delivered. They are brighter than the 215s which will take some getting used to and possibly burn-in time. I'm going to avoid trying to EQ out the brightness, as that adds a lot of work for me since I switch playback devices a lot, but I don't think it's really a problem so much as a different sound than i'm used to. The brightness sounds nice most of the time, it gives new detail to the crunch of some of the synths in songs I listen to and I do like that.
SciHobo
168
Jan 10, 2018
boot2skullYeah, that's the weak point with the E5 I've found so far and causes fatigue after a while. I have pretty warm sources across the board but it's still bright after burn in. Best when you can EQ out some of the upper mids/lower treble on a DAP. They respond very well to eq.
They're probably the most aggressive/forward sounding set in my collection. They really slap you upside the head.... I should get my king pros next week and will post comparisons when burned in. Now we just wait for the tequila drop, which I'll inevitably buy.
Cablenut
57
Jan 11, 2018
SciHoboYup, I surprised myself holding back on this one. Waiting for tequilas
ZachL
218
Feb 13, 2018
SciHoboHey let us know your thoughts on the ex5 vs king vs king pro. I also have the exclusive 5 and am interested in the king pro.
RobKM
14
Feb 26, 2018
Eli35How does the TFZ exclusive 5 compare to the Fiio FH1 (which is also bass heavy)?
Eli35
653
Feb 26, 2018
RobKMCan't tell about the Fiio FH1, never heard them, but I read the FH1 usually have cable issues, where one channel cuts out frequently. The Exclusive 5 work flawlessly, no issues, and everything is 5/5: build quality, comfort & fit (most comfy IEMs I've tried so far), accessories... Sound is a great v-shape with THE BEST bass I've ever heard (really, it's so freakin' deep and punchy, super addictive), present mids and strong treble (not super harsh, but they have some brightness).
RobKM
14
Feb 26, 2018
Eli35Ok Im really interested in getting the E5. Is it easy to drive from phone? I dont have a portable amp.
Erak606
69
Feb 26, 2018
RobKMYes it's not bad
Eli35
653
Feb 27, 2018
RobKMYes, it's somewhat easy to drive, not the easiest but it'll be fine.
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