Shanling Sono - A V-Shape Signature that won my heart and ears? - Honest Audiophile Impressions

[@BC-ev4hl]

Another great video Sir. May God richly bless you and your family

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Thanks 👍

[@pokrog]

With a little bit of EQ and the right tip/nozzle setup these things are shockingly detailed and scale insanely well on higher source gear. These things I think are going to get missed by a lot of people solely due to the stock tuning which just totally does them an injustice. I wish I could buy a huge box of the stock tips that these come with lol.

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Glad you enjoy the Sonos. Thanks for the impressions.

[@carminedesanto6746]

GM ☕️ Seems the $50-$100 space is getting crowded with good performers. Have a great long weekend..and yes, I’m getting more into the LCDX..still working on the Bryston 😎🌮

[@frederf69]

had these for a month & broadly agree with you, but they pick up abit driven balanced + with Azla Xel or Kbear07 tips with the black nozzle. they are fun for OTG. cheers Dave! 🍻

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Yes, they do respond good to better sources. I should've mentioned in video, thanks for pointing that out.

[@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536]

I love my shanlings. mmm 500? I don't remember all the specific numbers. Swap the cable, swap the tips and they are the only iem's who are comfortable enough for me to sleep with 😂. They disappear in my ears. Set the sleeptimer on my DAP, relax and sleep tight ❤️ I think these use the same shell's.

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

I can wear these for a nap but not sure about a full on sleep.

[@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536]

@@TheHonestAudiophile do you sleep at night with iem's Dave? I tried some wireless but I have to search for them every morning.

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

@@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536 I do not sleep with IEM in. I do take occasional naps on the couch or in a chair but I don't sleep with an IEM in my ears.

[@paulosilva8200]

I took the red filter. Removed inside the filter and changed to a medium density sponge filter. Now sounds like the simgot 500. Perfect..

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Glad you enjoy it.

[@frederf69]

noticed the filter may need fluffing out to the near end of the nozzle. which grade of filter did you use?

[@paulosilva8200]

@frederf69 I have all filters. But for the sono, I used the medium density filter. And they are kinda large. It's around 6mm by 5mm. Because they expanded inside the bag with air, and that's cool. O guess by my ears is a grade 350. Because I have all filters. Paper filters for the nozzle that I don't like because of the moist that blocks them easy and the thin tone approach. I even got the fiio fh15, and they come with paper filters inside the 3 options of nozzles. Reviewers gave a bad review to this iem. Once I changed the paper to a spo ge one, the quality of the bass drums and all drivers changed to 80% quality. Now they sound great. I changed at least 80 iem tone because I listened loudly. So I need to smooth that upper mids and treble. Love the changeable nozzles because I don't have to remove the grill and place the filter inside , or having the only option to use paper filters because the ba is located in the nozzle. So I think all iem should have changeable nozzles tubing. For your question. The closer the filter is to the driver, the better so pressure passes thru. But my filters are big and I guess 1mm have to compress inside. No sound changed .

[@frederf69]

thank you for that. yeah that's one thing shanling did well with; not having a cap on the nozzle, i think all IEM's would sound better without them.@@paulosilva8200

[@seth1455]

@@paulosilva8200 I did something similar with my Simgot 500, they had great detail but were a little too bright for my taste, now after changing filters they sound really good.

[@princeh4604]

Looks like a good budget iem from Shanling.

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Absolutely 💯

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

Allo honest dude as Dave 🤟. This past weekend I had the opportunity to listen to a 990 headphone from a friend of mine (damn... in a different way). I know it's not a fair comparison, yet which iem comes closest to that v-shape and soundstage for 200 max with a smaller earprint than the t3 plus has. Still enjoy the honest sound of the t3 plus btw and great for vocals/positioning accuracy in fps games/film music etc, yet not for heavy metal bands like sepultura, missing the old school bass! Leaning towards the Sono because of it's size and price with more emphasis on bass and highs, yet not convinced enough to purchase them. Or should I give them a try, though I can't send them back after trying (hygiene policy/broken seal). Any thoughts?

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

I think the Sono is a good place to start.

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

@@TheHonestAudiophile Ok I'll put my trust in your hands. Correction... my 3rd iem ''forgot to mention me blons 03 at the time, left driver blew up because of external software used on my behalf'' and stopping for while after these :) Thanks again and may the 🔊 be with you

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

I look forward to hearing your impressions of the Shanling Sono.

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

@@TheHonestAudiophile Will do. Until then

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

My impressions of the Sono after (9 hours) compared to the T3 plus (23 hours) in my case. I am very disappointed, then my used to the and T3+ kicked in even more. Changing the orig. tips to w1 spinfits, screw ons went from black to red/red to black as the option was given for a more v-shaped signature (tweakability). Had a lot of bass distortion ''when trying both ba's black and red'' with more song styles. Missing details in mids. Dave and the T3 plus review ''you made me cry in a good way'' heard and felt soo much more in games, movies music only lacking that bit of extra bass and sparkling highs with no distortions at all when driven''by my pc amp/software and tv/amp connection. Am I being deceived? Couldn't just be my narrow minded way of thinking... Must be more to it. So used an other source besides my pc/tv's (high end sony tv from relative back in the day ''2014'' hdmi with a headphone output 24bit/192kHz) chip sets/amps etc. being used at the time for tv. Here's the twister, when using a different source as my dusty sony walkman NW-A5SL (had to max it out also) makes all of the difference, wish it would had more ampf. Perception and using other hardware has changed it for me. They have that old school 1980's nostalgic bass again (red da used). The T3 plus are more honest, the mids are sooo new school enjoyable. The switching and time spent is a mayor part of the equation. Know I've have a good combo for now. Your welcome and vice visa

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Thanks for the impressions.

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

These iems do need to a burn-in! Sounds way better on my tv source after 20h or so, that where causing mayor distortions before. Just a sharing to some new adventures. The ear fit is perfect incl. cables. Thanks again

[@ericsond6666]

Legato vs Sono? Can get the legato for 70-80 on the other hand Sono at around $50-55.

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Legato is more oldschool basshead sound, warmer, thicker sound but not as detailed and resolving.

[@ericsond6666]

@@TheHonestAudiophile thank you so much!

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

My pleasure, you're welcome.

[@kaletv4152]

me too. been thinking which to get. sono or legato.

[@mohitbansal1221]

My legato stopped working within 3 months I'm here watching this video looking for it's replacement 🥲

[@jeremymati]

Hello friend, how would you compared them with the Simgot EW200, i'm looking for to get the simgot too

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Sono is more v-shaped, has more impact in the bass, doesn't have as much body in the mids, slightly more controlled in the treble, has slightly better details and resolution.

[@傑克詹]

.最後載夫先生有留下深得您心的SONO成為常用的耳機嗎?好奇一問!😆😆

[@G.InBlues]

Some IEM under 200 euros for jazz?

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Moondrop Kato Tanchjim Kara Tin Hifi P1 Max

[@feyvre]

Thanks for your videos as always! I have a question: what IEM would you recommend that has a good imaging and soundstage? I want to use them mainly for video games, especially battle royales

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Budget?

[@feyvre]

yes and another non-budget proposal would be ideal to make my choice@@TheHonestAudiophile

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Moondrop Blessing 3

[@feyvre]

@@TheHonestAudiophile thank you 🙏

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

@feyvre my pleasure, you're welcome

[@pc6475]

glad i didn't buy them was very close but i am not a V shape guy )) .They looks great and the filters too ,but we really need them?

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Filters are all the rage right now. I just wish manufacturers would pick the sound signature they want and ship it out. But filters are a novelty that some people enjoy.

[@pc6475]

@@TheHonestAudiophile why not ,legit ,i 'll try to sometimes but i am not even keen on EQ too ,as when i put the headphone on on UAPP bit perfect ,and that's it .Depends on personal taste but i have the sense than after your ears will only confuse you as depending the music and style you listen become filter dependent? Do you understand my point? Said that ,why not ,it's an hobby and everyone get different perception of sound, as well as age too

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

@@pc6475 I get the novelty and that some enjoy it. I just find it a frustration and annoyance to change filters. I like things simple and easy to use. But it is cool how some filters and switches can alter sounds to meet your fancy. That is what makes audio fun, the endless possibilities.

[@pc6475]

@@TheHonestAudiophile no doubts about it

[@pc6475]

@@TheHonestAudiophile i was thinking to buy Sono ,but is the V shape tuning that after a while i take it out .This never happen with the Tin T3 , Tin P1 or even Dunu Titan S

[@AndrewUKLondon]

Nice review, informative. I’ve got the TruthEar Hexa and I’d agree with your comments though they make a nice contrast to my fun sounding 7Hz Timeless. I’ve seen comments that the Shanling Sono are the same IEMs as the Earfun EH100 (which is heavily discounted). Any idea if that is true>

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

I have no idea about the Earfun EH100.

[@Aaron-vo3gy]

Do you prefer the sono over the hexa?

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Different presentations. Hexa is analytical and bright neutral leaning and the Sono is v-shaped fun.

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

Could be a rhetorical question. Do iems have to burn in? Like headphones have to. Just would like your feedback on this

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

I have found that just like headphones, burn-in can make a difference with an IEM but not always. Just kinda depends. For consistency in my reviews, I burn-in all products for at least 40 hours.

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

​@@TheHonestAudiophile Thanks! Just pink noise for 40h+ or diff. kinds of music styles played for 40h+ to break them in? Last question btw.

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Here is a link to my review process; step 5 talks about burn-in: www.thehonestaudiophile.com/post/honest-audiophile-review-process

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

@@TheHonestAudiophile 💯 🤟

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

A little off topic. Sound stage and pinpointing in iems/headphones pc hardware/software wise in fps gaming would be my next topic to go in to, as you shared it in an other vid. I've just seen 1 on gaming X4 etc . though I haven't experienced it yet (using other means). Maybe your hardware is more precise? Will share on my behalf to make you, maybe an even more enjoyable Single BF1 Player for the fps directional sounds. Many tweaks and learning curves on this behalf. Have some ideas dependent on games played. As some say ''GL HF'' (Good Luck and Have Fun) Write to you in a week or so if you will... in that other vid. of yours

[@TonyA-ex1sj]

Is this iem similar to the Aoshida E20?

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Sono is more v-shaped, has way more bass.

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

Update after 4 months of use. My right earbud has a defect (softer in db). No refund. For 60 euro's at the time, it's a so... No! Yet got the name wright. Damn i'm bummed out. No more earbuds for me. Back to over ear dt...

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Sorry to hear that. Bummer.

[@Nobodyknowsitall]

@@TheHonestAudiophile No offence, but guess as in testing. Takes more than a just a week. Meanwhile i''ll be more interested in long term use reviews and not the first impressions. Each has its own way of sharing though. A bummer it was indeed...lesson learned

[@ifteykharulislam]

A basshead iem ?

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Sono would be decent for a basshead but in similar price the 7hz Legato is an even better basshead IEM.

[@kaletv4152]

how about the soundstage? thanks. would also like to use this for gaming… how does this fair?

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

Soundstage is discussed in technical abilities section 11:33 TECHNICAL ABILITIES

[@kaletv4152]

@@TheHonestAudiophilethanks.

[@TheHonestAudiophile]

My pleasure, you're welcome