FAAEAL Snow-Lotus 1.0 HiFi Earphone 64 Ohm DIY Clear Detailed Balanced Sound Quality Music Earphones DJ Earphones (Snow-Lotus 1.0, Black)

(Pictured left to right: FAAEAL iris Ancestor, iris 2.0, snow lotus 1.0, rosemary, apple earpod)I've been looking at these FAAEAL earbuds for a while but wasn't sure which one to get so I took one for the team and got 4 models to do a mega comparison, and included wired apple earpods.- Iris ancestor includes the buds and two pair of black foam covers.- Iris 2.0 includes the buds, two pair of black foam covers, a small clip to clip the cable to your shirt and a nice drawstring carry bag.- Snow Lotus 1.0 includes the buds, two pair of black and two pair of white covers, the clip, and bag.- Rosemary includes buds, four pair black and four pair white covers plus 3 pair of "donut" shaped black covers with a hole to let more treble through, the clip, and the bag.- Oddly all have a right angle 3.5mm connector except the snow lotus 1.0 with a straight connector. The iris ancestor has a soft rubber cable, the rest have iem style twisted pair cables.For the purpose of comparing their sound I used foam covers on all buds including the apple pods. I find bare plastic less comfortable so I always run foams anyway. Your choice of bare, foams, or "donut" foams will affect the sound, mainly how they seal in the ear and how much treble is let through. A paper hole punch or plain scissors could be used to create donuts if your pair doesn't include them.- Iris Ancestor - Most "V" shaped sound, at a comfortable volume they are easy to listen to, and the reduced mid-range makes them sound less "busy". This reduced mid-range allows you to hear the most treble "detail".- Iris 2.0 - I would describe as mostly flat but with slightly reduced treble. Treble is present but is not allowed to stand out like the Iris Ancestor, however this trade allows the mid vocals to be more present.- Snow Lotus 1.0 - Mid-forward or bass and treble reduced, however you prefer to look at it. I found this pair to have the least treble AND the least bass. When I first put on a mid-forward phone I find myself turning up the volume to get the treble where I want but then the mids are shouting and I walk it back down. With this pair you hear different echoes and background sounds than you normally hear up in the treble area.- Rosemary - Probably the most flat but with a light bump somewhere in the upper-mid/lower-treble area. With this pair everything feels represented. That bump makes certain vocal echoes stand out more than usual, without sounding too nasally, however it may get fatiguing at high volumes.- Apple Earpods - Sounds engineered to be inoffensive, like a big company did lots of R&D. Sounds like slightly lower bass was prioritized, has a certain thump without being warm in the upper bass. Treble is clear but does not risk being too bright and fatiguing, clear but does not sparkle.Honestly all were enjoyable to listen to. The only potential problem scenario that comes to mind would be high energy, bassy music on the mid-focused snow lotus 1.0, it might sound a little flat because it's not playing to it's strengths. For the price of these I think it's hard to be disappointed, and I would recommend choosing based on your preferred sound "shape".

These earbuds sound pretty good. I've used a software equalizer to improve the sound by gently increasing the bass and treble by about 2db, but surprisingly it doesn't need much to come close to my studio headphones. My only concern is the wire coming apart, since by design the two wires are weaved in a unique way.

Pros -1. Amazing sound for $10. The highs and mids are clear and detailed. I haven't found the highs to be sharp, which is good because I'm sensitive to sharp highs. The bass isn't nonexistent, but there isn't much of it. What is there though is tight and essential to enjoy the music. Overall I'd say the sound is pretty balanced and airy. They don't sound like they're from a tin can like some of the other earbuds that are this price. The sound gives some old school nostalgia to me as well due to them not being the jam in your ear type of earbuds that I have been wearing for the past decade.2. Build quality is pretty good. I like how they have some weight to them. The plastic on the earbud feels pretty sturdy. The wire cable is tightly twisted and is hard to tangle. Time will tell how long they last, but I think that they will last for a long time since I only use them at my computer desk. As an extra bonus, they won't attract earwax due to them not going into your ear canal.3. Being able to hear your surroundings is great. I got tired of not being able to hear what was going on around me with the headphones and earbuds that I usually wear. I live and work in mostly quiet environments, and being able to hear if someone calls my name or a text goes off is great for me personally. Obviously this might be a negative if you don't want outside noise getting in.4. These are comfortable. These types of earbuds are always going to be more comfy and easy on the ears than other earbuds that you have to jam in your ear. They also sit in my ear perfectly. If you put the foam on the end of them, they are even more comfy.Cons -1. You need an external headphone amp if you want to experience everything these have to offer. I tried these with my iPhone and they don't sound as full and detailed, and you have to turn the volume up higher. This is due to them being rated at 64 ohms.2. These might disappoint you if you have your expectations too high. They are $10, and you can only get so much for your money. However, what is here is enough for me to enjoy on the daily. That's high praise of these $10 headphones since I own two pairs of Koss KPH30i's and one pair of Sony MDR-7506 studio headphones that I also use with my headphone amp. Sure the music doesn't sound as great as those, but it's good enough for me, and they are very comfortable.Overall, if you love value for money audio gear and you have an amp that you use to drive your headphones, this is a no-brainier. You will laugh out loud when you use these for the first time, because you won't believe that you bought these for the price of a meal from Subway.

The sound quality and build is great for the price