apparently amazon does this with some return options they assume that the customer never opened it and just put it back on the shelf as new.

Whatever store you buy from check their return policy. Many will say all sales final. I guess they are frustrated by people buying just to try them out.

Hifigo sells new stuff, though you do not have the same protections Amazon offers

I've purchased a few IEMs from Amazon and I've never received an open box. That's f*cked up in many ways when it's being sold as new. If you buy direct from Linsoul, HiFiGo, or Shenzhenaudio you shouldn't have a problem like open box but returns are also a pain when ordering from China. It's basically pick your demons because there are pros and cons to both. If you're in the US there is also headphones.com which I prefer to order from if they carry what I'm wanting otherwise I normally just buy from whoever has in stock from the previous mentions.

You bought from Amazon, smart. I believe it's eligible for return within 30 days. Buy directly from China and you'll have a lot more trouble returning, dealing with the company, customs, shipping...

Also, it's not bad Chinese sellers, it's all sellers, all products. I bought a chainsaw on Amazon from an American company that had the chain attached, oil applied and pieces of wood in the chain. Returned.

Try companies like Audio46.com or Drop.com and I'm sure there are others.

It was likely used 'auditioned' by someone and returned.

Every other person on this subreddit is buying like 12 different products off of amazon and just returning the ones they don't want.

There is literally some guy buying every cheap chi-fi in ear, comparing them, and returning all of them.

Apparently, nobody sees the issue with this practice.

This is the result of people demanding the ability to 'audition' cheap, relatively decent sounding products, in a subjective hobby dominated by shills reviewers.

Actions have consequences. IE: The advice I see here of just buy off of Amazon and abuse the return policy to audition cheap IEMs results in used ear tips down the line.

Edit: I’ve checked the eartips and one pair DEFINITELY has earwax inside.

This is a used item which was sold as new. lol

Pretty awful experience gotta be honest.

How would I even get a new pair of these? Buy them from China directly? Would that guarantee that they’re actually new or do they pull the same crap even if you buy from the Linsoul website? 😕

I got mine from Shopee mainly for the shipping distance. I paid $15 with shipping. The maker is active on Aliexpress, I think they are also the one that made the IE900 diy.

Where did u get the e5000 diy from how much was it. There are a lot of e5000 floating Ard taobao for Ard 8usd

I'm using ER2 and Q5K as well. Do you mind posting a photo of you wearing this. I'm kind of interested on how it looks with this cable.

See my updated comment.

Ooo i’ve been meaning to do this! I wonder if it’ll fit my Zonie cable!

UPDATE:

Alas, they arrived today and everything seems legit. In anticipation for it being fake, I've watched all of the real vs fake videos online. By all accounts, it adds up to being the real deal. Here are all the factors that I considered:

1. They sound good. They have an identical sound profile as the pair I bought for my wife for her bday directly from an authorized dealer.

2. I was able to register the serial number on the website. The serial number on the box matches the case (but the ear pieces have different serial numbers). These are all the same for my wife's pair.

3. The packaging matches exactly that of my wife's pair. The fonts are the same, same material for the security pull tab, same plastic wrapper on the case, same hard cardboard cradle, same eartips packaging, etc. Everything is the same.

4. Spatial audio works and I was able to scan my head.

5. The noise cancellation and transparency modes are identical to my wife's pair (evidently these are dead giveaways, as fakes are not good).

6. The find my AirPod function and beep function work (another giveaway of fake if these functions don't work).

At bottom, if these are fakes, then they pretty much came out of Foxcon's factory, so I'm overall happy with the purchase.

The ER2XR has a bit of a key on the MMCX connector, but I was still able to connect the cable to each IEM such that there's good electrical contact & each IEM has a secure mechanical connection.

(So, no modifications, it works stock.)

did you have to modify the cable at all to get it to fit in your etys

Recently upgraded my setup to include a Tripowin C8 MMCX/2.5mm balanced cable with a Qudelix 5K. These have allowed my ER2XRs to sing like never before, and I love using them.

However, owners of relatively intricate braided cables may know that they are a bit heavier than their simpler counterparts. As such, when in use, they affect the fitment of my IEMs in my ears without proper support. As the C8s did not come with a shirt clip, I was (initially) out of luck...

Thankfully, I have several years of experience using SOLIDWORKS for 3D design and own a Creality CR-6 SE. Once printed, it simply snaps on to the breakout portion of the cable, allowing you to attach it to things and secure your cable.

The 3MF for this model can be found here: https://www.printables.com/model/366483-linsoul-tripowin-c8-shirt-clip

This was a quick and dirty creation with only one design revision; please let me know if you like it, and if anything can be improved!

Other users told me that they changed the tuning already. It’s even more V-shaped with less treble extension nowadays. I recommend getting the shells and source your own drivers instead.

u/o0genesis0o bought a pair of "DIY" IE900 that supposedly sounded great, though it's unclear if you can get the same ones any more.

I owned the E5000 diy and apart from the build the overall sound is well justified. If I were given this without saying they're fake I would absolutely believe you. The Chu aren't my type of sound, I would gladly pick up the diy one over the Chu for fun sounding and well controlled sub bass.

I'd purchase a used XBA-A2 right after to compare the two. Kudos to the diyer. They have made it so that i would recommend it, if you don't mind it being a diy product.

In the end. If it sounds good to you, it's a win. Cheers!

Diy? Maybe. Fakes? Never.

They're in stock partly because they are incredibly expensive and there is no coverage on their sound quality. I wouldn't buy a headphone if it didn't sound good to me. Doesn't matter how gimmicky the design is.

I tried them at a local audio store for about an hour and the tuning is not for me. I love bass but the trifecta had too much.

(Made some edits to clean up my thoughts)

Their Andromeda and solaris are great, Ara is very technical for the price, the rest are very niche though.

Got new, official pads now 😅

I feel like even this is a little unfair…to apple.

They’re expensive, I haven’t seen many reviews yet, and the general consensus seems to have swayed quite heavily on Campfire over the last few years.

I’m not really surprised people aren’t jumping on them with so much competition now.