CCA PLA13 IEM review

02 April 2023
An affordable planar magnetic IEM for the masses.

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NeonHD, 03 Apr 2023Honestly, there are some $1000+ Android DAPs out there (fro... moreI actually used a nice sounding dap and more importantly not Android based nw-zx300, as the battery life is significantly longer at over 20 hours, I don't even stream, but I do have 380gb of music on 512gb sd card

    Lu, 03 Apr 2023I do not own these but I own a KZ PR1 omong other planars t... moreYou got the graph for before and after burn in? If not this one any other one?

      you have to suffer, 03 Apr 2023sadly they quit the mobile market for long. if they are sti... moreI couldn't agree more. LG can give a large 6.8" 20.5:9 screen with a 5000mAh battery, AES stylus support, and a headphone jack with Quad DAC while undercutting the 6.2" Samsung Galaxy S20 by $200 ($799 vs $999). Even if you buy the optional detachable Dual Screen case, it's still $100 cheaper.

        you have to suffer, 03 Apr 2023sadly they quit the mobile market for long. if they are sti... moreIt can work with any earphone or headphones. But for the ultimate aural experience, best to get studio-grade wired audio gear. For me though, the DAC sound quality really starts to shine when you play FLAC or WAV files. You can't really tell much when using MP3 or online streaming platforms that don't offer Hi-Fi/Hi-Res music.

          YUKI93, 03 Apr 2023Since I got my LG V50, I've stopped going wireless bec... moresadly they quit the mobile market for long. if they are still going, they'll decimate samsung s series.

            Anonymous, 03 Apr 2023Which does show that headphone jack never goes outdated and... morecould've gone with iphone 6s plus, but yeah right atleast, wired audio is still alive. that proves wireless audio are just a choice, but to waste money. to expect IEM quality on wireless you'd have to spend 4 figures.

              Anonymous, 03 Apr 2023I find it rather funny to see an old iPhone being used for ... moreSince I got my LG V50, I've stopped going wireless because of the built-in Quad DAC audio. It is beyond phenomenal - it sounds WAY better than any wireless earbuds I have owned or tried, even with a relatively cheap secondhand studio-grade headphone. Even though LG has long exited the smartphone market, I still keep the V50 because of the Quad DAC and its detachable Dual Screen case. I might be looking at modern Android-powered Sony Walkmans or external DACs like Fiio to add to my collection.

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                • Rkm
                • FY0
                • 03 Apr 2023

                Lu, 03 Apr 2023I do not own these but I own a KZ PR1 omong other planars t... moreJust want to appreciate e1da 9038sg3. Such an awesome device. Those little things can power Audeze!! What a gem.

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                  • Anonymous
                  • xq5
                  • 03 Apr 2023

                  I don't mind too much bass but I don't like too much treble. For many genres too much bass isn't an issue unless you listen songs with much vocals like rock and metal. But too much treble is horrible. It is like cuting your ears with a sharp tool. I use bass boost in media player. Not all earphones play with it finely but most of them do. I have 1 wireless over ear 4 tws 1 neckband 1 in ear monitor 3 wired earphones. For sound quality in ear monitor is the best but each one has pros and cons. Can tell you my models if interested.

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                    • FY0
                    • 03 Apr 2023

                    MR45, 03 Apr 2023I used to get interested in IEM a year ago and in those tim... moreVK4 was known for their reference grade tuning. Not all IEMs are tuned similarly. In fact, I think if you had bought the Blon which had warm sound, you may still be using it.

                      imparanoic, 03 Apr 2023it's noted some people use high resolution audio playe... moreI guess you should try the V-series from LG, especially V50/V60 as these are more recent and some from the Asus, heard they have good DACs but never tried them.

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                        • 03 Apr 2023

                        you have to suffer, 03 Apr 2023they literally plug that IEM to the iphone 5s😭😭😭The Apple 3.5mm adapter picks up the workload from the phone, and its surprisingly good. Much better than a regular phone's DAC, and eliminates any potential noise floor issues.

                          NeonHD, 03 Apr 2023Honestly, there are some $1000+ Android DAPs out there (fro... moreAre you saying that some $1000+ DAPs have similar sound quality to low-mid-range smartphones or some $1000+ DAPs have a decent specs sheet compared to low-mid-range smartphones like Snapdragon 680 except for the DAC(s)?

                            imparanoic, 03 Apr 2023it's noted some people use high resolution audio playe... moreHonestly, there are some $1000+ Android DAPs out there (from the likes of Hiby, Fiio, Astell & Kern) that run on decent specs, about equivalent to a low-mid range phone of today. So it's basically just like having an Android phone, except for the literal 'phone' part lol.

                              Lei, 03 Apr 2023Zetian Wu is the best budget planar IEM. The difference bet... moreYup. Haven't tried the other budget planars, but can confirm that the Zetian Wu sounds very similar to a dynamic driver IEM. Doesn't have that edgy treble that others have described on IEMs like the S12.

                                it's noted some people use high resolution audio players to play music than phones, or use iems for video games consoles rather than phones

                                However, I will love to an audiophile grade phone with a decent DAC, 3.5mm unbalanced as well, 4.4mm unbalanced for harder to drive headphones as well as few high ohms iems

                                  Even if your phone don't have 3.5mm unbalanced output, you can always use inexpensive DACs such as ibasso dc03 pro which are around USD 70, but if you on a real budget, older ibasso dc02 as low as USD 20 used

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                                    • Anonymous
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                                    • 03 Apr 2023

                                    you have to suffer, 03 Apr 2023they literally plug that IEM to the iphone 5s😭😭😭Which does show that headphone jack never goes outdated and irrelevant. For this kind of audio gear, going wireless is definitely not the answer.

                                      I never get that idea.... Planar magnetic drivers are best for nice thin headphones as they create tad wider sound stage without making overall size of them big. And they slap those drivers to small, chunky earbuds making whole idea of planar drivers no different than normal drivers -_-

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                                        • Lei
                                        • I@a
                                        • 03 Apr 2023

                                        NeonHD, 03 Apr 2023> In effect, planars are to dynamic drivers what OLEDs a... moreZetian Wu is the best budget planar IEM. The difference between Zetian Wu and other budget planars is night and day.

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