In this second of a three-part series, let’s examine the True Wireless Bulletz, a 4.9mm bore sized tip that will fit the majority of True Wireless IEMs on the market. Our reviewer usually uses small or medium-sized tips and is testing with a Sony ZX300 music player and the wonderful and free HDtracks 2020 Hi-Res Sampler album.

KZ S1D

The least expensive/cheapest True Wireless IEM in this lineup, it also includes only two sizes of tips, and also the tips have the least stiff “structure” of tips and can tend to fold when attaching, and this reviewer actually found the medium tips to become misshapen and create a worse seal in his ear (resulting in a very thin sound) than the small tips more appropriately sized for his ear canals. This just goes to show how important a good fit is… and the Memory Foam Bulletz TWS squish then expand to fill the ear canal and provide a good seal, a moment after holding them in the ear. The full-sized Bulletz Mercury also fit on this IEM, however their size makes it difficult for the IEM to make a good connection with the charging case; the Bulletz TWS were designed to solve this and store properly while allowing the IEMs to recharge. A little usability tip with this IEM: the lip that holds the tips on the earpiece is very thin, and there is a chance that any tip will slip off and get left in the ear. To prevent his, pull your ear up and forward to break the seal, and briefly mash the tip against the sides of your canal before centering and pulling the tip out.

With the Troubadour-style Anna Nalick singing “As The Time Draws Near,” the listener is placed in the audience of a large, reverberant hall, though fairly close to the stage. The Bulletz TWS provide a little more foundation and mid bass to the sound, while the stock tips have a more airy presentation, extremely so if you don’t get a good seal with the stock tips (the Bulletz TWS come in three sizes or a sample pack of all three).

1More True Wireless Style

1More’s popular and sporty take on the True Wireless headphone, the Style, comes with rubber “loops” to help the IEM stay in the ear during workouts and other strenuous activities, but maintains a smooth matte pebble-like appearance for style points. The silicone tips included are fine, and quite durable, but with all those sweaty activities, it may give a false impression for how often the tips and earwax grille should be cleaned! With the lively guitar and fiddle work of “Pupville” by David Grisman, the stock tip sound is dominated by the voice-like violin, which is nice for people used to a flat or n-shaped frequency response, however the Bulletz bring the bass cello into greater prominence and help the guitar perform with more body and weight, which many people will find to sound richer and balanced the way they expect. And while the full-sized Bulletz Mercury will also fit this headphone and not impede the connection to the charging case when stored, the IEM was designed for a shorter “tip” and so the shorter Bulletz TWS has the more intimate sound closer to stock.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless

The Momentum True Wireless includes four sizes of silicone tips, yet no foam tips. Though the original Bulletz Mercury will fit on the Momentum inside the case, the Bulletz TWS have the same height and insertion depth as the stock. This difference is important to the sound: while the Mercury and other foam tips have a taller “tube” and reduce the “air” and high end extension compared to the stock tips, the TWS preserves that transparency while providing the benefits to the seal, low end response, and comfort of foam tips. With one of the most challenging and revealing tracks on the HDtracks sampler, the orchestral “Symphony No. 1 in E Major, Op. 26: V. Allergro” from Mikhail Pletnev has the widest dynamic range of quiet to loud sounds, performed on a truly large stage. With the Bulletz TWS, the apparent volume of the violins was reduced, but a bump up of the volume to match the violins brings an exciting sound with good presence of the horns and timpani, as well as a more sure fit (even with four sizes, the reviewer’s right ear is somewhere between the stock medium and second smallest tip! No such issues with the conforming Bulletz foam).

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Dekoni Bulletz offer unique traits that make them seem like a hybrid of strengths from typical silicone and memory foam tips. The memory foam is soft and consistently offers a good seal, yet it is thinly coated with wax for more durability and can safely be wiped clean with a damp towel. Inserting the tips is simple, with a squeeze and roll on the tip before inserting – some people report they can just push or twist them in, like a silicone tip! As a bonus, the inner core is attached to a firm silicone tube, which gives you something to push on and makes attaching a tip to your IEM a little bit easier.

If you’ve read this far, give this post a like! Have you tried Bulletz on any of your IEMs? Part 3 will arrive in about a week and a half, when we test the narrow-bore Gemini tips on models from Shure and Etymotic!

Durability, comfort, ease of insertion, and sound quality… sometimes, we have to face the challenge of choosing between these factors with In-Ear Monitors, particularly with the all-important ear tips. We’re all familiar with typical silicone tips; easy to clean, easy to slip in and out of your ears, but they come in a bewildering array of shapes and sizes because they don’t conform to fit the ear canal well, with getting and maintaining a “good seal” being difficult and causing widely variable sound impressions. Many silicone tips also come with molding line seams or “ridges” that can feel like they’re scraping your ear and become highly uncomfortable in less time than it takes to listen to a full album. Foam tips do conform to your ear’s shape and thus usually provide better isolation, bass response, and surface comfort, but they seem to act like sponges, sucking up your ear wax and quickly getting gross, even though IEMs only include a single pair in one size… if you’re lucky enough for them to be included at all.

In this first of a three-part series, let’s examine the Mercury Bulletz, a 4.9mm bore sized tip that will fit the majority of IEMs on the market. Our reviewer usually uses small or medium-sized tips and is testing with a Sony ZX300 music player and the wonderful and free HDtracks 2020 Hi-Res Sampler album.

KZ ZS10 Pro

This popular but inexpensive model comes with an attractive cable and enclosure, and four pairs of silicone tip sizes. The stock tips are easy to remove but are fiddly to reattach because their core folds and collapses – the Dekoni Bulletz are much easier to attach onto the enclosure’s stem. No Sanctuary Here (Chris Jones) is a powerful track with rich acoustic guitar and male vocals, with the Bulletz bringing a more snug fit and a tighter seal, resulting in a bit more upper bass and lower midsized emphasis that suits this full-bodied track.

Tin HiFi T2

The T2 includes a bewildering array of silicone tips in different width and height options, including what appears to be an all-smoke gray pair of medium tips the same shape as the factory-installed red-core tips, and a single pair of blue foam tips. This is also the only IEM in this roundup that has the dubious distinction of allowing a silicone tip to come off of the enclosure and stay stuck in an ear canal. For a track with female vocals and more air, The Telephone Song (Telefone) sung by Diana Panton is a good demonstration of how foam tips in contrast to silicone can place the listener 2-3 rows back into the center of the audience rather than in the stage pit and make the background a little bit more black and dry. It’s a relatively small change that requires back to back comparison to perceive and may attenuate a touch of glare or sibilance for those who are sensitive; however the room reverb and little details like the microphone tap/bump at 0:15 are still easy to perceive. The Stock foam and Dekoni Bulletz tips are even more similar, however the blue Stock foams are slower to rebound and take longer to resume position out of the way of the bore opening if it bent inward at all (or the bend of an ear canal is pressing on it). Of course, there is only one medium Stock tip (a bit stressful for our reviewer to fit in his ear), while Dekoni Bullets come with either three pairs in three sizes or a pack all in one size once you know which fits best.

BLON BL-03

Chrome and sleek, credit is due to BLON for the stock ergonomics and four sizes of silicone tips, but the foam Bulletz will still provide a more customized fit, tighter seal, and better bass extension. Our reviewer was able to insert the Mercury Bulletz to two “depths” of attaching the tips, with the shallower depth being the same as the stock tips’ attachment, with full depth providing an option to bring the IEM driver closer to the eardrum and have deeper insertion (the stock tips “fold” before the bore stretches to go all the way down). Chantal Chamberland’s take on I Put a Spell On You provides a nice intimate-club performance that arrests attention. Whether the Bullets are at the standard or deeper attachment, there is an increase in bass quantity and extension into the sub-bass frequencies compared to the silicone tips (and better isolation from the outside), as well as a bit of extra smoothness and distance in the upper mids and treble, as evident by a smoother and assured finale at the 4:15 time stamp. The full depth attachment offers a more forward presentation and intimacy with a bit more upper mids; there is still plenty of air and the sense of soundstage size, but a touch less than stock.

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Dekoni Bulletz offer unique traits that make them seem like a hybrid of strengths from typical silicone and memory foam tips. The memory foam is soft and consistently offers a good seal, yet it is thinly coated with wax for more durability and can safely be wiped clean with a damp towel. Inserting the tips is simple, with a squeeze and roll on the tip before inserting – some people report they can just push or twist them in, like a silicone tip! As a bonus, the inner core is attached to a firm silicone tube, which gives you something to push on and makes attaching a tip to your IEM a little bit easier.

If you’ve read this far, give this post a like! Have you tried Bulletz on any of your IEMs? Part 2 will arrive in about two weeks, when we test the shorter True Wireless tips on models from KZ Acoustics, 1More, and Sennheiser!