Pierre Nakano x AVIOT True Wireless Earphones TE-BD21f-pnk Special Edition.
Found a company that sells used games and electronics from Japan and they happened to be running a free shipping special... So I went a little crazy. These were my most reasonable purchase, but also the highest risk?
They were listed as junk/damaged due to corrosion on the charging pads of the earphones themselves and the pins of the charging case (I suspected) keeping the right ear piece from charging. The USB-C charging cable and a couple pairs of ear tips were also missing, and the condition of the ear pieces, charging case, and box / carrying case were all listed as "difficult". Pictures were too small to make much out, but I took the chance...
At $36 shipped from Japan for a limited edition that normally sells here for $150+ used, why not? Reviews seemed good, and I went in knowing they would be bass heavy but not awkwardly so - Pierre Nakano is the drummer for the Japanese rock band Ling Tosite Sigure, and they've been active for 20 years, so... I figured he probably knew what he was doing. AVIOT is a Taiwanese design house and their average asking price for TWS, which seem to be their main focus, is around $300.
Thanks, Mr. Nakano, these little things are pretty amazing.
Are they going to touch my Empire Ears Legend X with the Topping D90 and A90, or even the G5 portable DAC amp? No... But they cost 1/12th what the less expensive of those two setups cost, MSRP to MSRP, and with that in mind assuming you like me enjoy a tastefully executed bass forward tuning (think a really, really high end in car system) or are willing to EQ they're incredible even at their $300 MSRP, nevermind less than $40 just in need of cleaning with some scratches.
Honestly, wow. 2 Balanced Armiture drivers and 1 dynamic (basic moving cone) per side, "bullet" style fit (more comfortable and secure than I would have imagined). That's nothing compared to high end wired IEMs - I have some with 10 drivers of various types per side) but it's impressive in a TWS, especially one this small. They do protrude from the ear a good bit. If you have larger ears you'll likely need larger than the included ear tips to get a comfortable, secure fit, but that's a minor issue.
The charging case is kinda cute, I like its weird little sliding door and the mechanism seems robust. I get the impression these were someone's every day carry; they weren't treated with any great kindness (hence the scratched off color on the right ear piece) but weren't abused. Workhorses that were replaced, likely with one of their various successors, and sold off once they were redundant. I'm happy to give them a new home.
Strong recommend if you're in the market for wireless IEMs in the $150-350 range. If you see them for much less, jump on it.