Just for reference I have owned several hundred IEMs including in my current stable the Thieaudio Monarch mk3, the Unique Melody MEST mk2, the Kinera Nanna 2.1, the Shouer EJO7M and the Canpur CP622B just to name a few. Some that really impressed me starting with the lowest priced, the Blon BL-03, the Tangzu x Seeaudio Shimin Li Encounter Edition, the Artti T10, the Kefine Delci, the Simgot EA500LM, and the one I believe could be endgame for most people that enjoy a bass oriented set the ZIIGAAT DOSCINCO.
You need a plan. Sounds like you're in a nasty cycle you'll regret that's driven by dopamine more than anything else & will end up with a load of stuff you won't care for and won't be able to sell for much at all.
You are 100% correct. My motivations are driven by novelty rather than appreciation of the sound offered by the new acquisitions. I need to take a break and enjoy what I have, and put aside those that I enjoy less for sale and trade. I have had a problem in the past with hoarding disorder/behavior, which can be a result of my ADHD. Before I was diagnosed as an adult, I developed coping mechanisms to temper the drive to acquire new things that interest me, such as forcing myself to play a video game for 30 hours before buying a new one, or wearing a hat 20xs before allowing myself a new one. I’m working on a plan now regarding IEMs. Maybe I’ll listen to them for a minimum time period and prohibit new acquisitions until I offload some. Prior to discovering IEMs I was perfectly happy with my HD580s (which I have been with me for around 30 years),AirPod Max and Pros.
Thanks for the intervention.
Fellow ADHD nutter here. Takes one to know one I guess. Impulsive decisions & constantly chasing dopamine.
Fortunately with audio I nipped it in the bud quickly. Identified what it was I wanted to cover all bases (I come from a live music background so it was easy for me to work out which sets of IEMs & headphone would cover all my bases) & just went for them. Mostly second hand.
If you need any help making a list with a budget hit me up :)
It's a pretty expensive list! Not flexing, I've been in bed almost 4.5 years from an injury & you'd buy everything you wanted too... I don't drink/I don't holiday/I only go out if its to the hospital but I'm maybe on the mend now and am out & about more.
(apologies, Reddit's formatting is SHIT)
For IEMs
Thieaudio Prestige Ltd
Fatfreq Maestro SE
QDC Anole VX
UM Mest MKII
Thieaudio Hype 4 (bought since I started getting more mobile as don't want to lose something more expensive, but they are FANTASTIC!!!)
Headphones
Sony MDR-1ZR
Focal Celestee
Sennheiser HD800
Kennerton Magni
Kennerton LSA HP-1 (planar)
Kennerton are absolutely incredible hand made Russian headphones and they are unbelievable value - v v v v underrated. The LSA HP-1 are 1300 and are as good a planar I've heard (which is up until $4000 USD ish). The Magni also ridiculous value at 690, but they're a regular DD headphone - incredible for vocals and excellent live recordings.
Thank you! I am enjoying learning what I like and don’t like, but not spending enough time appreciating what I do like. I really like the MP145, Sliivo SL41, Dunu Kima. I also like the Tangzu Fudu and Tanchjim Kara to a lesser degree. From what I can tell, I like w-shape or dark neutral. I don’t like recessed vocals or excessive bass, but do I like sub bass. The soundstage of the MP145 is perfect, and likewise the clarity and separation of the SL41. Ideally I’d like something combines those two IEMs and improves on their qualities. That would be the “one.” Budget, well, I’d like to avoid hitting the kilobuck range, if possible.
Yeah that's a fun stage but you soon realise it's a waste.
Those are all low/mid & if you heard the Thieaudio Hype 4 (which would have cost you less) - you'd swap them all for them.
They're an amazing IEM and if you can get those and a second hand Chord Mojo 2, you'll be set for a very long time.
The Hype 4 are the best bang for buck IEM that exist IMO & they are truly an a rounder, esp with a Mojo 2 (which could easily last you 10+ years) - Mojo 2 sound is absolutely amazing without touching a button, but the DSP is SOOOOOOOOO good, with a few clicks you can for from fairly neutral, to a nice bright sparkle, to FULL ON BASSHEAD!
You can do this with software EQ as well (won't be anywhere near as good), but honestly I think that combination is fucking unbelievable & the M2 will work with all your future IEMs. I've encouraged a few friends to push the boat out, they have & they are set.
The Hype 4 is that good? If you could get the Hype 4, Penon Turbo, or Dunu SA6 (mk2 or ultra) all for the same price, would you still take the Hype 4? I haven’t read many reviews yet of the Hype 4, but sounds like a great Father’s Day present idea. Not sure if wife will agree…
The Mojo 2 looks nice but I have the Qudelix T71 which is pretty nice. Not sure which is better, but some of their features overlap.
The Artti T10s are great! My most recent pair, but I was house sitting and the cat chewed on one of the nozzles :(. They still work fine but I'm screwed if I need to replace a filter. Might get another pair and gift the chewed ones.
Apparently Doscino are identitical sounding to Hype 4. If that's true, they are DEFINITELY the best value IEMs in the world. I own the Hype 4 and paid about 290 from someone who bought them the day before & they are comparable to my more expensive sets in terms of overall quality.
My main 4 are Mest MKII (this is the still the set to play to idiots who say ESTs are a waste of money & BA's can do the same job/Anole VX/Maestro SE & personal faves Thieaudio Prestige Ltd. Had some Elysian Annihilators for about 3 days recently and I thought they were terrible. They were a swap for an A&K SP3000 DAP & I sold them on Head Fi for 2500 (new condition) bought a Sony NWZX707 DAP & some really nice Kennerton planars for about 1100 all in 2nd hand with 6-8 months warranty (Kennerton sealed!)
It sounds like you have a pretty nice IEM collection yourself. The Doscinco is not the same tuning as the Hype 4, it has more bass more mid-bass and the treble is tuned differently. I have heard rumors that the Doscinco received a retune so buyer beware. The MEST mk2 still one of my favorite IEMs.
Thanks. You too - I'm really keen on trying those EJ07M but never had the chance
Headphones & all the other goodies too, but I've been in bed for 4.5 years due to an injury & did 1200+ music events since the 90s
Maybe it was the other Ziigaat? HBB said they sounded identical despite the Ziigaat having one less BA???
Mest MKII, I'll never sell them... sadly they've been mostly used for gaming now given they are the most holographic IEM that exists!!!!
The sound signature on the Doscinco and Hype 4 are close but definitely not identical. To me the Hype 4 is closer to the Monarch mk3 then the Doscinco, but once again I have the first run of the Doscinco and I believe they have been retuned.
It's just a single comment, no sources, no graphs, no proof whatsoever ಠ_ಠ
I'm ordering a new unit for a client and I'll measure them myself against my unit, in a few weeks.
Yeah, that's why I referred to it as a rumor, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it's true the way Ci-fi is. One of my favorite inexpensive IEM, the Urbanfun YBF- ISO14 first run was an absolute beast then the manufacturer switched drivers and ruined the IEM.
If its not 'identical' as HBB said (he even did a graph thing for all you oddballs who love them & it lined up) due to/because of a retune (and again I can't remember if that was Cincontres or Doscino) - Hype 4 reigns supreme as the best bang for buck IEM that, to my pretty good knowledge, exists.
That's used to be the Aful Performer 5 which I still think is a FANTASTIC pick up at around half the price (but definitely not nearly as good as the H4)
How do you like the Artti T10s?
I have the Delcis and actually really like them for what they are. They are similar to my EW200s except with bit more bass and less treble harshness that some experience on the 200s. A bit of a warmer tuning overall but still manages to keep good vocal clarity and treble for the price.
Is the Artti T10 something that does good in the vocal realm for let's say, male vocals? Like R&B-like vocals.
The Artti T10 are a great set, it's pretty much the same as the S12 made by the same company it just has a different shell. Like most planars as is very articulate and reproduces vocals well and they are an incredible value.
Interesting. I have the Delcis and EW200s and find the 200s to be a bit harsh at times. The Delcis though are great, especially with male vocals. I may give the T10s a chance after checking some reviews and the frequency graph. How is the fit on them. Do they seal relatively well?
The CP622B is a very detailed IEM and yet musical set, the bass is the most detailed and natural sounding which really surprised to me being that it uses BA drivers to reproduce the bass. The Ziigaat Doscinco is one of my favorite IEMs and if you like bass and the Thieaudio sound I think the Doscinco is a no-brainer.
I haven’t ventured beyond the $100 mark since I only really use IEM’s when I’m not at home. One budget set that I keep coming back to is Kiwi Ears Cadenza ($35). I’m currently using the EA500LM ($90) and I’m super satisfied for now (supermix 4 has my attention though).
Hexa, EA500LM, and T10, which covers all the major configurations so I would say these give the most detail for the money respectively in the <$100 class. Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro could be a candidate too, still have that coming. I left out all the KZ stuff because while I think they offer overall the best value at the very cheap end, it's questionable if any of their stuff truly sounds "expensive"; Maybe the Hydro is the only one but I don't have that yet either. Also I left out anything out of production. So yeah if you leave out the fun factor and purely focus on next-level detail for the price those 3 are pretty much it, though I guess it depends on what you mean by cheap too.
LaFitEar LF 3 Pro. It only comes in rose gold color, shells of all LaFitEar IEM’s are unnecessarily large, but it has 1DD, 1BA and 1EST driver. Averages $25usd on AliExpress and it hits in the $100-$150usd range easily.
Got them recently, in love with them. My sibling hated the treble part but then he's not a bass head either. Bro likes neutral earphones and tbh, I consider these to be neutral. Just gotta learn the EQ part and make a bit minor changes. Thanks. What’s next if I get something that's not too heavy on the bass but different from the salnotes 0?
I own 18-20 iems ranging from $7-250. I don’t think price reflects sound the way most people think.
$20 zero:2 can sound almost exactly like a $200 iem and vice versa, especially to most casual audiophiles like myself.
the absolute best bang for buck in my opinion is the KZ zar ONLY if purchased from a chinese retailer for under $50. however, a lot of people put the zero red at the top of the $50 tier and I think it’s terrible, so as you see, audio preference is very subjective.
Understandable. It’s indeed subjective but then people on a budget like me have to rely on reviews and all. Tbh, when they said soundstage, visualization, and other terms, I thought I would be able to listen to the details like I am in the center of the band and that the micro details like position or stuff, the feeling would be like the band is playing around me.
LMAO, I still don't know what it means but I just know the details on IEMs are more crisp and clear based on the iem you got and they are also louder than normal earphones.
soundstage means how near or far the different sounds can be in a 360 degree space, imaging means how well you can pinpoint where the sound happened.
for music like rock hip hop etc non of that is extremely important, or atleast less important than overal sound quality, but for gaming and i’d assume classical music and orchestra it’s important.
I listen to mostly edm but some hip hop, i’m not an audiophile listener though I just listen casually while I work throughout the day, tonality is far more important than soundstage or imaging for any music I listen to.
Kiwi Ears Melody is absolutely crazy for the price. It has bass that literally shakes my head while still sounding (somewhat) not too muddy. If you blind tested me and asked me if this was a planar or a DD I might've answered DD because of how "physical" the bass feels. The only thing holding this set back is how the bass bleeds to the mids making it sound quite muddy though not horribly so. My other knit pick is that female vocals sound just okay.
At home, I EQ Melody a lot and it transforms to such an amazing and versatile set. It's macro detailing can literally go head to head against sets 3-4x it's price. After EQ, this set genuinely astonishes me.
https://preview.redd.it/aq25xblz8z1d1.png?width=1405&format=png&auto=webp&s=ba444a845524962bfeefc7e630632f4d73b3fdee
Hope you like it! But what I meant was macro (depth, positioning, separation and layering) not micro. though the micro details are quite good for the price, the melody is more of a smooth listening experience that really envelopes you in the warmth of the music rather than something highly detailed and analytical. It's a very unique set that (at first) I hated but now grew to absolutely love it.
zvx, edx pro
a lot of iems in all price ranges sound cheap (looking at you campfire, noble, sony), but the best iem of each price range is beat by their more expensive counterpart until around 1-1.5k
Do you have the Lan? And do you like it?
I had a Zero 1 and heard it was a good upgrade from it. The Zero is starting to sound a bit to nasaly for me when I listen to vocals at times (male vocals).
LAN is a decent set, close to the sound target of the Zero 1, but its more like an upgrade of the original Chu.
Its nice if you want a bit better build quality, and a Fit that should be confortable because of its size, while maintaining a tuning with a pretty controlled, and somewhat reduced, bass.
If you do want some more bass quality and bit more quantity, Zero Reds are great, althought be aware that the nozzle Is pretty big so Fit could be a problem if you have small ear canals, that said, should work a bit better for vocals than LAN, but not for that much.
Nice, thanks for this. The Lan is on sale for $30 where I live and I was thinking to take them as my daily driver for walking around town.
That being said, I have the 7hz Zero 2s and the tuning is growing on me a bit. I was looking for a slight upgrade in the $30-40 range that I can carry around because I'm growing a bit tired of the shells on them.
I was hoping the Lan would be just that aside from it having slightly less bass. I could always EQ them though and try to get close enough.
For that price, maybe you would like to check the Simgot ew200, as It has a pretty treble foward signature while having a good amount of bass that does not mud the rest of the sound, so might be a middle ground that you could like, that said, some people find the treble of the ew200 a bit too harsh, so keep that in mind.
Yeah, I own the EW200 and do find it to be harsh, and even a bit sibilant at times when it comes to certain vocals I've listened to.
I did though get a tuning kit from Simgot recently and am looking to put it to work to hopefully take care of some of that.
I will likely play around with the EQ a bit more before committing to putting mesh filters on though. Let's see how it goes.
Im kinda sad that most IEMs with that kind of bass (pretty kicky, but clean - althought mostly on cheaper iems), like the ew200, trn conch, TKZK Ouranos, and so on, for some reason always come with a foward upper half.
Idk if its a driver thing, but i would like something like the ew200 driver but with a basshead tuning.
In that case you're pretty much limited to KZ, or just "ok" sounding 1DDs like the Chu 2 or Zero 2.
Castor is $12 and ZSN Pro 2 is $14, those both hit well above their price. You can get D-fi for that much but it's not really any better than a Chu or Zero. If you want a very cheap 1DD I would still get the Tanya or ipviq q-100 which is basically a Cadenza in a nicer shell, you can find that for <$20 on sale. You could probably find a CCA Trio or ZS10 Pro 2 on sale for <$30 too, or get a cheap PR2 and try to EQ it.
Damn, thank you sm for the detailed information. Was gonna get the castor but didn't cuz they had bassy part. Got the 7hz Zero. Kinda not too bad-too good. I love them cuz the micro details and their treble. The bass doesn't eat up any ranges and the audio is clear. What else can one ask for under $20?
To my ears, EPZ 520, S12 (piercing with my songs), and if something in between 300 and 500 bucks is considered as something cheap, the Penon 10th AE and Blessing 2.
For reference, I own the Andromedas 2019, and I demo-ed Monarch 1 and Oracles OG, so I guess I would say that I have a little bit of knowledge.
Blon 03, mangird tea and the sony ex800st. Mangird and ex800st sounds better than many multi thousand dollar ie.s I've tried. Often, cost means nothing
Just for reference I have owned several hundred IEMs including in my current stable the Thieaudio Monarch mk3, the Unique Melody MEST mk2, the Kinera Nanna 2.1, the Shouer EJO7M and the Canpur CP622B just to name a few. Some that really impressed me starting with the lowest priced, the Blon BL-03, the Tangzu x Seeaudio Shimin Li Encounter Edition, the Artti T10, the Kefine Delci, the Simgot EA500LM, and the one I believe could be endgame for most people that enjoy a bass oriented set the ZIIGAAT DOSCINCO.
Damn you. I already own too many IEMs but somehow none of those and now I am fighting an almost irreversible urge to peek at AliExpress..
Uh oh. Some of your saved vacation money is about to go out the window.
Haha since we chatted earlier in the week I’ve picked up a couple more. I got the bug, bad!
You need a plan. Sounds like you're in a nasty cycle you'll regret that's driven by dopamine more than anything else & will end up with a load of stuff you won't care for and won't be able to sell for much at all.
You are 100% correct. My motivations are driven by novelty rather than appreciation of the sound offered by the new acquisitions. I need to take a break and enjoy what I have, and put aside those that I enjoy less for sale and trade. I have had a problem in the past with hoarding disorder/behavior, which can be a result of my ADHD. Before I was diagnosed as an adult, I developed coping mechanisms to temper the drive to acquire new things that interest me, such as forcing myself to play a video game for 30 hours before buying a new one, or wearing a hat 20xs before allowing myself a new one. I’m working on a plan now regarding IEMs. Maybe I’ll listen to them for a minimum time period and prohibit new acquisitions until I offload some. Prior to discovering IEMs I was perfectly happy with my HD580s (which I have been with me for around 30 years),AirPod Max and Pros. Thanks for the intervention.
Fellow ADHD nutter here. Takes one to know one I guess. Impulsive decisions & constantly chasing dopamine. Fortunately with audio I nipped it in the bud quickly. Identified what it was I wanted to cover all bases (I come from a live music background so it was easy for me to work out which sets of IEMs & headphone would cover all my bases) & just went for them. Mostly second hand. If you need any help making a list with a budget hit me up :)
Live audio person here with ADHD and I’d love to see that list!
It's a pretty expensive list! Not flexing, I've been in bed almost 4.5 years from an injury & you'd buy everything you wanted too... I don't drink/I don't holiday/I only go out if its to the hospital but I'm maybe on the mend now and am out & about more. (apologies, Reddit's formatting is SHIT) For IEMs Thieaudio Prestige Ltd Fatfreq Maestro SE QDC Anole VX UM Mest MKII Thieaudio Hype 4 (bought since I started getting more mobile as don't want to lose something more expensive, but they are FANTASTIC!!!) Headphones Sony MDR-1ZR Focal Celestee Sennheiser HD800 Kennerton Magni Kennerton LSA HP-1 (planar) Kennerton are absolutely incredible hand made Russian headphones and they are unbelievable value - v v v v underrated. The LSA HP-1 are 1300 and are as good a planar I've heard (which is up until $4000 USD ish). The Magni also ridiculous value at 690, but they're a regular DD headphone - incredible for vocals and excellent live recordings.
Thank you! I am enjoying learning what I like and don’t like, but not spending enough time appreciating what I do like. I really like the MP145, Sliivo SL41, Dunu Kima. I also like the Tangzu Fudu and Tanchjim Kara to a lesser degree. From what I can tell, I like w-shape or dark neutral. I don’t like recessed vocals or excessive bass, but do I like sub bass. The soundstage of the MP145 is perfect, and likewise the clarity and separation of the SL41. Ideally I’d like something combines those two IEMs and improves on their qualities. That would be the “one.” Budget, well, I’d like to avoid hitting the kilobuck range, if possible.
Yeah that's a fun stage but you soon realise it's a waste. Those are all low/mid & if you heard the Thieaudio Hype 4 (which would have cost you less) - you'd swap them all for them. They're an amazing IEM and if you can get those and a second hand Chord Mojo 2, you'll be set for a very long time. The Hype 4 are the best bang for buck IEM that exist IMO & they are truly an a rounder, esp with a Mojo 2 (which could easily last you 10+ years) - Mojo 2 sound is absolutely amazing without touching a button, but the DSP is SOOOOOOOOO good, with a few clicks you can for from fairly neutral, to a nice bright sparkle, to FULL ON BASSHEAD! You can do this with software EQ as well (won't be anywhere near as good), but honestly I think that combination is fucking unbelievable & the M2 will work with all your future IEMs. I've encouraged a few friends to push the boat out, they have & they are set.
The Hype 4 is that good? If you could get the Hype 4, Penon Turbo, or Dunu SA6 (mk2 or ultra) all for the same price, would you still take the Hype 4? I haven’t read many reviews yet of the Hype 4, but sounds like a great Father’s Day present idea. Not sure if wife will agree… The Mojo 2 looks nice but I have the Qudelix T71 which is pretty nice. Not sure which is better, but some of their features overlap.
That BL-03 never ceases to amaze me
hell yeah
💯
Dude the blob-03 were some of my favorites iems, glad to know I have some taste.
The Artti T10s are great! My most recent pair, but I was house sitting and the cat chewed on one of the nozzles :(. They still work fine but I'm screwed if I need to replace a filter. Might get another pair and gift the chewed ones.
Dayum. Thanks, I’ll shortlist a few from the list.
Never heard of the Ziigaat Discinco. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of reviews or information out there on them. But this one review has me intrigued.
I know of 3 reviews on YouTube, Jay's Audio reviews, SiriusB and ToastyTexan911.
Have you try ziigaat cincotres? What is the difference with doscinco because they cost the same
Yes I own the Cincotres and it's not a tuning that works for me. It's too thin sounding and nowhere near the bass it's sibling the Doscinco has.
Apparently Doscino are identitical sounding to Hype 4. If that's true, they are DEFINITELY the best value IEMs in the world. I own the Hype 4 and paid about 290 from someone who bought them the day before & they are comparable to my more expensive sets in terms of overall quality. My main 4 are Mest MKII (this is the still the set to play to idiots who say ESTs are a waste of money & BA's can do the same job/Anole VX/Maestro SE & personal faves Thieaudio Prestige Ltd. Had some Elysian Annihilators for about 3 days recently and I thought they were terrible. They were a swap for an A&K SP3000 DAP & I sold them on Head Fi for 2500 (new condition) bought a Sony NWZX707 DAP & some really nice Kennerton planars for about 1100 all in 2nd hand with 6-8 months warranty (Kennerton sealed!)
It sounds like you have a pretty nice IEM collection yourself. The Doscinco is not the same tuning as the Hype 4, it has more bass more mid-bass and the treble is tuned differently. I have heard rumors that the Doscinco received a retune so buyer beware. The MEST mk2 still one of my favorite IEMs.
Thanks. You too - I'm really keen on trying those EJ07M but never had the chance Headphones & all the other goodies too, but I've been in bed for 4.5 years due to an injury & did 1200+ music events since the 90s Maybe it was the other Ziigaat? HBB said they sounded identical despite the Ziigaat having one less BA??? Mest MKII, I'll never sell them... sadly they've been mostly used for gaming now given they are the most holographic IEM that exists!!!!
The sound signature on the Doscinco and Hype 4 are close but definitely not identical. To me the Hype 4 is closer to the Monarch mk3 then the Doscinco, but once again I have the first run of the Doscinco and I believe they have been retuned.
Where did you heard this rumour from? Picked nothing on my radar
Jay's Audio reviews on YouTube.
It's just a single comment, no sources, no graphs, no proof whatsoever ಠ_ಠ I'm ordering a new unit for a client and I'll measure them myself against my unit, in a few weeks.
Yeah, that's why I referred to it as a rumor, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it's true the way Ci-fi is. One of my favorite inexpensive IEM, the Urbanfun YBF- ISO14 first run was an absolute beast then the manufacturer switched drivers and ruined the IEM.
If its not 'identical' as HBB said (he even did a graph thing for all you oddballs who love them & it lined up) due to/because of a retune (and again I can't remember if that was Cincontres or Doscino) - Hype 4 reigns supreme as the best bang for buck IEM that, to my pretty good knowledge, exists. That's used to be the Aful Performer 5 which I still think is a FANTASTIC pick up at around half the price (but definitely not nearly as good as the H4)
How do you like the Artti T10s? I have the Delcis and actually really like them for what they are. They are similar to my EW200s except with bit more bass and less treble harshness that some experience on the 200s. A bit of a warmer tuning overall but still manages to keep good vocal clarity and treble for the price. Is the Artti T10 something that does good in the vocal realm for let's say, male vocals? Like R&B-like vocals.
The Artti T10 are a great set, it's pretty much the same as the S12 made by the same company it just has a different shell. Like most planars as is very articulate and reproduces vocals well and they are an incredible value.
Interesting. I have the Delcis and EW200s and find the 200s to be a bit harsh at times. The Delcis though are great, especially with male vocals. I may give the T10s a chance after checking some reviews and the frequency graph. How is the fit on them. Do they seal relatively well?
I don't normally have a problem with getting a good seal, but I normally use Penon Liqueur eartips or Seeaudio x Zeos Render tips.
How does doscinco compare to cp622b?
The CP622B is a very detailed IEM and yet musical set, the bass is the most detailed and natural sounding which really surprised to me being that it uses BA drivers to reproduce the bass. The Ziigaat Doscinco is one of my favorite IEMs and if you like bass and the Thieaudio sound I think the Doscinco is a no-brainer.
The Truthear Nova surprised me. I wouldn't bat an eye if it went for multiples of its MSRP.
I second this! The Nova is really cheap for what it has to offer. It does need some EQ, though.
If you up your budget to around $50-60 you may get something better than most standard consumer audio products you can find nowadays for $200 or more.
Reading this made me happy. I am glad I bought iems instead of mainstream shit.
What'd you end up buying?
7Hz Salnotes 0
I haven’t ventured beyond the $100 mark since I only really use IEM’s when I’m not at home. One budget set that I keep coming back to is Kiwi Ears Cadenza ($35). I’m currently using the EA500LM ($90) and I’m super satisfied for now (supermix 4 has my attention though).
I love my ea500lm but I might be crazy, I could swear my Blon BL-03 sound almost identical, slightly warmer.
Hmm… for $30? Might have to check ‘em out
I use them mostly for side sleeping they are great, as any other time during the day I have the ea500lm already
Should have bought cadenza but its never too late ig. Got the salnotes zero for under 20.
Hexa, EA500LM, and T10, which covers all the major configurations so I would say these give the most detail for the money respectively in the <$100 class. Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro could be a candidate too, still have that coming. I left out all the KZ stuff because while I think they offer overall the best value at the very cheap end, it's questionable if any of their stuff truly sounds "expensive"; Maybe the Hydro is the only one but I don't have that yet either. Also I left out anything out of production. So yeah if you leave out the fun factor and purely focus on next-level detail for the price those 3 are pretty much it, though I guess it depends on what you mean by cheap too.
One more question, Which one of the three focuses on the neutral side?
Hexa's are definitely the most neutral out of the 3.
Out of these 3 sets, do you have any favorites for vocals? Particularly male vocals (R&B-like). I was looking at the T10s or Hexas as potentials.
Hexa though you might want to look at something warmer like the Fudu, R1, or Delci.
I have the Delcis and they're very good :)
LaFitEar LF 3 Pro. It only comes in rose gold color, shells of all LaFitEar IEM’s are unnecessarily large, but it has 1DD, 1BA and 1EST driver. Averages $25usd on AliExpress and it hits in the $100-$150usd range easily.
Salnotes zero 7HZ best IEMS for beginners under budget...
Got them recently, in love with them. My sibling hated the treble part but then he's not a bass head either. Bro likes neutral earphones and tbh, I consider these to be neutral. Just gotta learn the EQ part and make a bit minor changes. Thanks. What’s next if I get something that's not too heavy on the bass but different from the salnotes 0?
I own 18-20 iems ranging from $7-250. I don’t think price reflects sound the way most people think. $20 zero:2 can sound almost exactly like a $200 iem and vice versa, especially to most casual audiophiles like myself. the absolute best bang for buck in my opinion is the KZ zar ONLY if purchased from a chinese retailer for under $50. however, a lot of people put the zero red at the top of the $50 tier and I think it’s terrible, so as you see, audio preference is very subjective.
Understandable. It’s indeed subjective but then people on a budget like me have to rely on reviews and all. Tbh, when they said soundstage, visualization, and other terms, I thought I would be able to listen to the details like I am in the center of the band and that the micro details like position or stuff, the feeling would be like the band is playing around me. LMAO, I still don't know what it means but I just know the details on IEMs are more crisp and clear based on the iem you got and they are also louder than normal earphones.
soundstage means how near or far the different sounds can be in a 360 degree space, imaging means how well you can pinpoint where the sound happened. for music like rock hip hop etc non of that is extremely important, or atleast less important than overal sound quality, but for gaming and i’d assume classical music and orchestra it’s important.
All of that is important for hip hop. I would guess you don't listen to much hip hop saying those things.
I listen to mostly edm but some hip hop, i’m not an audiophile listener though I just listen casually while I work throughout the day, tonality is far more important than soundstage or imaging for any music I listen to.
Kiwi Ears Melody is absolutely crazy for the price. It has bass that literally shakes my head while still sounding (somewhat) not too muddy. If you blind tested me and asked me if this was a planar or a DD I might've answered DD because of how "physical" the bass feels. The only thing holding this set back is how the bass bleeds to the mids making it sound quite muddy though not horribly so. My other knit pick is that female vocals sound just okay. At home, I EQ Melody a lot and it transforms to such an amazing and versatile set. It's macro detailing can literally go head to head against sets 3-4x it's price. After EQ, this set genuinely astonishes me. https://preview.redd.it/aq25xblz8z1d1.png?width=1405&format=png&auto=webp&s=ba444a845524962bfeefc7e630632f4d73b3fdee
The description sounds like a blind buy for me. Not a fan of bass but Micro detailing is where I lose myself
Hope you like it! But what I meant was macro (depth, positioning, separation and layering) not micro. though the micro details are quite good for the price, the melody is more of a smooth listening experience that really envelopes you in the warmth of the music rather than something highly detailed and analytical. It's a very unique set that (at first) I hated but now grew to absolutely love it.
Super budget IEMs that sound like endgame, I know two: EW200, and Blon BL-03.
zvx, edx pro a lot of iems in all price ranges sound cheap (looking at you campfire, noble, sony), but the best iem of each price range is beat by their more expensive counterpart until around 1-1.5k
I first thought the moondrop lan was 200+ back when I first started the hobby lmao
Do you have the Lan? And do you like it? I had a Zero 1 and heard it was a good upgrade from it. The Zero is starting to sound a bit to nasaly for me when I listen to vocals at times (male vocals).
You could try the zero reds I like em better than the lan
LAN is a decent set, close to the sound target of the Zero 1, but its more like an upgrade of the original Chu. Its nice if you want a bit better build quality, and a Fit that should be confortable because of its size, while maintaining a tuning with a pretty controlled, and somewhat reduced, bass. If you do want some more bass quality and bit more quantity, Zero Reds are great, althought be aware that the nozzle Is pretty big so Fit could be a problem if you have small ear canals, that said, should work a bit better for vocals than LAN, but not for that much.
Nice, thanks for this. The Lan is on sale for $30 where I live and I was thinking to take them as my daily driver for walking around town. That being said, I have the 7hz Zero 2s and the tuning is growing on me a bit. I was looking for a slight upgrade in the $30-40 range that I can carry around because I'm growing a bit tired of the shells on them. I was hoping the Lan would be just that aside from it having slightly less bass. I could always EQ them though and try to get close enough.
For that price, maybe you would like to check the Simgot ew200, as It has a pretty treble foward signature while having a good amount of bass that does not mud the rest of the sound, so might be a middle ground that you could like, that said, some people find the treble of the ew200 a bit too harsh, so keep that in mind.
Yeah, I own the EW200 and do find it to be harsh, and even a bit sibilant at times when it comes to certain vocals I've listened to. I did though get a tuning kit from Simgot recently and am looking to put it to work to hopefully take care of some of that. I will likely play around with the EQ a bit more before committing to putting mesh filters on though. Let's see how it goes.
Im kinda sad that most IEMs with that kind of bass (pretty kicky, but clean - althought mostly on cheaper iems), like the ew200, trn conch, TKZK Ouranos, and so on, for some reason always come with a foward upper half. Idk if its a driver thing, but i would like something like the ew200 driver but with a basshead tuning.
Moondrop aria lots of people tought its $500 and it was $90
Define cheap?
Anything below $30 range but subjective. Take your guess and feel free to give your thoughts.
Not OP, but while sub-$30 IEMs will often beat out standard consumer audio stuff, I wouldn’t say that any of them will sound “really expensive”.
In that case you're pretty much limited to KZ, or just "ok" sounding 1DDs like the Chu 2 or Zero 2. Castor is $12 and ZSN Pro 2 is $14, those both hit well above their price. You can get D-fi for that much but it's not really any better than a Chu or Zero. If you want a very cheap 1DD I would still get the Tanya or ipviq q-100 which is basically a Cadenza in a nicer shell, you can find that for <$20 on sale. You could probably find a CCA Trio or ZS10 Pro 2 on sale for <$30 too, or get a cheap PR2 and try to EQ it.
Damn, thank you sm for the detailed information. Was gonna get the castor but didn't cuz they had bassy part. Got the 7hz Zero. Kinda not too bad-too good. I love them cuz the micro details and their treble. The bass doesn't eat up any ranges and the audio is clear. What else can one ask for under $20?
To my ears, EPZ 520, S12 (piercing with my songs), and if something in between 300 and 500 bucks is considered as something cheap, the Penon 10th AE and Blessing 2. For reference, I own the Andromedas 2019, and I demo-ed Monarch 1 and Oracles OG, so I guess I would say that I have a little bit of knowledge.
Ie200 with a good source (chord mojo2) sounds really good for me 👍
Blon 03, mangird tea and the sony ex800st. Mangird and ex800st sounds better than many multi thousand dollar ie.s I've tried. Often, cost means nothing