Are there any IEM that offer a truly wide soundstage for under $200?

[Golgoth]

Hi,

As the title says, i’m looking for an IEM with a truly wide soundstage for under $200.

I’m aware of models like the LETSHUOER S12 Pro and the 7Hz Timeless, and i know people often praise them for having a wide soundstage. But what exactly do they mean by “wide soundstage” considering these are still IEMs?

For example, can they offer anything close to the kind of soundstage you get from a headphone like the Hifiman Edition XS, even though they’re IEMs?

 

[Robin L]

No audio headgear I've used in close to 60 years has a "truly wide soundstage". To get that, you'll need speakers. Yes, I've heard binaural recordings over headphones with a reputation of having something of a soundstage. They never offer me the illusion of a true three-dimensional soundstage. That said, I am very happy with the 7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM. Although it predictably doesn't produce a wide and deep "image", it has less distortion and better bass than any other IEM I've used and I use it every day because I like the sound so much. Might be the best $25 I've ever spent on audio.

 

[Somafunk]

As the title says, i’m looking for an IEM with a truly wide soundstage for under $200.

The only iem (imho) that has wide soundstage is my Apple AirPod pro 2’s with spatial audio selected, all the others including the £1000+ of iem’s in my signature have, to all extents and purposes, absolutely zero soundstage

 

[DVDdoug]

This is about headphones but I assume IEMs are similar:

Headphone soundstage survey (Your brain is the main factor).

 

[RandomEar]

I've looked at the IEMs you mention. If you compare them to typical Harman-tuned ones, you get this graph:

Notice the excess energy past 6 kHz and the dip around 3-5 kHz. If you compare that to Blauert's Bands (which I recently learned about), this corresponds to "less direct sound from the front and more from above". Based on this, you can create an EQ which generates a much wider sound stage:

• 4000 Hz, -6 dB, Q=2.5
• 8500 Hz, +6dB, Q=4
• 400 Hz, -3 dB, Q=3 (optional)

Try it! This is just a crude first draft and 6 dB is quite a lot, but it actually works in my testing. With IEMs, this isn't guaranteed to work for everybody, though. It depends on your inner ear geometry, the insertion depth and probably also the IEM construction and filter.

 

[Sebby]

The "A" line from Final Audio is considered the HD800 of IEMs and I can confirm they give a sense of wide soundstage for an IEM, which depends on the recording, but of course, there are compromises. I’ve tried the entire A line, and they all generally have a wide soundstage in the same way and paradoxically (or maybe not), the cheapest model is the one that seems most accurate, even though it’s still colored, and that’s the A3000. I also owned the A4000, but it’s WOW in 20% of my catalog, mediocre in others, and totally unlistenable in some. Sold it shortly after. The A3000 has the least sibilance and tonal imbalance issues and is great for gaming.

 

[IngMishael]

the proximity to ears of headphones and especially IEMs means the perceptual staging depth and frontal projection cannot be achieved without some DSP magic and since IEMs are analog devices, there is no way to trick your brain. Take every "soundstage" comment made on forums with Mount Everest levels of salt
Edit: that is not saying there is not a sense of perceived staging but people tend to over represent what it is

Hi,

As the title says, i’m looking for an IEM with a truly wide soundstage for under $200.

I’m aware of models like the LETSHUOER S12 Pro and the 7Hz Timeless, and i know people often praise them for having a wide soundstage. But what exactly do they mean by “wide soundstage” considering these are still IEMs?

For example, can they offer anything close to the kind of soundstage you get from a headphone like the Hifiman Edition XS, even though they’re IEMs?

 

[Golgoth]

Thank you very much for your valuable feedbacks, it's greatly appreciated.

 

[Sebby]

the proximity to ears of headphones and especially IEMs means the perceptual staging depth and frontal projection cannot be achieved without some DSP magic and since IEMs are analog devices, there is no way to trick your brain. Take every "soundstage" comment made on forums with Mount Everest levels of salt
Edit: that is not saying there is not a sense of perceived staging but people tend to over represent what it is

It’s all about FR and psychoacoustics, and yes, not everyone will have the same experience.
All IEMs with a very wide soundstage, relatively speaking within the IEM space, always have a very colored tonal balance. They’re fun for short periods and for certain types of tracks, but they get fatiguing fairly quickly.

 

[InfiniteJester]

The membrane in IEMs with bone conduction drivers vibrates in such a way as to produce reverb and create the impression of a larger stage.

One example is the Pula Anvil, a $250 IEM with this technology. However, it is absolutely terrible.

 

[Lussid]

In the last year, I tried over 25 IEM under $100. If you're looking for a wide soundstage, among the ones I tried, the widest is the Salnotes Dioko.

 

[Golgoth]

In the last year, I tried over 25 IEM under $100. If you're looking for a wide soundstage, among the ones I tried, the widest is the Salnotes Dioko.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm willing to spend around $200 on an IEM that meet my criteria, but I don't think the Dioko are the best choice in that price range. For exemple the S12 and S12 Pro are superior to the Dioko in almost every way in this price category.

 

[Lussid]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm willing to spend around $200 on an IEM that meet my criteria, but I don't think the Dioko are the best choice in that price range. For exemple the S12 and S12 Pro are superior to the Dioko in almost every way in this price category.

I didn't use them. I'm not sure. However, some people on the internet say that Dioko has a wider soundstage. They say S12 has a narrower one.

 

[Crook]

I've had a number of IEM and for me they are always central imaging inside the head. If not, I am of the opinion it is in the mix, not due to the IEM if it even exists.

 

[Golgoth]

I didn't use them. I'm not sure. However, some people on the internet say that Dioko has a wider soundstage. They say S12 has a narrower one.

Yeah, i suppose the notion of a "wide soundstage" isn't really relevant for IEMs, at least not in this price range. And I'm seeing completely contradictory opinions on this… So I would say that the soundstage is less narrow than that of other IEMs in the same category. But the Dioko is a narrow one for instance.

I've had a number of IEM and for me they are always central imaging inside the head. If not, I am of the opinion it is in the mix, not due to the IEM if it even exists.

I guess that i won't find any IEM that meets my criteria when, for me, wide soundstage is a soundstage that is at least as wide as what i get using an headphone such as a Hifiman Edition XS.

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

Get some JVC Spiral Dots.
It's a game changer.

 

[Golgoth]

Get some JVC Spiral Dots.
It's a game changer.

Changing tips on an IEM to a different type or brand is like changing ear pads on an headphone: it alters the sound signature. If my goal was to change the sound signature of an audio device, i would use an equalizer. In fact, and this is just my personal opinion, if i have to change the sound signature of a device, then i shouldn't have bought it in the first place. So this isn't what i m looking for.