Best 100$ IEM? (Hexa??)

[khensu]

If you're a big fan of oratory's EQ — give 7hz Zero a try, he made his EQ profile for them. I would advise you not to spend a ton of money on your first and blind purchase, since you have no idea which sound signature you prefer (OE preference curve usually doesn't correspond to IE curve). Be patient and play around with EQ on Salnotes Zero. This skill is truly useful. There's no magic IEM that would hit your preference curve perfectly.

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Great advice. Get yourself something like the 7hz (I’ve not heard that one) or the TC zero. They’re inexpensive. At the very least, once you know what you like or don’t like about it, it’s much easier to come back, look at some graphs, read others’ thoughts, and your next set is much more likely to get you where you want to be.

As Kysa said, you’ll probably never find the absolute perfect IEM for your preferences, but after having tried 4 pair of IEMs at this point, I have a much better understanding of not only what I want sound-wise, but also a better idea of what I am likely to find comfortable. When it comes to IEMs, fit/comfort is practically as important as the sound profile.

For example, I now know that I have fit issues with IEMs with a short nozzle length (Kiwiears Cadenza, Moondrop Chu). The TCZ and QKZxHBB Khan both have longer nozzles and they are much more comfortable to me. I’m now trying to see if I can find a tip that’ll work with the Cadenzas, cuz when the fit is dialed in, I do like their sound.

 

[Yashiro_R]

Got the Hexas, sounds amazing with Topping DX1 (to such extent that I consciously want to not listen to music without DX1). I get the hype now, though my DT 770 80 Ohms (which I believe to be a outlier, as other models get a really bad rep.) still sounds just as great with minor tuning difference (& yes, I am not comparing the original tuning, but oratory1990's EQ for new pads & with DX1). The 770s sound really wide & really work great for Classical.

Still, I love Hexa, for just half the price they compete fine (tuning & treble being slightly better than 770s). This being my first IEM, these feel a little queer on my ears. When I remove than after 1.5-2 Hours of Use, they leave a little harsh sensation in my ears. The Comfort of 770s are on a completely different level.

I have listened to couple albums like - The Doors, Station to Station, Thriller, Rumours, Vespri per l'Assunzione di Maria Vergine, etc. & many other Singles. They are just amazing!

Any EQ Suggestions to improve these are welcomed! Thanks for the great Advice about Fit (cause even these trouble me, I can't believe what bad fit feels like).

 

[KR500]

I have been spending time every day with my Truthear Zero Red IEM's the last month since purchasing.
Like yourself I also own the Beyer 770 PRO HP .
My Beyer 770 Pro's are the 250 ohm Model though.
Music Sources are Red Book CD playback through Tascam CD Player or Apple Lossless Music through my iMac or iPad.
ALL types of music...... except metal, rap and current Pop, Rock and Country
Hardware is either iPhone with Apple Dongle, Schmitt Bifrost 2 Uber, or Schmitt Modi 3e DAC's using the SPDIF I/O.
I also own the open Audio-Technica ATH-AD 7000X, Beyer 990 Edition, 880 80 Ohm Open , 880 Edition 600 oHM and the 880 PRO 250 oHm headphones.
The Zero Red's are great and give me a break from an over ear headband and a change of pace besides being portable.
The Zero Red's are the Audio deal of the year for me and are excellent !; but just can't compete with the over ear phones for extended listening or soundstage etc.
They are probably as far as I will go with IEM's for now.
I use a Schmitt Loki 4 band EQ to quickly tweak the phones if needed.
The Beyer 880 Edition 600 Ohm HP's are permanently hooked up to my NAD integrated amplifier headphone jack.
A slight boost on the NAD's bass knob and slight cut on the treble potentiometer sound really good with this HP.
I used to use them with my Tube HP amp but tired of waiting for the warmup time for unit stabilizing. The NAD amp headphone amp is good.
I used to enjoy the Beyer 770 PRO V shape and bass, but they don't sound quite as good lately.
I think it may be a loosening of the head band tension over time.
Long story short, I would definitely recommend the Beyer 880 PRO headphones 250 Ohm version if you ever want to upgrade, to me it is the best all round one of my collection. If you don’t have an eq option there is an easy diy hack from SolderDude to address the Beyer treble peak using a sheet of toilet paper. See his awesome web site for type and installatio.
MY dos centavos. YMMV

 

[markanini]

I don't know about Hexa yet but Moondrop Lan does have an expansive and intimate presentation that I've not heard with other IEMs under $50. I've tried most of the popular ones. Truthear Red on the other hand is a very good allrounder IMO.

 

[Chromatischism]

Does the Hexa take bass EQ well or does it distort?

 

[isostasy]

I broke my rule of not buying any shallow fit IEMs when I managed to nab a refurb/returned Hexa for about half price.

Initial impressions are it sounds better than Wan'er. Maybe not too far to say it sounds like a HD6xx in IEM form, but with some coloration in the treble. It's definitely brighter than it appears on graphs and looking around other threads and trying a sine sweep I'm inclined to agree that for whatever reason the ear canal resonance around 7-8kHz is pretty pronounced with these.

Shell is small and inoffensive but unsurprisingly not a great fit/seal in my ears, which only seem to agree with triple flange Etymotics. Isolation therefore much worse.

Will do some proper comparisons with my HD6XX and ER2XR later.

Natural alternative to compare would be Truthear Red or 7Hz Zero:2 but I really mustn't be purchasing more of these style of IEMs when I know they aren't the best fit for me!

 

[Ctom]

I broke my rule of not buying any shallow fit IEMs when I managed to nab a refurb/returned Hexa for about half price.

Initial impressions are it sounds better than Wan'er. Maybe not too far to say it sounds like a HD6xx in IEM form, but with some coloration in the treble. It's definitely brighter than it appears on graphs and looking around other threads and trying a sine sweep I'm inclined to agree that for whatever reason the ear canal resonance around 7-8kHz is pretty pronounced with these.

Shell is small and inoffensive but unsurprisingly not a great fit/seal in my ears, which only seem to agree with triple flange Etymotics. Isolation therefore much worse.

Will do some proper comparisons with my HD6XX and ER2XR later.

Natural alternative to compare would be Truthear Red or 7Hz Zero:2 but I really mustn't be purchasing more of these style of IEMs when I know they aren't the best fit for me!

I’m interested to hear your comparison of the ER2XR and the hexa. I’m looking for something more smooth and heavier bass than the Ety. Considering hexa but thinking zero red might be the one to get

 

[isostasy]

I’m interested to hear your comparison of the ER2XR and the hexa. I’m looking for something more smooth and heavier bass than the Ety. Considering hexa but thinking zero red might be the one to get

ER2XR sounds warmer to me but may be purely because I can get a better seal. Not sure if the Zero Red will satisfy "heavier bass" as the bass shelf begins lower than the Ety which might be perceived as actually a less warm sound. Depends if by "heavier bass" you mean generally warmer or more sub-bass. With the impedance adapter I'm sure the Zero Red would sound both warmer and have increased sub-bass but then might be too warm tilted across the spectrum (it certainly would for me).

Also what do you mean "more smooth"?