Best 'Bang for your buck' IEM - Poll

[XaviMartinez55]

That's not a very useful thing to say when it costs 10 bucks. How does it compare to the Zero 2? Is there some aspect in which the ZVX Pro excels?
I also ordered one because it's so cheap and a few people with big IEM collections recommended it.

Well I literally described it in my post. Take the Saga Balanced, push the mids a bit up front and add some more treble extension……

I still like the warmth and (slower) bass of the Zero 2. The ZVX pro has more treble extension and faster bass.

The Zero 2 also has better snap on the snare drums.

I can see why the ZVX Pro is being recommended and for $10 is a no brainer, but do not expect it to blow your socks off….. sounds VERY good (for the price)

It’s just that I seem to be a treble hater and my ears can’t take anything above 12k….

 

[XaviMartinez55]

A few days ago I decided to buy the Hexa and the first thing I said to myself was "why didn't I buy it before?!"

This is exactly what I hate to read. I just added the Hexa to my want list……

You possibly didn’t buy it before because it’s been there for a while ,and there’s a constant stream of new iems every day.

Hexa or Pure ?

 

[Alexium]

That's exactly why I haven't bought the Hexa, definitely feels like it's too late now and something better for the same price is either already out, or just around the corner.

It’s just that I seem to be a treble hater and my ears can’t take anything above 12k

Understandable, but what about EQ?

 

[Paweł L]

Best Bang for your buck, hmm. I gave up looking for one. I will wait until something like Daybreak will be available. One and decent, with some PEQ should last and be more satisfying buying new IEM every month.

 

[Fahzz]

I ordered a pair of Hexa's and then realized I need an Apple Lightning dongle, which apparently are extinct. Anyone have a recommendation for a quality substitute? Thanks. (Oh and wtf Apple?)

 

[staticV3]

I ordered a pair of Hexa's and then realized I need an Apple Lightning dongle, which apparently are extinct. Anyone have a recommendation for a quality substitute? Thanks. (Oh and wtf Apple?)

Have you checked eBay?

 

[zonk]

I ordered a pair of Hexa's and then realized I need an Apple Lightning dongle, which apparently are extinct. Anyone have a recommendation for a quality substitute? Thanks. (Oh and wtf Apple?)

Jcally JM7 or Jcally JM30L are available as Lightning versions...

or bluetooth dongle

 

[Fahzz]

Have you checked eBay?

Yes. Found one, so maybe not extinct, just endangered. Thanks!

 

[Fahzz]

Jcally JM7 or Jcally JM30L are available as Lightning versions...

or bluetooth dongle

I'll look at these if Ebay doesn't work out. thx.

 

[Somafunk]

I ordered a pair of Hexa's and then realized I need an Apple Lightning dongle, which apparently are extinct. Anyone have a recommendation for a quality substitute? Thanks. (Oh and wtf Apple?)

I have few dongles that I could use such as JM20max, Moondrop Echo-B, Apple dongle but the one I currently choose over the previous is the Hiby below as it has volume controls on the dongle body, I find this to be very convenient in use

HiBy Digital D1

The HiBy Digital D1 is a miniature USB audio dongle that may be connected to smartphones and computers alike! Best match: HiBy Digital D1 + HiBy Yves 6mm Micro-dynamic Ti-plated HiFi Earphones

store.hiby.com

Hiby D1 3.5mm on top, JM20 Max 3.5mm, Moondrop Echo-B 4.4mm balanced, Qudelix 5k (the goat)

 

[zonk]

I have few dongles that I could use such as JM20max, Moondrop Echo-B, Apple dongle but the one I currently choose over the previous is the Hiby below as it has volume controls on the dongle body, I find this to be very convenient in use

HiBy Digital D1

The HiBy Digital D1 is a miniature USB audio dongle that may be connected to smartphones and computers alike! Best match: HiBy Digital D1 + HiBy Yves 6mm Micro-dynamic Ti-plated HiFi Earphones

store.hiby.com

Hiby D1 3.5mm on top, JM20 Max 3.5mm, Moondrop Echo-B 4.4mm balanced, Qudelix 5k (the goat)

User was asking for a dongle with Lightning connector on the phone side (source) , not USB-C

 

[Somafunk]

User was asking for a dongle with Lightning connector on the phone side (source) , not USB-C

Ahh bugger, my fault as I misread

Anyway….found the Hiby D1 for £10

Hiby D1 @ £10 on aliexpress

 

[staticV3]

Ahh bugger, my fault as I misread

Anyway….found the Hiby D1 for £10

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008080748398.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller.9.6738IboyIboyXj&gps-id=pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.14452.396806.0&scm_id=1007.14452.396806.0&scm-url=1007.14452.396806.0&pvid=d419cf12-75ab-49a5-a97d-e638c009e154&_t=gps-id:pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller,scm-url:1007.14452.396806.0,pvid:d419cf12-75ab-49a5-a97d-e638c009e154,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238111%231996&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%22415%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22sceneId%22%3A%2230050%22%7D&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21GBP%2136.40%2110.15%21%21%2148.01%2113.39%21%40211b65de17534009285577241eaadc%2112000043591343462%21rec%21UK%213721744075%21X&utparam-url=scene%3ApcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller%7Cquery_from%3A&search_p4p_id=202507241648485965014610010259753927_2

You can delete everything after ".html"
Keeps things tidy

 

[Somafunk]

You can delete everything after ".html"
Keeps things tidy

Easier to hyperlink

 

[Sebby]

This is exactly what I hate to read. I just added the Hexa to my want list……

You possibly didn’t buy it before because it’s been there for a while ,and there’s a constant stream of new iems every day.

Hexa or Pure ?

I want to dampen the hype for Hexa: it's not a super-fun IEM with a "wow" effect. I was looking for an IEM with a neutral, uncolored sound, and the only one that fit the bill was Hexa.
It's a very practical IEM that makes everything I throw at it sound good to my ears; it's moderately wide on wide tracks, moderately intimate on intimate tracks, and doesn't color the track too much.
It's not perfect because I think it lacks a bit of texture in the low frequencies, but that's not a serious issue.

Pure is a slightly warmer and less technical Hexa: they've fixed the Hexa's shortcomings in the low frequencies but made it worse in the high frequencies. A "perfect" IEM would have been Pure 0-1000Hz and Hexa 1000-20,000Hz, but I prefer Hexa in the end.
I already have an IEM with a slightly warm sound but with excellent technicality: the Meze Alba.
Hexa is an all-rounder with a less colored sound, and within my small collection, I think it's perfect.

I'm not a person who waits for the latest release because there's no guarantee that the new one is better than the old one

 

[markanini]

I want to dampen the hype for Hexa: it's not a super-fun IEM with a "wow" effect. I was looking for an IEM with a neutral, uncolored sound, and the only one that fit the bill was Hexa.
It's a very practical IEM that makes everything I throw at it sound good to my ears; it's moderately wide on wide tracks, moderately intimate on intimate tracks, and doesn't color the track too much.
It's not perfect because I think it lacks a bit of texture in the low frequencies, but that's not a serious issue.

Pure is a slightly warmer and less technical Hexa: they've fixed the Hexa's shortcomings in the low frequencies but made it worse in the high frequencies. A "perfect" IEM would have been Pure 0-1000Hz and Hexa 1000-20,000Hz, but I prefer Hexa in the end.
I already have an IEM with a slightly warm sound but with excellent technicality: the Meze Alba.
Hexa is an all-rounder with a less colored sound, and within my small collection, I think it's perfect.

I'm not a person who waits for the latest release because there's no guarantee that the new one is better than the old one

For me, Hexa's dead-neutral presentation fits well. I’m on the lookout for upgrades, but most options stray from the neutrality I instantly started to prefer. Other IEMs focus on "excitement" or "fun", which ends up tiring my ears faster. Of course, this is just my experience. My playlist includes dense and energetic genres like death metal and jazz fusion. It might be expected that a "stylized" frequency response can’t bring much value to such music. Maybe that's why Hexa feels like home. The only direct weakness to me is that the upper treble of slightly pushed forward, I've addressed this by adding damping material on top of the yellow nozzle opening.

So, I get what you're saying, it hard to hype up the IEM because it mostly only presents the music in a matter-of-fact way. That makes it different in a landscape of promises about audio enhancement, which might be confusing. I do however find Hexa improves on drums in particular vs. other sets like Truther Red.

 

[XaviMartinez55]

Oh yes, the fun factor…… proof that we all look for different qualities…… some like “technicalities” (=moar treble in my language ), some like bass cannons, some want vocal centric….. and on top of that, we all have different ears….

And let’s not forget possibly the biggest of them all….. fit. You can have the best sounding iem, but if it doesn’t stay in place…..it sucks.

Personally I want balanced with some “fun factor” and smooth treble…. i mostly listen to your usual dull audiophile playlist, Dire Straits, Supertramp, Alan Parsons, Saga, Pink Floyd, etc…… these recordings don’t have that much bass to start with

The KZ Zenith gave me 85% of that, but they are heavy, couldn’t walk around without losing seal so away they went….

 

[Fahzz]

I ordered a pair of Hexa's and then realized I need an Apple Lightning dongle, which apparently are extinct. Anyone have a recommendation for a quality substitute? Thanks. (Oh and wtf Apple?)

So I found lightning dongle on eBay - but it didn't work.
Apple got what it wanted - I bought a new iPhone 16 with USB C out, because my provider had a really great sale going on for the new phone. Bought a USB C to 3.5 dongle also from Apple.
Trouble is now I need to buy/find appropriate power bricks and more cables for my car etc.
Am I being manipulated if I know they are doing it to me???

 

[AtticReclus3]

O man I chose the Crin Zero Red, nice.. good to see its a common opinion, I just need to find an endgame amp for my IEM collection

 

[propaganda1]

Truthear Nova's with stock foam tips/Tripowin sprial groove foam tips.

Sure there are cheaper IEM's, but you will always have a reason to upgrade eventually and therefore spend more money in the long run.

Stock tuning is not bad at all (Harman IE 2019, which I find a little too shouty), but where they really shine is EQing them. This word gets thrown around here a lot, but they are genuinely an endgame IEM, as with EQ, they literally do what kilobuck IEM's cannot. This is due to their insanely smooth treble, which is extremely difficult to EQ, and most of the time impossible on most IEMs (which have peaky treble). This makes them one of the most technical IEMs on the market, I think only the Moondrop Variations measure smoother (on 5128), but the difference is marginal and definitely not worth the 5x price difference.

In the UK, they go for around £100 on sale, and has been seen as low as £80 open box (on Amazon).

Another option is Simgot EM6L, not as smooth as Nova's, but smaller (if you have small ears) and you do not have to use foam tips. They still have exceptional technical performance compared to other headphones.