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Best IEMs between $200 and $300?

Esidemoken

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May 14, 2024
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What's up?
Since a few months ago I am considering to buy my first IEMs, usually I have always used headphones.
As you know there are many IEM and almost every day new ones are coming out, which can be overwhelming, especially when you see that some people praise a model and others criticize it equally.
What I am looking for is that they are in the price range between $200 and $350 maximum, preferably that they have a neutral sound signature but if with EQ you can achieve that signature it does not matter that it is not neutral from the factory, nor does it matter that they need a dac since I am also saving to buy a Fiio KA17.

At the moment I have seen these options:
Ziigaat Cincotres.
Letshuoer S15.
Kiwi Ears Quintet.
Moondrop Blessing 3.

But if there are more options that you know I would like to read them, I do not care so much about the design or color as long as the sound is good, the build quality is good and they are comfortable.
Thanks in advance.
 
See these threads for recommendations and advice. If we are strictly discussing sound quality know that cost has no relationship to quality and that your unique ear canal shape may mean that someone else's recommendation may not work for you.


 
I think that Kiwi Ears Quintet kind of suck, personally.

I haven't tried the rest from the list.

My favorite IEM is the MP145, which is considerable cheaper than your target.

I have several IEMs that are way more expensive and there seem to be no correlation with quality, price and the amount of drivers.

FH9 is not better than MP145 and Quintet is not better than Delci.
 
I would seriously consider the Truthear Nova- less than $200 but once you leave the sub $50 market I think these might be the best value IEM I have tried IF you can EQ them. I wouldnt touch if you cant EQ and listen remotely loud as the 3khz area becomes uncomfortable.
 
I would seriously consider the Truthear Nova- less than $200 but once you leave the sub $50 market I think these might be the best value IEM I have tried IF you can EQ them. I wouldnt touch if you cant EQ and listen remotely loud as the 3khz area becomes uncomfortable.
What EQ setting do you use on the Nova?
 
I think that Kiwi Ears Quintet kind of suck, personally.

I haven't tried the rest from the list.

My favorite IEM is the MP145, which is considerable cheaper than your target.

I have several IEMs that are way more expensive and there seem to be no correlation with quality, price and the amount of drivers.

FH9 is not better than MP145 and Quintet is not better than Delci.
I won't lie when I say that I was tempted by the MP 145 but since I read that it is large I don't know if it will fit me.
 
What EQ setting do you use on the Nova?
The new Oratory1990 one to Harman is very similar to my own but doesn't knock the 3k region down quite as much. I tune more to crinacle's 2020 target

Oh and the Nova ain't small but it's well formed.
 
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Since you want to stay under $200, the two I think you should consider in addition to the Kiwi Ears Quintet are the Gizaudio Chopin and the Simgot Supermix 4. I own the Simgot EA500 LMs, and they are just $80 and incredibly good IMHO. The Supermix 4's are brand new, will go for $150, and could well be better than everything mentioned on this page. Just now being previewed, so you may have to wait until June for release.
 
My current favorite is the Hidizs MP-145, for around US$120 (when on AliEx sale), very closely followed by the ARTTI T10, for around US$55 (when on AliEx sale). Both are planars. Both are well tuned. Both are nicely accessorized (cables, tips), though the MP145 comes in a leatherette bag in lieu of a case.

The MP-145 has a larger, exquisitely machined & anodized alloy shell that may pose problematic fitment for smaller ears. The T10 has a plastic shell and is both compact and light, making fitment a breeze and long-wearing sessions a joy. In this regard, the T10 is not winning any visual design awards.

The T10 is a unique planar insofar as sounding to me like a properly tuned and cohesive DD/hybrid, but with the speed of attack and detail retrieval of a classic planar.

The MP-145 carries a unique 14.5mm planar driver and its tuning is exquisite; enjoyable across my eclectic choice of genre.

The T10 is the winner on price/performance; while I prefer the design and build of the MP-145 for my own ears. As for sound preference, maybe the MP-145...but it's a photo finish in my book.

Frankly, with these two IEM's in my collection, I find it hard-pressed to spend more than $150 on any IEM these days. These two are that good, imho.
 
Update

I ended up getting the Celest Relentless and so far it sounds pretty good.
 
Update

I ended up getting the Celest Relentless and so far it sounds pretty good.

Three-way frequency crossover for seven custom drivers.

This FR:
graph (23).png

After all the good recommendations I can only ask:

Why?
 
@InfiniteJester
Because of all the recommendations I have seen no one agrees, some say that x model is neutral and others say it is not.
Some say it is whistling, others say it is not, others say it has no bass and others say it does, etc.
Too much discordance for my taste, I know it is normal to some extent because not everyone has the same ear but I reached the point that I prefer to follow the advice of analysts more in line with my tastes.
 
@InfiniteJester
Because of all the recommendations I have seen no one agrees, some say that x model is neutral and others say it is not.
Some say it is whistling, others say it is not, others say it has no bass and others say it does, etc.
Too much discordance for my taste, I know it is normal to some extent because not everyone has the same ear but I reached the point that I prefer to follow the advice of analysts more in line with my tastes.

Iems will vary wildy based on your ear canal and fit, so it makes sense for the testimonies to not line up rightly. This "clickbaity" video covers some of it:


Once you do find your personal target and get good fits though, IME, iems make you start questioning owning much more expensive headphones and, even more, makes you question the tonal and detail quality of most speaker sets.
 
Three-way frequency crossover for seven custom drivers.

This FR: View attachment 374866
After all the good recommendations I can only ask:

Why?
That doesn't look bad for a v-shape, looks smooth and competently tuned. It's not Harman, not every IEM has to be Harman. Wouldn't be my first choice but for someone looking for a fun warm bassy IEM that still has clarity (and possibly has high frequency hearing loss and wants that boosted) this looks viable.
 
That doesn't look bad for a v-shape, looks smooth and competently tuned. It's not Harman, not every IEM has to be Harman. Wouldn't be my first choice but for someone looking for a fun warm bassy IEM that still has clarity (and possibly has high frequency hearing loss and wants that boosted) this looks viable.

I'm not a Harman fanboy, in fact, I feel that this is a little bit too Harman-like with the ear gain.


All Kinera sets graph too weird to convince me of pulling the trigger. Scoped mids with massive bass, ear gain and treble.

Maybe they sound nice, but I remain skeptical.
 
I'm not a Harman fanboy, in fact, I feel that this is a little bit too Harman-like with the ear gain.
I'm a Harman fanboy for over-ears but the in-ear target I do feel has too much ear gain, and I do prefer these "new meta", as well as many other IEMs prior to the "new meta" that had less ear gain already. The main differences with this new meta I think are the upwards slope of the lower mids into the bass, as measured on a 711 coupler, and generally being designed around 5128 targets, not really that they necessarily have less ear gain. They do have less ear gain than "Harman" IEMs although most popular IEMs always did. For example with the B2:Dusk vs the new Dusk, you can see on a 711 the main difference if normalized at 1kHz is the way the lower mids now angle up, not the ear gain. The ear gain will look lower if you anchor further down in the lower mids.
1718273290901.png
1718273570546.png

Bear in mind with the Relentless though, you sort of do need more energy in the ear gain region if you are going to have a V-shape with a lot of bass, you need to balance that bass or it will lose any hope of clarity and sound muddy. This looks too recessed in the lower mids for my taste as an all-rounder but it does look pretty smooth for a V-shape and the high treble is unlikely to be an issue for people with hearing loss, could even be a plus. Here it is compared with a very well regarded V-shaped IEM, the Ikko OH10, looks quite similar but if anything, smoother; and the reviews I have seen of it, including Practiphile, he did say the treble was smooth and not offensive.
1718273882171.png

It looks a lot smoother than the Fiio FD5 which was absolutely gushed over here, full golfing panther recommendation, despite being a bit muddy in the bass and far peakier and harsher in ear gain region.

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Three-way frequency crossover for seven custom drivers.

This FR: View attachment 374866
After all the good recommendations I can only ask:

Why?
That doesn't look terrible, but wouldn't be my choice. My main objection is the bass bleed into the mids and that it looks a little too bright for me. Combined it will have the effect of drowning out the very important midrange. But the Truthear Zero: Red and DUSK 2 are closer to my liking and sound more like neutral speakers + subs in a room to me.
 
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