IEM equivalent of AKG K371

[phoenixsong]

By the way. I’m also considering the AKG K553 Pro (closed back) for these same purposes

Owner of the Aria here, and previous owner of the K553pro I have also listened to the Aria vs K371 side by side, and vastly prefer the Aria (price notwithstanding). The Kato is supposed to be a leaner, cleaner sounding version of the Aria- some have stated it to sound on the verge of brightness/sharpness, which might be similar to the K553pro as it can sound a bit bright at times like the HD800 original that I've heard and compared it with. Be sure if you are an in-ears person or a huge over-ear headphone person, as *that is a pretty major deciding factor for most. Other than the Kato, viable options of varying prices that might suit your preferences are: Tripowin Lea, Tin Hifi T3 Plus, Tripowin Olina, Tanchjim Hana 2021, Tanchjim Oxygen, Aune Jasper, JVC FDX1 and 7Hz Timeless I'm still unsure of the new Shuoer S12 and Tanchjim OLA

 

[phoenixsong]

@Oscarilbo for ultimate detail retrieval I would stick my head out and recommend you skip the Aria, Tin Hifi T3 Plus and Tripowin Lea though

 

[Kevbaz]

I’m using JBL Club Pro+ Tws and really impressed with how they sound. I believe they are tuned to Harmon target

 

[staticV3]

Indeed they are:


However, in my opinion, the IE2019v2 target is not a good match for OE2018.
OE2018 sounds neutral, if a bit bassy. IE2019v2 sounds very shouty. 2-10KHz is overemphasized to me.

 

[Kevbaz]

Indeed they are:
View attachment 187733

However, in my opinion, the IE2019v2 target is not a good match for OE2018.
OE2018 sounds neutral, if a bit bassy. IE2019v2 sounds very shouty. 2-10KHz is overemphasized to me.

I’ve not tired headphones on the other tunings to be honest, but I do like the JBLs but then I do like something a little bright.
Kev

 

[Earfonia]

oh Interesting. So you think the newer Midnight Yume have better detail retrieval than the Kato? There’s not much reviews yet for those so I had been holding up about them. I’ve read than for orchestral and soundtracks specially a single DD may be a better and more consistent and organic option.

Some review said the Midnight has better upper treble extension. I have both the previous version of Yume and Kato. Both sound very good. I haven't spent much time with Kato, need to change ear tip. The crystal ear tip doesn't feel as secure to my ears. As of now, I probably prefer the Yume a bit more than the Kato. But I'm not sure after I change ear tip and spend more time with the Kato. I just feel Yume sound a bit more 'right'. Both are excellent IEMs IMHO. I used to be single dynamic fan. But now many BA driver IEMs sound pretty good as well. But a good single dynamic generally always measures better on distortion measurement. The Kato distortion measurement is really low, lower than Yume.

Here is my measurement of them compared to my target curve EITC-2021 and Harman Target IE 2019:

 

[Oscarilbo]

@Oscarilbo for ultimate detail retrieval I would stick my head out and recommend you skip the Aria, Tin Hifi T3 Plus and Tripowin Lea though

@Earfonia Thank you both for your very insightful answers. I have a 1More Quad Driver earphone and AKG k702 and HD6XX open headphones, and also ATH A900X (closed). So I’m looking for a complementary sound signature for my collection. the 1More Quad Drivers which sounds great but have a very mainstream tuning although feel balanced uses 3 BA and 1 D. So that’s why I’m looking for the other way round (1 single DD) which is also very recommended for my type of music.

I still dont know if I’m headphone vs iem person, I feel enamored of each experience while using them. I think that’s why I came down to those models but I will ultimately choose the one that my bring me the more organic and neutral (ish) experience.

 

[Dealux]

I use the Etymotic ER2XR with the brown (1000 ohm) tuning filter from the official tuning kit and Shure olive foam tips. With a good fit the clarity is very impressive. It's better than any full size headphone that I've heard to date because the response is so smooth. It's like looking at music through a microscope but the downside is the narrower stage and more intimate presentation. Also, deep fit can be an issue for some.

 

[Corvuscorone]

How about CCA CRA?

 

[Jet Black]

@Oscarilbo for ultimate detail retrieval I would stick my head out and recommend you skip the Aria, Tin Hifi T3 Plus and Tripowin Lea though

If dunu titan S was included, will you recommend to skip that one too? Im just curious

 

[vert]

If they weren't already mentioned, there's the Samsung Galaxy Buds+, which got a high A- mark from one the heaphones ranking sites (Crinacle or oratory1990). The box says "tuned by AKG". Cheap and effective, I use them all the time for spoken content, rarely for music though as I don't commute anymore, but they work for that too. .

 

[phoenixsong]

If solely for detailed sound, it seems to be slightly lean sounding but decent in that regard, at least from majority of the reviews. That said, I heard the Shuoer S12 is a beast on that front; albeit slightly bright sounding

*@Jet Black

 

[phoenixsong]

I just received the Tripowin Lea yesterday; they have a problematic tuning. Despite my huge collection of tips which I had confidence in until now, after 2 days of continuous rolling, listening breaks and re-rolling, only one pair did not introduce glaring issues to the sound. The Aria remains the better purchase in my opinion even after accounting for its higher price. Also, there are some almost-hit-but-miss aspects in the Lea's physical design

 

[markanini]

KXXX is the same as the KXXS but with mildly boosted sub-bass, should sound very close

i've been impressed with the Tin T3 Plus (bought it at $60; regularly sells for $70)

View attachment 183208

i EQ'd the Tin T3 Plus to the Harman target and the difference is subtle at best

I have the Kiwi Cadenza with a very similar tuning to Moondrop KXXX and Tin T3 Plus. It doesn't sound exactly like a AKG 371. Similarities are, the warm signature, the low extension, the separation of song elements. Differences are, the subbass is a little less elevated on the Cadenza. Smoother and clearer mids and highs, less colored. The overall balance is rather close and the Cadenza, like the AKG K371 sound very good to me. I haven't been able to improve the stock sound of the Cadenza with EQ so far of, and I've really tried.

 

[Corvuscorone]

I have the Kiwi Cadenza with a very similar tuning to Moondrop KXXX and Tin T3 Plus. It doesn't sound exactly like a AKG 371. Similarities are, the warm signature, the low extension, the separation of song elements. Differences are, the subbass is a little less elevated on the Cadenza. Smoother and clearer mids and highs, less colored. The overall balance is rather close and the Cadenza, like the AKG K371 sound very good to me. I haven't been able to improve the stock sound of the Cadenza with EQ so far of, and I've really tried.
View attachment 263757

I have the Tin T3+ and C3 and the Tangzu Wan'er, KZ EDA Balanced and EDX Ultra. All of them are close to Harman Target with small variances. I like the T3+ and C3 most, they have the best resolution. The Wan'er is very pleasant to listen to.