Iem upgrade - next level

[JediMa]

My birthday is coming soon and I got coupon from friends to buy IEM , I have a good amount of headphones and few iems: SIMGOT SuperMix 4 - Tangzu Fudu Verse 1 - 7HZ - Truthear Zero Red - Arrti T10. I like a lot teh sound of Artti and Supermix 4. So I would like to buy even better IEMs maybe little less bright-sharp than Superrmix 4 with budget 200 - 270.

Few options I'm considering:

- Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite

- Linsoul 7HZ Timeless

- Linsoul SIMGOT EA1000

- Kiwi Ears Quintet

- Linsoul TANGZU X HBB Wu Heyday

 

[Miley_B]

Unfortunately I don’t have any crossover with your IEM collection but despite it being nowhere near your stated budget I always suggest the 7Hz Zero:2.

 

[JediMa]

Unfortunately I don’t have any crossover with your IEM collection but despite it being nowhere near your stated budget I always suggest the 7Hz Zero:2.

I have them

 

[Miley_B]

Amir reviewed the 7Hz Timeless just the other day. Lots of useful data there.

7Hertz Timeless IEM Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of 7Hertz (Hz) Timeless planar driver IEM. It was kindly sent to me by a member and is on sale right now for US $176 (normal $220). As you see, the same is unique as is the construction made out of machined aluminum. I thought this...

www.audiosciencereview.com

As better is not a specific term and I wouldn’t describe my more expensive IEMs as necessarily “better” than my cheap IEMs could you be more specific about what area you’d like to improve upon?

 

[markanini]

If you like Truthear Red you might like Truthear Hexa. It's tuned similarly but with warmer mids, and clearer highs. I personally love the tuning and also how the nozzle is set up-
three distinct tubes, two of which are replaceable with standard Knowles type dampers. That will help with longevity, much better than the type of all-in-one porous filters that destines many IEMs to the trash bin once clogged by debris and moisture. It's also a bit smaller than Truther Red which helps with fit.

 

[JediMa]

Amir reviewed the 7Hz Timeless just the other day. Lots of useful data there.

7Hertz Timeless IEM Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of 7Hertz (Hz) Timeless planar driver IEM. It was kindly sent to me by a member and is on sale right now for US $176 (normal $220). As you see, the same is unique as is the construction made out of machined aluminum. I thought this...

www.audiosciencereview.com

As better is not a specific term and I wouldn’t describe my more expensive IEMs as necessarily “better” than my cheap IEMs could you be more specific about what area you’d like to improve upon?

I like a lot the sound of Hifiman EdXS so that's what I'm searching in Iems

 

[JanL]

Look at Ziigaat. I had the Cincotres and liked it a lot. The newer Odyssey is right in your budget and highly rated.

 

[JediMa]

Look at Ziigaat. I had the Cincotres and liked it a lot. The newer Odyssey is right in your budget and highly rated.

Thank you but I can stretch my budget more up to 350 - 400, any better option?

 

[Soandso]

My personal favorite iem is the shallow insertion Stax SR-002 which are driven nicely by their special Stax portable amplifier via it's audio input jack (runs off 2 AA rechargeable batteries1.5V 3.7Amp 3,000 mWH or wall adapter of 120V 6W AC to DC 4.6V 0.4 Amp).

On my hour plus long walks away from noisy traffic/wind they are, to me, decisively much more enjoyable sounding when streaming my preferred genre of music (jazz) from my cell phone's audio out jack than any of my other iems (etymotic, planar, or dynamic). Their nozzle is actually oval and I've noticed it's alignment with the opening of the ear canal adds a slight improvement. (The interior is protected from debris by a fixed plastic covering; being shallow insertion minimal ear wax deposits.)

Pictured below they have an external isolation housing which wouldn't be necessary for indoor listening; it's profile makes the Stax SR-002 unstable for staying in place jogging/dancing/working-out. As for bass: these are electrostatic headphones and less suitable for certain bass slamming songs.

Indoors I've also run these iems off an amplifier's headphone out jack with an adapter cable into the input jack of the Stax portable adapter. With the amplifier itself connected to a graphic equalizer that was receiving the original audio signal that allowed different frequency EQ-ing of what heard from the Stax SR-002

 

[JanL]

Thank you but I can stretch my budget more up to 350 - 400, any better option?

I own two IEMs in that range. The Hype 4 and the Dusk. Both are excellent. Hype 4 is rich and vibrant, with big bass and shimmery treble. The Dusk is more hi-fi and neutral sounding, but still has very good clear bass. Both follow a similar "Meta" target overall, but the Hype is a little more exciting.
The Dusk sounds best with its own USB cable. With the regular 3.5mm cable it's best to use a touch of EQ, which Crinnacle has published the settings.
If you listen to pristine recordings, the Dusk is a better choice. If you listen to music that is more produced, the Hype 4 is a better fit.

 

[Honken]

My personal favorite iem is the shallow insertion Stax SR-002 which are driven nicely by their special Stax portable amplifier via it's audio input jack (runs off 2 AA rechargeable batteries1.5V 3.7Amp 3,000 mWH or wall adapter of 120V 6W AC to DC 4.6V 0.4 Amp).

On my hour plus long walks away from noisy traffic/wind they are, to me, decisively much more enjoyable sounding when streaming my preferred genre of music (jazz) from my cell phone's audio out jack than any of my other iems (etymotic, planar, or dynamic). Their nozzle is actually oval and I've noticed it's alignment with the opening of the ear canal adds a slight improvement. (The interior is protected from debris by a fixed plastic covering; being shallow insertion minimal ear wax deposits.)

Pictured below they have an external isolation housing which wouldn't be necessary for indoor listening; it's profile makes the Stax SR-002 unstable for staying in place jogging/dancing/working-out. As for bass: these are electrostatic headphones and less suitable for certain bass slamming songs.

Indoors I've also run these iems off an amplifier's headphone out jack with an adapter cable into the input jack of the Stax portable adapter. With the amplifier itself connected to a graphic equalizer that was receiving the original audio signal that allowed different frequency EQ-ing of what heard from the Stax SR-002
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While these IEMs look seriously cool and I do not wish to claim that your experience with these IEMs isn't genuine - have you tried other IEMs with EQ? And tried EQ'ing other IEMs to the same sound profile as your STAX IEMs? If so, do you think that the sound of the STAX IEMs were superior to whatever other IEM you tried to EQ?

Personally I do not believe that IEMs have inherent properties that make any IEM sound better or worse than other IEMs, so long as they measure decent enough to begin with. I will say though, the comfort of those STAX IEMs looks questionable in pictures. The outer shell is quite large, and I'd imagine that it'd rub against my outer ear if I tried to insert them into my own ear.

Maybe I am wrong however, never tried them myself. And I very well do understand how personal the experience of an IEM is.

 

[Josh83]

My birthday is coming soon and I got coupon from friends to buy IEM , I have a good amount of headphones and few iems: SIMGOT SuperMix 4 - Tangzu Fudu Verse 1 - 7HZ - Truthear Zero Red - Arrti T10. I like a lot teh sound of Artti and Supermix 4. So I would like to buy even better IEMs maybe little less bright-sharp than Superrmix 4 with budget 200 - 270.

Few options I'm considering:

- Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite

- Linsoul 7HZ Timeless

- Linsoul SIMGOT EA1000

- Kiwi Ears Quintet

- Linsoul TANGZU X HBB Wu Heyday

Hey Jedi, I just reviewed and measured a bunch of Kiwi IEMs. The KE4 was my favorite, and I strongly preferred it to the Quintet. I haven’t heard the EA1000 or Heyday, but I didn’t like the Timeless. Of the IEMs you own, I really like the Verse, but not the Red.

 

[LDvo]

Thank you but I can stretch my budget more up to 350 - 400, any better option?

I don't have it, but i heard good things about Ziigaat Lush, check it out

 

[Miley_B]

Why not go in a different direction? With your budget of 350 - 400 doubloons you might be able to get some custom moulds.

I can find fit tricky but it’s super important, a set of IEMs can have the most sublime sound but if I struggle to keep them seated in my ears they won’t ever get used, and likely won’t sound as they should most of the time.

Factor in impressions to the cost if this is of interest.

 

[Somafunk]

Why not go in a different direction? With your budget of 350 - 400 doubloons you might be able to get some custom moulds.

I can find fit tricky but it’s super important, a set of IEMs can have the most sublime sound but if I struggle to keep them seated in my ears they won’t ever get used, and likely won’t sound as they should most of the time.

Factor in impressions to the cost if this is of interest.

The only reason to get a custom mould is for artists on stage for isolation purposes, a custom moulded iem affects the length mode resonance which will change the tuning of an iem

 

[Miley_B]

The only reason to get a custom mould is for artists on stage for isolation purposes, a custom moulded iem affects the length mode resonance which will change the tuning of an iem

As someone who finds some challenges with maintaining a secure fit with IEMs I disagree with saying it’s the only reason to get custom.
Mostly though, as the OP seems to have a collection of IEMs already I was just trying to think of what might make a difference that couldn’t be achieved with EQ.

 

[JediMa]

Hey Jedi, I just reviewed and measured a bunch of Kiwi IEMs. The KE4 was my favorite, and I strongly preferred it to the Quintet. I haven’t heard the EA1000 or Heyday, but I didn’t like the Timeless. Of the IEMs you own, I really like the Verse, but not the Red.

I would like to find something that sounds clear and detailed like Timeless 2 and warm like Supermix4 so the mix of them.
Very nice and clear reviews, well done! And now I'm really considering the KE4

 

[markanini]

As someone who finds some challenges with maintaining a secure fit with IEMs I disagree with saying it’s the only reason to get custom.
Mostly though, as the OP seems to have a collection of IEMs already I was just trying to think of what might make a difference that couldn’t be achieved with EQ.

Custom isnt always a solution to meainting secure fit and compromises the tuning above 3kHz where EQ is challegning due to ear anatomy interactions https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/kiwi-ears-orchestra-lite-ciem-8ba.27042/reviews#review-33029

 

[Soandso]

While these IEMs look seriously cool and I do not wish to claim that your experience with these IEMs isn't genuine - have you tried other IEMs with EQ? And tried EQ'ing other IEMs to the same sound profile as your STAX IEMs? If so, do you think that the sound of the STAX IEMs were superior to whatever other IEM you tried to EQ?

Personally I do not believe that IEMs have inherent properties that make any IEM sound better or worse than other IEMs, so long as they measure decent enough to begin with. I will say though, the comfort of those STAX IEMs looks questionable in pictures. The outer shell is quite large, and I'd imagine that it'd rub against my outer ear if I tried to insert them into my own ear.

Maybe I am wrong however, never tried them myself. And I very well do understand how personal the experience of an IEM is.

The Stax SR-002 are asymmetrically shaped and difficult to photograph. I have added 2 more pictures of them since think the way the nozzle angles inward and forward is a clue to fit. It redistributes the iem's body weight away from a purely downward gravitational vector.

Also I've added a descriptive outer ear picture is for orientation of the SR-002 position during usage. The nozzle rests in the intertragal incisure. The flat body disc sits externally over the antitragus, post sulcus, antihelix and external meatus of the ear itself. There is no force against the tubercle tragus, crus helix, crura helix or scapha ear structures.

What I'll mention is that these are not easy to just "pop" into the ear on the go. After careful deliberate placement they stay in place for me over an hour walking outside on local sidewalks. Indoors if I go to lie down then I need to readjust them. There are some different designs of STAX ear tips and although I tried round iem tips for comfort experiments those never sounded as good.

As for EQ: personally my ears are over 70 years old and I have not only different dB loss in different frequencies, but these differ from the left to the right ear. When I use the SR-002 out walking streaming from a cell phone I don't try to EQ and personally get immense enjoyment out of what I hear. Now, at home I can run the SR-002 graphic equalized via a headphone jack but don't bother because instead I use it's identical non-portable Stax model SR-003 iem for my strictly left and right personalized graphic equalized listening (via an arrayed electrostatic energizer component connected to my amplifier taps, not a portable amp).

Lastly, maybe a bit about "inherent properties" and "sound profile" of the Stax SR-002. I have no idea of their stock frequency response graph and how it compares to other headphones, nor do I have any inclination to match someone else's preferred headphone EQ profile. These are true electrostatic headphones which do definitely have uniquely inherent design features.

Among my iems I grab my etymotic if heading into noisy circumstances, my planar if going around on errands, a dynamic to rush the dog out to do it's business and my electrostatic when going out for a long exercising walk. Whenever I take the time to get back and set up the electrostatic SR-002 for streaming my CD quality music playlists I am always fully satisfied they are the best iem for music I own. I recommend them to anyone as a unique great sounding iem.

 

[JediMa]

So I 've cut down my choice to few options

- Kiwi Ears Quintet

- SIMGOT EA1000 Fermat

- kiwi ears ke4

- Ziigaat Odissey