What IEMs do you own?

[ahofer]

I just bought the Truthear based on Amir's review.

It's pretty exciting to open up truly portable but high fidelity listening for my business trips. HOWEVER, I'm having some issues with comfort, and hearing my own breathing during quiet passages. Has anybody put down some ASR tips for fit and comfort?

 

[Jimbob54]

I just bought the Truthear based on Amir's review.

It's pretty exciting to open up truly portable but high fidelity listening for my business trips. HOWEVER, I'm having some issues with comfort, and hearing my own breathing during quiet passages. Has anybody put down some ASR tips for fit and comfort?

They ain't the most ergonomic pair but finding the right tips helps get a more stable fit and proper response.

The spinfit cp155 work well for me on these and other iem with wide nozzles.

Cant advise whether s/m/l best for your lugs though. I use L but ymmv

 

[itwasluck]

They ain't the most ergonomic pair but finding the right tips helps get a more stable fit and proper response.

The spinfit cp155 work well for me on these and other iem with wide nozzles.

Cant advise whether s/m/l best for your lugs though. I use L but ymmv

I tried Dekoni foam tips on the Zero but it didn't work that well. Switched to the CP145s and damn the seal/sound is so much better!

 

[Azathoth]

The KZ PR1 is an excellent planar IEM that far exceeds it's value, I'm using it from gaming to music, I'm amazed at this technology has gotten cheaper over the years.

 

[Adamant11746]

That I currently own:

• Letshouer S12: The first set I bought, sounds decent and were more comfortable than the UE900s but I finally decided it's not comfortable enough (nozzles are kind of short).
• Moondrop Chu: Bought for spring tips (which were disappointing) and as a backup set, sounds almost as good as the S12, is more comfortable but doesn't stay in my ears as well.
• Truthear x Crinacle Zero: Just received and am testing as I'm typing this, WOW they sound great. So far they're the most comfortable of the three, but I haven't had much time with them. (Edit: they're still comfortable, and sound so good they're my new primary set. Since I waited too long to be able to return the S12 I'm considering returning the Chu, as I don't need 3 sets and I may as well get my $20 back if I'm not going to use them.)

That I've used in the past:

• Unknown Shure model: My first decent set, hand me down from my father that was ok but eventually fell apart.
• Ultimate Ears UE900s: Also hand me down, replaced the Shure IEMs. I bought all sorts of tips to try to make them comfortable, eventually replaced them with the S12
• Audeze Euclid: My father won them in a raffle and let me try them, they were the first IEMs I heard that somewhat conformed to a target curve and sounded amazing in comparison to the UE900s. Unfortunately they were uncomfortable and eventually one side broke in half, so I ended up going back to the UE900s with dreams of upgrading.

 

[vitalii427]

Truthear x crinacle Zero [best I own with & without EQ, but still not perfect HF timbre]
7hz x crinacle Salnotes Dioko [oh this thing is so damn bright without EQ. With EQ to Harman it's ok but HF timbre still sucks]
Campfire Andromeda (Original 2016/2017) [once was my favorite]
AirPods Pro 2 [daily drive]
AirPods Pro
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro [quite good tune but sucks otherwise with iPhone , returned]
Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus [quite good tune, battery life and works well with iPhone]

Thinking of buying Moondrop Variations and maybe Blessing 2 Dusk

 

[Thalis]

Samsung-AKG EO-IG955
Bought these ages ago. Made in Vietnam... sounded really terrible... heavily EQ'd to tame the highs and muddy bass. Used Oratory1990's Harman curve as a base to start. Now they sound ok.... quite neutral to my ears with some amount of detail. Still sound a tad compressed. Medium foam tips for that seal.

KZ EDX Pro with mic
Bought 2 pairs on a whim for my daughter and her GF cos of the low price. Just got them and have been testing. Out of the box the medium tips sealed well in my ears. They are quite small and super light. Cables are surprisingly really lovely. They don't tangle easily and hardly have any microphonics. That loop over the ear works for me (and hopefully for the girls too). Test called a friend to test both mics and no problems at all. Lots of clarity. As for the sound out of the box, very V shaped and an absolute mess. Used Crinacle's EQ but still a tad sharp to my ears. Changed some EQ values for the top end and now so much better. Lots of deep end with detail now. Overall, if well EQ'd, these are really good. The AZ09 Pro is also on its way to make a pair a TWS for my daughter.

 

[musicsoul]

LZA7 by Linsoul ....I primarily listen to rock music it comes with different filters interchangeable..I prefer the red set on pop setting...I don't run an amp just a phone ....big soundstage

Dunu 3001 pro. lots of detail in music and soundstage and instruments

Dunu 1000 .... lots of bass .... a "V "sound

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

My current collection is in order of my listings preference

GS Audio SE12
Yanyin Canon
Letshuoer EJ07M Resin w +3db sub boost
Fiio FH5S
Kinera BD005 PRO
-Incomming KZ PR1PRO
& Kiwi Ears Cadenza

 

[DavidMcRoy]

Etymotic ER4XR and Truthear Crinicle Zero. I thought the Truthears were "okay" right after I bought them, but their inherent 1.5- to 2kHz peak has grown really tiresome. Too bad I can't EQ them for live streaming on iPhone, because they're more comfortable the Etymotics and the bass is strong and tight without being too heavy. My husband came home with some cheap wireless IEMs to try, Bytec BY-AU-BE-303 8441 and Vivitar V40072W-WHT, each about US$20. I haven't tried either yet.

 

[MCH]

My list is short:
- Etymotic er2se: Also by @JohnYang1997 numerous recommendations. I like them so much that I don't see the need to even try others. I just wish they were easier to drive: with such low impedance and having to go to pretty high volume in my phone, do they draw a lot of battery?? (no idea, not that I care either, just curious). Ah, and they are ideal when traveling by plane, very good noise protection.
- Moondrop Chu: Bought it taking part of a herd buying spree similar to what is happening right now with those crinacle iems. Only reason being they are cheap and supposedly good, and cheap, very cheap. I don't use them much, I guess I am not a Harman person, maybe I don't have much testosterone, don't know.

This was my post, #16 of the thread, Sept 16th. Now I need to add truthear zero and jbl club pro+, and the year is not yet finished.... but I am all set now, I am good, I am....

Anyways actually I am posting this because I wanted to ask about those iem with a dongle included ("dsp" they say). I saw this morning someone posted measurements of a "15$ dsp iem" but I cannot find the thread anymore. Does such a thing exist? Is it worth it? Can one tweak the "dsp" or is it just that they soldered a dongle and call it a day. If the latter, are those dongles worth reusing with different headphones when the 15$ marvel dies?
Just curious. What this companies manage to do for the price of a pizza still amazes me...

 

[Jimbob54]

This was my post, #16 of the thread, Sept 16th. Now I need to add truthear zero and jbl club pro+, and the year is not yet finished.... but I am all set now, I am good, I am....

Anyways actually I am posting this because I wanted to ask about those iem with a dongle included ("dsp" they say). I saw this morning someone posted measurements of a "15$ dsp iem" but I cannot find the thread anymore. Does such a thing exist? Is it worth it? Can one tweak the "dsp" or is it just that they soldered a dongle and call it a day. If the latter, are those dongles worth reusing with different headphones when the 15$ marvel dies?
Just curious. What this companies manage to do for the price of a pizza still amazes me...

Moondrop have a couple of new ones based on chu and quark I think, but with dsp in. Can't recall new model names but sure they'll be on their site on shenzhenaudio

 

[MCH]

going back to this, i see that L7 has reviewed the "tanchjim zero dsp", with dongle attached and what it seems to be parametric eq?

Measurement & Review of TANCHJIM Zero DSP IEM - L7Audiolab

便携设备 很久以前我测过一个带EQ功能的小尾巴，熟悉的人里面除了我之外，就一个红豆姐姐买了一条……结果前阵子我居然听说天使吉米要做一条带DSP的耳塞而且售价不到百元？然后很快我就收到了 TANCHJIM Zero DSP

www.l7audiolab.com

i have found no reference in ASR, what i find surprising, nor any shop clearly selling them except maybe shenzenaudio (what else can Type-C mean)? but i dont see any mention to dsp in the description... is it maybe a not yet released product?

TANCHJIM ZERO DD In-Ear Headphone | SHENZHENAUDIO

Specification Model: ZERO Origin: Dongguan, China Color: Silver Sensitivity: 118dB/Nrms @1Khz Impedance: 32Ω土10% @1Khz Frequency response range: 7-50kHz THD: < 0.5% @1Khz 94dB SPL Driver: 10mm composite diaphragm dynamic driver Driver technology: DMT 4 Cable: 1.25M+3.5MM gold-plated non...

shenzhenaudio.com

Anyways, the measurements from L7 audiolabs dont seem to be like to write home about, but the fact that you can get iems with a dongle attached and PEQ for 17$, or well, at any price, seems to be sort of small breakthrough, doesnt it?

 

[Fastfwd]

Moondrop Aria
Moondrop Variations

I was never a 'headphone' type, but I loved my Aria's so much I picked up the Variations recently and I'm very pleased that I did!

 

[VMAT4]

FiiO FH3, FiiO FH3 X Crinacle, & Truthear Zero

 

[Cote Dazur]

Incoming: Truthear + Crinacle Zero

Anything to report since your post?

I have those, had them for a few month. As opposed to other IEM I had before, the Zero are very musical, balanced and detailed, maybe not my last IEM, but I most probably will not look for anything else for a while.
They might not be the end all if one is listening for bass or treble, worries about EQ and FR graphs, but once sitting properly in your ear, the music is just all there, natural and easy to feel and appreciate.

 

[RHO]

Anything to report since your post?

I have those, had them for a few month. As opposed to other IEM I had before, the Zero are very musical, balanced and detailed, maybe not my last IEM, but I most probably will not look for anything else for a while.
They might not be the end all if one is listening for bass or treble, worries about EQ and FR graphs, but once sitting properly in your ear, the music is just all there, natural and easy to feel and appreciate.

Nothing special to report. They are still working and sounding fine. But I still prefer the Blessing 2 Dusk. The ear gain is a little less on that one and the slope of the bass towards the midrange is more gradual, which makes for a more natural sound in my opinion.

 

[TimW]

When I was a teenager in the 2000s I was obsessed with music and the way I listened was with my iPod and what we called ear buds. At that time I was broke so $20 was a decent chunk of change. I didn't shop online much so I don't remember what the online marketplaces were like, either way I didn't even considered purchasing ear buds online. There were the classic apple ear buds that came with the iPod but they were uncomfortable and had no isolation. Most of my ear buds only lasted a few months anyway, so I had to find new ones often. Walmart, BestBuy, Target, these were the places I would usually look and for under $20 the options were abysmal. JVC Gumys, random Sonys, and obnoxious Skull Candy buds were what I usually ended up with and I'm sure they sounded pretty bad.

In my early 20's I started my career and my HiFi journey. Naturally I started with personal audio since that is what I was accustomed to and I could listen at my desk at work. I found HeadFi and Zeos and got into over-ear headphones. I enjoyed them and owned several mid-grade pairs and even STAX but none of those really sounded neutral to me. When I found ASR and started learning about objectivism I realized all of my headphones were very flawed and since I found them uncomfortable anyway I sold most of them. This is when I learned about IEMs and tried several of those, never spending too much though. For years now all I had for IEMs were the Shure SE215 I used while flying, riding the train, or mowing the lawn, the Tin P1 I used at work, and the Etymotic ER4SR I use to track for recordings or in my motorcycle helmet. None of these sound similar and I wouldn't call any of them neutral. They certainly don't sound as good as my speaker systems so they are relegated to situations which precluded speakers. I listen to the ER4SR with bass boost to make it more enjoyable but that is about the extent of my corrective EQ endeavors when it comes to IEMs.

Then the Moondrop Chu was released, a $20 set that was supposed to have great tuning. I enjoyed them and they certainly sounded close to neutral but their highs were slightly harsh. Then came the 7Hz and Truthear Zeros which I also now own. I am so blown away by the quality now available for $15 - $25, both in terms of build and tuning neutrality. There's the Truthear Hola and few other similarly priced and tuned sets that compete with the 7Hz Zero with detachable cables. I would have been in hog heaven back in my iPod days! The Truthear Zero is what really impressed me though. Deep and clean sounding bass from a dedicated subwoofer supporting a detailed and neutral, if not slightly shouty midrange with smooth treble. Besides the sound, I find it really amazing that these things are 3D printed. It makes sense for the application now but just a few years ago it would have been too expensive for a $50 product like this right?

On Saturday I received my pair of QKZ x HBB Khan. These things use the same DD sizing and crossover style as the Truthear Zero and are also 3D printed. The main difference between them is the tuning, with Khan having more sub bass and less upper midrange. Maybe it is because I used the Zeros with foam tips and the Khan with silicone tips but I don't notice the sub bass boost very much. Both sets sound boosted in that region to me and it is a guilty pleasure. What really stands out is that reduction in upper mids which removes the shouty aspect of the Zeros that could become annoying on certain material during a long listening session. I was afraid this would cause vocals to be recessed but that is not the case at all. So far I am very happy with these and while I would like to hear high end IEMs, It's hard to imagine things could be much better. With the rate of change in the IEM hobby right now I don't feel motivated to spend even more knowing something better and cheaper may be right around the corner.

 

[digitalfrost]

So far I am very happy with these and while I would like to hear high end IEMs, It's hard to imagine things could be much better. With the rate of change in the IEM hobby right now I don't feel motivated to spend even more knowing something better and cheaper may be right around the corner.

I have spend 5 figures on my stereo system and yet often if I really want to enjoy music, I grab a pair of 350$ IEMs. It's truely remarkable what was achieved in the last couple of years. Bang for the buck is exceptional with IEMs.

 

[animalfromhell0]

Etymotic HF5's - with foam tips the isolation was incredible, loved these for flying but ultimately broke them at the plug on a flight.
Brainwavz B100 or 150? - liked these, lost them amongst my stuff, wish I could find them
KZ something - tangly cord, broke them at the cord to ear-piece connector
Fiio FH3 - liked the sound of these, tangly cord, broke at cord to ear-piece connector
Blon BL-03 - tangly cord, very comfortable to sleep in, light on bass (seal issue I believe), use these or the Sonys nightly
Sony ier-m7 - great cord, high quality build, sleep in these or the Blons

Would like to try the "concha" form factor Ety's next.

Do you enjoy the ier-m7? Do you still use them daily? I am thinking about getting a pair.