What IEMs do you own?

[Jimbob54]

In what can only be described as a moment of consumerist madness I treated myself to a pair of EPZ 530.

By a margin the nicest feeling to wear I have ever tried .

Tuning is decidedly not Harman and I apply some light eq but blimey do they sound and feel good . How much of that is bias and how much is tuning tickling my hrtf I can't say .

 

[Roland68]

In what can only be described as a moment of consumerist madness I treated myself to a pair of EPZ 530.

By a margin the nicest feeling to wear I have ever tried .

Tuning is decidedly not Harman and I apply some light eq but blimey do they sound and feel good . How much of that is bias and how much is tuning tickling my hrtf I can't say . View attachment 421812

In this price range, you can also look for customized IEMs, without any attachments.
There are also specialists who convert normal IEMs into customs or make custom sleves for them.

 

[Jimbob54]

In this price range, you can also look for customized IEMs, without any attachments.
There are also specialists who convert normal IEMs into customs or make custom sleves for them.

One day I might look into that . To be fair I got these at about the same price as a Dusk (which is on my list but think I might already be done for iem this year )

 

[mc.god]

In what can only be described as a moment of consumerist madness I treated myself to a pair of EPZ 530.

By a margin the nicest feeling to wear I have ever tried .

Tuning is decidedly not Harman and I apply some light eq but blimey do they sound and feel good . How much of that is bias and how much is tuning tickling my hrtf I can't say . View attachment 421812

They have a pretty characterized FR especially < 400 Hz, did you chose them expressly for it?

 

[Jimbob54]

They have a pretty characterized FR especially < 400 Hz, did you chose them expressly for it?

I was aware of that . Similar there to the ziigaat cincotres that I tried and liked . I take a couple of dB off that though .

 

[kchap]

In what can only be described as a moment of consumerist madness I treated myself to a pair of EPZ 530.

By a margin the nicest feeling to wear I have ever tried .

Tuning is decidedly not Harman and I apply some light eq but blimey do they sound and feel good . How much of that is bias and how much is tuning tickling my hrtf I can't say . View attachment 421812

I respect your opinions, so I'm sure they perform well. but the styling!

... Excuse me sir, are you wearing earphones or do you have a severe earwax problem?

 

[Jimbob54]

I respect your opinions, so I'm sure they perform well. but the styling!

... Excuse me sir, are you wearing earphones or do you have a severe earwax problem?

Well, the other option was lime green so wax or infection theme ?

Its actually wood and not as orange as pictured so mercifully I hadn't even thought of the wax vibe .

 

[Roland68]

I respect your opinions, so I'm sure they perform well. but the styling!

... Excuse me sir, are you wearing earphones or do you have a severe earwax problem?

Well, the other option was lime green so wax or infection theme ?

Its actually wood and not as orange as pictured so mercifully I hadn't even thought of the wax vibe .

That's always a question of personal taste.
I really like this grain and color, but my favorite colors are orange and a light and bluish turquoise, preferably in combination.
But I also like the green ones, but in real life they were a bit darker than lime green. But of course that can also vary.
I had both in my hand last year, but unfortunately didn't have time to listen to them. That may have been a mistake.

Are the EPZ 530 cases really made of real wood?

 

[Jimbob54]

That's always a question of personal taste.
I really like this grain and color, but my favorite colors are orange and a light and bluish turquoise, preferably in combination.
But I also like the green ones, but in real life they were a bit darker than lime green. But of course that can also vary.
I had both in my hand last year, but unfortunately didn't have time to listen to them. That may have been a mistake.

Are the EPZ 530 cases really made of real wood?

Can't determine if they cure a block of wood then mill it or if it's pulped and mixed with resin then milled. But yes, it's wood .

 

[spinrite]

Daily drivers time to go wireless

 

[drewdawg999]

In order of acquisition date:

1. Etymotic ER-4P+S (with adapter)
2. Truthear Zero Red (with Bass+)
3. 7hz Zero 2
4. KZ PRX
5. KBEar Rosefinch
6. Kiwi x HBB Punch
7. KZ ZAR

Been on a bit of a tear lately, last 4 acquired during the holiday season. I gots love for KZ even though they're not the most reputable company, but that's ancient history AFAIC as they offer the best value in the biz. I think the PRX are a wonderful set, perfect dip into the planar pool. Wonderful open presentation and oodles of clarity and detail with a slamming bass. Love them. Love the ZAR as well, they're my new portable solution taking that spot from the nice Zero 2, but are just more exciting with more bass and clarity. They're part of my basshead with clarity quest, which started with the Rosefinch (no clarity, muddy as hell) and ends with the Punch. OMG what a set, the Punch that is. Love the EST shimmer along with humongous bass quantity and quality, that doesn't swallow up vocals. They are the apple of my eye, endgame achieved, maximum pleasure accomplished.

 

[antcollinet]

What is it that differentiates (if anything) IEM's from earbuds, earphones etc.

(sorry if this has been answered up there ^^^ somewhere)

Or... do my airpod pros qualify. If not, I'll bugger off elsewhere

 

[drewdawg999]

What is it that differentiates (if anything) IEM's from earbuds, earphones etc.

(sorry if this has been answered up there ^^^ somewhere)

Or... do my airpod pros qualify. If not, I'll bugger off elsewhere

What differentiates IEMs is the act of shoving a nozzle into your ear canal so you get a direct injection of sound into the brain. It's a more intimate feeling and presentation than earbuds, which I believe are what the airpod pros qualify as. The key is proximity to ear drum so very little air is being moved, and seal for isolation and bass quality and quantity. I used to find them uncomfortable but discovered memory foam tips and that problem was solved. IEMs are hot right now, especially cheap Chinese ones, offering the best values in hi-fi. I love them now and prefer them to full size headphones.

 

[Honken]

What differentiates IEMs is the act of shoving a nozzle into your ear canal so you get a direct injection of sound into the brain. It's a more intimate feeling and presentation than earbuds, which I believe are what the airpod pros qualify as.

The Pros are IEMs, the regular Airpods are not. I quite like the APP2 for use on the go, they perhaps don't dig as low as my wired IEMs and the tuning sometimes feels a bit too laid back in the treble - but for most listening they sound quite excellent and they fit my ears perfectly. I hope a newer version improves the ANC, that would make my commute more bearable.

I've got too many IEMs to count but recently I've been listening a lot to the Moondrop Aria 2. The treble is quite smooth on them. Very nice IEM.

 

[mc.god]

Going back to some years ago, the actual list of my iems is, in order of purchase:

• Panasonic RP-HJE125 (super comfy, the no-mic version of the very first iem reviewed by Amir, that made me discover how to make them shine)
• Revonext QT5 (my first "reasoned" iem purchase, nice old-school v-shaped, built like a tank)
• TRN MT1 (got for €5 on sale in search for a beater replacing my smartphone buds, a bit hot in the pinna region but they served me well for a long time on crowded public transports and still serve me now at home for job calls very well)
• 7Hz Salnotes Zero (my first purchase after discovering squig and iem graph, and establishing that i would prefer a neutral bright signature, loved them from the start and still infatuated)
• Truthear Hola (got them essentially for the sake of getting a very nice mic cable + a solid and warmer iem at the price you generally get similar cable alone, now I'm even happier since they went suddenly discontinued)
• 7Hz Sonus (got them for checking if a bit more expensive iems could make a difference with the Zero, remaining on a smilar tuning. At first I went for TE Hexa but unfortunately couldn't get good fit and seal in any way and returned them, then tried Sonus and they became my reference to date. They tick all my boxes for tuning, clarity, and comfort)
• Truthear Zero:Red (got them on a nice amazon sale after seeing the fantastic measurements here and keeping them as a near perfect reference for balanced signature)
• Truthear Gate (got becuse why not at their price, minor theme variation on my preferred tuning with another nice cable)
• KZ EDC Pro (got for replacing the MT1 with a bassier and more natural tuning, they do the job very well on loud bus, a bit too much u-shaped otherwise for me)
• KBear KB01 (probably a Kiwi Ears Cadenza clone, got for amazing sale, very well built, small, comfortable, a bit picky with eartips due to extremely short nozzle, with the right tips they are extremely enjoyable)
• Sgor Luna (the last purchase out of curiosity for this so called "planar sound", big and hefty, not my preferred signature but extremely enjoyable when you want more body and fun still remaining fairly balanced)

p.s.
all impressions refers to stock sound, generally I don't eq iems because i enjoy listening to some difference in tuning, unless they are extremely flawed at stock (just the Panasonic)

 

[Jimbob54]

7Hz Sonus (got them for checking if a bit more expensive iems could make a difference with the Zero, remaining on a smilar tuning. At first I went for TE Hexa but unfortunately couldn't get good fit and seal in any way and returned them, then tried Sonus and they became my reference to date. They tick all my boxes for tuning, clarity, and comfort)

Really couldn't get on with these. Not the best fit for me but more problematic was the 1 to 4k region. Just harsh sounding to me. Eq toned it down for me but in my mind, if I have to start making adjustments in that area it's probably not for me. Certainly graphs as something I should like. Close to crinacle 2020 but just like a buzz saw when I turn them up a bit.

 

[Jimbob54]

In order of acquisition date:

1. Etymotic ER-4P+S (with adapter)
2. Truthear Zero Red (with Bass+)
3. 7hz Zero 2
4. KZ PRX
5. KBEar Rosefinch
6. Kiwi x HBB Punch
7. KZ ZAR

Been on a bit of a tear lately, last 4 acquired during the holiday season. I gots love for KZ even though they're not the most reputable company, but that's ancient history AFAIC as they offer the best value in the biz. I think the PRX are a wonderful set, perfect dip into the planar pool. Wonderful open presentation and oodles of clarity and detail with a slamming bass. Love them. Love the ZAR as well, they're my new portable solution taking that spot from the nice Zero 2, but are just more exciting with more bass and clarity. They're part of my basshead with clarity quest, which started with the Rosefinch (no clarity, muddy as hell) and ends with the Punch. OMG what a set, the Punch that is. Love the EST shimmer along with humongous bass quantity and quality, that doesn't swallow up vocals. They are the apple of my eye, endgame achieved, maximum pleasure accomplished.

View attachment 422700

The punch were on my list but I got the epz instead. Figured adding a bass shelf to the KE4 got pretty close to the Punch. But really liked the look of the shells and how I graphed

 

[mc.god]

Really couldn't get on with these. Not the best fit for me but more problematic was the 1 to 4k region. Just harsh sounding to me. Eq toned it down for me but in my mind, if I have to start making adjustments in that area it's probably not for me. Certainly graphs as something I should like. Close to crinacle 2020 but just like a buzz saw when I turn them up a bit.

Clearly it depends on one personal sensitivity to some frequencies and individual ear canal resonance, add that i generally listen at low or moderate levels and that i can tolerate without issue the MT1

 

[antcollinet]

The Pros are IEMs, the regular Airpods are not.

So by that definition, IEM = device that makes a seal with the ear.

 

[Jimbob54]

Clearly it depends on one personal sensitivity to some frequencies and individual ear canal resonance, add that i generally listen at low or moderate levels and that i can tolerate without issue the MT1
View attachment 422763

Totally agree and why relying solely on graphs or solely on subjective feedback isn't necessarily going to be a good buy.