I previously had a setup of FiiO FH3 and an iBasso DC03 combo which I loved. It was unfortunately stolen and I am in dire need of a replacement. While I can source the FiiO’s locally through a distributor in my country, they are not exactly new anymore and I am wondering if I should be looking into something else.
What I liked about them was the bass and separation - I could both get brain damaged due to the slams and still pick instruments separately (think The Knife - Marble House). I understand that there are not too many sets which has the same amount of bass and the clarity in this price range, which is why I am in need of your collective experience.
I am not too fond of aggressive treble and a sucker for bass. I am considering 7Hz Legato’s for the bass but I am worried it might not provide the overall skillset of the FH3s.
My budget is not very flexible upwards of $100 - my country has a flat tax of 30% on all imports which makes a $100 IEM almost a $150 IEM and a $150 IEM into almost a $200 IEM, so please bear that in mind.
Just go hexa and call it. They are really good. 7hz Legato is good, but they are a bit muddy in the base despite having great bass. Great for movies and certain genere types but a terrible all arounder.
Thank you for the response! I read very good things about them but since they are quite new, I figured it might have something to do with the release hype. I know that they have good technical attributes for this price range, but do you think the bass would measure up to the FH3s? Sorry, I don’t have a lot of experience with different sets, so that’s my only reference point
I definitely recommend truthear red and see audio rinko. Both are very fun sounding. Reds are tonally accurate while supplying that lowdown grunt. Rinko are just silly with bass and have a very large sound stage for an iem.
I recommend Tripowin Kailua. For $80 it gives you the bass you are looking for without losing in the mids and treble. The bass is a bit warm but not muddy and well separated.
If you like sub bass over mid bass, Zero:Red is a good choice for the price.
It might sound unrelated to your recommendations but I’m asking because I can source them easily - do any of you have experience with the IE200s? I heard about the cable and that it needs a tape mod to perform at its best, but I was wondering if it can be on par.
For $17 USD the Hidizs MS-1 competes with the Zero Red and comes with a mic. There’s so little difference between these that I use the MS-1 more often. I actually haven’t used the Zero Red since getting them because they don’t have a mic. I could probably use the MS-1 mic on the Zero Red, I’m not sure.
The Hidizs MP145 planar if you can stretch your budget to something like $135 USD, I’m not sure on the price, just not if you have small ears or exercise/move around a lot. While they sound better than previously mentioned they’re heavier.
For bass impact and loudness I’d pick the MS-1 but for bass fidelity and articulation the MP145.
I need to hear a Hexa so I can start recommending them.
I will also say if you are up for a budget ( $27 ) USB-C connection, the Tanchjim One DSP is crazy good. With the app, you can tune it nearly any way you want, and they hold up at high volume. They have become my “on the go” pair.
With coupons on AliExpress you can get the Letshuoer S12s for under $100 and they’re a killer deal at that price or even the $115ish they go for on the reg.
I don’t think I have ever seen them under $119, but they are pretty impressive. I think the S12 Pro is worth the extra ( and seems to land at about $135 on sale ).
Hmmm. On my AliExpress page they range from $114 to $135 and several of the shops have coupons that apply that bring them down as low as $106 and that’s without looking to see if I have any offers available from some of those shops that I follow. I wonder why the disparity?
