Did your Bravado’s come in? If so, how are you liking them so far? I woke up this morning with the itch and fought it all day until I couldn’t anymore. Polaris 2s are on the way.
Got them on Friday and they’re pretty damn good. However, if I had a choice between them and the FH7, I’m taking the Fiio. Bravado’s are more of a side upgrade. It’s too early to draw any conclusions, but I’m pretty impressed so far. I’m gonna be honest, I low key want to return the Bravado’s and find a used pair of Empire Ears Vantage or Campfire Solaris. I also got the ISN H40’s early last week, which are basically Bravado’s Lite. Pretty damn good for $200. Hoping your Polaris’ work out! I
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Good to hear you’re liking the isn h40s. I think they be my next iem pickup
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That’s been my fear, shopping in the same price tier. I feel like everything is sidegrades, rather than upgrades. But oh man… Solaris??? You’re my hero! Lol… I’m waiting on hearing your decision! Can’t wait
Can you describe the sound sig on the H40s? Maybe compare to some others you think they compete with well? I haven’t heard much about them yet but they look interesting and they hit a sweet spot with their price point that I might have to consider them for my next upgrade. Currently using the BL-03. Been mainly looking at the OH10, HA-FDX1 and also considering a few higher tier ones like the S8f, S6 Rui, FH7, iT04, DK-3001 pro, if I could find any of them used. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Amazon needs to add the Voyager 3s so people can try them already. I’ve heard they’re up there with the OH10s. Looking to upgrade at some point as well.
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bggar rates the voyagers and the shozy 1.4’s very highly. Super curious to hear others impressions of these.
Some quick thoughts and way too early impression on my new toys. Received the ISN H40’s last Tuesday and the Empire Ears Bravado’s last Friday. I had absolutely no idea that these two were virtually cut from the same cloth. They’re similar in terms of build, aesthetics, comfort/fit, tonal properties, and sound signature. If you graphed these two, their FRs would be virtually the same (+2 to 4 db for the Bravados in the lower region). However, the level of tuning refinement that the Bravado’s produce is the only thing that separates the two. The difference in SQ is night and day, but the H40’s are by no means an inferior pair. In fact, I’m actually more impressed with the H40’s that I’m considering returning the Bravado’s since the H40 fulfilled my itch for some BASS CANNONS. (Possibly returning Bravado’s to go after Campfire Solaris or Empire Ears Vantage / attempt to check myself before spending $1000+ on something I want vs. need).
Bottom line is that you’re getting what you pay for and both perform exceptionally well at $200 and $600, respectively. I’ll share more thoughts as we go along, but it’s time to start considering the H40’s if you’re looking for an upgrade in the budget Chi-fi area. I’ll share more impressions in the coming days, but for now, some pics for reference, H40 on the left and Bravado’s to the right (TRN BA5’s were the chunkiest IEM I had before the Black Beauties showed up)……
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Thanks, very useful…
Unfortunately, I haven’t listened to most of the things you listed. I owned the OH10 for a brief moment, but ended up returning since it wasn’t a substantial upgrade from my OH1. OH10’s were good, but only incrementally and I honestly couldn’t justify owning both the OH1’s and OH10’s.
HA-FDX1 didn’t look very comfortable to me, so I didn’t bother exploring.
I’d love to hear all of those Fearless offerings, but I kind of already know that I’m not a BA Bass guy. I just love the impact and slam from dynamic drivers. I believe Sonion BA drivers come close, but not enough for me to justify spending $500. I’m not spending $40-60 for return shipping to China if they don’t agree with my tastes.
DK-3001 Pro’s appear to be too close to my FH7’s, so it’s a no-go for me. DK-4001 I may consider down the line.
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That’s very helpful. Thanks! I know you haven’t had them long, but given the choice between your H40, and FH7, or OH1, which is your pick? I know the H40 is serving a specific purpose by scratching the bass cannon itch, but do you feel like it is a solid enough all-rounder to choose it over those other two? I’m also keeping in mind that the FH7 is double the price so maybe it’s not a fair comparison.
I will take the FH7’s all day every day and it’s not close. However, I did set a bassline for myself in the budget area with my KXXS (mini FH7). I currently favor the H40 since I’m still in the honeymoon phase, but I still acknowledge the KXXS pulls in better details and has a much more balanced sound (my bread and butter). The OH10’s don’t possess the amount of bass the H40 kicks out, but if I recall, you’re going to get better mids and some sparkle in the treble region with the OH10’s. Currently, I’m taking H40’s over everything except t the FH7’s.
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Sounds like I need to look harder at the FH7 since they keep coming up highly recommended. I’ve seen a few people who were not crazy about them (BGGAR and Crinacle were both lukewarm) and that gave me pause. But I keep hearing from owners that they love them.
Also I would ask M0N, he’s listened to a fair amount of IEMs in this price range.
Ohmboy also knows quite a bit about IEMs from what I know.
I totally get where they’re coming from, but since they get their hands on things on pretty much everything that’s out there I would imagine it’s difficult for them to be objective from one item to the next. In Crinacle’s case, he judges everything across the board on even ground and could care less where they stack up in terms of cost to value. BGGAR may have gotten a bad set since every complaint he had I have absolutely no clue what he’s talking about. For me 75% of my buying decisions stem from user feedback on said item. I prefer to hear what the average person who spent their own money has to say about whatever they bought.
For a lot of us on this forum that got the FH7’s, it was our first taste of “high end,” mind you entry level high end and it was a real eye opener. I may have spent a total of $500+ over a 4-5 month period before I came to the realization that I was wasting my time with budget IEMs. I spent a couple of months of not buying anything, waited for a deal on FH7 (basically free shipping and no tax; I have not seen the FH7’s go on sale anywhere) and just enjoyed musical bliss. It’s worth it, I promise you!
I still believe you can enjoy all of the budget offerings, but if you’re thirsty to get “more detail, more clarity, more high end sparkle, more refined low end” from the next thing you purchase, you’re just not going to find it in the under $200 category, IMO.
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These are words of wisdom. I don’t think I want to keep buying something new every couple months. I want to buy something and be done (for a while) so I think I need to just chill out and enjoy my BL-03 for a little while as I save up for something on the level of the FH7.
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I wasted my own time and cash to bring you to this realization! 
Buy once, cry once!
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instructions unclear crying all the time now
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Are these tears of joy when you finally find the right IEM?
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……and the heavens opened!
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