Okay so to start, I’m pretty new to the IEM world and I’m not going to act like I know anything about all the audio terms that are thrown around in the audiophile community however I’ll do my best to describe my wants and needs. I’ve had the Moondrop Starfields for about a year now and while they are pretty good, they lack what I’m really looking for and they can sound muddy at times. I did have the Mangird Tea for a bit and while a clear step up from the Starfields, they were a little too laid back for my taste, even with EQ.
I’m looking for a “fun”, detailed IEM, something that’s engaging without having to sacrifice awe factors and technicalities. Something that does great with every genre you throw at it!
I would rather not fork out $1K for an IEM so i’d like to keep my budget under or at $700, thanks in advance guys
Also not against going cheap if it truly gets the job done!
Sounds like you could like the Timeles/S12. The ThieAudio Excalibur would also fit the bill. The IE600 would also sound like what you are looking for, but compared to the other ones, I found it not as detailed/high resolving, but other people disagree with me on that. I haven’t listened to it, so take that with a grain of salt: the Moondrop Variations might be interesting to you.
Something like a Blessing 2 Dusk may be a good fit for you, or even an Olina or S12. I wouldn’t shoot for the >$700 mark until you’re sure what you want, or are looking for an upgrade from something you love. Also, if you could share some specific songs/albums and what you want out of them, that may help us [help you] further!
I have been eyeballing the Variations but actually just read a post from @Resolution in another thread saying they’re great but not worth $200 extra over the Dusk so I think i’ll steer clear from those.
Timeless and S12 are also some I’ve been thinking about, I heard that the Timeless is a you love it or you hate it IEM so it sounds like a bit of a risky pick as I don’t have stores around me where I can test any IEMs out before I buy
I appreciate the advice! It’s hard not to get jumpy and just want to throw out money to get sweet sweet sound haha
I’ll give some genre examples if that’s okay, I listen to Rock(Hard Rock, Alternative etc…)R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop, and Country. The Starfield imo does a decent job at handling most of them but they definitely lack resolution.
I feel like i’m missing some “sparkle” in the treble region, female vocals are held back from their full potential on these, a lot of the sounds tends to blend into one another on busy tracks and detail is substantially worse compared to less complex/less busy tracks.
Another thing is I listen to a lot of live performances/albums and I find they really are almost completely mundane when it comes to these and don’t sound all that special.
I just want something that’s able to smoothen out the issues above while keeping the same great imaging and soundstage
I’ve been eyeing buying an iem in that price range. If you can demo some to find out exactly what you like, do that. I’ll second the suggestions for an s12. At $150 you gets lots of detail, good bass, and it has a tad extra brightness. I have and enjoy the s12, but I’ve come to realize I much prefer DD bass over planar.
$700 is a weird range, I’m not ready to $1000+, but until you get up there, there’s caveats to every set, I’ve been eying the shuoer Ej07m kl, but worry about the fit. The Ej07m is supposed to be the direct upgrade to the tea, and the kinda lava adds some mid bass.
You might want to consider the Yanyin canon. It’s $350 and has tuning switches that actually work. It can be bass heavy or treble heavy. Yanyin just dropped a tribrid at $650 (moonlight) but i think you might find it a tad too relaxed. The Tea2 also recently dropped, its a bit more balanced with a little more sparkle, but it sounds like it’s still not what you’re looking for.
I’ve never heard it, but quite a few reviewers seem to like the Dunu SA6 ($550). Dunu also just this week dropped the Vulkan ($379) which looks too bright for me, but might be exactly what your looking for. The nozzle seems a bit short though.
Yeah the caveats are definitely the worst part about not going with kilobuck iems
I’ve heard about the Ej07m as well, it for sure piqued my interest!
Do you have the Canon by any chance? I’ve seen it rated pretty high on a couple reviewers lists but i’d like to talk one on one with someone who owns it so I can get a better understanding of it.
The SA6 has been another set I’ve had in the back of my mind but I felt like I needed to come on here and talk to you guys and see what the general consensus is for the stated price range
I don’t have the canon, but have debated picking it up, I chose the Penon serial a few months ago instead. I’ve been very happy with it. The bass is full, textured, and balanced. It’s opened up with use and power and has enough detail for me. Country music and male voices sounds so good. I think the canon is going to have more detail and sparkle. More what you’re looking for. Still might eventually pick it up.
The SA6 looks good, though maybe not quite as detailed as some of its competitors? It’s all ba, but the bass is supposed to be decent. The Moondrop s8 is brighter, and lots more detailed. I’ve listened to Kato’s, and while they’re quite detailed, they can be shouty and lack fun/musicality for me. I can’t make up my mind whether I like them. I’ve been a little cool on Moondrop as a result, but I bet the s8 sounds excellent. People like the dusk and variations too I guess? I think I prefer a bit more mid bass though. I’ve also never heard the Thieaudio tribrids in this range (oracle/clairvoyance), there’s really too many choices.
I just recently was offered a good deal on the Softears RSV and couldn’t pass it up. I haven’t listened yet, but my expectations are high. BA only, but the graph and most reviews say the bass is dd like. I think I’m going to hold tight for a bit. Eventually I might pick up a bass heavy set like the Xenns Up, but I don’t think it’s worth $699.
You had Mangird tea or tea2? I really like the t2’s for lower budget all arounder. My knowledge with IEMs is limited. My step up from the t2 is the Nana 2.0 But I understand its a significant price hike and i hear many dont like the tuning. All anybody can do is keep trading up until you have a sound you like or until you run out of money.
Sounds like you are on the same journey as me. I have and love the Penon Globe and IKKO Obsidian OH10.
Doing my research the RSV was on short list and Teas MKii but in the end decided to take one step up and got a chance to listen to the Lava before Joseph from LETSHOUER and got deal and ended up buying the Kinda Lava!
Chris’s video helped alot and Akros video was very informative!
Someone out my way has a set of OG Monarch and almost bought them the Tuning looks good. Cheers J.
I’ve heard very good but also some bad things about pretty much everything you mentioned, it seems like there’s always a downfall at less than $1000. Also I agree completely there is wayyyy too much to choose from
I had just the Tea, I did enjoy them at times but the fit was painful on my ears even with tip rolling and they were a bit boring. If the MkII version has a shorter nozzle by chance I would love to try them out but I haven’t heard anything on that.
I agree on the last sentence lol, I’m not rich enough to be in this game
FH7 + copper cable = fantastic experience, excellent comfort, good details and are multi-genre! Everything else is giving a lot of money for nothing better !!!
You’ll hear bad things about any iem regardless of price if you look hard enough. There is really no such thing as a perfect iem. These things are so subjective and no iem is going to be the best at every song you throw at it. That’s why pretty much everyone here has more than 1 headphone.
I do think the Canon would be a good choice for you if you truly listen to a lot of different types of music and want a single iem since it has the tuning switches. The moonlight gets a lot of praise as a great all arounder but it’s relatively new so it’s hard to judge imo
I had the Blessing 2 and was very disappointed. They are anything but exciting. The reason is a totally lacking treble extension. You should note that people focus on different things and have different preferences and as long as you don’t know your own, you shouldn’t rely on a single persons opinion. There are many people who went from Blessing 2 to Variations and said it’s a complete game changer for them. @mmkzero and @Kalnet are two of them. Try to triangulate several opinions. I have been reading this forum and the opinion of many, many reviewers a lot during the last year and I can tell you from those 20 or so people not a single one matches my preference 100% or even 90%.
That screams Moondrop Variations (but Timeless/S12 as well).
