Figured I would swing by and ask about something that is a bit out of my element nonetheless most likely I would find someone with a good answer here. Looking for an IEM or in ear of some sort that can be easily used by a controller port and phone, have a microphone or the ability to have a quality sounding microphone… can’t be a desk mic has to be with the iem/in-ear(better clarity is key), prioritize comfort so not an IEM that is relatively large and weight-heavy on the ear(pressure fatigue is quite important), quality but not boring sound signature something maybe V shaped or harman would be fine… and lastly around sub $100 ideally…
Normally, I would just dig around but the in ear market is so over inflated it’s hard to really navigate the waters as it is… I thought about grabbing Moondrop Chu II or something from KZ but you never know really especially with quality control on some companies.
Holy shit, long time no see. Hope things are good with you dude!
Fit is a hard one, but on the cheaper end, the KZ PRX I personally think got totally overlooked by a lot of people. It’s spatially really good and for me, personally, the fit is super secure and comfortable and It’s cheap enough to leave room for a boom mic cable like a Kinera Celest Ruyi.
Chu 2 is very good for comfort. I have slept with them.
Other good option is Truthear Hexa ($90), also very comfortable and small.
One that impressed me more recently is the Linsoul Tripowin x 0DiBi ($30). Sounds like a cheaper Aful Performer 5+2. I have also not encountered an IEM that could not be powered and driven well by a PS5 controller. So do not think you have to worry.
I personally avoid KZ due to their deceptive marketing reputation. Though they may incidentally make some decent products, as people seem to like some of their products still.
You can use most third-party inline mic or boom mic cables with any of these. I personally just use the PS5 controllers built in mic, I’ve never gotten any complaints. PS5 controller mic also got updated with Auduze Noise cancelling tech after sony bought them.
Tri Draco is pretty good for the $35 or so. Not quite V shaped but EQs well. It’s more neutral and open for me. Fit is great, small and light aluminum IEM. No recommendation regarding mic as I don’t talk to anyone
Yeah, things are going well for the most part, just been crazy busy for the longest of time
Hmm, I probably should have put more information regarding the microphone that it isn’t by a ps5 controller which has it’s own microphone, it’s by a regular controller used on pc/switch/phone that does not have an internal microphone. I have considered just getting a third party inline mic but that would require some looking into for vocal clarity and overall quality since some are made extremely cheap.
If there is some recommendations for boom mic cables / inline mics I would appreciate any info that can be shared on that topic especially accurate mic tests that can be found showcasing their quality
Mute button on the Kinera is beyond awful, if i’m making a call and need to mute the last thing I wanna do is make some extensively loud popping sounds when I hit the mute lol, so I will probably look elsewhere
I thought about something like PRX or even the Castor from KZ however, I constantly hear from people that the quality control is horrible where the sets will break after just a couple months. At the same time, I need to be able to wear the set for long periods if time as well which is why I had considered maybe something like the chu 2 would be better since it seems a bit on the smaller and lighter side of IEMS and I really need to prioritize comfort by a large margin
I am probably just gonna go ahead and buy the Kinera Celest Ruyi after looking into it some more, its cheaper than the modmic by quite a lot and from sound tests appears to be a bit clearer, ill just have to implement some alternative mute or push to talk feature with it since the mute on the unit creates a very loud popping sound when utilized.
The Castor bass and a couple other random sets sent me down a coaxial dynamic driver rabbit hole. They’re really solid for the price and something about that setup stages and images really well for the price. As for the PRX, they have actually become my daily driver in a lot of ways even over way more expensive sets. There’s something about them I can’t quite put my finger on that’s just right for spatial queues, which I’m sure you’d appreciate, and it’s a planar so that bass always stays in control. I wish I could say the fit would work for sure because for me they’re actually basically perfect and fit really snug without any pressure but I know that’s a super personal preference. I can’t really think of anything I’d personally pick over the PRX in that price range and though I hate them as a business for their shady shit in the past, the PRX get a pass for me solely because they’re just flat out damn good. I’ve had my set for quite a while now and they’ve held up just fine and I’ve treated them like a beater set and been kinda rough on them so at least my set is QC issue free.
There was the PR1, HBB PR2, PR2 post HBB tuning, PR3, and now PRX. I didn’t really like any of the ones I tried but I also got cheated out of the HBB tuning so I never got to hear that one, which is right where the PRX lands tuning wise, even closer to HBB’s personal preference curve than the one he tuned. The PRX is basically an S12 2024 with slightly more forward tuning that imo is a little clearer and more detailed. I’d say the PRX is actually better than the S12 2024, but the S12 fit is immaculate and the shell is incredibly good and strong and they take to EQ really well so it’s a wash. But I’ve seen the PRX around $35 so that’s not too bad for swinging with the big boys with ease. I’ve been using Moondrop Spring tips and it’s been a really solid combo for just dirt cheap.
hmm all the sets ive seen are around $50 its still not bad price wise though, I might have to pick up a pair and see what I think, I am a rather big fan of planar and how they sound so it might be a good choice. I did end up picking up the Kinera mic which funny enough while I couldn’t buy the mic separate I was able to buy the wyvernblack pro which has the microphone with it for the same price so I guess that works. No clue how the wyvernblack pro performs but I won’t complain about what is practically free at that point
I think my biggest subjective issue towards the PRX though would just be the fitting, sure I have mentioned this before but I tend to have weird fitting issues with audio so it’s highly likely either they just won’t work or I’d have to find some different tips to help hold them in the ear
ive tried all the boom mics for IEMs… and they are pointless IMO. just get a lavalier mic and attach it to your shirt. You can use with an adapter/splitter that splits the 4 pole headset connector to the two separate mic and headphone outputs.
Just cumbersome, IMO. One of them did not even work properly, tho… like just tons of static and noise out of the IEM on the same line as the mic, ended up returning it. Maybe just unlucky there.
But I just use this pairing if I really want a separate mic with my IEMs. And the nice thing is I can just use it with any of my dozens of IEMs.
hmm, what iem was this with? Or was it with everything? The output impedance increases with a mic, maybe it was too much if you used a sensitive iem with it.
But yeah a separate lavalier mic is indeed a better quality option, just may be less convenient.
I don’t remember honestly, probably the Crin Red. I have two Aful P5+2s, I was thinking of turning one of them into a permanent boom mic IEM. Did not realize the mic increases the output impedance.
If that is true, 135,1db/mw is fricking insanely sensitive. No wonder you hear noise/hiss with it…
Give the Aful a try before you judge the mic, assuming their spec is given with the db/mw standard, it is 109db/mw which is very average. But if that spec is with db/vrms then…
