I have the tin T2, but I’m lookin’ to step it up. I tend to like it pretty neutral, I mostly wear over ear planars. I have a pair of m570 that has that treble focus and m1060c, which being closed back seem to give the base a little kick. I’m thinking maybe it’s time to get something a little mid focused, but I’m not against more of the same, but you know… an iem. I’ve been kind of eyeing the tin p1’s, it’s got that planar that I tend to like and is more mid focused. For amp/dac I’m rocking the FiiO K3. Any recommendations and/or advice would be awesome. If anyone reads this and your like “well, that sucks. If he were willing to go x dollars higher I’d have the perfect recommendation.” Then hit me up anyways, I might be willing to swing higher for something special.
Sorry for such a garbage post that is probably something you see too far often. I’m new to the hifi space, and especially iem’s, so some advice would help a lot.
Hi, welcome to the forum!
I haven’t heard the P1 myself, but from what I’ve read it does sound like something you’ll enjoy. The reason for me not to get it is because it is very power hungry, making it a bit difficult to take on the go. Apparently not even a btr5 running balanced has enough power for those.
I got the FH3 which has good mids but mostly shines in the low end. I would recommend it, but I still use my T2’s for certain music.
Some IEMs I think will suit you but haven’t heard myself are the Thieaudio Legacy 4, Tanchjim Oxygen, or the Mangird Tea (if you’re willing to spend a bit more). Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews has reviews on all these on YouTube, his library has a lot of classic rock. I’m actually in the process of deciding between these myself.
Hey, just a $0.02 from me.
I have P1 and earstudio es100 which has slightly less power than Fiio btr5 and it can power P1 very well.
I wouldn’t treat P1 as “very hard to drive”, just not as easy as most IEMs
The ES100 actually has more power than the BTR5. I’ve heard the recommended power is 500mW, the BTR5 has 240mW balanced and the ES100 has 302mW. I’m not sure I would notice a difference tbh, but I’m still hesitant to get the p1.
@benx BGGAR (Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews) has teased something earphone related that should be happening tomorrow and adviced people to hold off big purchases and stuff until then. You might want to see what that’s all about.
No, I wouldn’t describe them as analytical. I’d say the FH3 are natural with boosted bass, if you are looking for a analytical IEM I think you are better off looking at a neutral bright sound signature.
My recommendation is to look at @Rikudou_Goku’s recommendations, since the only IEM that falls into that category I’ve tried are the ones you want to upgrade from lol. Only thing that comes to mind is maybe Etymotic er2se, but I haven’t heard it. I’d like to try someday but I’m afraid that long ass insertion is going to dig stuff out if my ears that should be left in peace :P.
Will put a bookmark on this thread for future reference, so please post when you have made a choice and how you like it.
Hmm, I’ve looked at the SSR before it sounds kind of like what I want, but it has a very mixed bag review wise. The hz heart monitor(who came up with that name???) looks interesting, would anyone know a good review of them it seems kind of rather unknown(probs because aliexpress is like the one place to buy them). The NF audio NM2+ look interesting as well, but will the FiiO K3 be enough juice for it?
As for the Etymotic er2se’s, I’ve actually took a quick look at them every now and again because they get recommended quite a bit. The shape of them kind of irks me too, but more because they don’t seem like they would play with 3rd party cables very well.
None of the ones I mentioned are known to be power hungry. So you shouldnt have problems with playing them even on a smartphone.
ER2 series definitely are well known. Its just that the fit (which I personally cant take…probably) and that they are so much more expensive outside the US that makes me not recommend it that often.
What are your opinions on the P1, they seem a tad bass light, so I would probably eq it up. All the reviews I’ve read says they have great clarity. This kind of leads to what might be a dumb question, but is clarity the same as being analytical? If not then they might not be for me.
Thank you for clearing that up for me. I’m still pretty new to the audiophile community so I’m still learning about the jargon, and branching out into different things like iem’s.
Yeah the K3 is kind of a light weight, I’d be running them balanced, but still your probably right.
The P1 is more than a tad bass light. I can confirm that the btr5 running balances is PLENTY of power. You could probably go deaf. I’m looking at picking. Up a seeaudio yume, a legacy 3, FH3, or Starfields. So many options.
Go get the Moondrop Kato, in my opinion everything you need on a sound is there for the price and a much improved version of the Starfield and Aria in my opinion, and this is coming from a guy who has owned 3 IEMs. If you want an alternative, the Timeless 7Hz seems to be rage these days and some said better than the Kato, but I would advise go listen to an IEM that caters to your tastes more.
