IEM discussion thread (Part 1)

What is the main difference between the Lava and the EJ07m?

The Lava added a bit more mid bass to give percussion more oomph.

Which is a better choice for EDM / synth pop?

Lava has a db more mid bass and less sub, giving it more clarity on the replay and a touch of noteweight.

It’s all about relatives. If you decrease a frequency, others show up. By removing sub and adding mid, you get more of everything, less of sub. If I had to put a giant tunel vision glass to explain it, I would say ej07m is trying to tilt more into U shape while the KL are more balance.

Again, they are both close and very good and marginally the same.

For those only, probably 07m. Pure eletronic is where they shine.

6 Likes

Hear that whooshing, sucking sound? It’s me being pulled into the crazy iem
world. :wink: Love the spatial presentation, vocal detail, bit of bass rumble,…
Olinas. Definitely some bone conduction effects here.

2 Likes

Bought the Olinas as my first IEMs few months ago. I really like them, but I’m curious about how other sets might sound like. Any recommendations for an Olina’s upgrade? I have a large music genre library but mostly listen to rock and jazz. Timbre is really important for me. Improvement of mids would be awesome.

Thanks!

2 Likes

Would you care to share your budget? To improve on all that, it’s gonna be spendy.

1 Like

Have you thought of earbuds?

3 Likes

dbz-dragonball-z

7 Likes

I’m learning, master.
But yeah, I have earbuds in my ears right now, listening to bossa nova/samba music, and the sax sounds realistic (good note-weight).

5 Likes

300 to 500 USD for the moment. Might spend more in the future, but for my 2nd set I can’t spend more than that. I also plan on buying a DAP (probably Sony NW-A55) since I don’t want to use my phone as my main music player. I get distracted all the time!

1 Like

Never thought about it. Are there good earbuds sets for my needs?

Not sure about rock as I don’t listen to as lot of that genre (maybe indie rock), but for jazz/acoustic/instrumental, I really like earbuds. Also, if you wanna just give them a try, there are several cheap options (like 10-50 USD) that are supposed to be very good for the price. You can look at @Rikudou_Goku’s database: RikudouGoku's Database - Google Sheets.
I have one of Riku’s DIY buds, which was 50 euros before shipping, and I use them a lot more than my Olina and S12 at the moment.
Some pros of earbuds over IEMs:

  • Cheaper, so doesn’t break the wallet to try (better price/performance at the moment)
  • Easy to pop in and out of the ear (although comfort may be an issue)
  • Timbre & coherency are very good (single DD)
  • Haven’t had any sibilance issues
  • Stage can feel more open (although if you jump to 300-500++ USD IEMs, I don’t think earbuds can always beat those sets, mainly due to better imaging in IEMs, see below)

Some cons of earbuds over IEMs:

  • May be uncomfortable if used for >2 hrs at a time. E.g., I have no issues using my Yanyin Canon for 3-4 hrs, while I have to take a break from earbuds after 1-2 hrs
  • Very little noise isolation
  • Imaging: Olina, S12, and Canon all have better imaging than my earbud, granted my earbuds were cheaper than all of them…
4 Likes

The LBBS price/performance champion (IMO) goes on sale tomorrow for $42.(Looks like it’ll be $39 with the coupon?)

US $39.36 52%OFF | 2021 Temperament/Ksearphone Bell-LB/Bell-LBs 3.5mm Bass HIFI Metal Earphone 15mm Dynamic Driver Earbud Headset Flat Earplug

Make sure to order the “BellLBs-no mic” option (the s is key).

(It’s a little more on Amazon of you want the faster shipping.)

Thus bud ranks 2nd on Riku’s commercial list behind only the $320 Chaconne.

3 Likes

For rock, I wouldnt rec the LBBS. If they want branded buds, I would get the Qian39, Faaeal Iris 2.0 or the Yincrow X6 for that.

(or go rikubuds, at least 50% of my library is rock lol.)

4 Likes

Olina :wink: If you wanna stay on single DD for the timbre and coherency.

I had the NW-A105 and I can’t recomend it. Take a look at the Hiby R5 Gen2 if you have the budget!

Yes, the best. I was going to sugest it but you can’t the need the IEM isolation, as they are open.

3 Likes

NW-A105 especially in EU is probably the most spectacularly bad Sony DAP. It had very limited power output due to the regulations (the limit which you could not take down) + terrible battery (which you could potentially get better by heavy debloating).

NW-A55 is a different story, especially modded with Mr. Walkman FW. I am currently in hospital rocking some new 2022 albums I bought (new Big Thief album is amazingly mastered record!) with it and MEST/Rider 1 alternatively and haven’t charge it for almost a week (I never turn it off as well). The usability and portability is on top level. The Sony “mood” playlists are also something surprisingly great. I always missed with non-streaming players those Discover weekly/daily mix playlists from spotify and shuffling the whole library where I have every single genre on earth was never a good idea. Now the moods proposed by Sony’s algorithm are really fitting and there are just a few mistakes if any that I found.

Now I am not saying R5 II would not be a better DAP (as I haven’t heard that at all), but it is 3,5x times more expensive + the size is making it less usable than I would wish (I 3d printed the shell when I was deciding on what DAP I would like to go with). R5 Saber was much better in that category, but unfortunately it is discontinued and nowhere to be found in EU

4 Likes

That will depend on what he wants to power + the need for Android. I should try to get a55 and use the fw one day :slight_smile:

Our latest YT video and first look of the Audeze Euclid In-Ear is live!

We also announced with the support of Audeze we will be giving away one Euclid to one lucky winner! The Contest link is in the video description. Good luck!

Thanks for the tip!

That’s what I read on many forums. I’m a Canadian and everything is so pricey and that’s why I was looking at the NW-A55 with Mr.Walkman mod! I have a large FLAC music library and don’t really need Android. I prefer a good sounding DAP and a long lasting battery.

Does it have enough to power Olinas? :smiley:

What’s the next single DD on your list as an Olina improvement? (no matter the budget) :slight_smile:

I prefer isolation. When commuting or working, music is a way to get in my own world, disconnected from my environment. I’ve been using openback headphones and earbuds for a while now and they don’t offer the same experience as IEMs.

How much is the rikubuds?