Those two IEMs in no way are comparable. Both have completely different tunings. For what it matters I did own the Vulcan temporarily. Had the MEXT around longer though. Is one worth it over the other would really come down to your preference. I think from a budget standpoint if you have to ask the question to yourself the answer should always be no.
As @VIVIDICI_111 mentioned the diminishing returns hit hard and steep. My price point to diminishing returns seems to kick in closer to $225 but, their point is still valid. Take for example the OG Tea which for me is amazing. I do prefer the Moonlight over it most times. Is it 2x better than the Tea absolutely not. I mean thereās even days I prefer the Tea over the Moonlight which makes it a better value for its money.
The far end of the spectrum is the U12T which I owned for a bit and bought new. Iād pick the Moonlight, Up or even the Tea over it anyday. All way cheaper. Was itās techinals better than those? Probably but, it didnāt hit the sweet spot for tuning to me. Not even making it a consideration as a keeper if it were $500 and it sure wasnāt nearly 8x better than the Tea. Iād argue that for me because the Tea brings so much enjoyment with its tuning itās 8x better than the U12T.
Yup, @MMag05 nailed it. When I say ā15% betterā I mean in terms of separation and dynamics, but that goes out the door if you donāt like the tuning. As mentioned, the U12T may be slightly better technically than the Tea, but if you donāt like itās tuning then it wonāt be close to being worth itās price. Just a reminder that IEMs are tools to enjoy music, and if you donāt enjoy how a set presents your music then it doesnāt matter how good its technicalities are.
So to answer your question, no, technicalities wise I highly doubt that the MEXT is 2.5x better than Vulcan, which is already a very good set. But again, really depend on the tuning.
āTake for example the OG Tea which for me is amazing. I do prefer the Moonlight over it most times. Is it 2x better than the Tea absolutely not. I mean thereās even days I prefer the Tea over the Moonlight which makes it a better value for its money.ā
How do you find the Moonlight vs OG Tea? After dabbing with a bunch of Moondrops and Penon, I stumbled on the Tea cult. Bit the bullet and bought the OG Tea blind.
Turns outā¦I really really like the OG Tea. Sold off my Variations, FH7s and others in the collection.
I also picked up a pair of OG EJ07 per @nymzās recommendation and find them to be an excellent complement to the OG Tea.
Of course, hanging out in this forum gives me major GAS lol ā¦not to mention the fact that Iām always on the lookout to try units recommended by members of the tea cult.
Thanks for the info. Iām really wondering where exactly IEM diminishing returns kick in hard. From my perspective you really shined light on this matter.
From my pov the Dunu Vulkan (380$) is all I need, I doubt there is anything significantly better. As I am also bought in heavenly into room speakers. If I compare my top notch Polk Reserves, Triangle and Teufel to the raw IEM sound I doubt there is anything worth >500$ thatās worth it.
From my highly subjective view, all that is needed for the ultimate audiophile experience is these 3 IEMs:
Penon Serial
Dunu Vulkan
Tripowin Olina/Tanchijm Oxygen
If anyone has a recommendation that I didnāt cover please say so. I am only a average Joe that has 30+ IEMs below 500$.
Personally if you already find a lot of joy at that price youāve probably found your diminishing returns point. Especially if you like their tuning and find happiness listening. I wouldnāt venture to far past that range. And if you do just realize that your enjoyment of the music isnāt going to double, just because the price did, if your already 95% happy. Double the price might only get you to 96%. Which for alot of us in the this forum weāll never hit 100%. Just decide how much your willing to spent to possibly hit 98%. Besr regards the IEM hunt.
personally I have some $1000+ gear but still find my $200ish gear enjoyableā¦ if you find the tuning you like above $300 is where price/performance really drops off IMO
DR are real. I always knew that. The tipping point got me good when I had around ten expensive iems on my desk, going on a journey and A/Bing, getting tired, grabbing Olina and Qudelix and listen to the music playing for 2h straight.
Some things can be explained, some donāt. What matters is what you get from the moment, what emotions does the set trigger. Olina does that to me and resides on the expensive sets drawer, besides heavy weight champs and having more air time than them.
100 freaking dollars. You can even buy 2 for 200$, do some basic modding (stock, dual stock dampeners, foam + stock filter, tuning papers on vents, you name it) and have 2 different iems that make eyes roll when it walks.
Amen! You are really a perk to this community. I am not shy to spend big dollars on the next big thing but in the last months I felt it isnāt worth it. You all now all these void hype trains. I just want to know whatās what in a kind of objective way.
Amen! I just spent the last ?? 1.5 hours with Olina on my āgood rig.ā Everything from choral, jazz, reggae, Zimmer, and last, classical (Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 2ā¦Lisitsa w. London.) SOOOO engaging and just plain enjoyable. What fun!
After tip rolling with what few tips I have, I have to say now itās hard for me to conclude my preference target because tips play such a huge role, at least for my MEXT. E.g. Final E tips (which Iāll use as benchmark tips f) makes the bass quite noticeably less thumpy. Now its boomier/looser. OTOH KBear 07 feels like someone is hammering the back of my skull with a small hammer, but because its less polite & more precise the music does feel more lively, instead of just a recording playback. Iāll have to experiment more
Thanks to Amazon Prime Day, I basically bought the entire Spinfits line (CP 100+, 145, 155, 240, 360, 500) and holy spitballs can you get some big time changes in the sound. A stupid pair of CCA CRA sound like they could be worth $100 with a Tripowin Jelly and CP 500s, and if you can deal with double flange, CP 240ās are sick!
Havenāt heard of it. What is it good at?
EDIT: looks like its a tribrid sprinkled with praises for its EST implementation. Wonder how it stacks up to the more recent Variations
I have seriously been enjoying the dioko. Added my own eq to bring the bass up a bit and to tame the 10k and 13k peaks. They have great soundstage and separation. Not quite as resolving as the timeless but still have great detail.
soonā¢
