IEM discussion thread (Part 1)

Yeah, I don’t have an answer for you on that, except you really enjoy the Zero.

I think it’s a fine IEM, but it’s not displacing any of my favorites. So it’s definitely a you thing :slight_smile:

Enjoy!

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The Zero really is kind of incredible. I was shocked to find I liked it better than the Chu.

What’s the best way to A/B IEMs? I’ve been trying to for the last 30 minutes to find a difference between the Olina and the Kato and I can’t. For $99 the Olina is such a better deal wow

Edit: The olinas have a bit more treble, less mid bass more sub bass and seem more energetic overall, I love the sound of these

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I always put on a select set of test tracks I’ve heard a lot and just play through one on set A, then play it again on set B, then just bounce back and forth on each track until I think I have a grip on which one does what best. Worst case scenario, I’m still listening to music I love.

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Yeah that’s what I was doing and it took me a while to hear the difference but once I played a certain track(Imaginary by Evanescence) I heard the difference as soon as the chorus came

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Does anyone have the Yume Midnight? How is it? I have them coming in Sunday and now I’m reading things about how it’s supposedly just a cheaper and worse Dusk, any truth to that?

Better how? Could you describe it a bit more?

So my only problem with the Chu is that it’s really treble focused (not as much as like 770 or something, but still noticeably “sparkly”). Especially if you’re walking around with them in, where the bass gets drowned out a bit, it can make the music sound kind of thin. Though it still has crazy detail for the price, much better than for example the KZ DQ6 which was my previous beater.

The 7hz Salnotes Zero is just a lot more neutral with the bass I want and detail to rival the Chu. (The Chu might be a little more detailed still, but I find it’s hard to tell at this level.) And a lot of the time it’s so good I forget it’s a budget earphone. Like if I A/B it with the Kato or something, the Kato is obviously better, but if the Zero is just on it’s own I don’t really register that it’s cheap sounding or has any kind of lack. It’s kind of incredible, really, for something at that price range. I don’t have like the Aria or anything else that’s in between the Kato and Zero to compare, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it at least gave $50 iems a run for their money.

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Thanks. I like the Chu a lot.
On 7Zero, I’m not sure about the upper midrange / treble area not being smooth but having a peak and a dip.
Blue is Chu.

Honestly I don’t think I have good enough ears to pick that sort of thing out. It’s all subjective anyway. If you like the Chu, stick with the Chu. I probably wouldn’t have tried anything else either because I like the Chu too, except for $20 I could justify trying out the Zeros. YMMV.

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Yeah I agree with that, 7Hz Zero does indeed have a dip at times at the upper midrange and treble area, unlike the Chu. Overall though, the 7Hz Zeroes are a banger of an IEM and in my opinion better than the Chu since it has a detachable cable and a better fit for me.

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Oh yeah, I forgot about the cable! That’s huge! The Chu cable is pretty terrible and the little earhooks they provide are also terrible. I was using third party earhooks with it, but it still wasn’t great. The fact that I can just put my own cable on the Salnotes (which comes with a better cable to begin with) is a killer feature. I do wish it were MMCX instead of two-pin, but that’s a minor gripe.

I’m actually pretty okay with the fit and even the cable on Chu. I have iems with worse cables than that.

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Why is it there isn’t more Planar CIEM options in these Planar Wars days?
UM Me1 are dead, then there are the CA Supermoon but what else… Do you really need to 3D print your own with some drivers from overseas. :smiley:

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Ok, so, this is what I’ve voluntarily been listening to all last night and today:

Hear me out - it’s not because they’re amazing. But for a non-audiophile product, there’s nothing that plainly irks me.

There are other TWS where my first impression is very good indeed, but after an hour or so their limitations show up as distinctly ugly, or they’ll have a major fatigue spot somewhere in the FR. Something was pushed too far for the sake of oomph or making an impression, but doesn’t fit a tasteful tuning.

On the flip side, these didn’t impress me at all at first, but with time I’ve found them non-fatiguing, and with no gargantuan deficit. Everything I’m expecting to hear in the tracks I like is still there.

The first full album I listened to with it was Tropical Fuck Storm’s A Laughing Death in Meatspace, which has plenty of opportunity to be fatiguing in lows, mids, or highs if some part of the FR had been overly exaggerated for cheap thrills.

Even with as much as I clearly love the Serials, the more you can hear, the more you can critique. During the same day I’ll go through waves with the Serial of finding an area they seem a bit too dark in, or at another time something feels a bit dry, etc. And that’s my favorite IEM, I think I might have been listening to them since Feb last year? Which is pretty much a record for me.

I don’t know if it’s possible to critique these in the same way. I don’t feel I’m missing anything key to the music, but I’m not getting enough to start dissecting it. I really am just listening to music, and exploring artists. Having no cables whatsoever to roll up or connect etc. is a nice extra for convenience. Fit is comfy (and sound was improved too) after using some tips I had, I’d say they go in pretty easy and stay there well too.

I also got them bundled with a large lot, the seller didn’t even mention they’d be included (although I did see them in the photos after, so it wasn’t an accident!) which takes any investment doubts out of the equation. They’re basically free given the great value of the bundle even without them.

These seem to be providing the “happy minimum” needed to enjoy music without hyperfocusing on music. It’s taking me back a few years.

Everything sounds fine.

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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I feel the same about the AirPods Pro, sure they’re not anywhere near £250 wired sets (my hook x blow them out of the water for example) but they are really nice as a whole package especially with the integration into apple’s ecosystem.

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Right! The Pros go a step further than these, which lack the H1 or W1 chip.

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That, and ease of use when running/working out and convenience if I need to take a call is what keeps my Beats Powerbeats Pro tws in use. Don’t use them all the time, but they’re almost always clutch for “having music (or podcasts) to hear” when I need them.

My budget TWS are the Earfun Free Pro, which are fairly impressive for the $60 I paid. The ANC is pretty solid on them too. They are great for travelling and I use them in the office when the noise gets too bad.

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