Oh wow, that’s some high praise! Kudos to @Tonytex_Teixeira
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The Vortex definitely looks warmer but I see the serial as still having more sub bass
Haha that’s fair! People have had a hard time getting them off without destroying them it seems
Any recommendations for a bright, detailed, good imaging IEM under $300?
Precog liked them. Described it as a BA bass cannon. He said it might give the Variations a run for their money.
https://headphones.com/community/reviews-learning-and-news/canjam-socal-2022-impressions
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Stock Olina, and S12 fits that perfectly 
I don’t think you’re going to find anything better in-terms of value.
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Going to have to agree with @VIVIDICI_111 - stock Olina for the absolute best value for what you’re looking for. For a little bit more and if you want to dip
Your toes in the Planar space, the S12 I’ve heard is now a staple in the $100-$250 bracket.
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Someone buy the FH5 for $95 on AVExchange before I feel compelled to…
Edit: Having said that, the HBBxQKZ with wide bore tips goes a long way for “affordable bassy headphone smooth along the whole tuning” and would have it beat for timbre and coherency…
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I wonder when there will be new planar IEM’s at a higher price point (better performing) than the current S12/Timeless/Hook etc. I guess we can expect some soon. What do you guys think?
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I am almost sure that we will see something like this in the near future, but I would expect it in two ways:
- Newer, more refined versions of existing sets
- Planar+other type of driver hybrids (to be fair Hook-x and Talos already do it, but I can see much more potential to be used)
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I like that idea very much 
Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to put that in my ear…
Better take me out to dinner first, if it wants to come home with me!
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I haven’t listened to the FH5 but I have the FH7 and for my library they are fine. However, there are minor issues with timbre and coherence. There are better offers now, but at a higher price! Still, FH7 are good. I haven’t done a review for FH7 because I don’t have much time, maybe @nymz can do one, he’s better at reviews! 
I really hope 7hertz can come out with a timeless v2 and improve on the set. In my opinion, it should be pretty simple.
- Improve the fit
- Smooth out the upper mid range and treble just a hair
- Keep resolution the same or improve it if possible
And they have a winner in my books.
The timeless for me is just a phenomenal set, with some amazing attributes for me tastes.
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It depends on your preferences and library. But I can say that FH7 are very relevant even today.
I like a bright but full sound, crispy and sparkly that doesn’t completely abandon the low end. Details are great but they’re not a dealbreaker decision for me, I prefer balance but don’t mind if there’s a small V shape. I was attracted to FH7 after watching Zeos and few others reviews on it. But then I started seeing some comments saying you can get better nowadays and i’m not sure where to look because right now I can pick up a new pair on amazon for $319 and I wasn’t trying to spend over $350 on and IEM so it’s at the perfect price
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Olina SE is a pretty easy choice for what you’re asking for, IMO. OG Olina goes a little crispier, but it doesn’t have enough low end. Olina SE is a better fit for balance.
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In that case, you won’t find a better offer for this price. FH7, in my opinion, go well above the price! Don’t read many reviews, many are subjective. 
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After listening to a few wired IEM’s for a certain time, I have been trying out Sony’s XM4’s since yesterday, EQ’ed inside the Sony app. I must say: they really sound good with the right tips and I don’t feel as if there was a huge difference in terms of overall sound quality compared to my S12’s for instance (did some A/B testing). With the standard tips (foam/silicone hybrid) the sound was not as good (even though the ANC was better, but I don’t care that much about maximum ANC performance). Now I use silicone tips that were included with my S12’s (waiting for a few other types of tips to try out).
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