This looks like a great portable option for IEMs and for those who want flac but don’t need a dedicated DAP or dongle
EDIT,: looks like there higher OI makes this not great for IEMs 
AüR Audio Aurora is in the house, first listen is very good.
Can share more later, I should have much more time before going into detail.
Keywords for now: Fun, Detailed, Smooth and Natural
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Been following AUR for a while and though the graphs for the neons were just ok the Aurora graph looks pretty amazing! 
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I received my SR8 in the mail yesterday. I will admit I had my doubts as to whether these would live up to the Sound Rhyme hype that has been floating around.
I am frankly kind of stunned at the sound. In the 1-1 position the bass is way above what I expected a full BA IEM to sound like. Better bass impact than a lot DDs I have heard, fantastic speed and definitely very good texture to it. No bleed or boom.
Soundstage and details jump out to me. Already noted multiple micro nuances that I have never noticed before. I always go through the genre ropes to try n pinpoint which genres do well, and less well with every set I get. So far they have done GOOD with literally every genre I threw at them. Not ok, not alright, not decent. Every part of a song I usually check for what I want said part to sound like, every box has been ticked.
Danced: 
Held back tears:
Goosebumps:
These are a notable step above everything I have heard before. After my first hour I started looking around on my table, thinking “I think I might not need a few of these other sets now”. Day 2, and I still feel the same.
More impressions to come after the sound settles and I get to compare more.
For now, here’s a snap of how the custom version turned out:
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I feel the same way about the SA6 MK2. The bass is more textured and faster than almost any DD I’ve tried and has incredible quantity/quality. The resolution is better than IE600 after a/b test! The soundstage is crazy. 
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Akros said in his video that the SA6 MK2, SR8 and Neon Pro are all similar all BA, but all extremely good. I believe you can’t go wrong with either of these purchases!
I think I have found my endgame
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Hello!! I don’t know if I’m using this site right but hopefully I am lol
I’m a music producer [I work with both electronic and acoustic music] and after a long time of using pretty awful gear I’m looking to spend a bit more on a new set of headphones. I’ve heard about IEMs recently from a friend so I started looking into it, watched some videos [like Dankpod’s video on IEMs and some reviews of different one] and I’ve landed on the Fiio FD5’s which are 180 USD on AliExpress.
I’ve tried looking into pros and cons especially considering lifetime and I’ve found some like the fact they’re made of steel, but I’ve also read about MMCX connectors easily wearing out after disconnecting and reconnecting, which would be an issue for me as if these are good I would likely buy a bluetooth adapter like the UTWS3 in the future to use with my phone
My question is, does anyone have a better suggestion at around this price? Is there anything I should consider about this pair?
Thank you all!
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Most producers use monitor headphones afaik. Like the Sony MDR-CD900st is a legendary monitor and used pretty much everywhere in Japan.
If you really want an iem though, the Fiio FD5 will not be a good match as it has boosted bass and boosted (and peaky) upper-mids/treble.
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Read carefully more reviews and opinions. FD5 is not suitable.
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I your opinion how would say an Ety ER2-SE stand up compared?
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What kind of sound do you actually want though? Hard to recommend anything without knowing how you want music to play back
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Do not have any etys. They look a bit shouty to me on graph though.
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Nor do I (but I do need to try that set) I always thought the ER2-SE was suppose to be a studio reference as long as you’re ok with the deep fit?
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It does graph like it and I believe reference IS what they are going for. I just believe most prefer to work with headphones than iems, since stage in iems is kinda a meme.
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I had considered getting over ears (mainly looked over Beyerdynamics models since those are highly regarded among other producers I know) but my main gripe is that I won’t be able to travel with them very comfortably.
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How so? Could you point some out to me? I’ve looked at quite a few and all said really good things about them, especially in terms of sound staging compared to a lot of others at this price range and cheaper, which I find important
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I think studio sound means balanced nothing boosted and nothing forward that way you can decide what needs boosting or emphasising depending on what type of music you are mastering…ie not good mastering D&B on an already bass forward set.
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Looking for a pretty balanced sound but I also like having a bit of extra bass, heard good things about the FD5 in terms of the bass
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Check out my upgrade matrix. I might have a couple of ideas for you but I’m going into an appointment
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