I myself honestly haven’t tried since back in that day, and yep those were the days of the OG Walkman and portable CD players (Sony having the best quality buds at the time, imho). I tried both with and without foam.
If I were to try one though, it’d be one of yours of course. Maybe closer to the holiday I can check out what you have available and give it a whirl.
You can simply give the Qian39 a try and if that works then my gen 3 lineup will work.
Cool, saved to try…thanks for the suggestion! 
If the Estrella are that far out, I’ll probably just wait for 11.11 sales and hope to catch a deal. But still very interested in this set!
Its only 3 months until then, so unless you actually NEED a new iem now, I would wait. That way you get it cheaper (sale) and more options (possibly better alternative, this is chifi after all lol).
Exact same ship here. I dabbled in IEMs during the days of lockdown in 2020, but I did an Acapulco cliff dive into them around the holiday season last December. Really enjoy them.
The IEM world offers far better value and choice at certain price points than over-ears. That’s borderline fact. But I don’t think anyone needs to choose between both. I still have my ZMF Aeolus and HD 6XX that I enjoy, and they do sound different than any of my four IEMs.
Bad analogy here as a cyclist, but the IEM community also seems a bit cooler and a bit less uptight. Reminds me of the difference between chill mountain bikers and uppity roadies, as I’ve done both. 
Value wise:
Earbuds > iems >> HPs
HP value is seriously bad…
Seriously? I haven’t even tried a single earbud just because it looks uncomfortable
Yeah this is the consensus I have seen.
As I mentioned above, give the Qian39 a try.
Thieaudio Oracle MKIII
Lovely IEM, only tried the Hype 4 and Monarch MKII from Thieaudio. This is more musical to my ears, I am very satisfied.
It’s showing $13.5 here.
Good price. Only store that sells it on ali is this one afaik.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002275229979.html
and prices are going up and up. Was a concern some years ago that it was discontinued since the stores that sold it started selling them at a VERY cheap price and offered deals when you bought multiple.
Just secured mine, on its way. Looking forward to having a listen when it arrives.
Thanks again for the rec! 
Solid points. After some thought I completely agree with the thought that there is no need for choosing one over the other. As it sits now I don’t prefer one over the other. I love being able to enjoy different listening experiences. Because truth be told, I’m more of a speaker guy!
OK, time for a little Friday night forum experiment for those who enjoy IEMs and over-ear cans. Hope this is the right thread for it.
Pick a handful – any number, your choice – of your past or present IEM collection and find a comparable over-ear in your past or present collection. Why are they similar? I find this interesting because I think IEMs and over-ears provide very different listening experiences, especially open-back over-ears. But there are as many or more similarities between IEMs and over-ears than some think.
So, here goes …
Aful MagicOne = Drop/Sennheiser HD 6XX: OK, the MagicOne is a single balanced armature, and the HD 6XX is a dynamic driver. But there are two common threads. One, both are tougher to drive than most and really benefit from more amplification. Two, and most importantly: those mids. The HD 600 series has legendary reference mids in the over-ear world, and the MagicOne still has the smoothest, best mids I’ve heard in an IEM. Both sets also are a bit bass-light, with smooth, non-offensive treble. Both of these also reward tip/pad rolling, as the MagicOne bass comes alive with Final Type E tips, and the ZMF 6XX perforated leather pads are sublime for comfort and not changing that classic Senny 600 series sound.
Kefine Delci = Meze 99 Classics: Fun, fun, fun! Neutralheads and trebleheads beware: These are not the sets for you. But both these sets are parties for your ears with their accentuated bass and detailed treble. Classic V-shape or maybe U-shaped tuning. Only negatives on both are slightly flabby sub-bass (Delci) and flabby sub-bass (99 Classics) that seeps slightly into the mid-bass. Both easy as hell to drive – neither begs for an amp for their respective dynamic driver. Both have phenomenal build quality.
Artti T10 = HiFiMan HE-400se: The benchmark entry-level planar for IEMs and over-ears. Both are smooth across the frequency range with no weird planar quirks. Speedy, as only the most complex passages in a tune will get mushy. Neither will win a beauty contest, but when you’re getting a planar that punches far above its weight for $51 and $90, respectively, she can be as plain Jane as she wants.
AFUL Explorer = Audeze LCD-2C: Say what? A sleek hybrid IEM is like a porky planar over-ear? Yep. Both are comfort food for the ears, with rich, textured bass, solid mids that don’t get crushed by the mid-bass and slightly relaxed treble. The Explorer, like the AFUL MagicOne, is super comfortable, as per its reputation. The Audeze has a deserved reputation for being an oxen at nearly 600 grams, but the combination of the suspension headband and chunky, plush leather pads made it one of the most comfortable over-ears I’ve worn. These are both cans for long chill sessions in which you just want to get lost in the music and not focus on technicalities. I almost compared the Explorer to my current Belle of the Ball of over-ear cans, the ZMF Aeolus, but that was too much of a stretch. The Aeolus are too good.
TRN ST7 = Focal Elegia: Yeah, I know: I’m comparing a $21 hybrid IEM to a $900 dynamic over-ear. And the comparison is daft at the surface. But there are similarities in holographic, swirling soundstage. The Elegia made me turn my head, wondering where the hell the sound was coming from, more than any can I’ve owned. The ST7 did the same for me with budget IEMs. And both units have some weird timbre at times, especially in the mids for the Elegia. The ST7 work for me without EQ, but the Elegia mids begged for parametric repair.
I listened to the Penon Voltage for just over a week. Priced at $1200 USD, they have 2x8mm dynamic drivers side-by-side for lows, 4x balanced armatures for mids and highs, and 4x electrostatic drivers for upper treble, giving an impedance of 13 ohms and efficiency of 106 dB/mW. Thanks to AudioGeek and the EU tour group for the chance to try these!
At this price, I was hoping for a “wow” experience compared to my $400 TSMR X, and the Voltage did not disapoint. They’re the only IEM I’ve tested at this price-level, but non-the-less they’re the best I’ve heard so far. Strings are sonorous with nice body and upper treble details. Percussion has a satisfying leading edge, clean and snappy. You feel the depth of the acoustic guitar notes and the drum hits while also getting a sense of space that the recording took place in. Overall, there’s improved separation across all elements compared to the TSMR X.
With the bass switch engaged (10 position), there’s a noticeable low-bass lift, taking effect more in the the low-bass than mid-bass. Though I liked 00, 10 felt like a better fit to my preferences. While mid-bass tactility still didn’t quite match the TSMR X, the Voltage offers superior texture and separation in the bass region.
They’re more sensitive than the TSMR X, requiring 3-6 dB less voltage from my amp for the same listening level. Worked well on my iPod 5.5, Quedelix 5k, Chord Mojo, Venture Electronics RA2B-FE stack, with the latter two providing an extra bit of performance.
The slightly wider nozzles (7mm vs 6.5mm on TSMR X) made them a bit uncomfortable during longer sessions (2+ hours). I got the best fit with Moondrop Springtips, but Penon Liqueur Black worked well too.
Overall, the Penon Voltage is easy to recommend. The tuning and technicalities, plus meaningful adjustments via the tuning switches, make it a pleasure to listen to. I did have the chance to compare them very briefly to the Symphonium Crimson ($1500), and felt a clear preference for the Voltage.
Cool review, thanks for sharing your listening impressions! These are still on my wishlist for a potential future upgrade.
Thanks! They’re high up on my purchase list as well. 
Together with the Oracle MKIII I also got an Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite, originally I skipped this one when it came as I already had a nice BA set. But since Linsoul asked kindly for another review I said yes, its better than what I expected. My guess they want more promotion to up the sales again.
The build quality is good looking, who dont love clear filled resin? I love it.
The tuning is more on the neutral side, a good balance to not be analytical or sharp.
I know some said they had pressure build up problems, seem fine to me having used it for two hours straight now.
Can share more with the full review once its finished, with comparisons to two other BA sets.
Ok so I got the Gate, and to be honest I wasn’t expecting much of an improvement from the previous iteration of this which is the Hola. I only bought this because I wanted the cable, because the cable of the Holas were damn excellent for the price. Ok, to put my judgmental view a bit to it aside, in terms of the sounds? I think in my opinion, they really have improved in terms of its overall tuning because the Holas for me, were a bit Dark, don’t get me wrong the treble is there but not as present as the Gate’s.
But yeah I do agree with @hawaiibadboy it’s kinda similar to the OG Aria when it comes to its resolution, for I can hear that grain like sound I have had heard from the Aria’s. But once I get into listening to my library more, and this is just me, the so called grainy sound doesn’t bother me that much, because the tuning for me save this IEM, and I have heard IEMs that are worse than this. So yeah in my opinion, it’s a successor and a not successor, for I prefer the Hola’s build quality than the Gate’s, but then again there are no more Holas, and I wanted one again and the Gates for me does that enough despite the downgraded build.
