Joyce just released a short ThieAudio factory tour.
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Hi, I just got back into the hobby after a break (~1 year). Iāve been happy with my XENNS UP for the past 2 years but recently I was feeling like trying something else so I bought the Hype 4 to compliment the UP and well, it seems like a good set for the price but itās a bit boring to my ears. Also, the UP does everything the Hype 4 does but just a bit better and more importantly has something special in itās tuning that I really like.
Now, I got to try the Pilgrim and Oracle MKIII for a brief time and while the Oracle MKIII does sound slightly better than the Hype 4, it does not seem worth the extra cost over the Hype 4 to me. Pilgrim on the other hand sounds a bit better but thereās just not enough Bass for me (did not get to tip roll).
Are there any other sets in the Mid-Fi category that I might like? Iām looking for a slightly more energetic, wide sounding IEM that will compliment the Warm W-Shaped sound of UP. I also had the IE 600 but it was too spicy for me and had somewhat unnatural Mid range.
Thereās some one selling the Kinera Verdandi for half itās retail price, any one familiar with both the UP & Verdandi? At this point, if not the Verdandi, I might have to empty my Wallet for Monarch MKII/MKIII.
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Ziigaat Estrella maybe
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Estrella competes with some IEMs up to $1000. But also like the IE600 itās a bit spicy on top. TBH MK2/3 ā¦ I would skip it as there are such IEMs for about 300 dollars. 
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2nd the Eater
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I do believe the Verdandi would be too bass light for you. Itās also very dependent on fit to sound itās best.
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I kinda see where you are coming from for Estrella. I am currently considering Dynaquattro, Cincotres, Doscinco for the 200-300ā¬ area bcs of their tuning and reputation. Leaning towards the Dynaquattro or Cinco. Would love to see these kind of slight V or U shaped tunning for lower priced iems but havent found any similar. Might just go for explorer, p5, 61t or s12 pro if they are even better priced.
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Well then, Iāll give Estrella a try. They are out of stock at the moment so Iām gonna have to wait. Back when I purchased the Hype 4, I also read about Estrella and the one thing that dissuaded me from getting it was that, some people mentioned it has a bit too spicy upper end. I was worried it would be a repeat of the too spicy/sharp IE 600.
How much more Treble is there on the Estrella compared to Hype 4?
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There is some extra treble bite on the Estrella over Hype 4, but they are also similar. I would instead save up more and buy something else since you already have Hype 4.
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I agree with @Leonarfd - if youāve already owned the Hype 4 in the past, maybe buying the Estrella would be a little redundant for you. Go for a different sig. this time around, explore a little bit. You can always go back to the Hype 4 or the Estrella at a later date if you really want to!
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On those it is more about which tuning you like. Doscinco has solid mid bass, where Cincotres has the mid bass tuck, which is great for hiphop.
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@Leonarfd, @domq422, any recommendations? Iām looking for something under 500 USD. In this range, the Verdandi (used), and Mega5EST seem like they might be different enough from the UP but Iām open to suggestions, I have not been active in this hobby so Iām really out of touch.
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why is a bass tuck good for hip hop 
you would think a bit of bloat would be more of a hip hop set
I tend to like mid-bass for hip-hop personally because it has some meat to the male vocals.
The tuck is reduced mid-bass, which makes the sub-bass seem more pronounced.
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yeah why not pronounce both tho
elevate all the bass I donāt see sub suffering when mid is boosted also
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RT5000 / DO200Pro are the options you should aim for.
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I believe john is referring to the sub being more pronounced as in it having more contrast with the mid-bass and thus stands out more.
Technically speaking if the woofer only needs to do sub, it should be better in that regard than if it had to do mid-bass as well.
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This one is a very good DAC