Me either - I just use an SPL on speakers in the room, and some other sounds, then spitball based on what I’m hearing with iems in with no volume and at different source volume levels.
At any rate, I’m fairly confident my “low volume” is actually fairly low - low enough that most of my “balanced” or “neutral” iems sound quite anemic and unappealing, while the Rosefinch sounds pretty musical. I’m sure it’s not just the Rosefinch this would work with for my ears, but anything with a steeper V. It’s basically just Fletcher Munson in reverse, I figure. This is all probably unremarkable to others; just was a fun realization for me…
Speedy recovery! You’ll enjoy those planar’s, one of my fav sets. If you find that the fit is not as comfortable as you’d like, some tip rolling should do the trick until you find the ones that make 'em fit best. Enjoy, when you able to!
I managed to get coupons for $8 and $11 on that sale. I snagged a couple cases, and cables, but the Castor black and the Zero2 were my big purchases this year on Linsoul this year.
I also bought the xDuoo MT-602 tube amp on Amazon and that thing is amazing.
I also found the S12 with CP100+ to be very comfortable.
The only better fit for me has been the Tea and Tea2, also with the CP100+.
For my ears, the S12’s were a perfect match with the M sized Dunu S&S tips. I can literally wear them for hours on end and comfortably. Something about their squarish shape just fits my ear canal perfectly.
I am glad that there are plenty of options out there so we can all find the perfect match to our IEMs.
Man I miss the OG Teas, I got them when I was relatively new to IEMs and the only ones I had before those was the ZS10 Pro and the Starfield and those are significantly smaller so I remember not having a good fit with the Tea but this was before I knew about tip rolling and I was always just shoving them in my ear kinda forcefully lmao.
I eventually returned them and I wish I never would have, i’m sure I could make them fit pretty comfortably nowadays but I can never find them anywhere
I wish I had the money to try $1500-$2000 IEMs man I’m a sucker for detail and I really want to hear how much detail the best of the best can bring out haha
Honestly brother, don’t worry too much about that. In my experience, it really comes down to your type of music you listen to. For my music Library, the OG timeless and the Monarch MKII share a very very very similar detail retrieval rating if you can believe it. The Monarch’s are probably better across the board about 10%, but in real life listening, it’s not huge.
Also, the I’m grateful to have a pair of OG Teas and to this day, they’re absolutely a unicorn in their tuning choices. They don’t come up on the 2nd hand market often, but if you do see one, I would advise to try to pick it up for sure!
Wow that takes me back. The ZS10 Pro was my first IEM back in 2020. I picked up the OG Tea in May of 2022 ( they were discontinued shortly after ).
I feel that one too, there are a couple kilobuck sets that would be nice to own. I have a friend that buys nearly everything Thieaudio makes, so I have tried all the Monarchs, and they are too big for my ears.
I have only cracked the $200 mark three times, Tea, Tea2, and Timeless. I would take the S12 over the Timeless, but love both Teas. I think the $80-100 IEMs today are nearly as good as the $250 sets were 3 years ago.
I really appreciate you saying that, it helps with the feeling of FOMO haha. And yes i’m definitely looking to pick up another pair when I can! Only problem is if I ever do see a secondhand pair it’s when I can’t afford it smh
Absolutely right on the money, brother. If the Simgot EA500 was released 3 years ago, we’re talking a $250 IEM plus, no doubt about it.
Yeah man, don’t sweat it. I’ve been so incredibly fortunate to be able to try countless IEMs in my years of being in this hobby. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed IEMs as cheap as $15 up to $5000 - at the end of the day, I know do not get intrigued with crazy ass Kilobuck IEMs, because the effect of diminishing returns is an absolute mf.
The sweet spot you should be aiming for is about $500-$700. That’s where the best bang for your buck IEMs live imo.
ZS10 Pro was my first pair as well. I remember I worked at walmart at the time and my right earphone somehow disconnected from the cable while I was stocking and went flying across the store, I never found it hahahah. Needless to say I went home and pretty much immediately ordered the Starfields
The most expensive IEM i’ve bought personally was the Blessing 2 and it was the IEM that made me realize I don’t like neutral tuning lol. I’ve had a few $200+ IEMs such as the Timeless, Performer 5 and Yume II and the Yumes are my favorite easily. Though I don’t think I gave the Performer 5 enough of a chance, I remember I didn’t have it for very long before I sent it back, maybe I should try it out again
I did have a very kind poster send me a few IEMs to try out a while back I believe they were the Raptgo Hook X and the Thieaudio Excalibur
I didn’t feel like the Excalibur was worth its $529 price tag but maybe that’s just me. I’m rambling at this point I don’t even remember the point I was trying to make haha
$500-700 is actually exactly where i’ve been looking lately
I’ve been trying to decide between the Xenns Top, Oracle MKII and the IE600 and for the life of me I can’t choose lol, any other recommendations you’d throw in the mix?
