Well, you’re on the right track, brother. Keep living in that area. I was in your same position about 2 years ago now, trying to upgrade from the Timeless and I ultimately just decided to pull the trigger on the Monarch MKII. I absolutely don’t regret my decision, but luckily nowadays, for $600, you can get an IEM that rivals the Monarchs and comes pretty damn close to its total package (although, not quite).
I’m not the best at recs, but tell me a few things so I can help - What kind of music do you listen to? And what tuning are you after ultimately?
Honestly no joke I will listen to just about any genre, my library is very diverse I never know what the mood is going to be for that listening session when I hit the shuffle button lol.
I’m terrible at describing my preference but the Yume II and S12 are very good indicators of what I like. If I could just find something with around the same tuning with better technicalities I think i’d be set.
I’m about halfway through my IEM test playlist with the S12 and I absolutely love these, gonna run through it again with the Yume II when I’m done and see which one I prefer.
I know I like a good amount of bass but not necessarily a V shape, I don’t like the mids to be recessed. I like forward mids with just a tad bit of husk to give weight to things like drums and guitars. As for treble I like it airy and sharp, the S12 is doing a great job at that right now lol.
Hmmmm honestly the first set that comes to mind when you say you like a little extra spice up top is the Simgot EA1000, as I’ve heard on multiple occasions it’s a slightly bright set with great bass.
Your list of 3 IEMs suits what you’re looking for if I’m honest. The TOP would be my pick out of those 3 however, the IE600 is rather special in its presentation and the detail retrieval from that set is actually extremely impressive for the money. My only issue with the IE600 is the fit, it sucked for me and was just simply too small for my ears.
I’ve definitely heard good things about the EA1000, just not sure if it would be much of a step up from the S12(I definitely prefer these to the Yume II)
And yeah the only thing that sucks about the more expensive sets is I have to blind buy and that’s a lot of money to spend on something I don’t even know if i’m gonna like or like you said possibly not even fit. There’s always returns but nobody likes waiting on the money to go back in their account haha
Totally get it - as of right now, I’d say the Yume II and the S12 should serve you well for a long time.
You don’t happen to be on the north east or west coast, are you? Because CanJam is always an option and I understand that gets expensive with plane (if needed), hotel and admission costs adding up quickly, but I feel as though even a full weekend at CanJam would be infinitely cheaper than just 1 Kilobuck IEM and that’s an expensive of a life time. Going just once is worth every penny imo. That’s something you could do, brother.
Yes i’m on the East coast, I wanted to go to the Can Jam in New York at the beginning of the year but I unfortunately couldn’t make it. I’m hoping to go the next closest one
I’m starting to feel like a broken record with my recommendations. I’ve had the Top and liked it more than I realized at the time, however…
Having said that, judging by what you’ve shared, I would try stretching my budget to 750 and get the Sound Rhyme DTE900. Absolute killer set where nothing feels recessed. Top notch details, resolution and bass. No joke, that set got me out of the “what would an even more expensive iem sound like?” Mentality.
If interested, there are more impressions on that set over on the Sound Rhyme thread on head-fi (check the more recent posts). It’s worth a look!
I currently have a B&W PX8 but it’s mostly wasted from a wireless portability perspective and so I’m looking to replace it with an IEM.
I listen to a lot of genres but the main ones would be EDM, hip-hop, R&B and rock. Bass is always welcome and I do have some sensitivity to treble, though I would love some air and space to songs when I’m listening to the likes of classic rock and singer-songwriter tracks.
Budget is around £300 and I’d prefer to buy from Amazon UK due to being able to return easily if I don’t get on with it or if there’s an issue etc. Currenrly using an iPhone 11 with a dongle but I’ve just bought a Hiby R5 Gen II this evening.
Current favourite is the Thieaudio Hype 2 but I’m wondering if there’s anything else that people could recommend that’s also worth considering and might be on Amazon?
I don’t think the mids are on the thinner side. They are very clean, but care some body.
I don’t own the variations, but check the HBB and Gizaudio reviews and I think it might answer to your doubts
Hype 2 would fit the bill well. While I haven’t heard the Chopin before but from reviews and the graph it looks like a good one for those genres as well
I’ll mention the Blessing 3 as a good contender for the genre’s you list. Though it has treble I hear it is not shouty or piercing. It is also usually on Amazon. I’d recommend checking out it’s squig and listening to a review or two.
There are also other options out there that members on this forum will list and recommend. Good luck trying a few to see what fits your taste best. Good thing about Amazon is that you can audition and send the ones you don’t like back, as you mentioned.
android users just make sure the dolby atmos option is off on your phone for your iems, on your phone settings or your player. it degrades the sound very hard by making it much bassier and more treble heavy in a bad way.
it keeps turning on automatically for me and i don’t know why.
