That’s fair no doubt
Good point on SF vs SF2. They definitely didn’t just copy that one FR wise like they did with the Aria 2. I was not a fan of the SF2 but I can see people who like a brighter tuning enjoying it
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Yeah I say the golden era is definitely NOT in the past but now. Since nowadays you cant really go wrong and wont really stumble upon something TRULY HORRIBLE, especially at the budget range.
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Aria 2 is going to sound pretty much identical to the Aria SE based off the graph lol… but we will see. Hoping Moondrop can pull a miracle 
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I guess my opinion on when the golden years actually happened comes down to excitement within the hobby. While every other set that comes out is probably a safe bet to throw money at, regardless of the brand and driver configuration/count, the current landscape can most of the time lack excitement.
New releases lack character to me most of the time, and the market is over saturated so nothing feels special anymore.
But I agree with both of you @Rikudou_Goku and @Sonofholhorse - no matter the budget, there’s absolutely a good set out there for someone. That’s absolutely not a terrible situation in any capacity.
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aa yeah true if its purely on excitement I agree it was in the past and not now when everything is the “same”.
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Nice to finally visualize all my favorites. After a ton of tip rolling for the MP145, I settled on the blue tips that came with 7hz Timeless and the brass nozzle (not rose gold like I had assumed lmao.) It actually kicks serious ass now, especially with trance, synthwave, etc. allowing me to push higher volumes. MP145 stages pretty wide too.
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I‘d argue that we currently live in the golden IEM Era. The market and products are evolving so fast, competition is high, newcomers are surprising everyone (e.g. Truthear, Simgot), prices are getting lower… the list goes on and on.
You can get sets these days below 100$, or heck, even under 50$ that sound great and were unthinkable even just two to three years ago.
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Agreed !!
The number of good cheap sets is crazy. Here are very good IEMs under $30 - Tanchjim One DSP, KBear Rosefinch, QKZxHBB, Truthear Hola, and Kiwi Ears Cadenza.
The $100 bracket has Olina SE, Kailua, and P1 Max, not to mention Hexa, 7Hz Sonus, and Galileo.
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Just got the EA1000! Very interesting nozzle graphing!
So for the EA500 it went like this where the Kato nozzle reduced treble a bit
On the other hand with the EA1000 the Kato nozzle reduces treble quite a bit! I also tried graphing it with the EA500 nozzle but it wasn’t too different
So was able to get this sound Sig after a bit of EQ and it sounds awesome!
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Oh one thing I I should say about the EA1000 is these are BY FAR the most open back IEMs I’ve heard to date. Previously that was the EA500 but there’s no doubt there’s no way you can use the EA1000 in noisy room! And my partner said she could easily hear the music coming out of the IEMs when they were in my ear when the room was quiet!
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that kind of design can be very useful for live music performance for people who don’t like to be too cut off
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Okay, a couple of updated thoughts on the Plunge Audio Unity:
- The fit is still nigh-immaculate, and I haven’t had a bad fit with any tips yet. I find that short-to-medium length tips with wide bores (Sedna Xelastecs, the stock generics, Symbio Ws, etc) give the most natural sound to my ears.
- They are probably the most natural, neutral IEMs I have ever heard; I have to assume as I don’t typically use monitors, either in-ear or with my speakers. I prefer Balanced or “Neutral Plus” tunings as a whole, but these are what I expect the original recordings sounded like. Like, compared with the Prestige LTD (doing so limited A/B in the office) they sound natural in tone and presentation where Prestige LTD is clearly warmer and has enhanced upper mids and treble. Neither one is “worse” to my ears, just different presentations. I think most people would prefer a slightly colored sound to true neutral, and this may be achievable via just EQ or tip-rolling but these are doing what they are designed to do.
- To touch on something @ToneDeafMonk mentioned, they have an interesting presentation as far as imaging and soundstage go, the soundstage in particular; imaging is well represented, probably Holographic or not depending on HRTF but above average at a minimum. TDM said that these move you around based on the track/album, front row to nosebleeds and I think that he’s right. They’re kind of Chameleons where you get the sense of space and especially reverb depending on how things were recorded and mastered. It’s almost Storm-like in that regard, most sets tend to either artificially inflate or lack overall but these give a better sense of what you feed them IMO.
- Dynamics are very good for a 4BA, but not top-tier. Detail retrieval is actually excellent, and I think that has to do with the properly neutral presentation; nothing particularly boosted and fantastic fit and passive isolation helps things stand out in the mix without competing with itself.
I have never had ETYs or the like, and the Storm and Prisma Azul are the only ‘proper’ monitors that I have ever had. I think that these stand well with those two as something that’s a great fit for someone actually looking to monitor things or experience “what the artist/producers intended”. They aren’t cheap by any means and the cable and packed-in tips (Xelastecs and “olive” shaped soft silicones) aren’t a huge smorgasbord however everything you need is in the box and fully-functional. I think these will be sticking around in my collection for a long time as a good reference set, as well as a shoe-in for air travel (the comfort and isolation is chef’s kiss and the drivability isn’t hard). Overall, these are a home-run for their intended purposes and I look forward to other universal offerings that Plunge will offer down the line. For sure a company/designer to keep your eyes on!
Edit: Since I don’t want to be TOO overly flowery, if I have to knock some things about them:
- There is no screen or mesh on the bores, so you will have to be a little careful to prevent anything getting in them if you don’t keep your ears squeaky clean/when they’re in transit. There are no exposed drivers, though, so it’s just open, no risk of poking anything. That also means that it would be much more difficult to modify for those of you who like to mess with filters.
- The outside design looks like pre-formed garden statuary. This isn’t an issue for me because they use novel materials/process and they’re supposed to be utilitarian, but most people would probably prefer something else.
- I do not like MMCX, but the stock cable is perfectly acceptable and the connections are tight so I don’t see myself ever swapping them or having an issue. YMMV.
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man these sound even more interesting now… especially since Im looking for an MMCX set to attach to my UTWS3. Hows driveability? Im good with neutral, especially cause I got enough colored sets. The lack of mesh would make me nervous about using them with my UTWS3 though since thats my gym set
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IMO if you want something for the gym I would not use something that expensive. SInce it is likely only a matter of time before your sweat kills it…
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Drivability is pretty easy TBH; Running them off of the JDS Element in the office (with Hiby R3 pro Saber feeding line-in, all tracks normalized @ 89.0 db target) The Unity hits preferred volume at 9’o clock on the dial where the Prestige LTD is equally perceived at ~10:00 on the dial. They got MORE than adequately loud at a volume level of 8/100 watching HBB’s new Money Trees video on my work laptop (output recognized as “On-Ear Headphones” to get a little extra headroom).
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I’m honestly not sure how it would hold up under heavy-sweat conditions…you could maybe use some comply tips with that wax/sweat guard inside? The shells are recycled Nylon so there’s no condensation buildup visible from normal body heat, but a hard workout is a different story. I feel like they could take considerable “abuse” before any failure, but it would probably be best to reach out to Plunge before trying anything, especially since they normally do CIEMs for musicians that probably sweat buckets on stage. Personally, I would not hesitate to use these on a long walk on a humid summer day or while shoveling wet snow in the Winter, but I never buy IEMs with the intention of handling them like glass slippers, either. I take care of my stuff but I don’t baby anything that much, as anyone I have lent gear to can attest. I might hesitate to do the same with something like Storm, but I’d hardly balk at doing it with other Kilobuck IEMs so as always YMMV.
EDIT: Forgive the awful picture, but it’s fucking IMPOSSIBLE to get a good, well-lit shot with my skills and tools at hand:
You can see two recessed bores which are deeper than they appear, like half the depth between the nozzle tip and the backshell. Regarding the use of a filter, there is no visible internal lip so you’ll either have to install a mesh to hold one or place it on the end of the tip, secured by the eartips used themselves, I imagine. Tuning foams should be no issue, other than they may clog with excess moisture depending on conditions, I imagine (which could save the spouts of the drivers themselves, but if your IEM stops doing what you want while using it then what’s the point of using it in the first place?). Just some food for thought.
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I would add a low density tuning foam in the nozzle if there isnt anything in it and then add a regular filter with oleophobic properties which I believe the Tanchjim filters have. And yeah foam tips would also help but also needs to be replaced often.
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yep, thats my thought as well. its also for walking around and being outside but main use will be gym and I would hate to break them cause of sweaty ears
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I have IE pro tips that have a little filter in it that could work but its definitely a costly gym setup
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I suppose another “easy fix” for any gym-bound IEM with moisture issues could be just running plys of tissue or sheer fabric across the nozzle, fixed in place by the tips; if it’s thin enough it may be acoustically-transparent while acting as a sufficient moisture barrier for a workout. Once done, either leave it in place or toss and replace the next time. Could be inconvenient, could be a workaround…
I will say that I have never knowingly lost a driver to moisture, using them in everything from several-mile walks in humid summer to ambient conditions inside. I had a BA go out in a pair of 2019 Andros, but that could have just been a defect in build or workmanship, too. I also had to replace the mesh screen on my Helios SE because it would clog after multi-hour use in hotel rooms. Once I replaced them with a coarser screen design, I have not had an issue across 100s of hours of use. I HAVE had a bunch of cables oxidize from summer/workout use, though…
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