IEM Recommendations around $100?

IEMs / Other In-Ear Monitors (IEM)
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I’ve only ever tried Tin T2s and thought they were decent, they recently got stolen so I figured I would get something a bit better than them. I was looking at the Moondrop Aria and Starfield but I also heard they had some issues so I figured I would try and get more recommendations. I’m open to paying a bit more if it’s worth it.

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Do you know what kind of sound you are looking for? Do you like a bit more bass or very neutral? Personally really love the FiiO FH3, it’s neutral with a boosted subbass. I’ve had the moondrop starfield which is supposed to sound a lot like the Aria. The soundstage is very good, it has less bass than the FH3 and is less bright than the T2, but overall most people would see it as an improvement. The ThieAudio Legacy 2 (L2) may also be interesting to you, but I haven’t heard I’d myself.

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(edit: sorry, I mixed 2 posts)
From my head, you can have plenty of choice at that price range:

  • Tri starsea, said to be a clear set
  • fiio fh3 for berilium bass
  • thieaudio legacy 2
  • etymotic er2xr for “neutral/technical”
  • moondrop starfields/aria for a “safe Harman tuning”
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I want something a bit neutral and not as bassy as the FH3. Thought the Aria might fit under that category but I don’t really know

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Hey did you make a decision, I am in a similar dilema, I was looking to buy my first IEM and had decided to go with the moondrop aria, but then I saw the TRI starsea as more premium set going for 97USD, same with their new release the TRI meteor. Now I don’t now if I should just get the aria or spend a bit more.

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I’m probably going for TRI Starsea as well.

I’ve also been recommended the Yanyin Aladdin at more than double the price, which is a reasonable upgrade though out of my current budget.

So it’s either Starsea or I3 Pro, probably the former.

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do you think it’s really worth it spending 30USD over the Aria? I’m thinking it might be a bit too much for me spending $97 right away to enter this hobby.

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Nah, I think you’re off to a good start with Aria as a first IEM. You’ll be covered until you’re ready to jump into the $200-300 region, where the quality differences are more prominent.

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That was my main option but I’ve watched so many reviews in the past wek that now I’m so confused. My options are all mixed up, I am now thinking of the tripowin tc-01, aria, tripowin mele. Also I have heard good stuff about the urbanfun ysf. I know they have different sound signatures but that’s what I’ve picked. I saw a review on the aria saying that it wasn’t a good pick as a first IEM as it could be underwhelming, or not to exciting as a first one.
So I am still deciding for the 11.11, if you have any tips that could help I’d be glad. Also do you have any power DAC/ dongle recomendations? I was thinking of going with something from tempotec.

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I would go for Aria on sale and maybe Tempotec HD Pro:

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11

Yeah I was considering the hd pro. Are there any better options at this price? Also I forgot to mention the blon prometheus, that was in my list too, seems like a good option too.

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For that price, I’m not sure. But for a bit more, Qudelix 5K is an awesome little device with a fully featured app that’s constantly updated. Personally I’m very happy with its performance so far.

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I’d Say it depends on what you are looking for in the hobby:

  • if it is your only set “ever”, go for Aria or starsea: these are neutral/mild v sets that should be fine with any/all genre
  • if it’s your first step in the hobby and you want to refine/discover your tastes in sound, you’ll have to get Mele and Aria at one point, it’s only a matter of time: they are so good, and serve as reference/benchmarks for their respective categories; so every reviewer has to compare new sets in the $50-200 price range with those. These sets are both instant classics, and won’t disappear anytime soon. So I’d say get the starsea now so you can experiment already, then plan the buying if the 2 others later.
  • if it is your first step in the hobby but already know what type of sound you like… Then go check the frequency response graphs and choose by yourself :wink:
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