Hey all, I have returned and I can certainly say I am still in love with the setup everyone helped me pick out. I am now in the market for some IEMs to use on the go/at work. I recently started up a job(thanks a lot covid) where it’s pretty dang loud and I figured I do have the portable amp/dac at home may as well set that up with my phone. My main thing is I’m looking for something that works with my Xduoo XD-05 Plus and has a similar sound profile to the DT1990s. Or a separate setup I can use that focuses on portability.
My phone is a One Plus 7 Pro(No 3.5mm jack) and I figure I can hook that up to the Xduoo and use it like that. Or is there a different setup that hopefully won’t kill my phones battery. My budget is $400 but I can definitely stretch that if need be. Thanks for your help!
For that money, I would always rec the Mangrid Tea (with Comply tips ofc). Though the Tea is a mid-focused IEM, quite neutral in other areas, the bass is elevated a bit with foam tips.
If your budget already allows you to get up there, I beg you to save a bit more. The next tier up, about $650-800 used is a significant step up than most of the mid-tier chi-fi.
I feel the jvc fdx1 is pretty ding dang good, although it comes across as leaner like the anylitical pads on the 1990. If you want a touch more warmth then go with Sony ex800st. They require a cable swap and tips that seal well. I think the raw treble detail of the fdx1 is better as long as you have a bass boost to help warm them up. But if you don’t mind a passion project(needing to buy adapter and or new cable) the Sony’s have better soundstage and comfort to me.
I’m still an audio beginner so I’m not 100% on what that means but if you mean louder/sibilant I can understand that since it took me a while to get used to the sssss sound. Overall though I love the DT1990s.
Usually if high frequencies are elevated then the headphone might sound “bright” for some ears. Like some of the “S”-s are annoying, scraping your ears. But if you got used to it and like that then its a no-issue. Some people are really sensitive about this, including me
Wow that LoToo thing is super tiny it’s perfect. I’ll put that on the list of things to check. That’s also 2 for the Mangrid Tea they look really nice.
Yeah they took a lot of time to get used to but once I did I started to notice it less and less. I used my buddies HD660s on his schitt fulla and I was surprised it wasn’t there but I didn’t like the sound off of that because it wasn’t as clear as when I had the DT1990s on.
It’ll take some research because it will depend on your tastes and signature, but some examples are:
Campfire Andromeda 2020 or non-2020
Hyla Sarda
Noble Savant II
Oriolus Forsteni
Final Audio B3
Jomo Salsa
Oh wow if I can find some of these used maybe but I don’t think these are the best for a first timer. I’ve already been sort of spoiled on the headphone side so I think i’ll start small and work my way up.
Cool, with that being said, I would recommend the complete opposite then. Start with the stupidly cheap stuff until you have found out the signature you enjoy and jump up. The value is at the bottom and top tiers. I think the mid-fi stuff is not great imo.
i beg to differe with @Veritas for this situation just because i really do think that the JVC that @Mufflertape recommended is a major go. Phenominal little IEM, i know that u can use more money but it’s a great value for an IEM that i bet you would love. Slightly more neutral, crazy dynamics, slam for days and phenominal detail/refinement. Punches above it’s price
The JVC is also another great recommendation. I will tell you that quite a few of us that has gone through the gamut will really agree to avoid the mid-tier stuff. At the end of the day though, it’s your journey
Well if I can find some of the ones you mentioned used I’ll attempt to pick em up. Actually if you’ve ever used the dt1990s which of the ones that you recommended is closest to that sound?
I think it’s because alot of us have gone thru chifi, which is 99% of the cheaper stuff to mid stuff. But some people like him and many members of the forums here find there to be a large gap between chifi and more expensive iems. I’ve personally messed with chifi a bit and a few midfi ones and i agree that it’s not worth it and skipping it is probably pretty nice. cupids and jvc from drop were the only ones worth messing with at that price for me. Meze rai solo were meh, i would choose a t2 over it any day etc.(Also i’ve never gone higher than some midfi IEMs so i can’t speak but i trust these guys considering the level of gear they have heard with headphones, speakers etc
