I'm Wondering: Where To Next?

IEMs / Other In-Ear Monitors (IEM)
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I’ve been into Stereo’s, Then Home Theater, Then Headphones, and now I’ve been messing with IEM’s for a bit. I use them at work mainly because I’m a custom woodworker by trade and they block out the noise of the shop. I tried the TWS Active Noise Canceling stuff first and I will admit they have came a long way but they didn’t quite scratch that Audiophile itch I had.
I decided to try some Wired IEM’s with a nice Bluetooth Amplifier. I currently use the BTR5 from FIIO. Tried the Qudelik 5K and found the FIIO sounded better even though the BT range of the 5k was much better.
On to my wired IEM’s. I did my research and at the time the Hype train for the 7hz Timeless was rolling full steam so seeing as how my favorite Headphones are all Planar’s It seemed like a no brainer for me.
I will have to say I was truly impressed by them and they are still my favorite IEM at this time. I have since picked up several popular IEM’s to see what else was out there. I have the Mele, The Olina, The ER2XR, and the IKKO OH10. I like each one of these and use them for different music depending on my mood at the time. However I still don’t find any of them to be “Better” than the Timeless, just Different Flavors of good. Nothing wrong with that but I’ve now decided I’d like to find a True upgrade instead of what I would consider a Sidegrade. The only problem I’m having is that the Timeless has been said to be equal to most IEM’s in the $500 range. This makes me wonder if any serious improvements can be had without spending much more Money than what I did on the Timeless? Have I already hit the wall on Diminishing Returns? Is there Anything out there that is really that much better for under $500? Or should I just start saving up for something like the UM Mest? Go all in and be done with it? I love the hobby and like having all the different “Flavors” to try and enjoy but I’m really wondering as the Title says: Where to Next?

Any Advice would be of great help to me.

 Thank You
          Lasher
1 Like
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I think you are quite well set in the hobby with different amazing sets very respected in this hobby for different reasons. I am afraid that you might never receive truly wow first impression again after having some of the best sounding stuff no matter what price.
Some say that after some price you just buy different approaches toward music representation, not necessarily typical upgrade. And if you like this hobby as a journey then I would not recommend upgrading to some high end ones unless you want this journey to continue in kilobux range as well :slight_smile:

That said I was at similar place couple of months ago and after having lots of fun with Mangird Tea, S12 and Olina I decided to step up directly to UM Mest MK I (second hand very good price). And while I don’t regret at all for its pure sound quality features (there is not one thing I don’t like about it in terms of how it represents any kind of music I throw at it) it killed a bit the joy of exploring the hobby in this lower price category. I can as well just call it a game and finish my story.

If I would be to turn back time I would probably think twice and start juggling around with sets in 60-300$ range (buying 2nd hand, ABing and reselling and so on) as it is so much fun. But in the end summarizing the cost it may turn out that buying one piece of expensive set would be less costly than dozen mid tier :slight_smile:

You could start a side quest with earbuds as well btw!

4 Likes
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Thank you my friend :slightly_smiling_face:
I guess I really should step back and count my blessings. We all really are very lucky to have so many Excellent IEM’s at very reasonable prices.
I’ve been looking at the S12, The Hook X, and at the Mangird Tea II. I know that I will probably end up buying all 3 because I enjoy the different flavors they offer.
I Love Music, always have, always will.
I don’t expect anything after all these years to really blow me away I just enjoy the hunt😉
I learned years ago that the true meaning of being an Audiophile is not accurate (What the Artist Intended) reproduction but instead, the pursuit of pure pleasure that you personally derive from your music.
Probably why so many of us old timers end up with fuzzy and inaccurate Tubes :sunglasses:
They may not be “what the artist intended” but man do they go good with a nice bottle of Scotch :tumbler_glass:

Thank you again.
Lasher

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I tried the 5K and felt the same way about it, I use the BTR5 about 90% of the time.

That makes a lot of sense. Timeless didn’t really scratch the itch for me, but it is a very good IEM. I also find that sometimes I am more in the mood for Timeless, and others I prefer the S12, and I don’t really know why.

It could be, and some of it might be that the Timeless plays your library better than the other IEMs you are trying. I also think that the first IEM you really enjoy always has a special place.

That sounds very accurate. I used cheap sets to find what I liked in terms of graphs, then started moving up scale. I probably won’t get much above $400 in the near future, because of the diminishing returns you mentioned.

I don’t always associate more money with better sound. The pricing is based on what drivers are being used, and the company doing it. Planar sets have been in the $150-250 range for a while. Hybrids seem to range up to around $400, you get into tribrids, and EST sets above that. I love a good single DD and there are some really good examples under $100 ( T3+, Olina, Mele ).

That said the tribrids under $700 that people talk about are the Mangird Xenns Up, the Yanying Moonlight, and the EJ07m. I am not a huge fan of EST timber, so I probably won’t make that jump.

These are really my three favorites, and they put me in a very content place for IEMs. I have been pondering picking something else up, but don’t have the urge like I did before. I really think Tea and Olina were the missing pieces for me.

I was planning on buying the Mangird Tea when the Timeless came out, and got sucked into the hype, then S12, then Olina, and that one really stuck once I did the double filter mod. A couple months later I decided to circle back and get the Mangird Tea, and it just clicked, and is my favorite. I am pretty happy that I took the detour I did, and I learned more about my own preferences along the way.

I think we all have a similar issue, is this where you stand pat, or double down? That tends to be fairly personal. I am thinking about getting the Penon Serial, partly because it is a different driver config than anything I have right now. I think we all try to have some variety, or at least reasons that drove our purchases.

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Etymotic ER2, 3, or 4… SR for neutral and XR for some bass. their design allows for really good noise isolation.