Bunch of bloody show offs, getting all these simgot products, whilst us mere mortals are left with nothing but regular EA500’s!!
(Is it likely to be under or around 100 usd?!)
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Mine have burned in a few days top end smoothed out.
Your totally right about the graph eneegy shows more but sounds less.
JVC Spiral Dots and Divinus tips so worked great to slightly take the slight glare off.
I suggested they knock a few db off the red nozzle still and maybe see if 9-12k can get a slight boost for final revision
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The EA1000 exceeded my expectations. I had to wait forever for the shipping, and during that time the reviews went from great to mixed, so my expectations weren’t super high by the time it finally got to me. Now after a few days of listening, I find them addicting. I’ve never heard anything so crystal clear, clean, and precise…and then combine that with really cool bass & percussion & a perfect fit. I have to say I only own budget sets except for my Penon Fan 2, so maybe that’s why I’m so impressed. Also I’m in my 50s, so I’ve probably lost some high-frequency hearing as I don’t find them too bright at all.
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Doing good things 
Ya that would be nice, but overall pretty solid, and if it’s $80 it’ll be a no brainer over the aria 2
@fendiking 
No info on the price yet but hopefully it’s not over $100 (as that would eat into their EM6L sales too I assume)
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My thoughts exactly.
I’d buy an additional one in instant.
Highly prefer it over JUZER Limpid, which is slightly too stiff for me.
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Happy holidays guys, it’s that time of the year again, today we’re ranking the best vocal iems that came out in 2023 (and only 2023 or else the RSV would just steamroll the entire competition).
Starting with the ultra budget category the best are the Simgot EW100P and the ZIIGAAT NUO (cheaper EPZ G10). In-terms of being the most balanced and well-rounded the EW100 is the best harman/df out of all the warners, holas, and chus of the world, it has just enough low-end, great treble extension at its price, not too peaky or metallic, and just overall a solid $20 IEM. Is it special in any area? No, but it’s a great starter set for anyone who’s new to the hobby. The NUO on the other hand has a little more treble which makes the vocals a little more sparklier, and highlights the details a bit more. Now, it’s not a huge difference compared to the EW100, and I would say the SIMGOT is still overall smoother and less peaky, but if you want your singers to shine more then the NUO is more specialised in that sense, they make the vocals pop a little better.
Moving up to $50 the 7hz Sonus is the safest pick, very clean, harman/df, inoffensive, vanilla, does nothing wrong, but, it is a bit boring. You’ll probably “like” the sound as it’s fairly smooth and clean, but it kinda makes me wanna fall asleep - the vocals can be a bit soft and too relaxed and neutral. However, the kiwiears FORTEZA is the total opposite of the Sonus, a lot more energetic, lively, engaging in the vocals, very detailed and sharper in its resolution, makes female vocals sweet and angelic, but it does has a lot of uppermids and gets sharp, so more of a niche iem for vocals, whereas the Sonus scales a lot better and is more palatable. So then is there an IEM that splits the difference between those two? You know, not too boring but also not too energetic? Yes, that would be the Simgot EW200, and the best all-rounder at around $50. Basically, it takes the Sonus and adds a little more low-end and uppermids, bringing more energy and fullness to the sound without being overbearing. It’s not going to be as clean and well-layered as the Sonus, or as sweet and sparkly in the vocals like the FORTEZA, but most people will like it the best.
Moving up to around $100 my favourite would be the Letshuoer DZ4 - powerful, forward, full, and extended vocals - it also scales incredibly well at higher volumes. Not warm or bright leaning, clean and neutral like the Sonus, but the low-end isn’t as soft and the note-weight is heavier, so basically a neutral that’s still engaging. Now there are technically better iems like the hexa, but for vocals they just sound too relaxed and light, and borderline floats away. The DZ4 does struggle a bit on busier instruments, and it isn’t going to be the most sparkly or sweet when it comes to female vocals because of the dip in the treble, so if you want something livelier and more energetic then the Simgot EA500 is a better choice, more treble and air, slightly bright but not shouty.
Although I would actually wait for the EA500LM version which I’m not sure when Simgot is going to release it, but after hearing the pre-release version I would recommend waiting for those instead because it’s more refined than the OG EA500, smoother with a slight bump in the low-end, and overall just better - be on the lookout for the LM. As for the best all-rounder at around $100 the Truthear Nova is very nice if you can find it on sale for around $120, and I’ve seen it go as low as $100. It plays back most genres with no issues, very harman/df sounding with solid technical performance on top, and for the best treble experience make sure you use foam tips.
Next moving up to around $250, you already know what I’m going to say - SIMGOT EA1000. In-terms of timbre and vocal resolution I haven’t heard of any IEM that can really match the EA1000s at its price. It’s bright leaning which adds that extra sparkle and air onto the vocals, so female artists sound amazing on these as well as male ones because of the nice mid-bass bump - and back to the singing analogy the EA1000s got a good mix of chest voice, head voice, and falsetto, although the falsetto or the treble energy can get a bit much depending on the track, and how sensitive you are in those regions. So, as an all-rounder the EA1000s may not be the best because it can be a little bright for some people, obviously you can’t blast these unless you mod them, for a frame of reference I’m sensitive to peaky treble, and I have found no issues with them at mid-volume, sweet, sparkly, but still full and extended. But niche aside the Gizaudio Chopin is still better as an all-rounder, it’s a funner harman/df, or a funner version of the Nova, more palatable, but still engaging and not thin or clinical like the Blessing 3 or Variations. It’s also more natural than the quintet - doesn’t have that metallic and graininess to the treble, and overall just very solid vocal wise, however, because it’s more harman/df it’s not going to have that special sauce like the EA1000s.
Then at around $500 the best all rounder would be the Softears Studio 4s, very well-tuned harman/df, “correct” sounding, neutral but not anaemic or thin, vocals are at the perfect distance, open vocals with enough body in the low-end, and solid treble extension on top. Not entirely boring but not controversial either; it doesn’t have any special sauce like the RSV, but it’s a better all-rounder and more people will enjoy the sound, and it costs $300 less. Now, if you want something brighter that highlights the female vocals better, then the XENNS TOP would be a great fit - it’s also harman/df ish but just brighter and more energetic in the vocals.
Next at under $1000 we have the Monarch MK3s, another all-rounder, great technical performance, does nothing wrong, you get the point - look not too many IEMs came out at this price point this year alright? I was originally excited for the Darksaber, but we all know how that ended… the graph is also very similar to the Supernova which neither of them are vocal sets, and if you take you take a look from Moondrop’s website, the darksaber looks like a Blessing 3 with more vocal masking,more forward and probably less thin, but I’m not willing to test my luck with Moondrop’s QC lol. I was also recommended the FIIO FH9, but then I looked at the graph and I was like - nope (maybe if I can get a loaner set). Another disappointment was the butastur, very shouty and sharp in its vocals with vocal masking as well, and a lot of BA timbre… not a fan.
Although the Aur Neon Pros did come out this year, so I guess it wins by default at the $700 range lol ( jesus christ). Basically, it’s a more energetic EJ07M and Studio 4 with better treble extension, great technical performance, timbre is good, not the best, but not super BA either even though it has like 20BAs in total. It’s another solid all-rounder at $700, a more exciting harman/df - if you guys recall when I compared it to the Supernova I actually preferred the vocals more on the Neon Pro because it’s more edgy and lively whereas the Supernova is just too smooth sometimes, and it makes the vocals a bit soft, as well as the low-end isn’t as grounded when you compare it to the Neon Pros. But aside from that… nothing really to say about the Neon Pros, again solid vocals… but RSV is still better tho lol.
Then past $1000 we have the Prestige LTD, very airy and open, extended, not shrill sounding or sharp either, big soundstage, a good amount of body to the voices, not the most powerful and immersive like the RSV, but not too light or bright either, more sparkly and airy than the MK3s. If you enjoyed the OG Oracles then the LTD would be a direct upgrade to those, but just costing a lot more. However, if we’re talking strictly vocals - I would still get the RSV, better timbre, fuller, more engaging although not as airy. BUT, there is a set that I would actually take over the RSVs, and that is the Letshuoer Cadenza 12. It’s a cleaner RSV with more detail, more air, the soundstage is much bigger, sparklier vocals, but still full and grounded. The only drawback is that it costs $2300, yikes, but it would be the direct upgrade to the RSV, if you’re willing to drop rent money that is… If you like more gain then the RSV will still be better since it just has more 3K, but I know some people are sensitive in that area and the Cadenza 12 fixes that.
So, lots of great stuff at the budget/mid-fi range, hopefully we can see more variety in the $500+ range next year. Curious to hear what everyone else’s favourites are this year!
Thanks for reading 
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I don’t have a favorite vocal set because I listen to the instruments, not so much vocals… 
And now I can’t even listen to instruments because my left ear is sore 
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oh no 
an audiophile’s worst nightmare
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I have the flu and can’t hear a damn thing!!!
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Ugh! Absolutely hate this, but if and when it happens I also make sure to especially avoid using IEMs or headphones until my ears heal.
Plenty of Hype2 users suffer form sore left ear! I hope they’ll address this in Hype 10s… 
Get well!
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Funnily enough I am an extensive Hype 2 user but I got an infected right ear when I switch to a newly received Fatfreq scarlet mini. Hopefully unrelated…
On another note the Scarlet mini might be the most tip sensitive IEM I’ve ever tested.
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Alright guys, so CHIFI is known for a lot of things, insane value, oversaturation, and waifus… but It also has a reputation when it comes to poor quality, and sketchy business practices, especially this year for whatever reason. (Late post forgot to post this with the video:)
At #5, we have the Moondrop Starfield 2 and Stellaris. Now, In-terms of overall packaging the cables and the case on both of them are very very nice, accessories wise they’re very competitive, if not price leading, but the issue is that the tuning was way too bright on both of them. Especially the Stellaris which was pretty much unlistenable, not as bad as the PR3 which is why it’s lower, but still, it’ll ring your ears for sure. Same with the Starfield 2, not enough bass, and gets shouty really easily - both were just very poorly tuned. Very “sharp and resolving” I guess you can say, but at that point it’s hard to enjoy the music which is what they were designed for.
At Number 4 is the KZ Krila and PR3. Now, the Krila was hyped to the moon as a “$1000” endgame killer priced at $16 - I don’t know how many of you actually believed that a $16 set was going to outcompete a Monarch, or the better question would be why any company would do this, or how would that even be possible to begin with without going bankrupt, but ya, surprise surprise KZ got our hopes up because it was far from being an endgame “krila”. It’s not horrible, it competes well with other $20 iems, and the tuning options are nice, it gives you a lot of variety for what you paid for (mostly in the bass though), and overall the sound was, fine, another harman/df, but, they did stuff a BA in the nozzle so…
On top of that the blending of the DD and the BA was very poorly done, and there’s a lot of BA timbre and not very coherent, so you know, your typical KZ sound, shouty. If it wasn’t for the massively overdone hype campaign the Krila would’ve been fine, it’s not as natural as the EW100 or the WANER, but no one’s claiming it has endgame performance right? Right? And then we have the new PR3 which is just, shout city, way too much treble, very sharp. Unless you have hearing loss, or listen at like 3 volume bars, don’t go near it, it’s even brighter than the Stellaris which is just a feat in itself.
Next at #3 is the Moondrop Aria 2… Now the Aria 2 wasn’t overhyped like the KZs or badly tuned, it sounds fine, it’s another harman/df, but just not $89 worth of good. At that price that’s Hexa money, that’s EA500 money, that’s EM6L on sale money, and I think that’s the part where people had issues with, they feel like they were getting a poor deal. Why? Because the EW200 at $40 sounds very similar, pretty much using the same driver aside from a slightly different diaphragm (which doesn’t do much), and this new “ventilation” system moondrop is trying to market also doesn’t do much either. Moondrop isn’t bringing softears twilight levels of ventilation and driver quality here so you’re not going to notice a difference if the base driver is the same… In fact it’s so close that it comes down to unit variance, and quality control. For example I had 2 EW200s, the first one had a lot of bass, and the second one had less bass and a little more air; the less bass one sounds basically the same as the Aria 2 - I literally sat there like a maniac A/Bing the same song for over an hour, same volume, same cable, same tips, and they sound pretty much the same.
Now, knowing moondrops history of poor qc and channel imbalances you can be fairly sure that you might get units that will have too much bass, or rolled off treble, or maybe you won’t you even get to listen to your Aria because your 2 pin is broken, idk anything can happen, just look at the darksaber. So at that point it’s literally just down to qc and whether or not you luck out on a good unit from simgot or moondrop, and if I’m rolling for qc to determine my sound quality, then at that point I might as well just grab the one that costs 2x cheaper. The cable and case is nice, but I’m here to listen to music, and the cable and case doesn’t make a difference when it comes to functionality aside from the aesthetics, and ironically enough I won’t even be able to see the cable or the case for the vast majority of my usage. I’m just going to be starting at my screen or doing something else, and if the cable brings no functional value, aka it sounds the same, then why waste money on the accessories when Moondrop could better use that money to put in a better driver and actually be competitive with the Hexa or EA500 - Which btw the LM version of the EA500 just straight up dunks on the Aria 2 in-terms of sound - better bass texture, higher resolution, better imaging and staging at most likely a very similar price. Unless you like the aesthetics and the packaging, then sure go for it, but sound wise, the Aria 2 is not a good value, the pricing basically killed its Aria legacy.
At #2 We have Moondrop again, but this time it’s their new flagship, the Darksaber. Now many of you already know the whole shit show with the qc on release, you know the plates cracking, 2pin breaking, not willing to refund under warranty, but the worst part is that this isn’t even like a $100 or $20 set, the Darksaber is $800. It boggles my mind how the qc is still this bad at “endgame” levels, but ya these companies really need to get their shit together when it comes to qc.
I’d also like to address the Night Oblivion Butastur as well. I’m not sure where it ranks, but ya, most of you already know what happened with that so I won’t drum up the drama again.
And finally at the #1 spot, you guys already know what it is, it’s the KZ PR2 baby. I think the PR2 single handedly stopped me from reviewing any other KZ products, like that’s how bad the whole ordeal was. Basically, if you don’t know, the first batch of PR2 was decent, bright leaning, but overall a very solid performer at its price, however, KZ decided to secretly change the tuning with the later batches, and added on a crap ton of treble, like pretty much the same as the PR3. So, imagine the horrible tuning from the PR3, BUT also lying to your customers and misleading them thinking they’re getting the OG PR2’s sound, but really they’re getting a drill to the ear. I’m pretty sure Chris just dropped all contact with KZ after that collab, and many reviewers, myself included, went back to warn their audience about the changes after the initial review with the first batch. So all in all just very shady business behaviour, and a very dumb business move, like KZ, you just ruined your entire image and trust with your customers, congrats?? Anyways, based on community votes it’s literally just moondrop and KZ LOL… Although #1 still goes to KZ as they’re just a sketchy ass company in general, and Moondrop, they’re just getting lazy with their qc and releases - hope they can release some cool stuff next year.
Anyhow, let me know what your pick for the worst IEM is this year, and thanks for reading and Happy Holidays
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One of my fav wrapup vids so far - need to highlight the shitters alongside the shiners (the latter get enough attention already)
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Ouch - truth hurts, lol.
Good thing is, '24 should be mo betta.
Thanks for keepin’ it strictly real 
Hap hap happy holidays - keep up the good work (after you take a well-deserved break)!
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Merry Christmas everyone!! So, we got the May today, or more specifically, has Moondrop finally redeemed themselves with the May?.. Well, sort of (also why is it called the MAY when it’s released in December).
Handbag design aside the May is another harman/df, yay, BUT it’s better than the Aria 2 value wise, sort of. The overall sound is slightly warm, but also slightly airy, so a warm harman. The playback is comforting and smooth, like you’re beside a warm fire pit - it’s basically the Moondrop LAN, but with more low-end (the graph is super similar to the CHU 2). Bass wise the texture on the MAY is, it’s alright, similar level as the Lan and other cheaper harman/df sets, pretty average, not as resolving as the Aria 2 and EW200 in-terms of note-weight, impact, and texture as the quality of the driver isn’t the same - a bit boomy at times. So, if you like a neutral and clean sound then the MAY is going to sound too coloured with that extra low-end.
It’s not bloated, but male and female vocals do sound huskier, warmer, and not as clear and resolving versus the Aria 2 and EW200, well, for the most part - because, you know, chifi QC and unit variance. The actual soundstage on the MAY is around the same as the other 2, but because the bass is more audible and forward it takes away more of the focus from the other frequencies and makes the stage a little more intimate. The treble is still decently airy with good treble extension for the price, but just warmer, and in-terms of overall separation and resolution versus the Aria 2 and EW200 the MAY is a slight step back, not as sharp in the notes, but pretty close - if you EQ down the low-end (Moondrop EQ APP) it does sound cleaner. The timbre can also be a bit light with the DSP - no distortion, noise, lag or anything like that, but imaging is more floaty vs analog, still pretty close though - most people won’t be able to tell a difference unless you A/B, even then it’s not that noticeable so you’ll be fine.
Timbre wise you don’t hear much of the planar, again, pretty smooth, Moondrop did a good job on that… and the MAY reminds me of the Quarks DSP, but just more mid-bass, airier, and less thin. So, if you enjoyed the Quarks DSP and wanted more body and engagement then the MAY would be a good upgrade to that. The overall packaging is also pretty good, the DSP cable it came with is great, solid build, I believe it’s the same one as the Aria 2 but just without the different connectors, and the case is also the same. In-terms of accessories the MAY is actually price leading, so great job on that from Moondrop. Sound wise though, stock without EQ, the EW200 is a little more resolving with better bass texture and driver while being $25 less… BUT with the DSP and the custom EQ profile that you can save into the MAY’s DSP cable - you can get pretty close by EQing down the low-end for more clarity, although the bass and resolution still won’t be as good because of the driver differences.
So basically, you’re kind of just paying for the accessories, again, but at least this time it’s $65 and not $89, and this time you also have the option of saving your own EQ profile in the MAY’s DSP DAC. All in all it comes down to: do you find the MAY’s better cable and case, and EQ option worth it for $25 more and less resolving over the EW200? For me, no. The sound is still a small step behind the EW200 yet it still costs more. And if I’m going to EQ anyways I’ll just use an app or software on my computer to do that, so why pay the extra? I would only buy the MAY for the accessories, which I think are great just like the Aria 2, but actually worth it this time, or maybe, if you don’t have access to EQ like from your phone or something. As an all-rounder though, the EW200 is still better, less coloured, better performance, $25 less, and design wise more slick as well. IMHO if you’re going to spend $65 already then you might as well just save up a little more and grab the EA500 or Hexa which is a bigger upgrade resolution and sound wise - and if the LM version of the EA500 comes out at around the same price, then that’s even more of an no-brainer.
Speaking of the EA500LM (quick impressions) it sounds like a warmer EA1000 with more sub-bass. Of course the official tuning isn’t finalized yet so these are just my initial impressions, but the Lithium Magnesium driver SIMGOT is using is very good, and comes pretty close to the EA1000 in-terms of resolution and bass texture - I would say it’s 85-90% there. Now, the treble on the EA1000 is still smoother and airier when it comes to cymbal crashes - it’s not as sharp and metallic as the LM, and overall resolution is still a little better, so more refined. But if the LM ends up being around $80-$100 (2x less than the EA1000) then it’s going to be a very solid option as the timbre and bass texture on the LM is so close to the EA1000s that it would just be class leading under $100. It’s also smoother and less sharp than the EA500 while upgrading the bass and resolution, so if you found both the EA500 and EA1000s to be too bright then the LM is the perfect balance to those.
Now I’m not sure when they’ll release the LM, and I don’t want to overhype it or anything, but ya, keep an eye out for it, these would be a solid upgrade to the EW200s as well. That aside, thanks for reading guys, and I wish everyone a great Christmas!
Tonality: A-
Tech: B-
Overall: B
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Merry Christmas y’all!!! 
Best wishes to you and your loved ones 
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