I got a bundle on eBay recently, and with the right til pairings, I’ve been pretty amazed by the sound from some less cutting edge earbuds.
Case in point, in my ears right now is the Cambridge Audio SE1. I out some pretty standard medium silicones on it, for a great seal. The sound is warm and so… Analog?
Judas Priest sound pretty thin on many of my preferred IEMs, but Devil’s Child on these was screamin’! The warmth works beautifully with spoken word too, such as Es War Einmal by Faun. In my teens (early 2010s) I actually used a cassette player instead of an MP3 player, with tapes I’d “burned” from CDs-- Rammstein, Nine Inch Nails, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Meatloaf, Smashing Pumpkins, Muse. Some legit tapes too like The Everly Brothers, The Smiths, Billie Holiday, Jimi Hendrix, Blur.
This takes me right back to a “cassette tape” sound, and its detailed as well as warm.
There was a Sony MH1-C in here too, a well know value gem. The cable is at least as bad as famed.
Harder to find tips that for the Focal Sphear’s, but they’ve been a decent listen too.
I’ve come to disregard older bullet IEMs that don’t have the custom-IEM design of recent Chi Fi. I know recent earbuds exist like the Chaconne et al.
What are some favorites or recommendations people have for bullet buds that predate the recent boom in the audiophile market? These things are cheap and I can’t wait to pass them on to friends. A sort of “gateway” IEM.
Edit: The SE1 supposedly involves beryllium by the way. Not too shabby!
The worst part of any of these is the cable, unchangeable without modding.
Makes me interested in Moondrop’s teased bullet style IEMs as an EDC for when isolation isn’t desired. I’m a teacher and some planning periods I’ll listen to my IEMs while I work, but it’s always awkward if students/visitors drop in and have to be right in front of me before I know!