I do like my penta’s, but I wouldn’t pay what they go for new, I would really look used
Hey @M0N! I was wondering if you would show up! 
Any thoughts or suggestions on my above list? You were very helpful on my desktop setup!
Hmmm, what price range are you thinking for the iem?
Yeah, I like them, but I would wait on an open box myself. I really love the design though
Looking for a significant upgrade so I’m willing to save up. If I can get a significant bump for $200-$300 then great! But I might consider going higher if it’s really worth it.
Those jvc @Onaha mentioned are very solid picks, I would look into those. The ikko oh10 is also pretty good if you don’t mind a heavy iem. I will say that I’m not as well versed in iems as other categories lol
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The reason I recommended the JVCs is mainly because of the price. It’s not so high that I’ve ruined you financially by recommending something you don’t like. Seems like I’m the only one on these forums who is talking about them, so if you buy them you will have at least one person to justify your spending choices with
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Yeah I’ve heard really good things about the JVC and the price seems like a next logical step for me. I might have to take a good look at them. Do they typically stay around on Drop?
I don’t know. I’m pretty confused as to why both they and JVC think it’s a good idea to have both versions available at the same time, as well as having the wooden version up as well. It seems like it is only going to confuse people who haven’t read up on it.
If you haven’t, the HA-FD01 and HA-FDX1 are the same iem, but the Drop FDX1 version pre-installs the mod that “fixes” the FD01 for $25 more. As long as either are available I think you are good. I am clumsy as hell, and modding the FD01 took me 5 minutes. Avoid the wooden ones and the FD02. Both have a mesh screen that blocks the tube you need access to to mod them. You can remove the screen, but it turns a simple mod into something more complicated (but manageable)
I was actually going to ask about the wooden ones because they are on Drop right now. They look really nice, but I hadn’t heard anything about the sound. Given this info I would probably stick with the FDX1 as long as they are still available when I’m ready to buy.
I honestly can’t say if or how much the wood affects the sound, but the other 2 versions are identical. Check this sbaf link for the james444 mod and the feedback on it. It really is a pretty special iem once you fix it:
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i feel this post in my soul
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Hyla CE-5
10
Yeahhhh that’s out of budget I would assume, but I do love mine. I recently picked up the sarda and it’s awesome, it’s just a better ce5 with more mid-range
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I haven’t used the blons since I got the Sarda. Seriously no reason to listen to them anymore. But then, that’s a $$$$ upgrade.
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The Sarda has very similar tonality. I liked them, and the TE5b. Now if Oriolus would just fix the upper treble in their mid-upper tier IEMs. Oh, they did, with the CE-5.
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I didn’t really like the te5b that much imo, I thought the ce5 was better for me. The sarda works better on more genre but it’s not as v shaped as the ce5, I can easily own both lol.
The Ce5 has better behaved bass and a Suyama looking shell. Speaking of which some other iems I’ve been liking is the 335 and old 334 and EST, but I didn’t really like how loose the bass was on the 334 and EST and it was a bit better on the 335. The Macbeth Ti outresolved it for an “entry level” for UM. What’s your favorite BA bass rendition?
Hmmm for BA bass I actually like the inear prophile 8, it’s just very accurate and nice (also has a nice bass boost), if I wanted more fun I would just go to something like the hyla
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Those are damn sexy and with switches. Something new for me to lust after