hey im back i not to long ago bought HiFiGo AFUL Explorer Hybrid in-Ear Monitors via recommendation of this site and i was loving them i thought i might of not noticed any difference between regualr headphones and them but there was a clear difference unfortantely i live with a 2 year todler and they dont care how much i loved them so after getting refund because my warranty i am now have 100 dollars to but a new pair i listen to primaliry neo classical and rap (kendrick, frank ocean, tyler so real chill shit) and i loved how open the explorers felt audio wise i will use them when walking to school and listen to music while at school, all that being said any recs for me
The ones I have and would get again are the 7kz Zero:2 and also the Salnotes Zero blue. If you can find a Sennheiser Momentum 3 for budget I have two pairs of them and the best tuning for wireless I’ve heard. On Woot I got them for $99 and might still be available elsewhere at that price still.
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the 7kz Zero:2 look good but looking at the reviews for the 7kz Zero:2 a lot of people were complain about them not lasting long could i get any testimony or refutation.
IE200 some of the best bass I’ve heard around $100. Decent enough sparkle in the treble without being aggressive. EQ’s well, and comfort for me and I believe most people is S tier.
I just bought another cable when I ordered mine from Amazon as the stock cable is the biggest complaint. To be fair, I didn’t use the stock cable for more than a few minutes but if I had to live with it I think I could have.
Other stand outside around the $100 range is the truthear Hexa and a small budget stretch would be the Meze Alba at $150ish
If you want to get away from IEM and have a cool retro vibe the Koss Porta Pros with Yaxi pads would also cost around $100 US.
Retro, fairly comfortable, folds compact and comes with a bag to store them. Plus, they now come in Bluetooth for $100 (but I haven’t tested the Bluetooth version yet)
Side Note: I like the porta with EQ. They can sound dark to my ears out of the box but EQ can make them magic at the price.
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one of the most important things for me is soundstage so out of your suggestion what would say would have the most honest soundstage
Maybe the Hexa would have the slightly large sound stage, though I’d say they all stage fairly well for around $100.
The ie200 feels like it has more impact out of the box, where the Hexa may sound a little more balanced across the frequency range and less maybe U shaped than the ie200.
do you know how long the generally last i would hate to spend around 70 bucks for them to break in a few months
I’ve had my Hexa well over a year (ordered them may of 2023). The cable is a replaceable 2 pin. That said I use them and put them back in the little leather-ish soft case they come with.
And I kept them in my back pack that I carry daily to work. But if you want you could spend a few and buy a hard case and they should hold up for years. The cable in think would fail first, and it’s replaceable
Side note: if you get the Hexa, I use Crinical PEQ which gives a like more low end while maintaining the clear overall sound.
That said you don’t need to eq them to enjoy them.
I assume you want to be able to hear your kid in the background? That and with soundstage as a priority, you should look at flathead earbuds (or actual headphones and not iems like the ones being suggested now).
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I echo Riku’s suggestion on a pair of flatheads. I love them. I listen to them at home, so I can hear what’s going on around me and if someone is talking to me but I can still focus on the music at the same time.
And I think epic’s suggestion for a koss is a good one. Although I’d recommend the ksc75. They really don’t need eq’d out of the box and they’re only $20. However if you have to have a headband(the ksc75 uses ear clips) then maybe the Koss kph30i would be a good choice. They’re actually my favorite koss and only $30. Great sound out of the box but takes to eq really well if you’re into that. The Porta Pros/kph40’s are great too but they need eq imo. That bass bleeds a bit.
Hell you could get a pair of Koss and a flathead(maybe the Nicehck EB2S, or check out Riku’s site) for around $100.
I’ll also say I recently got the Truthear Gate. Very nice and clean sounding budget iem. Tuning is very similar to the Truthear Hola that was discounted.
So you got alot of options. Good luck
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I love the KPH30i; I think it’s the best sounding of the Koss headphones; I’ve even gifted them as I think they sound amazing for the price. I only suggested the Porta Pros as they are more compact when folded.
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thank for everyones suggestions after asking people i know irl aswell as cross refrencing with online and here i went with the TRUTHEAR Hexa o7
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Let us know what you think once you’ve had a listen to them.
they are here so i figure ill give my immediate first impression of this vs the aful explorer without knowing a bunch of that technical mumbo jumbo
the truthear hexa feels a lot more natural but less of an impact of the music itself you can hear every instrument alot more clearer in food terms its like a dish that makes each individual part shine like sushi wear the beauty comes from each indivdual material
with the aful explorer while it sounded natural it was not as naturual but the music was stronger and more impactful in way where you could hear every instrument but it was more of the combo of them coming together that was most noticeable in food terms its like a pizza you notice its idvidual parts like the cheese sauce and dough and toppings but its how the taste compliment each other that you get pizza for
im not sure which i like better rn with update you after listening to them more
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Try an PEQ with them if you are able. You can probably get some of the impact back.
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