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We just went for a Lord of the Lost concert on Thursday, where weâve met this supporting band for the first time in our life, it was super exciting and lively:
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Hey folks! Would love to hear what IEMs you would recommend for metal at the moment! Looking for any suggestions, willing to spend around $500 new or used!
Some of my favorites include:
Opeth
Tomb Mold
Between the Buried and Me
Wilderun
Alcest
Dreadnought
Death
Immolation
Morbid Angel
Blood Incantation
Job for a Cowboy
Beyond Creation
Cattle Decapitation
Ne Obliviscaris
Edge of Sanity
So, mostly prog Death metal! So any prog death metal recs are highly welcome!
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For Progdeath/Progmetal you need a technical 1DD - good coherence, ultra fast transients -very important, fast guitars, dynamic bass and a separate drum section with excellent double pedals,realistic tиmbre. The only thing I can think of is the IE600. There are many other 1DDs that are cheaper or more expensive than the IE600, but trust me, they donât do 1/10th of what this technical DD does. The sound signature is neutral/bright but not too bright. The bad thing is that old records are not good, for example for some records of Death and Morbid Angel and some others. But for everything else it is levels above other DDs.
A cheaper variant is the EA1000, but is brighter in the mids, with less good treble . Itâs technically very competent if you donât mind spending a lot of money on DD.
If you want to look at buds : Sabre3, by Riku - superb timbre and good tonality for Progdeath, but lacks a bit of instrument separation and isolation can be an issue.
There are also some new offerings - Himalaya and some others, but I havenât tried them.
IE600 are monsters that crush like a tank everything on the market so far for fast music! In a cheaper version - EA1000. Nothing else comes close to the speed of the driver.
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Really appreciate the detailed response! The IE600s definitely look intriguing but the brightness does worry me as I am someone whose pretty treble sensitive 
I had the S12s and iBasso AM05s but both were too bright for me, tbh! Not sure if the IE600s or EA1000s are less bright than those 2 options?
Definitely am interested in buds and heard great things about Rikubuds but since most of my IEM listening is at the office, definitely need something with good isolation! The Himalayas definitely look interesting though, will check those out! I had no idea that 1DD is what was recommended typically for fast music, learn something new everyday in this hobby haha
Appreciate the quick and details response again! Also, fantastic taste in music! Moon Healer has definitely been one of my top albums this year so far!
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The S12s are brighter than the IE600 with sharper and unrefined treble, with a bad timbre for guitars and vocals. In general, planar IEMs are not suitable for metal because of the 5-8K gain without balance. For technical metal you need a technical IEM, thatâs the holy grail! There are some new ones that have come out, but they are hardly as fast and technical - you can listen to Metallica maybe, but not Beneath the Massacre 
.
For example, I wouldnât recommend the DUNU Zen prĐž , Falcon pro, Meze Advar - you just wonât hear the fast guitars properly. The topic is very long and which IEM you choose depends on your taste, but most IEMs are not suitable for ultra dynamic metal. 
some highlights of 2024 for me
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âŚ
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If you think the IE600s might be too bright maybe look at the Softears Twilight to add to your short list. Keep in mind I havenât heard the IE600s, but I have the Twilights and they are fantastic imho. Our libraries overlap somewhat and they can handle anything I throw at them.
Ideal if you could audition both the IE600s and Twilights to see what you prefer though - be aware the unique shape of the Twilights might not work in terms of fit for you, another reason to see if you can try before you buy. Think both sit above your budget new, but should fall close to that if you can find a set in classifieds.
Also, maybe a bit of a curve ball but I also really like the Tangzu Zetian HeyDay (HBB collab) - a planar so you might not appreciate some of the planar timbre characteristics (doesnât bother me) - but I find it really well balanced and planar easily has the speed to handle really fast/complex music like melo-death etc.
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Rancid DeathâŚI like the way that rolls off the tongue
Lookout LemmyâŚIâm comin for ya
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OB = Devilâs Fury 
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SE-Temple Sin / VN- illegal frantic 
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The returnâŚ
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08:35 moodâŚ
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Nobunaga Lab buds, OTC source 
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