What are you looking for in your endgame? Stage? Detail? (I’m assuming endgame because you said under $2K). I just made a video talking avoiding endgame mistakes here.
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Allrounder with top tier detail is what I’m mostly after.
Really interested in the newly announced Moondrop Dark Saber which might fit my own endgame criteria while not being super expensive
The one endgame IEM I’d love to own is the Anole VX though I’m not sure if spending an extra grand on this is worth it.
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I’ve considered getting a Supernova though the long wait time is a con for me. It’s also allegedly not a very detailed IEM for it’s price which is a con when 7th Acoustics is charging 800 bucks.
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Hmm, never heard anyone knock it for detail but as always YMMV; regarding the wait time, they seem to pop up used every now and then so that may be a better option if you really aren’t sure (for the Supernova or ANY “Endgame” IEM for that matter). That way you can take the plunge with little risk of loss should you decide to pass it on.
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Prestige LTD is really good, tons of detail and open staging, but the vocals and bass are on the lighter side - lighter than Tea 2. Monarch MK3 would be the best “All-rounder”, but it’s not as resolving as the LTD, but has better bass and fuller vocals. Lots of tradeoffs here and there, so really depends what you prioritize. I can help you better if you can list out the things you prioritize in order, so for example for me it would be something like this:
- Vocals
- Dynamics (smoothness)
- Stage
- Resolution/detail
- Treble
- Bass
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Tea II for me over emphasized certain frequencies and made it distracting. I find the more smoothed midrange/treble approach of Supernova gives it an overall smoother sound. Tea II came off as brighter and Supernova more a musical/neautral approach with regards to midrange/treble.
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While I know the midbass dip didn’t jive with you, how do you think the Helios SE faired vs Tea mkII? I know @WAON303 said that detail was a top priority, and I think Helios/SE could be a candidate if the bass is tenable.
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If they don’t mind the midbass dip I’d say Helios SE is the better choice and more similar to Tea II than Supernova. With regards to details it pulls ahead strongly. Also worth noting for my library it was to resolving. Though that bay be what they’re after.
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Does the signature on the EJ07 change significantly with volume?
I really enjoy the Tea2, but it is more V shaped than most of the darker IEMs that we both tend to like. I think the sound stage is worth the extra treble, but I get you on this. If I only had one, it would be the OG Tea, but I like both for different things.
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Wonder if unknowingly you’re in my boat. I started the journey with darker IEMs being the one’s that really hit for my preference. What I’ve found out lately is it’s not that the IEM is darker. It’s that it has to be at least warm to overly warm with the bass and not to steep of a peak in the the treble . Something with a nice gentle hill that is a touch elevated over treble hits my preference extremely well. Supernova is a prime example of one that.
While an example of being warm but, to steep a peak doesn’t work well is the Vulkan
However an elevated peak where the bass mask it better is a killer IEM. Fat Earth just landed today and easily sits in my Top 10. It’s an absolute power house for thunderous meaty electric guitar, in your face double kicks and sweet DD like cymbal hits. The peak just melts in all the bass presence.
Then here’s two examples of IEMs that I don’t consider to warm. However, the Butastur avoids any excessive peak that would put an over emphasis to a treble frequency. With Aurora it’s just this nice gentle peak and Aurora sort of has the same effect.
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Congrats man enjoy the 
…
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Cable is really nice; light, sturdy and flexible while not being microphonic and having interchangeable connectors.
Basically everything you could ask of a good cable.
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Dam your plating looks so much better than mine LOL hahaha enjoy~
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You got the regular one as well? ^^
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Got it just now. My original sample (and the rest of the package) got lost so Linsoul had to send a new one.
Edit:
Frequency Response Graph of the Kiwi Ears Quintet:
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Direct upgrade I’d say EJ07m. It’s hard to get a treble dip like the one present in the Tea2 (the rest is easy to find something close to).
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