Please help me find an iem

IEMs / Other In-Ear Monitors (IEM)
1

hi everyone :slight_smile: im looking to buy an iem for around 200$
what am i looking for ?

  1. VOCALS. this is the most important thing to me , i love clean, rich and forward vocals (bot females and males but mostly males) .
  2. seperation.
  3. im really sensitive to electric guitars, mosly they sound too harsh or too funky (the devils wears prada - chemical (2:00-2:30 )
  4. not a bass head but do appreciate a good slam (rather have more details and resolution then bass )

music : modern metal, metalcore, rock, acoustics singing,
some songs i really like -
the devil wears prada - sacrifice
polaris - pray for rain
spiritbox - circle with me
imminence - a mark on my soul
landon tewers - brush street
resolve - fifteen roses

iems im currently using - Mele and TIN 3+, both are great, T3+ overall feels more complete to me but mele vocals sometimes more forward which i like.

budget as i said is 200$ but willing to save up to 350$ only if its a major upgrade and really worth it.
Huge thanks for all the helpers :heart:

2

For under 200$, I would have recommended you the LETSHUOER S12, but it has lean treble notes although good details and resolution for the price.

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3

Not really in the limit of your budget, but you may want to keep an eye on reviews for the TRI x HBB KAI; seems like it may tick most if not all of your boxes at a reasonable price.

4

I feel like thats not going to be much of a step up from their other IEMs (Mele, T3+). @SpiderTool what don’t you like about your current IEMs that you would like to see improved?

Below are some IEMs that I have experienced which may work well for you:

  • Olina: Cheaper end at $100 but a great set with clear vocals and present but not overbearing bass. Good stock if you listen at moderate volume but if you like to crank the dbs I would do the double filter mod or tanya mod (requires buying the Tanchjim Tanya though so may not be ideal). If you don’t want to mod it the Seek Real Audio Airship supposedly sounds like the modded Olina and still comes under $200.
  • At a slightly higher price-point I would rec my current fav IEM, the Penon Vortex. It’s got great extension and technicalities. Vocals sound amazing on it although vocals are not very forward (thats my preference). Stock setup the sub-bass is less prominent than the Olina but texture is better and mid bass is really amazing
  • Most expensive one I would rec is the Canon. Its got the most bass out of all and its very much in your face at times but with the dip switches you can bring it down and bring up the treble to really emphasis vocals.

I’m sure more people will throw out suggestions over time!

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5

I’ve answered inside my thread but to stay noted here, here we go.

Mangird Tea. Ticks all boxes.

Mangird Tea 2 (more technical, but also less laidback than Tea OG. Costs 350) can also tick it.

Honorable mentions: hook-x (good for speed for metal, laidback treble, so-so vocals and not forward), moded olina/Airship (these are brighter but great price to perf, having good vocals but some treble energy), yanyin aladdin if you can’t afford teas (id still go for teas if you could and for the price dif).

For metal, assuming modern is something like progressive metal, you have to rule out midbassy sets and look for slam and speed.

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While it’s true that it may not be a huge leap in technicalities, the budget market is catching up considerably and, alongside the fact that the tuning/early impressions seem to line up with what he’s looking for. Just putting it out there for consideration!

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thank you all guys so much , probably go for the Tea’s 2 :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Seems your list has some of my priorities mainly my #1 is vocals then bass rumbles. You wont go wrong with Tea2, I have one and really love the forward vocals and bass rumbles. Also presentation feels intimate, not harsh and fit gives a good isolation.

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9

Our libraries overlap and I have both OG Teas and Olinas - both great shouts for your budget and both will handle metal/rock (modern, progressive, classic) very nicely. I’ve recently gone back to give the Teas a proper listen again and they are no slouch when it comes to metal - reminds me why I got them in the first place. Very well balanced even with a slightly dark treble.
Olina also has a really high quality DD that keeps up with more extreme/faster metal no sweat, great tuning (you may need to slap another filter on the nozzle) - imho it’s one of the best bang for buck propositions out there. Also built like a tank so it’s what comes with me when communting.
A wild card consideration to chuck in is Unique Melody 3DTs - a 3 DD configuration - but the treble can get too hot and I can’t listen to them for long periods. Fit is can also be hit and miss, they are chunky, plus if I’m not careful fitting them it creates horrible suction pressure.

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@saltire @tea great to hear we share some music taste so your recommendations really matters to me . forwardness and intimacy on vocals sounds great for me.
i was thinking about olina (modded) but i wasn’t sure how the vocals on these and they might be too harsh on electric guitars and females vocals.
sounds like the Tea is the way to go :upside_down_face:
thank you both :kissing_heart:

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11

I meant to add planars could/should probably also be up for both of us to consider. I haven’t felt the need to grab any of the planar IEMs as yet, but given what the driver type is capable of in terms of speed etc I’m going to have to try one at some point. Others who have planars can hopefully chime in though.

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i was thinking the same, i considered buying the tin p1 plus cause of its mids but i never tried planars iem and i don’t have spare money lying around xD
im still waiting for planar iem with great vocals, mostly i planars are more about bass and treble (slam, speed and details) but lacking on vocals compared to DD

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13

Yeah me either at the moment, but I’ll wait as chi-fi moves so fast there will be better ones just around the corner.

You can’t go wrong with Teas (listening to Eternal Blue with them as I type :metal:) - in so many ways I could have/should have just stopped right there :laughing:

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what a great album <3

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15

I have both the Timeless and the P1 Plus.
Timeless is great for electronic music with bass and hip-hop. It’s a mild V shape.
Got P1 Plus because it sounds like speakers to me, they are very versatile and can play my whole library. The mids/vocals are great on it. The bass quality is good but of course there is not as much quantity as Timeless.
I don’t listen to metal but if you want to send a few songs I can give a listen.

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16

sounds great mate, thanks !
The Amity Affliction - Death's Hand [OFFICIAL VIDEO] - YouTube - one of my all time favorites (good rumble and vocals)

Motionless In White - Masterpiece [Official Video] - YouTube

Spiritbox - Constance (Acoustic Live 2021) - YouTube - ( acoustic version , female vocalist)

interesting to hear how is the separation and vocals presentation
also how the breakdowns hit ,
thanks again :kissing_heart: (hope you like the songs , first 3 are heavy)

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17

I used to listen to metal when I was younger so this brought me back :laughing:
I actually quite enjoyed the first two songs. Good taste.

I A/B tested the 4 songs with P1 Plus and Timeless. I’m not a reviewer, just giving my impressions.

Death’s hand:
On the Timeless it rumbles like a concert, kinda like that thumping in your chest you get at a live show. Besides the rumble, the P1P does everything better: instruments/vocal separation, vocals are more natural and cleaner sounding, the bass is there but not as dominant on the track.

Masterpiece:
On P1P, this song sounds great. Very dynamic, the reverb in the vocals and the binaural in breakdown sound very nice, detailed and separated. It’s very immersive. You can hear all of the guitar plucks at 2min30. On Timeless, this song is more muddy sounding between bass and drum during the intro. It sounds like all of the instruments come from a wall of sound (reviewers have complained about this with Timeless). The vocals (especially background vocals) are recessed compared to the P1P.

Temptation:
P1P is showing its one flaw: there is some sibilance on the sss, sh and ttt of the singer which is a bit distracting. Personally, I could not really listen to this song on the P1P because of this. On the other hand, P1P is presenting great drums clarity and 3D background vocals. The end of song breakdown is great on P1P with drum/cymbals and bass sounding correct and meshing well together.
Straight up, the Timeless is super fun for this song. Strong rumble and the “wall of sound” wide stage works here really well, but again it comes at a price regarding instruments separation. Violins take a back seat but at least there is no vocals sibilance. Again, the breakdown at the end is super fun but doesn’t sound as “correct”.

Constance:
This is blood bath in favor of P1P. Every instruments and vocals are more separated on P1P, you can better hear her breaths and clearly identify the guitar plucks. Great quality bass for cello and awesome instruments separation of violins, cello and voice at the end of the song.
Timeless is not great at instrumental music in general (I listen to a lot of classical music, but never on Timeless :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:). The cello is very forward thanks to the strong warm bass.

Personally, I would enjoy those songs on P1 Plus more than Timeless because of the vocal quality and instrument separation, especially if you are listening analytically. It’s also more versatile imo. Ofc if I was not hearing them back to back, the Timeless would be perfectly fine. If you want bass and rumble though, Timeless can’t be beat.

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18

wow thank you so much for this great dive in on every song, really appreciate it.
you got me curious on the P1P for sure, about the sibilance you mentionedi wonder how eq will do cause it might be too much for me ( pretty sensitive ).
glad you enjoyed some of the songs, i’v got plenty on my playlists ( around 2500 total songs id say with more bands and artists, quit a range).
i wil sure save your comment and review on this tracks for later times.
thanks again ! :heart:

19

No problem at all.

To be clear, this is only on that one song and it’s most likely from the recording itself. I listen to a lot of hip-hop and only one album has this problem.

Have you looked into the Mangird Tea. They are mids focused with a sub bass boost and a more relaxed treble. I’m actually tempted to grab one to see how they are.

Edit: Timeless really shines in sub-bass. Metal doesn’t much of it but for electronic music like techno, dubstep, edm and pop and hip-hop it rumbles nicely.

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yes yes, im currently saving for the tea 2 . got a lot of recommendations about them and they probably perfect for my liking so im very excited .
i was curious about planar iem’s , never heard one but i do have planar headphones (thieaudio phantom) for over 3 years .

if you have the time im curious to know how these tracks sound on the p1p -
Landon Tewers - Never Whole - YouTube - ( not heavy, one of my favorite artists ever , you may know him as the singer of The Plot in You, do you find this song to be harsh or sibilant ?)

The Devil Wears Prada- Chemical (Official Music Video) - YouTube - ( mentiond it on my post itself, how is the electirc guitar on this track ? 2:00-2:30. i find it sometimes too harsh or too funky)

Imminence - Love & Grace [Official Audio with Lyrics] - YouTube - ( another one from imminece, do you still find him sibilant ? 2:30-2:40 )

True - YouTube - (this one might be harsh or too sharp in highs so im curious )

thanks again ! of course this is only if you have spare time , i don’t want to bother you too much my friend :slight_smile: