Back in April, I ordered a pair of Thieaudio L9’s. I’ve been powering them with the M11Pro/Hugo2, and have been enjoying them ever since. However, the bass has lately become too much over neutral and too little to be satisfying. Just my mood I guess.
To the point: I’d like to spend up to $1000 on a new pair, whose sound signature is close to that of the Sennheiser HD800S Over Ear HPs. I listened to Hotel California (Eagles) on them a few years ago and LOVED them. Tribrids are preferred, as I only have DD’s and Hybrids in my collection right now.
Known for soundstage and imaging…Soundstage is a bit of a moot point when it comes to IEM’s as they’ll never get close to HP’s, same as HP’s won’t beat a good speaker set up. Imaging and separation on the other hand IEM’s get closer to HP’s…One to add to your list is the Final A8000 which by all accounts has great detail along with great imaging for an IEM a bit like the 800s.
Good luck with your search as it’s a big ask of an IEM to compete with soundstage royalty like the 800’s.
If you’re okay with the open form factor, the Audeze iSine or LCDi series get you that large soundstage. I’d suggest trying to find an iSine20 or LCDi3 to keep you under $1000. You might be able to find an open box LCDi4 for right at $1000.
Same. I think I’m going to prefer the Monarch so I think this will be my next IEM.
Many of my headphones can’t compete with my IEMs when it comes to quantity of bass and bass quality.
I’m positive you can find a more pleasing FR than the HD800 in an IEM, but if you enjoy that type of sound, the Blessing 2 might be a good option. Just going off memory. Soundstage is another story though.
You can do some graph hunting especially on Crin’s website to look for something with the FR you’re looking for and then look up reactions and reviews of the IEM.
Went to Crinacle’s FR compare chart before I ordered the L9. I really like the sound signature of my Fiio FH5 and was looking for an upgrade, and the L9 does the job. I’m quite satisfied with the L9 now, going back and forth between it and the speaker setup every day. Thanks for the head up on the blessing II
