Interesting, to me iems beat my headphone in comfort as well as sound…
Although the KSC75 is unbeatable at comfort except for speakers lol.
Aah I understood wrong. Yeah it’s pretty amazing what you can get for little cash.
Yeah it really is a big surprise.
Although it seems that thanks to the amazing value in the 0-20 usd range buds, diminishing returns for buds is worse than it is for iems when we go up.
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Having IEMs stuck in my ears generally is NOT enjoyable for me. Certain IEMs are more comfortable than others though.
Everyone will have their own opinion concerning the sound of headphones vs IEMs though. Resolve prefers the sound of headphones, I prefer the sound of IEMs, but ultimately I’d like to hear exactly what I hear from the Monarch in a headphone with nothing stuck in my ears. lol
My skin is too sensitive, so the heat generated from having the cups covering them is not comfortable to me…
I dont mind having iems in my ears except for the unvented BA iems, those get uncomfortable pretty fast (and I dont care about the isolation they give either).
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It’s weird, one would expect headphones to be easier to get to sound good due to the larger drivers and you have more space to work with. I’d expect IEMs to be way more complex and therefore more expensive to get a good sounding pair.
As someone who has a lot of eczema related issues, headphones aren’t always an option for me as well, luckily I’ve only ever had eczema inside my ear once so IEMs are usually safe.
So we are on the same page as there have been recent KZ cables, this is the one I have: KZ Earphones Gold Silver Mixed plated Upgrade cable Headphone wire for ZS10 Pro ZSN AS10 AS06 ZST ES4 ZSN Pro BA10 ES4 ZSX C12|Earphones & Headphones| - AliExpress
So 0.31 minus about 0.4 internal resistance puts you in a decent cable rating. IIRC, Hakuzen may looked at this cable at one point.
Just keep in mind it is on the thin side. If you have an older basic NiceHCK 16 core cable, close to that thickness but in 8 cores.
Here is the gold/silver on top of the recent KZ silver/blue stripe which is a beefy 8 core in the same price range but QDC only.
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Thanks @paulwasabii!!!
The cable that comes stock with the AST looks exactly the same except it is all silver. Maybe it measures the same but if you end up getting an AST you will be able to confirm that. 
Working on it. Trying to find someone who will offer a discount but now that the ZAS is out, will give in and buy both. I actually made an order for both during the sale, just didn’t pay for it trying to score a better deal if possible.
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@Rikudou_Goku Hey I’d be happy to pick up a meter to test my IEM cables’ resistance to help you populate your list. Just tell me which one to buy so all our measurements are the same. Amazon preferred!
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Wow that multi unit discount. Buy one for $37.99 or you can get 2 for only $192.40.
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deal of the decade !!!
I tried to go all IEM for practicality reasons and wasn’t able to do it. I kept getting inner ear discomfort in one of my ears no matter what tips I tried and it ended up detracting from the whole experience. I found myself wishing for my headphones again, so I ended up selling and going the headphone route again and I’m glad I did. I stepped way back down the ladder in IEM world but picked up my favorite set of headphones so far and I enjoy them more than any IEM I’ve had yet in terms of comfort and sound.
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Hey @paulwasabii!!
I’m looking for a new cable which has to be 2.5mm balanced and watching your latest “Cables in 4K” I got interested in a XINHS 4 core copper silver plated you mention.
But it seems to me that this cable I’m referring to seems to be thicker and stiffer than the XINHS 8 core copper & silver. Is this impression correct and if I’m not abusing could you take some shots of both of them close together – especially the ear hook section?
My main concern is if the 4 core cable is thicker around the ear hook loops and if they are stiffer than the 8 core XINHS I have. The big issue I have with the 8 core is that if I tilt my head left and right the cable being stiff acts as a lever and pushes the iem out of its position.
If you or someone else has a suggestion for another cable priced up to the XINHS 4 core I mentioned above and available on Aliexpress that has a QDC connector and is 2.5mm balanced I would appreciate. But I prefer to stick with XINHS if possible.
I will take some pics tomorrow. Just a warning, I am a fan of that 4 core as it is really WhiteCrane which uses Furukawa copper. There may be other SPC cables that look the same but you are paying for a material that isn’t found in budget cables often.
Sounds like you need to use a chin slider 
Looks odd, but keeps IEMs in your ears
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The XINHS WhiteCrane looks really nice and seems quality. I was just watching your youtube video again and thought about contacting XINHS so that instead of braided maybe he can make me a twisted WhiteCrane.
You mention in your video that the twisted versions of the cables are more flexible. They definitely look thinner than the braided WhiteCrane, so maybe that’s what I need.
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Hey @Resolution , i have a Fostex Ebony and a Focal Clear OG and i find myself listening to the Fostex 90% of the time, i feel like the Clear is more detailed but i just love the Fostex’s sound with that incredible bass, even though it is not as detailed as the Clear it still sounds awesome to my ears, soundstage is pretty good for a closed back and highs and mids sound great.
With that in mind, which IEM do you think would be the closest to the Fostex Ebony? I am thinking about selling the Focal Clear and investing in a high end IEM such as the Monarch, Clairvoyance or a Dunu Zen.
I think you have all of the above, right? What are your thoughts about this?