Cant help trying to lecture people that are completely wrong about stuff that should be objective.
No im not lol.
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I was looking at possibly grabbing 3ish sets in the budget range and spending some time with them before committing to the higher price point. Maybe something warm, something warm-neutral, something bassy, or a planar⌠Then I can choose more definitively between a pula-- > dos or Cinco, or other options
becauseâŚ
Itâs hard not to go back and forth between the DOS and Cinco and think of ways they might play my library or imagine Iâll be missing out on something if I donât go with the slightly more balanced set
ButâŚ
Then I see tea2 at 288 vs those 2 sets at 270 and start reading all those reviews tooâŚ
Opinions on tea2 vs any of the sets mentioned?
âBudgetâ category sets that fit? @John_W_Clark mentioned a few which Iâm looking at, and there are plenty of tier rankings on the forum.
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Tea2 vs Doscinco is rough. They are my two favorite sets currently. Tea2 is darker, and scales a little better, while the Doscinco has more treble details and the bass is very satisfying.
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Here are some pretty good budget sets in that range that might be worth looking into and testing:
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Warm & Bass - x Crinacle Zero
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More Neutral - x Crinacle Zero: RED
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Planar (that also has some warmth) - ARTTI T10
The last one is on AE versus the easily returnable Amazon, but they do have âfree returnsâ although it might take a bit longer to get your refund. In any case, hope this helps! 
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You can follow the categories for my opinion on sound type, price, and driver type
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fwiw, i got the doscinco as an upgrade on the QKZ x HBB
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You may want to skip budget and go affordable.
Perhaps starting with the recently released Kefine Delci, said to be quite a single DD, performing as well the Simgot 500LM ($89) with a sound profile having less treble spice & more bass for $60 on Amazon with offered coupon. (Have the Simgot EA500, like it, tape modded for more low end)
Conclusion at 30:20 gives the quick rundown, but the whole video is worth viewing.
âŚI concur with the Castor Black (Bass), great fun ultra budget bassy set, customizable via switches. Own it, like it.
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Juzear 41T is a nice warm bassy IEM.
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Deleted incorrect information I confused sets, thanks @Cameleon30
JUZEAR 41T $169 is same as JUZEAR FLAME $179 both 1 DD + 4 BAs.
NOT JUZEAR CLEAR 1DD $49
Apologies all
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This is incredibly thorough and helpful. Definitely helps calibrate a search for variety and should be a really useful guide once I find exactly the sound signature I want to upgrade within. Many thanks!
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The âaffordableâ/ high value to price ratio is typically my guiding principle as a consumer. Along with what everyone has said about IEMs coming so far since I purchased anything, the best value may be above the budget category, but below my limit. I would still be getting a substantial upgrade, and I could use that experience to guide future purchase(s?), or just enjoy the fact that sets in this range seem to be really outstanding in todayâs environment.
This approach jives well with still getting to try multiple things out, while aiming for value; I just need to be able to tune out the âwhat ifâ in my head if I donât spend up a little more.
Thanks to everyone for their input so far; there doesnât look to be a bad way for me to go (budget, affordable, or my current limit) with great suggestions and everyoneâs collective experience.
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The graphs I was able to find on squig, the two graphed differently!?
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R1 and delci in house for eval ( and iris 2.0 cuz why not)
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I think R1 is my favorite under $100 currently. I keep hearing good things about Delci. I have heard a few folk compare Delci to the Z300 which is an under-rated set at $40 ( and was the Mele 2.0 to my ears ).
Iris 2.0 is one of the best values in audio gear. The other two budget flatheads that stand out to me are the Yincrow X6 and Qian39. I am in the process of falling into the earbud / flathead rabbit hole.
I received the R1 first and was definitely wow-ed by the huge step up from what Iâd experienced before. In playing through my test playlist with both the delci and r1, it was really track dependent what I was enjoying more. I then complicated things by adding the ea500lm to the comparison and giving the iris 2.0 a turn every time. Iem wise it felt like delci was a little bit more detailed up top, but not much vs the r1, and the ea500lm sounded extremely detailed compared to these two, but delci seemed like the middle ground. Iris 2.0 is a whole different beast in how bass comes across, but still feels like a warm, fun, detailed tuning for almost all my library.
Long story still longishâŚea500lm isnât going anywhere, iris 2.0 isnât going anywhere, likely to be keeping delci or r1 (or something with a similar tuning) for the rotation as well because the value seems there.
Itâs was hard to listen to gentle giant, steely Dan, yes, genesis and not want to hear all the information, but the musicality of the r1 and or delci made throwing boomier music on more âfunâ in a less demanding way.
I may play with the ea500lm and see how far the mods can take it in the fun directionâŚ
Itâs nuts that the iris 2.0 is less than 10bucks⌠The 3 iems have been a revelation, but they arenât 5-7x better (imo) Howâs the x6 and qian39 sound signature wise compared to the iris?
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The x6 vs iris is very close. X6 has more sub bass, and iris has more mid bass and is a bit warmer.
Qian39 has very natural timber and some extra bass. I need more time with this one, but it is really good.
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what are those x6 and iris iems? what brands?
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Yincrow X6
Faaeal Iris 2.0
They are earbuds, MX500 shell based ones.
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