Cant help trying to lecture people that are completely wrong about stuff that should be objective.
No im not lol.
3 Likes
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 planarā¦ Then I can choose more definitively between a pula-- > dos or Cinco, or other options
becauseā¦
Itās hard not to go back and forth between the DOS and Cinco and think of ways they might play my library or imagine Iāll be missing out on something if I donāt go with the slightly more balanced set
Butā¦
Then I see tea2 at 288 vs those 2 sets at 270 and start reading all those reviews tooā¦
Opinions on tea2 vs any of the sets mentioned?
āBudgetā category sets that fit? @John_W_Clark mentioned a few which Iām looking at, and there are plenty of tier rankings on the forum.
1 Like
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.
1 Like
Here are some pretty good budget sets in that range that might be worth looking into and testing:
-
Warm & Bass - x Crinacle Zero
-
More Neutral - x Crinacle Zero: RED
-
Planar (that also has some warmth) - ARTTI T10
The last one is on AE versus the easily returnable Amazon, but they do have āfree returnsā although it might take a bit longer to get your refund. In any case, hope this helps! 
1 Like
You can follow the categories for my opinion on sound type, price, and driver type
2 Likes
fwiw, i got the doscinco as an upgrade on the QKZ x HBB
2 Likes
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.
ā¦I concur with the Castor Black (Bass), great fun ultra budget bassy set, customizable via switches. Own it, like it.
1 Like
Juzear 41T is a nice warm bassy IEM.
1 Like
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
1 Like
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!
1 Like
The āaffordableā/ 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 todayās 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 āwhat ifā in my head if I donāt spend up a little more.
Thanks to everyone for their input so far; there doesnāt look to be a bad way for me to go (budget, affordable, or my current limit) with great suggestions and everyoneās collective experience.
2 Likes
The graphs I was able to find on squig, the two graphed differently!?
1 Like
R1 and delci in house for eval ( and iris 2.0 cuz why not)
2 Likes
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 Iād 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 longishā¦ea500lm isnāt going anywhere, iris 2.0 isnāt 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.
Itās 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 āfunā in a less demanding way.
I may play with the ea500lm and see how far the mods can take it in the fun directionā¦
Itās nuts that the iris 2.0 is less than 10bucksā¦ The 3 iems have been a revelation, but they arenāt 5-7x better (imo) Howās the x6 and qian39 sound signature wise compared to the iris?
4 Likes
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.
2 Likes
what are those x6 and iris iems? what brands?
1 Like
Yincrow X6
Faaeal Iris 2.0
They are earbuds, MX500 shell based ones.
1 Like
An update:
Ended up running low on time, but kept ea500lm and sent back delci and r1. I ordered the tuning kit for the lm and really like the sound with final audio type e tips.
I listen to the iris 2 as much as the ea500lm, though, and kinda wish Iād have kept one of the warmer sets.
Soooo Iām eyeing the delci on hifigo saleā¦or the dunu falcon ultra. (In addition to some of the recommended earbuds on the other threads)ā¦ Or the aful explorer for high volume rock/ metal playbackā¦
More options are always good right?
2 Likes