I made a similar mistake by buying my first IEM, the Tin T2. I was super stoked from all the good reviews but it turns out that it is not the sound signature i like, not at all. I gave them to a friend.
Now I love my set of Blon BL05s.
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Me too. I hated it so much (never could get the foam tips to come close to a seal) that I swore off IEMs for years and years. The Moondrop Starfield saved me when I decided to give IEMs one last shot and I was able to finally get a seal with the provided silicone tips and it changed everything for me. I used to only collect headphones. Now my IEM collection is bigger than my headphones. lol
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- asking my wife her opinion before I bought the speakers I like
- telling her how much something really costs
- put +2k in cabling and decrapifiers for a 35 euro source ( although it was a quite deliberate error, this one iām definitely not telling
)
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Havenāt made a mistake yet thanks to everyone on hifiguides. 
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Not making the switch from headphones to IEMs sooner 
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I think itās all about the convenience factor added when youāre using IEMs, plus I think you can use them for other things like sleeping since you cannot sleep with headphones on. This is just me though, but I like having both, though recently I have been using IEMs lately.
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Well there are lots of mistakes Iāve made getting into this hobby, but the biggest one is buying more than I need.
My advice would be:
Donāt buy into hyped reviews, or sponsored reviews.
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Listened to dms and sold my imported 58x to buy hd560s lol, hated them, then got 6xxs (which I liked for a while) then traded for hd600 drivers and Iām finally happy now.
Also imported vanatoo t0s and ended up paying like Ƨ$600 after taxes and shipping Instead of just keeping my iloud micros =_=
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Got hyped by BGGR and bought the Blon BL 30 openback headphone without doing more research or waited for more reviews to come in, they arrive unusable in the sense that they do make sound, but donāt clamp seal at all, they justā¦ dangle on my head, luckily got refunded, and paid double the amount and sniped an used HD58x, enjoy them happily ever after.
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As a sub bass head, probably trusting anyoneās description on the sub bass reproducing capability of any one thing 
I donāt know if thereās been too many mistakes that are applicable to other users because itāll be bad general advice - donāt DIY (but Iām not good with my hands and pierced by DT 770 driver =/), donāt buy open box (but thatās just because mine turned out to be damaged) etc.
So I guess Iāll just go with advice.
The single most important piece I can give is USE/TRUST YOUR OWN EARS. Regardless of what others say, you cannot understand how something sounds regardless of the perfect description either verbally or written. The more listening experience you have, the more meaningful descriptions become, because the more real life references you have.
Try to get to a Canjam or any other audio event where you can try things in person with hopefully music you know.
Before disregarding an audio reproducing item, ensure that youāve tried EQ, tried increasing the power/quality of the amp (within reason - an Ifi iDSD micro black label is good enough for 99% of SE (non-balanced termination - i.e. 3.5mm or 6.35) cans) you have and checked to see if any pad changes are available.
Once you have exhausted these options:
Just because someone said its good, doesnāt mean it is, so time to move on.
Going back to using your own ears, comparisons are a must (and are usually heartbreakers that both highlight giant killers or just how superior something is to something else) - as humans thereās not really much guessing that can be done well when it comes to sound. But, comparisons sometimes are very hard to do and yes, sometimes (hopefully logical) leaps of faith are needed.
Other peopleās comparisons can be extremely exaggerated, be weary for this - but eventually you have to use your own ears. Also donāt just glaze over someoneās setup when they mention it - almost all the components (but mainly the amp x headphone combo) can make a HUGE difference to how something sounds. Hopefully they included what material they listened to too - but it can be rare.
Take specs with a truck load of salt because:
A. We donāt usually have all of them
B. The ones we do have are incomplete / averaged
C. The testing done between manufacturers can differ (sometimes wildly)
D. What we think matters audibly, is usually incredibly difficult discern from graphs and numbers (because they usually describe a single component and the full chain is made up of four or five+)
E. Certain specs are posted tactically to get you invested in a product when the value of said spec is almost useless in reality.
Similarly, donāt get too caught up in file formats, unless itās a RIP from a radio station or YouTube video, the Master recording is what matters and for the most part 320 MP3s will be indiscernible to most listeners to higher resolution formats; but FLAC (or equivalent) will be better for preservation and archiving.
If you want to get the most out of people who have listened to things, be as specific as humanly possibly when asking for recommendations. Name specific tracks youāve heard and use headphones youāve heard before detailing what you like/dislike about them - it helps them to help you better than any generalisation can.
Finally, for me, the whole thing was a journey. If you want to get the most out of it, reading and researching and trying things is a must; it will help you find your own tastes. You donāt need to rush it 
But I understand some people just want to jump to the end. Endgame setups are kinda mythical in the hobby and sound is a very personal thing so, in that case ask for the best all rounders, define a budget and you should be good to go.
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Donāt trust reviewers unless you understand their motivation. Most people are just trying to sell you something, and you are the next credit card number. This is very true on YouTube.
They go in your ears, and things might sound different to you. Ears are very individual, just like the music you enjoy. Donāt let people tell you that you are listening to the wrong thing, or the wrong headphones, IEM, etc. You do you.
Donāt feel like you have to be in a hurry to ācollectā IEMs. Do it at a pace that you are comfortable with, most importantly and certainly financially. If you like a set, take the time to enjoy a nice honeymoon with the IEMs, donāt feel a need to go buy the ābetterā set.
Also be aware that the side hobby is collecting ear tips. There are lots of them, and $10 a pair isnāt unusual.
Donāt get too nutty on cables, I found a couple $30 cables that I really liked, and tended to use them with sets that I didnāt like the stock cables on.
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mistakes? I make no mistakes for I am the epitome of perfection! very financially poor perfection, which is why I donāt have any end game / totl gear in my possession, but I am content knowing I am better than everyone else.
kidding asideā¦I probably have made mistakes, but honestly, nothing bad that I would be regretful for / about because if anything happens, it is part of the learning curve and ejumication of the world of sound, and experience / wisdom is universally sought after for all things. grantedā¦it an suck when you gain that wisdom and experience JUST a few moments after you really needed it, LoL!
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I regret entertaining the idea that tubes are a fix for anything. After trying close to a dozen different tube amps and easily 50 different tubes I came to the conclusion that even though I found a ton of different very pleasant results, they just donāt do anything that a properly tuned and synergized headphone and source gear combination canāt do better. It was a total waste of time and money. That being said, itās a lot cheaper to tube something and get lucky with the results than spend shitloads of money on really spendy cans and amps and dacs.
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I have very much gone to using software to emulate tubes, it lets you do more things, is free or cheap, and can let you do some other fun stuff. The VST plugin space for APO can take you to some fun places. Voxengo Tube Amp and Stereo Touch are both great.
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- Being disappointed in IEM performance when it was either a combination of using the wrong-sized tips, not shoving deep enough into my ears, or having the body of the IEM just not compatible with the outer-ear. Tip roll, tip roll, tip roll.
- EQ-averse on the IEM side. Itās not a sin to EQ the last bit of treble/bass if itās not forward enough.
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iām gonna have too look into that. thanks for the tip.
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Big mistake was buying the Tin T2 which kicked the door to the rabbit hole wide openā¦that bloody set of iems has a lot to answer forā¦and I doubt Iām the only oneā¦that set needs a wealth warning.
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I am perfection personifiedā¦ what is this thing 'mistakes? ā
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My mistake was, buying an IEM based on durability and guarantee, not sound qualityā¦
Without searching on trusted site (here and there)ā¦
But PEQ help me
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