I don’t think that slave/forced labour is good for innovation. Some may even consider your jokey suggestion to be tone deaf.
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I specifically said companies… as in the engineers and decision makers
You should buy Sony N3. I think you need fun sound signature. N3 has great natural timbre and dynamics
Quick and small update: Got to cross off the Monarch Mk2 from my bucket list.
I think it replays vocals better than the MEST, but other than that I like the MEST Mk2 better:
- much better bass
- everything besides the vocals sound more present and fuller (despite the stage being bigger on the Monarch to my ears)
- better fit/comfort
- easier to drive
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Try raising 2k-4k area on mest by at least 2dB. For me it made a big difference with vocals.
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I tried something like that and I agree. But EQ makes everything kind of inconvenient (esp. if you rotate between different IEMs) so end up not using EQ very often.
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Well there are DAPs that have quite extensive EQ options.
If you use a phone with a dongle DAC, there are a few apps that offers EQ for Spotify and what not.
Wavelet comes to mind. There’s another that I cannot remember the name of right now.
Personally, EQ is a must. There is no IEM or headphone that does not benefit in some measure from EQ. I also just like to tinker with the sound 
Yep, I got the whole EQ setup running on PC and Smartphone and I agree that EQ is a way to improve every IEM without costing you any money. But switching profiles whenever you switch IEMs is in the end just too annoying for me. Even without switching IEMs I am constantly switching between IEM and two different sets of speakers. It’s just not fun changing EQ profiles several times a day every day.
It’s an inconvenience for sure, but one I’m willing to accept in the name of optimal sound enjoyment. But I gotcha.
Btw doesn’t Wavelet automatically detect which IEM is plugged in?
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Don’t know. How would that work? 3.5mm is only used to transmit an audio signal. There is no protocol for exchanging such kind of information and IEMs don’t usually have the necessary electronics to convey information like that either. I don’t know if there may be some trickery possible for the smartphone to distinguish based on impedance or something like that.
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people reviewing the app say it does.
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I think the reviewer expressed themself in an unfortunate way. The review doesn’t say “The app automatically recognizes the headphone model you are using”. It says “it finds your headphone model”. It is not really clear what is meant by that.
The reviewer probably meant something along the lines of “[if you search your headphone model in the app’s database, it is a]mazing that it finds your headphone model”. Or worded differently: It is amazing that the app has a huge database for all kinds of headphone models.
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Just threw on my IKKO Obsidian OH10 it’s been a while , been using the EJ07 and Yanyin Canon, Fiio FH5’s.
There is a reason I won’t sell theese they are hard to beat especially for what you can pick them up for now that they are ancient in ChiFi years!
Best Value check!
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OH10’s for the $160ish sales they go on sometimes are great
Sadly I found the Thor Mjolnir MK2 to be even better so sold my pair
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from my experience using Wavelet, you have to search for your IEM model
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Wavelet can recognize the TWS automatically, otherwise you have to select manually.
Now I have a query here and this is my first post in this forum. At present I have two IEM a Starfield and a S12. I like the both although the S12 a tad better. I also own a couple of HP HE400i, AKG 712 and ATH r70x.
Now what could be the best upgrade in the region of 400-500$? Good clear bass, not very bright, good vocals (although not very forward) and a good soundstage.
I have sorted B2, Variations and Excalibur from the review. Never heard them. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
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Hello and welcome to the hifiguides forum.
It is probably best if you create a new thread and ask there. Probably not many people will see your question in this thread.
My 2 cents: I feel like the S12 is around the top IEMs you can get in the <500$ range. I personally liked the sound of the excalibur, which I believe is around that price range and consider it a stepup, but I had some fit issues and preferences/ears are different. I also liked the IE600, but prefer the planar timbre over the dynamic driver in the IE600 overall. The Variations was good, but I also didn’t like it better. You could also look into the Dunu SA6 which I never heard.
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Okay, I just read this WHOLE THREAD, and I think you have come to where I am with audio - I am SO VERY OVER the "added highs for no reason = “better” " thing that the audio community seems to love to death I keep Beyerdynamics in the studio for the Masochists, but Ill stick with the Neumanns and Sonys for work mixing. save the better stuff for home.
So here is my real rec: Tri I3/PRO.
Im a Jazz/World musician, ad these things have detail, dynamism, soundstage, they get it.
I don’t know if they are any longer available now, & the non-pros were HUGE - Pros are not tiny themselves - but for what you want. Ill bet these are the winners.
Runner ups:
Timeless
Truthear x Crinacle ZERO
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I’ll chalk it up to the difference in our ears, but while I agree that Crin’s Zero doesn’t have crazy high treble, it’s upper-mids are VERY elevated, because the mids are so clean and the mid-bass is bordering on non-existent. They play as a very bright set, unless you tip roll and have a tip that really works to bring the bass up and the treble down. And I couldn’t even fit Final Type-Es on the nozzle, so I literally have one set of tips that didn’t make it sound even tolerable for long-listening
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To clarify, is the S12 bright to you? Since you said not too bright, but also said you like the S12 which is considered by many to be bright, I just want to make sure what “bright” is to you.
Variations is Dusk with better bass and treble texture/detail/dynamics, so skip the dusk if you got the cash for Variations. Haven’t heard the Excalibur so I’m not too sure, but from others it seems to have high energy like the S12 so probably not what you’re looking for. Dunu SA6 has smooth treble, and very good vocals and mids, but I found the bass/soundstage to be just average.
My recommendation would be the EJ07M (non-lava) and Mangird Tea 2; seems to fit your preference perfectly. 07M is Tea2 with better imaging, bass detail, and EST treble (better dynamics in the treble) and it goes on sale regularly on LETSHUOER’s website.
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