So I think something like this has been asked in other ways before but there doesn’t seem to be a single place where we all chronicle the answer to a simple question that could help someone else save a lot of money down the line.
What is the best thing you’ve purchased?
I’m putting no criteria on this, it can be for whatever reason, whatever price, purchased last week or last century. Could be an IEM, a dac, headphone, speaker etc. Doesn’t matter.
For me? It might still be the honeymoon phase but so far the Earmen ST-Amp amplifier has been a total game changer. My streamer is the most indispensable part of my home stack, but my amp is the one piece you’ll have to pry from my cold, dead hands.
Listening to my music isn’t the same anymore. Period. Lol
So far, Moondrop Variations
I just recently listened to it again, yes it’s thin male vocals wise, sure I can EQ it but something about that treble and vocal replay for women is divinely tantalizing, forget Angels singing in your ears.
It’s like I’m in the meadows with Freya and she’s singing a lullaby to me
It might change if I get to hear my Mext anytime soon unless it’s stuck on Arrive at place of destination on China Post for the refurb thing, that shit’s making my measly hair fall off even more
There is nothing worse than watching a package sit on the wrong side of customs, doing nothing.
May the odds be ever in your favor 
It has to be eartips for me; when it comes to IEMs, nothing makes or breaks an IEM like a tip that fits properly and comfortably. It can change depending on preferences or the specific model, but nothing polishes a rough gem or destroys a masterpiece like the tips.
Do tell…which tips are tickling your earholes the best?
Ooh, I will be surprised if you find the Mext giving a better vocal replay than Variations. The Mext is quite close in tuning to MEST Mk2 which I did not at all find to be a specialist with vocals in its stock tuning, however clear and clarity focused it was. Just didn’t provide adequate extension in the upper mids to make vocals shine.
It also lacks EST which can give that last fine-grained detail expression to vocals.
It will probably be a decent all-rounder however.
Absolutely true. You cannot be in this hobby without a decent sortment of different tips. It’s the first thing to consider before considering multiple sets, becuase you cannot properly evaluate IEMs without having tried different tips. You can arrive at wildly inaccurate conclusions.
Yeah I’m thinking vocals wise it’ll definitely be not as good but I wanted a good EDC that I could throw everything at, there was also the matter of pressure build-up on my Mext that if it becomes a problem, I just might have to trade it for a different set
After hopefully receiving my Mext back, My goal is either Mest Mk2 or MMK2/3 because I do find myself favoring sets with ESTs more. that MK2 vs MK3 gonna be wack lol
and depending on how well IO Volare implements its ESTs I might save and grab those instead of the Monarchs, we’ll see. I just want the ultimate all-rounder
I will say out of everything I’ve heard, the most magical has been Plutus Beast, something about how the BC slammed and my ears made the soundstage immersive and within 30 seconds it felt like I was lost in the song
My best purchase in recent memory is the Hiby FC6. The density of sound that ir provides has given new life to all my sets that utilize BA’s.
It just does something I recognize as fundamentally correct where the emphasis on each note begins in the middle of the note.
Another way to put it is like it gives balanced armatures a dynamic driver timbre. (I find it less successful with pure DD’s so far, or at least not as transformative).
Consider me a NOS convert.
KBear 08 tips are my go-tos at the moment, but Azla Sedna Earfit Normals and Shorts (regular or Soft) are my general go-tos. Spiral Dot++ are also amazing fit, but not always the sound tweak I’m looking for.
Lord knows I’ll need all the luck, no updates since April 12
god
Something about the Fiio BTR5. Got it a long time ago it seems like and I still use it constantly. It goes with me everywhere and it sounds good enough that I don’t feel like I’m missing much compared to sitting at my desktop setup.
I think my best purchase was the iFi Gryphon . I use it daily, either via USB or Bluetooth from my Samsung Galaxy S22 ultra. It has a warmish sound playback and the xBass and xSpace add a bit of bass or greater instrument separation as wanted. Plus, it has both 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced inputs. It gets more use than my FiiO M11plus DAP or my BTR7.
TRN BT20XS, dont even look at my other tws adapter (Fiio UTWS3) nor the “real” TWS (like the Sony Xm3 or galaxy buds pro) for outdoor useage, the battery life in this TRN is infinite.
My best purchase? That is tough to nail down. Finding my favorite sets/tunings for my greater enjoyment or my least favorite set that taught me not to take chances on products and waste money…
I guess my least favorite product, the Tansio Sands. I have severely limited my buying equipment since that purchase. My wallet thanks me daily.
I guess favorite purchase that traumatized you from spending more money still counts as a favorite…
Yeah, when I get an itch from a set that is hyped, I put the Sands in my ears. I recall the hype for the set on ***-fi. Burned. I put my credit card in my wallet and close the window with my cart with the flavor of the month IEM.
Excellent purchases are the Kato, Bravery, ePro horn tips, L&P W1, Moonriver 2 Ti, Hakugei cables, Dunu DK-2001, Dunu S&S tips, Final audio E series IEMs.
8 months ago I would have said the Bifrost 2 (OG) which was a big leap for me
coming from the capable Topping E30 (again OG.)
However I acquired a Lake People G111 amp which has pretty much replaced
my Asgard 3. The ability to use the BF’s balanced outputs and the strengths
of the G111 have significantly improved my enjoyment of the modest headphones I have…notably the soundstage depth and overall control of any harsh peakiness. Working on finding that headphone upgrade. 
For me, my recent purchase of the Sennheiser HD 400 Pro open back headphones has been my best purchase. So far, the best sound emitting device that has graced these ears. 
Yes, I need to attend a future CanJam to hear what I am missing… 