What’s your IEM progression?

IEMs / Other In-Ear Monitors (IEM)
61

in Chronological order:

Noontec Rio S ( cable broke due tear and wear) No longer owned - thrown away

1more Quad Driver ( after one year of usage they started to sound congested? ) Sold

Tin P1 ( still have them, love the planar sound)

Shuoer Tape ( didn’t like them too shouty for me & left piece kept going silent due to moisture, always happened when I was outside) Sold

KZ ZSN Pro ( they’re decent for the price, they’re resting in my cupboard boxed)

BLON BL03 ( I have 2 pairs one one back up and one I use when I go to sleep cause they’re small)

TRN ST1 ( decent pair for the price, boxed in cupboard)

KZ ZSX ( very decent for casual use, gaming, movies etc)

Moondrop Starfield ( resting on my desk, pretty good performance, although very fragile due to paint chipping, resting on my desk currently waiting to be used)

KZ AS16 ( very revealing if not the most revealing IEMs I own, lacking in sub-bass though. Very good with a bit of eq. bump though.

Was planning on getting P2 but they’re way above my budget.
Really curious about the new KZ ASX 20BA flagship. Waiting for reviews
I am really thinking of selling some of my IEMs and buying Moondrop Blessing 2 as I saw that they’re really good. Crinacle rated them A+ which is at the top of the line

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62

Aye a big :moneybag: jump for sure :grimacing: might be worth having a look at the new Shuore Tape Pros… maybe a better bang for buck?

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63

yooooo what a fucking coincidence lol. i got mine recently and i found the exact same thing! the bass dynamics are ridiculously good! it’s no fucking joke. the dynamics in general are amazing, these are my only IEM at the moment since i just gave my brother the fh3, iem endgame is a good way to describe these lol. And for the emphasis at 4khs is interesting because the entire headphone has been particularly smooth to me so far.

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64

When first out …
Tin T3 (40gbp - Sounds trebly and harsh to me. very uncomfortable. Cable A+)
over last year…
Final E2000 (40gbp - worst heard, thought woul also be cofortable but least used)
Blon-03 (35gbp- nice all rounder, i dont rech for them much though?, cable tangle hell)
Blon-05 (35gbp - v. comfortable and sound great, but due to design the tips keep blocking my ear canals)
KZ ZS10 (40gbp - Nice amount of bass and solid back up set in bag, cable tangle hell)
Moondrop Starfield (83gbp - very nice and relaxing pair for allround nighttime use. Replaced cable with Linsoul cable)
Tin T2 plus (60gbp - Tried and still find uncomfortable, sound good but still harsh to me.)
Fiio FD1 (55gbp - Outstanding, they hit a good bit and reveal more than the rest. Great all rounder and those accessories! - skip the rest id say or go for first time)
on order…
Moondrop Blessing 2…
Yanchjim Oxygen…

Id say skip the low level hell, it was fun trying under 50 quied iems but one good set would have been better looking back.

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65

I agree with the “skip the low level hell”, but I think it was good to have that experience. Even though I didn’t try that many and quickly got to the +$150 area.

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66

Can you recommend the Orion CK?
I am considering them, but I am a bit on the fence due to a thin bass and a quck roll off at the top.

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spend $200 more for Final Audio B3s. Literally just a better Orion Ck2 imo. Same tech, similarish tuning, better executed.

Ask @sa11297 for a second opinion. He either owns or has had hands on both my Orions and B3s.

Tbqh, the B3s are my daily driver and I have zero regrets. My Flamencos just sit until I feel like using them. I pretty much have zero issues with the B3s.

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The case is, I can get e B-stock (cosmetic flaws only) for $199, so for that price I got interested and I know the design fits me.
Funnny thing is, he referred to you :laughing:

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ie80,ie80s,tint2,fh5(got broke),oh10,fdx1,blessing 2(too big for my ears),Mangird tea(got bored with the sound),back to fdx1(incredible dynamics) with fh3(for fun)

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My progression so far…

A slew of Sony earbuds from decades back that would die on me or be lost.

Tin t2: my first real ‘audiophile’ set. Loved them although ended up being faulty.

Tin t2 pro: replacement for T2, just didn’t fit me in sound, treble was harsh for me. ( although did discover I was treble sensitive, which was a positive thing)

Kz 10 pro: Iliked these alot, harsh peaks on occasion and had issue with separation on complex tracks, went through 2 sets as each time the shroud surrounding 2 pin on iem would break and cause loss of sound.

Starfields: these became my daily driver when out and about walking the dog, neutral to the point of bland. Again, fault occurred with loss of sound in one side so replaced, I use them solely for my phone with a mic.

Tin P1: outstanding set, love the sound all around, actually prefer them without the bass EQ. I can listen to them for hours without any fatigue, and pick up details I hadn’t heard from any previous sets. These are my desktop Iem running off a dedicated topping stack.

Ibasso it100: love these,love the sound signature, more competent then previous sets and enjoyable with music iisten to, except for Tin P1.

Incoming:

LZ A7: just ordered these for 11/11.
I’m looking forward to messing about with these. I have a horrible feeling that these will push me deep into the rabbit hole…

Blo1: the new Blons, didn’t get the blon3, looking forward to listening to these.

I got lucky with the linsoul lottery and got the magical ‘1’ at end of my order number for these.

So I’m thinking of grabbing the A50s to replace my A50 (earlier model which can have issues with impedance).

Update: ordered A50s with those lovely balanced adapters linsoul do for the 2.5 into 4.4 pentacon.

Been looking at headphonesike the Sundara etc…but I seem to prefer IEMs.:grin:

2 Likes
71

Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 true wireless (podcasts)
Stanfield (gifted to my daughter)
Audeze LCDi3 (best staging)
Blessing 2 (best mids, vocals)
Unique Melody EST (best everything but stage, more intimate than LCDi3)
Shuoer Tape Pro (awaiting delivery)

The MESTs are an experience, my favorite for the moment.

Bought Hifiman Ananda headphones last week, my best headphones yet. Interesting to compare them to IEMs.

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72

u12t
tia trio
z1r

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73

Are all of these pictured KZ brands?

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I love your collection and how you have them all organized so well. What do you use to drive them?

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602E30DD-8444-42E0-8E55-87F0EA8B3324_1_201_a3850×2743 2.91 MB

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76

I feel like such an idiot now smh. Thanks

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:question: :question: :question: Why :question: :question: :question:

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Because I saw your pics of all your gear and still asked that stupid question lol. Fiio M11 is one of your DAPs I can’t tell which the other one is.

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Just entered the IEM world last week.

Already 2 in.

  1. Blon BL-03
  2. Kinera BD005 Pros

Having fun with these two so far. Looking forward to seeing what comes next

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80

Just wondering, is there a lot of bass quantity in your custom Legend X. I have my customs, but it doesn’t have that iconic bass quantity everyone talks about. I found the IER-Z1R to have more bass impact which is not what a lot of reviews say, so I am wondering if mine was tuned incorrectly.