Your Top 5 IEMs right now that you are using?

IEMs / Other In-Ear Monitors (IEM)
41

Top IEMs that I currently own:

  1. Sennheiser IE900
  2. Empire Ears Legend X (Custom)
  3. Vision Ears Elysium
  4. CA Andromeda 2020

Top 5 IEMs that I own/owned/heard:

  1. Sennheiser IE900
  2. Sony IER-Z1R
  3. Empire Ears EVO
  4. Empire Ears Legend X (Custom)
  5. Vision Ears Elysium
42

Interesting to see how our palettes possibly evolve and favorites change as we hear new IEMs. I’m 7-8 months into the IEM journey and only now feel like I’ve nirvana with below and my previous list was not even a month a go. Now is the first time that I don’t feel like my top 5, well 4 for now, wasn’t quite there and there was something more I wanted.

Order of Most Likely to Pick for Listening:

  1. Yanyin Moonlight
  2. Xenns Up
  3. Mangird Tea
  4. Xenns Tea 2

I’m sure they’ll be more to come in the future. Possible even this will change yet again. Have my eye on the Dunu Vulcan upon release. For now though these are my gold standard to which have dethroned previous to lower classes.

4 Likes
43

so I guess you like the moonlight over the canon? I worry from the HBB graph for the moonlight about lack of bass. Do you still like the Serial? I’m thinking of grabbing an iem around $600-700 ish. Considering the Xenns up, Ej07m KL, Softears RSV, ISN EST50, and Moonlight.

My Current
Penon Serial
Xenns Tea 2
Letshuoer s12

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44

I’m pretty sure the Moonlight is more balanced than the Canon, and based on your collection, I’d say you need a set with more bass. Maybe KL like you said. Curious what @nymz and @hawaiibadboy would say

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45

Agreed with @ttorbic about the Moonlight being more balanced. I don’t particularly ever find the bass lacking overall but, it’s not up to Canon levels. For me it’s a perfect balance that suites all genres well. While never being to much to pull away from other parts of the song. Or having to push areas of the treble up to bring back some of what’s lost in the bass.

I ended up selling the Serial. While it was unique and I enjoyed them it never really grabbed my attention. Also, parted with the Kinda Lava. However, enough of my memory and notes makes it clear it is more bassy than the Moonlight while still not being basshead. My thought is it walks a thin line right before anymore would take away from other aspects of the song. The bonus is you get more kick and authority from drums and bass guitar.

Oh the Up. The set that was my first love and the one my heart still yerns for. She ain’t as pretty as the rest or nearly as technical but, nothing can pull me away. She’s warm, lush and so gentle with her approach. Yet, she speaks with authority that is clean and never interrupting.

In all seriousness though I can’t rec it even while being one of my favorites. Sort of how @nymz feels with the OG Tea. It makes it hard because for me the Up isn’t bought for its technicalities. At least in the imaging and staging departments. It’s main appeal is it’s bass presentation and overall tuning which is like no other. You’re either most likely going to love or hate it.

I haven’t heard your other considerations. If my opinion holds any weight I’d say the Kinda Lava would be your best choice. It has the bass you may be looking for and overall I more widely easily recommended tuning.

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46

fanfic incoming? :joy:

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47

Thanks for the reply. I’ve gone back and forth with the Lava. My biggest worry is the fit. I have the Tea 2’s and love how they fit. I also have the Kato and s12, which I like, but lack the isolation and fit. I was also considering the RSV for tonality and smoothness. My two favorites now are probably the Tea 2 and Serial. Seems like the Lava would be a good compliment and a good step up in detail and imaging.

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48

I’m with you on the Tea 2. Mangird Xenns in general have the best fit I could get before going custom. Same when I had the Canon and now Moonlight. They’re extremely close in fit to Xenns. Katos and the Serial worked but, the shell was a bit awkward. I found they didn’t stay in place and the seal would break frequently with movement m. Kinda Lava worked fine. Just had to do some tip rolling and ended up using a bulb shaped tip which I normally use cone shaped ones. Think it was due to be a shallower fit.

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49

I thought it was just just me, that is nice to know. The OG Tea fits perfectly for me. I have small ears, and struggle with some of the bigger shells, so that was a really pleasant surprise when I put them in an they just fit, even when I move around.

The S12 also fit me very well. I think the nozzle angle matters more on shallow IEMs like the S12, Olina, Mele, Oxygen, Hana, and BL-03. I have been about 50/50 on that list.

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50

Man I just remembered, I really do need a watch case to put my IEMs in for I am getting a bit tired of using each own’s hard cases, and I just want to use the IEM I want without searching each hard case to guess which IEM is in it.

Also it looks cool seeing your IEMs in those and I prefer it than looking at watches, for I am not much of a watch guy.

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51

Lol, I just scatter my IEMs around my flat, so there is always something nearby :smiley:

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52

Sure that can be a decent reason, but I don’t want to happen to me one day that I have to look up and search around the house just to find an IEM that I lost. Hell, even though my phone back then was near to me, I freaking lost it so it’s better to be safe than sorry if you have a case for each piece you own.

53

Im a newb so…

P1
Moondrop starfield
Audiosence AQ0
Mangird Tea2
Kinera Imperial Nana 2.0
Empire ears legend evo

Yea, there’s six. I had to included the original P1 even though I have to run them through a dethonray.

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54

Sheesh, with those selection I don’t think you’re a noob. Hell better than my selection of IEMs when I was starting out and a newb.

Also yeah the P1s are still good for I don’t think Tin’s revisions of it are worth it, unless they did a treatment to it like the Tin Hifi T3 Plus which is a surprise IEM to me, for lately they have been lack luster in terms of releases in my opinion.

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55

Oh… I am a noob in that i have only started the iem stuff since November… I think. Im just an old guy that acts like im 12. So totally irresponsible with money, as you can see. Remember you’re only as old as you act. I am eyeing two more sets to complete my collective. The moondrop Illumination and the Thieaudio monarch mk2. I here good things about the monarch but very little about the Illumination. Whadaya think, am I on the right track or just nuts?

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56

It’s complicated to be honest and I do have that from time to time where I am just in auto-pilot and thinking this one is just going to be the upgrade to this one, even though I know so far from my collection, they all tick the sounds, tonality, tuning and timbre that I prefer hearing all the time.

But yeah, this is why it is a good idea to have a rotation for use.

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57

I figure different IEMs for different genres. Also cheaper for portable and pricier for home use.

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58

Yeah that one is also a valid reason, but there are just times for me, like you know? just use a single IEM that can handle any genres without any form of compromises in terms of sounds as much as possible? My Kato is doing me a good service with that so far.

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59

The best for all around is a toss-up between the Kinera and the mangird. Obviously different level of SQ. But both handle the widest range of genre. Empire are the priciest and very base heavy. But that also limits the genres. You wouldn’t want clasical or vocals though them.

60

I am a watch guy, but don’t wear them much now that I work at home. I tend to only wear them when I am done with work.

1 Like