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Shortbus Anomaly (duh)
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Softears RSV
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Softears Twilight
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Letshouer EJ07
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HBB Jupiter
bonus -
El Vedgero which is an open back version of Variations
14 Likes
oh yeah I forgot to add that to my list of last iem to buy
saw your video on that and man I loved it since my Variations is rarely used but I just love em when I listen to em
1 Like
You leaving the hobby?
1 Like
most likely for a good year hopefully two, relearning the guitar and I decided to get away from all distractions
being broke is another reason but thatās just splitting hairs honestly I just got reminded of how much I love music after getting into IEMs
- Variations
- Deuce
- Xenns Up
- Penon Fan 3
- Elysian Pilgrim
9 Likes
I adore my version with very full low mids and bass. Itās quite special with the full open back going on.
2 Likes
Get a Rikubud before then.
5 Likes
lol yeah its one of my last ones, still deciding which to grab, I revisited my old earbuds and realized man, earbuds are tops
3 Likes
LETSHOUER Cadenza 12
ALPHA OMEGA OMEGA
VISION EARS EXT MKII
AFUL CANTOR
LETSHOUER MYSTIC 8
5 Likes
I feel like my top 5 hasnāt changed much at all tbh, I still have the usual suspects in there. 2 IEMs have been added, however, theyāve both really taken my ears by storm 
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HBB Deuce - These definitely donāt need any kind of introduction, theyāre all bass and nothing held back. With the included impedance adapter as well as a FiiO 33 Ī© one I got off AliX these things bump. The 33 Ī© adapter increases the sub bass even further and the DD inside handles it no problem. I donāt hear any distortion what so ever. Imo, these should have been tuned like this out of the box. They sound incredible for bassy tracks/music.
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LetShuoer S08 - I never would have thought that one of the best timbral presentations I have would come from a single planar set but here we are. The timbre and tonality is so pleasing on these that it tickles my brain.
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Ziigaat x Jay Estrella - I donāt need to elaborate lol
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Thieaudio Monarch MK2 - againā¦ no need to elaborate
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Symphonium Titan - a better, more grown up version of the Deuce with infinitely better mids, treble and techs but with similar bass performance, surprisingly. But, still a better IEM to me and it still has a soft spot carved out in my heart.
17 Likes
I got into hifi during lockdown because I didnāt have the time or space to play my drums. Work and life keep me busy, and the dog (understandably) cannot handle the auditory assault of being anywhere close to an acoustic drum kit.
I have gone deep down the rabbit hole of hifi, to say the least! Iām now actively looking for a walk-away set. I think Iām close, too.
Iāve been paying attention to the electric drum industry and they have never been real enough for me in terms of sound or feel. However, I have seen some of the latest TOTL offerings and Iām now trying to āend the gameā for hifi so I can get a kit and get back playing.
Listening to good music on good gear really kept my monkey brain distracted for a good few years, but no measure of listening to music is as fulfilling as playing it. Good luck!
8 Likes
Shanling Majestic:
Huge sound projection right outside the head - UP / UP switches.
Very accurate and large images, appear behind the head. Soundstage to die for - high, deep and wide presentation, but everything feels natural, not exaggerated.
Macrodynamics are outstanding. Good microdynamics.
Good coherence for so many drivers.
A little warm in the mids, but not too much - refined musicality and masterful tuning.
Monster resolution throughout the FR - perhaps due to the additional extension of 20-40K.
Layering of the highest level. A pitch black background and everything goes up from there.
Vocally oriented- thick and organic male and female vocals.
Very comfortable and with stunning build quality.
Great ergonomic cable.
Punchy bass with perfect texture and presence of mid-bass. The sub-bass digs deep and mercilessly. It does not add bass, but presents what is on the record. But is there bass - the monster Majestic hits hard. The bass is better than Glacier to my ears.
All-rounder.
Glacier- A benchmark for how Harman should be done.
DTE900 - If you like it - this is crazy good for its price.
CKLVX D41- Very good. I wish they would make a tribrid.
Estrella- If youāre just getting into the hobby and donāt want to break your wallet, grab it and leave. Incredibly dynamic.
9 Likes
Solid List and pretty approachable too.
I dont have enough IEMs to make top 5 yet but it its under works 
the Deuce being the most recent addition. I gotta agree with you its it a pretty fun set, the bass is just too good and doesnt overwhelm the rest of the aspects and that DD is top notch itās handled anything Iāve thrown at it.
I feel that i really no need to have a look at the Titan now
2 Likes
Well, I managed 8 months without buying another pair of IEMs, but ultimately the growing prevalence of bone conduction drivers brought me back to buy another pair. I have no regrets though, theyāre absolute bangers. One month on, this is how my top five list looks:
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Sound Rhyme DTE900 - This is still the best pair I own. Iām still using EQ to tame the upper mids slightly and to extend the treble a little, as well as add a little warmth when the situation requires, but those ESTs really are special. Iāve realised I appreciate IEMs with deep insertion too, you usually have to size down your tips but I find they tend to bring you into the music more.
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BVGP DMA - This is it - the new pair, and a month in Iām still blown away by how good they are for the price. There is a crystalline clarity to this and to the DTE900s which none of my other pairs are able to come close to. The treble is fantastic, the bass is assertive, and the mids are clearer than I ever expected them to be, all coming out of an impressively spacious soundstage. I bought these on the promise of 2x Sonion bone conduction drivers and I am not disappointed at all. Whatās great is the bone conduction drivers give it a different sound to the DTE900s, so neither feel redundant and both worth having. That said, I would recommend 99% of people buy these instead of the DTE900s and save yourselves $500. I also find these need no EQ whatsoever, although occasionally Iāll crank the bass up even further if Iām in that kind of a mood.
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Penon Quattro - still love these for their warm, cosy tuning and timbre, although I have a few EQ settings for them - quite a few genres do benefit from having those thick lower mids brought back slightly. Itās no surprise that my top three pairs all contain unique driver types from one another, I think thereās a lot to be said for filling out your collection based on a range of tech and EQing to preference - but of course you want still want the stock tuning to be as close to your preference as possible. My biggest gripe with the Quattros is actually how hard they are to drive, as Iāve become a bit more casual and not scrutinising and AB testing every pair I have anymore, Iāve really come to appreciate the convenience of sets which can be run from my phoneās headphone jack or, failing that, a 3.5 mm dongle.
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Artti R1 - as above, I just adore these. The tuning is perfect, no EQ needed, and the timbre is just what I want in an IEM. My go-to out-and-about set, and probably my most used after my shiny new DMAs.
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Penon Fan 2 - I still like these for providing a relaxed, almost analogue, intimate sound, although I think they need help from EQ for more dynamic music that isnāt quite simple/acoustic. My favourite thing about them is actually the deep insertion which makes them my go-to for podcasts and audiobooks, it really brings attention to whatās being said and the stock tuning makes voices very pleasant to listen to.
I figure it might help to list the earphones I have that I donāt tend to use anymore, which I could gladly do without and might sell (only including those over Ā£50, not the really cheap pairs):
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Yanyin Canon 2: Theyāre nice, but I was always a little disappointed in them after I bought them to replace the OG Yanyin Canons I lost. The original Canons had a really unique sound (my first >$100 pair though so couldnāt compare against anything), and the small scoop in the tuning on the Canon 2s may have been more āaudiophileā but wasnāt so much to my preference. Still liked them but had a lot of EQ profiles for them to bring them to my tastes.
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AFUL Performer 5: Never quite got on with the tuning on these, everything sounded boring to my ear. Extremely comfortable though. EQād a lot.
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ZiiGaat Doscinco: great for the price, the bass is very nice and the Sonion BAs give surprisingly smooth mids, but something about them means I never reach for them over the above pairs, which I guess are just more interesting to me. I did also used to EQ them slightly.
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Tansio Mirai X anniversary - I loved these for the bass and for the technicalities, although I did used to EQ more warmth into them. But since buying the DTE900s and then the DMAs the technicalities seem lacklustre, like the BAs are just a bit muddy. The bass is great but I think Iād prefer to just EQ in more bass with one of the other pairs if Iām craving that.
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Simgot EA500 LM - bought these to try a decent single DD pair, and they were nice, the single DD sound was different and I thought they could have a place in my collection but then I realised I never reach for them over the Artti R1s. Doesnāt help I found them really uncomfortable for some reason.
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Letshuoer S12 Pros - I disliked these the moment I got them; it may be partially due to the tuning, but it is almost certainly also due to the timbre of the planar which basically put me off planar-only sets going forwards, sounding a bit tinny and hollow. However, with some EQing I did really like the responsiveness for fast-paced metal, so may keep them just for that use case.
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Moondrop Starfield OGs - completely superceded by almost everything above, but as my intro to the new wave of IEMs over half a decade ago (having owned countless Soundmagic pairs before that), Iām keeping them for nostalgia and to remind myself how good the technology has become. I also owned the Moondrop Aria Snow editions, which were like the Starfields but worse.
No doubt Iāll be back in in another 9 months when the next hype piece of tech is out - if itās as good as those Sonion BCs on the DMA then Iām looking forward to it!
14 Likes
Thanks! Would love to see more people talking about the sets theyāve retired/let go and why. Itās at least as helpful as knowing oneās current favorites! 
8 Likes
Keep the train a-goinā, brother / I find that 5-6 sets is really the sweet spot of being able to cover most if not all bases when it comes to listening moods, different flavors of sound and genres of music.
Donāt be like me, a degenerate who doesnāt follow this simple philosophy whatsoever lol
8 Likes
absolutely, Iām a total beginner but thereās something about listening to my guitar that gives an extraordinary feeling past my favorite music, Iām super excited since Iām planning to fully commit to this like I did with PoE lmao
youāre making me wanna buy another set of those, I absolutely loved using em even if they werenāt the perfect fit for me physically. I should get one again
TItan is something I wished I could get but donāt think I can, even if I sold my Elysian Pilgrim and Dita Project M I donāt think Iād reach it lol
4 Likes
I like the CKLVX CK-D41 since the performance gets pretty close to the Performer 5. Yesterday I noticed that the D41 is on sale for $110.
1 Like
Wow, what a lineup! The DTE900 and DMA sound like an incredible combo, Iām definitely intrigued by the bone conduction drivers on the DMA, seems like a game changer for clarity. Totally agree on the importance of EQing to fine-tune your sound to perfection, though itās awesome when an IEM just nails it straight out of the box like the Artti R1s seem to do for you.
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ahhahaha I will keep that in mind!
Yeap the 5-6 spot seems perfectā¦just about enough to pack it all up with you if ever gotta lam it xD
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Had to let go of my Kiwi ears, Quratet. They were an amazing pair of IEMās. Also, my very first ones. But I let go of them for FatfrteqxHBB Deuce. Just had better bass and treble overall and even the mids. But for the price point, they were excellent. My taste just grew more and I am exploring further than the Deuce tooā¦
2 Likes