Yeah, it’s totally side grade material.
Do you want the cheaper price of Hexa or do you want the slight smoothing of the upper mids and to support Timmy with Galileo?
2 Likes
That was my take on it, they sound so similar, but are about as opposite looking as it gets. The plain black of the Hexa, while the Galileo has space porn on the blue resin shells. The accessories on the Galileo are amazing, and I would buy that cable a few times, if they sold it stand alone.
Ever since getting the Simgot EA500, it is time to update my Top 5 right now.
1st: Tangzu X HBB Wu Zetian Heyday Edition: After like many months have passed, this set of IEMs still surprises me to this day on certain tracks, never thought that it will do that to me or maybe it’s just I am still on that honeymoon phase.
2nd: Simgot EA500: Yeah it’s official, in my opinion this tramples my Moondrop Katos now and it’s only freaking 79USD for me. Haven’t tried the mod yet with the Y1, Y2 or Y3 filters but will do so once I get my hands on those. Also I love both filters though I prefer the black ones which can be a bit odd to some people but that is just me, stick to the reds if you like the reds more.
3rd: Seek Real Audio Airship: Yeah the honeymoon phase with these are like gone now, sounding a bit of the same to me nowadays. Still a great IEM to have ngl but I think there are some things that the EA500 does better than the Airships. Also these were pricey when I first got it, currently being outperformed by the more affordable EA500s.
4th: Moondrop Kato: Again, trampled by the EA500 and in my opinion the EA500 are much smoother than the Kato at certain tracks. The magic I got from these are long gone and it’s not really helping it that much when the right ear piece is like falling apart right now, literally, luckily it can still make the sounds I want from it. Also for some odd I tried its nozzles on my EA500s and it feels wrong for me.
5th: Kiwi Ears Cadenza: You just cannot beat these in terms of tonality for its given price, and to be honest I haven’t been using these since the EA500 came to my collection. At some point will revisit these and give it an another listen for this IEM should be proud for it made it to the Top 5 of my own list.
6 Likes
Time to update my top 5.
Timeless is gone because of timbre. Dioko’s imaging was underwhelming and the fit security was bad.
- Prisma Azul: neutral and smooth listen
- Heart Mirror Zero: basically a baby Azul with a great stock cable for the price ($32)
- P1+: warm neutral with some character
- Sora Light: bass thumping bullet IEM
- BL-05: just to EQ and because it’s so comfy
Cadenza/Hola: Kiwi Ears Cadenza would be on that list because I absolutely love them but I gave them to my brother. I might try Hola next.
3 Likes
I’m starting to notice that whatever I’ve been listening to lately ends up on my top 5 list. Either I need to become more refined in my tastes or accept that I’m just easy to please 
In no particular order:
- Moondrop S8
- Penon Serial
- qdc Anole vx
- Aűr Neon Pro
- 7th Acoustics Supernova
Special shoutout to the Simgot EA500 and TRI Starriver for having permanent spots on my nightstand.
6 Likes
At the moment it’s
FiiO FH9
Meze Advar
IMR ACOUSTICS BC (23)
Acoustune HS1655CU
Senheiser ie600
Coming up close
DUNU Vulkan
DUNU Vernus
U12t
U12t
U12t
U12t
U12t
I cant stop listening and will have to send them back to thier rightful owner soon.
Cant get through my test playlist without wanting to hear how they sound on a particular song. Review can wait LOL
5 Likes
These are my top five right now in no particular order and only considering IEMs (no earbuds):
- ThieAudio Prestige
- Oriolus Szalayi
- SoftEars Twilight
- Campfire Audio Supermoon
- 64 Audio A12t
This lineup is pretty freakin’ epic. Each one just makes me want to listen to music and makes it hard to stop once I start. If I didn’t want to keep trying new things for the fun of it, I could easily walk away from the IEM game with this group totally happy. Not just satisfied, but legit happy. I will likely be purging some of my other sets soon because many just arent getting ear time with these heavy hitters around. 
6 Likes
I’m always curious with the 7th Acoustics Supernova, how do you find it so far?
The SZA eh? I am picking up a used set recommended I guess , I like good bass, great vocals clear not too bright with good extension. How would the Szalayi fit me? 
I like Planar timbre but fast DD bass without bloat.
3 Likes
I think you’re gonna be impressed. It’s got everything you mentioned and so much more. @domq422 has got to be tired of hearing me gush about the Szalayis in message after message by now because I dig them so much. The bass doesn’t graph nearly as powerful as it is. It’s punchy and articulate, reaches deep and presents with authority. The timbre is impressively accurate and the tuning equally impressively coherent for a tribrid. The treble extends well and is smooth without grain, sibilance, or harshness. Mids are rich and detailed. Overall when I listen to it the words dynamic and powerful come to mind. It’s worth noting that as much as I liked the Szalayis when I first got them, my appreciation for them has only grown with time as I have gotten to really know their ins and outs. They are a very solid buy and I’d recommend people check them out.
5 Likes
I love them. One of the best iem purchases I’ve made. Tuning is excellent !
Detailed, extended bass. Nice mid base thump. No bass bleed into mids. Mids are not recessed. Treble is smooth, with few peaks compared to anole vx and Thieaudio MMK2. Soundstage is average. Details are present, but not overdone.
It definitely performs higher than its price level .
5 Likes
This is my list for this month
- Z1R.
2.GAEA - U12T
- EJ07M
- S8
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AüR Audio AURE
Sony Z1R
AüR Audio Neon Pro
ISN EST50
Penon Serial
Top five getting listening time right now, probably most Aure due to being new.
3 Likes
All change for my new favourite iems
FiiO FH9
IMR ACOUSTICS Elan+
Fii0 FD7
ACOUSTUNE HS1655CU
Senheiser ie600
1 Like
I’m going to answer this as the Top 5 IEMs I own because I want to give a different answer than the IEMs in my rotation:
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Tri Starsea - This is the cheapest QDC-style (think Dunu SA6, QDC Anole line, SeeAudio Bravery) tuning that I know of. A very vocal forward, bass recessed (not bass light, the bass just sits back in the mix) set that pushes the very edges of brightness for me in the upper ranges. One of the most unique presentations I own
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Penon Fan 2 - My favorite IEM. A special kind of Neutral-tuned IEM. Most neutral IEMs have a leaner bass and an tilt towards the upper-midrange/treble. Fan 2’s version of neutral is midbass/midrange focused. It plays the best drum kit I’ve heard and is a rare set that puts vocals very forward, but with zero harshness. It’s fantastic
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Juzear 41T - My newest love. This has a balanced tuning, with slightly elevated bass that doesn’t feel over-emphasized in sub or mid, very clean mids with well placed vocals and great, smooth treble. The special sauce in these is the soundstage and technicalities. Starsea used to be my standard for soundstage in an IEM, and then 41T does things that I never even heard Starsea do. For sub-$200 (and sub-$150 on sales), this is a must-own if you don’t go into the deep waters of the hobby
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Simgot EN1000 - The EA500 is a fantastic 1DD IEM with a great driver (and tuning I vibe with, in the Simgot house sound) that disrupts the sub-$100 market and competes with higher priced offerings, IMO. EN1000 is a $180 1DD IEM with that same tuning that tickles my ear but (IMO) a better driver, better soundstage and technicalities. In terms of midcentric tunings, t’s one of two IEMs that I’ve heard that I would even start to entertain the “Dark Magician-like” conversation (with a simple filter mod). This IEM is a bad bitch
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Sony XBA-N3 - This is one of the most complete IEM tunings. It’s got very good sub-bass, very good midbass, very good lower and upper mids with very good vocals, and very good treble. For someone who gravitates to all-around types of sets, it’s immaculately tuned. The only reasons I don’t use them more often is that I find the soundstage and technicalities lacking, for as good as the tuning is I don’t feel as though the intangibles outdo something like an EA500. And I don’t like the style of IEM and the way these Sonys (this and MDR-EX1000ST) fit. But on pure sound quality, these are elite
10 Likes
As of now:
Vulkan
Azul
HM Zero
P1+
Z300
Vulkan is for now my “endgame”.
HM Zero and Z300 have replaced all of my other budget sets.
2 Likes
For me it’s the Symphonium Meteor
Aful Performer 8
Dunu SA6 MK2
Truthear Hexa
Truthear Crinacle: red
But the first 3 take up 95% of my time with the Aful 8 the most by far.
2 Likes
can you please share your playlist.
regards.