[Zander024]

I recently purchased 2 kilobuck-ish (*ish) range iems: Andromeda 2020 and Thieaudio Clairvoyance.

Clairvoiyance i was hoping would be a maybe slightly less technical but much punchier and 'fun' iem...they turned out to be shockingly disappointing in the bass end for me however. The most ba-ish DD bass i've heard.

My listening preferences: Very diverse. Plenty of jazz, some classical, lots of modern and 80s pop, 70s soul, rap, 90s indie.

My iem goals: singular do-it-all that gives a high degree of fidelity for the 'fine stuff' but ratcheted up 'fun' and dynamics from the andro 2020s. All the clarity, tonality and cohesiveness of andro...but with more FUN.

My audio impression of Andromedas: Very very good in general. Fantastic discounting the meh dynamics and poor bass slam. Musical and smooth but they scale very nicely with source and recording quality! Very satisfied with detail imaging and soundstage and find they are quite diverse. I would never question them as my endgame iems (over-ears are where i will forever lust for ultimate ToTL) except for the BA bass...

Andro Drawbacks for me are 2: A minor one is the shape unfortunately is ever so slightly uncomfortable in one spot (inf. antihelix) after long periods, and the big minus of course is the very standard BA bass response. Its detailed and fast...but yeah...no punch, no 'fun/involving' bass dynamics.

Sacrifices im willing to make: Willing to go up in price. Not much more than 1500, definitely not 2k+. I can shave off a wee bit of imaging, a wee bit of SS.

I'm basically looking for something with the ideal of being everything the andromedas do...but with significantly better bass. Solaris seem like they would be it but some decry them as a lateral shift from andromedas, due to some muddled mids et al. I could shave off just a smidge of the clarity, imaging or soundstage if the solaris bass truly is a nice improvement but I wouldn't want a dramatic downgrade in any of those areas

Anyone with good A/B experience between andro/solaris 2020s that have thoughts on if Solaris will give me the 'andro + DD fun bass' im looking for?

Anyone have good alternatives in general? The ie900 didn't have midrange i found skilled. The Z1R seems nice but is maybe a bit rich and also i hear midrange is lacking.

Thanks!

 

[Mlaihk]

I recently purchased 2 kilobuck-ish (*ish) range iems: Andromeda 2020 and Thieaudio Clairvoyance.

Clairvoiyance i was hoping would be a maybe slightly less technical but much punchier and 'fun' iem...they turned out to be shockingly disappointing in the bass end for me however. The most ba-ish DD bass i've heard.

My listening preferences: Very diverse. Plenty of jazz, some classical, lots of modern and 80s pop, 70s soul, rap, 90s indie.

My iem goals: singular do-it-all that gives a high degree of fidelity for the 'fine stuff' but ratcheted up 'fun' and dynamics from the andro 2020s. All the clarity, tonality and cohesiveness of andro...but with more FUN.

My audio impression of Andromedas: Very very good in general. Fantastic discounting the meh dynamics and poor bass slam. Musical and smooth but they scale very nicely with source and recording quality! Very satisfied with detail imaging and soundstage and find they are quite diverse. I would never question them as my endgame iems (over-ears are where i will forever lust for ultimate ToTL) except for the BA bass...

Andro Drawbacks for me are 2: A minor one is the shape unfortunately is ever so slightly uncomfortable in one spot (inf. antihelix) after long periods, and the big minus of course is the very standard BA bass response. Its detailed and fast...but yeah...no punch, no 'fun/involving' bass dynamics.

Sacrifices im willing to make: Willing to go up in price. Not much more than 1500, definitely not 2k+. I can shave off a wee bit of imaging, a wee bit of SS.

I'm basically looking for something with the ideal of being everything the andromedas do...but with significantly better bass. Solaris seem like they would be it but some decry them as a lateral shift from andromedas, due to some muddled mids et al. I could shave off just a smidge of the clarity, imaging or soundstage if the solaris bass truly is a nice improvement but I wouldn't want a dramatic downgrade in any of those areas

Anyone with good A/B experience between andro/solaris 2020s that have thoughts on if Solaris will give me the 'andro + DD fun bass' im looking for?

Anyone have good alternatives in general? The ie900 didn't have midrange i found skilled. The Z1R seems nice but is maybe a bit rich and also i hear midrange is lacking.

Thanks!

Try the Dorado 2020 or the rare Andromeda Gold.

 

[Rockwell75]

Solaris doesn't have muddied mids but it doesn't have BASSSSS either-- it's actually a fairly neutral/balanced IEM overall. I would say it goes some way to being Andro + bass but, while it has great bass it's by no means a bass cannon.

Dorado 2020 is my favorite IEMs and if you're primarily after mid-bass & lower mids it's arguably the best IEM out there right now. But it does have some dips in the upper mids so that may be a deal breaker depending on your listening preferences. It can be a spicy & dynamic IEM at times but I find it very addicting to listen to and it scales very well with power.

IER Z1R has great sub-bass, but its lower mids/mid-bass are like a limp noodle. Upper mids and treble are some of the best in the game.

The Legend X may be a contender but I found it's bass overwhelming for longer listening sessions.

The u12t may also be a great option but it's lacking in the fun dept and still has BA bass...but it's the most DD like BA bass out there in terms of decay. I still prefer the Andro though personally...as in a pinch I will take mids & dynamics over bass.

The 64 Audio Nio may be another option-- it has great bass but paper thin mids.

I've also heard great things about the 64 Audio Duo.

 

[silent-circuit]

Empire Ears Bravado MK2.

If you want Bass, look no further. It can do detail, too. Depending on how tracks are recorded you may need to do a little EQ as the bass can be /too/ much... But I love them. Will probably sell my universals (and most of my other IEMs) and get customs soon.

 

[Rockwell75]

Empire Ears Bravado MK2.

If you want Bass, look no further. It can do detail, too. Depending on how tracks are recorded you may need to do a little EQ as the bass can be /too/ much... But I love them. Will probably sell my universals (and most of my other IEMs) and get customs soon.

I forgot about that one...it's actually my favorite EE IEM. Mids are bit recessed though.

 

[silent-circuit]

I forgot about that one...it's actually my favorite EE IEM. Mids are bit recessed though.

A rarely (like almost never) discussed alternative would be the AAW x TCA Project 4+2. It's also pretty bass heavy (with the "bass" tuning port in place), but has the option of going mostly flat or even treble/mid focused for genres where that's too much. The dual isobaric woofer setup doesn't provide quite as much slam as the Weapon IX+, but it's the closest I've personally heard from an IEM. Great option if you're only going to have one IEM that needs to do everything.

https://headfonics.com/aaw-x-custom-art-project-4-2-review/

https://www.null-audio.com/products/project-4-2-electrostatic-hybrid-in-ear-monitor

(No idea why Null Audio has it as an estat hybrid in the link text - it's 2 DD woofers from AAW, 3 FIBAE BAs from TCA for mids and highs, and a single NOVA nozzle-less BA from AAW for top end - all trickle down tech from their top end models, and it shows)

Edit: I realize this is a huge left field recommendation, but if you get it I promise you will /not/ be disappointed.

 

[Frisker76]

Try the Dorado 2020 or the rare Andromeda Gold.

Good advice, thank you

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I recently purchased 2 kilobuck-ish (*ish) range iems: Andromeda 2020 and Thieaudio Clairvoyance.

Clairvoiyance i was hoping would be a maybe slightly less technical but much punchier and 'fun' iem...they turned out to be shockingly disappointing in the bass end for me however. The most ba-ish DD bass i've heard.

My listening preferences: Very diverse. Plenty of jazz, some classical, lots of modern and 80s pop, 70s soul, rap, 90s indie.

My iem goals: singular do-it-all that gives a high degree of fidelity for the 'fine stuff' but ratcheted up 'fun' and dynamics from the andro 2020s. All the clarity, tonality and cohesiveness of andro...but with more FUN.

My audio impression of Andromedas: Very very good in general. Fantastic discounting the meh dynamics and poor bass slam. Musical and smooth but they scale very nicely with source and recording quality! Very satisfied with detail imaging and soundstage and find they are quite diverse. I would never question them as my endgame iems (over-ears are where i will forever lust for ultimate ToTL) except for the BA bass...

Andro Drawbacks for me are 2: A minor one is the shape unfortunately is ever so slightly uncomfortable in one spot (inf. antihelix) after long periods, and the big minus of course is the very standard BA bass response. Its detailed and fast...but yeah...no punch, no 'fun/involving' bass dynamics.

Sacrifices im willing to make: Willing to go up in price. Not much more than 1500, definitely not 2k+. I can shave off a wee bit of imaging, a wee bit of SS.

I'm basically looking for something with the ideal of being everything the andromedas do...but with significantly better bass. Solaris seem like they would be it but some decry them as a lateral shift from andromedas, due to some muddled mids et al. I could shave off just a smidge of the clarity, imaging or soundstage if the solaris bass truly is a nice improvement but I wouldn't want a dramatic downgrade in any of those areas

Anyone with good A/B experience between andro/solaris 2020s that have thoughts on if Solaris will give me the 'andro + DD fun bass' im looking for?

Anyone have good alternatives in general? The ie900 didn't have midrange i found skilled. The Z1R seems nice but is maybe a bit rich and also i hear midrange is lacking.

Thanks!

EVO or bust. Wait until next summer when resales we be available. You will never be wanting for bass ever again.

 

[Tanalasta]

What’s your budget? I’d suggest Trailii as something that fits what you’re looking for …

 

[Hanesu]

I “exchanged” my Andromedas to an Oriolus Mk2 and never regretted it! I also had issues with the Andromeda’s sub bass not reaching deep enough for my taste…