[Rambone]

But is the Vader better??? lol why buy the trio when the KZ version might be slight better haha

Guess we will find out. If the (balanced) version is an improvement then I'll bite. In the meantime I have the High-Resolution version on the way for science. I've emailed KZ asking for clarification on the differences between the Trio and the KZ Vader (balanced version) but they have been silent.

Hows Hifiman He400SE, i have the 400i (2020) but the right side died after 2 year of uses.

This article compares them nicely.
https://www.headfonia.com/hifiman-he400se-review/2/

I have a few from the 4 series such as the X4, 400SE and 4XX. The DEVA PRO wired only version is cheap enough now that it should be considered over those models if you can spare the cash. The Deva Pro to me sounds like it takes the best of the 4 series models I have and is just an overall improvement almost in every way but this is of course is my subjective opinion but it should be something on your radar.

• Buy once, never feel the itch to upgrade again

Why get 10 mediocre ones rather than 1 excellent one.

I feel you on this logic, but when you have budget bangers like the CCA Trio that come out swinging, it's hard to not cave in and add on to the IEM harem.

 

[greymousetaxi]

But is the Vader better??? lol why buy the trio when the KZ version might be slight better haha

i have my doubts but if they upgraded the diaphragm, i might be all over it. zat uses composite 8mm diaphragm. the trio uses some sort of clear plastic diaphragm. pic posted doesnt really show the diaphragm well.

 

[OceanOfLight]

• Buy once, never feel the itch to upgrade again

Why get 10 mediocre ones rather than 1 excellent one.

Personally, I’d rather have 10 different good experiences than 1 exceptional one (for the same price). Especially because the most interesting thing in this hobby (at least for me) is trying new IEMs and comparing them with the others I already own.

Also, there is another main factor to consider: when having access only to an exceptional experience, after not much time, you’ll grow accustomed to it. So much so that you will no longer feel the value and the quality that initially moved you when you first tried it. Quality, and more particularly the perception of it, is strictly connected to comparison. In the absence of it, quality stops being perceived as such and becomes mere habit.

 

[bithalver]

Why get 10 mediocre ones rather than 1 excellent one.

Because without 10 mediocre sets you will not know which excellent one is for you.

 

[bithalver]

We should spend less on IEM and more on psychologist

So fcking true ! I spend the price of a (not the most expensive) TOTL IEM for somebody to correct my brain and thinking.

Edit: typo.

 

[kaeswiss]

the biggest miss for anyone limiting the budget would be the best single dd ever made, the Softears Twilight. I bought that IEM, had to sell her for some personal requirements, but i will grab her again whenever i could. my favourite single dd.

Oh no, you sold yours?! I got mine for a pretty good deal in the last AE 11.11 sale and I don't ever see the Twilight listed in the classifieds so I'm never selling mine. I haven't heard any other IEM that sounds like it.

• Buy once, never feel the itch to upgrade again
• efficient use of natural resources (less e-waste, no unused gear)
• Easy resell and get most of the money back for upgrade
• Fantastic experience from the buying to the reselling time
• Edit: in my experience, diminishing return kicks in hard after hitting the benchmark IEMs like Monarch II/III, MEST, DIVA, Crimson, which, coincidentally, “entry level” kilobuck

Why get 10 mediocre ones rather than 1 excellent one.

Personally, I’d rather have 10 different good experiences than 1 exceptional one (for the same price). Especially because the most interesting thing in this hobby (at least for me) is trying new IEMs and comparing them with the others I already own.

Also, there is another main factor to consider: when having access only to an exceptional experience, after not much time, you’ll grow accustomed to it. So much so that you will no longer feel the value and the quality that initially moved you when you first tried it. Quality, and more particularly the perception of it, is strictly connected to comparison. In the absence of it, quality stops being perceived as such and becomes mere habit.

All good points and I'm somewhere in the middle. I like rotating through IEMs or having the option to pick one based on my mood. It also keeps things fresh when I come back to an IEM that I haven't listened to in a while.

I try not to pick up too many sub-$150 sets though since they add up in cost. Chances are that I'll have another IEM with a similar sound signature that I like more so the budget sets will just end up in storage or given away. Unfortunately, I don't think they sell very well in the used market unless there's a massive discount.

 

[theintention]

All good points and I'm somewhere in the middle. I like rotating through IEMs or having the option to pick one based on my mood. It also keeps things fresh when I come back to an IEM that I haven't listened to in a while.

I try not to pick up too many sub-$150 sets though since they add up in cost. Chances are that I'll have another IEM with a similar sound signature that I like more so the budget sets will just end up in storage or given away. Unfortunately, I don't think they sell very well in the used market unless there's a massive discount.

this is my stance as well. I like the exploration of new sets, and there are plenty of good sub $200 dollar IEMs but they just get overshadowed by the pricier stuff. No budget set is a “killer” to any nicely tuned, higher priced IEM.

I will admit, every time I see a post saying they are looking for an “upgrade” and listing gear not even a $100 dollars more than what they have, I roll my eyes. Save more for your upgrades. It’s worth it.

That being said, Trio is on the way, shoutout corporate work parties and giveaways

 

[HifiFrog]

NiceHCK released another cable from their IEMs:
The BlueLuna from the Himalaya:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006968990569.html

Price: 50 USD - Code = 35 USD

-15 USD Coupon code in spoiler below:

Spoiler: Code

LUNAAA

 

[Hypops]

I will admit, every time I see a post saying they are looking for an “upgrade” and listing gear not even a $100 dollars more than what they have, I roll my eyes. Save more for your upgrades. It’s worth it.

Word. A piece of audio-upgrade advice that has stuck with me over the years: expect to spend ~3x the price of your current gear to get an audible upgrade.

But with IEMs, that advice seems to be only true if you stay within a very narrow tuning family. There's so much competition and tuning diversity, that "upgrading" seems less relevant than "side-grading."

 

[thaslaya]

NiceHCK released another cable from their IEMs:
The BlueLuna from the Himalaya:



https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006968990569.html

Price: 50 USD - Code = 35 USD

-15 USD Coupon code in spoiler below:

Spoiler: Code

LUNAAA

Wow that is a very nice looking cable for $35 and modular too? I definitely don't need more cables but this is super tempting!

 

[SemperMalum]

Wow that is a very nice looking cable for $35 and modular too? I definitely don't need more cables but this is super tempting!

Modular cables... I don't need more cables, either...

 

[theintention]

But with IEMs, that advice seems to be only true if you stay within a very narrow tuning family. There's so much competition and tuning diversity, that "upgrading" seems less relevant than "side-grading."

To be clear… I’m talking about upgrading an IEM to one with a similar tuning you like.

I have multiple sound signatures I’m looking to upgrade, not just an all in one solution haha. Unfortunately!

The more sets I demoed under that price range, the more they all just blended together to be honest. Obviously ymmv.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

I mean, I’m not saying that “if your IEM is not $1000, you don’t know IEM”. But if one keeps buying and buying $100 IEMs many times a year, they could have bought TOTL IEMs, perhaps multiple times over the years.

We have only 2 ears and a few hours to listen to music a day.

Your reasoning is logical and wise, but unfortunately I can't convince myself of it.

I now own several dozen IEMs, most in the price range between 200 and 300 USD (I only have 2 that I paid more than 500 USD), and (perhaps) unfortunately my average preferences do not follow the price of the IEM at all
(where by average I mean that they depend on my taste of the day, therefore on the music I listen to and on my hearing sensitivity at a certain moment).

Simply put, too often I prefer cheaper IEMs over more expensive ones, and end up using those.

This thing (which I would have considered impossible until some time ago) makes me reluctant to concentrate my funds on the purchase of more expensive IEMs,
and I prefer to buy more economical IEMs, in search of the miracle (which, I must say, often, too often, I seem to find).

Where am I wrong?

 

[fidgeraldo]

So fcking true !

Psychologists are taking your money...and then spending it on HI-FI!!!

 

[Hypops]

To be clear… I’m talking about upgrading an IEM to one with a similar tuning you like.

I have multiple sound signatures I’m looking to upgrade, not just an all in one solution haha. Unfortunately!

The more sets I demoed under that price range, the more they all just blended together to be honest. Obviously ymmv.

Totally with you. There are a surprising number of unusually tuned IEMs at all price ranges. I'm drawn to things that divide opinions.

For example, I'm starting to think about picking up the Sivga Nightingale. Haven't heard it, but I dig how it looks on a graph. And I like that it's aiming for a very specific niche. Though, for as unusual as it is, it sounds like it's pulling off a variation of the same tuning trick that the Symphonium Meteor does (you have to really crank up the volume to get to the sweet treble center).