[dbull12]

I'm looking to gift some IEMs to my dad. Budget is around $300. He mostly listens to classical and jazz. The most important things I'm looking for in an IEM for him are comfortable fit, ability to be driven off an Apple dongle, natural timbre, extended and detailed yet non-peaky treble, and good soundstage, instrument separation, and imaging.

I've gathered a list of the IEMs below so far and will start looking through their reviews and threads more, but it would be great if I could immediately rule any of these out, or if I can be pointed to any of them (or any other IEMs out there) if they seem like a good fit for what I'm looking for.

Kiwi Ears Quintet
Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite
7Hz Legato
SeeAudio Yume Ultra
Letshuoer DZ4
Letshuoer Z12
Letshuoer S12 Pro
Yanyin Canon 2
Final Audio A4000

The IEM space is a bit overwhelming to me since it seems there's just SO much coming out these days, so I really appreciate any suggestions pointing me in the right direction!

 

[msing539]

Hello, I'm no iem expert but from the ones I've owned, I would rule out the Legato, Z12, and S12 Pro.

The Legato is bassy but muddy and not resolving, the S12 and Z12 are more v-shaped and the timbre is not quite right.

 

[McCheese]

imo you should seriously consider the Truthear Nova, unless you think your dad might be offended/disgusted by the box art.

 

[dbull12]

imo you should seriously consider the Truthear Nova, unless you think your dad might be offended/disgusted by the box art.

These look like they could be really great! After looking into the IEMs in my list more, none of them seem to really be a great fit for what I think he'd like so hopefully the Nova will be the answer. But yeah I'm really not a fan of all the waifus used on IEM packaging and I know he wouldn't be either. I could just present them to him in whatever carry case they come with lol.

I also started looking into offerings from Penon, ISN, and some of the cheaper Thieaudio models. Wonder if any of those would be a good fit

 

[msing539]

These look like they could be really great! After looking into the IEMs in my list more, none of them seem to really be a great fit for what I think he'd like so hopefully the Nova will be the answer. But yeah I'm really not a fan of all the waifus used on IEM packaging and I know he wouldn't be either. I could just present them to him in whatever carry case they come with lol.

I also started looking into offerings from Penon, ISN, and some of the cheaper Thieaudio models. Wonder if any of those would be a good fit

Well... I've been through a few Penons. The Fan, Fan 2, Globe, Orb, Serial, 10th Anniversary, and an ISN EST50.

If you want neutral, just get the Fan 2. Great pair. Serial is dark, lots of bass, very warm. Sounds like an old school speaker.

 

[rinderkappajoe]

might be worth considering

 

[Gyro Zeppeli]

AKG K3003, under 250$, there's nothing can beat this old guy for jazz and classical

 

[captainmuffins]

The EA1000 was one of the easier IEMS that I reviewed this year because its just that good. Bass is pretty interesting with the passive radiator and what it does to the tone.

 

[kmhaynes]

Right at $200, you can't do better than the Ikko OH10 (not the 10S). It has a nice wide soundstage, and a slight sub-bass presence that gives jazz and classical music a full sound -- you hear and feel the acoustic upright bass, the tympanies, AND you hear the finger strum on the jazz upright bass because of the great resolution. Search for it on this forum and you will find a number of people who declare it to be the most underrated IEM under $500. I've had mine for 2+ years now and still am amazed at it's beautiful sound.
You would probably want to upgrade the stock cable, b/c that's the only weak but fixable link of the OH10.

 

[Mooses9]

the shozy neo 5ba are quote good they check alot of boxes

 

[kekappa]

Moondrop Blessing 2 sounds quite amazing for classical music. The sheer neutrality of the IEM really does make instruments shine.