[PinoNL]

There are people running it straight through an iPhone, but these scale very well with source. I am running them balanced out of a sony NW-ZX300.
If you have an amp, use it.

Something to take in account if I decide to buy these IEM’s. Thanks

 

[SLC1966]

DDs I have spent a lot of time with:

Rhapsodio Eden: best timbre I have heard. Reference musical iem. A joy to be with.

Rhapsodio Galaxy v1: amazing bass and treble. Fun

CA Lyra: also neutral and musical. I was left wanting more though.

CA Vega: To intense of a bass for me. Needed a cigarette and a shower after 5 minutes.

Rhapsodio Galaxy V2. Sub bass king. With detail. I could never get a good fit though.

 

[buzzbuzz]

I vote for budget-friendly under $30 Tennmak Pro, with 6mm and 9mm drivers.

 

[bdjul]

Why no one mentions ca atlas?

 

[Joe Tan]

deleted. Wrong tread

 

[Carlsan]

Campfire Audio Atlas. These are musical monsters. 10mm A.D.L.C. Diaphragm Dynamic Driver. The Vegas have more bass, or so I've read as I don't have those, but the Atlas has great extension in both directions, as well as a wide sound-stage. I have the Xelento as well, which I find to be great for mobile use, but for sitting at the office or at home, prefer the Atlas.

If you are looking for a much cheaper and balanced Dynamic, check out the Kanas Pro, highly recommended at it's price point. Diaphragm Material: DLC Diamond-Like Carbon Dynamic.

 

[headwhacker]

I really thought a year and a half ago that I would be a hardcore DD enthusiast. But somehow I started to find BAs that went low and gave me what I was looking for in DD style bass. Not only did I get what I was after in the bass department, but the rest of the signature seemed to work. I have listened to the regular handful of DD only IEMs, but for whatever reason didn’t pull the trigger?

The qdc Anole V3 ($600) goes pretty low as well as the BGVP DM6 ($200). I also have the Sony N3 ($300) and Sony Z5 ($500) hybrids which use DD for bass. But to tell you the truth I don’t seem to notice a difference in bass quality like I thought I would? The DM6 (5 BA) and qdc V3 Anole (3 BA) both go pretty low, but there is a slight character difference if you concentrate on listening for it.

Listening to a lot EDM there is a certain tone that is required for the bass to be driving home; if it’s not there all is lost. I truly feel BA bass can deliver in that regard, but it’s rare at this point in time. IMO

So it seems they are still developing BA bass. It may never have the exact quality of DD decay and tone, but I feel BA technology is still progressing. It’s maybe not what driver style they use but how everything is utilized and tuned?

I don’t want to comment on other stuff that I have only had brief listens to, as really viewpoints for me only seem valid after time, like the previous post suggests, lots and lots of hours.

I have actually quite the opposite direction as you described. I have exclusively been listening to BAs for the past few years. I have NT6, PP8, UE18+Pro, Fitear333 and JH Roxanne. I had few more which I already sold and tried most of the TOTL iem from QDC, 64Audio, CA and I thought I was sold for life with BA iems.

Yes I enjoy their technical ability to present clear, detailed sound. With customs specifically, IEMs bass can dig very deep and hard. Mids and highs sound as clear as glass.

But then I just dusted off my AKt8ieMK2 and it quickly reminded me why I got it a few years ago and held on to it no matter how hard I tell myself that I need to let go a few more in my iem collection. Like many mentioned no BA can match the timber/natural presentation of DD driver. In my experience so far (AKT8ie MK2 specifically), DD driver iems give the closest experience of listening to a desktop speakers on the go.

Unfortunately, while BA has tons of options I find DD on the opposite side of the spectrum. There are not much options like we have in BA and most DD drivers I tried tends to lean on exaggerated V-shape signature which kills the versatility of the iem to listen to wider range of music genre. Thankfully, T8IEMK2 does exactly that for me. Vsonic has also a good DD-based iems. I have a few of their iems (GR09, GR07C and GR07X) and enjoy them quite a lot. But AKT8ieMk2 is still my go to DD iem.

I tried the Xelento and find it brighter than T8ieMK2 but pretty much similar. I remember the MK1 to be warmer and thought sounded a bit muddier when I was comparing them (hence, my preference for MK2). I find the Dita line to be metallic sounding. I have the CA cascade and love it with the cloth pads, but I find the Vega having too much bass. I'm thinking of giving the ie800/s and the Lyra2 a try one of these days.

I am actually looking for something that is more neutral that the T8ieMK2.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I have actually quite the opposite direction as you described. I have exclusively been listening to BAs for the past few years. I have NT6, PP8, UE18+Pro, Fitear333 and JH Roxanne. I had few more which I already sold and tried most of the TOTL iem from QDC, 64Audio, CA and I thought I was sold for life with BA iems.

Yes I enjoy their technical ability to present clear, detailed sound. With customs specifically, IEMs bass can dig very deep and hard. Mids and highs sound as clear as glass.

But then I just dusted off my AKt8ieMK2 and it quickly reminded me why I got it a few years ago and held on to it no matter how hard I tell myself that I need to let go a few more in my iem collection. Like many mentioned no BA can match the timber/natural presentation of DD driver. In my experience so far (AKT8ie MK2 specifically), DD driver iems give the closest experience of listening to a desktop speakers on the go.

Unfortunately, while BA has tons of options I find DD on the opposite side of the spectrum. There are not much options like we have in BA and most DD drivers I tried tends to lean on exaggerated V-shape signature which kills the versatility of the iem to listen to wider range of music genre. Thankfully, T8IEMK2 does exactly that for me. Vsonic has also a good DD-based iems. I have a few of their iems (GR09, GR07C and GR07X) and enjoy them quite a lot. But AKT8ieMk2 is still my go to DD iem.

I tried the Xelento and find it brighter than T8ieMK2 but pretty much similar. I remember the MK1 to be warmer and thought sounded a bit muddier when I was comparing them (hence, my preference for MK2). I find the Dita line to be metallic sounding. I have the CA cascade and love it with the cloth pads, but I find the Vega having too much bass. I'm thinking of giving the ie800/s and the Lyra2 a try one of these days.

I am actually looking for something that is more neutral that the T8ieMK2.

I am picking up a single DD-BA-DD flagship this year as my solitarily IEM purchase for the year.

But I have to say this hobby can be full of turns. Meaning there is nothing wrong with extending personal preferences.

Where in a way this concept is making the hobby more interactive, but I feel it’s always good to have something which is complementary around. Having something which isn’t your preference, but a sound you can adjust to. The way the adjustment works is you start listening to it for a few days a week, until you cross over and listen to it 100% of the time forgetting your old preferences.

For me the complementary IEM is the Noble K10 (10BA) Encore. And just like it is with most IEMs getting the perfect fit both physically and air-tight, is the key to making everything work out. But I would almost call the K10 Encore midcentric, in that yes it has a slight V, but the signature may be a W? It’s so very slight that most view the Encore as flat. So if your used to a bunch of Heavier V shape IEMs the effect of changing over to the Encore seems like all midrange?

The Encore is in many ways the antithesis of DD in that the bass doesn’t have giant decay nor is maybe missing some over and undertones and resonation like you get with DD. It is going just to the edge of what folks would describe as metallic but not really fully going there. What’s left is like the feeling of being in a room listening to fast midcentric near-field monitors.

The Encore for most ideas IS neutral and gets it’s musical involvement by having a cool big soundstage. It’s not THE most detailed but kind of washes everything with a slight mid-fuzz. And just like those treble heads who spend 6 months attempting to go more and more treble with their signature, they finally brag that they can withstand far more treble than they thought in the end. A semi bass head like myself is a fish out of water with the midcentric Encore! But with neutral and with a technical neutral you always have that window where all the musical information is their if you get your head around partaking of it.

With only having big V signatures around, there is no where to go. It’s just that if you don’t have a contrast, everything is the same. Some people get sick of IEMs and sell them thinking they are just the wrong IEM. I believe it’s not a finite discovery to like an IEM, that it could be passing. Hence then you start to like something else.

But I agree the world needs to get more close to neutral DD responses.

In that way we get everything if we can tolerate the lack of V excitement? But as you progress you tend to notice attributes more and more, like I’m pretty sure that BA responses are faster. To the point that I seem to notice that DD response times are slower. But it maybe only because I listen to BAs more now? You seem to get used to stuff as years go by?

 

[Carlsan]

Did someone mention Atlas?

Gold Award – Campfire Audio – Atlas Earphone

 

[dbcampbell]

Has anyone any experience with the TFZ king Ltd or the secret garden? Opinions?

 

[MaxwellDot]

There seem to be other newer DD IEMs coming up.

Anyone had a chance yet to listen to Tanchjim Oxigen yet?.. @IryxBRO has reviewed them and rated them pretty highly. Will not break the bank either at around USD 270...

 

[rakarp]

I have actually quite the opposite direction as you described. I have exclusively been listening to BAs for the past few years. I have NT6, PP8, UE18+Pro, Fitear333 and JH Roxanne. I had few more which I already sold and tried most of the TOTL iem from QDC, 64Audio, CA and I thought I was sold for life with BA iems.

Yes I enjoy their technical ability to present clear, detailed sound. With customs specifically, IEMs bass can dig very deep and hard. Mids and highs sound as clear as glass.

But then I just dusted off my AKt8ieMK2 and it quickly reminded me why I got it a few years ago and held on to it no matter how hard I tell myself that I need to let go a few more in my iem collection. Like many mentioned no BA can match the timber/natural presentation of DD driver. In my experience so far (AKT8ie MK2 specifically), DD driver iems give the closest experience of listening to a desktop speakers on the go.

Unfortunately, while BA has tons of options I find DD on the opposite side of the spectrum. There are not much options like we have in BA and most DD drivers I tried tends to lean on exaggerated V-shape signature which kills the versatility of the iem to listen to wider range of music genre. Thankfully, T8IEMK2 does exactly that for me. Vsonic has also a good DD-based iems. I have a few of their iems (GR09, GR07C and GR07X) and enjoy them quite a lot. But AKT8ieMk2 is still my go to DD iem.

I tried the Xelento and find it brighter than T8ieMK2 but pretty much similar. I remember the MK1 to be warmer and thought sounded a bit muddier when I was comparing them (hence, my preference for MK2). I find the Dita line to be metallic sounding. I have the CA cascade and love it with the cloth pads, but I find the Vega having too much bass. I'm thinking of giving the ie800/s and the Lyra2 a try one of these days.

I am actually looking for something that is more neutral that the T8ieMK2.

Hi, i just ordering GR09 non ceramic version, how do you say it fares against DD TOTL like Xelentos and T8ieMK2 or any great DD iems that you have heard before? I got it pretty cheap for150usd. Thanks

 

[Redcarmoose]

DD-BA-DD

Sony IER-Z1R

Really everything that’s right has been done here. Heavy Magnesium Alloy case for diminished resonance. Phase and time domain correction. A DD driver and DD super tweeter along with a single BA.

Shunning the traditional BA sound signature for an increase in naturalness. Possibility of DD tweeters being the tweeter technology of the future?

 

[headwhacker]

Hi, i just ordering GR09 non ceramic version, how do you say it fares against DD TOTL like Xelentos and T8ieMK2 or any great DD iems that you have heard before? I got it pretty cheap for150usd. Thanks

GR09 is a warm (forward bass and smoother treble) compared to T8ieMK2. It does not have the sparkle that may give it an impression that it sound less resolving. I find it very sensitive to tips. Find one the works best for you. I don't like foam tips on GR09, makes it sound a bit dull.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

Best DD IEMs... I'd say some combination of the Beyerdynamic IEMs (Xelento, A&K T8ie), the old Sony flagships (EX1000, possibly the EX800ST), Rhapsodio DDs (Eden, Galaxy), Acoustune HS1650, CA Vega, and some of the Dita IEMs (don't remember these well)?

I really don't like the Atlas.