IceTea
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2014
- Posts
- 19
- Likes
- 10
What is the best single driver iem?
Can be either BA or Dynamic or Moving Armature. For me, it doesn't really matter, but I genuinely prefer the Bass and Treble response of a good dynamic driver, coupled with the detail and accuracy (but not too much) of a good BA driver. I do not have experience with MAs.
Some good iems that come to mind are Vsonic GR07 classic, bass, MKII, Grado GR10, JVC HA-FX woody series, Final Audio Design stuff etc.
My journey is like this. I have been using Audiotechnica lower end earphones for the best part of around 5 years, back then it was all about the music. Two years ago I obtained a Dunu Trident (~$50) which I believe to be one of the best iems for me to date, good bass response, sparkly treble, lush midrange, and an overall warm and smooth musical presentation that really puts the focus on the music and enjoyment, rather than the iem itself. Of course, now that I have tried higher end iems, I find the quality a bit lacking, but I still like the frequency response of the trident.
Having confidence in Dunu's build quality and sound tuning capabilities, I purchased the Dunu DN-2000 when it came out, and it introduced me to higher quality midrange and treble detail and clarity. Of course, coming from the trident the bass was nowhere near what I expected, so I tune the EQ to the rock setting on my music players. I would still prefer more sub-bass, but whatcha gonna do.
My audio journey has come a long way since then, going into amplifiers (iFi iCan v2, Fiio E12) into more IEMS (FAD Heaven II, Vsonic GR07BE and VSD3 etc), full sized cans (AKG K612) and DACs/DAPs (Fiio E10k, Colorfly C3). Welcome to Head-Fi, I am sorry about my own wallet.
The thing is, I dislike inconvenience. Having an amp or headphones is too bulky and messy for me. I miss the days when I just had a source (iphone) and an iem, and I could just forget about the gear and focus on the music. Of course some will say that an iphone will not do SQ justice, but that's an argument for another day. I am also fascinated by the idea of single driver IEMs (quality over quantity) as I personally believe in more driver coherence and that a less complex design is more durable.
So my question again, what is the best single driver iem? It is not a debate, there is no right or wrong answer. I just want to put some answers out there so I know what to try the next time I go to the store. Assume no budget constraints, bonus points for durability, low profile (maybe to sleep while wearing?), good presentation and soundstage width, depth and height, and of course sound quality.
Can be either BA or Dynamic or Moving Armature. For me, it doesn't really matter, but I genuinely prefer the Bass and Treble response of a good dynamic driver, coupled with the detail and accuracy (but not too much) of a good BA driver. I do not have experience with MAs.
Some good iems that come to mind are Vsonic GR07 classic, bass, MKII, Grado GR10, JVC HA-FX woody series, Final Audio Design stuff etc.
My journey is like this. I have been using Audiotechnica lower end earphones for the best part of around 5 years, back then it was all about the music. Two years ago I obtained a Dunu Trident (~$50) which I believe to be one of the best iems for me to date, good bass response, sparkly treble, lush midrange, and an overall warm and smooth musical presentation that really puts the focus on the music and enjoyment, rather than the iem itself. Of course, now that I have tried higher end iems, I find the quality a bit lacking, but I still like the frequency response of the trident.
Having confidence in Dunu's build quality and sound tuning capabilities, I purchased the Dunu DN-2000 when it came out, and it introduced me to higher quality midrange and treble detail and clarity. Of course, coming from the trident the bass was nowhere near what I expected, so I tune the EQ to the rock setting on my music players. I would still prefer more sub-bass, but whatcha gonna do.
My audio journey has come a long way since then, going into amplifiers (iFi iCan v2, Fiio E12) into more IEMS (FAD Heaven II, Vsonic GR07BE and VSD3 etc), full sized cans (AKG K612) and DACs/DAPs (Fiio E10k, Colorfly C3). Welcome to Head-Fi, I am sorry about my own wallet.
The thing is, I dislike inconvenience. Having an amp or headphones is too bulky and messy for me. I miss the days when I just had a source (iphone) and an iem, and I could just forget about the gear and focus on the music. Of course some will say that an iphone will not do SQ justice, but that's an argument for another day. I am also fascinated by the idea of single driver IEMs (quality over quantity) as I personally believe in more driver coherence and that a less complex design is more durable.
So my question again, what is the best single driver iem? It is not a debate, there is no right or wrong answer. I just want to put some answers out there so I know what to try the next time I go to the store. Assume no budget constraints, bonus points for durability, low profile (maybe to sleep while wearing?), good presentation and soundstage width, depth and height, and of course sound quality.
