[beepborp]

Hi there!
Crossposted from elsewhere:

I'm not a huge fan of the Moondrop Starfields I currently have.

Weirdly narrow soundstage, unnecessary treble boost... I'm a complete amateur when it comes to IEMs but I know these are not what I'm looking for. They're still good, but they're not the improvement I was expecting over regular earbuds like my TCL Socl300. The Starfields irritate my outer-ear in a way that those don't.

I thought I liked them for a while but I definitely feel underwhelmed even after a couple of months of burn-in. I want something I can check mixes on and even mix with if I don't have access to real monitors or nicer headphones... so basically as balanced as possible given the price range (originally under $100, now maxed out at $250 bc I cannot afford much higher). Would definitely prefer MMCX connectors so I'm ambivalent towards the Etymotics I keep hearing about - also the whole deep ear thing looks uncomfortable lol

Comfort is a plus but not a priority. would love to do casual listening because I'm also a music reviewer in addition to a composer and mixer, but if it's 'clinical' that's ok.

The priority is confidence that I can trust what I'm hearing, even if it's not necessarily as precise as $1000 IEMs.

Somebody recommended the Drop + JVC HA-FDX1 but I've heard that even with the dampening filters, it has a significant treble peak. I'm very treble sensitive so I would rather have something more warm-neutral if it can't be Balanced™.

Hope this is reasonable!

 

[KutuzovGambit]

Haven't gotten my set yet but I'm in a not-dissimilar boat and recently ordered the NF Audio NM2+ that just came out. They're specifically designed for monitoring and some of the regulars here have been raving about them.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/nf-audio-impression-thread.923589/

If you're in the US, they're on Drop for $152 and come with $20 in rewards points.

 

[baskingshark]

Hi there!
Crossposted from elsewhere:

I'm not a huge fan of the Moondrop Starfields I currently have.

Weirdly narrow soundstage, unnecessary treble boost... I'm a complete amateur when it comes to IEMs but I know these are not what I'm looking for. They're still good, but they're not the improvement I was expecting over regular earbuds like my TCL Socl300. The Starfields irritate my outer-ear in a way that those don't.

I thought I liked them for a while but I definitely feel underwhelmed even after a couple of months of burn-in. I want something I can check mixes on and even mix with if I don't have access to real monitors or nicer headphones... so basically as balanced as possible given the price range (originally under $100, now maxed out at $250 bc I cannot afford much higher). Would definitely prefer MMCX connectors so I'm ambivalent towards the Etymotics I keep hearing about - also the whole deep ear thing looks uncomfortable lol

Comfort is a plus but not a priority. would love to do casual listening because I'm also a music reviewer in addition to a composer and mixer, but if it's 'clinical' that's ok.

The priority is confidence that I can trust what I'm hearing, even if it's not necessarily as precise as $1000 IEMs.

Somebody recommended the Drop + JVC HA-FDX1 but I've heard that even with the dampening filters, it has a significant treble peak. I'm very treble sensitive so I would rather have something more warm-neutral if it can't be Balanced™.

Hope this is reasonable!

Personally, I won't use IEMs for mixing or doing audio work as most of them have inferior soundstage compared to headphones, but YMMV.

Most of my friends use the Sony MDR7506 and the Audiotechnica M40X for audio work (I personally use the latter), but these are headphones.

For IEMs wise, they ain't my first choice (as above), but I would suggest to try something neutralish like the Tin Hifi T2, CVJ CS8, HZsound Heart Mirror, those are the ones at the budget segment that are pretty neutralish (most of the other budget types tend to be V shaped or harmanish, which colours the frequencies and IMHO ain't that suitable for audio work). If u can up your budget a bit more, u can check out the Audiosense DT200.