Hi all, I'm looking for a cheap "bright-neutral"/"clean"/"clarity-focused" IEM just to expand my palate, so to speak. Note the quotation marks, which is because I have never had a set like those labels so I have no idea what it'll sound like. Bonus if it's particularly good for vocals, as I'm still trying to figure out whether I like warmer vocals or the opposite.
From my cursory search here are my list:
1. HzSound HeartMirror The legend of budget technicalities, but will take some time to ship from China.
2. Tanchjim Ola Some claim it's the king of vocals in its price point, but bass roll-off is a concern shared by many, even for a neutral set.
3. Moondrop SSR ? (No impressions)
4. Moondrop SSP A bassier SSR but I don't know if it's what I'm looking for.
5. Tripowin Lea ? (No impressions)
Which one is the best representation of the described tuning? Are there any other better options?
For a sub $100 neutral bright IEM, I would recommend: DUNU TITAN S or the HZSound Heart Mirror.
The former is more expensive, but it has slightly better timbre and more bass quantity. Technicalities are similar between the 2, except Heart Mirror has a smaller soundstage and is slightly harder to drive.
As for your other considerations: Moondrop SSR is very shouty at the 3 kHz regions, especially at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve). Also has bad isolation and is hard to drive. You can get better sets for the same price nowadays.
Tanchjim OLA is very technical, but the timbre is off and it has a very iffy fit due to too short nozzles and an overly round shell. Most people need aftermarket eartips to secure the fit, this adds to cost. Bad fit = discomfort and a skewed sound signature.
Tripowin Lea is quite okay for 20 bucks, jack of all trades, a bit shouty and timbre is off. I think it is a good beginner IEM, but if you just pay a bit more eg 10 - 15 bucks, you can get the Heart Mirror.
I have never used any expensive headphones before. Currently I want to buy a headset to use for the rest of my life.
I'm deciding between Fiio FD3 pro and Moondrop Kato, because it's in the same price range. Which product should I choose now?
I have read many articles online but the more I read, the more difficult it is to choose. Everyone please help me choose.
I thank you all <3
--
(I usually use headphones when working. And the music genres are turned on randomly, not fixed.)
I have never used any expensive headphones before. Currently I want to buy a headset to use for the rest of my life.
I'm deciding between Fiio FD3 pro and Moondrop Kato, because it's in the same price range. Which product should I choose now?
I have read many articles online but the more I read, the more difficult it is to choose. Everyone please help me choose.
I thank you all <3
--
(I usually use headphones when working. And the music genres are turned on randomly, not fixed.)
I have never used any expensive headphones before. Currently I want to buy a headset to use for the rest of my life.
I'm deciding between Fiio FD3 pro and Moondrop Kato, because it's in the same price range. Which product should I choose now?
I have read many articles online but the more I read, the more difficult it is to choose. Everyone please help me choose.
I thank you all <3
--
(I usually use headphones when working. And the music genres are turned on randomly, not fixed.)
My vote is leaning towards Kato (Matte Edition) between the two, if no significant price gap. Obviously depends on your targeted signature for this purchase. Just like Ibasso IT01 to IT00, Moondrop inherented similar signatures ever since Kanas Pro, KXXS, and now Kato. Some differences, but the direction of sound haven't changed much.
Fiio is Solid like always. Moondrop holds value well and is now more fluid on the market.
I have never used any expensive headphones before. Currently I want to buy a headset to use for the rest of my life.
I'm deciding between Fiio FD3 pro and Moondrop Kato, because it's in the same price range. Which product should I choose now?
I have read many articles online but the more I read, the more difficult it is to choose. Everyone please help me choose.
I thank you all <3
--
(I usually use headphones when working. And the music genres are turned on randomly, not fixed.)
There are a lot of planars for the price of the Kato. TinHifi P1 Max is more relaxed in the treble and has a warmer tone that suites longer listenning. 7Hz Dioko is under $100. Hooke X and Timeless are a bit over $200 but both good choices. S12 is well priced and good reviews but more aggressive. You do need to factor in a better source than a phone to get the most out of them, but on price to performance they are all fantastic. Even Tin P1 plus is on sale now (but probably not as good an option as newer models). I've got I3 Pro and P1 Max, very impressed with both. Those two lean more to warm and musical rather than analytical, so "best" is very much a mater of personal preference. Certainly check out planar options if you're looking for a well performing set.
Hi all, I'm looking for a cheap "bright-neutral"/"clean"/"clarity-focused" IEM just to expand my palate, so to speak. Note the quotation marks, which is because I have never had a set like those labels so I have no idea what it'll sound like. Bonus if it's particularly good for vocals, as I'm still trying to figure out whether I like warmer vocals or the opposite.
From my cursory search here are my list:
1. HzSound HeartMirror The legend of budget technicalities, but will take some time to ship from China.
2. Tanchjim Ola Some claim it's the king of vocals in its price point, but bass roll-off is a concern shared by many, even for a neutral set.
3. Moondrop SSR ? (No impressions)
4. Moondrop SSP A bassier SSR but I don't know if it's what I'm looking for.
5. Tripowin Lea ? (No impressions)
Which one is the best representation of the described tuning? Are there any other better options?
Ola? Because that's the one I don't have Lol. Seriously though my first thought when I saw the list ' peak, peak, peak. ' I like the built of all these, I don't find them as comfort clarity. I have tendency grabbing stuff like Galaxy buds pro or Soundcore X2 over these.
I feel like more often than not, V-shaped hybrid gives out pretty good sense of Clarity. Products similar to KZ Zs7, BA10 could work well.
Also a safe pick could be Etymotic 2, 3, 4 series! If you don't have comfort issue with these. I got pretty good clarity sensation when going deep insertion with old Er4! I think they're now often on sale especially with that Adorama E-mail related promotion link (They're floating around this site). I'm pretty sure Er3 was like $59 just couple days ago. I haven't personally tried Er3 though, assumption was based on Er4-p for that matter.
Ola? Because that's the one I don't have Lol. Seriously though my first thought when I saw the list ' peak, peak, peak. ' I like the built of all these, I don't find them as comfort clarity. I have tendency grabbing stuff like Galaxy buds pro or Soundcore X2 over these.
I feel like more often than not, V-shaped hybrid gives out pretty good sense of Clarity. Products similar to KZ Zs7, BA10 could work well.
Also a safe pick could be Etymotic 2, 3, 4 series! If you don't have comfort issue with these. I got pretty good clarity sensation when going deep insertion with old Er4! I think they're now often on sale especially with that Adorama E-mail related promotion link (They're floating around this site). I'm pretty sure Er3 was like $59 just couple days ago. I haven't personally tried Er3 though, assumption was based on Er4-p for that matter.
There are a lot of planars for the price of the Kato. TinHifi P1 Max is more relaxed in the treble and has a warmer tone that suites longer listenning. 7Hz Dioko is under $100. Hooke X and Timeless are a bit over $200 but both good choices. S12 is well priced and good reviews but more aggressive. You do need to factor in a better source than a phone to get the most out of them, but on price to performance they are all fantastic. Even Tin P1 plus is on sale now (but probably not as good an option as newer models). I've got I3 Pro and P1 Max, very impressed with both. Those two lean more to warm and musical rather than analytical, so "best" is very much a mater of personal preference. Certainly check out planar options if you're looking for a well performing set.
thanks for your comments. I'll go to the store and listen to it.
Also, I just received the CCA Lyra, I hate the treble it presents. It sounds extremely shrill and gives me a headache. so i thought how would the planars present the treble,..
thanks for your comments. I'll go to the store and listen to it.
Also, I just received the CCA Lyra, I hate the treble it presents. It sounds extremely shrill and gives me a headache. so i thought how would the planars present the treble,..
Like everything, they are all different and not many people have ALL of them to compare. So you have to try and piece it together from a variety of reviews. If you don't like harsh treble the TRI brand have non-aggressive treble. At least the Meteor, Starsea and I3 Pro (I haven't heard Starlight or Starshine). Treble-Heads decry them as lacking treble, if you aren't a treble-head, that's a good sign! They also have a new HBB collaboration IEM due out, which has a promising FR graph.
For a sub $100 neutral bright IEM, I would recommend: DUNU TITAN S or the HZSound Heart Mirror.
The former is more expensive, but it has slightly better timbre and more bass quantity. Technicalities are similar between the 2, except Heart Mirror has a smaller soundstage and is slightly harder to drive.
As for your other considerations: Moondrop SSR is very shouty at the 3 kHz regions, especially at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve). Also has bad isolation and is hard to drive. You can get better sets for the same price nowadays.
Tanchjim OLA is very technical, but the timbre is off and it has a very iffy fit due to too short nozzles and an overly round shell. Most people need aftermarket eartips to secure the fit, this adds to cost. Bad fit = discomfort and a skewed sound signature.
Tripowin Lea is quite okay for 20 bucks, jack of all trades, a bit shouty and timbre is off. I think it is a good beginner IEM, but if you just pay a bit more eg 10 - 15 bucks, you can get the Heart Mirror.
The packaging and build is excellent, technicalities are decent, but there are tonal flaws - early upper treble roll off and a shouty upper midrange. The midbass is a bit one-noted and undefined too. It is okay for 30 bucks, but I don't think it competes against higher priced single DDs. Even their predecessor, the Yuan Li, is much better (but more expensive too).
My HZ Heart Mirror finally arrived yesterday and just got around to plugging them in. I'm using the NiceHCK purple furukawa 2.5mm balanced cable I also ordered with it ($18 with coupon). I'm in the middle of the tip rolling but it's shaping up to be very good. Azla Sednaearfit Short (regular - black with blue core) sound the best so far to me. These fit my ears like a glove. So neutral, clean and very fast bass. It might be the best IEM I've heard under $50 (minus cable and eartips) just for its technicalities and instrument separation.
And I also got an Letshuoer S12 as well a few days ago...I haven't mentioned or posted about it yet in other threads...
....I should have gotten the HZ Heart Mirror a long time ago!
My HZ Heart Mirror finally arrived yesterday and just got around to plugging them in. I'm using the NiceHCK purple furukawa 2.5mm balanced cable I also ordered with it ($18 with coupon). I'm in the middle of the tip rolling but it's shaping up to be very good. Azla Sednaearfit Short (regular - black with blue core) sound the best so far to me. These fit my ears like a glove. So neutral, clean and very fast bass. It might be the best IEM I've heard under $50 (minus cable and eartips) just for its technicalities and instrument separation.
And I also got an Letshuoer S12 as well a few days ago...I haven't mentioned or posted about it yet in other threads...
....I should have gotten the HZ Heart Mirror a long time ago!
So you were one of the people who cleared out all the 2.5mm balanced cables before I got there! All they had were 3.5mm and 4.4mm left. I ordered an mmx and a 2 pin in 3.5mm. It was a pretty good deal, how is the cable?
Hello,
I bought a FiiO btr5 which goes well with my wired momentum. I am delighted with the evolution compared to the direct connection to the gsm or the computer.
Now I would like to acquire an intra for traveling that would be ok with my FiiO to listen to classical (mainly instrumental piano and guitar), rock and pop. And with decent passive isolation.
Would you have any models to recommend to me for a maximum budget of 400€ ( but cheaper is good too ). Because I don't know anything about it.
Thanks
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
). Because I don't know anything about it.