[TLDRonin]

A friend was looking into getting some IEMs for about ~$80 with some focus on bass. Any recommendations?


Off the top of my head I was thinking either the z5000,final e3000, or the t2 w/ the vent mod

 

[vetsin]

Hi guys! I've been reading the past few hundred posts and trying to gauge whether these iems are for me. I still have a bunch of unused earphones that came with my phones and I wouldn't really want to add more but your praises for these budget IEMs is enticing. I'm using an LG V20 right now.
I love my Koss PortaPro and if I'm not using that I have my Xiaomi In-ear Headphones Pro (this one:https://www.mi.com/sg/headphonespro/) or an old pair stock Sony earphones that came with a walkman. The bass in the Xiaomi is already a bit too much for me. The Sony is ok, nothing special.
Is the soundstage from an open back headphones like the PortaPro achievable in these IEMs? Which one would you recommend? I'm not a basshead and isolation is not a priority. Is there something our there at this price range that sounds like the PortaPro or if we go even higher, the Audiotechnica MTH-R70x (maybe that is too much )? Thanks!!!

 

[HungryPanda]

A friend was looking into getting some IEMs for about ~$80 with some focus on bass. Any recommendations?


Off the top of my head I was thinking either the z5000,final e3000, or the t2 w/ the vent mod

BQEYZ BQ3

 

[ssnjrthgr8]

What are some good $10-25 IEMs with detachable cables? Something with good bass extension and clarity (should perform decently on complex tracks). I would prefer dynamic driver stuff although it wouldn't matter if it's a hybrid done right. I have some KZ and TRN stuff on my list for now.

 

[Zerohour88]

My C630 disintegrated finally due to repeated use (not really, just the glue came off on both earpiece, I can just glue them back on).

those tiny vents at the back are literally just 2 tiny holes and really far off to the side being somewhat blocked by the cable. A single resistor acting as the crossover. Now tempted to mod these into removable cables.

as I'm laying around the house being in pain from a bike accident, the QM05 arrived, might as well. Lots of time now to test them. Early impressions, really good soundstage and imaging, boomy bass muddying up the clarity a bit (the reverb of sub-bass adding to the illusion of an airy soundstage). Bass decay aren't fast enough to my liking, but for less than $10, brilliant. Mids and highs feels a bit smoothed out, helps if you're worried about sibilance. Excellent extension on both ends regardless. A bit V-shaped, I guess? Listened at low volumes and with spiral dot tips (interchanging with KZ starlines, still can't decide which I like better). Source was the Breeze Audio SE4 (Sabre USB DAC).

heads up to @1clearhead for the recommendation. Was looking for another beater IEM and got quite a gem.

 

[thejoker13]

A friend was looking into getting some IEMs for about ~$80 with some focus on bass. Any recommendations?


Off the top of my head I was thinking either the z5000,final e3000, or the t2 w/ the vent mod

TFZ series 2 have great bass in both quality and quantity. They're one of the better implementations of a graphene drivers that I've heard, and especially for their 50.00 or less price point.

 

[weedophile]

It might be nice to have a proper GEM forum which only concerns the <50 & 20 category. The 100ish are covered without much argumenting as only 5 or so IEMs would come on top democratrically.
The 20ish is another to argue about as new discoveries are regularly found (a moshpit).

"Gems" are a different story when in the >100usd ball park, and often gravitate towared 150,200, 250eu with different opinions as if 50eu were nothing more than pocket change. In context, understandable.

I know this has been discussed before, and I think it's a great idea.

There are always those looking for extreme budget options (students, etc).

It would also be nice to have a wall of fame, like Tyll maintained. And like Vidal's. Except one on HF.

I remb @Nymphonomaniac did a poll twice or something and he updated the first post semi-regularly but not too sure where is he. Last i read is that he has a baby arriving so probably investing in papa time now.

 

[TLDRonin]

I remb @Nymphonomaniac did a poll twice or something and he updated the first post semi-regularly but not too sure where is he. Last i read is that he has a baby arriving so probably investing in papa time now.

Damn, thats too bad. The first page really could use a revamp but @Nymphonomaniac is the only one who can do it

 

[handwander]

Maybe make a new thread? This is 500 posts long and I'm not sure if anyone is looking for recommendations from the 2016 posts.

 

[CKT1138]

I got my TinAudio T2's the other day and my impressions are actually quite different from the general consensus I read about online.
People seen to generally agree that the T2's have a bass-light, neutral/mid centric sound.
I personally would describe them as neutral to bassy, actually.
I don't think mine are counterfeit, for one, I doubt they exist, two, I purchased it from a reputable seller, and three, they are of extremely high quality, and they actually sound very nice, but certainly nowhere near the bright or neutral sound some users describe.
Is there anyone else who feels the same?

 

[TLDRonin]

I got my TinAudio T2's the other day and my impressions are actually quite different from the general consensus I read about online.
People seen to generally agree that the T2's have a bass-light, neutral/mid centric sound.
I personally would describe them as neutral to bassy, actually.
I don't think mine are counterfeit, for one, I doubt they exist, two, I purchased it from a reputable seller, and three, they are of extremely high quality, and they actually sound very nice, but certainly nowhere near the bright or neutral sound some users describe.
Is there anyone else who feels the same?

Is it possible your eartips are covering the vents? That would increase the bass

 

[CKT1138]

Is it possible your eartips are covering the vents? That would increase the bass

possibly, but I'm using one of the smaller factory eartips provided.

 

[NeonHD]

I got my TinAudio T2's the other day and my impressions are actually quite different from the general consensus I read about online.
People seen to generally agree that the T2's have a bass-light, neutral/mid centric sound.
I personally would describe them as neutral to bassy, actually.
I don't think mine are counterfeit, for one, I doubt they exist, two, I purchased it from a reputable seller, and three, they are of extremely high quality, and they actually sound very nice, but certainly nowhere near the bright or neutral sound some users describe.
Is there anyone else who feels the same?

That all depends on what your definition of a bright or neutral sound is. I cannot emphasize enough how subjective these terms are, and I know many people here use these terms in many different ways so I think it's best to talk about the sound of IEMs in a comparative way (e.g. saying T2 is less neutral than [other IEM] rather than just saying it is not neutral) and in an objective way (avoiding the use of "neutral" or "bright" altogether and only using quantitative measurements).

However like TLDRonin mentioned, it's most likely that the bass vents are blocked so I'd try more a shallow insertion so that your ears won't cover the vents.

 

[CKT1138]

That all depends on what your definition of a bright or neutral sound is. I cannot emphasize enough how subjective these terms are, and I know many people here use these terms in many different ways so I think it's best to talk about the sound of IEMs in a comparative way (e.g. saying T2 is less neutral than [other IEM] rather than just saying it is not neutral) and in an objective way (avoiding the use of "neutral" or "bright" altogether and only using quantitative measurements).

However like TLDRonin mentioned, it's most likely that the bass vents are blocked so I'd try more a shallow insertion so that your ears won't cover the vents.

I'll continue to experiment, then!
Honestly they still sound really nice with the slightly increased bass, I really love the T2s so far, I might end up buying the pros someday

 

[Asymptote123]

Good observation and details of your experience, though in listening to the QM05, to me they sounded more balanced with excellent midrange and treble extension. I found these to have a better 3D image and overall resolution than your average dynamic IEM. I would also say these are more to the bright side with extended bass, which the the Tinaudio T2 seems to sound leaner when comparing both. Finally, try burning them in for at least 100 hours to see if it made a difference for you. I actually own two (2) QM05 and they sound exactly the same after the initial 100 hours of burning time.

Question? Are you comparing them with silicone ear tips, or foam-comply ear tips, or a mixture of both?

The reason I ask is because it does change the sound quite a bit according to the source being used.


-Clear

To me QCY QM05 are bass heavy and present an 'L' shape sound signature with nice details and a feeling of warmth. They are fun though. I also bought 2 pairs.
I am using the same tips that came attached to these; do you recommend any that are worth trying?

What are some good $10-25 IEMs with detachable cables? Something with good bass extension and clarity (should perform decently on complex tracks). I would prefer dynamic driver stuff although it wouldn't matter if it's a hybrid done right. I have some KZ and TRN stuff on my list for now.

For your budget, I would recommend Kz Ed16 or TRN V80.
Here are my impressions when using cell phones as a source or bt3 cable.
- V80 got slightly more micro-detail than ED16. V80 build quality and stock cable is better than ED16.
- But V80 is also more sibilant than ED16 and has way more white noise during phone calls via bt3 cable.

If you are okay with a non-detachable cable then Uiisii CM5 is a balanced, melodious and very detailed dynamic IEM that uses graphene driver.

Attached pic shows CM5, Tin Audio T2, ED16 and V80. V80 is noticeably heavier than others.