[crinacle]

After much support and slightly more than a year, I think it's time to migrate to something that's easier to maintain. BBcode is a huge pain, along with the fact that it breaks on mobile devices and missing crucial functions such as sorting.

The ranking list shall continue, just not on this platform anymore.

→ CRINACLE'S NEW REHOSTED IEM RANKING LIST ←​

The last update will be preserved below for history's sake.

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In-Ear Fidelity homepage
r/InEarFidelity subreddit
Facebook page
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Article list

• How graphs can be manipulated
• Periodic Be modification guide

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Spoiler: The final Head-Fi update, per 06/01/19

Tier S
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
64 Audio A/U12t	12BA	Amazing bass (for a BA), top-tier resolution and detail-oriented signature.	Mild U-shape	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$2,000
Audeze LCD-i4 (Cipher)	Planar	Low distortion, high resolution, excellent dynamics and expectedly open soundstage.	Harman-neutral	Stereo SG demo unit	$2,500
Jomo Flamenco Pre-2018	11BA	One of, if not the most detailed IEMs available though imaging can be quite narrow.	Variable	Review unit	$2,200
qdc 8SL/Gemini/Anole VX	8/10BA	Reference tuning with good tonality and top-level resolution. Similar tunings across top tier models.	Neutral with bass boost	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,410 ~ $2,030
Shure KSE1200	Electrostatic	Easily at the top in terms of resolution and definition. Necessitates foam tips for proper tonal balance.	Bright DF-neutral	A2A Melbourne demo unit	$2,000
Vision Ears VE8	8BA	Extremely coherent signature with a pleasing tuning and high technicalities.	Warm neutral	E1 demo unit	$2,700
Tier S-
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
64 Audio Tia Trio	2BA 1DD	A more correct sounding version of the Fourte with slight cutbacks in staging and sheer resolution.	Warm	E1 demo unit	$2,300
64 Audio A/U18 Tzar	18BA	A rather simple and "mainstream" tuning refined to an extremely high level.	Warm V-shape	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$3,000
Campfire Andromeda (S)	5BA	Highly coherent, easy-to-love tuning and spacious headstage	Warm with upper treble sparkle	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,100
InEar Prophile-8	8BA	Very "studio" like sound, heavy priority on technicalities	Neutral	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,600
Jomo Flamenco 2018	11BA	Tuned to be more pleasing and tonally accurate compared to the old Flamenco at the cost of sheer detail.	Warm neutral	Showfloor demo unit	$2,200
Jomo Samba	8BA	Lively and engaging with big clarity and detail, perhaps too much for some	V-shaped	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,900
Jomo Trinity SS	2EST 4BA 1DD	Highly detailed, well separated imaging though severely lacking in treble extension.	Upper mid focused	Showfloor demo unit	$2,800
Sony MDR-EX1000	DD	Outstanding imaging and detail retrieval though can be intense to listen to.	Bright DF-neutral	Third party unit	Discontinued
Ultimate Ears UE18+ Pro Gen 2	6BA	Somewhat reference tuning with emphasis on tonal accuracy and naturalness	Warm neutral	Personal unit	Replaced by Gen 3
Unique Melody Legacy	12BA	Beautifully tuned yet highly technically proficient	Neutral with bass boost	Stereo SG demo unit	$1,650
Vision Ears Erlkonig	13BA	Good tonality, high resolution and an overall decent all-rounder.	Variable	Third party unit	$4,800

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Tier A+
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
64 Audio Tia Fourte	3BA 1DD	Unique sound; high clarity and bass response with immensely wide staging, held back by a wonky tonality.	W-shaped	E1 demo unit	$3,600
AAW W900	8BA 1DD	Natural bass, outstanding imaging with slightly nasally timbre.	Warm neutral	Personal unit	$1,500
A&K T8iE	DD	Hard-to-dislike tuning with excellent clarity and resolution	Neutral with bass boost	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	Replaced by Xelento
Beyerdynamic Xelento	DD	Like the T8iE, with a little more treble	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,000
Campfire Solaris	3BA 1DD	Coherent and well balanced hybrid though with slight midrange hollowness.	"Balanced"	E1 demo unit	$1,500
Empire Ears Legend X	5BA 2DD	High resolution hybrid flawed only by lack of control in the bass regions.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$2,300
Empire Ears Zeus-XR ADEL	14BA	Top tier detail and resolution with poor tone and timbre reproduction.	Bright neutral	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$2,730
FitEar MH334SR	4BA	A MH334 with more treble extension and more opened imaging.	Warm neutral	Third party unit	$2,000
Hyla CE-5	1Piezo 2BA 1DD	Probably the best bass response I've ever heard. Thin-ish midrange that sounds unnatural on certain instruments.	U/W-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$915
Hyla TE-5B	1Piezo 2BA 1DD	Similar to the CE-5 though ever-so-slightly thinner in the midrange.	U/W-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,300
Jomo Trinity Brass	2EST 4BA 1DD	The warmer of the Trinity models, sacrificing technical ability for a more pleasing and smoother tone.	Warm	Showfloor demo unit	$2,800
Kumitate KL-Sirius	4BA	Excellent technical ability, well tuned with a dash of Japanese flavour.	Neutral	Third party custom	$815
Noble Khan	1Piezo 4BA 1DD	Clean yet lean, solid low-end rumble but treble get splashy. Technical but lacking naturalness for top performance.	U-shaped	Third party unit	$2,300
PEARS SH3	3BA	Great detail pickup and solid all-rounder, perhaps a little strident.	Neutral	Third party unit	$1,100
Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor (UERM)	3BA	The benchmark of an era, dead-flat with an upper treble boost	Neutral	Personal custom	Replaced by UERR
Sony IER-M9	5BA	Neutral tonality, highly coherent and decent detail pickup.	Warm neutral	Showfloor demo unit	$1,500
Spiral Ears SE5U	5BA	Outstanding imaging and separation, though high specific with instrument timbre.	"Balanced"	Third party custom	$2,000
StereoPravda SB7	7BA	Technically proficient but marred by a sharp timbre. Interesting concept.	Bright DF-neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$2,500
Tier A
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
64 Audio N8	8BA 1DD	Sub-bass focus, rich and smooth yet relatively neutral in tone.	Bassy	Personal custom	$1,700
Audeze iSine 20 (Cipher)	Planar	DSP corrects the glaring tonality issues and brings out the iSine driver's full potential.	Harman-neutral	Stereo SG demo unit	$600
Audeze LCDi4	Planar	Low distortion, high resolution and excellent clarity marred by poor tuning which destroys timbre.	"Balanced"	Stereo SG demo unit	$2,500
Dita Dream	DD	Excellent resolution and detail let down by its metallic tonality and thin midrange	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,800
Elysian Terminator	8BA	Well rounded smooth signature that doesn't offend.	Warm V-shape	Showfloor demo unit	$2,500
Empire Ears Phantom	5BA	Heavy, rich and decadent, great for male vocals and bassy instruments.	Warm	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,800
FitEar MH334	4BA	Perfect for female vocals, but otherwise quite coloured	Warm	Third party custom	$1,900
FitEar TG334	4BA	Like the MH334 with quite a bit less treble	Dark	Personal unit	$1,400
Hidition NT6	6BA	If Etymotic made a multi-BA IEM, this would be the closest to that dream	DF-neutral	Null Audio demo unit	$1,050
Hidition NT8	8BA	Coloured neutral kind of sound that works better with Asian genres.	Neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,850
InEar SD5	5BA	Excels in timbre reproduction and has an overall pleasant signature.	Warm V-shape	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,100
JH Roxanne	12BA	Rich and smooth, perfect for male vocals	Warm	A2A Melbourne demo unit	$1,745
Jomo Quatre	3BA 1DD	Nicely tuned hybrid that serves as a good all-rounder.	V-shaped	Euphoria Audio demo unit	$1,500
Lime Ears Aether	5BA	Excellent clarity and tone but marred slightly by slightly lackluster resolution	Neutral with bass boost	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,350
NCM Bella	8BA 1DD	Powerful bass combined with clean sounding mids, though perhaps a tad aggressive at times.	U-shaped	Review unit	$1,050
Noble K10	10BA	Very safe tuning, almost to the point of boredom. Does nothing wrong but nothing right either	Neutral with bass boost	Stereo SG demo unit	Replaced by K10 Encore
Noble K10 Encore	10BA	Reference oriented sound focused on technicalities	Neutral	Stereo SG demo unit	$1,850
Noble Katana	9BA	Like the K10, except with less bass	Neutral with laid back treble	Stereo SG demo unit	$1,850
Oriolus MK2	3BA 1DD	Lively yet non-fatiguing hybrid experience	Warm	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,100
qdc 4SS	4BA	High clarity, high resolution reference-type monitor with spot-on tone.	Neutral	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$700
qdc 5SH	5BA	Fun, lively signature that retains high levels of performance.	V-shaped	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$900
Sony MDR-EX800ST/MDR7550	DD	A more forgiving, warmer version of the EX1000.	Bright DF-neutral	Third party unit	$350
Sony Justear XJE-MH2 "Club Sound"	1BA 1DD	Nice, pleasant signature that is reminiscent of a more textured HS1551.	Warm DF-neutral	Third party custom	$2,150
Soranik Ion	5BA	Clearly inspired by the 334, follows the same strengths in female vocals	Warm	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,100
Stealthsonics U9 JDM	8BA 1DD	Does away with the timbre issues of the standard U9.	Neutral with bass boost	Showfloor demo unit	$1,100
Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered (UERR)	3BA	Warm with good tonality. Good all-rounder albeit definitely not a reference signature.	Neutral with laid-back treble	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,000
Ultimate Ears UE18+ Pro Gen 3	6BA	Perceived more neutrally compared to the Gen 2; less emotional, more boring.	"Balanced"	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,500
Unique Melody Maestro V2	12BA	It's... there. Hard to find words for this one	"Balanced"	Stereo SG demo unit	$2,000
Westone ES60	6BA	Great timbre and well-tuned, held back by its resolution	Neutral with laid-back treble	A2A Melbourne demo unit	$1,300
Westone W80	8BA	Nicely balanced, intimate and slightly dry. Perhaps the least Westone-sounding Westone.	Warm neutral	A2A Melbourne demo unit	$1,500
Tier A-
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
64 Audio A8	8BA	Bass monster. Bass, bass and more bass	Bassy	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,400
AAW W500	4BA 1DD	Energetic mids and highly natural bass	Warm with upper midrange boost	Jaben SG demo unit	$1,100
Acoustune HS1650	DD	Well textured and energetic with a sub-bass focus.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$650
Campfire Atlas	DD	Gobs of bass with added treble sparkle that prevents complete congestion and muddiness.	Bassy	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,300
Custom Art Harmony 8.2	8BA	Smooth and easy signature. No fatigue whatsoever. The definition of a lounging IEM.	Warm	Personal unit	$1,300
Empire Ears Spartan-IV ADEL	4BA	Good clarity, good staging, good resolution	"Balanced"	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$930
Empire Ears EVR	3BA	A nicely tuned flat-ish signature with good technical ability all around.	Neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$800
Empire Ears Vantage	1BA 2DD	A Legend-X-mini, essentially. Nice alternative on a budget.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,400
Etymotic ER4XR	BA	A more mainstream tuning of the ER4S/SR with slightly boosted bass.	DF-neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$350
FitEar Parterre	2BA?	Intimate, smooth and laidback sound	Warm	Jaben SG demo unit	$1,200
Hidition NT6 Pro	6BA	A V-shaped version of the NT6. The change in tuning kills the technical ability slightly	Neutral with bass boost	Null Audio demo unit	$1,100
Hidition Waltz	3BA	Neutral-fun signature that works both as a reference monitor and a rock-out IEM.	Harman-neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	?
Hyla TE-5T	1Piezo 2BA 1DD	Very Japanese-sounding with a massive upper harmonic focus, too much for many genres.	Upper mid focused	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,300
Lime Ears Model X	4BA	Technically capable IEM that goes from decently neutral to warm and smooth in a pinch.	Neutral/Warm	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,000
Massdrop Plus	3BA	Reference-targeted sound with excellent clarity and detail, with a slightly more fun tuning.	DF-neutral with bass boost	Review unit	$300
Moondrop Blessing	4BA 1DD	All rounder that comes the closest to the Harman Target.	Harman-neutral	Review unit	$400
NocturnaL Atlantis	4BA	Reference signature with immense clarity and energy.	Neutral	Treoo demo unit	$600
Sony IER-M7	4BA	Balanced across the board, though doesn't seem to excel in any particular area.	Warm neutral	Showfloor demo unit	$800

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Tier B+
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
Acoustune HS1551	DD	Warm and smooth tonality with a pleasing tuning not many would hate.	Warm V-shape	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$500
Etymotic ER4PT	BA	Slightly rolled off treble with good detail and resolution, though imaging is too two-dimensional.	Warm neutral	Personal unit	$300
Campfire Jupiter	4BA	Great clarity and staging though with odd upper midrange.	"Balanced"	Connect IT demo unit	$800
Custom Art FIBAE3	3BA	A clarity-focused IEM. Weak in staging, perhaps too thin on the note weight but ultimately does its kind of sound without hiccups.	Mid-centric	Review unit	$625
Dita Fidelity	DD	The more technical and less natural sounding of the Dita twins.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,300
Earsonics EM10	10BA	Oddly low dynamics makes this sound rather dead and lifeless.	Neutral with bass boost	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$2,300
Empire Ears Nemesis	3BA 2DD	A lot more treble compared to the Vantage.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,600
FitEar F/A111	BA	A laid-back take on reference with Suyama's FitEar colouration mixed in	Warm neutral	Jaben SG demo unit	$780
FitEar Private 333	3BA	Very exciting and sharp signature. Almost seems like it's made for higher-pitched vocals.	Bright	Jaben SG demo unit	$1,500
HUM Reference	BA	Basically sounds like a shallow-fit ER4S.	DF-neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,300
HUM Pristine Reference	2BA	Good detail pickup and generally inoffensive. Much better than the universal.	Warm	Third party custom	$1,400
iBasso IT04	3BA 1DD	A nice improvement over the IT03 though midrange hollowness still exists.	U-shaped	E1 demo unit	$500
Rhapsodio Galaxy	DD	Lively and engaging but avoiding fatigue still. Rare combo	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,450
Rhapsodio Solar	10BA	Good bass, good treble, good midrange... an all-rounder, essentially	Mild V-shape	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,550
Sennheiser IE800	DD	Good bass with shimmery treble. Decent tonality.	Mild V-shape	Jaben SG demo unit	$800
Sony XBA-N3	1BA 1DD	Exceptional tonal balance only limited by its slightly smoothed over definition	Neutral with bass boost	ConnectIT demo unit	$300
Unique Melody Martian	2BA 2DD	Well-tuned hybrid with excellent bass response and smooth midrange.	Neutral with bass boost	Stereo SG demo unit	$700
VSonic GR09	DD	Smooth and laid-back while hitting the right timbre	Warm	LMUE demo unit	?
Tier B
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
AAW W350	3BA	Warm, smooth and easy to listen to.	Warm	Stereo SG demo unit	Discontinued
Acoustune HS1501	DD	A more textured, bassier and more energetic version of the HS1551.	Warm V-shape	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$500
Acoustune HS1670	DD	Metallic and shrill timbre makes this hard to enjoy.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$800
ACS Encore	3BA	Good all-rounder. No slouch in the technicalities.	Neutral	Jaben SG demo unit	$1,130
AKG N5005	4BA 1DD	Amazing bass control only let down by plastic timbre.	Neutral with bass boost	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,000
ARC Pollux	BA	Well-tuned neutral single-BA IEM.	Neutral	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$300
Audio Technica ATH-E70	3BA	Clean and clear sound with a slight warm tilt without losing treble sparkle.	Neutral with bass boost	Jaben Melbourne demo unit	$400
Aurisonics ASG-2.0	2BA 1DD	Decent hybrid with good balance throughout the spectrum. Potential for monstrous bass.	Mild V-shape, bassy	Personal unit	Discontinued
Campfire Vega	DD	Powerful bass, sharp treble and muffled midrange.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,300
Campfire Dorado	2BA 1DD	Extremely coherent albeit slightly congested. Great for intimacy lovers.	Warm	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,000
Campfire Polaris	1BA 1DD	Pseudo-Japanese tuning focusing on female vocals and a very lively signature.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$600
Custom Art FIBAE Black	1BA	Smooth, neutral-ish signature that serves as an all rounder.	Warm neutral	Third party custom	$500
Dita Brass	DD	Very nice tonal characteristics with good bass, though nothing special technically.	Warm V-shape	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1000?
Dita Fealty	DD	The more natural sounding and less technical of the Dita twins.	Mild V-shape	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,300
Dunu DK-3001	3BA 1DD	Well-tuned and coherent. Does little wrong and very easy to like.	Mild V-shape	LMUE demo unit	$500
Empire Ears ESR	3BA	Has the technical chops but is sharp and fatiguing.	Bright V-shape	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,000
Empire Ears Bravado	1BA 1DD	A basic hybrid sound with big bass and energetic treble.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$700
Fidue A91 "Sirius"	4BA 1DD	Uniquely tuned hybrid. Not very powerful DD bass with Diffuse-Field midrange.	Mid-centric	LMUE demo unit	$900
FiiO FH5	3BA 1DD	Stellar bass response and decent technical ability, not much to fault.	Neutral with bass boost	E1 demo unit	$260
FitEar EST	1EST 1BA	Smooth and relaxing listen, though definition is not its strong suit.	Warm	Jaben SG demo unit	$1,300
FLC8S	2BA 1DD	Very good technicalities with a well-tuned signature. Filters change the sound a lot.	Variable	Personal unit	$350
Hifiman RE2000	DD	Lively sound with great technicalities and substandard tonality.	Mild V-shape	A2A Melbourne demo unit	$2,000
Hyla Nerva X	10BA	Low dynamics, rolled off and nothing that it really excels in.	Dark	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$2,730
JH Audio JH13v2 Performance Series	8BA	Good all rounder, slightly warmer and more coherent than the custom version	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,000
Jomo Jomo4v2	4BA	Somewhat "reference-style" V-shaped with reduced upper treble. Very good clarity and detail.	Mild V-shape	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$750
Kumitate KL-REF Type-S	3BA 2DD	Well tuned but unfortunately suffers from very odd timbre.	Neutral (with bass boost)	Third party unit	$1,350
Periodic Audio Be	DD	Meaty with decent sparkle in the treble, whilst remaining clear and clean.	Mild V-shape	Review unit	$300
qdc Anole V3	3BA	The bassier of the Anole brothers. Better timbre but worse technicalities.	Variable	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$600
qdc Anole V6	6BA	The more mid-centric of the Anole brothers. Better technicalities but worse timbre.	Variable	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,100
Shozy & Neo BG	5BA	Well balanced tuning with decent resolution and no egregious weaknesses.	Neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$280
Shure SE846	4BA	Deep reaching bass but with an odd tonality in the rest of the spectrum.	Neutral with bass boost	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,000
Sony XBA-A3	2BA 1DD	Coherent hybrid with a warm-ish tilt to its tone.	Neutral with bass boost	Third party unit	$480
Sony XBA-Z5	2BA 1DD	All-rounder. Somewhat neutral both in FR and tonality.	"Balanced"	Showfloor demo unit	$700
Stealthsonics U9	8BA 1DD	An otherwise capable hybrid caught out by nasally and odd midrange.	Neutral	Showfloor demo unit	$1,100
Ultimate Ears UE7 Pro	3BA	Good clarity and detail with boosted, warm bass and controlled treble.	Warm neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$850
Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10 "TF10"	3BA	Decent tonality and timbre. Not as detailed as the new kids on the block but has the fundamentals down.	Warm	Personal unit	Discontinued
Unique Melody MacBeth	1BA 1DD	Extremely clear but may be too thin for some.	U-shaped	Third party unit	~$600
VSonic GR07X	DD	Jack of all trades. Has all the fundamentals down to a T.	Neutral	Personal unit	$200
Warbler Prelude	BA	Rolled off on both ends with a very typical single-BA sound.	Dark	Third party custom	$1,100
Tier B-
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
AAW A3H Pro V2	2BA 1DD	Decent technicalities with well controlled bass and treble rolloff.	Warm	Personal custom	$370
Audeze iSine 10/20	Planar	Low distortion, high resolution and excellent clarity marred by poor tuning which destroys timbre.	Unique	Stereo SG demo unit	$400
Audio Technica ATH-IM02	2BA	Well-balanced, excellent tuning and good technical ability.	Warm neutral	Third party unit	Replaced by LS200
BGVP DM6	5BA	Warm tilt in tone, decent detail retrieval though definition is a little too smoothed over.	Warm V-shape	Third party unit	$200
Elysian Artemis	3BA	Thick, warm and smooth signature without complete sacrifice in technicalities.	Warm	Review unit	$600
Final Audio E4000	DD	Rather standard sounding, non-offensive and neutral in tone.	V-shaped	E1 demo unit	$180
Final Audio E5000	DD	Less treble than the E4000 for a slightly different flavour.	Warm	E1 demo unit	$280
ikko OH1	1BA 1DD	Well controlled sub-bass focus, high clarity and has an inherent "Asian" signature.	Upper mid focused	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$140
InEar Stagediver SD2	2BA	Well-balanced, excellent tuning and good technical ability. Similar to IM02.	Warm neutral	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$450
Oriolus Forsteni	2BA 1DD	Great sparkle, deep-reaching DD bass and high clarity. Spacious staging.	U-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$375
Oriveti New Primacy	2BA 1DD	Rather balanced, almost neutral hybrid. All rounder.	Warm neutral	Jaben Melbourne demo unit	$300
Rhapsodio Zombie	8BA 1DD	Not the cleanest bass and with coherency issues that shouldn't exist for an IEM of its asking price.	Bassy	Review unit	$1,800
TFZ King Pro	DD	Powerful yet controlled bass response, good snap in the treble, doesn't sacrifice too much in the midrange.	V-shaped	Third party unit	$170
Ultimate Ears UE6 Pro	1BA 2DD	A capable hybrid with little weaknesses.	"Balanced"	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$700
Ultimate Ears UE11 Pro	4BA	Quite a bit of low-end emphasis. Overly-congested and smeared transients.	Bassy	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$1,150
Ultimate Ears Live	6BA 1DD	Soft, muddy, low resolution and lacks any sort of definition.	Warm	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$2,200
VSonic GR07 Classic/Bass	DD	Well-balanced, well-tuned, good technicalities. The $100 benchmark since ever.	Mild V-shape	LMUE demo unit	$100

[td]AAW AXH[/td][td]4BA 1DD[/td][td]Bass-light hybrid with an extreme treble spike.[/td][td]Neutral-bright[/td][td]Jaben Melbourne demo unit[/td][td]$440[/td][/tr]

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Tier C+
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
Audio Technica ATH-LS200	2BA	Somewhat Diffuse-Field neutral with its own quirks. Good technical ability.	Mid centric	Stereo SG demo unit	$250
BGVP DMG	4BA 1DD	Decent tonal balance though bass response is not up to par.	Bassy	Review unit	$140
Campfire Lyra II	DD	Campfire's take on a V-shaped dynamic sound. Wouldn't call it exceptional.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$700
Final Audio E2000	DD	Not too dissimiliar to a GR07, though lacking in that last octave of bass extension.	V-shaped	E1 demo unit	$45
Final Audio E3000	DD	A warmer, bassier E2000.	Warm	E1 demo unit	$55
Final Audio Heaven II	BA	Solid technical ability though might be a little too sterile at times.	Neutral-bright	A2A Melbourne demo unit	$90
FiiO F9	2BA 1DD	Good technicalities, average timbre, perhaps a little excessive on the highs.	V-shaped	Review unit	$100
iBasso IT01S	DD	Balanced tuning, slight lean towards brightness. Should be pleasing for most ears.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$200
iBasso IT03	2BA 1DD	Excellent bass and clarity. Hollow midrange and somewhat metallic treble.	U-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$260
Kinera Odin	8BA	Sounds like a rather basic tuning and a resolution not fitting of its driver count.	Neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$800
Oriolus Finschi	2BA 1DD	Energetic and bright, overall a well built hybrid that can be strident for some ears.	Bright	E1 demo unit	$180
Periodic Audio Mg	DD	Not the most clear or detailed but a very clean sound with good timbre.	Warm	Review unit	$100
Rose BR5 Mk2	5BA	Not a bad IEM, though BA timbre comes in strong with this one. Not the most technical but it does the job when called for it.	Neutral	Third party unit	$305
TFZ Secret Garden	2DD	Decent bass response and peaky treble, not much to say.	V-shaped	LMUE demo unit	$200
Shozy & Neo CP	3BA	Reference-style tuning, decent tonal balance, solid technical ability.	Warm	LMUE demo unit	$165
Tier C
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
1Custom SA02	2BA	Odd take on neutral with a coloured tonality.	"Balanced"	Jaben SG demo unit	?
AAW W100	DD	Bassy and has that typical "chifi DD" sound.	V-shaped	Jaben SG demo unit	Discontinued
Alpha&Delta D6	DD	Well balanced bright response. Good detail and doesn't sound odd in any place.	Bright	Review unit	$95
Acoustune HS1503	DD	Shrill, odd timbre and way too intense for normal listening.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$400
Advanced Evo X	DD	A well-balanced Bluetooth IEM. A very nice surprise.	Neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$60
AKG N40	1BA 1DD	A rather typical hybrid all things considered. Nothing special especially for the asking price.	Warm (varying)	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$400
Campfire Comet	BA	Rolled-off at the top end, warm and bassy single-BA sound reminiscent of Final's offerings.	Warm	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$200
Campfire Nova	2BA	Somewhat dead-sounding with no shimmer or sparkle in the upper registers.	Neutral with laid-back treble	ConnectIT demo unit	$500
Creative Aurvana Trio	3BA	Surprising lack of BA timbre, but still rather average in technicalities.	Warm	ConnectIT demo unit	$250
Earsonics SM3	3BA	Non-fatiguing, relaxing listen. "Normal".	Warm	AV One demo unit	Replaced by SM64
Elysian Eros	2BA	Typical "dual driver" sound. Not very impressive.	Warm	Showfloor demo unit	$400
FiiO F5	DD	Typical chifi V-shaped sound, nothing much to report on.	V-shaped	E1 demo unit	$65
Final Audio E1000	DD	Balanced tuning with good clarity and acceptable resolution. Surprising pick.	Mild V-shape	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$30
FitEar Air 2/Titan	1BA 1DD	Generic hybrid sound. Doesn't really perform up to par either.	Warm V-shape	Jaben SG demo unit	$1,700/?
Focal Sphear	DD	Good timbre, good bass and well-balanced tuning.	Mild V-shape	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$150
Fostex TE100	1BA 1DD	A little boring and dead in dynamics. Not fun but not really reference either. Average.	Warm neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,800
iBasso IT01	DD	Nothing really stands out as "excellent" to me, but it does a lot of things well and little wrong.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$110
Intime Sora	DD	Well controlled bass boost with slightly skewed tonality. Potential is there.	U-shaped	Third party unit	$45
JH Billie Jean	2BA	Follows the JH house sound but otherwise nothing special.	V-shaped	AV One demo unit	$350
JH Michelle	3BA	Still sounds typically "JH" with a slightly V tuning, with slower transients and a non-fatiguing signature.	Warm	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$500
JVC HA-FW01	DD	Very heavy and very dark sounding IEM whose signature marrs technical ability slightly.	Dark	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$380
Kinera Idun	2BA 1DD	Not a bad hybrid, considering Kinera's track record.	V-shaped	Third party unit	$140
Lear LCM-BD4.2	4BA 2DD	Harsh, overly-textured and extremely fatiguing. Excellent technical ability completely shut down by tuning and timbre mismatch.	Bright, V-shaped	Treoo demo unit	$1,030
Massdrop x NuForce EDC3	3BA	Well tuned, though not the most technical nor the most natural sounding.	Neutral	Review unit	$100
MEE Pinnacle P1	DD	Upper midrange emphasis with soft, warm bass. Nice for mainstream listening.	Warm V-shape	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$200
NuForce HEM1	BA	Reference tuning with tonal balance. Unfortunately limited by its technicalities.	Neutral	E1 demo unit	$150
Shure SE535	3BA	Tonally dead. One-note bass. No treble worth mentioning.	Mid-centric	Stereo SG demo unit	$500
Simgot EN700	DD	Good clarity and energetic signature.	Mid-centric	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$100
Stealthsonics U2	1BA 1DD	Sharp, emphasised treble and boosted bass, sounds more mainstream than audiophile.	V-shaped	Showfloor demo unit	$250
Symphonium Audio Aurora	2BA	Solid tuning, though average in technicalities.	Warm neutral	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$220
TFZ 5S	DD	Warm and somewhat slow in transients. Good timbre, average tuning.	V-shaped	LMUE demo unit	$80
TFZ King	DD	Better tuned than the 5S with a little extra treble which improves clarity and overall staging.	V-shaped	LMUE demo unit	$100
Zero Audio Carbo Tenore ZH-DX200-CT	DD	A well-tuned V-shaped signature that maintains solid midrange and excellent clarity.	V-shaped	Personal unit	$40
Tier C-
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
1More Quad Driver	3BA 1DD	Okay-ish technical ability in a mainstream tuning. Can get congested.	"Balanced"	Jaben Melbourne demo unit	$200
AAW Nebula Two	1BA 1DD	Excellent clarity and wide staging due to semi-open design. DD bass manages to shine through.	U-shaped	Null Audio demo unit	$150
Advanced Elise	DD	Boomy and heavy sounding. Smoothed over details but not the worst out there.	Bassy	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$30
Advanced GT3 Superbass	DD	Acceptable resolution though the tone is off in many ways. Filters don't seem to address that issue.	"Balanced"	Personal unit	$200
Elysian Minerva	4BA	Wonky tone with blunted notes, not very revealing.	Warm V-shape	Showfloor demo unit	$900
FiiO F3	DD	Well-balanced U-shaped sound that's rather atypical of a chifi dynamic IEM.	U-shaped	E1 demo unit	$25
Fostex TE-02WP	DD	Balanced and clear. Very good value.	Neutral-bright	A2A Melbourne demo unit	Discontinued
Heygears Anora	BA	Very good tuning, well-balanced signature.	Neutral with laid-back treble	LMUE demo unit	$80
Oriveti Basic	DD	Lots of sub-bass rumble with an energetic midrange. Roll-off for non-fatigue.	Bassy	Jaben Melbourne demo unit	$100
Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear	DD	Fuzzy, typical V-shaped sound but nothing too egregious.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$100
Stealthsonics U4	4BA	An odd character, simultaneously bassy and thin at the same time.	Warm	Showfloor demo unit	$500
Super Audio "Supermeme" 2BA+2DD	2BA 2DD	A decently tuned V-shaped hybrid with energetic upper midrange. May be intense for some.	V-shaped	Personal unit	$150
Symphonium Audio Mirage	BA	Typical single-BA sound that doesn't offer anything special.	Dark	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$150
Vive XE800	DD	A mini GR07. Need I say more?	Mild V-shape	Third party unit	$30
Westone 4R	4BA	Low resolution, extremely blunted and narrow imaging.	Dark	Third party unit	Discontinued

---

Tier D+
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
1More Triple Driver	2BA 1DD	Good clarity with unfortunately thin midrange. Flat bass, not in a good way.	V-shaped	Stereo SG demo unit	$100
Advanced M5-5D	4BA 1DD	An otherwise capable hybrid unfortunately let down by its ridiculous treble spike.	Bright neutral	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$650
Ambient Acoustics AM7	7BA	Unreliable switches, mediocre technical ability and the tone is slightly off.	Variable	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$1,750
Cozoy Trio	3BA	Odd tuning, doesn't sound too bad but it's overall not very impressive at all.	Unique	E1 demo unit	$450
Hifiman RE1000	DD	A strange take on a V response. Intense yet with no upper treble to speak of.	V-shaped	A2A Melbourne demo unit	$1,000
Kinera SEED	1BA 1DD	Lacking in bass extension and tonally skewed too much to the higher frequencies.	"Balanced"	Third party unit	$50
Ultimate Ears UE5 Pro	2BA	Dead dynamics, overly warm and congested.	Warm	Jaben SG demo unit	$600
Rose Mini2	2BA	It's somewhat natural in timbre but lacks a lot of technical proficiency.	Warm	Third party unit	$110
Tier D
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
AAW A1D	DD	Sounds like a V-shaped dynamic. As anticlimactic as it sounds.	V-shaped	Jaben SG demo unit	$180
AAW W300	2BA 1DD	Thin and brittle midrange that easily gets harsh.	Bright neutral	Jaben SG demo unit	$660
Advanced GT3	DD	Sharp, shrill and overall unpleasant.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$200
Advanced M5-1D	DD	Typical chifi DD sound. Nothing special.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$400
Ambient Acoustics AM16	16BA	Sounds weird and is completely average in pure technicalities. Disappointing.	"Balanced"	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	?
Ambient Acoustics AM24	24BA	See above. Perhaps even slightly worse.	"Balanced"	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	?
Astrotec Delphinus 5	5BA	Sounds plain wrong. Instruments are nowhere close to how they should on proper gear.	"Balanced"	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$500
Audiofly AF160	3BA	Not just dead but almost completely devoid of treble. Double whammy.	Dark	Jaben Melbourne demo unit	$430
Earsonics SM64v2	3BA	Weirdly incoherent and disjointed. Good warmth, though.	Warm	AV One demo unit	$500
Eternal Melody EM-2	2BA	It just sounds "meh" to be. Nothing much to say.	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$290
Fidue A71	2DD	Boomy and bleeds into the mids. Not a lot of definition.	Bassy	E1 demo unit	$80
Jomo PLB	3BA	Bloated, congested and oh-so-slow.	Dark	Music Sanctuary demo unit	$510
Jomo Haka	BA	Mushy, blobby and low resolution.	Dark	Euphoria Audio demo unit	$365
NuForce Primo 8	4BA	Tone is off, detailing is low, things sound wrong. Lies on a spectrum of "average" to "no".	Dark	E1 demo unit	$500
Rhapsodio Clipper	DD	Lots and lots of bass. Slams you in the face with bass.	Extreme Bass	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$55
Sennheiser IE80S	DD	Warm, bassy, congested and lacking in dynamics. Oddly sharp yet lacking in sparkle	V-shaped	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$350
Shure SE215	DD	Sounds like a typical dynamic IEM. Slightly bloated bass and narrow staging.	V-shaped	Jaben Melbourne demo unit	$100
Sound Linear Fitz 10 Flat	10BA	It sounds dead and boring. Nothing about it stands out at all and it doesn't even achieve the passing mark for technicalities.	"Balanced"	E1 demo unit	$2,200
TFZ 3S	DD	It's okay. It's a Chinese dynamic IEM, nothing special.	V-shaped	LMUE demo unit	$65
Unique Melody ME1	Planar	Soft transients, low definition and odd timbre makes this the worst planar I've listened to.	Warm	Stereo SG demo unit	$760
Tier D-
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
AAW A2H-Pro V2	1BA 1DD	Good coherency but sub-par tuning and sluggishy slow.	Dark	Jaben SG demo unit	$220
AAW M40	4BA	Very shrill and thin, completely destroying timbre. Just sounds awful.	"Balanced"	Jaben SG demo unit	$660
Geek Wold GK3	3DD	Incoherent, imaging is all over the place and sounds like a mess.	Dark	Third party unit	$20
KZ ZS3	DD	Something you would expect from a free earphone. It's okay.	Dark	Third party unit	$15
KZ ZST	1BA 1DD	Decent bass. Odd timbre. Odd tuning.	V-shaped	Third party unit	$30
RHA CL750	DD	Ear-piercing treble makes it hard to listen to.	Bright	AV One demo unit	$100
TFZ 1S	DD	A little bloated at times and definitely congested.	V-shaped	LMUE demo unit	$40

---

Tier E
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
AAW A2H Pro V1	1BA 1DD	Dead, bloated, congested. Feels like I have to strain to hear even surface-level detailing.	Dark	Jaben SG demo unit	Replaced by A2H Pro V2
Fender Thirteen 6	6BA 1DD	Instruments sound wrong. Everything is underwater. Help.	Dark	E1 demo unit	$1,800
Fischer Omega Spark	DD	Someone should harvest their drivers for tweeters since I hear nothing below the upper mids.	Bright	E1 demo unit	$60
Kinera H3	2BA 1DD	Completely off timbre, extremely recessed midrange and sharp, painful treble.	Extreme V-shape	Personal unit	$100
Nuforce HEM4	2BA	Dead as a doornail. Missing bits and pieces in its tuning.	Warm	Jaben SG demo unit	$330
Nuforce HEM6	3BA	Refer to the above.	Warm	Jaben SG demo unit	$450
RHA CL1	DD	So much treble to the point where nothing sounds correct. Like raining metal balls on a tin roof.	Bright	AV One demo unit	$280
Sendiy M1221	1BA 1DD	It literally sounds out of phase. It's an accomplishment in itself.	V-shaped	E1 demo unit	$200
Sensaphonics 2MAX	2BA	Odd timbre. Technical ability isn't even that great.	Bright neutral	Jaben Melbourne demo unit	$850
Sensaphonics 2X-S	2BA	Sharp and shrill yet surprisingly dead. Like shoving blunted icepicks into your ears.	Bright neutral	Jaben Melbourne demo unit	$750
Sensaphonics 3MAX	3BA	It's a slight improvement over the 2MAX but not by much.	Warm	Jaben Melbourne demo unit	$1,050
Shozy x AAW Hibiki	DD	Sharp, shrill tonality. Average everything else.	Bright	Personal unit	$60
Shozy x AAW Pola	2EST 1DD	Dark, muffled, veiled, muddy, congested etc. etc. basically every permutation of similar descriptors.	Dark	Zeppelin & Co demo unit	$800
Unique Melody 3DD-Ti	3DD	It's not the quantity of the treble, but the quality. Reserved only for the most esoteric of tastes.	Bright	Stereo SG demo unit	$700
VE Monk IE Smalls	DD	Sounds exactly like what would happen if you shoved an earbud driver into an IEM housing.	Dark	Third party unit	Discontinued

---

Tier F
Model	Setup	Comments	Signature	Based on	Price
Delta Air complimentary earphones	DD	It's a telephone in IEM form. It is physically unable to play bass or treble.	Complete failure	Third party unit	Free
Oppo MH130	DD	The horribleness of this can only be experienced in real life.	Complete failure	Third party unit	$14
SIA complimentary earphones	DD	Its full potential can only be unleashed by an Airbus A380.	Dark	Personal unit	Free
VE Monk IE Biggie	DD	Absolute mud and congestion. Could work as a subwoofer since it barely plays anything above 500Hz anyways.	Dark	Third party unit	Discontinued

---

Changelogs
27/10/17 (Officially out of Work-In-Progress status!)
29/10/17
04/11/17
08/11/17
11/05/18
25/05/18
17/08/18
31/08/18
10/10/18
21/10/18
06/01/19 (Final Head-Fi update)
01/02/19 (Migrating to crinacle.com)

 

[WaffleIron]

SHE3595 is god tier and you know it.

 

[crinacle]

-For future use-

... nevermind

 

[saltyrabbit314]

Could you elaborate on how you rank them?

 

[Mimouille]

Any relationship to this :

http://yuyuhakusho.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Demon_classes

 

[Ahmad313]

Sorry for a stupid question ,
What do you mean by + and - , for example S+,S- and A+, A-,
The - sign you use for negative or what ,???

 

[crinacle]

Slight reshuffle, still WIP. Currently playing with the idea of tables and have formatted the S tier accordingly; please take a look and provide feedback.

Could you elaborate on how you rank them?

It's based on (a) overall detail retrieval, (b) tone/"naturalness", (c) transients and (d) tuning. Tuning in a more objective sense like unwarranted peaks and dips that affect the overall flow of the sound.

Sorry for a stupid question ,
What do you mean by + and - , for example S+,S- and A+, A-,
The - sign you use for negative or what ,???

I've gotten concerns that certain IEMs seem to not belong in a certain tier, even though they may just simply be at the bottom rungs of the tier itself. So I decided to go with a positive-negative grading system to segment the tiers just a little more.

 

[Ahmad313]

I've gotten concerns that certain IEMs seem to not belong in a certain tier, even though they may just simply be at the bottom rungs of the tier itself. So I decided to go with a positive-negative grading system to segment the tiers just a little more.[/QUOTE]
Thanks friend , now i can understand your list correctly ,

 

[Arysyn]

Welp, decided to do this for... whatever reason. Just posting it for now to be worked on more later.

Grades
S: IEMs that are “top of the line”, representing the best that the industry has to offer.
A: While not the best of the best, A-tier IEMs are still very respectable performers that would still be considered as some of the best by many.
B: These are the “very good” IEMs.
C: IEMs in this tier are either be above average overall or have one or two good (great, perhaps even outstanding) traits but are not exceptional in the big picture.
D: The Average Joes. Most IEMs in the world should fall in this category, but due to my selection bias I wouldn’t expect much to exist here.
E: Below average. Still listenable, mind you, but not pleasantly.
F: The failures. “Bad” would be the apt descriptor.


Notes and disclaimers

• The IEMs in each tier are sorted alphabetically. They are not ordered by performance within the tiers themselves.
• The "Strengths" metric is a selection of three (maximum) of the most apparent traits. They are not the only strengths but rather the main highlights.
• Most of the IEMs in this list are determined based off auditions in shops.
• Prices are in USD and based off the exchange rate during the time of writing.
• Yes, this is the opinion of one person on the internet. Please do not get too offended if your favourite IEM isn't graded as highly as you'd like. (vice versa applies)

Metrics explanation
Tuning: Tuned in a way that appeals to many. Non-polarising.
Staging: May refer to any combination of soundstage width, depth or positional qualities.
Tonal accuracy: How "right" the IEM may sound due to timbre and tone reproduction.
Coherency: The extent to which an IEM sounds "as a whole" as opposed to disjointed at particular frequencies.

---

S Grade

Model	Strengths	Signature	Price
64 Audio U18 Tzar	Detail, staging, speed	Bassy with subdued midtreble	$3000
64 Audio Tia Fourte	Clarity, bass decay, staging	U-shaped	$3600
AAW W900	Bass decay, coherency, staging	Warm with laid-back treble	~$2050
Empire Ears Zeus-XR	Clarity, detail, staging	Neutral-bright	$2730
Hidition Viento-Reference	Tonal accuracy, tuning, coherency	Neutral	~$1300
InEar Prophile-8	Detail, tuning, coherency	Neutral	~$1350
Jomo Samba	Clarity, detail, speed	V-shaped	~$1500
Jomo Flamenco	Clarity, detail, speed	V-shaped, neutral with bass boost	~$2200
Shure KSE1500	Clarity, detail, speed	Neutral with bass boost	$3000
Ultimate Ears UE18+ Pro	Tonal accuracy, tuning, midrange	Warm neutral	$1500
Unique Melody Legacy	Clarity, detail, tuning	Neutral with bass boost	~$1650
Vision Ears VE8	Bass texture, coherency, tuning	Warm neutral	~$2700

S- Grade

Model	Strengths	Signature	Price
Campfire Andromeda	Coherency, tuning, staging	Warm with upper treble sparkle	$1100
Hidition NT6	Clarity, detail	Neutral	~$1050
Rhines Stage 7	Tonal accuracy, tuning, colouration	Warm with laid back treble	~$1900

]

A+ Grade

Model	Strengths	Signature	Price
64 Audio A12	Bass, staging	Warm with laid back treble	$2000
A&K T8iE	Bass decay, clarity, tuning	Neutral with bass boost	Discontinued
Beyerdynamic Xelento	Bass decay, clarity, tuning	V-shaped	$1000
Noble K10 Encore	Clarity, detail	Neutral	$1850

]
]

A Grade

Model	Strengths	Signature	Price
64 Audio A8	Bass, staging	Bassy
64 Audio A10	Detail	Neutral
AAW W500	Bass decay	Warm with upper midrange boost
Campfire Vega	Bass	V-shaped
FitEar MH334	Colouration, coherency	Warm neutral
FitEar TG334	Colouration, coherency	Dark
Hidition NT6 Pro	Clarity, detail, tuning	Neutral with bass boost
JH Roxanne	Detail, colouration	Warm neutral
JH Audio JH13v2 Performance Series	Bass impact	V-shaped
Jomo 6R	Clarity, detail	Neutral
Kumitate KL-Lakh	Midrange, coherency	Warm
Lime Ears Aether	Clarity, tonal accuracy, coherency	Neutral with bass boost
Noble K10	Detail, tuning	Neutral with bass boost	Discontinued
Noble Katana	Clarity, detail	Neutral with laid back treble
Rhapsodio Galaxy	Bass, tuning, staging	V-shaped
Rhapsodio Solar	Clarity, midrange	Mild V-shape
Sony MDR7550	Clarity, detail, bass texture	Neutral-bright
Soranik Ion	Bass, colouration, coherency	Warm
Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor (UERM)	Clarity, detail	Neutral	Discontinued
Unique Melody Maestro V2	Detail, staging	"Balanced"
Westone ES60	Detail, tuning	Neutral with laid-back treble

]
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A- Grade

• Dita Dream
  • Clarity
• Dunu DK-3001
• Empire Ears Spartan-IV
• Etymotic ER4PT
• Etymotic ER4XR
• FitEar F111
• FitEar Parterre
• Ice Lab Zen12
• Oriolus MK2
• VSonic GR09

B+ Grade

• Acoustune HS1501
• Acoustune HS1551
• Dita Brass
• Custom Art Harmony 8.2
• Aurisonics ASG-2.0
• Campfire Jupiter
• Kumitate KL-REF
• Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered (UERR)
• NocturnaL Atlantis
• Unique Melody Martian

B Grade

• AAW W350
• ACS Evolve
• Audio Technica ATH-E70
• Campfire Dorado
• Campfire Orion
• Fender FXA7
• Fidue A91 “Sirius”
• FitEar Private 333
• FLC8S
• InEar Stagediver 4
• Jomo Jomo4v2
• Oriolus Forsteni
• Rhapsodio Earth
• Sennheiser IE800
• Shure SE846
• Sony XBA-Z5
• Ultimate Ears UE7 Pro
• Unique Melody Macbeth

B- Grade

• AAW A3H Pro V2
• Audio Technica ATH-IM02
• iBasso IT03
• InEar Stagediver 2
• Oriveti New Primacy
• VSonic GR07 (variants)
• Westone W80

C+ Grade

• AAW Nebula Two
• Advanced Evo X
• Campfire Lyra II
• JH x A&K Michelle
• Lear LCM-BD4.2
• StereoPravda SB7
• Ultimate Ears UE4 Pro

C Grade

• 1More Quad Driver
• AAW W100
• AKG N40
• Audeze iSine 10
• Audeze iSine 20
• Audio Technica ATH-LS200
• Eternal Melody EM-5
• Focal Sphear
• Fostex TE100
• MEE Pinnacle P1
• Shure SE535
• Simgot EN700
• TFZ 5S
• TFZ King

C- Grade

• 1More Triple Driver
• Heygears Anora
• Oriveti Basic
• Rhapsodio Clipper

D+ Grade

• AAW W300
• Ultimate Ears UE5 Pro

D Grade

• AAW A1D
• Custom Art Music One
• Custom Art Music Two
• Earsonics SM3
• Earsonics SM64v2
• Eternal Melody EM-2
• HUM Pristine Reference
• JH Audio JH10X
• TFZ 3S
• Ultimate Ears UE11 Pro

D- Grade

• KZ ZS3
• KZ ZST
• TFZ 1S
• AAW A2H-Pro V2

E Grade

• AAW A2H Pro V1
• AAW M40
• Audiofly AF160
• Campfire Nova
• Eternal Melody EM-5H
• Hifiman RE1000
• JH Audio JH3X
• JH Audio JH11
• Jomo PLB
• Nuforce HEM4
• Nuforce HEM6
• Sensaphonics 2MAX
• Sensaphonics 3MAX

F Grade

• AAW Nebula One
• AAW Q
• Clear Tune Monitors CT6-E
• Clear Tune Monitors CT-500E
• Earsonics S-EM6
• Sensaphonics 2X-S

As with my tastes and experiences with brand new IEMs, this list will be constantly changing and updating. This is not meant to be a definitive list but rather a way to structure my opinion on the IEM scene in as concise a way as possible. A significant list of the IEMs I've tried so far can be found on my measurement database.

If you can tell, a lot of IEMs on the database (that I've tried) are not in this list. This is either due to extremely polarising opinions or lack of enough ear time to make a proper decision on tier placement. Will probably focus on them as I continue on this journey.

[WORK IN PROGRESS, WILL BE SUBJECT TO FURTHER CHANGES THE NEXT FEW DAYS][/tr][/tr]

Crinacle,

Your iem comparison posts are great and quite helpful. I'm very appreciative you've decided to do this, and hope your continued research keeps growing this list and your excellent audio frequency response graphs on the other thread you've created.

However, I didn't get a response to a question I asked over at the other thread with the graphs regarding the Grado GR10e, which I thought at one point there was a graph for both that and the GR8e. If you have both graphs, could you have both of them posted, as that would be helpful. Although there is a possibility I could be mistaken thinking they both were there at one point, as I'm thinking the one for the GR8e went missing.

 

[crinacle]

Crinacle,

Your iem comparison posts are great and quite helpful. I'm very appreciative you've decided to do this, and hope your continued research keeps growing this list and your excellent audio frequency response graphs on the other thread you've created.

However, I didn't get a response to a question I asked over at the other thread with the graphs regarding the Grado GR10e, which I thought at one point there was a graph for both that and the GR8e. If you have both graphs, could you have both of them posted, as that would be helpful. Although there is a possibility I could be mistaken thinking they both were there at one point, as I'm thinking the one for the GR8e went missing.

Hi, sorry for missing your question.

I just checked my files and no, I didn't make a graph of the GR08 before. I'll try to get it in on my next trip to the shop though.

 

[silverbox]

S tier is so expensive. Can't afford

 

[Arysyn]

Hi, sorry for missing your question.

I just checked my files and no, I didn't make a graph of the GR08 before. I'll try to get it in on my next trip to the shop though.

Thank you for informing me. I may have seen the two Grado graphs somewhere else, but I can't really remember right now. Although, your graphs were very helpful to me in showing that there is a general tendency for Dynamic Drivers I've seen from graphs here and on InnerFidelity, to be either too bass-heavy for me, and/or V-Shaped. Balanced Armatures, while having a closer sound signature to my preference, sounds too artificial to me, which is a shame they just do not have that emotional sound capability of Dynamics.

What I'm really looking for is a Dynamic Driver iem that is tuned more like a Balanced Armature , but still has an emotional warmth to to vocals, rather than the artificial sound Balanced Armatures sound like to me. On a few threads here on Head-Fi, I've posted a graph I had designed for me to show what my ideal sound signature frequency response is. I'll add it to my post here too.

Essentially, I want a below neutral sub-bass becoming neutral through the low bass, mid bass, and high bass points, then upwards 5db through the low mids to the mid-mids, which are neutral, until beginning another 5db climb through the upper mids to the treble. There in the treble, I want a flat treble that is 10db above the bass, and 5db above the mid-mids.

Sound wise, vocals more forward than bass, but more treble detail than vocals. I want the vocals to sound front and center, but just back enough for a wide stage presence to where the vocals aren't intimate, but present enough to get an equal sense between vocals and stage, or perhaps a slight bit more stage than vocals, depending on detail retrieval. Yet, the vocals have to be more present than the bass.

I'd say that another good way to describe what I want is like an opera house or orchestral staging, but not like a huge concert venue, as the vocals would have to be far enough back to get the entire width of the stage in terms of presence equivalence.I'd prefer a sound where on the stage, the instrumentalists positioned equal distance left to right on the stage closest to those in the front row, with the vocalist in the center, but a slight bit back from the instrumentalists, exception being the bassist near the back with the drummer, with me seated within the first ten rows. That probably would be far enough to get a wide soundstage, without the vocals being recessed, especially with the bass and drums in the back giving the presence to the instruments and vocals.

 

[crinacle]

Just finished formatting the tiers into table formats. Cells will be filled in over the next few days, and then I can take off the [WIP] tag for real.

Thank you for informing me. I may have seen the two Grado graphs somewhere else, but I can't really remember right now. Although, your graphs were very helpful to me in showing that there is a general tendency for Dynamic Drivers I've seen from graphs here and on InnerFidelity, to be either too bass-heavy for me, and/or V-Shaped. Balanced Armatures, while having a closer sound signature to my preference, sounds too artificial to me, which is a shame they just do not have that emotional sound capability of Dynamics.

What I'm really looking for is a Dynamic Driver iem that is tuned more like a Balanced Armature , but still has an emotional warmth to to vocals, rather than the artificial sound Balanced Armatures sound like to me. On a few threads here on Head-Fi, I've posted a graph I had designed for me to show what my ideal sound signature frequency response is. I'll add it to my post here too.

Essentially, I want a below neutral sub-bass becoming neutral through the low bass, mid bass, and high bass points, then upwards 5db through the low mids to the mid-mids, which are neutral, until beginning another 5db climb through the upper mids to the treble. There in the treble, I want a flat treble that is 10db above the bass, and 5db above the mid-mids.

Sound wise, vocals more forward than bass, but more treble detail than vocals. I want the vocals to sound front and center, but just back enough for a wide stage presence to where the vocals aren't intimate, but present enough to get an equal sense between vocals and stage, or perhaps a slight bit more stage than vocals, depending on detail retrieval. Yet, the vocals have to be more present than the bass.

I'd say that another good way to describe what I want is like an opera house or orchestral staging, but not like a huge concert venue, as the vocals would have to be far enough back to get the entire width of the stage in terms of presence equivalence.I'd prefer a sound where on the stage, the instrumentalists positioned equal distance left to right on the stage closest to those in the front row, with the vocalist in the center, but a slight bit back from the instrumentalists, exception being the bassist near the back with the drummer, with me seated within the first ten rows. That probably would be far enough to get a wide soundstage, without the vocals being recessed, especially with the bass and drums in the back giving the presence to the instruments and vocals.

That is a very specific sound signature and I don't think a lot exists with that particular FR (there's the Canalworks CW-L05QD2 but it's full BA) especially with a dynamic driver. If the measurements are to be trusted, perhaps the Hifiman RE800 or the RHA CL1 can suit your needs. Never heard them before though.

 

[goodvibes]

The massdrop hifiman re-00 sounds a bit like that if you leave it stock. Nor that exaggerated but ascending from bass to treble.

 

[Arysyn]

The massdrop hifiman re-00 sounds a bit like that if you leave it stock. Nor that exaggerated but ascending from bass to treble.

Wow! You are right!

I just searched for it on Google and saw some graphs for it on a Head-Fi competitor site I won't name nor link to, because of possible conflict with Head-Fi policy. However, it is very close to my preference. Any idea how I might be able to get these though, since they are an older model?