Euphoric Sound

[Mentros]

I have been tinkering in this hobby for a year or two, but I have yet to hear a headphone or IEM with consistently euphoric sound. I currently own the UM Mest MKI among many other IEMs, and I usually pair them with the Ifi Zen Dac/CAN and the Earstudio MKII. I find them to be great IEMs, but they do not consistently deliver mind-numbing sound. Any suggestions on IEMs, headphones, or set-ups in general that can deliver euphoric sound will be very much appreciated!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Any suggestions on IEMs, headphones, or set-ups in general that can deliver euphoric sound will be very much appreciated!

Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage with Mcintosh monoblocs

Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage with Unison Research Unico

Aurum Cantus Volla with Cayin CS-55A in Triode

Aurum Cantus Harmony with Cayin CS-150A in Triode

 

[Mentros]

Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage with Mcintosh monoblocs

Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage with Unison Research Unico

Aurum Cantus Volla with Cayin CS-55A in Triode

Aurum Cantus Harmony with Cayin CS-150A in Triode

Thank you for these suggestions! Do you have any portable suggestions? Or desktop set-ups?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Thank you for these suggestions! Do you have any portable suggestions? Or desktop set-ups?

Stax Omega with Blue Hawaii

Or look for any CIEM that has the top end of a Shure SE42x but maybe a bit more low end in case you find the low end on that a bit weak, then maybe pair it with an ALO Continental.

 

[Mightygrey]

Sennheiser HD650 + Bottlehead Crack.

 

[tesarpa]

Well, I beleive music is the source of euphoria, not equipment. In right mood, right music, my foot taps and I want to sing. This is not directly related to quality (fidelity) of the chain.

 

[Mentros]

Well, I beleive music is the source of euphoria, not equipment. In right mood, right music, my foot taps and I want to sing. This is not directly related to quality (fidelity) of the chain.

I totally agree with you. I was thinking of equipment that would best supplement that mood, if that makes any sense.

 

[FlowLikeWater]

I have been tinkering in this hobby for a year or two, but I have yet to hear a headphone or IEM with consistently euphoric sound. I currently own the UM Mest MKI among many other IEMs, and I usually pair them with the Ifi Zen Dac/CAN and the Earstudio MKII. I find them to be great IEMs, but they do not consistently deliver mind-numbing sound. Any suggestions on IEMs, headphones, or set-ups in general that can deliver euphoric sound will be very much appreciated!

i’d highly recommend the Thieaudio Clairvoyance/Monarch - whichever one suits your tastes the best

I personally have the Clairs, and listening to them feels like drinking a glass of water after spending 3 days in the desert (or like scratching a mosquito bite, so deeply satisfying and spine-chillingly good) with every genre.....many Monarch owners love theirs as well. the twins are very responsive to cable rolling (if you are into that madness, like myself), and there are 2 new models out (Oracle and Excalibur) that are quite a bit cheaper (and slightly more comfortable due to smaller shell size according to some people), with similar tuning to the OG twins mentioned above.

for what its worth, Crinacle has these listed as the two best value proposition IEMs, full stop. they are swimming with IEMs 2-5x their price point in his ranking, which is quite a statement; check out the thread here as well if you want to get more people's opinions on them, which I always recommend.


as a secondary recommendation, the Empire Ears Legend X is commonly regarded as the IEM with absolutely supernatural bass. many people who listened to it properly regard it as a well-balanced IEM (bass does not come at a cost to the rest of the frequency spectrum), which is another stellar achievement, since bass-focused IEMs tend to overhshadow the rest of the spectrum-

 

[Mentros]

i’d highly recommend the Thieaudio Clairvoyance/Monarch - whichever one suits your tastes the best

I personally have the Clairs, and listening to them feels like drinking a glass of water after spending 3 days in the desert (or like scratching a mosquito bite, so deeply satisfying and spine-chillingly good) with every genre.....many Monarch owners love theirs as well. the twins are very responsive to cable rolling (if you are into that madness, like myself), and there are 2 new models out (Oracle and Excalibur) that are quite a bit cheaper (and slightly more comfortable due to smaller shell size according to some people), with similar tuning to the OG twins mentioned above.

for what its worth, Crinacle has these listed as the two best value proposition IEMs, full stop. they are swimming with IEMs 2-5x their price point in his ranking, which is quite a statement; check out the thread here as well if you want to get more people's opinions on them, which I always recommend.


as a secondary recommendation, the Empire Ears Legend X is commonly regarded as the IEM with absolutely supernatural bass. many people who listened to it properly regard it as a well-balanced IEM (bass does not come at a cost to the rest of the frequency spectrum), which is another stellar achievement, since bass-focused IEMs tend to overhshadow the rest of the spectrum-

Thank you for this compelling list! I was a little on the fence with Thieaudio, because of the Legacy 3, it was a little to muddled and bass heavy for my likes, but I’m guessing the Monarch and Clairvoyance are leagues above it in terms of technical performance. I have also heard the Legend X is a fan favorite. So many good choices to pick from, I just wish I could try them all.

 

[FlowLikeWater]

Thank you for this compelling list! I was a little on the fence with Thieaudio, because of the Legacy 3, it was a little to muddled and bass heavy for my likes, but I’m guessing the Monarch and Clairvoyance are leagues above it in terms of technical performance. I have also heard the Legend X is a fan favorite. So many good choices to pick from, I just wish I could try them all.

ikr? would be awesome to have like top 10 favorite IEMs to compare directly haha

i personally haven't heard the Legacy 3, but from other impressions I believe you are right, they weren't the best -- if memory serves me right, some people in the Thieaudio thread confirmed that the Clairvoyance/Monarch (and Oracle/Excalibur) are indeed several levels beyond Thieaudio's previous Legacy IEMs in terms of technicalities and tonalities

best of luck!

 

[Mentros]

ikr? would be awesome to have like top 10 favorite IEMs to compare directly haha

i personally haven't heard the Legacy 3, but from other impressions I believe you are right, they weren't the best -- if memory serves me right, some people in the Thieaudio thread confirmed that the Clairvoyance/Monarch (and Oracle/Excalibur) are indeed several levels beyond Thieaudio's previous Legacy IEMs in terms of technicalities and tonalities

best of luck!

Thank you! I’ll definitely try to get a hold of the IEMs you mentioned.

 

[iFi audio]

Crinacle has these listed

Thanks for this amazing list, I haven't seen it before. I'm also wondering how long did it take to put this together.

 

[FlowLikeWater]

Thanks for this amazing list, I haven't seen it before. I'm also wondering how long did it take to put this together.

Right on! quite the impressive list I agree, great reference source

 

[Mentros]

Thanks for this amazing list, I haven't seen it before. I'm also wondering how long did it take to put this together.

I love the Ifi Zen Stack, keep up the great work

 

[iFi audio]

Right on! quite the impressive list I agree, great reference source

Yes, and now I know about at least a dozen of new IEM brands

I love the Ifi Zen Stack, keep up the great work

Thanks a lot, will do and enjoy!