[geezweez]

Im looking for the best i can get. Around the $500 area at most. This will be my last set to purchase for a while. Already have truthear hexa and s12 pro.

Thanks!

 

[KinGensai]

Do you have a better description of what it is you want? That's a broad range you are talking about, and the mid-range price bracket is replete with good options that target specific sound preferences.

Are you looking for high fidelity? Bass focus? Treble focus? Any indication of what your head related transfer function looks like? What, if anything, do you like/dislike about the Hexa and S12? Why are you looking for an upgrade from those sets? If you want a higher chance of getting a satisfying IEM the first time, this information will help narrow down your potential options.

 

[geezweez]

Do you have a better description of what it is you want? That's a broad range you are talking about, and the mid-range price bracket is replete with good options that target specific sound preferences.

Are you looking for high fidelity? Bass focus? Treble focus? Any indication of what your head related transfer function looks like? What, if anything, do you like/dislike about the Hexa and S12? Why are you looking for an upgrade from those sets? If you want a higher chance of getting a satisfying IEM the first time, this information will help narrow down your potential options.

I dont really have a preference i was just going to read peoples favorites and take a pick based on why they loved their favorite pair..i expect someone whos been in the game long enough to spend around 500 on a set would know more than i do

I would expect every little detail to be shown in my set though. That doesnt really cause fatigue to me

Or even if it were to be a most fun set for around 250 and a most analytical set for around the same to cover all my bases id be good with that.. just trying to scan through options

 

[KinGensai]

Ok, that's a start. The problem with what you're asking is that you have a unique frequency response determined by your outer ear and ear canal shape that will cause you to be fatigued by different ranges of treble than most people who might comment, so it's helpful to really sit down and determine in particular two specific things with a set you already have: How do guitars/female vocals sound to you and how do cymbals sound to you?

Guitars and Female vocals live in what is known as the pinna gain region, and this region is arguably the most important factor in determining whether you are going to think the set sounds good. This is the 2kHz to 3kHz region. Cymbals hit a broad area of the treble region, and any problems with the treble, including sibilance, will be made clear when listening to cymbals. If you can do that, it'll be easier to make better targeted recommendations.

My go to recs in that price bracket are the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite, Xenns Mangrid Tea 2, ThieAudio Oracle (original version), and Moondrop Blessing 3, but each of these handle the pinna gain compensation curve a bit differently and vary in treble presentation, so it's helpful to have some idea of what your ears are doing.

Example in my case is that I prefer the Blessing 3 the most in this range because my HRTF tends toward a more aggressive pinna gain region and I need a bit of treble elevation for the sound to feel natural. I have seen the B3's frequency response described as a bit too bright for some people when it doesn't sound notably bright to me.

Please note that I don't currently own the Mangrid Tea 2 or the Oracle, I sold them a bit ago to fund my current daily (Anole V14), so I'm going off of what I remember from those.

 

[geezweez]

Ok, that's a start. The problem with what you're asking is that you have a unique frequency response determined by your outer ear and ear canal shape that will cause you to be fatigued by different ranges of treble than most people who might comment, so it's helpful to really sit down and determine in particular two specific things with a set you already have: How do guitars/female vocals sound to you and how do cymbals sound to you?

Guitars and Female vocals live in what is known as the pinna gain region, and this region is arguably the most important factor in determining whether you are going to think the set sounds good. This is the 2kHz to 3kHz region. Cymbals hit a broad area of the treble region, and any problems with the treble, including sibilance, will be made clear when listening to cymbals. If you can do that, it'll be easier to make better targeted recommendations.

My go to recs in that price bracket are the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite, Xenns Mangrid Tea 2, ThieAudio Oracle (original version), and Moondrop Blessing 3, but each of these handle the pinna gain compensation curve a bit differently and vary in treble presentation, so it's helpful to have some idea of what your ears are doing.

Example in my case is that I prefer the Blessing 3 the most in this range because my HRTF tends toward a more aggressive pinna gain region and I need a bit of treble elevation for the sound to feel natural. I have seen the B3's frequency response described as a bit too bright for some people when it doesn't sound notably bright to me.

Please note that I don't currently own the Mangrid Tea 2 or the Oracle, I sold them a bit ago to fund my current daily (Anole V14), so I'm going off of what I remember from those.

Thanks! That helps alot

 

[InvisibleInk]

Hi, what are you listening to your IEMs with? This is called "the source."

 

[geezweez]

Hi, what are you listening to your IEMs with? This is called "the source."

I have a 32bit 384khz usbc to 3.5mm dongle

 

[InvisibleInk]

I have a 32bit 384khz usbc to 3.5mm dongle

Something like an upgrade from that source to the current-based Questyle M15 would undoubtedly bring your s12 pro to maximum, especially with the balanced 4.4mm cable connection. And, using what's left of your budget with a bit of a stretch, you can add the highly-resolving over-ears HIFIMAN Sundara to your fleet. If you can't stretch your budget that far, then the excellent alternative would be the HIFIMAN HE400se. You'll want a balanced cable for each of these ones, too. This collection can be considered as complete for the vast majority of music lovers.

 

[geezweez]

Something like an upgrade from that source to the current-based Questyle M15 would undoubtedly bring your s12 pro to maximum, especially with twha

Something like an upgrade from that source to the current-based Questyle M15 would undoubtedly bring your s12 pro to maximum, especially with the balanced 4.4mm cable connection. And, using what's left of your budget with a bit of a stretch, you can add the highly-resolving over-ears HIFIMAN Sundara to your fleet. If you can't stretch your budget that far, then the excellent alternative would be the HIFIMAN HE400se. You'll want a balanced cable for each of these ones, too. This collection can be considered as complete for the vast majority of music lovers.

he balanced 4.4mm cable connection. And, using what's left of your budget with a bit of a stretch, you can add the highly-resolving over-ears HIFIMAN Sundara to your fleet. If you can't stretch your budget that far, then the excellent alternative would be the HIFIMAN HE400se. You'll want a balanced cable for each of these ones, too. This collection can be considered as complete for the vast majority of music lovers.

What kind of cable goes to it? And about the amp does it get charged on its own or what?

 

[geezweez]

Something like an upgrade from that source to the current-based Questyle M15 would undoubtedly bring your s12 pro to maximum, especially with the balanced 4.4mm cable connection. And, using what's left of your budget with a bit of a stretch, you can add the highly-resolving over-ears HIFIMAN Sundara to your fleet. If you can't stretch your budget that far, then the excellent alternative would be the HIFIMAN HE400se. You'll want a balanced cable for each of these ones, too. This collection can be considered as complete for the vast majority of music lovers.

Just curious for what reason is my 32bit 384khz dongle not good enough? Trying to actually understand

 

[InvisibleInk]

What kind of cable goes to it? And about the amp does it get charged on its own or what?

It will use a standard USB-C cable for computer and android devices. It will use a USB-C-to-Lightning cable with iOS phones and tablets.

The M15, lacking its own battery, will use power provided by the computer, tablet, or smartphone. It will do so quite efficiently, not draining the battery when no sound is playing.

 

[InvisibleInk]

Just curious for what reason is my 32bit 384khz dongle not good enough? Trying to actually understand

Your dongle can play hi-resolution music files, but beyond that I don't know much about it's features, especially power output to a single-ended 3.5mm connection. I can virtually guarantee the M15 will outperform that dongle in every conceivable way, especially with balanced current-based amplification to planar magnetic IEMs and headphones.

 

[geezweez]

Your dongle can play hi-resolution music files, but beyond that I don't know much about it's features, especially power output to a single-ended 3.5mm connection. I can virtually guarantee the M15 will outperform that dongle in every conceivable way, especially with balanced current-based amplification to planar magnetic IEMs and headphones.

Its almost too loud with just the dongle and sounds high quality but I will still be checking out the m15

Im pretty new so i still dont understand some things. Never tried an amp so i dont know what or if im missing out tbh

I use deezer 320kbps audio files and the detail is really great

Im not sure what the difference is between unbalanced and balanced either when i looked it up they said less noise

Still ill be checking into your recommendations and may just sit with the s12 pro for a while for my iems till i go for a tribrid configuration and will probably buy the sundara headphones

 

[geezweez]

Like if it was any louder than with the dongle i would get hearing damage. I think if the ohms were too high of whatever headphone i was using i might have an issue but so far with my sets of iems theyve been almost too loud turned all the way up

 

[KinGensai]

For now, I would not worry too much about your source. IEMs are not super power hungry, so power shouldn't be an issue in most cases. The main reason dedicated digital audio players are better is that they tend to clean up electronic circuit noise generated by cellphones and offer compatibility features for a wider range of audio gear. That, and parametric equalizers can be easier to use depending on the player.

The headphones/IEMs are the most important part of the audio chain starting out, so I suggest just focusing on getting that part down. If you have an issue like crackling, not enough power, battery troubles with your phone, compressed dynamic range, etc, then you should consider a dedicated audio source.

One thing I do suggest is getting a good audio player app to make sure you are utilizing your hardware without a software bottleneck. I use Neutron music player, other players are also capable of this.

If you are looking for headphones, chances are you will need to start investing in better sources because of the power requirements. Planar magnetics generally need a lot of power, and some headphones have a lot of impedance, so a digital audio player with a strong amp makes sense.

Headphones are a bit more forgiving, but this is an interesting case to consider. @InvisibleInk suggested Hifiman as an option for you, and I agree that they are pretty good, but I found the HE400se I have to be unnatural to my ears because of the tuning. I ended up settling for the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro as my reference standard because the pinna gain region and lightly elevated treble response presents music the way I hear it live tonally speaking, whereas the He400se was too dark and subdued to me. Many people consider that same set natural sounding, and it took me some digging to figure out this discrepancy.