[BdTigerZ]

Hey ladies and gents, I am back on this forum after some time in need of your help again buying a pair of IEMS. One of my first purchases with my first paycheck came in the form of the JVC FXD80s on the back of some recommendations of this forum, and they served me well although they were a bit too metallic and cold for my liking. I have purchased Pistons 2, Rock Zircons and Tin T2 and a few other Xiaomi's in my journey. I liked the Zircons and T2 specifically with the bass mod and spiral dot eartips. However, my last purchase was a bad one on the back of no research. I am using those right now. It's the Xiaomi noise-cancelling earphones (3.5mm) which are incredibly piercing and fatiguing at mid to high volumes. I am using those through the Google USB-C dongle, which makes the sound a bit more bearable. I am also looking at buying a proper DAC dongle maybe the HIDIZS, but that Is irrelevant. I did research again and came up with a list to leave it in your hands to narrow down my choices. Please forgive me for my vague terminology as I am not very knowledgeable describing and Interpreting sound.

TL;DR

I am after a pair that is smooth to my sensitive ears, non-fatiguing, non-piercing at mid to high volumes, slightly warm and good for extended hours of listening. Some solid bass is fine too as long as it is not overbearing and boomy. I will use these mostly for music from Spotify, movies and podcasts. These need to be easy to drive and don’t require eq. My music taste is not genre-specific, it varies from pop to rap and EDM but I like clarity and detail while being fun. Obviously good build quality, fit and comfort is also essential. Finally, my budget is 120 USD.

Here are the IEMs I am looking at. Please let me know which ones you recommend or if you have other suggestions. Thanks.

EDIT: Sony MH755, Kz ZSX, Blon Bl-03, CCA C12, FiiO FH1s, Lypertek Tevi, Tin T4, Shozzy Form 1.1, Moondrop Starfield, Kbear Diamond, WG T-ONE

 

[baskingshark]

Hey ladies and gents, I am back on this forum after some time in need of your help again buying a pair of IEMS. One of my first purchases with my first paycheck came in the form of the JVC FXD80s on the back of some recommendations of this forum, and they served me well although they were a bit too metallic and cold for my liking. I have purchased Pistons 2, Rock Zircons and Tin T2 and a few other Xiaomi's in my journey. I liked the Zircons and T2 specifically with the bass mod and spiral dot eartips. However, my last purchase was a bad one on the back of no research. I am using those right now. It's the Xiaomi noise-cancelling earphones (3.5mm) which are incredibly piercing and fatiguing at mid to high volumes. I am using those through the Google USB-C dongle, which makes the sound a bit more bearable. I am also looking at buying a proper DAC dongle maybe the HIDIZS, but that Is irrelevant. I did research again and came up with a list to leave it in your hands to narrow down my choices. Please forgive me for my vague terminology as I am not very knowledgeable describing and Interpreting sound.

TL;DR

I am after a pair that is smooth to my sensitive ears, non-fatiguing, non-piercing at mid to high volumes, slightly warm and good for extended hours of listening. Some solid bass is fine too as long as it is not overbearing and boomy. I will use these mostly for music from Spotify, movies and podcasts. These need to be easy to drive and don’t require eq. My music taste is not genre-specific, it varies from pop to rap and EDM but I like clarity and detail while being fun. Obviously good build quality, fit and comfort is also essential. Finally, my budget is 120 USD.

Here are the IEMs I am looking at. Please let me know which ones you recommend or if you have other suggestions. Thanks.

Sony MH755, Final Audio E1000, Tin T2, Kz ZSX Terminator, Blon Bl-03, Venture Electronics VE BIE

Shuoer H27, CCA C10, FiiO FH1s

Lypertek Tevi, Tin T4, Shozzy Form 1.1, Moonfield Starfield, Kbear Diamond

The MH755, BLON BL-03 and KBEAR Diamond are single DD sets that are quite harmanish, with midbass bump in the BL-03 and KBEAR Diamond. They have good timbre and tonality, so they are good for genres with predominantly acoustic instruments. Technicalities aren't as good as multi BA/hybrid sets like the ZX ZSX, but they beat the budget multi BA/hybrids in timbre. So depends what u look for in your music.

MH755 is cheap as chips, very good sound quality for 5 bucks. Just that there are a lot of fakes in the market (especially black coloured shell ones). So to be safe, buy white shelled ones, or ask the rest/look at reviews for legit sellers. The MH755 also has a very short microphonic J shaped cable, so best u get a cable extension, or do some MMCX/recable mods if possible.

BLON BL-03 is the biggest CHIFI hypetrain, it is indeed good in timbre and tonality, but has an atrocious fit OOTB due to the too short nozzle. So u might need to invest in longer nozzle eartips (eg Spinfits) or do a spacer mod. The midbass is also too boomy and has a midbass bleed, and technicalities ain't the best, but it can match some $100 USD sets in timbre with a good fit, so very good price to performance ratio if u can fix the fit issues.

The KBEAR Diamond is an all round upgrade over the BL-03 in almost every department (timbre, tonality, technicalities, isolation, fit), except it has a narrower soundstage width than BL-03 (but soundstage height and depth is better than BL-03). It costs about 3x more, but as with this hobby, u get diminishing returns the higher u go up, and the Diamond is not 3x better in sound quality.

These 3 sets have a bit of a spicy upper mids, but the treble is not harsh. KBEAR Diamond and BL-03 are warm sets, but the midbass of both sets can be occasionally too much for those who are coming from sets with neutral bass. The bass can be tamed with wider bore eartips though.

 

[BdTigerZ]

The MH755, BLON BL-03 and KBEAR Diamond are single DD sets that are quite harmanish, with midbass bump in the BL-03 and KBEAR Diamond. They have good timbre and tonality, so they are good for genres with predominantly acoustic instruments. Technicalities aren't as good as multi BA/hybrid sets like the ZX ZSX, but they beat the budget multi BA/hybrids in timbre. So depends what u look for in your music.

MH755 is cheap as chips, very good sound quality for 5 bucks. Just that there are a lot of fakes in the market (especially black coloured shell ones). So to be safe, buy white shelled ones, or ask the rest/look at reviews for legit sellers. The MH755 also has a very short microphonic J shaped cable, so best u get a cable extension, or do some MMCX/recable mods if possible.

BLON BL-03 is the biggest CHIFI hypetrain, it is indeed good in timbre and tonality, but has an atrocious fit OOTB due to the too short nozzle. So u might need to invest in longer nozzle eartips (eg Spinfits) or do a spacer mod. The midbass is also too boomy and has a midbass bleed, and technicalities ain't the best, but it can match some $100 USD sets in timbre with a good fit, so very good price to performance ratio if u can fix the fit issues.

The KBEAR Diamond is an all round upgrade over the BL-03 in almost every department (timbre, tonality, technicalities, isolation, fit), except it has a narrower soundstage width than BL-03 (but soundstage height and depth is better than BL-03). It costs about 3x more, but as with this hobby, u get diminishing returns the higher u go up, and the Diamond is not 3x better in sound quality.

These 3 sets have a bit of a spicy upper mids, but the treble is not harsh. KBEAR Diamond and BL-03 are warm sets, but the midbass of both sets can be occasionally too much for those who are coming from sets with neutral bass. The bass can be tamed with wider bore eartips though.

Yeah I am a bit worried about the fit of the BLON I have had previous issues with iems with short nozzles and large housings. The KBear looks good in all aspects. I have added the WG T-Ones and narrowed it down to these: Lypertek Tevi (similar to er2xr but comfortable and TWS convenience), Tin T4, Shozzy Form 1.1, Moondrop Starfield, Kbear Diamond, WG T-ONE. How would these compare for extended listening?

 

[IEMusic]

Tin T4, Shozzy Form 1.1, Moondrop Starfield, Kbear Diamond, WG T-ONE. How would these compare for extended listening?

I find the Tin T4 to be a very detailed DD IEM, especially in it’s price range, but the upper mids can be harsh, especially at loud volumes. They can sound shouty.

I don’t have the Shozy Form 1.1 yet, but they look like they have a lot of mid bass, and have a sharp peak at 8KHz that can be bothersome for some people.

The KZ ZSX is quite exciting sounding, and not really fatiguing. It is more balanced than most other KZ IEMs, but is still V-shaped.

Based on your listed criteria, the 2 that I would recommend; that are very well balanced, with good bass response, but are not bloated; that have beautiful mids, and clear highs that are not too bright or fatiguing are:
- ThieAudio Legacy 3
- Moondrop Starfield

I think you will be able to listen to either of them for several hours straight w/o any fatigue.

 

[BdTigerZ]

- ThieAudio Legacy 3
- Moondrop Starfield

I think you will be able to listen to either of them for several hours straight w/o any fatigue.

How would you compare these to the similarly priced Shuoer Tape which I hear have qc issues. And what about the Kbear Diamond? Do you have any experience with them? They are priced 60 dollars less foe me right now on Aliexpress (Aus).

 

[IEMusic]

How would you compare these to the similarly priced Shuoer Tape which I hear have qc issues. And what about the Kbear Diamond? Do you have any experience with them? They are priced 60 dollars less foe me right now on Aliexpress (Aus).

I haven‘t heard the KBEar Diamond. I will have to defer that to baskingshark or someone else.

The Shuoer Tape has had reports of QC issues, fortunately, I haven’t had any problems with mine. The Tape is a VERY different sounding IEM. It is exciting and unique sounding, but very colored. It is V-shaped, with notably recessed mids, and there is a huge peak centered around 3.5 KHz that can make the Tape sound shouty. I‘m usually very sensitive to that frequency range, but somehow, maybe due to the type of driver, it doesn’t bother me that much. The tape has extended treble, with a lot of air, but due to it‘s odd tuning, a lot of EQ is really needed to bring out the best in it. I don’t think I’ve ever recommended the Tape as a single, all-around IEM. It‘s a very unique IEM for those that already have at least one other, more balanced IEM.

 

[BdTigerZ]

Leaning towards the Starfield. Tin T4 might be too neutral for me I like a slightly fun IEM. KBEAR diamonds price is the best that's a close second wish I can get a comparison between these two if the Kbear isn't terrible compared to the Starfield might get those and spend the rest of the budget on the Meizu pro DAC.

 

[baskingshark]

Leaning towards the Starfield. Tin T4 might be too neutral for me I like a slightly fun IEM. KBEAR diamonds price is the best that's a close second wish I can get a comparison between these two if the Kbear isn't terrible compared to the Starfield might get those and spend the rest of the budget on the Meizu pro DAC.

$60 is a very good price for the KBEAR Diamond, it usually goes at $79 USD. I don't have the Starfield, but most reviewers say the Starfield is a sidegrade (or marginal upgrade) which is more neutralish in tuning, whereas the Diamond is more V shaped and bassier. So depends what u prefer in your sound signature (though Starfield is usually $30 more expensive during non sales, so bear the difference in cost in mind).

Check these reviews out that compare the 2 of em (under comparisons section):
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-starfield.24121/reviews#item-review-23220
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-starfield.24121/reviews#item-review-23387