I’m thinking of buying some IEMS under 45$
The bl 03 apparently need new buds and cable and in total they come to 50$
Tin t2s are over 50$ with the cable
That leaves the e1000, CCA CRA and the tanchjim Tanya and moondrop quarks.
From what I understand, the CCA CRA beats them all.
I mostly listen to rock, blues, country rock, Latin pop and ambient music with vocals (think nier automata and hollow knights soundtrack)
Thanks
I am maybe a tad late on this, but "From what I understand, the CCA CRA beats them all"... mmm.
People, like always, tend to overhype so you probably ended up reading one of the many reviews from people who think these can beat some big boys (even though people don't say on what they beat what else).
I have Tanya, Quarks, BL03, E1000, and owned T2 (now t2 evo, t3, t2 plus and so on).
CRA are good for 15$ if you want something fun and with great value for money, they have lots of details for the price, a super engaging signature, a well done V-shaped set.
BUT, there are some big "BUT" that many don't even mention: there's sibilance, they can become fatiguing, they have limited imaging and instrument separation and soundstage is practically horizontal (only width/horizontal direction).
BL03 are warmer, slower in the bass, but also much more natural timbrically, less sibilant, and although less detailed they sound smoother to me with less sparkling upper treble and a richer midrange.
E1000 are more balanced overall, and much more suited to be all-rounders. They are less fatiguing as well, harder to drive, but tonally more appealing and natural when compared to the CRA; the CRA are more detailed and more fun, but less coherent and natural.
Tanya? Well, Tanya are harman-ish too, so... Less bright than CRA, more appealing tonally and timbrically wise, less fatiguing (although they also have a bit of excessive forwardness sometimes in the upper-midrange). One is very warm tho (Tanya), the other one is very bright (CRA). Both are V-shaped but when using them you can really feel they go in opposite directions in terms of tonality.
T2s are bright, but bass is lean and so is the midrange so those are natural when compared to CRA. Totally different.
Quarks? Diffuse-field-ish with slightly boosted bass. They opt for a less warm approach with more focus on being lean, far from being a V-shaped bass cannon. So totally different as well.
You cannot compare them, but among the ones you have mentioned, every of them has better soundstage depth and height for example, and every of them also has less fatiguing sound (except for T2s) with less sibilance.
So... it really depends on what you search for: the CRA are very good for the price but they are not BETTER than others, they are just good and as a good set you will still need to understand if they offer what you're searching for.
