Hey Head-Fi-ers!
I’ve been reading the forums for quite a while now and I could read a considerable amount of very detailed reviews and impressions from the community that helped me a lot to narrow down the search for an IEM that will fit my needs and requirements. Thanks so far! +1 For finalising my decision I’d like to ask you to give me some recommendations on whether to go for this one or that one. Budget is around USD $2000.
I’m looking for an everyday IEM, primarily for use in office and at home with my smartphone/laptop. For the office I currently own an iFi ZEN DAC which is quite nice at this price point. But since it’s not a portable device I’m thinking of upgrading it to an Audioquest Cobalt or Chord Mojo which is even pricier, maybe a DAP if this is the better solution. I mean this is not the main topic of this thread, but I highly appreciate some recommendations also on this part of my audiophile journey.
My favourite music is Classic Rock, Metal and Alternative/Punk. But I also enjoy listening to 80ies, ambient techno, vocal house and classical music quite frequently. I’m also interested in music that I don’t necessarily enjoy listening to, but if it’s an outstanding production I’d love to listen to that just to get a better understanding what impact a quality mastering actually can have and just to broaden my musical mind.
As a source I will primarily use TIDAL and Spotify with my iPhone or MacBook. I currently own a lot of compact discs, but I’m too lazy to rip ‘em and put ‘em on some SD card or NAS.
TBH when reading a lot of reviews I fell in love with all the Campfire Audio IEMs, especially the Polaris V2, Andromeda Gold and the Solaris. Not only for their overall beauty, but also for their specs and reviewers’ opinions on them. I was also considering the Atlas, but this seems to be replaced by a successor in the near future. I was NOT considering the Andromeda OG, since it is some kind of analytical, more neutral IEM which lacks of bass and tonality.
I was also thinking of the Meze Rai Penta which is a competitor to the Solaris, but at a lower price point. Also considering Final Audio A8000 and Sony IER-Z1R, but these are even pricier than the Solaris.
I think the Polaris V2 could be a good start into that new IEM experience, but since I know that there is always that monkey/beast that needs to be fed I’ll definitely start looking for an upgrade latest by the end of the year, because generally I’m curious about that top notch 5% and how it’ll perform.
So, for me it’s more a fundamental decision to go for a “basic” IEM and maybe upgrade the DAC (or get a DAP) quite soon or directly enter the audiohpile world with kinda TOTL/endgame IEM.
What is your opinion on that?
Cheers,
Tim
I’ve been reading the forums for quite a while now and I could read a considerable amount of very detailed reviews and impressions from the community that helped me a lot to narrow down the search for an IEM that will fit my needs and requirements. Thanks so far! +1 For finalising my decision I’d like to ask you to give me some recommendations on whether to go for this one or that one. Budget is around USD $2000.
I’m looking for an everyday IEM, primarily for use in office and at home with my smartphone/laptop. For the office I currently own an iFi ZEN DAC which is quite nice at this price point. But since it’s not a portable device I’m thinking of upgrading it to an Audioquest Cobalt or Chord Mojo which is even pricier, maybe a DAP if this is the better solution. I mean this is not the main topic of this thread, but I highly appreciate some recommendations also on this part of my audiophile journey.
My favourite music is Classic Rock, Metal and Alternative/Punk. But I also enjoy listening to 80ies, ambient techno, vocal house and classical music quite frequently. I’m also interested in music that I don’t necessarily enjoy listening to, but if it’s an outstanding production I’d love to listen to that just to get a better understanding what impact a quality mastering actually can have and just to broaden my musical mind.
As a source I will primarily use TIDAL and Spotify with my iPhone or MacBook. I currently own a lot of compact discs, but I’m too lazy to rip ‘em and put ‘em on some SD card or NAS.
TBH when reading a lot of reviews I fell in love with all the Campfire Audio IEMs, especially the Polaris V2, Andromeda Gold and the Solaris. Not only for their overall beauty, but also for their specs and reviewers’ opinions on them. I was also considering the Atlas, but this seems to be replaced by a successor in the near future. I was NOT considering the Andromeda OG, since it is some kind of analytical, more neutral IEM which lacks of bass and tonality.
I was also thinking of the Meze Rai Penta which is a competitor to the Solaris, but at a lower price point. Also considering Final Audio A8000 and Sony IER-Z1R, but these are even pricier than the Solaris.
I think the Polaris V2 could be a good start into that new IEM experience, but since I know that there is always that monkey/beast that needs to be fed I’ll definitely start looking for an upgrade latest by the end of the year, because generally I’m curious about that top notch 5% and how it’ll perform.
So, for me it’s more a fundamental decision to go for a “basic” IEM and maybe upgrade the DAC (or get a DAP) quite soon or directly enter the audiohpile world with kinda TOTL/endgame IEM.
What is your opinion on that?
Cheers,
Tim