[RoninJin]

Hey everyone!

So I've been doing a lot of research on IEMs lately. Finally going to take the plunge and invest in some nice IEMs. It's been a LONG time though since I researched headphones, earbuds or IEMs. And things seemed to have changed dramatically. Specifically for IEMs. From what I can gather, most people are saying the tried and true big brands IEMs are boring, extremely neutral monitors, not really great for listening to music. And that it looks like Chi-Fi and Boutique brands are the way to go these days?

So I've been reading up on lots of different brands and models, and I'm not really finding what I'm looking for. Lots of good stuff, but not finding many that meet all my requirements. It's just super confusing with SOOO many options now. And was hoping those more knowledgeable than myself could help out with some great suggestions? One thing I have noticed, is that when people list the "best IEMs" under 200, they all list the same ones. Nothing different. But then when I read the reviews, they're not all that great and always have too much ear piercing treble, or too much bass and the overall sound isn't great. So that's also super confusing. Why would people list them as "THE BEST" if they have so many flaws? IEMs like: Moondrop Aria, Kato, HEXA, 7hz Timeless, S12, Tangzu Zetian Wu Heyday, etc. All of them have what sounds like serious flaws in their sound profile. And most sound like they either are too mid/treble heavy or too bass heavy.

I did find one set so far that speaks to me, that might possibly be good? The iKKO OH300s. Very good punchy, warm, but tight bass. Mids and Highs are nice and not too bright or cause ear fatigue, but sound clear and smooth. And very good soundstage. Just based on that alone, those sound exactly like what I'm looking for.

SOUND PROFILE I'M LOOKING FOR
And that is what I'm looking for. Sub-bass and bass that is tight, punchy and warm and has a little rumble and air movement, but not so much that it interferes with the mids and highs or would be considered a "basshead" IEM. Clean, warm, articulate mids and clean, articulate, smooth highs. I'm very adverse to too much mids and highs that take center stage that are super articulate, sharp and have sibilance. I do like articulate headphones, but not at the cost of an overall warmth and smoothness.



I don't have a ton of experience with many headphones or IEMs. I own the obligatory AT ATH-M50xWH headphones, and to me, they sound amazing. I don't have the experience or knowledge to call myself a "true audiophile". But, I do enjoy nice sounding speakers and headphones for sure. I've listed to a few other more expensive headphones before I bought the AT's. And to be honest, they all sounded about the same, and, I didn't really like how they sounded. They were very clinical, cold, lacking any excitement and very neutral across the board in terms of EQ. Although they were VERY sharp and articulate sounding. That was pretty neat to hear something so clearly. But, on the other hand, I hate Beats and other "basshead" type headphones. They are so one dimensional and have too much bass that colors everything else.

I listen to mostly Rock, Alternative, older Hiphop, Funk, some Electronic music, and lots of chill stuff like Radiohead, Tame Impala, Khruangbin, Washed Out, Hermanos Gutierrez, etc. As well as the occasional Classical pieces that I love. Just in case you needed to know what type of music I'll be listening to on these IEMs I'm looking for. One time a guy at work had some killer looking IEMs. He let me listen to some music on them and I was blown away! And that was just with press in eartips, lightly put in my ear, so as not to get any possible wax on them, not even foam or form fitting tips. They were SOOO articulate, had an amazing soundstage and everything was just miles better than anything I had ever heard. Turns out they are $600, so I won't be getting those ever. But it was interesting to be able to listen to some music on such high end equipment.



LOOKING FOR
I'd like to try to find something that meets my requirements that comes in at around $180 or less. Even better if it's more around $100 give or take. I'm not looking to get "the best." Just looking for something that has a sound profile that I've described above, are a good value and will wow me, compared to what I currently have. Jabra Elite 3 wireless earbuds (for the gym) and stuff like that are what I use right now (can't even remember the brand of the wired earbuds I have. They sound really nice and I bought them about 15 years ago for around $80ish). They're fine. They sound clean, have nice bass and smooth not too sharp mids or highs. But I know there are much better products out there. Looking for good build. Good reliability (meaning they last and don't break down. I've read a bit that the popular brand Moondrop for ex has very poor quality products. So just looking to stay away from products like that). And of course sound great. And potentially a sound that really Wows.

Also one more piece of info that is really important is: these MUST be able to be driven just fine using my iPhone, no amps or dacs. I'm not getting into this that far.

Thanks everyone

 

[o0genesis0o]

Given that you like M50x, you actually enjoy more mids and highs than you thought

Why don’t you try NiceHck F1 Pro? I wrote about it here https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/nicehck-f1-pro-planar-universal-iem.26936/reviews#review-32603

If your budget can extend a bit, you can go for Simgot EA1000.

My personal choice in that bracket would be AFUL Magic One: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aful-magicone.26804/review/32389/

If you want to test your luck with QC, CCA Trio is an excellent option that leaves you enough cash to grab a simple dongle and a nice looking cable as well.

Good luck

 

[dunring]

Moondrop Kato
Artti T10
Used 7hz Timeless
Value pick 7hz Salnotes Zero:2

Any will fit in budget, the Truthear Zero red might even be better for you, such low bass distortion, and mids don't dominate anything.

 

[RoninJin]

Given that you like M50x, you actually enjoy more mids and highs than you thought

Why don’t you try NiceHck F1 Pro? I wrote about it here https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/nicehck-f1-pro-planar-universal-iem.26936/reviews#review-32603

If your budget can extend a bit, you can go for Simgot EA1000.

My personal choice in that bracket would be AFUL Magic One: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aful-magicone.26804/review/32389/

If you want to test your luck with QC, CCA Trio is an excellent option that leaves you enough cash to grab a simple dongle and a nice looking cable as well.

Good luck

Hmmmm, that's strange. I've never once thought of the ATH-M50x's as having more mids and highs then the avg headphone. I purposely chose them for their powerful bass and neutral but articulate mids and highs. I do feel like the mids might be scooped a bit too much on them, and lack a sense of openness/airiness. That is about the only thing I don't love about them. But other than that, they are pretty neutral overall, with slightly warm booming bass. Not rumbling or huge, but warm and tight and punchy. That's what made me buy them the instant I listened to them.

Direct quotes from audiophile reviewers:

"They offer a well-balanced audio reproduction suitable for recording and general listening. While they don't produce a lot of low-bass, their over-emphasized high-bass compensates for this somewhat, and there's plenty of warmth and boom in your mixes. They have a decently balanced mid-range that reproduces instruments and vocals accurately, and their treble doesn't sound too sharp or recessed."

"The sound from the ATH-M50x is one of the high points of the headphone, with large 45mm drivers pounding out the beats with consistent energy and clarity. It’s a powerful sounding headphone with a good low-end grunt that still manages to retain the tightness and control that is so often the downfall of similarly priced cans."



But anyways, I'll look into those NiceHck F1 Pro's and do some research. Thank you for that suggestion.

I did read some reviews of the AFUL Magic One before you even mentioned them, and on the surface it seems like it might be good, but again, after reading a lot of reviews, they sound like they're lacking in things I want. It says they are a BA IEM, which means the bass will never be that great, nor the treble. And the reviews I've read of the Magic One all say, it's good IEM, but nothing special. And most reviews say it absolutely needs an Amp to drive it to sound it's best. Something I'm not going to get into. So those are a no go. But thank you for that suggestion.

Now, on to these Simgot EA1000's. They sound VERY interesting after just briefly checking some reviews. Which also lead me to finding out about the outstanding HIDIZS MP145's as well! Both sound exactly like what I'm looking for! I don't mind spending a little bit more if it's going to get me something that is considerably better then the 100-150ish range. And these both sound like they may be exactly that. I need to do a bunch of research on these two. Thank you for that suggestion!

One thing I'm really unclear about is the plug sizes and do I need to worry about that? I'm seeing 4.4mm plugs, and I've never see or heard of that size. Everything I've ever seen is either 3.5mm or the larger 6.35mm. I'm not even sure how I'd use a 4.4mm plug with my iPhone? That little dongle is for lightening to 3.5mm. So how do people use this 4.4mm size? And what are the advantages of it? And should I even worry about it?

Thanks

 

[o0genesis0o]

Hmmmm, that's strange. I've never once thought of the ATH-M50x's as having more mids and highs then the avg headphone. I purposely chose them for their powerful bass and neutral but articulate mids and highs. I do feel like the mids might be scooped a bit too much on them, and lack a sense of openness/airiness. That is about the only thing I don't love about them. But other than that, they are pretty neutral overall, with slightly warm booming bass. Not rumbling or huge, but warm and tight and punchy. That's what made me buy them the instant I listened to them.

Direct quotes from audiophile reviewers:

"They offer a well-balanced audio reproduction suitable for recording and general listening. While they don't produce a lot of low-bass, their over-emphasized high-bass compensates for this somewhat, and there's plenty of warmth and boom in your mixes. They have a decently balanced mid-range that reproduces instruments and vocals accurately, and their treble doesn't sound too sharp or recessed."

"The sound from the ATH-M50x is one of the high points of the headphone, with large 45mm drivers pounding out the beats with consistent energy and clarity. It’s a powerful sounding headphone with a good low-end grunt that still manages to retain the tightness and control that is so often the downfall of similarly priced cans."



But anyways, I'll look into those NiceHck F1 Pro's and do some research. Thank you for that suggestion.

I did read some reviews of the AFUL Magic One before you even mentioned them, and on the surface it seems like it might be good, but again, after reading a lot of reviews, they sound like they're lacking in things I want. It says they are a BA IEM, which means the bass will never be that great, nor the treble. And the reviews I've read of the Magic One all say, it's good IEM, but nothing special. And most reviews say it absolutely needs an Amp to drive it to sound it's best. Something I'm not going to get into. So those are a no go. But thank you for that suggestion.

Now, on to these Simgot EA1000's. They sound VERY interesting after just briefly checking some reviews. Which also lead me to finding out about the outstanding HIDIZS MP145's as well! Both sound exactly like what I'm looking for! I don't mind spending a little bit more if it's going to get me something that is considerably better then the 100-150ish range. And these both sound like they may be exactly that. I need to do a bunch of research on these two. Thank you for that suggestion!

One thing I'm really unclear about is the plug sizes and do I need to worry about that? I'm seeing 4.4mm plugs, and I've never see or heard of that size. Everything I've ever seen is either 3.5mm or the larger 6.35mm. I'm not even sure how I'd use a 4.4mm plug with my iPhone? That little dongle is for lightening to 3.5mm. So how do people use this 4.4mm size? And what are the advantages of it? And should I even worry about it?

Thanks

4.4mm is balanced output, 3.5 and 6.35 are single ended. Whether balanced sounds better depends on the devices. In my experience, the ones with both 4.4 and 3.5 tend to make 4.4 sound better (or more accurately, make the 3.5 sound worse). Given the same device and IEM, I tend to hear better staging and dynamic with 4.4. Noted that there can be excellent devices like Chord Mojo2 that does not need balanced 4.4 at all. It’s all about the design of the DAC and amp.

Also made a review of MP145 a while back:

It’s alright. One of the most promising planar IEMs at the moment, afaik.

Edit: and respectfully disagree with my fellow reviewers who say magic one is “nothing special”

 

[RoninJin]

4.4mm is balanced output, 3.5 and 6.35 are single ended. Whether balanced sounds better depends on the devices. In my experience, the ones with both 4.4 and 3.5 tend to make 4.4 sound better (or more accurately, make the 3.5 sound worse). Given the same device and IEM, I tend to hear better staging and dynamic with 4.4. Noted that there can be excellent devices like Chord Mojo2 that does not need balanced 4.4 at all. It’s all about the design of the DAC and amp.

Also made a review of MP145 a while back:

It’s alright. One of the most promising planar IEMs at the moment, afaik.

Edit: and respectfully disagree with my fellow reviewers who say magic one is “nothing special”

Post deleted. I already figured out the answer to my question. Hidizs MP145 ordered