[FunkeXMix]

I've tried a couple of in-ears so far and as I understand you can't have it all. So if I had to sacrifice something, let it be bass.

Good ones
sony-xba-n3
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/sony-xba-n3.22428/reviews
They broke so I got my money back, but so far they are my reference point. Work with all kinds of music. Mids are a bit recessed keeping them from being perfect. Just want to see if I can find something better and cheaper perhaps. Lovely treble extension and soundstage. But cost 230 EUR with shipping.

URBANFUN Hi-Fi MARK II

https://audiobudget.com/product/URBANFUN/Hi-Fi-Mk2B

I am very happy with them when it comes to rock and techno/house and other genres of that type, very musical. Even more so then the Sony due to a very pleasant sound signature. But they fall flat with all my acoustic and ambient music reference albums/tracks. They lack treble extension and soundstage. If they had that they would beat Sony.

So here are two tracks that are examples of requirements they do not meet.

This one is a good test for bass mids and highs. They fail the highs test. On these headphones you don't get the timbre/life in the violin, a more flat sound in the highs.



This track should surround you, it's very spatial/wide/3d. But on these headphones it's flat. Sound is clearly coming from left and right. I guess this is what you call narrow soundstage. Any Ambient genre music is basically a no play on these headphones:



Bad ones compared to above mentioned models:
https://audiobudget.com/product/BGVP/SGZ-DN1
Havi B3 Pro1
Known in some circles for soundstage, but the clarity of the highs and the sound in general is low-fi for me. In comparison to Sony they are like cheap headphones with some bad spatial/3d effect added to them. Like the ones in Windows sound settings. I strongly do not recommend them for soundstage fans. Urbanfun are also better due to higher quality representation of lows, mids and highs, minus the bad 3d effect.

 

[yong_shun]

So far for all the model I tried and owned, I think CA Andromeda and Sennheiser IE800s have the best treble extension and soundstage.

 

[honeyjjack]

64 audio u18t have the best treble extension and sound stage.

 

[FunkeXMix]

jeezus no 3000 USD, we are in hefty diminishing returns territory there I think. Maybe if they had lifetime warranty . Putting the limit at 240 USD

 

[yong_shun]

jeezus no 3000 USD, we are in hefty diminishing returns territory there I think. Maybe if they had lifetime warranty . Putting the limit at 240 USD

With USD240, I think you can try Campfire Audio Orion

 

[serman005]

Check out an iBasso IT01.

 

[pbui44]

If you don’t need as much environment isolation, get the KZ ZS6 and iFi IEMatch adapter. Then with the money you saved, get an extra set as a backup or gift to someone else.

 

[honeyjjack]

dunun 2000j

 

[FunkeXMix]

iFi IEMatch adapter

Hey thanks for the response. But do you mind telling me what the good effect of iFi IEMatch is on the ZS6? And do ZS6 work well with soaring violins? No congestion? I bring up the violins all the time cause that is where less good headphones can't perform well.

 

[pbui44]

The IEMatch will provide a much more reference atmosphere to the KZ ZS6, which is more of a “fun” sounding earphone with a V-Shape and its treble might sound sibilant to many and bass boomy to a few listeners. Although it was a iFi Nano iDSD BL, another person with a KZ ZS6 said the iDSD BL has an IEMatch output and said the result was more present mids, tamed treble, and an overall “kinda fantastic” sound that had his KZ ZS6 to its best sound he had heard thus far. For me, the soundstage is also expanded and the extensions much smoother, with a more taut and softer bass response. Oh yeah, violins and other stringer instruments sound much more realistic as well. Hope this helps.

 

[FunkeXMix]

Hmm, interesting. I really appreciate your input here. But I wonder...why not add the extra $50ish for the IEMatch to the in-ear headphone budget and buy something better than ZS6? There must be some really cool ChiFi for $100 if the ZS6 cost 50 or less. Or is this mod really THAT good?

 

[pbui44]

Well, the IEMatch is a great IEM-accessory alternative to portable amps with lower-level attenuating gain options, especially when you have everything stored in your pocket(s).