[PeacockObscura]

Being poor is a state of mind

With this ranking, how many folks fall out from Watercooler company
But, yes...$200-$1000 would be much more appropriate if you ask me for a midsection...hmm, but no one is asking me
It seems that there is still room for a couple more threads...

Finally, it would be best if we all fall into one big group/family...without dividing into $ subgenres...

Anyway... I am following!

Cheers!

I agree and will change the bracket to $1000.

 

[archdawg]

My interpretation of Midfi is a broad
$200--$1500

Let's all wait until 2025 and see those numbers hit somewhere closer to $500-2000 (and our buddies over at the Watercooler discussing their latest $10k+ puppies ).

Anyway, another mid-fi guy here, mainly single DDs, bought 50+ sets over the years but only use about 5 of them in my regular rotation.
Been looking forward to burn up to $2k on a generalist set of IEMs for a while now (preferably single DD again) that stands sort of heads and shoulders above what I already own but no luck so far, at least judging from what I've auditioned lately ... upwards from a certain level IMHO it's all about individual preferences and working compromises (ain't no 'perfect' IEMs), diminishing returns etc... but FWIW at least I have a fairly good idea of my preferences and nogo's.

BTW, a couple weeks ago I dug out my OG Dunu DK-3001 from storage. I still remember a number of favorable reviews praising them as some sort of 'must-buy' or 'everybody's darling' back when they came out in 2017 ($499) but boy ... compared to what you can get for half of that money or even less these days they, like many other IEMs didn't age too well ... another lesson learned.

Bottom line, since I'm not much of a collector and really enjoy what I own already and the next 'best' set always lurking around the corner I won't lose any sleep over burning that cash too quickly and will spend more time chasing down albums instead. YMMV.

PS: out of curiosity ... does anyone here have any IEM from back in the day (4-5 or more years ago) that are still in your top 5 or close?

 

[Lindholdt]

Quite new to this hobby, it took off last summer as I bought a pair of HiFiMan Sundara's, and it kinda snowballed from there
Just got my first set of "mid-fi" IEM's this week, and I'm very happy with the sound quality you get for the cost, It's pretty crazy, really. Maybe I feel that way, as I've been an "audio-enthusiast" for many years, but this has been with speakers. You don't get very far for $200 in the land of HiFi speakers
My job is in the HiFi speaker business.

Anyway, still learning a lot, hearing tons of music and having fun. I'm leaning towards the "objectivist" side of the population in this hobby, but I also respect that others have different opinions and experiences.
Don't think I will ever go into the TOTL territory with IEM's, so I think this is the perfect thread for me to participate in

 

[RBYRER]

Let's all wait until 2025 and see those numbers hit somewhere closer to $500-2000 (and our buddies over at the Watercooler discussing their latest $10k+ puppies ).

Anyway, another mid-fi guy here, mainly single DDs, bought 50+ sets over the years but only use about 5 of them in my regular rotation.
Been looking forward to burn up to $2k on a generalist set of IEMs for a while now (preferably single DD again) that stands sort of heads and shoulders above what I already own but no luck so far, at least judging from what I've auditioned lately ... upwards from a certain level IMHO it's all about individual preferences and working compromises (ain't no 'perfect' IEMs), diminishing returns etc... but FWIW at least I have a fairly good idea of my preferences and nogo's.

BTW, a couple weeks ago I dug out my OG Dunu DK-3001 from storage. I still remember a number of favorable reviews praising them as some sort of 'must-buy' or 'everybody's darling' back when they came out in 2017 ($499) but boy ... compared to what you can get for half of that money or even less these days they, like many other IEMs didn't age too well ... another lesson learned.

Bottom line, since I'm not much of a collector and really enjoy what I own already and the next 'best' set always lurking around the corner I won't lose any sleep over burning that cash too quickly and will spend more time chasing down albums instead. YMMV.

PS: out of curiosity ... does anyone here have any IEM from back in the day (4-5 or more years ago) that are still in your top 5 or close?

Yea , I think everybody here on this thread should take in account for inflation and set the bar at $2000 but I think $1500 will do for now . You know over at the the other thread ( you know who , would be kind of blasphemous to to mention the name over here I think ) has a mid fi section that tops out at $1500 so I hope you leave it there for now . I think you would get more people involved sharing there stories and thoughts on all the iems and daps that are out now . Just my 2 cents .

PS maybe you could start a poll or something

 

[RBYRER]

Oh and I think this is so great having a thread like this .

 

[fidgeraldo]

Let's all wait until 2025 and see those numbers hit somewhere closer to $500-2000 (and our buddies over at the Watercooler discussing their latest $10k+ puppies ).

My point was that it doesn't matter how far IEMs will go sky-high in price.
Everything above 1k is not mid-rank anymore.

Especially how IEMs are developing.
Low-budget IEMs are closing rapidly to the sound that you almost don't need anything better.
(If you are a passionate music lover, like myself )

Cheers!

 

[BS5711]

I don’t personally think a distinct budget needs to be set.

I think Mid Fi is relative, common sense, a bit of a state of mind and I suspect most folks probably understand generally where that fits.

No need to alienate people who might want to chat about a $135 S12 Pro for example because they are a fabulous IEM and nobody should feel they can’t legitimately enter a bit of banter about that sort of thing I don’t believe If I am reading the tone right. I have S12 Pro and frankly enjoy them just as much as my Solaris despite the $1,465 price disparity, seriously, I am not a cost snob. I did draw the line at a $9.95 Euro supermarket special while holidaying last year

Conversely if someone wants to occasionally show off something like the nee AuR Audio Aehta that might not squeak into a price bracket there is no harm in that either I don’t believe. Nice to see folks enjoying nice gear without it having to be a $6,000 set each month to fit in !!

If someone wants to discuss a three driver IEM that cost over $3K, looks like a ball sack and apparently sounds quirky AF connected to a $1,500 cable that might be pushing the context a bit perhaps

 

[mmoderni]

i also agree with mid-fi upper limits to $1500 in these days, it will be also interesting to know what in lower end could push over its price tag. Reading CJ SG Report, seems that the new DUNU Davinci / Gizaudio could be one of them. Pilgrim OG also.

 

[PeacockObscura]

I don’t personally think a distinct budget needs to be set.

I think Mid Fi is relative, common sense, a bit of a state of mind and I suspect most folks probably understand generally where that fits.

No need to alienate people who might want to chat about a $135 S12 Pro for example because they are a fabulous IEM and nobody should feel they can’t legitimately enter a bit of banter about that sort of thing I don’t believe If I am reading the tone right. I have S12 Pro and frankly enjoy them just as much as my Solaris despite the $1,465 price disparity, seriously, I am not a cost snob. I did draw the line at a $9.95 Euro supermarket special while holidaying last year

Conversely if someone wants to occasionally show off something like the nee AuR Audio Aehta that might not squeak into a price bracket there is no harm in that either I don’t believe. Nice to see folks enjoying nice gear without it having to be a $6,000 set each month to fit in !!

If someone wants to discuss a three driver IEM that cost over $3K, looks like a ball sack and apparently sounds quirky AF connected to a $1,500 cable that might be pushing the context a bit perhaps

The rule is no rules the price range just a guide no one's going to be sledged for posting an item over the range it's more to make those less "rich" to enjoy sharing their latest favourite without feeling dismissed

 

[BS5711]

I'm a 58 years old old rocker/biker who got into the hobby in covid after my wife suggested that my record player was too loud lol. Now 90 sets of iems and 20 daps down the road I have fallen for many hype trains and thoroughly enjoyed the process.
I have the collector gene so don't get rid of anything. I will be sharing pics and impressions of what I have and any new stuff that arrives. I have bought many of much of my collection on the 2nd hand market as they often go for far less than retail sometimes only weeks after release.

What bike do you ride ?

My last bike was an ‘88 GSXR 750 but I sold it in 1990 realising I didn’t enjoy it unless giving it a bit of a hurry up and even back then it was quick enough to get in serious trouble if kept up in the fun part of the rev range.

Prior to that was a Z440, RD250LC, GSX400F and 550 Katana, all a bit safer power output than the GSXR but not as cool

Always had a hankering for another bike but feel a bit old and sensible now and have a wife to consider but you make me wonder. My back probably couldn’t tolerate being bent over a sports bike these day however !!

 

[Smirk 24]

To get the conversation flowing, what are your top mid-fi sets right now?

My personal list:
Symphonium Titan, Nightjar Singularity, U4s, IER-Z1R, Symphonium Crimson

 

[PeacockObscura]

What bike do you ride ?

My last bike was an ‘88 GSXR 750 but I sold it in 1990 realising I didn’t enjoy it unless giving it a bit of a hurry up and even back then it was quick enough to get in serious trouble if kept up in the fun part of the rev range.

Prior to that was a Z440, RD250LC, GSX400F and 550 Katana, all a bit safer power output than the GSXR but not as cool

Always had a hankering for another bike but feel a bit old and sensible now and have a wife to consider but you make me wonder. My back probably couldn’t tolerate being bent over a sports bike these day however !!

My old bones arthritis and neuropathy has meant I sold my Custom "chopper" has now gone. So I'm more of a biker in my head lol

 

[BS5711]

AuR Audio Ascension and Neon Pro.

Letshuoer S12 punches above it “modest fi” price though and gives me as much enjoyment as IE600 and a rather pricier Campfire Audio offering.

 

[warrenpchi]

So here's the problem as I see it: this thread exists solely to provide segmentation and differentiation based on price.

The spirit of The Discovery Thread -- which was started a long time ago, when good IEMs were fewer and farther between -- was to find the diamonds in the rough. That's still the case. The only difference is that, as IEMs have improved across the board, The Discovery Thread has evolved to focus more on exceptional performers that also represent exceptional values.

The spirit of The Watercooler Thread was to shift the focus to performance exclusively, regardless of price. Not surprisingly, this often results in discussion of IEMs that tend to be more expensive than most. And yes, this often means summit-fi flagships and not much else.

However, in the case of both of those threads, an IEM's performance is both central and critical. An IEM that does not perform won't be discussed much in Discovery, no matter how cheap it is. Likewise, an IEM that does not perform exceptionally, will be completely ignored in Watercooler. Let me put it this way... if I were to use the terms lo-fi, mid-fi and hi-fi, I think most people would understand those to be descriptors of performance or quality... and not price. But here, mid-fi isn't so much an indicator of how an IEM performs, but rather how much it costs?

My attempt to find great midfi iems and sources and have good natured chat with like minded enthusiasts.
My interpretation of Midfi is a broad
$200--$1000
Of course yours may differ if so please share.

The rules are there are no rules just be kind and accepting of others opinions.

I'm an avid collector of all things midfi and having visited the heady heights of the summit fi groups want to encourage discussion on generally affordable options on the market.

Input is encouraged for all levels of audiophile users to help spread the knowledge we have all gained in this rabbit hole.

For example, looking at the first post, we can see that the only qualification for discussion here is a price bracket. And from the subsequent posts, apparently even that fluctuates from person to person. This seems to imply that this thread exists to provide economic stratification.

The rule is no rules the price range just a guide no one's going to be sledged for posting an item over the range it's more to make those less "rich" to enjoy sharing their latest favourite without feeling dismissed

So it's mainly a socioeconomic thing then?

 

[BS5711]

My old bones arthritis and neuropathy has meant I sold my Custom "chopper" has now gone. So I'm more of a biker in my head lol

Nice, and a good bit safer that way.

I put the bike’s insurance premiums and running costs into audio and wine