[Ksweene5]

Hi HF -

I recently pared down my collection of headphones/iems and am looking to grab a new pair of over ears and iem's.

First up - IEMs. I still have my Etymotic HF5s and MeeAudio Pinnacle P1's. I recently sold Ety er4p/s. I am wanting a new set of IEMs that lean towards fun - as opposed to completely neutral - and a little bass heavy. IEMs that I have been eyeing - Shure SE535 , UE Triple.Fi, Fiio F9.

I've also been eyeing IEMs from Sony - as I hear their overall sound is bassy and fun. What is the prior model to the Sony XBA-Z5? Which model Sony's are considered to be the best pairs? Their naming conventions are very convoluted.

I'm totally fine buying used.

Among those - which is the most lively? Bass-heavy? What other IEMs am I looking past - any recs? TIA

 

[vilhelm44]

Have a look at the Oriolus MK2, they could be just what you're looking for. They have bass to die for and are extremely fun to listen too.

 

[zhaoziqi123]

Try k3003, I used it for 4 years.

 

[TheoS53]

Ok, before making a recommendation, I just wanna point out something in the title of your topic, "Mid-Fi". Unfortunately it seems that this is a topic or term that's often thrown around by many without a consideration of what it actually means. "Mid-Fi" is derived from "Hi-Fi". The term "Hi-Fi" is short for "High Fidelity", and so should not have anything to do with cost, but "Mid-Fi" is usually used to describe items according to their price bracket, rather than their actual performance. The "Fi" part is important here, as the definition of "fidelity" is a term used to describe the degree of exactness with which something is copied or reproduced. In audio terms this means how accurately the audio device (DAC, AMP, headphones, etc) are reproducing the electrical signal that's being fed to it.
So, when you say "Mid-Fi", are you talking about price, or a certain colouration of the sound?

For accuracy, I have not found a set of IEMs that have a better bang-for-buck value than the HiFiMAN RE-400. They're on Amazon now for $50. Their performance are simply out of this world for that price. But, many people actually don't like an accurate set of headphone/IEMs, and so they opt for something that has a bit more of a pleasing colouration. I have not tried the SE535 yet, but they do seem like a great set when looking at their measurements. Innerfidelity is a great place to look at measurements and there's a ton of info on that site that'll help you learn how to interpret measurements.

 

[CaptainCanada84]

Fun and bassy IEMS? Check out the Campfire Polaris. I bought them because I was looking for exactly what you're describing. Absolutely have not been disappointed one ounce.

 

[lmfboy01]

Polaris is great! i got one for sale if anyones interest!?

 

[Raketen]

Looked at the JVC woodies at all? FX850 came to mind reading post, as long as you don't need isolation- not familiar with the more recent models though.

My current "fun" iem is Sony N3 hybrid, less for fun sound than being comfortable, not too source fussy and suitable for most genre. the sound signature is actually kind of sedate though, sort of a dark mild-v shape, but it does show some bass when called for.

 

[Slashn77]

I am really curious about this thread as I am also looking for a more “fun” iem $150-$400 range

 

[Ksweene5]

I have recently become very intrigued by Campfires offerings - that would be more than I planned to spend but I am considering those for sure. Reading up on the other recs as well. Thanks for the input

 

[Brumas7]

I was also trying for different iems sound and got a couple of new iems last month. You should check out the LZ A5, if you don't mind it being from China. It is priced slightly more than Pinnacle P1 at about US$269. It has a really enjoying and fun sound, with good amount of details.
There is a thread on it (not if cut-paste works) -- https://www.head-fi.org/threads/lz-a5.867896/

 

[Redcarmoose]

https://www.amazon.com/XBA-Z5-Balanced-Armature-Headphones-International/dp/B00PF89YXG

About $499 not being “mid-fi” but rather end-game.
The XBA-Z5 are going to get you that bass emotion without any dull bleed into the mids. They can scale up with whatever you get in the future to put in front of them. You don’t want to get used due to the delicate MMCX connections.

Many think they surpass all flagships from Sony that came before.

 

[Ksweene5]

https://www.amazon.com/XBA-Z5-Balanced-Armature-Headphones-International/dp/B00PF89YXG

About $499 not being “mid-fi” but rather end-game.
The XBA-Z5 are going to get you that bass emotion without any dull bleed into the mids. They can scale up with whatever you get in the future to put in front of them. You don’t want to get used due to the delicate MMCX connections.

Many think they surpass all flagships from Sony that came before.

is the general consensus these are the Sony in-ears to get? their naming conventions make it so hard to keep the models straight. I keep an eye out for sony iem's for sale used on here. Based on what I have read, I think I would like them a lot.
At this point I think I have a good small list of iem's I would be happy with - and whichever pop up for a decent price first will be the pick.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Well, I have not heard the early models, but the Z5 is far from perfect as far as cables go. An early model had a slightly better connector. The Z5 has the generic MMCX system, where you really want to baby them, also only change the connectors a couple of times. After a cable change the Z5s become a better fit, as the original cables are sqiggly and go all over. The magnesium alloy chassis are prone to paint wear too. If you look at the shape, you can imagine the dynamic driver and double BAs being extended out from the middle of your ear, hanging in the air, only supported by the tip. Still once you get into the sound, you deal with it.

If you spend time at Head-Fi, you do read that they are considered the best as far as sound goes. Still you don't want to buy this one used, as there could be issues with the MMCX system.

But........if you can deal with the issues the sound is nothing short of flagship/end-game. Somehow they are fun and the pinnacle of audiophile at the same time. Big natural bass which never messes up the signature. Big soundstage and a giant soundstage improvement from getting them a powerful balanced signal. You just have to deal with slighly off ergonomics.

 

[koven]

iBasso IT lineup is a pretty fun sound. IT01 is a solid value for $100 and they just launched IT04 for $500 I think, or $450... forgot. IT03 sits right in between.

 

[Ksweene5]

Are the mmcx issues that prevalent ?Those connections can be so frustrating, I'm not sure I could sign up for that knowing it could easily be a problem.

Are any other Sony models similar in sound/quality but less likely to have connection problems ? W/ shoddy mmcx connections - is there any fix? partial fix?

I have seen favorable reviews on the ibasso's. I wish I had a place where I could look at some of these.