[buchlair]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a sub $400 IEM that has a full, warm signature that would be good for listening to rap, r&b, jazz, and pop. I've been looking at the LZ-A6 but am unsure if that would be good for my music tastes and the sound signature that I'm looking for. A spacious soundstage is a plus but not a requirement.

An example of the type of music I listen to:


Any advice/recommendations?

 

[IEMusic]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a sub $400 IEM that has a full, warm signature that would be good for listening to rap, r&b, jazz, and pop. I've been looking at the LZ-A6 but am unsure if that would be good for my music tastes and the sound signature that I'm looking for. A spacious soundstage is a plus but not a requirement.

An example of the type of music I listen to:


Any advice/recommendations?

Oh, so many options. My favorite IEM currently is the ThieAudio Legacy 3. It is versatile, for many genres of music, and has a good amount of bass. The Moondrop Starfield is also a very balanced IEM. For a ton of bass, the TFZ No.3 and BLON BL03 are great.

Others will let you know about the LZ A6. A lot of people like it.

I don’t know much about these yet, but you may want to also research them, the Shozy Form 1.1 and 1.4 and the Ikko OH1 and OH10.

 

[baskingshark]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a sub $400 IEM that has a full, warm signature that would be good for listening to rap, r&b, jazz, and pop. I've been looking at the LZ-A6 but am unsure if that would be good for my music tastes and the sound signature that I'm looking for. A spacious soundstage is a plus but not a requirement.

An example of the type of music I listen to:


Any advice/recommendations?

U might wanna wait a bit, as there's a LZ A7 (successor) coming out soon according to the other headfiers.

U can consider the Audiosense DT200 ($149 USD). It is a warm neutralish signature, with very good tonality and timbre. It is a bit lacking in soundstage and technicalities, but it is very non fatiguing.

Another possibility is the TRI I3 ($140ish USD). It is very balanced with good coherent tonality and above average technicalities. Holographic soundstage, I really like it for classical and jazz. It needs amping though, as the planar handling the mids needs some juice, but the mids are truly one of the best in that price range that I've heard.

A very cheap option is the BLON BL-03 ($23 USD). Great tonality and timbre, harmanish with midbass boost. Above average soundstage, though technicalities like instrument separation, details, and clarity are weak. The fit with the stock tips isn't the best though, and fit is everything in an IEM. So most of the headfiers use a longer nozzle eartip eg spinftis, or do a spacer mod, and I daresay it can compete with some sub $100 IEMs with a good fit. Great rendering of acoustic instruments.

The KBEAR Diamond ($70 USD) is an improvement over the BLON BL-03 with better fit, better isolation, better technicalities/timbre/tonality. Though soundstage is narrower. Also great for acoustic instruments. Midbass is about on par with the BL-03 in quantity but it has speedier and more accurate bass quality.

Good luck with your search!

 

[buchlair]

U might wanna wait a bit, as there's a LZ A7 (successor) coming out soon according to the other headfiers.

U can consider the Audiosense DT200 ($149 USD). It is a warm neutralish signature, with very good tonality and timbre. It is a bit lacking in soundstage and technicalities, but it is very non fatiguing.

Another possibility is the TRI I3 ($140ish USD). It is very balanced with good coherent tonality and above average technicalities. Holographic soundstage, I really like it for classical and jazz. It needs amping though, as the planar handling the mids needs some juice, but the mids are truly one of the best in that price range that I've heard.

A very cheap option is the BLON BL-03 ($23 USD). Great tonality and timbre, harmanish with midbass boost. Above average soundstage, though technicalities like instrument separation, details, and clarity are weak. The fit with the stock tips isn't the best though, and fit is everything in an IEM. So most of the headfiers use a longer nozzle eartip eg spinftis, or do a spacer mod, and I daresay it can compete with some sub $100 IEMs with a good fit. Great rendering of acoustic instruments.

The KBEAR Diamond ($70 USD) is an improvement over the BLON BL-03 with better fit, better isolation, better technicalities/timbre/tonality. Though soundstage is narrower. Also great for acoustic instruments. Midbass is about on par with the BL-03 in quantity but it has speedier and more accurate bass quality.

Good luck with your search!

I've read some concerns about the cable on the TRI I3. Have you noticed any connection issues?

 

[baskingshark]

I've read some concerns about the cable on the TRI I3. Have you noticed any connection issues?

It uses an MMCX connector which I personally find is a bit on the filmsy side. MMCX connectors ain't as sturdy as 2 pin connectors in terms of lifespan, and it is best u just leave one cable u like on it, and do not frequently disconnect/connect other cables on it. I have no issues with it for the past few months, but I never changed the cable on it.

 

[buchlair]

It uses an MMCX connector which I personally find is a bit on the filmsy side. MMCX connectors ain't as sturdy as 2 pin connectors in terms of lifespan, and it is best u just leave one cable u like on it, and do not frequently disconnect/connect other cables on it. I have no issues with it for the past few months, but I never changed the cable on it.

And do you think it can be driven with a Fiio BTR5?

 

[baskingshark]

And do you think it can be driven with a Fiio BTR5?

I haven't used the Fiio BTR5, maybe u might wanna check with the rest. But since the BTR5 has balanced output, I would think it should be able to. My humble Fiio A3 amp can drive it sufficiently without the need to go to high gain mode on non balanced output.