I use one made in Brazil (a custom) it’s a neutral IEMs that have this characteristic proeminent : reveal everything in the records , even the small details .
Só as my IEMs have this capacity , nothing change with DFR because they are already quite good in this area.
And I prefer they neutrality , rather then the bit brightness offered by DFR , it’s a bit but I can perceive .
But I find DFR a lot convenient to use too !
I'm sorry to hear you're not liking the DFR with your IEMs. My suggestion is to give it a little more time before completely giving up hope.
I can definitely hear a difference in quality between using it and my phone (Samsung S9, Essential PH-1, HTC One M8) with my IEMs (Westone UM Pro 50, JAYS q-JAYS, RHA T20i). I also fancy I can hear a slight positive difference between it and my FiiO X5+E12A setup, though it's subtle enough that I might be hearing volume differences, etc. The difference between the DFR and my MacBook Air are definitely subtle– too subtle to notice in regular listening.
What you can hear definitely has a lot to do with your preferences and points of reference. I would never call the DFR bright– to me it sounds completely neutral– but then I'm coming from other gear that, to me, sounds neutral. If your iPhone and PC are a little bit dark or restrained in the treble, then I can see how the DFR would sound bright by comparison. If my S9 were my only frame of reference, I'd probably find the DFR to be a bit bright, as well. Likewise, if your reference is a very bass heavy headphone, a neutral one will sound anemic by comparison.
It's also difficult for us to judge your problem since none of us knows your IEMs. You say they're neutral and revealing– but if nobody but you knows how they sound, nobody can say how detailed and neutral they actually are. Again, if they're your only point of reference, what sounds neutral and highly detailed to you might sound colored and featureless to somebody else. I'm not saying the is necessarily the case, but it's hard for us to rule out if we don't know anything about your IEMs other than your impressions of them.
Again, I think you should give the DFR some time.
@Carabei is right, there's a funny phenomenon wherein it's hard to hear differences when going from good gear to great, but it's easier when you switch from great gear to good. I'd recommend listening to the DFR exclusively for several days, trying to not compare it to your other sources. Relax and listen to the music! Try to turn off the critical part of your brain– I know that's more easily said than done, but it's worth a try. See if you can get to a point where the brightness is no longer driving you nuts. After a couple days when you've reached a point that it no longer annoys you every time you think about it, then go back and compare the DFR against your iPhone and PC. I'm not saying you'll necessarily suddenly hear a huge difference, but I think you might be surprised.
Anyway, good luck!
