[DaveStarWalker]

Great argued post.

And the most important thing:

Enjoy

 

[Wolfhawk46]

Current Rankings: https://wolfhawkaudioreviews.com/2023/02/01/wolfhawks-headphone-rankings/

 

[Wolfhawk46]

U12T or VE Elysium, which is better?

Elysium is my preference. Both are good though.

 

[onraid]

1. Hifiman RE-2000 Gold
2. Sony IER Z1R sound is good but fit is the worst of all IEM's
3. ThieAudio Monarch V2
4. Moondrop s8
5. Mest Mext
6. Earsonics S-EM9 best for rock
7. JH Rox
8. CA Solaris 2020
9. FINAL Audio B3
10. CA Andromeda
11. EMPIRE AUDIO WRATH ONLY WITH POWERFULL SOURCE
12. Sony EX-1000
13. Dunu DN-1000
14. IMR R1 Zenith with re-2000 cable
15. Fiio FH5
16. Shure se215
99. AAW Canary

 

[Arora]

So I had the pleasure of trying out various TOTL IEMs yesterday thanks to Elise Audio here in London. Could not be more thankful to @SoundJedi.

Some thoughts from an IEM noob. Bear in mind that 1) I have ears on the bigger side, 2) I drove all of these on a BTR7, 3) test tracks were by the Beatles, Strokes, Libertines, Bob Dylan, the Velvet Underground, Radiohead, Everly Brothers, Taeyeon, Blackpink, NewJeans, Le Sserafim. 4) my current IEMs are the IER-Z1R and Monarch MKII. 5) I only had S Final Type E and S Thieaudio Monarch tips with me.

- Subtonic Storm - sounded like speakers in my head. Very neutral to my ears, technically impressive but I prefer a more fun tuning.
- Elysian Diva - fit was problematic, great for vocals but I couldn’t get them inserted into my ear canals very well. That could be why I felt they sounded thin. Not for me.
- Helios - I tried to put them in my ears but gave up because it was relative torture.
- Helios SE - what a difference a new shell makes. These were the most comfortable IEM along with the Meteor. Fantastic all rounder and probably the IEM that would replace my Monarch MKII. Possibly even my Z1R too. Need to try them again to confirm initial impressions as I’m interested in buying these. Due to the smaller size, I would need medium tips to ensure a better seal. Also the BTR7 is not adequate enough to drive this as I was near max volume on high gain.
- Meteor - this was the first IEM i tried and after 2.5 hours i forgot my exact thoughts. I just remember the bass went lower than my Z1R and I liked them at the time. Similar to the Helios SE where I want to try them again as a potential future purchase. Due to the smaller size, I would need medium tips to ensure a better seal.
- Fatfreq Maestro SE - great bass but treble sounded a bit soft to me. I prefer treble to be a bit sparklier. Wasn’t for me.
- Annihilator 2023 - MAGIC. my favourite IEMs of the day. It sounded so good on every song I played across a variety of genres. Everything about this was top tier but unfortunately so is the price. I want!
- Thieaudio V16 - really enjoyed these, quite a bit more than my Monarch MKII. Struggled with a fast garage rock track (Vertigo by the Libertines) which is a significant portion of my library. Would like to listen again.
- Thieaudio Prestige - can’t remember exactly but I definitely preferred the V16.
- Fir RN6 - can’t remember what I didn’t like about it but I know it didn’t appeal. I liked the small size though.

Very rough ranking based on my short listening time with each:

1) Annihilator 2023, easily
2) Helios SE
3) Toss up between the V16 and Storm

My rankings would inevitably change based on extended listening, different amplification, and correct tips.

In terms of how my Z1R and Monarch compare... I will sell my Monarch at some point as I preferred quite a few of the ones I tried yesterday over it. The Z1R is staying for now as only the Annihilator was definitely better than it for me but it costs 3x as much.

 

[vo_obgyn]

JH Audio Roxanne Custom
Sennheiser IE 800
Ucotech RE-2
Audeze iSINE 20
Sennheiser IE 200
Etymotic ER4S

 

[ddlo]

My current personal preference (purely pop music listening) for iems that i owned. i found myself prefer spacious, expansive sound with bass impact. i wanna made a list of 10 only but 11 came to mind when i wrote this . . .

1. KSE1200 - simply the best of the best and nothing else could touch it. even after that many years
2. Fitear titan - super relax and spacious sound. and fitear made the best fitting ciem
3. VE erlkönig - silver shell is exemplary. sound closed-in to me but everything else is to love about. vastly better than my VE8 uiem.
4. Fitear DC Ti - probably more resolving than titan but not as spacious. same best fitting from short nozzle fitear ciem
5. Sony Just ear listening - very beautiful greenish translucent shell. also very enjoyable tuning without being offensive sound across all the frequency range
6. FW10000 - a bit more bass and a bit better passive isolation are all i wish it could be to make it to the top. there's nothing else fw10000 offers not at the best possible level
7. ie900 - superb and tasteful tuning. great single DD iem. nimble and small size also great advantages
8. Fitear TG334 -not natural sounding but super fun and super enjoyable for all the j-pop music i listen to, especially for female vocal. fitting is also super!
9. hs2000mx - the metal shell is very beautifully made. i purchased two more capsules (ACT03 and ACT04) to swap and all are fun to listen. all offer some of the best single DD sound i've come across.
10. Fir XE6 (CM)- strong rattling bass and also very spacious sounding. this is really fun to listen to
11. Dita Perpurta - beautifully made with audio note silver internal wiring. sounds great and very resolving but not the kind of tuning that i prefer (quite opposite to TG334).

 

[firesign]

OK, I'm going to update my ranking today in a new post, as there have been some important new arrivals.

FIRESIGN IEM RANKING:

1) AüR Audio Neon Pro
2) UM Mest MK2 (EQ +1 or 2dB for bass)
3) Empire Ears Nemesis (EQ needed)
4) Oriolus Isabellae
5) 7hz Timeless

-----------

6) ThieAudio Clairvoyance
7) Shuoer S12
8) 64audio U12t
8) Shure KSE1200
9) CCA CRA (EQ needed)
10) SoftEars RSV
11) iBasso IT07
12) FiiO FH7
13) Beyerdynamic Xelento
14) Itsfit Fusion
15) IMR Opus Mia
16) Sony XBA-N3AP
17) IMR R2 Aten
18) Campfire Audio Solaris
19) Dunu DK2001
20) KZ DQ6 / DQ6S
Others: Campfire Audio Andromeda, Tangzu Wan'er, 7hz Salnotes Zero, Moondrop Quarks DSP

I hate them: Hifiman RE2000Pro Silver, JVC HA-FDX1, IMR Dark Matter, Sennheiser IE300, IMR R1 Zenith

UPDATED: 2023-04-17

IMPORTANT:
I only listen to hard rock, progressive and metal. And that I don't like the "flat" and boring sound at all.

 

[W00dEar]

My rank is as my signature

 

[Albert705]

What is good in the classification of IEMs, according to the list of a person we are able to determine his favorite sound signature.

 

[silent-circuit]

1. Hifiman RE-2000 Gold
2. Sony IER Z1R sound is good but fit is the worst of all IEM's
3. ThieAudio Monarch V2
4. Moondrop s8
5. Mest Mext
6. Earsonics S-EM9 best for rock
7. JH Rox
8. CA Solaris 2020
9. FINAL Audio B3
10. CA Andromeda
11. EMPIRE AUDIO WRATH ONLY WITH POWERFULL SOURCE
12. Sony EX-1000
13. Dunu DN-1000
14. IMR R1 Zenith with re-2000 cable
15. Fiio FH5
16. Shure se215
99. AAW Canary

Really don't like the Canary, huh...? Why is that, if you don't mind?

 

[Dimbledern]

I've been meaning to do one of these for awhile. My audiophile journey started around 2 years ago. I will mark * by iems I currently own. I have had a significant amount of ear time on all of these iems.

1. VE EXT*
2. CA Supermoon universal*
3. Thieaudio Monarch Mk2 Sold due to fit issues
4. CA Dorado 2020*
5. CA Andromeda 2020 Sold
6. Moondrop Variations tried a friend's
7. Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk Sold
8. Moondrop Aria*

IEMs I would love to try... hopefully Canjam Chicago is in my future.

CA Trifecta / new Andro and Solaris
Fir Audio new lineup
Elysian IEMs specifically Annihilator and Diva
Fatfreq Maestro SE

In my limited experience so far in this hobby the EXT is perfection for me.

 

[berger]

1. UM Multiverse Mentor
2. Oriolus Traillii JP
3. Noble Sultan
4. Oriolus Mellianus JP
5. UM Mason FS Le Jardin
6. 64 Audio U18t
7. 64 Audio U12t
8. Shure KSE 1500
9. Fitear ToGo! 334
10. Ultimate Ears UE 900

 

[Thomastb]

1. Hifiman RE-2000 Gold
2. Sony IER Z1R sound is good but fit is the worst of all IEM's
3. ThieAudio Monarch V2
4. Moondrop s8
5. Mest Mext
6. Earsonics S-EM9 best for rock
7. JH Rox
8. CA Solaris 2020
9. FINAL Audio B3
10. CA Andromeda
11. EMPIRE AUDIO WRATH ONLY WITH POWERFULL SOURCE
12. Sony EX-1000
13. Dunu DN-1000
14. IMR R1 Zenith with re-2000 cable
15. Fiio FH5
16. Shure se215
99. AAW Canary

Excellent job, Agree on most parts I would put Sony m9 behind Z1r and ahead of moondrop s8
Also would be great to have dunu sa6 in the list too.

 

[Arora]

Of the IEMs I have spent the most time with:

1) 64 Audio U12t
2) Sony IER-Z1R
3) Monarch MKII