Happy New Year guys!
Here's my inaugural
IEM Rankings list for January 2022. I've stressed and strained over it for the past two weeks or so, tweaking here and there more than once, and I think it's solid enough now to share with the group. Big
thank you to
@Damz87 for generously sharing his template with me. I made some changes, notably adding three new columns:
Build Quality,
Fit and
Enjoyment Factor. I was also going to add
Accessories but figured I can always do that later on,
although since I hardly used the stock accessories on many of these IEMs, that score would be a thumbsuck.
I think the biggest single change was
Enjoyment Factor, mainly because I've given it a
25% weighting in the overall score, with the first 8 items combined making up the other 75%. I consider
enjoyment more important than any other factor, because even though each score is necessarily my
subjective opinion of how I hear (or feel about) that particular aspect of an IEM, I very often
enjoy an IEM that scores less subjectively and objectively in many other areas
more than I do IEMs that score much higher. That explains the list position of IEMs like the BLON BL-03 and Sony WF-1000XM4, for example, both of which I'd take with me on a roadtrip before any of the other 'more accomplished' IEMs lower down, and even some of those higher up.
As such, this list should be taken as only
one data point (as all of these lists should be regarded anyway). It factors in many different intangibles that you can't see on the list, like my music choices, how I use my IEMs, my sound preferences, my listening volume, and my hearing health. I encourage you to use it as a guide only in relation to my specific preferences, and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have on this thread, or by PM.
I'll likely revisit the list only if and when I hear new IEMs that deserve to make my Top 20. I've heard many other IEMs, none of which I feel merit the time and effort it takes to include them on a ranking list, and again I'm happy to offer my opinion on those IEMs by PM should you want it.
PS. If you want short TD;DR summaries of the Top 5 or Top 10 IEMs on the list with an explainer on how I hear them and what I like/dislike about them, let me know and I'll put one together. Numerical scores are ultimately only useful as a grading system, and don't convey any real-world context.
). There's quite a distance between half points in my mind, so when an IEM scores a full point behind another, that's a substantial difference. I think if I felt any of these scored a 5 in a meaningful area, they wouldn't merit the list. Believe me there are many IEMs I've heard that would score 5 or less in some areas, even some IEMs people seem to like. Ultimately many would score IEMs like the BL-03 much lower in some technical areas, but I have to go with my ears, my gut, and how I personally feel about them. 
). That's what I recently meant in our discussion with 