[ryanrulez]

Hi Guys

Hope you all are doing well amid this COVID madness, so i'm looking to upgrade my IEMs let me share my IEM journey so far

What IEMs have i used so far ? : Brainwavz M2, UE TF10 and Sennheiser IE8i

Devices id be using the future IEMs with : Fiio btr5 Connected to OnePlus 8pro via USB or LDAC BT 5.0 and use UAPP for MQA from tidal hifi when on USB and use Apple music, Spotify, Google music and FLACs

Where would i be buying from ? : theres a sale which would happen on 5th to 7th August on Heaphonezone ( URL : https://www.headphonezone.in/) and yes iam based out of India, or Amazon India both have sales more or less the same time. but prefer the headphonezone as they usually ship faster than Amazon, but i'm open to other Indian sites. and if it is out of stock i can wait until it comes back in stock.

What kind of music do i listen to ? : Classic rock, 80s, EDM, Prog trance, Acoustics and some Bollywood stuff

What is my budget ? : 200USD (15000 INR) could go a little higher if there's a major difference

What i seek ? : I love my IE8i IEMs and need an upgrade over this and in addition i look for Good instrument separation, Tight and quality Bass (not muddy or lacklustre ) , Good Soundstage, Not too heavy and comfortable to wear for long hours, if i cant find anything in my budget i could live with my IE8i


Thanks in advance

 

[baskingshark]

Maybe u can audition or read reviews about these IEMS:

1) IBasso IT00 (single DD) about $69 USD

It is a U shaped signature, with both warm subbass and slightly bright treble. The treble is very non fatiguing and non sibilant despite being airy and good in extension (I'm treble sensitive so YMMV). I find the treble threads a fine line well between having good extension without being harsh. I find cymbals sound very natural and not splashy/artificial on it. Bass is also fast for a single DD set, no midbass bleed that encroaches into the mids/voices. Midbass descends quite linearly to subbass, and bass is north of neutral but not at basshead levels.

So the tonality is quite good for this set. Cons wise, it has some driver flex and technicalities like soundstage, details, imaging are above average for a single DD set, but it might lose to multi BA/hybrids in this area. So it is not meant for critical listening or being overly analytical (you might need to look elsewhere for this), but more to really just enjoy the music for long listening sessions due to the fatigue free tonality.

U can check it out or ask the others in this thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/iba...s-with-one-purpose-to-enjoy-the-music.934980/


2) DUNU DM480 (dual DD) about $69 USD

V shaped sound signature, subwoofer like subbass, bass also descends linearly from midbass to subbass. Also bass is north of neutral but not at basshead levels, bass is fast and accurate. Mids are a bit depressed so not the best if u are a mids lover or vocal lover. Upper mids/treble can occasionally get a bit hot.

It has very good isolation for a DD set as it is not vented, and it is extremely comfortable and well fitting. Soundstage is quite wide too. Technical performance is slightly better than the IT00.

Cons - overly recessed mids as above, and timbre is poor for a DD set, so acoustic instruments and vocals are not that accurately reproduced on this set.


3) TRI I3 (1 DD + 1 planar + 1 BA) about $169 USD

U shaped sound signature, very coherent and well balanced and non fatiguing. Massive 3D soundstage.

The TRI I3's bass descends linearly from midbass to subbass, so occasionally there is a lack of midbass punch, but I find the bass quantity adequate for my basshead preferences.

Bass quality is speedy, detailed and accurate with moderate subbass rumble. Extension of subbass is not the best, but amping helps the extension and bass quantity to some extent. There is no midbass bleed to my ears.

Planar mids are superb and sweet. Treble borders on dark so it isn't the best for trebleheads in terms of clarity and details, but it is very fatigue free.

Shells are on the large side, but I don't find them that uncomfortable.

One thing to note, this set needs amping to wake up the planars. It sounds meh from low powered sources. So only get this if u have a powerful source available.



Good luck in your search!

 

[ryanrulez]

Maybe u can audition or read reviews about these IEMS:

1) IBasso IT00 (single DD) about $69 USD

It is a U shaped signature, with both warm subbass and slightly bright treble. The treble is very non fatiguing and non sibilant despite being airy and good in extension (I'm treble sensitive so YMMV). I find the treble threads a fine line well between having good extension without being harsh. I find cymbals sound very natural and not splashy/artificial on it. Bass is also fast for a single DD set, no midbass bleed that encroaches into the mids/voices. Midbass descends quite linearly to subbass, and bass is north of neutral but not at basshead levels.

So the tonality is quite good for this set. Cons wise, it has some driver flex and technicalities like soundstage, details, imaging are above average for a single DD set, but it might lose to multi BA/hybrids in this area. So it is not meant for critical listening or being overly analytical (you might need to look elsewhere for this), but more to really just enjoy the music for long listening sessions due to the fatigue free tonality.

U can check it out or ask the others in this thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/iba...s-with-one-purpose-to-enjoy-the-music.934980/


2) DUNU DM480 (dual DD) about $69 USD

V shaped sound signature, subwoofer like subbass, bass also descends linearly from midbass to subbass. Also bass is north of neutral but not at basshead levels, bass is fast and accurate. Mids are a bit depressed so not the best if u are a mids lover or vocal lover. Upper mids/treble can occasionally get a bit hot.

It has very good isolation for a DD set as it is not vented, and it is extremely comfortable and well fitting. Soundstage is quite wide too. Technical performance is slightly better than the IT00.

Cons - overly recessed mids as above, and timbre is poor for a DD set, so acoustic instruments and vocals are not that accurately reproduced on this set.


3) TRI I3 (1 DD + 1 planar + 1 BA) about $169 USD

U shaped sound signature, very coherent and well balanced and non fatiguing. Massive 3D soundstage.

The TRI I3's bass descends linearly from midbass to subbass, so occasionally there is a lack of midbass punch, but I find the bass quantity adequate for my basshead preferences.

Bass quality is speedy, detailed and accurate with moderate subbass rumble. Extension of subbass is not the best, but amping helps the extension and bass quantity to some extent. There is no midbass bleed to my ears.

Planar mids are superb and sweet. Treble borders on dark so it isn't the best for trebleheads in terms of clarity and details, but it is very fatigue free.

Shells are on the large side, but I don't find them that uncomfortable.

One thing to note, this set needs amping to wake up the planars. It sounds meh from low powered sources. So only get this if u have a powerful source available.



Good luck in your search!

Thank you so much for the reply, i really appreciate you taking time to help me, after reading the reviews I have the IT00 on my buying list as soon as it comes on stock in India which might take 2-3 months, so in the meantime I'm planning to get an IEM, any idea how astell and kern Billie Jeans are? I'm unable to find any detailed reviews or comparisons

 

[baskingshark]

Thank you so much for the reply, i really appreciate you taking time to help me, after reading the reviews I have the IT00 on my buying list as soon as it comes on stock in India which might take 2-3 months, so in the meantime I'm planning to get an IEM, any idea how astell and kern Billie Jeans are? I'm unable to find any detailed reviews or comparisons

Haven't heard the Billie Jeans, but they are pretty expensive!

 

[RikudouGoku]

Thank you so much for the reply, i really appreciate you taking time to help me, after reading the reviews I have the IT00 on my buying list as soon as it comes on stock in India which might take 2-3 months, so in the meantime I'm planning to get an IEM, any idea how astell and kern Billie Jeans are? I'm unable to find any detailed reviews or comparisons

I havent heard them either, but expect that most brands as famous as they are, have very overpriced prices.

 

[ryanrulez]

Haven't heard the Billie Jeans, but they are pretty expensive!

I havent heard them either, but expect that most brands as famous as they are, have very overpriced prices.

Hi Guys thank you for your replies, the Billie Jeans are available for 125 USD here in India, would it be worth that price?

 

[RikudouGoku]

Hi Guys thank you for your replies, the Billie Jeans are available for 125 USD here in India, would it be worth that price?

If you can try them before buying, then you could do it.

If not I wouldn't go anywhere close those kinds of brand as they charge way higher than they should.

Take a look at the lz a6 mini and the intime sora 2.

 

[ryanrulez]

If you can try them before buying, then you could do it.

If not I wouldn't go anywhere close those kinds of brand as they charge way higher than they should.

Take a look at the lz a6 mini and the intime sora 2.

Thank you so much for your reply, both Lz and Intime arent available for purchase in India and the only way to source them is from China and looking at Current situation between India and China i doubt if the consignment would come through, few of my packages from aliexpress are still stuck for this reason.

We have kind of limited buying options which is why i have to either shop on headphonezone.in or amazon.in.

 

[megabigeye]

I was reading about the A&K Billie Jean a couple years ago, but ultimately settled for something else. As I recall, they're supposed to have decently boosted bass and treble that might be a little hot. The main reason I didn't get them, though, was reports of the shell cracking around the connectors.

Here are a couple reviews:

https://www.headfonia.com/review-astell-kern-billie-jean/

https://audio46.com/blogs/headphones/astell-kern-billie-jean-review/

Not positive, not negative. This quote from audio46 might be a typo, but it's probably the most telling clause in any headphone review, ever: "BJ will fail to disappoint."

At $125 maybe it's not so bad. But I couldn't tell you from experience.

And here's the official thread.

 

[ryanrulez]

Hi Guys , i've received an offer of 1.5yr old Campfire audio Lyra II for 270 USD , they look in a good condition, what is your opinion is it a good price for a user pair and looks wise it looks pristine, do you guys feel this would meet my requirements ?

 

[ryanrulez]

Maybe u can audition or read reviews about these IEMS:

1) IBasso IT00 (single DD) about $69 USD

It is a U shaped signature, with both warm subbass and slightly bright treble. The treble is very non fatiguing and non sibilant despite being airy and good in extension (I'm treble sensitive so YMMV). I find the treble threads a fine line well between having good extension without being harsh. I find cymbals sound very natural and not splashy/artificial on it. Bass is also fast for a single DD set, no midbass bleed that encroaches into the mids/voices. Midbass descends quite linearly to subbass, and bass is north of neutral but not at basshead levels.

So the tonality is quite good for this set. Cons wise, it has some driver flex and technicalities like soundstage, details, imaging are above average for a single DD set, but it might lose to multi BA/hybrids in this area. So it is not meant for critical listening or being overly analytical (you might need to look elsewhere for this), but more to really just enjoy the music for long listening sessions due to the fatigue free tonality.

U can check it out or ask the others in this thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/iba...s-with-one-purpose-to-enjoy-the-music.934980/


2) DUNU DM480 (dual DD) about $69 USD

V shaped sound signature, subwoofer like subbass, bass also descends linearly from midbass to subbass. Also bass is north of neutral but not at basshead levels, bass is fast and accurate. Mids are a bit depressed so not the best if u are a mids lover or vocal lover. Upper mids/treble can occasionally get a bit hot.

It has very good isolation for a DD set as it is not vented, and it is extremely comfortable and well fitting. Soundstage is quite wide too. Technical performance is slightly better than the IT00.

Cons - overly recessed mids as above, and timbre is poor for a DD set, so acoustic instruments and vocals are not that accurately reproduced on this set.


3) TRI I3 (1 DD + 1 planar + 1 BA) about $169 USD

U shaped sound signature, very coherent and well balanced and non fatiguing. Massive 3D soundstage.

The TRI I3's bass descends linearly from midbass to subbass, so occasionally there is a lack of midbass punch, but I find the bass quantity adequate for my basshead preferences.

Bass quality is speedy, detailed and accurate with moderate subbass rumble. Extension of subbass is not the best, but amping helps the extension and bass quantity to some extent. There is no midbass bleed to my ears.

Planar mids are superb and sweet. Treble borders on dark so it isn't the best for trebleheads in terms of clarity and details, but it is very fatigue free.

Shells are on the large side, but I don't find them that uncomfortable.

One thing to note, this set needs amping to wake up the planars. It sounds meh from low powered sources. So only get this if u have a powerful source available.



Good luck in your search!

I havent heard them either, but expect that most brands as famous as they are, have very overpriced prices.

Hi Guys any idea how the campfire audio Lyra ii are? I've got an offer of 270usd for 18 months old pair, is it worth at that price? I've increased my budget to 300usd now

 

[baskingshark]

Hi Guys any idea how the campfire audio Lyra ii are? I've got an offer of 270usd for 18 months old pair, is it worth at that price? I've increased my budget to 300usd now

No idea man, haven't tried that set. Maybe u can ask the others in the campfire thread?