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67. lotoo paw s1 (W) vs lotoo paw s2:

The s1 is more natural, has fuller notes, more bass, is more musical, sounds more as a whole, has a move enveloping sound and closer background detail.

The s2 has a wider soundstage, is clearer, has better imaging, sharper treble, is more expansive, has better instrument separation, more forward mids, is leaner, and has a play/pause button.

The s2 is better technically, with better clarity and soundstage being immediately noticeable. However, perhaps it is a little too technical. Most of my current iems are on the neutral side, so the pairing can get a little lean sometimes. The s1 is just more musical to my ears, and more enjoyable for longer periods.

 

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68. hifiman he-4xx vs sennheiser hd58x (W):

The 4xx has tighter bass, wider soundstage, is more comfy, airier, has leaner notes, better instrument separation, better imaging, a little more height, but sounds a little veiled.

The 58x is clearer, more transparent, has more forward mids, sounds more as a whole, better string instruments, fuller notes, more natural, a little more bass, and is more dynamic.

 

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69. chord mojo 2 vs chord hugo 2 (W):

Both aim for the same house sound, so it is no surprise that the more expensive brother (hugo 2) is better in most aspects. It is clearer, airier, with a wider soundstage, a little more height, smoother, more natural and the bass hits a little more. However, the difference between the two is not as great as the price may suggest. I think the mojo 2 can achieve 90% of the sound of the hugo 2, and this is not just with iems, but also with 300ohm cans like the hd600. This makes the mojo 2 a great value, especially if you are only using iems. Both the mojo 2 and hugo 2 have a tendency to get hot.

 

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70. sennheiser hd6xx (W) vs hd58x:

The 6xx has leaner treble, is clearer and airier.

The 58x is easier to drive, with a little more bass.

To be honest, there were a lot more similarities than differences here.

 

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71. sennheiser hd600 (W) vs hd6xx:

The 600 is clearer, more transparent, airier, has better background detail and leaner notes.

The 6xx has more bass and fuller notes.

Again, more similarities than differences, but that is to be expected here, I guess.

 

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72. sennheiser hd6xx (W) vs hd660s:

The 6xx sounds more as a whole, is more transparent, more natural, airier, and smoother.

The 660s has a wider soundstage (though it sounds artificial, as if a 4:3 photo has been stretched to a 16:9), more bass (but bass bleeds into mids), better imaging, leaner treble, better instrument separation, is clearer and needs less power.

The 660s has individual parts that seem to be technically better, but it sounds very unnatural, and the bass overpowers the lush mids that the 6 series is known for.

 

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73. sennheiser hd600 (W) vs hd660s:

The 600 is clearer, more transparent, more natural, airier, and sounds more as a whole.

The 660s has a wider soundstage (though it sounds artificial, as if a 4:3 photo has been stretched to a 16:9), more bass (but bass bleeds into mids), better imaging, leaner treble, better instrument separation, needs less power, but sounds muffled in comparison.

 

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74. 64 audio u12t (W) vs thieaudio monarch mk2:

The u12t is leaner overall, clearer, more transparent, has more recessed mids, better background detail, better treble, clearer bass, better imaging, sounds more as a whole, has closer background detail, but can sound too lean to be natural sometimes.

The monarch mk2 has more bass and sub-bass rumble (but bass can bleed into mids sometimes), has a wider soundstage, instruments sound more natural, is airier, sounds more spherical and holographic, has more forward mids and better layering, but requires a little more power.

This one was a really tough one to call, actually. When I saw a thousand dollar iem at top of Crin’s list, I was not really a believer, but after ABing it with the u12t, I can see how someone would put it up there. The u12t has been reviewed a lot, and we all know it as the 90% iem, the jack of all trades, but master of none. The monarch mk2 is actually not a master of anything either, neither the bass or mids or treble are class leading. But for some reason it just sounds better than the u12t in a number of tracks. I used a hugo 2 mostly for this comparison, a pretty neutral source. And the monarch just plays a number of tracks better. It sounds more natural, strings (esp. the cello) sound better, the wider soundstage helps in orchestral tracks, but even in pop or jazz, the extra bass and rumble just make some tracks sound better, and vocals sound fuller. Then there are tracks which sound unnatural on the monarch mk2 but sounds great on the u12t. It's also clearer, more transparent, and it never sounds grainy from top to bottom. The sense of clarity never goes away. At the end of the day the u12t’s technicalities give it the slight edge, but I really enjoyed the whole package of the monarch mk2. I also did not find the monarch mk2 too big or uncomfortable. To be honest, these complement each other well, but if I only had a thousand dollars, I would be tempted to buy the monarch mk2 and call it a day.

 

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75. hifiman arya stealth (W) vs sennheiser hd600:

The arya is pretty much better at everything: much wider soundstage, clearer, more transparent, tighter bass, better instrument separation, better imaging, more height, more comfy, better background detail, a little leaner treble, is airier, has an enveloping sound.

The hd600 sounds more as a whole, with smoother mids.

The hd600 is my favorite out of the 6 series, and it certainly does hit above its price point, but it doesn’t punch that high.

 

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76. a&k sp2000t vs chord hugo 2 (W):

With the sp2000t on the OP amp, the hugo 2 is better in most areas. It has more height, fuller notes, a wider soundstage, better background detail, clearer bass, better layering, a more holographic sound, and is generally clearer and cleaner sounding. The difference is instantly recognizable.

However, when the sp2000t uses its tube amp, the difference is less pronounced. With the tube amp the sp2000t feels more holographic and less flat, and the soundstage gets wider. Of course, the tube amp makes it sound smoother and warmer. The hugo 2 is still clearer and leaner overall, but the difference is actually not that big.

I do still prefer the hugo 2’s sound to the sp2000t’s tube amp, but only just. However, considering that you get a whole DAP for the same price of the hugo 2 I would choose to buy the sp2000t if I could only buy one. The fact that the hugo 2 runs a lot hotter and that it doesn’t have balanced 2.5mm or 4.4mm (though it does of course have other ports, including a 6.3mm), means that my overall preference for the sp2000t stands in relation to iems.

 

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77. sennheiser ie600 vs thieaudio monarch mk2 (W):

The monarch mk2 sounds more as a whole, is clearer, more natural, with smoother mids, is more musical and livelier, has clearer bass, better drums, is a little airier, is more expansive and has better male vocals.

The ie600 has leaner mids, good cymbals, has a little more forward mids, leaner treble (can be shouty), is faster, comfier, requires less power, has clearer background detail, but tends to sound a little flatter in comparison.

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by the ie600. My last sennheiser iems were the ie300, and that sounded like a bloated mess. The ie600 does many things right in comparison; the bass isn’t muddy, and the mids are clearer. However, I feel like the upper mids and treble of the ie600 are a bit too bright in comparison to its bass, and that makes it sound less as a whole than the monarch. It’s still a great pair of iems, but I do prefer the overall sound of the monarch mk2s, especially since instruments sound more natural.

 

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78. a&k sr25 vs sr25 mk2 (W):

The mk2 has a little more bass, is a little clearer and a little smoother. But the difference is negligible, and I had to A/B the two in 5-10 second segments to hear it. I doubt most people will hear much of the difference on iems. However, the mk2 does have a few more features, including a 4.4mm jack, which is very handy. I do prefer the power button being on the top (mk1) instead on the side (mk2) though. All in all, if you have a sr25, I don’t think it’s worth the upgrade.

 

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79. a&k uw100 vs sennheiser ie600 (W):

The uw100 is airier, has smoother treble, sounds more as a whole, has a wider soundstage and more recessed mids.

The ie600 has better background detail, clearer mids, more bass (which is also clearer), better instrument separation, leaner treble, and is a little more holographic. Both iems have slightly shouty treble.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the uw100 was. Of course, the ideal comparison would have been between the uw100 and sony’s wf-1000xm4, but I sold that one. However, I can say that even compared to the ie600 the uw100 does well with its neutral but smoother sound, even though I still prefer the ie600 overall.

 

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80. sennheiser ie600 vs dunu zen pro (W):

The ie600 has clearer mids, better drums, clearer bass, great cello, closer and clearer background detail, leaner treble, but bass is a little too strong compared to the lean mids and treble.

The zen pro has a wider soundstage, is airier, more expansive, has a little smoother treble, is more natural, has better imaging and layering, is livelier, has better vocals and takes less power.

 

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81. sony linkbuds vs k’s earphone bell-lbbs (W):

The linkbuds have leaner mids, is airier, has a wider soundstage, sharper treble, and more recessed mids.

The lbbs has better bass, more height, is more transparent, sounds more as a whole, is more natural, clearer, better bass-mids-treble balance, better instrument separation, better background detail and better imaging.

To be honest, I was quite disappointed with the linkbuds. It’s $180 on amazon, but fails to beat the lbbs (which I bought for around $40 new) in most areas. Also, the treble is too shouty, acoustic instruments sound metallic and hollow, and it’s just too grainy overall. Also, you need the sony app pair this with your phone on bluetooth, so i don't think it works on any non-android DAPs, which is a deal-breaker for some. I’m not a big fan.