[ss2625]

Welcome to The Comparison Database!

I started this because I feel that too much digging has to be made before finding direct comparisons, and I personally find comparisons more helpful than reviews. I will try to be concise and jargon-free. Hope it helps some people!

Review info:

• I owned all items at time of comparison, so nothing from memory, shop demos or review samples.
• I use flac and streaming, listen to 40% classical/instrumental, 40% pop, 20% other, and prefer a shallow fit.
• I try to keep all the variables the same - same balanced cables/tips/source, same quiet room, same chair, same tiredness level (yes, I'm a psych major).
• Stuff I care about in order of preference: naturalness (tonality), transparency, clarity (resolution), coherence (cohesiveness), soundstage, layering, imaging; mids, bass, treble.
• My preferential item in sound is marked with a (W).
• If I don’t talk about an aspect, it’s because they sound about the same to me.

Rant 1 - What have I learned after buying around $40,000 of gear in 6 months?

 

[ss2625]

The List (63):

7hz timeless vs b2 dusk, wf-1000xm4
Audeze lcd-5 vs ls50 wireless 2, utopia
Audioquest dragonfly cobalt vs no dragonfly cobalt, iemagni/modi 3+, paw s1, sr25
Audioquest jitterbug vs no jitterbug
A&K acro be100 vs b2 dusk
A&K kann alpha vs sp2000t, sr25, wm1a, wm1z
A&K sp2000t vs hugo tt2, kann alpha, wm1z
A&K sr25 vs dragonfly cobalt, g8x, iemagni/modi 3+, kann alpha, wm1a, zx507
Azla crystal vs cp100, type e
Campfire andromeda 2020 vs b2 dusk, ier-z1r, rsv
Chord hugo tt2 vs iemagni/modi 3+, sp2000t
Dunu zen vs b2 dusk, clairvoyance, rsv
Etymotic er4sr vs nt-1, ier-m9
Fiio em5 vs blessing 2, masya, monk+
Final audio type e vs cp100, crystal
Focal clear pro (og) vs hd800s, utopia
Focal elegia vs utopia, wh-1000xm4
Focal utopia vs clear pro, elegia, hd800s, lcd-5
Hidition nt-1 (custom) vs er4sr, ier-m9
Hidition viento-b (universal) vs blessing 2, clairvoyance, ier-m9, ier-z1r, variations
Hifiman sundara vs hd600, hd800s
KEF ls50 wireless 2 vs lcd-5
LG g8x vs sr25
Lotoo paw s1 vs dragonfly cobalt
Moondrop blessing 2 vs b2 dusk, clairvoyance, em5, hd600, ie300, ier-m9, ier-z1r, variations, viento-b
Moodrop blessing 2 dusk vs acro be100, andromeda 2020, blessing 2, timeless, zen
Moodrop variations vs blessing 2, ier-m9, viento-b
Rose masya vs em5
Schiit iemagni/modi 3+ stack vs dragonfly cobalt, hugo tt2, magni heresy, sr25
Schiit magni heresy vs iemagni
Sennheiser hd58x vs hd600
Sennheiser hd600 vs blessing 2, hd58x, hd800s, sundara
Sennheiser hd800s vs clear pro, hd600, sundara, utopia
Sennheiser ie300 vs blessing 2
Spinfit cp100 vs crystal, type e
Softears rsv vs andromeda 2020, zen
Sony ier-m9 vs blessing 2, clairvoyance, er4sr, ier-z1r, nt-1, variations, viento-b
Sony ier-z1r vs andromeda 2020, blessing 2, ier-m9, viento-b
Sony wf-1000xm4 vs timeless
Sony wh-1000xm4 vs elegia
Sony wm1a (mrwalkman) vs kann alpha, sr25, zx507
Sony wm1z (stock) vs kann alpha, sp2000t
Sony zx507 vs sr25, wm1a
Spotify 320kbps vs tidal mqa
Thieaudio clairvoyance vs blessing 2, ier-m9, viento-b, zen
Tidal MQA vs spotify 320kbps
VE monk+ vs em5

 

[ss2625]

 

[ss2625]

etymotic er4sr vs sony ier-m9 (W):

the m9 is better in most things, especially in bass, soundstage and coherence, but the er4sr is clearer, more natural, and excels at tracks with single instruments (acoustic guitar, piano, etc.) m9 fit is much better.

 

[ss2625]

sony ier-m9 (W) vs hidition nt-1 custom:

the nt-1 has clearer mids, faster bass, has a more analytical sound. m9 has a smoother, fuller sound, better bass.

 

[ss2625]

hidition nt-1 custom (W) vs etymotic er4sr:

these both aim for a balanced natural sound. The er4sr has a clearer and more natural sound, but the nt-1 has more bass, musicality and soundstage.

 

[ss2625]

a&k sr25 (W) vs sony zx507:

zx507 for bass quantity, musicality and a more relaxing sound. sr25 for clarity, soundstage, instrument separation, accuracy; has higher volume cap, but ui is laggy. also, the buttons are placed way too close to each other, and more prone to accidental pressing

 

[ss2625]

sony ier-m9 vs sony ier-z1r (W):

z1r has better bass, better (but sometimes a bit shouty) treble, has a wider 3D soundstage, more detail. yes, the bass is AMAZING, but it can drown out the mids and treble, especially a problem in female vocals where it’s overpowered by the bass. m9 has the better mids and coherence (due to having a balance between bass, mids, and treble); also lighter and better fit.

 

[ss2625]

sony ier-z1r (W) vs moondrop blessing 2:

z1r is better in most ways, some much better (like deeper, clearer bass, coherence), and some a little better (like fuller, but not clearer mids, soundstage, better treble); has slightly forward mids. Blessing 2 is lighter and has a better fit.

 

[ss2625]

a&k kann alpha (W) vs a&k sr25:

both obviously have the same house sound, clear and natural, but kann alpha has a slight edge in some instances: wider 3D soundstage, a 4.4mm jack (!), can output more power, the click wheel is nicer and easier to turn. To be honest it sounds pretty similar with the iems I use. Both can drive a hd600, but the sr25 can barely drive it, whereas the kann alpha can do it with ease.

 

[ss2625]

ve monk+ vs fiio em5 (W):

the em5 has more bass, is smoother, has a wider soundstage, better treble, mids are a little forward; monk plus has clearer mids, is more natural sounding, has a flat signature, requires more power (70 vs 100), harsher treble. The monk+ is great for $5, but it's not going to beat a much more expensive bud.

 

[ss2625]

fiio em5 vs rose masya (W):

the em5 has more bass (but bass overpowers mids), more detail, mids are a little more forward; masya has clearer mids, more transparency, better coherence, more balanced, feels a little faster; the treble of both is a little bright for me; drum cymbals sound harsh on both.

 

[Toom]

9. fiio em5 (8) vs rose masya (10):
the em5 has more bass (but bass overpowers mids), more detail, mids are a little more forward; masya has clearer mids, more transparency, better coherence, more balanced, feels a little faster; the treble of both is a little bright for me; drum cymbals sound harsh on both.

Are you using the foam covers on these earphones? I have the EM5 and there's no way I would say the treble is bright.

 

[ss2625]

Are you using the foam covers on these earphones? I have the EM5 and there's no way I would say the treble is bright.

yeah i am, the balanced ones. maybe the fit isnt right, maybe im just too used to smoother treble, maybe i'm just real sensitive, but hey, it sounds a "little" bright to me

 

[ss2625]

sony wm1a mrwalkman (W) vs sony zx507:

wm1a is a little smoother, has a wider soundstage, bass is a little clearer (but not more in amount), background instruments are clearer; zx507 sounds slightly leaner and a little congested in comparison. I feel that the zx507 gives a more typical sony warm sound than the wm1a mrwalkman. however, i do not know what the stock wm1a sounds like.