Great list! I agree, the Thieaudio Origin is hard to beat for its soundstage and fun factor, and the Campfire Cascara has that awesome bass. The 634ears LOAK2-TX02 sounds interesting too—epic bass and open sound. Also excited to see your review of the Kiwi Ears KE4, sounds like a solid budget pick. Thanks for sharing.Been thinking about making a list of what I find to be the best IEMs of 2024(some might be 2023), not heard every set out there so I'll stick to what I have heard here. This is not ranked, maybe I'll post a rank list later. I have also tried way more sets, this is just what I think is the best ones now.
Could be some good contenders for the 11.11 sale or later on Black Friday.
500-1000$
Thieaudio Origin - for people who want rich fun sound while also being technical, maybe the best soundstage delivery under $2000 now. Also deliver better bass quality than I've tried from Fatfreq, please no pitchforks.
But beware, shell is on the large side and might not be for everyone.
Campfire Cascara - one of my most fun single DDs, big strong bass. Overall thick sound for the ones who prefer musicality over technical ability, not a perfect set but for me it's just pure fun. Bought this from my friend right after I demoed it, looking at measurement it is tuned same as Trifecta but is much more fast and normal in the stage.
634ears LOAK2-TX02 - warm single DD that is very open and has clear treble, some softness to the upper mids compared to the other 634ears variants. Bass is just epic on this one, one of the best bassy sets I've had my ears on.
Probably the best single DD I've tried, a ZMF of the IEM world. Doubt this will be on sale.
Thieaudio Oracle MKIII - still after having tried some of the best sets on the market this deliver such a clear and engaging sound thats highly competitive with much more expensive sets. Been praised by some as a mini Prestige Ltd.
Hisenior Mega5EST - still think this is one of the more safe and natural sounding tribrids on the market, new Meta tuning as they call it
TSMR Shock - had very limited time with it, personally I would spend more for Origin. But this is a good alternative if you like the idea of the tuning dials, but it is a step below in resolution, tuning and stage.
But the versatility is the key here.
Alpha Omega RA - smooth and bassy set, clean bass tuck so the sound is not to thick. Not the most technical and a little dark, but the DD for bass is almost S tier quality.
1-499$
LETSHUOER Cadenza4 - a balanced set with clean coherent tuning, one of my favorite sets in this price range. A softer take on Harman, with nice ergonomic shells and good accessories.
Fiio FD15 - midcentric single DD, decent technical for the price. A large dynamic driver in a small shell, deserves more love in the community.
Dita Audio Project M - one of the most technical sets under $500, neutral bright. The upper energy can be to much for some, depends on sensetivity.
634ears Miroak-II - a more bassy and analog take on the Simgot tuning, highly colored and very fun.
Thieaudio HYPE 4 - one of the best hybrid sets in this price range, little V shaped with a coherent clean tuning. Deep strong sub bass, clean midrange and very well extended treble.
ZiiGaat x Jays Audio Estrella - similar as hype 4 but brighter and more mid bassy, lacks okay accessories. Was quite critical when it came, but it's a decent set.
LETSHUOER S15 - been many planars lately, this is still my top choice. Warm and smooth tuning, of people want more bite the S12 2024 is more correct. But S15 is to me just better tuned and also have more ergonomic shell.
Kiwi Ears KE4 - the new meta tuning cheap, bass is elevated and deliver a warm sound. Quite good treble extension, not the most refined but also not bad at all. Working on finishing the review for this, smooth and easy to like.
At this point is the chance for me to express my gratitude to fellow @Dsnuts first and secondly to remind to everyone one here how all started with ISN brand just a few years ago........it was 4 years ago when ISN H40 set of monitors emerged out of nowhere to shock every music enthusiast ears and brain.....fortunately for me i took @Dsnuts 's advice and got that set blind eye may i say so......Just judging from his sound description and enthusiasm about H40's unique and unparallel bass reproduction for that time as far as Hybrid set goes...... and by that time ISN MONITORS originally introduced/released H40 in the audio market nevertheless....... having recognised that they could do better for that particular set just a few days later for those customers who purchased the first bunch of H40s sets reacted responsibly and provided a second reworked/improved H40 set for free to anyone had purchased the first original H40......The history does make circles as you can tell..........its like a dejavu to me ....This team is stricktly professionals and completely devoted in bringing up the best outcome each and every tim and that explains their success in the audio market today speaking...
The treble attenuating quality of H570 is very real. Initially I did not believe it and hence did not use it with my brighter iems, like LOAK2-TX01 and Lucifer. I used it only with Miyabi MkII since it has more of a balanced sound and treble is a tiny bit less energetic, so wanted to bring it forward.Thanks for the LStips impressions, seems like "the other color" is Feaulle H570 here :
they looked very similar even in size (the L on H570 also smaller than usual L size) but from description above, seems like the stem is harder on LStips (which is good) since the H570 is attenuate highs quite much, act like high frequencies damper (and most of budget midfi are lack of treble extension, until this year they are getting better but still not quite there)
I almost went with Origin based on your review. It was compelling.Been thinking about making a list of what I find to be the best IEMs of 2024(some might be 2023), not heard every set out there so I'll stick to what I have heard here. This is not ranked, maybe I'll post a rank list later. I have also tried way more sets, this is just what I think is the best ones now.
Could be some good contenders for the 11.11 sale or later on Black Friday.
500-1000$
Thieaudio Origin - for people who want rich fun sound while also being technical, maybe the best soundstage delivery under $2000 now. Also deliver better bass quality than I've tried from Fatfreq, please no pitchforks.
But beware, shell is on the large side and might not be for everyone.
Campfire Cascara - one of my most fun single DDs, big strong bass. Overall thick sound for the ones who prefer musicality over technical ability, not a perfect set but for me it's just pure fun. Bought this from my friend right after I demoed it, looking at measurement it is tuned same as Trifecta but is much more fast and normal in the stage.
634ears LOAK2-TX02 - warm single DD that is very open and has clear treble, some softness to the upper mids compared to the other 634ears variants. Bass is just epic on this one, one of the best bassy sets I've had my ears on.
Probably the best single DD I've tried, a ZMF of the IEM world. Doubt this will be on sale.
Thieaudio Oracle MKIII - still after having tried some of the best sets on the market this deliver such a clear and engaging sound thats highly competitive with much more expensive sets. Been praised by some as a mini Prestige Ltd.
Hisenior Mega5EST - still think this is one of the more safe and natural sounding tribrids on the market, new Meta tuning as they call it
TSMR Shock - had very limited time with it, personally I would spend more for Origin. But this is a good alternative if you like the idea of the tuning dials, but it is a step below in resolution, tuning and stage.
But the versatility is the key here.
Alpha Omega RA - smooth and bassy set, clean bass tuck so the sound is not to thick. Not the most technical and a little dark, but the DD for bass is almost S tier quality.
1-499$
LETSHUOER Cadenza4 - a balanced set with clean coherent tuning, one of my favorite sets in this price range. A softer take on Harman, with nice ergonomic shells and good accessories.
Fiio FD15 - midcentric single DD, decent technical for the price. A large dynamic driver in a small shell, deserves more love in the community.
Dita Audio Project M - one of the most technical sets under $500, neutral bright. The upper energy can be to much for some, depends on sensetivity.
634ears Miroak-II - a more bassy and analog take on the Simgot tuning, highly colored and very fun.
Thieaudio HYPE 4 - one of the best hybrid sets in this price range, little V shaped with a coherent clean tuning. Deep strong sub bass, clean midrange and very well extended treble.
ZiiGaat x Jays Audio Estrella - similar as hype 4 but brighter and more mid bassy, lacks okay accessories. Was quite critical when it came, but it's a decent set.
LETSHUOER S15 - been many planars lately, this is still my top choice. Warm and smooth tuning, of people want more bite the S12 2024 is more correct. But S15 is to me just better tuned and also have more ergonomic shell.
Kiwi Ears KE4 - the new meta tuning cheap, bass is elevated and deliver a warm sound. Quite good treble extension, not the most refined but also not bad at all. Working on finishing the review for this, smooth and easy to like.
I didn’t see it initially. It must be low.
I bought the Explorer at a great price. Looking for your assessment of value to price with the other horses in my race of which maybe only 1 wins. Those horses are the Dynaqattro, P5+2, and the Anvil.The Juzear 81T Dragonfly is a followup to the lauded 61T Butterfly, sporting a 1 DD + 8 BA setup.
It fits well, and has good isolation. Easily driven.
Sound-wise, the Dragonfly has a bright U-shaped signature. It is very crisp and technical, with good imaging and micro-detailing. Soundstage is average but layering and instrument separation are very good.
Compared to the well-regarded 61T Butterfly, the 81T is less bassy, but has improved technicalities and a leaner note weight. 81T also seems to have a better timbre than its predecessor.
Will do some tests and comparisons and report back.
I have the Titan coming so I made my choice sink or swim.
