[552609]

I think the new Zeitan Heyday IEM is arguably the best IEM you can get under $200 right now, but we all know IEM powercreep is a very real and vicious af.

It ultimately depends on your tone preference tho which means that niche IEMs like the DUNU Falcon Pro are options for a minority of people.

I'd say it's the Truthear HEXA at only $80. But, I haven't heard the Zeitan Heyday. I did however return my Raptgo Hook X and my Symphonium Meteor after I got the HEXA because of how good it sounded for only $80.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

I'd say it's the Truthear HEXA at only $80. But, I haven't heard the Zeitan Heyday. I did however return my Raptgo Hook X and my Symphonium Meteor after I got the HEXA because of how good it sounded for only $80.

Being an owner of HEXA /Truthear Zero / 7Hz Timeless / Tangzu Wu Zetian / AFUL P5 / Mangird Tea / Moondrop Blessing 2 / Blessing 2 Dusk / AKG N5005 / See Audio Yume & Bravery, and Modified Moondrop Aria OG, those sub$300 popular selections, they all scored somewhere in Rank A range in my book of ”great” tier, while Truthear Zero being lowest in price $49, HEXA second lowest $79.

For dynamic DD lover who is OK with vocal-neutral with sub-bass boost tuning (basically Moondrop’s Variations tuning), Truthear ZERO is a very good buy, it just need 30hrs or so of burn-in, and proper ear tip roll.

For hybrid lover with vocal-neutral with slight sub-bass lift (many reviewers felt bass floor is too neutral for their taste, Including myself until ear tip roll ), Truthear HEXA surely is hard to beat even with blessing 2 and Dusk.

Sub $100 segment is performing better and better which is a good news, we don’t need to pay $300 for “great” sounding IEMs anymore, at least for technical performance aspects Tonality is still a major decision making point, so that comes with each brand’s speciality.

What a nice era we live in

 

[o0genesis0o]

I'd say it's the Truthear HEXA at only $80. But, I haven't heard the Zeitan Heyday. I did however return my Raptgo Hook X and my Symphonium Meteor after I got the HEXA because of how good it sounded for only $80.

Such returning because you have something better is possible? That concept is so foreign to me

My setup for today. Couldn’t ask for more without spending a lot more on transducers (at least among the options that I have auditioned). The Awful P5 is coming soon, as well as the Fiio FH15, so who knows, I might find something better soon.

 

[552609]

Such returning because you have something better is possible? That concept is so foreign to me

My setup for today. Couldn’t ask for more without spending a lot more on transducers (at least among the options that I have auditioned). The Awful P5 is coming soon, as well as the Fiio FH15, so who knows, I might find something better soon.

Ha, well, I can only afford so much gear before I have to sell stuff, so if a return is possible on stuff I don't like...I'll do that.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Ha, well, I can only afford so much gear before I have to sell stuff, so if a return is possible on stuff I don't like...I'll do that.

I grew up in Vietnam. The stores don’t accept return even if the stuffs are defective My father is very very nitpicky, so we always argue with the stores about this scratch or that dent on the goods. No ideas how it is nowadays. That’s why I said I feel strange about returning products.

 

[552609]

I grew up in Vietnam. The stores don’t accept return even if the stuffs are defective My father is very very nitpicky, so we always argue with the stores about this scratch or that dent on the goods. No ideas how it is nowadays. That’s why I said I feel strange about returning products.

Ha, that makes perfect sense. I'm that way still about used stuff since I take very good care of my things and other people don't always seem to.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I'd say it's the Truthear HEXA at only $80. But, I haven't heard the Zeitan Heyday. I did however return my Raptgo Hook X and my Symphonium Meteor after I got the HEXA because of how good it sounded for only $80.

I’ve been breaking in the Theiaudio Kiiboom Elixir Allure and it’s very good at $99.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Such returning because you have something better is possible? That concept is so foreign to me

My setup for today. Couldn’t ask for more without spending a lot more on transducers (at least among the options that I have auditioned). The Awful P5 is coming soon, as well as the Fiio FH15, so who knows, I might find something better soon.

Great to hear you have P5 coming soon!

Just one note before you reach to a conclusion for P5’s bass as”rough”. I noticed P5’s bass need a certain source match to sound great, you probably may try some of your dap/dac on P5, it’s P5’s bass DD that is source sensitive.

A bad match will make bass a bit disappointing. Not sure exactly what’s causing it, maybe the internal acoustic bass resonator chamber’s characteristics to certain DAP/DAC-native transients.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Great to hear you have P5 coming soon!

Just one note before you reach to a conclusion for P5’s bass as”rough”. I noticed P5’s bass need a certain source match to sound great, you probably may try some of your dap/dac on P5, it’s P5’s bass DD that is source sensitive.

A bad match will make bass a bit disappointing. Not sure exactly what’s causing it, maybe the internal acoustic bass resonator chamber’s characteristics to certain DAP/DAC-native transients.

Speaking of source matching, I want to share one observation that might be beneficial to some. It’s about Fiio BTR5 (the OG 2019 version). I took it out for a spin yesterday and I was both impressed and disappointed at the same time. Listening impressions were done with Fiio FF5 earbuds.

Impressive aspects:

• Delay is minimal and connection was easy (LDAC to an ancient Xiaomi phone)
• Sound quality is punchier and crisper than what I remember. (That’s why you should be careful of impressions fro memory.) It’s not as flat and lifeless as what I had in mind.
• The soundstage is acceptable.

Disappointing aspects:

• The soundstage depth and layering take a noticeable hit compared to my Shanling M6U.
• The micro-details take a noticeably drop compared to my Shanling M6U. I was listening to a Bach’s Partita in A minor for Flute, and no matter how loud I turned up the volume, I couldn’t hear the micro details in the background, such as the keys of flute being pressed and released, whilst everything pops out clean and clear on M6U at low volume.

Now, you might (and rightfully so) say that it’s not a fair comparison, as M6U outclasses BTR5 significantly. True. But the shocking thing is that my rating of FF5 would drop 0.5 or 1 star if I use BTR5 rather than M6U for listening tests and A/B. Some might say FF5 “scale up” with more power (BTr5 to M6U). I would say BTR5 does not do FF5 justice.

People like to “meme” sources by saying you cannot turn a 1 star to 5 star with “better” DAC/Amp. True. But a 3-star (average) to 4-star (good), or 4-star to 5-star (outstanding) is entirely possible (and vice versa. That’s why I always felt that a fellow I met a while ago who proudly announce that Apple dongle + Monarch is end-game has kind of squandered his investment for the sake of stubborness).

One of my goal for this year as a “reviewer” is finding out the most affordable acceptable sources, as recommending Shanling M6U for $200 IEM is kind of insane for most people (myself from 2021 included)

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Being an owner of HEXA /Truthear Zero / 7Hz Timeless / Tangzu Wu Zetian / AFUL P5 / Mangird Tea / Moondrop Blessing 2 / Blessing 2 Dusk / AKG N5005 / See Audio Yume & Bravery, and Modified Moondrop Aria OG, those sub$300 popular selections, they all scored somewhere in Rank A range in my book of ”great” tier, while Truthear Zero being lowest in price $49, HEXA second lowest $79.

For dynamic DD lover who is OK with vocal-neutral with sub-bass boost tuning (basically Moondrop’s Variations tuning), Truthear ZERO is a very good buy, it just need 30hrs or so of burn-in, and proper ear tip roll.

For hybrid lover with vocal-neutral with slight sub-bass lift (many reviewers felt bass floor is too neutral for their taste, Including myself until ear tip roll ), Truthear HEXA surely is hard to beat even with blessing 2 and Dusk.

Sub $100 segment is performing better and better which is a good news, we don’t need to pay $300 for “great” sounding IEMs anymore, at least for technical performance aspects Tonality is still a major decision making point, so that comes with each brand’s speciality.

What a nice era we live in

Yes, but the allure and curiosity to spend $500-$1,000+ on IEM's is still there regardless...it's the nature of the beast.

 

[Redcarmoose]

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/shozy-t1.26240/reviews#review-29908

 

[gadgetgod]

I think the new Zeitan Heyday IEM is arguably the best IEM you can get under $200 right now, but we all know IEM powercreep is a very real and vicious af.

It ultimately depends on your tone preference tho which means that niche IEMs like the DUNU Falcon Pro are options for a minority of people.

i might try the heyday in a few days courtesy of a friend. excited for it.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I’ve been breaking in the Theiaudio Kiiboom Elixir Allure and it’s very good at $99.

It is a sweetheart, all romance and charm!

 

[WAON303]

i might try the heyday in a few days courtesy of a friend. excited for it.

I've been thinking about picking one up next week, 200 bucks is an excellent deal minus the huge adapters that reminds me of the Thieaudio EST cable

 

[gadgetgod]

I've been thinking about picking one up next week, 200 bucks is an excellent deal minus the huge adapters that reminds me of the Thieaudio EST cable

I am way out of my budget for spending now Recently got the Euclid and UM Mext so :/