[Shecky504]

1. Traillii
2. Phonix
3. EVO

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

Coming up with a Top 3 is tough as my list could be made up exclusively of IEMs I've auditioned but don't own. I also have as my favorite a Soranik IEM - Soranik is a Vietnamese IEM-maker, and since there aren't many out there in the wild, I'll leave it off the list even though it's currently my one-and-done IEM.

1. Traillii
Three qualities make this IEM highly appealing: the exquisite tuning; the vast soundstage, with the best sense of space around instruments I've heard from an IEM, and its just-right resolving qualities, which make subtle details readily apparent without being too analytical. And, to confirm its pole position, it's a great all-rounder.


2. Zen Pro
I love its clean, pristine sound and its energetic and exciting qualities as well as the fact that, because its tonal qualities change with different source pairings, you can have it as a warmer, more laid-back IEM or a more aggressive one. I'm also thinking of picking up a second-hand pair, now that their prices are pretty good, as they seem to be durable and could work wonderfully for commuting and days out and about in NYC walking around. The snag is that I'd need a beefier DAP than my current one to do the Zen Pro justice.

I wonder how the Zen Pro would sound from a Cayin N3Pro. Has anyone heard that pairing?


3. Original Solaris
This is an IEM that has only grown on me over time. With its current used prices, it's one of the best bang-to-buck IEMs out there right now (and I like that you can buy them used from Campfire Audio's Marketplace). Using a copper cable helps to bring up the vocal recession in the tuning; I'm averse to too much energy in the upper mids and lower treble (the original Zen was murder to me), and the Solaris pulls of the neat trick of having wonderful clarity, massive soundstage (for an IEM), great resolution, and excellent treble extension without being in the least bit fatiguing.

---

Alas, my love for the Andro 2020 has diminished somewhat; I'd not listened to it for a while, and when I did so again recently, I found it overly warm and far too mid-bassy. It's funny (and bittersweet) how these things go...

(note that I've not heard any of the FiR IEMs, nor the Annihilator, or, alas, the Supermoon - yet!)

Any Thom Yorke - Radiohead fans here ?
What do you think of The Smile ...

I'm a big Radiohead fan and have everything they've released. The Bends came out just before I went to study abroad in the US (coming from the UK). The Bends was popular back in Britain and was growing on me, although I found it too pretty, with all its sweet melodies (I was in a punk and grunge phase then). Anyway, after starting college in the US that fall, a bunch of us got tickets to see REM, with Radiohead as the supporting act. None of the Americans with me really knew who Radiohead were - the band hadn't broken into the US market yet, and in any case, I was more interested in seeing REM. Alas, REM completed sucked - theirs was one of the worst concerts I'd seen, lifeless, disinterested, boring. It didn't help that the venue was on campus, which meant it was booze-free, and there were only seats in the auditorium, so no mosh pit. It also didn't help, of course, that this gig was at the tail end of their Monster tour, during which the drummer had suffered an aneurysm. Anyway, Radiohead absolutely blew us all away. They were full of ferocious energy. Performed live, the songs from The Bends were exciting and just epic. I had no idea Radiohead was such a great live act. I've seen them a few times since and have never endured a dull show with them.

My true love for the band really began with OK Computer, though. I still remember the moment I heard Paranoid Android, back in Wales, when it came out. I was round at a mate's house, mellowing out and drinking beer with him in the kitchen, listening to BBC Radio 1 (I think it was John Peel's show but I could be wrong). We sat there dumbfounded as the song went in one direction, then veered off into another, and then went completely bonkers. By the end, sitting there stupified and in disbelief, my friend mouthed at me, "what the f*#k was that?!"

I've not been as much of a fan of their recent releases. Even so, if you take the three or four great songs from The King of Limbs, A Moon Shaped Pool, and now A Light for Attracting Attention, as well as the song Spectre, and put them all together, you still get one of Radiohead's greatest albums.

 

[Rockwell75]

The Bird reasserts itself, Evo makes an impression. Indigo's showing here is really impressing me...I'm going to have to track that one down somehow. EXT has lost some love since last time.

Traillii x14
Jewel x12
Xe6 x 11

Evo x7
IER Z1R x6
Indigo x6
Fourte/Noir x5
EXT x5
Phonix x5
a/u12t x4
Annihilator x4
Mason x4
Supermoon x3
Thunder x3
Mest/Mest II x3
Solaris x3


a/u18t x2
Khan x2
Legend x2
Odin x2
Trio x2
Turii x2
X x2
Ace
Advar
Aether R
Andromeda 2020
Anole VX
Atlas
Dark Matter
DC Ti
Dorado 2020
Eden
Elysium
Erlkonig
EST50
Fibae 7
FW10000
Hook-X
IE900
Isabellae
Jolene
LCDi4
Legend X
Percivalli
RE2000
SE846
Storm
T5
Thummim
Tri Starlight
V14
Wraith
Zen Pro

Edit: @Auricon

 

[firesign]

Can strongly suggest giving the Advar a try. Very balanced. Excellent at singer / songwriter and vocals especially.

Preferred it over both Isa and IE900 in terms of single DD, and several other multi driver IEMs too.

Recently put up my review here if it’s of interest.

Has the Advar more energy up top than the Isa?

 

[Auricon]

The Bird reasserts itself, Evo makes an impression. Indigo's showing here is really impressing me...I'm going to have to track that one down somehow. EXT has lost some love since last time.

Traillii x14
Jewel x11
Xe6 x 10

Evo x7
IER Z1R x6
Indigo x6
Fourte/Noir x5
Phonix x5
a/u12t x4
Annihilator x4
EXT x4
Mason x4
Supermoon x3
Thunder x3
Mest/Mest II x3
Solaris x3


a/u18t x2
Khan x2
Legend x2
Odin x2
Trio x2
Turii x2
X x2
Ace
Advar
Aether R
Andromeda 2020
Anole VX
Atlas
Dark Matter
DC Ti
Dorado 2020
Eden
Elysium
Erlkonig
EST50
Fibae 7
FW10000
Hook-X
IE900
Isabellae
Jolene
LCDi4
Legend X
Percivalli
RE2000
SE846
Storm
T5
Thummim
Tri Starlight
V14
Wraith
Zen Pro

Ah let me give EXT a little boost in polling. My top 3:

1. XE6
2. EXT
3. Jewel

 

[Rockwell75]

with the best sense of space around instruments I've heard from an IEM, and its just-right resolving qualities, which make subtle details readily apparent without being too analytical

Will be very curious to hear your thoughts on Supermoon-- it's right up there with those qualities as well...and the bass is so so nice.

2. Zen Pro
I love its clean, pristine sound and its energetic and exciting qualities as well as the fact that, because its tonal qualities change with different source pairings, you can have it as a warmer, more laid-back IEM or a more aggressive one. I'm also thinking of picking up a second-hand pair, now that their prices are pretty good, as they seem to be durable and could work wonderfully for commuting and days out and about in NYC walking around. The snag is that I'd need a beefier DAP than my current one to do the Zen Pro justice.

I wonder how the Zen Pro would sound from a Cayin N3Pro. Has anyone heard that pairing?

Love to see love for the ZP-- this might be the first time it's been nominated (I think it was shut out last time strangely). I didn't find it that hard to drive. The AK SR25ii powered it admirably.

3. Original Solaris
This is an IEM that has only grown on me over time. With its current used prices, it's one of the best bang-to-buck IEMs out there right now (and I like that you can buy them used from Campfire Audio's Marketplace). Using a copper cable helps to bring up the vocal recession in the tuning; I'm averse to too much energy in the upper mids and lower treble (the original Zen was murder to me), and the Solaris pulls of the neat trick of having wonderful clarity, massive soundstage (for an IEM), great resolution, and excellent treble extension without being in the least bit fatiguing.

Again, agreed. Solaris is one of the truly great IEMs of the last few years...it doesn't get talked about as much lately but that should not take any lustre out of its greatness. The first IEM I truly fell in love with, and for good reason.

Ah let me give EXT a little boost in polling. My top 3:

1. XE6
2. EXT
3. Jewel

Woohoo!

Edit: In case it isn't already clear Im counting IEMs with multiple versions (Mason, Solaris, MEST, u/a12t, Khan, Fourte etc.) as one.

Also, out of curiosity-- do people think 3 is enough for a poll like this or should I be asking for 5?

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Will be very curious to hear your thoughts on Supermoon-- it's right up there with those qualities as well...and the bass is so so nice.



Love to see love for the ZP-- this might be the first time it's been nominated (I think it was shut out last time strangely). I didn't find it that hard to drive. The AK SR25ii powered it admirably.




Again, agreed. Solaris is one of the truly great IEMs of the last few years...it doesn't get talked about as much lately but that should not take any lustre out of its greatness. The first IEM I truly fell in love with, and for good reason.



Woohoo!

Edit: In case it isn't already clear Im counting IEMs with multiple versions (Mason, Solaris, MEST, u/a12t, Khan, Fourte etc.) as one.

Also, out of curiosity-- do people think 3 is enough for a poll like this or should I be asking for 5?

3 is enough.

 

[Scubadevils]

I don't think ZEN PRO needs much to drive it, listening this afternoon coincidentally on my 1A and it sounds divine - if I didn't have a insatiable thirst to keep trying more, I could absolutely live happily ever after with this combo. Bliss.

 

[RTodd]

Also, out of curiosity-- do people think 3 is enough for a poll like this or should I be asking for 5?

3 is the right number.

 

[Scubadevils]

I struggle with 3, hence making the decision to exclude single DDs but i agree 3 is the right amount. Also, I'm excluding sets I no longer own.

 

[dmphile]

3. Original Solaris
This is an IEM that has only grown on me over time. With its current used prices, it's one of the best bang-to-buck IEMs out there right now (and I like that you can buy them used from Campfire Audio's Marketplace). Using a copper cable helps to bring up the vocal recession in the tuning; I'm averse to too much energy in the upper mids and lower treble (the original Zen was murder to me), and the Solaris pulls of the neat trick of having wonderful clarity, massive soundstage (for an IEM), great resolution, and excellent treble extension without being in the least bit fatiguing.

Again, agreed. Solaris is one of the truly great IEMs of the last few years...it doesn't get talked about as much lately but that should not take any lustre out of its greatness. The first IEM I truly fell in love with, and for good reason.

After about 2 weeks listening to both Solaris 2020 and Dorado 2020, I've finally decided to sadly relinquish Dorado into the wild. I kept going back to the Solaris for it's detail/resolution, immaculate layering and massive soundscape. The Solaris still has this posh but when the song calls for it, the energy, slamming with that thick bass is addictive. For the price I acquired them at, it was an easy decision and agree that it's the best bang for buck IMO now that you can snag several of them second hand. The only thing I would say is that it loses on comfort when compared to the Dorados. No other IEM has defeated the comfort throne the Dorado's sit on. Hands down, they still hold the crown on that front.

 

[chickenmoon]

The Zen Pro is ridiculously easy to drive in my experience.

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

I didn't find it that hard to drive. The AK SR25ii powered it admirably.

I don't think ZEN PRO needs much to drive it, listening this afternoon coincidentally on my 1A and it sounds divine

There was a significant difference in driving it from my Sony NW-ZX2 DAP and my Schiit Audio Magni 3 desktop amp (in low gain). That might seem natural, given that the latter is a dedicated desktop amp, albeit in a small form factor but I think the significant element here is that the ZX2, while doing an adequate job, just didn't do the Zen Pro justice.

Edit: I suspect it's not just an issue of being able to drive the Zen Pro in and of itself; it's more an issue of driving it well and finding the right synergy, and I suspect the ZX2 is simply a poor pairing with this and some other IEMs.

This isn't the first time my DAP's made for a poor pairing with certain IEMs, such as the IE900 and the Dorado 2020. I suspect it struggles with DD IEMs. (If it isn't a power issue, it might be something else - I should add that I got the ZX2 because it's known to have excellent synergy with the Andros and Solarises/Solari).

Anyway, all this is to say two things: 1) for anyone reading this, if you've been underwhelmed with certain DD IEMs, it's worth checking out beefier sources, and 2) I think I need to get an AK SR25ii!

I do like the idea of tubes in a DAP, though, and an affordable, used N3Pro could conceivably make for a fun listen with the Zen Pro (this is just a hunch).

 

[berger]

1. Traillii with First Times
2. Traillii with stock cable (1960s 4w)
3. Traillii with Metropolis ft.50s

 

[claud W]

It's your poll and, your thread. Three is enough.

No votes for my other cheapish stars, the Yanyin Moonlight and the Reecho OVA SG-1.