2022 Year of Gear
Well, it’s been another journey around the sun while in this hobby so it’s time for me to reflect on 2022 and see what new IEMs came and went. If you’re interested, I’ve done similar posts for 2020 and 2021 which can be found here:
2020
2021
This year’s been a little quieter for me for new IEM purchases. This year, more than any other year in this game, I’ve been able to demo new stuff rather than playing the ‘blind buy and eventually sell if I don’t like it’ game. This is mostly due to covid restrictions being relaxed down here in Melbourne, so I’ve been able to utilise my local dealer (Addicted to Audio) far more often than in the past and probably saved a ton of cash in the process.
Furthermore, I’ve still got a few IEMs in my collection that I still love and have lasted since earlier days in this hobby, so I guess I’m moving further away from the “discovery” phase of this never-ending portable gear setup chase. I've also spent more time and funds on discovering DAPs and trying out different synergies with what I already own. Perhaps I’m finally getting close to that mythical oasis called EnDgAmE?? Probably not… But one can dream!
Fir XE6 – January
It took me a while to gel with XE6. Probably the longest out of any IEM I’ve owned. Initially I found it too warm, too mid-bassy and somewhat cloudy/hazy sounding. I experimented with different DAPs, cables and used the most open APEX module (black) to counter the warmth as much as I could. But as time passed, I began to appreciate Xe6 for what it was, an extremely coloured but highly technical IEM that brings a different flavour to my collection.
Aroma Jewel – April
Jewel essentially replaced Traillii in my collection, even though they are quite different in most respects. I like how Jewel sounds so “complete”. A well balanced, reference tuned IEM with TOTL technicalities. My biggest gripe with Jewel is its treble. If I’ve been listening to energetic sets like Annihilator, it takes a while for me to adjust to Jewel’s more delicate treble tuning.
Sennheiser IE 600 - May
This was a short-lived one. Basically, it sounds like a safer tuned IE 900 that got boring to me real quick. This would be my choice if I were to recommend a high-quality IEM to someone that didn’t care about the portable audio hobby and simply wanted something that sounds great with lots of different genres. But for me, my “boring” IEM is the U12t and I’ll take that over the IE 900 10/10 times.
Noble Audio Kublai Khan – June
Easily my favourite sounding Noble to-date. I wrote a review for it
here. I only sold it because it felt a bit redundant with some other IEM’s I’ve got (I prefer Indigo ever so slightly more)
Campfire Audio Supermoon – August
My first foray into single-planar IEMs, and one that’s seen plenty of hype for the latter part of 2022. I think it’s a good IEM, but I probably haven’t enjoyed it as much as others have. I like its bass and how detailed it is, but over time the mids and highs have progressively become intolerable. I’ll keep it around for now, but it may be on the chopping block some time in 2023.
Elysian Acoustic Labs Diva – September
I’ll admit it, I’m an Elysian fanboii. I probably didn’t need to add a Diva to my IEM inventory with X and Annihilator already around, but a friend was selling his one and I thought it was a good opportunity to pick one up without having to wait forever for Lee to make one. That said, I really love the Diva, especially using the maximum bass setting. It has the high-clarity Elysian house sound with a huge amount of sub bass that’s just super fun for most of my library.
Softears Turii Ti – October
This one was getting lots of hype and I’d never heard a Softears IEM before, so I thought I’d give it a crack. It’s a nice IEM, very natural sounding with impressive single-DD technicalities. The jury’s still out on whether I keep it long term, though. I only want to keep 1 high-end single DD and honestly, I prefer my IE 900 even though its not the better tuned nor more technical IEM. The IE 900 has incredibly addictive bass that’s hard for me to give up.
Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor – October
Ahhhh, my new GOAT. Love this IEM. Don’t see this one leaving anytime soon (but never say never in this hobby)
Astell & Kern x Empire Ears Odyssey – November
I’m so glad to have another EE W9+ driven IEM in my stable. I sold Evo not long after getting Xe6 earlier this year because of its mediocre treble, and thankfully Odyssey rectifies that somewhat. To my ears, Odyssey feels more like a successor to LX/LXSE than Odin or Evo. I’m enjoying it a lot, although its probably not got the attention it deserves while I’ve been on a honeymoon in the Multiverse.
64 Audio Tia Fourte Blanc - November
It’s basically a white Noir. I’ve been a Noir owner for a pretty long time now and had no intention of selling it. But it’s completely redundant now with Blanc, so it’s gone to
@snapandslide 
between all of us here really made us just that. Really incredible...
