The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[kevin638880]

Under $1k = U4s (cheating a bit here) / IE600

Under $2k = U12t / IE900 / Z1R / Diva

Under $3k= Elysian Annihilator / Trio

Under $4k => XE6 / EXT / Odin

$4k+ => Phonix LE

(can't really say which one is "better" / "best" so I'll just leave a list of what I enjoy the most at each price point.)

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

I've placed an order for my next custom from FiR - these next four weeks will be a hard wait. I am happily a new Radon 6 owner.

I've been leaning towards the Radon but needed another chance to demo it, and was lucky to spend a few hours on my own with it at NAMM. After that, I was sold.

Can't wait to share the design here when it's done!

 

[Scubadevils]

My Friday morning combo - Camelot has by far best synergy with N7 out of all my DAPs.

I’ll complete the other price segments later, but for now Camelot for sure in the sub $3k segment.

 

[maegnificant]

(can't really say which one is "better" / "best" so I'll just leave a list of what I enjoy the most at each price point.)

Love this statement, because you really don't NEED to spend so much to get great sound.

 

[s2kphile]

Under $1k USD =
634Ears
LOAK-T (TC, OP, CL) - ¥92,000
7th Acoustics
Supernova - $750
AüR Audio
Aure - $370
Neon Pro - $650
Juzear
41T - $135
Orilous
Isabellae - $650
Penon
Serial -$300
Sound Ryhme
SR5 - $150
DTE500 - $459
SR8 - $749

Under $2k =
Alambic Ears
Mentawai - €1690
AüR Audio
Alita - $1050
Sony
Z-1R - $1699

Under $3k=
Penon
Impact - $2499
Softears
Turii Ti - $2500
Tansio Mirai
RGB - $2999

I cap my buying price at $2500 USD because of Laws of Diminishing Returns.

 

[Nue~n]

Tomorrow, the 7Hz Salnotes Zero, the present, and the future

Day 7: 7hz Salnotes Zero, sadness, and moving forwards

Out of all the cheap IEMs I've tried, the 7hz Salnotes Zero are probably my favorite after tip rolling. They EQ decently well, have a bright but not sibilant sound signature - well, bright is relative here, it's pretty much Harman In-Ear with a much lower bass shelf - and most importantly were comfortable for hours on end. This actually took a few attempts, but it's how I discovered SS20 tips. They're pretty comfortable for my ears both in small and medium size. I need to pick up more and I also need to get Dunu S&S tips again just to compare. There is one downside, and that's the stock cable - Cutting off the ear hooks did not make them malleable enough for my liking. I really hate those things. I did discover a nice, cheap cable that sounds about the same & comes with a basic omnidirectional mic - but too little, too late.

Unfortunately, I managed to break these too - First, with channel imbalance, and now they're very quiet - they take around twice as many volume steps to reach a normal listening volume on my phone, and it's so limited that the bass & upper end is distorted. My phone can't drive them well enough anymore. How sad.

How about the present? Well, I've resigned to using Bluetooth IEMs with a reasonable sound signature, as mentioned, and also bought some much nicer - more fitting to my taste at least - IEMs in the form of the Tangzu Zetian Wu. They're exclusively for relaxing at my desk or walking outside, as the bluetooth ones are not comfortable or secure enough for walking or running.

And the future?
Well, I'm getting some earphones from NSC Audio to relax my ear canals a little. I'm hoping they work out. I did buy some NiceHCK foams for the sake of comfort & aesthetic.

Might as well drop my ranking here for now.
Sub-$50 - 7Hz Salnotes Zero
Sub-$200 - Tangzu Zetian Wu
Sub-$500 - ER4XR - I miss these. At the same time, not really.
Sub-$1k - IE800, the only ones I've auditioned in this price range. Can't be better or worse than nothing
All of these have very different tuning, so they don't really compete with one another. I enjoy all of them!

 

[gLer]

Best = preference:

<$1K = 634ears LOAK-TC
<$2K = Z1R
<$3K = Legend X
>$3K = Rn6

Removing arbitrary price tiers would mix these up a bit more.

 

[Scubadevils]

At present these are my shouts based on how much listening time they get, and of course currently in my collection.

<$1k = Victor FW1500
<$2k = Fibae 5 / Svanar
<$3k = Camelot / Turii Ti
<$4k = I’m not in this territory anymore

Edit - the 2nd choice in two cases are indeed that, in close 2nd place and need a mention!

 

[Alaricz]

Just got my Multiverse Menter.

 

[sari53]

Just got my Multiverse Menter.

very beautiful, with your sp3000, it must be incredible

 

[Alaricz]

Why everyone is posting Phönix LE? Here is 110/222

 

[phiemon]

Just got my Multiverse Menter.

I love this color so much that I also considered buying a 2nd pair in this color or selling the other, original color for that …

 

[phiemon]

Why everyone is posting Phönix LE? Here is 110/222

How would YOU compare Phönix LE to Mentor?

EDIT: sorry the double post…

 

[Alaricz]

How would YOU compare Phönix LE to Mentor?

EDIT: sorry the double post…

I mean Phönix LE has summit fi mids (vocal so good), Mentor has the best Soundstage/Imaging of any IEM I have ever heard. For me if I listen for a long time then mentor might be better(cuz I think its more blance). Anyway, I love both of them

 

[firesign]

<$500 = Isabellae (on sale)
<$1k & $2k... = AüR Neon Pro

Nothing I've tried, whatever the price, has outperformed the Neon Pro for me.