[Garney]

The Watercooler seems like the most active thread, so I bet I'll get plenty of high quality recommendations here.

I've recently fallen in love with the HIFIMan HE1000 Stealth. I'm not a fan of bright headphones, but it walks the perfect line between warmth, transparency, and air. So now I'm looking for a high-end IEM which shares this balance. Huge soundstage, lots of detail and transparency, but in a laid-back sort of way, with utterly natural tonality. Vocals which are airy, but not thin, subtly organic, yet wonderfully vivid.

This is a balance of contradictions I thought impossible. Until I picked up the HEK Stealth, and found my new favorite signature. More than enough bass, but all the technical prowess I could ever dream of. I used to love warmer headphones, like the LCD-3F. But now that sounds veiled.

I'm still treble sensitive. Too bright and I'm out. It's a fine line, and I'm hoping you fine folk have some recommendations.

I'll +1 on Annihilator as being worth a look. The soundstage is not what I'd describe as massive, but then again I've never heard an IEM come close to the expansive "out of head" width you can get with open back headphones. I otherwise hear Anni's presentation to be close to what you're wanting. To my ears, excellent (yes, excellent) bass presentation in both quantity and quality, transparent yet full mids with good vocal focus if that's how the recording is mixed and a masterfully extended and present treble that's effortlessly smooth with nary a hint of metallic glare or harshness.

@MatW owns the HE1000 SE as well as "a few" TOTL IEMs so he may be able to offer some meaningful insight as to which IEMs closely match the tonality of the HEKSE / Stealth.

 

[pkcpga]

The Watercooler seems like the most active thread, so I bet I'll get plenty of high quality recommendations here.

I've recently fallen in love with the HIFIMan HE1000 Stealth. I'm not a fan of bright headphones, but it walks the perfect line between warmth, transparency, and air. So now I'm looking for a high-end IEM which shares this balance. Huge soundstage, lots of detail and transparency, but in a laid-back sort of way, with utterly natural tonality. Vocals which are airy, but not thin, subtly organic, yet wonderfully vivid.

This is a balance of contradictions I thought impossible. Until I picked up the HEK Stealth, and found my new favorite signature. More than enough bass, but all the technical prowess I could ever dream of. I used to love warmer headphones, like the LCD-3F. But now that sounds veiled.

I'm still treble sensitive. Too bright and I'm out. It's a fine line, and I'm hoping you fine folk have some recommendations.

Aroma Jewel (DD for bass), Oriolus Traillii (BA for bass) and UM MM (BA for bass plus BC)
The Anni 2023 (DD for bass) will give you lovely air but it is a little more treble focused than the others and has less control in the low end. I personally love the Jewel, although it does require buying a different cable as the stock one is not very good. Trailii will have warmest vocals of the group, tight quick bass that’s not very hard hitting, smooth highs but to me sounds a bit veiled or maybe just over softened compared to the others listed. Jewel has my favorite vocals and mids, lots of depth and layering mixed with fairly deep hitting more natural decaying bass, highs are open and clear with slightly soft edges, larger sound stage. The Anni 2023 has great highs, some of the best I’ve heard but they can be the focus in certain music, mids/vocals take a small step back, still present and clear, detailed, bass is present but least refined and least detailed of the last two. If you want clear open sound up top not much else beats the anni for its price. UM MM has natural sounding mids with BC magic working up top for a large sound stage but is closer to the Trailli with bass.

 

[pkcpga]

Ah! The poll...

This is my top 5 of IEMs I'd love to demo (again):

1. Noble Onyx (will trigger if I can somehow get a tighter bass)
2. 64 Audio Volür (might trigger if I can clean up the low end, make mids a but more open, and add some air all around)
3. Vision Ears Aura (but too late to the party or so it seems)
4. Fitear Creator
5. Oriolus Monachaa
5b. Vision Ears VE10 (might trigger if I can somehow clean up the low end and make treble shine a bit brighter)
5c. Noble Spartacus
5d. Melodic Artification Alter Ego
5e. Lime Ears Terra
5f. Craft Ears Omnium
5g. 634ears LOAK TX-02 (not familiar with the brand but after the rave reviews and this being a new TOTL single DD, why not?)

drftr

Wish the Monachaa had a tour

 

[Rockwell75]

Wish the Monachaa had a tour

I currently have it on tour in the US, and then Canada.

 

[drftr]

And this paragraph shows why Rockwell75 is our leader. If you can not post something informative or positive, just go somewhere else.
WOW, just WOW!!!!!.

Claud, could you be slightly more specific in describing how they sound? You know us...

Aroma Jewel (DD for bass), Oriolus Traillii (BA for bass) and UM MM (BA for bass plus BC)
The Anni 2023 (DD for bass) will give you lovely air but it is a little more treble focused than the others and has less control in the low end. I personally love the Jewel, although it does require buying a different cable as the stock one is not very good. Trailii will have warmest vocals of the group, tight quick bass that’s not very hard hitting, smooth highs but to me sounds a bit veiled or maybe just over softened compared to the others listed. Jewel has my favorite vocals and mids, lots of depth and layering mixed with fairly deep hitting more natural decaying bass, highs are open and clear with slightly soft edges, larger sound stage. The Anni 2023 has great highs, some of the best I’ve heard but they can be the focus in certain music, mids/vocals take a small step back, still present and clear, detailed, bass is present but least refined and least detailed of the last two. If you want clear open sound up top not much else beats the anni for its price. UM MM has natural sounding mids with BC magic working up top for a large sound stage but is closer to the Trailli with bass.

I'd add Rn6 to the demo list for the same reasons. Except that I like it much better myself.

drftr

 

[pkcpga]

I currently have it on tour in the US, and then Canada.

Any chance I can be added, please?

 

[pkcpga]

Claud, could you be slightly more specific in describing how they sound? You know us...


I'd add Rn6 to the demo list for the same reasons. Except that I like it much better myself.

drftr

Great suggestion, didn’t include it because I wasn’t sure if it’s sold out? I love my RN6.
RN6 with the Cleo II Octa cable has great dynamics as well.

 

[freeryder05]

Of course. I always prefer CIEMS to universal IEMS. My CIEMS include UE5 PRO, UE18+ PRO, and ES80. Now I need new CIEM like CP54E or CP622B. But CP622B is too expensive. I have compared UE18+ and CP54E, and I feel that CP54E has a significant improvement in low and high frequencies, but it doesn't have the same convenience in mid-frequency human voices as UE18+. Maybe I'm wrong. lol

I have had some mixed experience with CIEMs, but honestly, my favorite has been my A12t. I really want to get an N8, but that's on the bassier side of neutral. I think the A12t resolution, bass response and overall tonality make it one of the best CIEMs. Most other CIEMs are liek $1000 more.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Aroma Jewel (DD for bass), Oriolus Traillii (BA for bass) and UM MM (BA for bass plus BC)
The Anni 2023 (DD for bass) will give you lovely air but it is a little more treble focused than the others and has less control in the low end. I personally love the Jewel, although it does require buying a different cable as the stock one is not very good. Trailii will have warmest vocals of the group, tight quick bass that’s not very hard hitting, smooth highs but to me sounds a bit veiled or maybe just over softened compared to the others listed. Jewel has my favorite vocals and mids, lots of depth and layering mixed with fairly deep hitting more natural decaying bass, highs are open and clear with slightly soft edges, larger sound stage. The Anni 2023 has great highs, some of the best I’ve heard but they can be the focus in certain music, mids/vocals take a small step back, still present and clear, detailed, bass is present but least refined and least detailed of the last two. If you want clear open sound up top not much else beats the anni for its price. UM MM has natural sounding mids with BC magic working up top for a large sound stage but is closer to the Trailli with bass.

The Jewel does fascinate me. But WOW is it expensive. I may hit up Andrew and see if he'll loan me one for audition.

 

[Rockwell75]

Any chance I can be added, please?

There’s a process. See my sig.

 

[AxLvR]

Wasn’t aware there was a cable upgrade option.

Do we know what the spec is on the stock cable? I don’t know what availability will be like. It’s interesting that it seems to be universally acclaimed by those who have heard it. I’m hopeful of obtaining one soon!

It's not an upgrade option, but rather a separate cable that was for sale. Mark (the founder of MA) offered me to try the cable with Alter Ego. It was a Silver Alloy cable and i loved the pairing, it opens up the sound, gives more res, more texture to the sound. The cost of that cable was around $250.

 

[zikarus]

A bit late as I can't really keep up lately, but for the beloved surveys sake here is my Top 4:

1. AüR Aehta
2. Symphonium Titan
3. Plunge Audio
4. A good TWS
5. Headphones, headphones, headphones

 

[claud W]

Claud, could you be slightly more specific in describing how they sound? You know us...


I'd add Rn6 to the demo list for the same reasons. Except that I like it much better myself.

drftr

The Himalayas are a one 10mm driver IEM. they are very balanced and are more detail oriented than all the DD Iems I own and have heard, but not overly so. They are very musical and comfortable.

 

[claud W]

Top 5 are;

Himalaya
ISN Neo 3
Fir E12
Sound Rhyme 5
Oriveti 00200

 

[fejnomit]

The DC Elite hisses when used with mobile phone in my observations. And IEMatch is for volume spikes, not necessarily for noise reduction.

Never encountered this myself. This is iPhone 14 Pro. DC-Elite dead silent. Though this is with a shielded USB...