[Ahmad313]

Appreciate your insight; though for me the king of DD is split between Rhaspodio galaxy v2/v3 and Campfire Vega. T8iE/ Xelento's technicalities fall behind in comparison.

T8iE and Xelento carries a same sound signature or different ,?
and what you think about RE2000, they are not qualify for DD king race ,???

 

[sansfin]

Technicalities they are the same and the only difference, albeit minor, is highlighted in the toning.- T8iE imo is warmer and the bass bleeds a bit too much into the mids. The highs are also not as crisp (or sibilant) as the Xelento- but it is just my own observation.

Oh and the RE2000 - haven't heard or tried them myself but on several Chinese forums, it is rumored that it is quite excellent, despite not worth the price tag. If given a chance to purchase a $2000 IEM, you'd better give it a listen instead of taking a blind shot.

 

[sansfin]

and what you think about RE2000, they are not qualify for DD king race ,???

Of course I'm a little biased as I own or owned Vega, T8iE and Galaxy and auditioned the Dita Dream and others extensively.

 

[listen4joy]

geat thread, i am wonder where Spiral Ear 5-Way Ultimate will rank... 3 times its ranked in 1st place.

 

[Nalin]

I think crinacle's ranking is more about what sound right. That means tuning is given priority over technicalities.

Correct me if i am wrong @crinacle

 

[crinacle]

I think crinacle's ranking is more about what sound right. That means tuning is given priority over technicalities.

Correct me if i am wrong @crinacle

I take both in account. I don't ignore either; I know some reviewers would put technical ability to extremely high regard and almost completely ignore tuning (vice versa applies, but the opposite is less common) but I follow the philosophy that the transducer needs to sound both proficient and realistic to be truly great. No point having all the transparency, clarity, detail retrieval etc. when your IEM sounds like it's coming out of a hollow bowl.

 

[crinacle]

FiiO F9
A decent triple driver hybrid. V-shaped with quite a bit of sparkle in the treble.

Grade: C

Massdrop Plus
Clean, clear and detailed. Reference tuning with a fun bass boost. On par with the ER4 series.

Grade: A-

Hifiman RE2000
A little bright with lively midrange. Good balance overall. Lacking in technicalities considering the asking price.

Grade: A-

Super Audio "Supermeme" 2BA+2DD
Slightly V-shaped, energetic midrange and typical DD bass.

Grade: C+

Shure KSE1500 (regrade)
One of the most detailed IEMs I've had the pleasure to listen to. Lacking is bass texture and subbass rumble, but it just sounds... good. As what reality should.

Grade: S

 

[Ahmad313]

I take both in account. I don't ignore either; I know some reviewers would put technical ability to extremely high regard and almost completely ignore tuning (vice versa applies, but the opposite is less common) but I follow the philosophy that the transducer needs to sound both proficient and realistic to be truly great. No point having all the transparency, clarity, detail retrieval etc. when your IEM sounds like it's coming out of a hollow bowl.

+1 , agreed , as for me the sound is important and i don't care whats the technicalities are involved inside the shell

 

[Nalin]

I take both in account. I don't ignore either; I know some reviewers would put technical ability to extremely high regard and almost completely ignore tuning (vice versa applies, but the opposite is less common) but I follow the philosophy that the transducer needs to sound both proficient and realistic to be truly great. No point having all the transparency, clarity, detail retrieval etc. when your IEM sounds like it's coming out of a hollow bowl.

I totally agree with your assessment. With correct tuning the iem should not sound harsh. It's a good thing to have a most resolving iem but what's the use if that does not sound natural.

Great work overall.

 

[Tim Le]

Thanks for the extensive list, I'm sure I will refer back to this when I take the plunge for a pair of customs in a couple of months.

I was hoping for an IEM recommendation from you guys, as I haven't heard too many IEMs. Long story short, I gave my brother my Sony xb-90ex (which I was using for the gym) because he loved their sound, and just thought to myself that I'd buy another pair for $90 online. Turns out they're quite hard to find and cost over $200 now.

If I'm going to be spending over $200, I'd like an IEM with detachable cables (preferably 2 pin). Could you guys recommend an IEM in the $150-$300 range with detachable 2 pin cable, a gym friendly housing, and that sounds like the Sony xb-90ex. I owned the Sony XBA-A3 for a bit, but the housings were too awkward, and I believe they used MMCX. Thanks!

 

[crinacle]

Alright, huge update.

Ranks slightly reshuffled. New entries have been updated in the tables. Prices and links to official pages have been entered in.

Just need to replace the "Strengths" section and finish up on the "Comments" writeup. Then I can finally take the [WIP] tag out for real and cut the red ribbon.

 

[Ahmad313]

Alright, huge update.

Ranks slightly reshuffled. New entries have been updated in the tables. Prices and links to official pages have been entered in.

Just need to replace the "Strengths" section and finish up on the "Comments" writeup. Then I can finally take the [WIP] tag out for real and cut the red ribbon.

I heartily appreciate your hard and seriously nice work mate ,

 

[terminexia]

Just a heads up Crinacle. The AAW W350 has been removed from the AAW product page. The link there now directs to the M80.
Also, just curious, but will you be adding comments to the rest of the list from B downwards?

 

[crinacle]

Thanks for the extensive list, I'm sure I will refer back to this when I take the plunge for a pair of customs in a couple of months.

I was hoping for an IEM recommendation from you guys, as I haven't heard too many IEMs. Long story short, I gave my brother my Sony xb-90ex (which I was using for the gym) because he loved their sound, and just thought to myself that I'd buy another pair for $90 online. Turns out they're quite hard to find and cost over $200 now.

If I'm going to be spending over $200, I'd like an IEM with detachable cables (preferably 2 pin). Could you guys recommend an IEM in the $150-$300 range with detachable 2 pin cable, a gym friendly housing, and that sounds like the Sony xb-90ex. I owned the Sony XBA-A3 for a bit, but the housings were too awkward, and I believe they used MMCX. Thanks!

Never heard the XB-90EX so I don't have a frame of reference. Most IEMs should be gym friendly, especially those that have the cable looping around the ear.

Just a heads up Crinacle. The AAW W350 has been removed from the AAW product page. The link there now directs to the M80.
Also, just curious, but will you be adding comments to the rest of the list from B downwards?

Registered it as "Discontinued" then. And yes, will be adding comments for every tier now. Just added a few extra, actually.

 

[robervaul]

@crinacle Did you try the AAW AXH ?