IEM general discussion thread

I recently bought ex1k and am enamored with the bass and openness of the sound. But I find them too shouty with certain female vocals (the more nasal, the more shouty) and higher pitched male vocals. Going from stock standard tips to "isolation" tips (w/ foam under the flange) helps a bit. @deafdoorknob suggested trying deep insertion with Ety 3-flanges, but strangely I lose bass and they become super congested (different ear anatomy I guess).

Managed to get 1 layer of teabag paper on with the "isolation" tips without ripping (they have to be pre-inserted into the tip at just the right depth) and they seem to take the edge off the shout just a bit, without adversely affecting treble response and clarity too much. I also tried it with the standard silicones and it seems to make them sound about the same as the "isolation" tips. It's easier not to rip the teabag paper with the standard tips for some reason.

I doubt you could stuff a Knowles damper into the spout of the ex1k. @deafdoorknob said he saw a post on Ad-Fi that someone destroyed theirs trying to get the stock filter out. The foam insert is glued into the spout, so I couldn't get in there to see what it looks like. It's called an "Equalizer" in the manual (I think it's from the manual, didn't really read mine).

 

My portable setup is Ety ER4SR with AK XB10 (LG G6 & Aptx HD) and GR07C with my phone sometimes (I can't bring myself to sell GR07 as sometimes I crave a dynamic driver and gr07 is the best for me, especially for bad recordings or radio listening). I'm looking to upgrade my setup but I suspect after ER4SR many of my options will be a sidegrade, considering I really like ER4SR.

What makes me curious (itching) is all the new iems on the market; I'm considering Brainwavz B400, Massdrop Plus iem or Vibrolabs Earphone. Do you think any of them would be an effective upgrade? Any comment is welcome.

I also consider to buy Hiby R6, really suspicious though, not even on the market but too many good reviews around .

 

I guess you have seen that in the reviews, but the key issue is the R6 is high output impedance leading to sub optimal pairing with low impedance BA.

 

Yes I noticed it, Hiby explained in some place that it was intentional and I think it may even be good for ER4SR, I'm really suspicious about that dap and marketing hype though; I will wait objective/customer reviews and try to hear before buying.

 

So last year I got me the westone w40 along with oppo ha2, quickly I exchanged them against the w60 and boy they sounded wonderful with some sibilance though. I added a chord mojo. 2 months later I got the westone w80 as I like the westone sound signature and fit also added the pioneer 300r DAP. Now it's been less than a year and I'm ready to move to the next level. I have my eye on the tzar or the Zeus but I'm not paying full retail. Spending 2k after spending more than 2.7k already is a bit much for something I dont make money on. I'm still trying to convince myself that 2k on IEMs is not crazy but I keep saying with 2k I can buy some other stuff or add 3k and buy me another Rolex but then again I love listening to music. So my question is, do they really sound like nothing I already heard or will I be disappointed?I have no way to test any of these TOTL iem

 

Hmmm. Man, it's really difficult to quantify.. But it does seem like you have a good ear and are appreciative of improvements. Going from W80 over to the Zeus and U18 is going to be noticeable improvement. And if you add a nicer DAP, you'll be able to extract more from those 2 IEMs. Something like the iBasso DX200 with Amp 4 seems to be one of the reasonably priced DAPs with excellent performance for its price(although I have not tried it personally, friends whom I trust the most have confirmed). Or if you are flexible on the budget, then the AK SP1000 or LPG or Sony WM1Z or the upcoming Lotoo PG Touch.

So coming back to the Zeus and U18, both are very different sounding monitors. Zeus is a mid-centric, slightly bright IEM with neutral bass. U18 is brighter than the Zeus, but more forgiving in general. Its mids are neutral and bass is good for a BA IEM. Zeus being a mic-centric monitor, will offer you an engaging vocal presentation that is found in very few IEMs. But it lacks bass dynamics. U18 would be a better all rounder and is also an exciting IEM due to its punchy bass and lively treble. Zeus' imaging is one of the finest, and it does that in a large 3D stage (equal proportioned width, depth and height). U18's stage is also 3-dimensional but will appear more spacious due to greater width and air. But its imaging and stage organisation isn't as coherent and focused as Zeus' presentation.

And now to whether spending 2K on an IEM is worth it or not. Honestly, after reaching the $2k level IEMs, things start to stagger a little. For every drop of improvement further, you would have to drop in a couple more thousand dollars. So the law of diminishing returns starts to rise exponentially. Zeus and U18 already represent TOTL performance and should last you a year or 2 before you could start looking again.

Hope that helps!

P.S: For the past 2 years I was constantly after that every little ounce of improvement in portable audio. So I upgraded my IEM, DAP and cable and then a better IEM and so it went on. But I stopped a couple of months back and have started getting into desktop audio.

 

Thanks for the long post. U have been stung before with bright IEMs as my ears seem to pick sibilance quite annoyingly so when I read bright, treble extension I assume sibilance. I spent 700usd on my w60 which only have been used 50hrs max because of sibilance. So reading your comment is making me reconsider or at least look at fr and see if theres any peak in high frequencies. On the other hand, if I listen to edm or any instrumental music the treble extension is fine albeit a bit harsh on high volumes. So back to my lurking corner, to try and get more opinions on those 2 iems

 

Buy a Rolex.

Demo the iems at meets. 2k iems often compete with...1k iems.

 

I live in Morocco, no such things over here

 

Unfortunately, most of the TOTL IEMs are bright to a certain extent. There are a few that are smooth. If you are a custom IEM user, I'd recommend the Spiral Ear 5-Way Ult or the Vision Ears VE8. But as you seem to be a universal user, I'd recommend the following:

- AAW W900
- 64Audio U12
- Ultimate Ears UE18+ Pro (Top Pick)
- UM Maestro V2 (May not be a considerable improvement over your W80 in terms of technicalities)

Empire Ears Phantom is also said to be smooth. I can confirm whether it is bright or not in a couple of days as I am receiving mine tomorrow.

Btw about the 64Audio U18, it is actually a peculiar IEM, due to its peculiar brightness. Although it is bright, I wouldn't call it harsh. On the other hand I wouldn't call it smooth either. The IEM has a set of controlled treble bumps, through out the treble range that makes it bright in tone and presentation. But as the bumps are fairly controlled, it doesn't really get hot or harsh. So, what you get is high level of resolution and excitement, at the cost of accurate tone and timbre. And for those reasons, it actually works great for genres like pop, synth pop, electronic, EDM etc..

Or as a user on top said, may be a Rolex would be a better investment. I have my eyes on the new Sea-Dweller. But far from being able to afford one right now.

 

OK, sorry for the late response. I wasn't going to respond to this until I got my Sony EX1000 in my hands. I managed to snag a pair for $300 Australian Dollars.

My general impression of the Sony EX1000 roughly matches yours. Super tight bass that has surprisingly good impact and timbre for an IEM as well as a "wall of sound" element not too dissimilar to the stock Sennheiser HD800. It seems super peaky around 5-6khz but I feel that its easy enough to EQ down these regions. I also noticed that the sound seems to change depending on fit, which is something I had quite a bit of trouble with.

I've tried the two of the mechanical mods you mentioned: deep insertion with Etymotic Triple Flanges as well as alcohol swab wipes. I also did some quick and dirty measurements for my sanity's sake...not exactly accurate but probably enough for me to see patterns. For reference's sake, this is a measurement of my Etymotic ER4XR:



When measuring the Sony EX1000, I noticed that the entire 6-9khz range is boosted significantly if you can't get a good seal. The rest of the frequency range seems to be unaffected by seal, which might account for some of the really wild impressions this IEM has had across its life (some think its super bright; some think its super bass shy; takato14 thinks its balanced). This is a problem for me since the weakass ear hooks, odd perpendicular fit and shallow insertion means I simply can't get a good fit going. Here is a graph I measured showing a relatively loose fit with Sony hybrids (red) and "deep insertion" with a Etymotic small triple flanges (green) stretched over the EX1000 nozzle:


Its still got its peak but the sub-2khz lift means the overall sound is less thin and bright. I'm not sure if its the flange tube size mismatch, as Etymotic nozzles are like 1/5th the size of the Sony, or this midrange/bass lift but I definitely hear the congestion that you hear. The sound signature is a lot more agreeable but the soundstage is completely dead.

I'm actually starting to think that a deep insertion is needed for these IEMs, despite Sony providing a design and accessories that don't make this easy to achieve. It might just need some triple flange tips that actually fit dynamic driver IEMs properly.

I also tried the cotton swab trick. It seems to make the treble a bit smoother but its not a huge difference. It also seems to push down the ~6khz peak by a few decibels. Its still stupid bright but overall more agreeable.

Sony EX1000 without swab sheet:


Sony EX1000 with swab sheet:


I didn't really notice a huge difference personally. Its still too bright for me but its less sharp and painful with voices.

 

I'm not sure if you said so above @smithj, but how did they sound to you with the Ety triple-flange? As I mentioned, @deafdoorknob swears by deep insertion for the EX1000 (but he kinda likes deep insertion in general ).

Edit: I found where you said they sounded congested. For me with the Ety tips, it was more than just stage. I lost a ton of bass and it was murky as Mirkwood.

I hit up @james444 for some modding advice and he suggested a criss-cross pattern of 3M micropore, leaving some of the nozzle open. I've got 1 narrow strip each at 90° covering about 80%(?) of the nozzle. James said to play around with additional layers and varying the amount covered. I cbf'd and am taking the Dr. Strangelove approach. And using them less for artists with shouty vocals (you know who you are, Adele).

 

Hello everyone! I was wondering if anyone has comments on the UE900/UE900s. Are they still decent choices today?

I have liked the FR of the HD600, Pinnacle P1/PX and Brainwavz B100 so if these compare favourably that's more than enough for me. I've heard the MD+ and would ideally prefer an MD+ with a touch less bass and a touch more treble extension. Or is the Brainwavz B400 a better modern choice?

Not sure if this is the best thread to ask, please let me know if I should ask somewhere else!

Cheers

Edit: I added the Rose Mini2 to my shortlist but am likely to go for the UE900S.

 

I don't have measurements for the EX1000, but here's a comparison between stock FR and criss-cross micropore damping on my Octone IEMS (measured by @stratocaster, thanks!). You can see that the micropore smoothes the 7kHz peak pretty well:

 

Thanks for this summary, I have been reading a lot oabiut the u18t and the fourte and most prefer the fourte for being the least bright. Also from what I gathered, the 2 modules can also alter the signature with one being bassier and less harsh than the other. Just contacted 64audio to see if they can offer some discount and I already own a 41 DJ TT. Was thinking of BLNR but that's another topic

 

Nice. I personally and many others find the Fourte to be the brighter one between the 2. But I have also seen a few others comment the exact opposite. But yes, nothing beats trying them on personally.

Happy Listening!

 

Hello guys, anybody have an opinion on the new Atlas by Campfire Audio? I am scared when some say it is as bassy as the Vega, but still curious.

 

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/campfire-audio-new-atlas-and-comet.6089

Not sure if anyone here has heard it yet.

 

Hi everyone. My ear canals are not the most compatible with IEMs, but I'm looking to get a solid pair of IEMs for a friend as a graduation gift. She often listens to music, but mostly through standard Apple buds through her iPhone.

I'm wondering if anyone cared to give a comparative recommendation between the UE900S and the Massdrop Plus. Or any other recommendations <$500 would be awesome. Thanks in advance.

 

If she likes her apple ear buds, get her Air Pods.. Don't try getting fancy if she isn't an audiophile - it will almost always backfire the same was as when a non-audiophile gets an audiophile an audio gift.