This is a great perspective video. I'm still trying to find that sweet spot between price and performance without having the chance to listen to actual products. Videos like this helps provide perspective and info on what we can expect as we move up the cost ladder. Thank you for making this video!
Great video with a lot of good advice for those of us who have not bought any kilobuck iems (yet). Hoping for a Madoo 512 & Monarch mk3 review from you.
I think you may have sold me with that AJFA reference and your description of how the riffs sound, we're speaking the same language here and we're on the same wavelength. "Supremely euphoric" - now that's exactly what I've been looking for in my metal, especially certain subgenres like tech/prog death. It's always been an battle between possessing sufficient resolution for fast transients (punchy double bass kicks with blast beats on a well-tuned snare, blisteringly fast sweeping and tapping guitar solos/riffs, fretless bass wizardry, and other instruments depending on the subgenre) versus midbass slam/a more "fun/musical" tuning for me (but not to the point where you reach bloated/muddy bass levels, which effectively makes the entire low-end sound like a wall of noise whilst masking all the beauty/deep rumble in the subbass region). I just can't make up my mind, do you happen to offer paid one in one consultations? If not, you should definitely start a Patreon/Discord community because you deserve it with the wealth of high quality niche information you provide (where others don't necessarily have access to the same high end sets as you and/or have drastically different tastes in tuning).
Great video. Learned a lot as someone who has been into audio for a while but only recently gotten into IEMs. I bought into SA6 MK2 hype. It's definitely an acquired taste. I'm giving it a chance and finding that it is great for long listening sessions where you want to relax to the music. I do find it can resolve details reasonably well but I need to actively concentrate and not drift away. For that reason I feel it had a place in my audio collection. That said, best iem I have tried by far is the Thieaudio Prestige LTD. It delivers among the best sound I have heard in any audio product - full stop. Engaging tonality, textured impactful bass, very clean and open minds. Best treble I've heard in any device. Great separation and accurate/open staging... not exxagerated or overdone but definitely present and not congested. I'd recommend you give it go if you can get your hands on a set.
I wish others audiophile UA-camrs could do reviewing style just like you most of them are egoist style reviews which i hate by the the way your english is outstanding fluent and easy to understand double thumbs up👍👍
I think the only basic starting point is fidelity. Do you want to get the recording the way it's meant to sound or you want more fun (emphasis, emotion). This is a dilemma that always stands. That's why it's best to have both - when you want to focus on the recording (understand/get what the artist(s) wanted to give you) then you need a reference, neutral replay. Then you move to fun and find your favorable replay with the knowledge of what you emphasize. The technicalities come on top with price but they still fall in the brackets of the fidelity or fun. That's why we have more than 1, 2,...,5,... 10,.... 50 iems/headphones.
Well said and completely agreed, one set is simply not enough - especially if you listen to multiple genres. I definitely need a fun/emotional/musical sounding set for my main two genres, and a more technically accurate higher resolution set as well. It also depends on your use-case, but I find 4 sets to be a nice sweetspot for me personally excluding TWS.
As casual people, I haven't even get to try $100 IEM nor do I think I can 'technically' judge the difference. But I do believe quality and performance upgrade does exist, just that it needs deeper comprehension and your insight of that is fantastic. Thank you!
The IEM for which you prefer the tuning and does not cause bad treble spikes through interaction with your individual ears will sound better every time. It doesn't matter if it's $15 and the comparison is $1500. I am head over heels for the $15 Moondrop Quarks DSP. It is tuned incredibly well and it is one of only 2 IEMs I have heard that has smooth treble with natural timbre in my ears and the other one costs 20x the price. The $100 Moondrop Aria is tuned similarly but it gives me a gigantic treble spike which makes it the worst audio device I have ever had the misfortune of hearing.
Hey mate, great review! About resolution, do you think Helios vs MEST MKII, which is more resolving? Seems like the treble of both is forward too, yeah?
To me diminishing returns starts to hit bad past $500. You have to really have something special in the technical aspects to justify $1k+ these days, it has to be beyond tuning. It's kind of hard to buy a $500 IEM too, when there is a good chance something comparable will come out within a year or two for half that price. Aful P5 and Orchestra lite made a lot of $500 hybrids hard to justify. Same with planars and the PR2.
Starts at 300 if you do your research.. Takes a long time to ferret out the good stuff, most of my Iems are under 100. I have the pr2 and haven't found anything in planar Iems that I want to buy to replace them..
@@neandrewthal Not exactly. Resonance can't be measured by a frequency graph in any meaningful way, as an example. Either can timber, or spatial effects, layering, detail retrieval, etc. All looks the same on a graph.
"sweet" treble - exactly. Very little IEM I've tried has good, extended, sweet treble. This is what kept me with 64Audio U4S - great bass quality and treble, but also natural tonality.
Excellent video as always. I agree with all your points. I haven't yet seen your lately comparing the IEMs and Headphones with the Trailli you had. Is it still in your collection?
Neutral or Neutral with bass boost tuned iems a good place to start at sub kilobuck prices as they offer extreme versatility, once a specific preference is in mind then itd be worth it to look at the kilobuck+ options out there imo, including higher end neutral tuning iems if that is of preference, personally I love the etymotic er2se, er4xr and campfire andromeda 2020 which are tuned neutral, neutral with bass boost and neutral warm respectively
ER2SE is not neutral. It is incredibly lacking in bass and treble. Only has mids. Neutral does not mean a flat line for bass. And it has less treble than graphs show because they do not insert it as deep as it is meant to be.
One thing overlooked is also the FIT and comfort on regular use. Some kilobuck iem can be impossible to wear for more than 1 hour because of the materials and the shape of the shell making a fashion statement a stupid choice at times.
Interesting and awesome comparison video. The aspect of relative understanding plays a major role in this hobby. I think what is good or better to someone is purely based on what they have heard. This skews considerably wth reviewers/enthusiasts who have the opportunity to listen/analyze expensive IEMs. Ignorance is bliss. From a cost benefit standpoint, sometimes Pandora’s box should just stay closed. We would save a lot more money and be happy with what we have. 😂. Poo on that though, the best part of this hobby is the discovery IMO. I’d love to see more of these videos by music genre or sound curve.
Your video has at once broadened my perspective and put me in a tough spot. For me $200 is all that I can afford. I listen to rock, edm, movie osts and flamenco acoustic. Which iem would you suggest for me? Mind you, I will treat it as totl for years. I really do hope you answer my question, because nobody else's explanation has resonated with me as well as yours has.
@@amplifyaudioreviews You explain in this video a clear reflection of why I love this hobby, and what makes it so interesting and fun ! Keep it up! I love videos like this 👍🏼🎶
I recently bought the SA6 MK2, it is my most expensive IEM. It's great, I really liked it, but I didn't have that feeling of, "wow, I've never heard anything so good in my life". I also have the 7hz Legato. And man... I often prefer to use it instead of SA6. At least now I've learned that the most expensive one with the best reviews (many say the SA6 is spectacular) isn't always the best one for you. Find out what type of sound signature you like most and buy something you can afford and just enjoy.
@@mensrea1251 True. Now that I've spent months using the SA6 MKII. It became my number one. SA6 it is so "musical" and "smooth". But when I want more impact in my music I still prefer the Legato. It's is good have different signatures in your collection =)
I enjoy the hobby and have my share of IEM's. At 57, my ears cannot hear beyond ~16,5Khz, with a ear canal resonance around 5.9KHz. In other words, I tend to focus my spend in the sub $250 range. My current favorite, the MP145. I'd take the $5K and put it toward photography gear...or a decent sports watch. Then again, in today's world...maybe some nice survival gear!
which one do have something grand sounding iem, i think the aful p8 ,has a great grand sounding presentation but i'm looking for more , any advice ? the tone ,subwoofer bass ,body of note weight, the p8 gives me very high quality of everything , just not enough !
yups, for me that doesn't have much to spend, i just throw all i've got to 1 iem, that is when OG mest came out, but what i'm lacking is experience with many others from price point, technicalities & tunnings. it's been a while i don't use it often anymore and more to using the tin T2 DLC or thieaudio legacy 2 it's all about be thankful for what we have, not what other have
I just got mine! I didn’t listen to it yet, but what tips do you recommend? I just ordered divinus velvets because I can’t find radius deep mounts. Also have a nice collection of tips, but any recs would be welcome!
Great vid! I am looking for an IEM that has similar sound signature as the ZMF Atrium. Do you have any recommendations? I currently have the SA6 Ultra as my daily driver.
When you get to the $400 range you get 90% of the TOTL performance the remaining % is just better resolution and imaging and layering Also, having a high end source only you can enjoy the TOTL IEMs
Broken hearts like me for the budget iem community guys It's alright.. buddies...one day a person will create a budget iem ...and that will give toughness and equal to the expensive ones It will shake the big companies
Thing is what cost $500 2 years ago is now available under $100. And the end game products aren't improving at a rate that can even begin to keep up with how quickly the downward trickle is happening. I'm not buying that bass at $5000 is *that* much better than bass at $250. Great video but you certainly didn't make a case for the $5k one being any better than the $1k pick. Like you said it's subjective. Also for me there is more to it than sound. I enjoy the process of collecting, evaluating, and getting my hands on many IEMS. From there I have my favorites when I comes to sound and some that are just so pretty that I'm happy to have them. I LOVE cables. Right now I own more cables than IEMS which means I need more IEMs 🤣I have 2 $5 gems, relative unknowns/unhyped by the community, that sound as good or better than my other 10 IEMs. I keep going up in price but those 2 still remain way too good for their price. One of them is plastic but the other is metal w/resin, so build quality even better than a lot of sub $30 IEMS. Next set I'm moving to $50, then $100. I'm going to be freaking upset if the $5 IEMs continue to be my faves. Lol. I've bought backups as one of them just in case and I've got extras for gifts. I just started this hobby in June and I've gotten 12 IEMs for me, 10 for my best friend, and 4 for my brother. Btw I've seen the Cadenza go up against more expensive IEMs in various price points and it won 90% of the votes. And I doubt the Cadenza beats the sound of my gems which at this point provide more than just value. Also seen audiophiles pick $15-25 IEMs over $500 IEMs but eventually there was a money tree IEM that spoke to their ear which won over the cheap one. Much to their relief when they were un-blinded. I'm not buying that bass at $5000 is *that* much better than bass at $250. Great video but you certainly didn't show me that from $1000 - 5k there really is no point. And like you said it's subjective. Let's not forget EQ. A dirty word in the community I know. I'll never understand the hate, just another reason to justify a heftier price point. Also for me there is more to this hobby than sound chasing. I enjoy the process of researching, learning, collecting, evaluating, and getting my hands on many IEMS. Getting to know my own preferences, hearing others talk about theirs. I like well thought out, open minded discussions even if I may not agree...Subscribed.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 we'll see as I Climb up the budget ladder. All any of us have is educated guesses based on our experiences and personal taste. No one has heard every IEM. And even if they had, 2 people are likely not to agree on many of them. Also we all have biasis that could possibly interpret what we hear. It's like pain, there is no objective measure. I do my best to keep an open mind but I realize my bias is skewed away from diminishing returns. At least for now.
Whenever a reviewer AUTOMATICALLY thinks a significantly more expensive iem is better than cheaper ones then I have trust issues. People who make the iems also price them. They are human and sound is subjective. Therefore the pricing of iems can be flawed. I have heard plenty of iems in the 250-350 range that were BETTER than some in the 1000-1500 range. I bet you a lot of money that I can find 1500 or less iems where the majority of a test group will say is better than those >3000 iems in a blind test.
the lack of rizz in your videos made me think you are not a serious reviewer and i skipped a lot of your reviews but after watching this video you have gained a subscriber. Thank you for the education and putting words into what I hear.I thought I was the ONLY one.
I love all of Metalure's IEMs for rap/hip hop. I own the Metalure Wave and I love the bass so much. It's so massive, impactful, and the way it rumbles is something I haven't experienced in other IEMs. You can really tell they know what they're doing. They also use their proprietary NOMAX with Liquid Silicone Rubber Driver and it produces a very distinctive sound. It's not the most comfortable and it's quite big, but for rap/hip hop it's amazing!
Expensive is better, but normal folk not really go crazy drop 300+ on their first IEM. Doesn't matter if cheap or expensive as long sound quality match what you pay for it's still Win situation~
Have you noticed that there are IEMs with very different tunings across all price ranges? A $20 one that is tuned well for your ears will sound better than a $2000 one tuned differently every single time.
It’s great to hear an audio reviewer who understands the limitations of graphs. I have head reviewers talk more about the graph than their actual experiences and I would love to challenge some of these reviewers to match iems to graphs or graph an iem as they are listening. SO MUCH weight is put on these FR graphs and I have never been able to understand why.
I can't get why reviewers get fixated so much on tuning. While it is the aspect that impacts a listening experience the most, it's also the easiest to change with EQ. Imo iems should be eqed to the same tuning before they are compared. Otherwise you don't get a clear picture of things you can't change
Listen with your ears, not eyes, people. When I see reviewers go 'this IEM sounds weird because... look at this graph' instead of describing sonically what problems they have with a particular set of IEMs/headphones, I skip the video.
And who is that exactly? Even amir has a subjective part of his reviews were he describes what he's hearing. You have made a strawman to protect your fallacies.
Is there something that I'm missing? I have a Shure se846 and I think they're amazing is there a reason a lot of you iem reviewers don't ever talk about them?
I have them too and like them but I have been informed by reviewers that they have been superceded by newer models of iem's. The Shure se846 are an older set too, but if you like them then no need to upgrade. Technology improves as companies improve too I guess. Cheers
You bring up an interesting dilemma in this hobby that no one ever talks about - and that’s our subconscious desire to seek approval for whatever IEM we find to be really good. Too often, we all are part of this hobby but none of us really like the same IEMs/headphones. It can be a real challenge to like something (like the SE846) that no one talks about or raves about or can agree on its quailities. Having said that, you - like all of us - would love to have others who feel the same as you do. We want others to like what we like and enjoy the same musical qualities as we do but in the real world, that probably won’t happen. Think of it this way - there are dozens and dozens of IEM manufacturers each building several to dozens of different IEMs that try to appeal to our ever-changing sound preferences and taste. Combine all that with the endless number of musical genres and sub-genres and the ways they are captured on a disc or music file, it would be a miracle to find even a handful of people who would agree with your thoughts on the SE846.
Same situation I’ve owned for years SE846 is amazing. Reading for Months to what IEM to buy. Narrowed down to AK zero 2 or 64 audio Volür. Looking for vocal clarity with separation of bass. Feedback is greatly appreciated
I tried the Campfire Audio Trifecta at a local audio shop. It's absolutely dogshit for me. The 7Hz Salnotes Zero at $15 have better tonality and coherency(for me). Even the guys at the audio shop said it's shit. No one have gotten a 3DD IEM right yet and it remains that way so far at least for me But we can all beg to differ. It's a very subjective hobby I do agree that the budget range a lot of IEMs have very similar tunings cuz these chifi companies are afraid to make more exciting tunings that aren't too far out cuz they wanna make a super versatile set that sounds okay for the most number of ppl
I liked the Supermoon more than the Trifecta, also people who spend $1k+ have to justify their purchase, in my case I was wanting to get the Monarch MK II but already had the Variations and is close enough to the MK II, not worth double imo, also I am not an analytical listener by default, my listening priority is melody-based so...
@@traktorpro10 Yeap when diminishing returns, as Amplify Audio mentioned, starts kicking in it becomes much harder to justify upgrades to more expensive sets
Yes.but return of investment is never the same. They always use the 2.5 profit calculation. So if the driver and all iem costs 100 dollars they sell for 250. That's mmm ok. But for if the drivers will cost 1500 dollars with all unit and charging 4500 dollars. Then the return is lower for sure. Better yes. But not worth the 4.500 dollars.
TWS are in a totally different league. Even if there were BT IEMs that sounded really good, they’re limited by the quality of the wireless signals, which are almost all well-below CD-quality.
I will sh!t my parents if i lost one side of a $3000 dollar IEM. my galaxy buds pro 2 right side buds still in my vehicle seat belt hole and can't find it. It way down in a gv70 back seat i refused to take off the seat to find the buds.
I loved this video but idk if you are trolling with the Trifectas. Those are some of the worst IEMs I and many have tried, HORRRIBLE, would have been cool to see something like the Annihilators, Monarch MKIII or Gaea in this comparison.
@@alejandror2571 Sounds very unnatural, very artificial, ik it tries to be unique tuning, the staging is weird, the imaging is baaad. Sounds at best worth $150 dollars and that's not even comparing it to the other options available around the same price point. Making a unique IEM can be cool ya know, unique drivers and implement, different tuning, and what not but the Trifecta sounds like Audivina while being on 5 different drugs.
@@alejandror2571 But instead of taking my word for it. Go demo it. You will see exactly why it's dog shit xdddd And try demoing a Monarch MKIII(1/3rd the price) after or even better, demo the 64 Audio IEMs(similar price).
These people ae unfortunately influenced by the price tag. They want to erroneously believe that the industry is in a "healthy state" instead of admitting to their addiction. If the trifecta $300, it would be evaluated at $300 (not that its even worth that).
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 what makes you think people who buy cheaper IEMs aren't influenced by the price tag too ? if someone buys a $100 headphone believing it's just as good as a $1000 headphone then obviously they're gonna be biased too, that mentality is very common
Agree 100%, when you move up in price the biggest improvements are technical; separation, resolution, stage and tambour etc. With regard to midrange; 3 points of improvement; resolution and tambour/realness and effortless/naturalness. Never heard a low price point IEM have a vision ears/jewel type midrange. Vision Ears Elysium is insane.
Mids are the easiest part. Any $20 IEM can tune them how they are supposed to be. It's just a matter of not having offensive bass mud or treble spikes interfering with your perception of them.
I've noticed something in audio reviews that doesn't make sense from an objective point of view. Dynamic range compression by its very nature makes quiet/subtle sounds more audible. When people are praising a headphone/IEM they like they'll talk about how they can hear quiet, subtle sounds they struggle to hear on other headphones/IEMs, but make no mention of compression. Often when people are using compression as a negative criticism of a headphone/IEM it's a self contained statement without describing a particular scenario where compression has been exhibited. I've noticed a strong correlation between between planar and electrostatic headphones that are praised for their exceptional detail retrieval and the claim that they don't have the "slam" of a dynamic driver headphone. Perhaps it has been said before, but the idea that their ability to reveal subtle details is partially due to their lack of "slam" isn't something I see being discussed. I suspect there are a couple of things at play here. Firstly and counter intuitively, I know that compression can be used by studio engineers to make something seem more dynamic (to make it "pop" is the term sometimes used). I think people sometimes misidentify traits of a headphone/IEM because perception doesn't always align with reality. Secondly, because compression is a dirty word amongst the audiophile community it is a term that isn't applied to products people like even when it's appropriate.
Natural timbre is subjective. For me the most natural I have heard is Moondrop Quarks DSP and Blessing 2: Dusk but there is no reason it has to be the same for you. But even better is learning to EQ and figuring out what makes it sound natural or unnatural to you. Then once you have figured it out then you know exaclty what you are looking for if you still want an IEM to use raw with no EQ.
Bro take some good iems with very clean sound and ests and then apply some eq on bass and you can have the best bass in the existence and best sound you can imagine as is your tuning and there is no doubt about it ! You pay for bass ? Omg bro 😂
Lol. Thanks, genius. If you believe EQ will solve an IEM with weak BA Bass, I don’t know what to tell you. Probably best to let you continue to be in your bubble. 🫧
I don't think liking a non-neutral tuning is a sign of audiophile maturity. I've been in the hobby for almost 50 years, and I want something that faithfully renders what's on the recording. For the life of me I don't understand why someone would pay literally kilo bucks to buy something that doesn't. If you want to do that just get USB Audio Player Pro with EQ and do it yourself, or is the feeling that what a rando IEM designer does in that regard is somehow a unique artistic achievement that an ordinary audiophile could never aspire to duplicate let alone exceed and therefore somehow worth the 20X or more multiple of a neutral, well tuned distortion free $50 IEM.
NO many of them are usually better but not always and it's literally in single digits like 10% or less plus buying $5000 IEMs Dosn't mean they don't have QC issues or unit variations and literally all the problems that cheap gear has plus $100 iem can do 90% or more then $5000 iems can so you think 10% improvement in sound that most ppl can't even tell worth $4900 or more in audio gear $500 is the Limit where above that price you just throw money just so you can tell how expensive your crap is not cause it sounds that much better
I'll take final Audio E5000 over all these. tonality it what matter first. sound of any IEm should always aim it sound like real life rich full. if I can find an upgrade from final E5000 it will taller soundstage other than that it's perfect. I don't like thin clinical sound which what Ie 900 sound like it's harsh and not worth it even for 100$.
The tonality of the e5000 is abysmal. You saying that the ie900 is analytical while being warm and heavly V shaped tells me you have basically no education about any of whats happening
This is a great perspective video. I'm still trying to find that sweet spot between price and performance without having the chance to listen to actual products. Videos like this helps provide perspective and info on what we can expect as we move up the cost ladder. Thank you for making this video!
I always enjoy your reviews! Thank you for your love of the hobby, and for sharing your thoughts with us!
My pleasure!
Great video, for someone who has just started out I was obsessing over graphs and it was great to hear your perspective on expensive iems.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video with a lot of good advice for those of us who have not bought any kilobuck iems (yet). Hoping for a Madoo 512 & Monarch mk3 review from you.
Glad it was helpful!
Subscribed! I always wondered if investing in expensive iems would serve me more and this video resolved that doubt.
Glad!
Thanks for the review.
I think you may have sold me with that AJFA reference and your description of how the riffs sound, we're speaking the same language here and we're on the same wavelength.
"Supremely euphoric" - now that's exactly what I've been looking for in my metal, especially certain subgenres like tech/prog death. It's always been an battle between possessing sufficient resolution for fast transients (punchy double bass kicks with blast beats on a well-tuned snare, blisteringly fast sweeping and tapping guitar solos/riffs, fretless bass wizardry, and other instruments depending on the subgenre) versus midbass slam/a more "fun/musical" tuning for me (but not to the point where you reach bloated/muddy bass levels, which effectively makes the entire low-end sound like a wall of noise whilst masking all the beauty/deep rumble in the subbass region).
I just can't make up my mind, do you happen to offer paid one in one consultations? If not, you should definitely start a Patreon/Discord community because you deserve it with the wealth of high quality niche information you provide (where others don't necessarily have access to the same high end sets as you and/or have drastically different tastes in tuning).
Thanks for the suggestion. Let me look into it!
Great video! Keep up the good work thanks🎉
Great video. Learned a lot as someone who has been into audio for a while but only recently gotten into IEMs. I bought into SA6 MK2 hype. It's definitely an acquired taste. I'm giving it a chance and finding that it is great for long listening sessions where you want to relax to the music. I do find it can resolve details reasonably well but I need to actively concentrate and not drift away. For that reason I feel it had a place in my audio collection.
That said, best iem I have tried by far is the Thieaudio Prestige LTD. It delivers among the best sound I have heard in any audio product - full stop. Engaging tonality, textured impactful bass, very clean and open minds. Best treble I've heard in any device. Great separation and accurate/open staging... not exxagerated or overdone but definitely present and not congested.
I'd recommend you give it go if you can get your hands on a set.
I liked it for sure
Have you ever tried a Mest MK2? I had the exact same impressions with it.
Great review
I wish others audiophile UA-camrs could do reviewing style just like you most of them are egoist style reviews which i hate by the the way your english is outstanding fluent and easy to understand double thumbs up👍👍
Thank you 🙏🏻
@@amplifyaudioreviews 👍👍👍💯💯💯
Wanting objective measurements = egoist. Not very educated, are you?
@@Gorgamak WHO THE HELL ARE YOU
@@Oriolus1 a youtube commenter. Why are you having a mental breakdown?
I appreciate your contributions to the hobby.
My pleasure!
Thanks for brinning up a Penon fan2, never saw this one before and considering it compete with the dunu sa6 at half the price is a big deal.
I think the only basic starting point is fidelity. Do you want to get the recording the way it's meant to sound or you want more fun (emphasis, emotion). This is a dilemma that always stands. That's why it's best to have both - when you want to focus on the recording (understand/get what the artist(s) wanted to give you) then you need a reference, neutral replay. Then you move to fun and find your favorable replay with the knowledge of what you emphasize. The technicalities come on top with price but they still fall in the brackets of the fidelity or fun. That's why we have more than 1, 2,...,5,... 10,.... 50 iems/headphones.
Well said and completely agreed, one set is simply not enough - especially if you listen to multiple genres. I definitely need a fun/emotional/musical sounding set for my main two genres, and a more technically accurate higher resolution set as well. It also depends on your use-case, but I find 4 sets to be a nice sweetspot for me personally excluding TWS.
No thats why you have a purchase validation addiction. Audiophiles are deeply embarrassing.
Get this man a qudelix 5k. Lmao
Or you find enjoyment in hearing things in a coherent manner and only need 1 that conforms with your HRTF.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 “ deeply embarrassing “ who is this guy that’s too cool for the hobby 😂
As casual people, I haven't even get to try $100 IEM nor do I think I can 'technically' judge the difference. But I do believe quality and performance upgrade does exist, just that it needs deeper comprehension and your insight of that is fantastic. Thank you!
The IEM for which you prefer the tuning and does not cause bad treble spikes through interaction with your individual ears will sound better every time. It doesn't matter if it's $15 and the comparison is $1500.
I am head over heels for the $15 Moondrop Quarks DSP. It is tuned incredibly well and it is one of only 2 IEMs I have heard that has smooth treble with natural timbre in my ears and the other one costs 20x the price. The $100 Moondrop Aria is tuned similarly but it gives me a gigantic treble spike which makes it the worst audio device I have ever had the misfortune of hearing.
@@LuciferArc1 Are you replying to the wrong person?
Hey mate, great review! About resolution, do you think Helios vs MEST MKII, which is more resolving? Seems like the treble of both is forward too, yeah?
To me diminishing returns starts to hit bad past $500. You have to really have something special in the technical aspects to justify $1k+ these days, it has to be beyond tuning. It's kind of hard to buy a $500 IEM too, when there is a good chance something comparable will come out within a year or two for half that price. Aful P5 and Orchestra lite made a lot of $500 hybrids hard to justify. Same with planars and the PR2.
There is no such thing as technical aspects. It's all the frequency response at your ears drum.
Starts at 300 if you do your research.. Takes a long time to ferret out the good stuff, most of my Iems are under 100. I have the pr2 and haven't found anything in planar Iems that I want to buy to replace them..
@@neandrewthaltechnical covers such things as clarity, timbre, seperation, layering, etc and it's very real.
@@wahid-lg1kk that is all frequency response. Literally the same thing
@@neandrewthal Not exactly. Resonance can't be measured by a frequency graph in any meaningful way, as an example. Either can timber, or spatial effects, layering, detail retrieval, etc. All looks the same on a graph.
Thank you for the comparison..
My pleasure!
Always reach for the Simgot EA500 and Penon Fan 2. Simgot for excitement and emotion, Fan 2 for sexy, romantic time.
Fire review
"sweet" treble - exactly. Very little IEM I've tried has good, extended, sweet treble. This is what kept me with 64Audio U4S - great bass quality and treble, but also natural tonality.
Excellent video as always. I agree with all your points. I haven't yet seen your lately comparing the IEMs and Headphones with the Trailli you had. Is it still in your collection?
Thank you!
@@amplifyaudioreviewshe asked you a question. Answer it.
should've put the red in the mix. I wanna see how that stacks up
If you get a chance you should check out the hidizs mp145 as well
Neutral or Neutral with bass boost tuned iems a good place to start at sub kilobuck prices as they offer extreme versatility, once a specific preference is in mind then itd be worth it to look at the kilobuck+ options out there imo, including higher end neutral tuning iems if that is of preference, personally I love the etymotic er2se, er4xr and campfire andromeda 2020 which are tuned neutral, neutral with bass boost and neutral warm respectively
ER2SE is not neutral. It is incredibly lacking in bass and treble. Only has mids. Neutral does not mean a flat line for bass. And it has less treble than graphs show because they do not insert it as deep as it is meant to be.
Just bought the ie900's.. I'm excited to hear that heavy metal's gonna kick ass listening to these.
One thing overlooked is also the FIT and comfort on regular use.
Some kilobuck iem can be impossible to wear for more than 1 hour because of the materials and the shape of the shell making a fashion statement a stupid choice at times.
Not just your hearing, it depends on your source and the quality of your audio, even your eartips.
Super video - thank you for this....
You are welcome
Interesting and awesome comparison video. The aspect of relative understanding plays a major role in this hobby. I think what is good or better to someone is purely based on what they have heard. This skews considerably wth reviewers/enthusiasts who have the opportunity to listen/analyze expensive IEMs. Ignorance is bliss. From a cost benefit standpoint, sometimes Pandora’s box should just stay closed. We would save a lot more money and be happy with what we have. 😂. Poo on that though, the best part of this hobby is the discovery IMO. I’d love to see more of these videos by music genre or sound curve.
Hi! Which the one of the most complete iems under 900€ right now for listen music??
This was usefull video, thanks!
You're welcome!
Your video has at once broadened my perspective and put me in a tough spot. For me $200 is all that I can afford. I listen to rock, edm, movie osts and flamenco acoustic. Which iem would you suggest for me? Mind you, I will treat it as totl for years. I really do hope you answer my question, because nobody else's explanation has resonated with me as well as yours has.
I really like the Simgot EA1000s! I really love the gold nozzles w' 300 mesh filter
hey mate have your heard the Simphonio P-Zero?
This is such an important video for the hobby ! Thank you 🙏 👍🏼
Glad you think so!
@@amplifyaudioreviews You explain in this video a clear reflection of why I love this hobby, and what makes it so interesting and fun ! Keep it up! I love videos like this 👍🏼🎶
I recently bought the SA6 MK2, it is my most expensive IEM. It's great, I really liked it, but I didn't have that feeling of, "wow, I've never heard anything so good in my life". I also have the 7hz Legato. And man... I often prefer to use it instead of SA6.
At least now I've learned that the most expensive one with the best reviews (many say the SA6 is spectacular) isn't always the best one for you.
Find out what type of sound signature you like most and buy something you can afford and just enjoy.
Based on personal experience you can change your mind, sometimes even years later.
@@mensrea1251 True. Now that I've spent months using the SA6 MKII. It became my number one. SA6 it is so "musical" and "smooth". But when I want more impact in my music I still prefer the Legato. It's is good have different signatures in your collection =)
@@gabrielroque9905 Yup. It’s why those in the hobby have multiple iems across different sound signatures. Glad you’re enjoying the SA6’s.
I enjoy the hobby and have my share of IEM's. At 57, my ears cannot hear beyond ~16,5Khz, with a ear canal resonance around 5.9KHz. In other words, I tend to focus my spend in the sub $250 range. My current favorite, the MP145.
I'd take the $5K and put it toward photography gear...or a decent sports watch. Then again, in today's world...maybe some nice survival gear!
What is your take on tangzu heyday HBB planars?.. seemed to be one of the most natural in some recordings...
I think the Hidizs MP145 is better. They’re big, but sound amazing.
which one do have something grand sounding iem, i think the aful p8 ,has a great grand sounding presentation but i'm looking for more , any advice ?
the tone ,subwoofer bass ,body of note weight, the p8 gives me very high quality of everything , just not enough !
yups, for me that doesn't have much to spend, i just throw all i've got to 1 iem, that is when OG mest came out, but what i'm lacking is experience with many others from price point, technicalities & tunnings. it's been a while i don't use it often anymore and more to using the tin T2 DLC or thieaudio legacy 2 it's all about be thankful for what we have, not what other have
KZ ZSN X Pro here loving it prob having diminishing returns at 25 bucks ngl
the Fan2 is great, i love it too!
I just got mine! I didn’t listen to it yet, but what tips do you recommend? I just ordered divinus velvets because I can’t find radius deep mounts. Also have a nice collection of tips, but any recs would be welcome!
Dunu Candy Tips are working perfect for me
Highly coloured iems. Yes I like the orange one
Great vid! I am looking for an IEM that has similar sound signature as the ZMF Atrium. Do you have any recommendations? I currently have the SA6 Ultra as my daily driver.
I would go with vision ears phoenix definitely close to atrium you want something dark and mid forward
Why are you looking for a different IEM if you like that sound signature?
@@neandrewthal different flavors my G
Do you use stock tips on the ie900? I have a bit of trouble with the seal on the stock tips.
Try dunu s and s or spinfit w1. I haven’t heard the ie900, but those might be good picks. Divinus velvet might be good
Which one is the bass cannon?
When you get to the $400 range you get 90% of the TOTL performance the remaining % is just better resolution and imaging and layering
Also, having a high end source only you can enjoy the TOTL IEMs
Broken hearts like me for the budget iem community guys
It's alright.. buddies...one day a person will create a budget iem ...and that will give toughness and equal to the expensive ones
It will shake the big companies
Thing is what cost $500 2 years ago is now available under $100. And the end game products aren't improving at a rate that can even begin to keep up with how quickly the downward trickle is happening. I'm not buying that bass at $5000 is *that* much better than bass at $250. Great video but you certainly didn't make a case for the $5k one being any better than the $1k pick. Like you said it's subjective. Also for me there is more to it than sound. I enjoy the process of collecting, evaluating, and getting my hands on many IEMS. From there I have my favorites when I comes to sound and some that are just so pretty that I'm happy to have them. I LOVE cables. Right now I own more cables than IEMS which means I need more IEMs 🤣I have 2 $5 gems, relative unknowns/unhyped by the community, that sound as good or better than my other 10 IEMs. I keep going up in price but those 2 still remain way too good for their price. One of them is plastic but the other is metal w/resin, so build quality even better than a lot of sub $30 IEMS. Next set I'm moving to $50, then $100. I'm going to be freaking upset if the $5 IEMs continue to be my faves. Lol. I've bought backups as one of them just in case and I've got extras for gifts. I just started this hobby in June and I've gotten 12 IEMs for me, 10 for my best friend, and 4 for my brother. Btw I've seen the Cadenza go up against more expensive IEMs in various price points and it won 90% of the votes. And I doubt the Cadenza beats the sound of my gems which at this point provide more than just value. Also seen audiophiles pick $15-25 IEMs over $500 IEMs but eventually there was a money tree IEM that spoke to their ear which won over the cheap one. Much to their relief when they were un-blinded. I'm not buying that bass at $5000 is *that* much better than bass at $250. Great video but you certainly didn't show me that from $1000 - 5k there really is no point. And like you said it's subjective. Let's not forget EQ. A dirty word in the community I know. I'll never understand the hate, just another reason to justify a heftier price point. Also for me there is more to this hobby than sound chasing. I enjoy the process of researching, learning, collecting, evaluating, and getting my hands on many IEMS. Getting to know my own preferences, hearing others talk about theirs. I like well thought out, open minded discussions even if I may not agree...Subscribed.
Until you heard it, your opinion on any audio products is erroneous, objectively, because of your HRTF.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 we'll see as I Climb up the budget ladder. All any of us have is educated guesses based on our experiences and personal taste. No one has heard every IEM. And even if they had, 2 people are likely not to agree on many of them. Also we all have biasis that could possibly interpret what we hear. It's like pain, there is no objective measure. I do my best to keep an open mind but I realize my bias is skewed away from diminishing returns. At least for now.
@@someoneusa just wait until you've heard it. You are not educated, its that simple.
you have all of these and you don't have a moondrop variations, I am shocked! :)
That shit sucks
Whenever a reviewer AUTOMATICALLY thinks a significantly more expensive iem is better than cheaper ones then I have trust issues. People who make the iems also price them. They are human and sound is subjective. Therefore the pricing of iems can be flawed.
I have heard plenty of iems in the 250-350 range that were BETTER than some in the 1000-1500 range.
I bet you a lot of money that I can find 1500 or less iems where the majority of a test group will say is better than those >3000 iems in a blind test.
please review the monarch mk3
the lack of rizz in your videos made me think you are not a serious reviewer and i skipped a lot of your reviews but after watching this video you have gained a subscriber. Thank you for the education and putting words into what I hear.I thought I was the ONLY one.
Another great video! What would you recommend for a sub $500 IEM for rap/hip hop?
I love all of Metalure's IEMs for rap/hip hop. I own the Metalure Wave and I love the bass so much. It's so massive, impactful, and the way it rumbles is something I haven't experienced in other IEMs. You can really tell they know what they're doing. They also use their proprietary NOMAX with Liquid Silicone Rubber Driver and it produces a very distinctive sound. It's not the most comfortable and it's quite big, but for rap/hip hop it's amazing!
Please review TRN BA16 16 Balanced Armature Drivers
The diminishing returns curve gets steep quick.
Yeah
Yeah especially with these newer $400 midrangers
Expensive is better, but normal folk not really go crazy drop 300+ on their first IEM. Doesn't matter if cheap or expensive as long sound quality match what you pay for it's still Win situation~
Agree
Have you noticed that there are IEMs with very different tunings across all price ranges? A $20 one that is tuned well for your ears will sound better than a $2000 one tuned differently every single time.
It’s great to hear an audio reviewer who understands the limitations of graphs. I have head reviewers talk more about the graph than their actual experiences and I would love to challenge some of these reviewers to match iems to graphs or graph an iem as they are listening. SO MUCH weight is put on these FR graphs and I have never been able to understand why.
Thanks! I agree.
are you from bangladesh??? iam from Dhaka
which is the most fun to listen to rock/metal among the high-end flagships iems?
Skip everything and go straight to Thieaudio monarch mk 2. Best price for high end IEM.
Grand Maestro..? AFUL P5/P8? Treble of P8 is excellent, but it lacks bass. P5 has excellent tone and engaging balance, but poor technicalities.
Please suggest any one IEM under $100
hello im a newbie in this iem hobby and i wonder... if i just bought one high qualilty iem, can't i just use EQ to have different flavours of iem?
Yes, I think you can, except for something with other drivers or specific technology, like FiR's kinetic bass
Do you still have the Final A8000?
Na bro sold it
I can't get why reviewers get fixated so much on tuning. While it is the aspect that impacts a listening experience the most, it's also the easiest to change with EQ.
Imo iems should be eqed to the same tuning before they are compared. Otherwise you don't get a clear picture of things you can't change
Subjective is true
But all that is holy, that trifecta is something else
Cảm ơn bạn nhiều
Welcome
Listen with your ears, not eyes, people. When I see reviewers go 'this IEM sounds weird because... look at this graph' instead of describing sonically what problems they have with a particular set of IEMs/headphones, I skip the video.
And who is that exactly? Even amir has a subjective part of his reviews were he describes what he's hearing. You have made a strawman to protect your fallacies.
This hobby is soooo subjective and library dependent.
Do you really wear your IE900 to the gym? I find these mmcx connectors so freaking sensitive to the slightest drip of sweat..
Yeah I have
You throw 5k on iem and then find out that they are not compatible with your ear canal length...
Penon Fan 2 regularly goes on sale for $140
where I can find it at 140?
@@worklife88 Penon Audio
Is there something that I'm missing? I have a Shure se846 and I think they're amazing is there a reason a lot of you iem reviewers don't ever talk about them?
I have them too and like them but I have been informed by reviewers that they have been superceded by newer models of iem's. The Shure se846 are an older set too, but if you like them then no need to upgrade. Technology improves as companies improve too I guess. Cheers
Because they suck. You've compared them to nothing and wonder what's wrong with everybody else. Do you have a university degree? Sounds like it.
You bring up an interesting dilemma in this hobby that no one ever talks about - and that’s our subconscious desire to seek approval for whatever IEM we find to be really good. Too often, we all are part of this hobby but none of us really like the same IEMs/headphones. It can be a real challenge to like something (like the SE846) that no one talks about or raves about or can agree on its quailities.
Having said that, you - like all of us - would love to have others who feel the same as you do. We want others to like what we like and enjoy the same musical qualities as we do but in the real world, that probably won’t happen. Think of it this way - there are dozens and dozens of IEM manufacturers each building several to dozens of different IEMs that try to appeal to our ever-changing sound preferences and taste. Combine all that with the endless number of musical genres and sub-genres and the ways they are captured on a disc or music file, it would be a miracle to find even a handful of people who would agree with your thoughts on the SE846.
Same situation I’ve owned for years SE846 is amazing. Reading for Months to what IEM to buy. Narrowed down to AK zero 2 or 64 audio Volür. Looking for vocal clarity with separation of bass. Feedback is greatly appreciated
I tried the Campfire Audio Trifecta at a local audio shop. It's absolutely dogshit for me. The 7Hz Salnotes Zero at $15 have better tonality and coherency(for me). Even the guys at the audio shop said it's shit. No one have gotten a 3DD IEM right yet and it remains that way so far at least for me
But we can all beg to differ. It's a very subjective hobby
I do agree that the budget range a lot of IEMs have very similar tunings cuz these chifi companies are afraid to make more exciting tunings that aren't too far out cuz they wanna make a super versatile set that sounds okay for the most number of ppl
Imagine wanting a lesss versatile tuning for the product you saved up 3 months to afford. Audiophiles are beyond saving. Lmao
I'd argue that Penon Serial is one of, if not, the best 3DD iem in the market right now, better than the UM 3DT. If you can, check it out
I liked the Supermoon more than the Trifecta, also people who spend $1k+ have to justify their purchase, in my case I was wanting to get the Monarch MK II but already had the Variations and is close enough to the MK II, not worth double imo, also I am not an analytical listener by default, my listening priority is melody-based so...
@@VanDungLe2510 Alright I'll add those to my extensive to try list haha. Thx
@@traktorpro10 Yeap when diminishing returns, as Amplify Audio mentioned, starts kicking in it becomes much harder to justify upgrades to more expensive sets
Yes.but return of investment is never the same. They always use the 2.5 profit calculation. So if the driver and all iem costs 100 dollars they sell for 250. That's mmm ok. But for if the drivers will cost 1500 dollars with all unit and charging 4500 dollars. Then the return is lower for sure. Better yes. But not worth the 4.500 dollars.
Yeah
Are you considering to compare wireless iems?
Tws are rubbish
TWS are in a totally different league. Even if there were BT IEMs that sounded really good, they’re limited by the quality of the wireless signals, which are almost all well-below CD-quality.
I will sh!t my parents if i lost one side of a $3000 dollar IEM. my galaxy buds pro 2 right side buds still in my vehicle seat belt hole and can't find it. It way down in a gv70 back seat i refused to take off the seat to find the buds.
I loved this video but idk if you are trolling with the Trifectas. Those are some of the worst IEMs I and many have tried, HORRRIBLE, would have been cool to see something like the Annihilators, Monarch MKIII or Gaea in this comparison.
What's so bad about the trifecta.
@@alejandror2571 Sounds very unnatural, very artificial, ik it tries to be unique tuning, the staging is weird, the imaging is baaad. Sounds at best worth $150 dollars and that's not even comparing it to the other options available around the same price point. Making a unique IEM can be cool ya know, unique drivers and implement, different tuning, and what not but the Trifecta sounds like Audivina while being on 5 different drugs.
@@alejandror2571 But instead of taking my word for it. Go demo it. You will see exactly why it's dog shit xdddd And try demoing a Monarch MKIII(1/3rd the price) after or even better, demo the 64 Audio IEMs(similar price).
These people ae unfortunately influenced by the price tag. They want to erroneously believe that the industry is in a "healthy state" instead of admitting to their addiction. If the trifecta $300, it would be evaluated at $300 (not that its even worth that).
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 what makes you think people who buy cheaper IEMs aren't influenced by the price tag too ? if someone buys a $100 headphone believing it's just as good as a $1000 headphone then obviously they're gonna be biased too, that mentality is very common
Agree 100%, when you move up in price the biggest improvements are technical; separation, resolution, stage and tambour etc.
With regard to midrange; 3 points of improvement; resolution and tambour/realness and effortless/naturalness. Never heard a low price point IEM have a vision ears/jewel type midrange. Vision Ears Elysium is insane.
Sorry to be that guy... you mean timbre (pronounced tambour).
@@t0nyxgq yup typo
Mids are the easiest part. Any $20 IEM can tune them how they are supposed to be. It's just a matter of not having offensive bass mud or treble spikes interfering with your perception of them.
I've noticed something in audio reviews that doesn't make sense from an objective point of view. Dynamic range compression by its very nature makes quiet/subtle sounds more audible. When people are praising a headphone/IEM they like they'll talk about how they can hear quiet, subtle sounds they struggle to hear on other headphones/IEMs, but make no mention of compression. Often when people are using compression as a negative criticism of a headphone/IEM it's a self contained statement without describing a particular scenario where compression has been exhibited.
I've noticed a strong correlation between between planar and electrostatic headphones that are praised for their exceptional detail retrieval and the claim that they don't have the "slam" of a dynamic driver headphone. Perhaps it has been said before, but the idea that their ability to reveal subtle details is partially due to their lack of "slam" isn't something I see being discussed.
I suspect there are a couple of things at play here. Firstly and counter intuitively, I know that compression can be used by studio engineers to make something seem more dynamic (to make it "pop" is the term sometimes used). I think people sometimes misidentify traits of a headphone/IEM because perception doesn't always align with reality. Secondly, because compression is a dirty word amongst the audiophile community it is a term that isn't applied to products people like even when it's appropriate.
can u describe iems that have natural timbre , and if possible make a video about audiophile terms
Sure!
Natural timbre is subjective. For me the most natural I have heard is Moondrop Quarks DSP and Blessing 2: Dusk but there is no reason it has to be the same for you. But even better is learning to EQ and figuring out what makes it sound natural or unnatural to you. Then once you have figured it out then you know exaclty what you are looking for if you still want an IEM to use raw with no EQ.
dude can buy a Tesla with all the money worth in headphones he has LOL
Personally, I’d rather have sajids collection of iems 😅
Bro take some good iems with very clean sound and ests and then apply some eq on bass and you can have the best bass in the existence and best sound you can imagine as is your tuning and there is no doubt about it ! You pay for bass ? Omg bro 😂
Lol. Thanks, genius. If you believe EQ will solve an IEM with weak BA Bass, I don’t know what to tell you. Probably best to let you continue to be in your bubble. 🫧
The Trifecta is one of the worst iems to ever exist hahaha
But please do prioritise important things in your life 1st, paying rent is more important than have debt because buying iems.
Goes without saying but useful advice 😂
I don't think liking a non-neutral tuning is a sign of audiophile maturity. I've been in the hobby for almost 50 years, and I want something that faithfully renders what's on the recording. For the life of me I don't understand why someone would pay literally kilo bucks to buy something that doesn't. If you want to do that just get USB Audio Player Pro with EQ and do it yourself, or is the feeling that what a rando IEM designer does in that regard is somehow a unique artistic achievement that an ordinary audiophile could never aspire to duplicate let alone exceed and therefore somehow worth the 20X or more multiple of a neutral, well tuned distortion free $50 IEM.
NO many of them are usually better but not always and it's literally in single digits like 10% or less plus buying $5000 IEMs Dosn't mean they don't have QC issues or unit variations and literally all the problems that cheap gear has plus $100 iem can do 90% or more then $5000 iems can so you think 10% improvement in sound that most ppl can't even tell worth $4900 or more in audio gear $500 is the Limit where above that price you just throw money just so you can tell how expensive your crap is not cause it sounds that much better
Answer: no
I'll take final Audio E5000 over all these. tonality it what matter first. sound of any IEm should always aim it sound like real life rich full.
if I can find an upgrade from final E5000 it will taller soundstage other than that it's perfect.
I don't like thin clinical sound which what Ie 900 sound like it's harsh and not worth it even for 100$.
The tonality of the e5000 is abysmal. You saying that the ie900 is analytical while being warm and heavly V shaped tells me you have basically no education about any of whats happening
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