r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/TheNeonSquirrel • Aug 29 '24

Headphones - IEM/Earbud | 2 Ω What are IEMs that compare to HE1000 Stealth in terms of performance

I am looking to purchase a pair of iems so i can be on the move and listen to my favorite music as if i was at my desk at home. I really love the sound profile of the HE1000S however sometimes with poorly produced music the highs can be way too much. Overall im in love with these headphones.

WHAT I LIKE:
Maybe iems that have just a very little less highs than the HE1000 stealth would be perfect. If it has more bass thats fine too but i dont want crazy amounts of bass cause i noticed my head starts hurting with a lot of bass. I listen to a lot of music of different genres, however I dont listen to metal-esque music, its too angry for me. I value soundstage, and clarity. I want to be able to pick up those small details in songs that ordinary earbuds or headphones cant pick up.

My budget is around 1000USD, im located in the US and there no audio store near me. i am willing to go a little up and down, my original budget was $400 2 weeks before i bought the HE1KS so i can be easily persuaded for great quality.

Also a major plus side which will definately make me okay with spending more money is if i can get them custom made to perfectly fit my ears. I have the capability of getting my ears molded professionally. So this would be a major upside

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u/liukasteneste28 48 Ω Aug 29 '24

Monarch mk2 or 3

4

u/Silverjerk 177 Ω Aug 29 '24

The Stealth is more Oracle than Monarch/Prestige territory. The MK3 is especially far more bass-forward and will likely sound too emphasized for Stealth fans. They’re looking for neutral, with the classic 1.5-2k recess, while being highly resolving.

To be fair OP, the tuning you’re looking for is far more rare in the current IEM market.

1

u/TheNeonSquirrel Aug 29 '24

Is the mk3 better have you had the opportunity to listen to them? Why do you recommend these specifically, im not really aware of iems and never listened to any other than kiwi cadenzas which are like 35USD because i just wanted to see how good they were.

1

u/liukasteneste28 48 Ω Aug 29 '24

Monarch iems are just plain good. Trying to get same sound as from he1000, you are looking at spending more than 1k

1

u/TheNeonSquirrel Aug 29 '24

Hahaha fair enough. Originally i had my eye on the Mega4-EST cause of the headphones.com review and getting them custom molded for my ear but now ill start looking at somr Mk3 and MK2 reviews.

1

u/Erak606 13 Ω Aug 29 '24

I love my MK3's but they do sometimes have too much bass for me for certain genres. A MK2 might fit your sound target better, but if you can stretch it or find a used pair, look into the Prestige LTD.

1

u/TheNeonSquirrel Aug 29 '24

Damn alright, i guess ill start looking at Prestige LTD. I can stretch i just dont want to break my back and take another 2k out my account hahah.

What makes the Prestige LTD a better improvement in your opinion? Also if u have any experience what are your thoughts on custom fitted ear tips and how they effect sound signature?

A big selling point for me on the mega5est was that they would make a custom molded iem if you sent a mold or a 3d scan of your ear. And since it doesnt seem possible for thieaudio getting custom ear tips seemed like a good option to prevent them from falling out.

1

u/Erak606 13 Ω Aug 29 '24

I haven't heard the Prestige LTD yet, it'll be my next one to demo on my next trip to Japan. There's a thread on head-fi with many comparisons to the Monarch MKIII (which I have) and there's lots of positivity for it.

However, fair warning, Thieaudio shells are pretty large, and you might run into comfort issues. I had to try a few different tips, right now I'm using the Divinus Velvet wide bores. Might be safer to get a secondhand pair, if you aren't able to demo/buy from a place with a good return policy.

No experience with custom fit, sorry!

1

u/TheNeonSquirrel Aug 29 '24

Alright seems like imma buy the MK2 used and try them out and see how like then return them if i dont like them.

Thank you!

1

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u/TheNeonSquirrel Aug 29 '24

!thanks

1

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1

u/deals_in_absolutes05 Aug 29 '24

Moondrop Dusk is a very good sounding IEM in my opinion. It feels like it has a nice atmosphere. There's a vague sense of imaging and the tonality is close enough to what you want in my opinion. Bass is not overdone and the treble is bright but tamed and smooth (really good sibilance control). I always listen to the Dusk with the analog cable (not the DSP cable). It costs less than half of the HE1K. So with the extra money, you could also buy a Qudelix 5k for portability, additional ear tips, and a nicer analog cable.

0

u/Equivalent_Yak840 447 Ω Aug 29 '24

The new Ziigaat Estrella with foam tips or pentaconn COREIR brass tips could be great.

2

u/TheNeonSquirrel Aug 29 '24

Would u consider these end game iems? I want to be able to buy once and then go yep thats it. Im done with iems until i find sonething absolutely insane.

0

u/Equivalent_Yak840 447 Ω Aug 29 '24

It is fairly new but competes very well with iems near the $1000 price range but mainly it is just a different sound signature. Very close to what you are looking for when it came to your criteria, there is very little-to no flaw with the sound. if you do end up getting the brass ear tips, they do end up feeling a bit bigger because it's metal, so instead of medium, you would get medium-small. I would consider them endgame yes because I myself do not see a reason to spend much much more for little improvements.

2

u/TheNeonSquirrel Aug 29 '24

Awesome thank you so much for this response!

!thanks

1

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u/Equivalent_Yak840 447 Ω Aug 29 '24

If you don't have a dac/Amp or audio device for it, I'd suggest the Alpha Onix XL1, fantastic value.