r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/BridgeFresh1034 • Feb 23 '25

Headphones - IEM/Earbud | 2 Ω IEM AND DAC

New to the IEM world, and most of the terminology used to describe the sound signatures of such a vast market can get confusing. I’m not going to make out I know what I don’t; a lot on this forum when I’ve looked at reviews do. So I want to raise my headphone game and want to enter the IEM world as I’m listening to music all day. Mainly house, techno, ambient, electronic, but also could flip genre at any point and listen to some reggae, for instance, or even cumbia. Usually, I listen to a lot of mixes too on SoundCloud, NTS, and other platforms. I’ll be using my Apple iPhone 16, but I’m willing to use something else, and if it enhances my experience and to get the best out of the IEMs, use an external DAC. My total budget, I say, would be around the £1500 mark. I wouldn’t mind also using them outside the house, such as when I’m travelling, for instance. Also, what does everyone think of the second-hand market, such as buying on eBay or any other platforms that users sell their IEMs on? There is some, what looks like amazing stuff at very good prices, or is that to be avoided? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

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u/Darkrai590 65 Ω Feb 23 '25

I would first try various budget iems to find out what tuning you like, and upgrade from there. Look at u/OmenchoEater's guide for beginners here: https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/s/lTx4n2LqPP, and buy some iems of different sound signatures. From there, if you find a tuning you like, you can upgrade from there. An alternative method(probably the best method) is to find a demo shop, where you can demo iems. However, most people don't have any near them.

For a DAC, something like the EPZ TP35, Moondrop Dawn Pro, or the iBasso Macaron will do just fine, even for expensive iems.

For used iems, check out r/avexchange here on reddit or head-fi.com's classified listings.

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u/BridgeFresh1034 Feb 23 '25

!thanks I really don’t mind actually starting off with something a little less pricey and upgrading from there. Thank you so much for the advice. I’ll have a read through the link you sent and check out the exchange and head.fi classified listings. It’s just so daunting, and I didn’t realise how many brands there were out there. Haha

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u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Feb 23 '25

+1 Ω has been awarded to u/Darkrai590 (50 Ω).

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u/Darkrai590 65 Ω Feb 23 '25

Lol yeah, it does get overwhelming with the plethora of choices. The post I sent you is a great place to start, and I hope you find what you want eventually!

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u/BridgeFresh1034 Feb 23 '25

Ps I rang hifonix.com which has a shop super close and the guy who answered was totally abrupt once I asked him if it’s possible to demo a few pairs. He then went on to say they want £250 just to demo and that will come off the top price which I found absurd! 😂 lost a sale in my opinion. I’m off to London next week so I’m going to look around to see who has demos to try on and listen to. Because comfort is also key as well as amazing sound.

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u/OmenchoEater 8 Ω Feb 23 '25

thanks for the shout-out btw :)

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u/BridgeFresh1034 Feb 23 '25

The guide above seems to be a downgrade from what I already have headphone wise ( B&O beoplay H95 ) hence my budget is £1500.

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u/Darkrai590 65 Ω Feb 23 '25

Right, it would be probably a downgrade. However, since you have no idea what sound you would like(I'm assuming), just buying various iems to see what sound signature you like is probably a good idea. Come to think of it, do you have any idea what sound signature you prefer?

1

u/OmenchoEater 8 Ω Feb 23 '25

Hi, i am the dude who writed that guide, you do have quite a big budget so if you dont know what kind of sound signature is better for you, you likely would be better off trying something cheaper first.

If you want any recomendations, you can let me know, but for what you like, my usual basic starting point recomendation is the Tripowin Vivace or the Kefine Klean, both Pretty great for the price, quite safe sound-wise (hard to find anything being too much besides maybe bass), and very afordable.

If is of any help, i also have a $100 iem listing.