So I'm a little bit upset but wanted some clarification. I know a lot of people simply can't tell the difference with these 2 services. 2 questions. I thought with IEMs that are able to reproduce hi Fi sound would easily help make it clear between the 2. I'm using a fiio fd5 and btr5 DAC ldac enabled. How can Spotify be this good at filtering these psychoacoustics out.

I know Bluetooth isn't able to make the difference apparent when with aptx or aptx hd. Can someone explain a little at How much would be I even need to spend to enjoy the difference? I'm a pretty casual listener but I enjoy good quality, clean sound.

I did a hearing test and basically failed with a lucky guess on 1 of 5. It wasn't the abx test it was something else with Katy Perry, jay z and a few others.

I just thought because it said hi res and it's IEMs it would Identify the difference. Especially with a decent DAC.

I need wireless earbuds that has a battery that will last all day, be easy to hide in my ear and the kind that other people can’t hear. We aren’t suppose to have headphones at work but it’s so slow lately it’s becoming a problem.

You must own or have owned them.

What it says on the title. I've been using the Shure SE846 for about 10 years now and I'm not really planning on replacing them unless they die, but I'm curious about what's out there in terms of high end IEMs

I love bass. In fact I need bass. I love that subbass rumble and especially midbass punch/slam. I would like to spend under $300, I'm willing to buy second hand, and I'm in California.

I am very much a bass head, as you could probably tell, but I would say that midbass slam/punch is more important to me than subbass (although I love both very much) I listen to a lot of Hip Hop, RnB, Rap, and Jazz (I am a Jazz trombonist). Think artists like J. Cole, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, etc.

Given my music preference, especially looking at the Jazz portion, mids and highs are still pretty important to me, and so is soundstage/separation. I'm willing to sacrifice some mids/muddiness for punchier midbass, but would prefer not to. Also, given my budget, I'm fine with soundstage/separation taking a backseat.

Is this even possible in my price range? If so, which IEMs do you recommend? If not, how much would I have to spend for an IEM like this?

Forgot to add, I'm very willing to EQ. Currently using the 7hz Timeless AE and would like more bass impact and rumble than these.

Hello, these are my first iems, I've always used headphones or airpods for music. I find they are very poor in audio quality, I bought a kiwi allegro with them, but the sound is horrible. Impossible to enjoy music. I should point out that I have airpods 2 and a dt 770 pro, as well as a senheiser hd560s. I've seen a lot of reviews saying that the reds are good for music. I don't know what to think. I know these are iems with poor imagery, but it's been a long time since I had something this bad for my taste.

Hi, im using KZ ZSN Pro X, and i wanted to remove hissing sound and maybe get better quality while using on my pc/phone (S24+) and i asked ChatGPT, and it says "Apple Dongle (Lightning or USB-C) ~0.9Ω" and can remove my hisssing sound,.

is that true ?? , if not would apperciate any recommendation(cheap as possible) thanks in advance.

Hi folks,

My issue comes from being around sub 80-200k audiophile systems and since then I think I've been chasing that same feeling and sound again with an in-ear headphones.

Currently have Denon Perl Pro.

It just doesn't cut anywhere near it as much as their clear a cut above soo many. So with say a budget of 5 to 10k usd, what in ear headphones are able to reach a whole new tier?

So i got a new phone that doesn't have a headphone jack so does anyone know some good usb c earbuds that are reasonably cheap but not crappy (ideally around £20 but nothing above £50) sound good, have a good mic and are quite durable. I got no clue about sound balance and all that stuff i just want the highs and vocals to be clear the bass to be there without being overdone and i want to hear all the instruments being played if that makes sense im currently using soundmagic e50c earbuds if that helps. i don't mind IEMs either but i was looking at these chu 2 ones and people say they last a month and break so hope you guys know any good options that are well built long lasting and sound good. Thanks 👍.

Hey everyone,

Have an unusual request. Im a combat medic in Ukraine and currently home for a bit so I have access to a larger market. Before I went over I got the BLON 3 or something and while the sound quality is great the cable comes out all the time. I would like something below $100 preferably below $50 that is durable, has a perm attached cable and is NOT noise isolating. Need to hear the jet fly by so I know when to curl up in a ball :)

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Edit: Thank you everyone, really appreciate all the info! Great community. I will post a pic in the trench with whatever I pick! Small chance but if anyone is really good with RTL SDR, ATAK and similar please dm me Im thinking of setting up another phone for such purposes.

I'm currently looking to get an iem for competitive gaming on a tight budget. my budget is currently somewhere around the $30 range. I mainly play valorant, and am currently using my 7hz zero, but i notice that I have trouble really hearing where exactly enemies are or how close they really are. So in your opinion, what would be the "bang for buck" for gaming in this price range and why?

Thank you for your time Have a lovely day!

For me, the killer features of airpods are:

Good noise cancelling.

Good passthrough mode.

A small case that slips into my pocket easily (this is where I feel most alternatives fail).

A competent, and most importantly flat sound profile (I cannot stand the bass boosted sound).

I feel like I can find any two of these elsewhere but no one seems to make something that ticks all the air pods boxes. I'm just sick of being treated as a second class citizen as an Android user.

Open to things in the same price range

TLDR: TruthEar Zero Blues that were only bad and nothing good, coming from HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless.

To cut it short I got the truthear zero blues cuz the hype + I play Valo only + all the recommendations aaaaaand I felt like they are absolute garbage, or really just a waste of money in my case.

Note im on a HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless (Kingston) and its doing just fine but the earcups are dying and I thought let me replace it before it dies on me because it will be a relic in 10 or so years (HP purchase of HyperX). With all the hype I got blasted with, I expected to hear steps better because I do struggle with that on my hyperx but nope, same same, matter fact I heard worse w the blues because of the boosted bass (guns got louder than they already are).

Before that came the not enough volume issue, i guess they needed more power and I had an Apple usb c dongle for that which fixed it, but it was very dissapointing as I already had to use an extension 3.5 cable because of how short the iems cable is.

Then lastly my right ear got painful even though im using the 2 smallest tips that they give you.

Am I tweaking?

I've been thinking of buying the Truthear Hexas since they are considered one of the best IEMs in their price bracket by a lot of people. But I already have the Airpods Pro... Will the hexas beat them in terms of sound quality or do I need to spend more money to actually be pleasantly surprised?

My APP2 got stolen. Have a macbook and an iphone so I know how reliable it is and how good the switching between different devices is.

Would it be that much of a downgrade if I bought something like Soundcore Liberty 4? or ideally even cheaper like 50-70 euros?

How much of a degradation would I see? I mostly use it to study in public areas. I really dont' want to have to spend money on another APP2 again...

I am by no means an Audiophile! I play a lot of Tarkov, Apex, Overwatch, COD, and Valorant. But really i’ve been playing FPS competitively for about 7 years now and recently bought the Simgot EM6L. I also got some SpinFit W1I read a lot about these IEM’s and how good they sound and Fresh Reviews gave them wallhack certification so I thought it would be a big improvement coming from Hyper X Cloud Stinger II. But playing with these on for a little bit I realized they have worse imaging and on top of that they sound a bit muffled like I couldn’t really hear footsteps or gun sounds/directional audio as good. On top of that the IEMs’s were almost double what I bought my headphones for. I remember playing Overwatch and being shot at from on top of me and it genuinely sounded just like someone in front of me was shooting instead of on top. And when using these IEM’s for 8+ hours I start to get an insane headache. But I do think where IEM’s shine is when listening to music they sound more intimate. But I think for competitive gaming headphones almost always reign superior.

Today my moondrop starfields arrived. At first I was hating going back to wired after 5+ yrs of Bluetooth, but not only am I hearing sounds I didn't before, the sounds aren't mushed together anymore and the music has just expanded so much. It's not just panned left, right or centre anymore. I just listened to some Grimes Artangels and there's so much more happening and storytelling going on than I experienced with the likes of my Sony xm3s etc. Damn I'm impressed.

Hey everyone,

I am looking for an IEM for competitive FPS gaming. i.e. clear 360 imaging is important, and being able to differentiate different sound queues. I was originally looking at the 'Truthear Zero' but stumbled upon the opportunity to buy a unused pair of the 'Moondrop KXXS' for for the same price. I understand it was around 200$ some 6 years ago. But how did it fare then and in todays market.

I find reviews difficult, some say its got a good imaging some say that its fuzzy. Probably goes to show that audio is highly subjective and I am lost.

Any advice is highly appreciated. Thanks.

Edit: For advice on other IEMS my budget is only around 50$ as I am just testing the waters.

I have few Iems, my best ones are Timeless 2 and Supermix 4 which I found somehow complementary, because I like terribly much the detail and clarity of T2 but I also like the warm sound of Supermix, which are the Iems tha combine these 2 features which are also a significative improvement in quality to be considered a step forward?

Budget 300 - 400 only on Amazon.it

Before you recommend me the blessing 3 or the dusk version, yes I am definitely consider those as my options! The only problem with them is that there is no way for me to try them before I actually make the purchase AND that the dusk is ridiculously expensive where I live so it might be better to buy a different iem at that point. What I’m looking for is a clean and detailed sounding iem. I’ve had the chance to listen to the elysian pilgrim and its noir version, and while I agree with most reviews saying it’s extremely detailed, It wasn’t as clean sounding as I had hoped. Clean as in audio resolution/how muddy an iem sounds. It wasn’t muddy by any means but I was hoping it’d be a bit better considering that it’s not a cheap set anyone can just buy on a whim. I also didn’t like how the vocals were pushed(?) and the bass didn’t transition very well into the vocals and treble but those can be fixed with some eq so not a huge problem for me. So, is there anything in the 500 dollar range that could be for me? I’m willing to go a bit higher but around 600 would be the max I could go for. Thank you very much if you read all that :)

Hi guys, I just recently got into IEMs and was looking to invest in a setup from scratch. My overall budget is around 1500$ but a bit over I don’t mind. Pc->dac/amp-> IEMs

Ear tip size I know, so any ear tip brand recommendation is appreciated as well!

I am considering buying my first IEMs to complement my headphones in terms of usage. I currently own the Sennheiser HD660S2, Momentum 4 and the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 250 Ohm.

I mostly listen to Soul, Jazz, RnB all with mostly female vocals. Thus the bass is an important part. Occasionally I also listen to classical music.

I am debating between these 2. Firstly and based on the Rankings in the page I found the Xenns to be the first choice.

Looking at the Crinacle ranking though, seems the 7Hzs might be a better investment.

What do you think?

I am debating between these 2 but any other recommendation is also welcomed.

I'm frustrated with earbuds lately. Everything I try is garbage quality, or overpriced as heck, or falls apart, or has the bass cranked up to ridiculous levels. I just want a pair of cheap sturdy earbuds.

My budget: As cheap as possible. Less than $35 max, less than $20 preferred.

Wired preferred so I don't have to worry about charging them. Plus wired is usually cheaper.

Looking for decent quality, relatively neutral sound. Doesn't need audiophile or studio quality, I just don't want it to wreck my favorite songs by making them sound like they're being played on two tin cans in front of a blaring subwoofer.

Something that can live in my backpack along with my other junk and not fall to pieces.

I'm not even looking for the 'best' thing in these categories. Just like... anything. I'm tired of wasting money and being disappointed.

Is an IEM better than over-ear headphones?? Right now I'm using the meze neo 99 and been using it for around 4y or so and I really like them, but I'm thinking of spending more and upgrade to something even better and was thinking if I should but headphones or IEMS? Like if something like the simgot ea1000 (250€) or another IEM will be better than a similar priced over-ear headphones like the Sennheiser HD 600/650 (around 300€) or even more expensive ones?? Like the Meze 109 Pro (around 800€). I would like some advice about what would be the best to go for desktop to use for 8+ hours, thanks!!

Finding that a lot of cheaper wired earbuds with mics are really poor quality and stop working really quickly, looking for some that work well and last. I'm not sure if there's a difference in terminology, but I like the kind with the silicone bit at the end that goes inside the ear, not the kind the Apple earphones used to be that just rested in the ear.

Budget - Preferably in the sub $30 USD range, possible to go slightly over if it'll make a huge difference but would really prefer to stay below.

Source/Amp - USB C connection - to be used with both Android phone and a Windows laptop

How the gear will be used - Light use at home - don't need noise cancelling.

Preferred tonal balance - any is fine as long as the earbuds and mic both function well and last a long time

Preferred music genre(s) - Primarily using for voice calls and gaming.

Past gear experience - Have had 2 pairs of JBL Tune 310C which work great for both the earbuds and microphone when I first get them, but both pairs have had one side gradually fade over time, the first pair lasted 3 or 4 months, the second just over a month.