Best IEMs from $1000 - $2000

S-

$1800

Elysian Apostle

• Clean, neutral, and clear vocals. Reminds me of a cleaner Volume S or slightly better OG Oracle, but very expensive, maybe if you can find one around $1000 since it's more of a sidegrade to RSV,...
• Incredibly textured bass, forward vocals, top-tier EST treble, and insane detail. Exceptional in every way.
• Instrument separation is good, and is a nice darkness.

n/a 2EST+2DD BA

9.2

8

S-

$2000

Thieaudio Valhalla

• TOTL all-rounder with "endgame" tech across the board, a better tuned U12T with better bass texture
• Big fan, but lack fantastic air like some other sets.

V-Shaped 19BA

9.1

7.7

S-

$1199

Campfire Moon Rover

• It's a littled relaxed in the bass, but has a fun nice tune.
• Not cheap and you can get stuff which sounds better for less to be honest. I like the build quality and form factor. Sound-wise not for everybody, but for me.

chill n/a

9.1

8.1

S-

$1000

Letshuoer Mystic 8

• Vocal benchmark for female vocals under $2000. Clean, airy, sweet, ethereal. Better than Diva and direct upgrade to OG Oracle and OG Mangird Tea. What the Braindamage and Cantor wishes they could be....
• Lack Bass Richness, but is a beautiful set.
• Surprising in a lot of fronts. Maybe a little bit overpriced but I like it

Neutral 8BA

9

8.3

A+

$1550

Symphonium x Elise Audio Europa

• One of the best things Elise and Symphonium have done. Love it.

Neutral 4BA

8.7

7.2

A+

$1300

Thieaudio Prestige LTD

• Clean and natural signature with treble emphasis. LOTS of details with airy treble without going overboard (better treble extension vs MK2/MK3). Bass is not as impactful versus MK3 but has better...
• The unit I reviewed had wonky bass, expect this to change if I review a unit with proper bass.

n/a 1DD+4BA+4EST

8.6

7.8

A+

$1350

Dunu Glacier

• Clean, balanced sound, clear vocals, great midrange and tech, would rec if not for the unit variance in the tuning, the unit I got sounds different than the earlier ones which was bass-boosted...
• Exceptional bass, ethereal treble, remarkable clarity, and outstanding detail. The upper mid-range might be a bit too much for some people. Reveals every detail in your music, both the good and the...
• Upper mids kill it for me, but it's a fun set.
• Quite exciting and dynamic, possibly a bit bright in the treble.
• Pros: Less thin harman with amazing tech. Cons: Not very natural timbre.
• Convinces me that the harman target can sound excellent.

U-Shaped 1DD+4BA+4EST

8.6

7.9

9.5

A+

$2000

64 Audio U12t

• TOTL tech. Mid-scoop can affect mids/vocal texture and placement, recessed midrange, treble is harsh at high volumes. Great bass detail, but could be punchier.
• Amazing bass (for a BA), top-tier resolution and detail-oriented signature.
• Just Smooth and nice, great all arounder with smooth technicals, but too boring.
• Terrific dynamic range and soundstage depth; the closest I have heard to a two-channel system in an IEM for these qualities.
• Pros: Extremely versatile signature, great bass and details. Cons: Potentially too safe tuning wise.
• Good resolution and dynamics with great imaging. Smooth, slightly recessed upper-mids with an upper treble peak.

U-Shaped 12BA

8.5

7.2

A+

$2000

Unique Melody MEST Jet Black

• Safe, clean iem.

W-Shaped n/a

8.5

7.1

A+

$1000

Thieaudio Monarch MK2

• Neutral tuning with one of the clearest mid-ranges. Natural and clean vocals. Great resolution, separation, and detail. Can be a little dry with its analytical presentation. Bass is well-seperated...
• Smooth, balanced tuning with natural vocals, beautiful timbre, and excellent tonality. Detail and could use more bass. Treble depends on ear tips. Outstanding tuning.
• Still a king, more neutral to my ears, than MK 3. Just wow.
• A solid improvement in imaging with slightly more palatable tonality than its predecessor.
• Pros: Cohesive, smooth, balanced, technical. Cons: slight treble wispiness.
• Good treble

Neutral 1DD+6BA+2EST

8.5

7.5

A

$1500

Symphonium Crimson

• U-shaped/Slight V/W Shaped. Energetic treble. Great tech. Fun signature.
• Suffers from BA bass, but is exceptional outside of that.
• Colored tonality done correctly with incredible bass and dynamics. Upper-treble can be slightly too zingy depending on source.
• Excellent bass, dynamics, and resolution. Very large soundstage with great imaging. Mid/upper-treble may be too elevated for some.

U-Shaped 4BA

8.4

7.6

A

$1700

Sony IER-Z1R

• Best of the best in most areas, but vocals and mids can be thin due to fit issues. Insane bass texture/detail and HUGE soundstage. One of the best trebles I've heard.
• Extended yet natural treble, realistic sub-bass focus and spacious imaging capabilities.
• Top-tier bass, treble, and soundstage height and width. I don't approve of the midrange these days.
• Pros: Incredible extensions on both ends. Cons: Lower midrange.
• Visceral, hard-hitting bass, sparkly treble, and a large, spherical soundstage with impressive height. Fit may pose a challenge for many. Cons: Poor fit.

V-Shaped 2DD+1BA

8.4

7

A

$1600

Elysian Diva

• Dynamic driver-like bass, natural vocal reproduction, and an incredibly smooth tonality. Could use a bit more mid-bass for my taste. One of the best IEMs for vocals.
• Excellent BA bass and aggressive listen that maintains Elysian's house sound.
• Pros: Addictive smooth, natural treble....top tier tuning overall. Cons: mid bass shy.
• Forward, hyperpigmented vocals. Great tuning and solid techs. 3-way bass switch adds tuning versatility. An exciting listen. Cons: Build quality concerns.

Neutral 6BA

8.3

6.6

A

$1100

64 Audio U4s

• It's a solid set, with great build quality, but sonically isn't the specialist that I want it to be.
• Fantastic colored tonality with options, and the unique technical qualities to back it up. M12/M15 modules recommended.
• A tastefully colored U12t with a more intimate soundstage, a cutback in technicalities, and more bass realism.

Neutral 1DD+3BA

8.3

7

A

$1000

Thieaudio Monarch MK3

• Better low-end texture and overall more engaging than MK2, but lacks the mid-range/vocal magic, so depending on your preference either is great. Still TOTL tech like MK2. Great all-rounder.
• More bass, treble, and detail than the Monarch MK II. The vocal magic of the Monarch MK II is gone. I prefer the Monarch MK II for its tonality, vocals, and timbre, but I get why some prefer the MK...
• Fatiging at times for me, too fun at times.
• Still perplexingly poor bass performance, but improves upon the Monarch MKII's treble extension noticeably.
• Elevated, well-textured mid-bass. Pleasant mids. Elevated upper-treble may be pesky to some.

U-Shaped 2DD+6BA+2EST

8.1

7.3

6.8

A

$2000

qdc Anole VX

• Endgame-level detail. BA bass and timbre. A highly detailed IEM.
• Very well-rounded, but sounds overly plasticky and artificial.
• Pros: Unrivaled Resolution. Cons: Can be fatiguing.

Neutral 10BA

8.1

6.8

A

$1099

Dunu Mirai

• Bright leaning set with great tech. Clean mid-range, sharp imaging, sparkly female vocals with decent amount of air. Does get fatiguing and sharp on more energetic tracks and genres like...
• Expensive for what it is, lean, and bright.
• Pros: Refrence, beautiful timbre, open stage. Cons: Tuning may be boring for some.
• Lot of fun IEM. Is it perfect? No. Treble could use a little work. Harmanish take on low end with relaxed top end.

U-Shaped 1DD+5BA

8.1

7.8

A

$1300

64 Audio U6t

• Nice graph, but images weird for an iem of this cost.
• Warm, thick, and with excellent dynamics. U12t's tubby younger brother that could use more resolution.

Neutral 6BA

8

6.4

A

$1500

Unique Melody MEST MK2

• TOTL imaging chops/layering. Tons of micro-details. Bass texture and impact second probably only to the Z1R. Wide and 3D staging. AGGRESSIVE, and get fatiguing when cranked up/long-listening sessions.
• Pretty much the same as the Mk1, though with extra sub-bass presence.
• A warmer, more coherent MEST with setbacks in resolution and imaging.
• Pros: Great balance, none offensive tuning with little to fault.

V-Shaped 1DD+4BA+2EST+1BC

8

7

A

$1150

Symphonium Helios SE

• Best Treble around it's price. Super airy but still smooth. Bass-scoop isn't as bad as I thought, but those who want mid-bass - avoid it.
• See Helios but with more mid-treble and mid-bass.

n/a 4BA

8

7.2

A-

$1700

64 Audio Nio

• A decent bassy set with the m15/m20 modules, but really shines with the mX modules.
• Sub-bass oriented with a very warm, thick tonality. MX module cleans things up quite a bit.

Neutral 1DD+8BA

7.9

5.7

A-

$1900

Unique Melody MEST MK3

• A more neutral/slightly warm MEST MK2, less aggresive, easier to the ears, same technicalities. A little overpriced ngl.
• Holographic soundstage. Relaxed upper mids and treble. Overall detail. A safe tuning.

Neutral 1DD+4BA+4EST+1BC

7.9

6.8

A-

$1100

Symphonium Helios

• Great technicalities. Lacking that last leg of refinement in terms of coherency.
• Exceptional treble with solid bass. Great techs. Some may find the midrange a bit clinical. Fit will be a dealbreaker to some. Cons: Poor fit.

Neutral 4BA

7.9

6.8

A-

$1300

Unique Melody MEST

• A MEST MK2 with slightly more uppermid/bass. More v-shaped. Even more AGGRESSIVE than MK2. Also gets fatiguing when cranked up/long-listening sesisons.
• A smooth, relaxing listen (in custom form) backed up with good technicalities.
• Engaging imaging with some minor coherency issues.
• Pros: Impressive staging and details. Cons: Aggressive signature.

V-Shaped 1DD+4BA+2EST+1BC

7.8

7.1

A-

$1300

Sennheiser IE900

• Well-resolving DD IEM with excellent treble control, though with somewhat weak mid-high harmonics.
• I don't get it, not even a little.
• Excelllent bass - simply excellent. Midrange could use some work, as could the generally average imaging chops.

V-Shaped 1DD

7.8

6.7

A-

$1500

ThieAudio V16 Divinity

• Nice BA bass and detail overall, but the upper-midrange is odd and treble sounds sort of dead.
• Pros: Excellent across the board. Cons: Not special in one particular way.

Neutral with bass boost 16BA

7.6

6.5

A-

$1000

Sony IER-M9

• Neutral tonality, highly coherent and decent detail pickup. The all-rounder of the IER lineup.
• Boring, but you won't find anything more well-rounded for the price. Exceptional timbre for a BA IEM.
• Pros: Just great accross the board, nothing to fault. Cons: Not very special.

Neutral 5BA

7.5

6.4

B+

$1000

Symphonium Titan

• Most balanced bass set I've heard so far without sacrificing the fun/texture/impact in the low-end. Open staging, full sounding, deep sub-bass, vocals aren't buried either. No big peaky treble, good...

Bassy 1DD+2BA

7.4

6.9

B+

$1200

Lime Ears Terra

• Harman-like tuning with full-bodied sound, great sub-bass, and solid detail. Could use more mid-bass impact. Slightly bright treble. Excellent balance of detail and musicality.
• Lots of details, may not be for everyone.
• Sounds Harman-inspired with some minor tuning liberties. Decent overall but I'd prefer more air past 10kHz.
• I don't think its an exceptional sound for this price. There are better options. Build Quality and aesthetics are nice though.

U-Shaped 1DD+5BA

7.3

6.7

B+

$1400

Fearless x Crinacle Dawn

• Excellent, pleasing tuning only held back by a lack of technicalities.
• Pros: Clean midrange + excellent resolution. Cons: Not as dynamic bass.

n/a 6BA+2EST

7.3

4.9

B+

$1200

ThieAudio Prestige

• Sub-bass boost + treble boost. Similar to Crimson, lots of treble energy, great tech, more aggresive LTD.
• Lots of bass, good slam, controlled mid-range. Bass quality, too much upper treble, timbre, and overall detail.
• Very bright in the upper-treble which leads to a fatiguing sound and masking issues.
• Pros: High micro details, clean bass. Cons: Treble damage timbre.

n/a 1DD+4BA+4EST

7.3

6.7

B+

$2000

Oriolus Monachaa

• Poor Value, I can't recomend it.
• Very nice bass and decent treble. Midrange timbre and decay sound off. Technicalities are average for its price range. Cons: Poor techs/price, vocal timbre off.

U-Shaped 4DD

7.1

5.4

B+

$1250

Hyla Sarda

• Standard "HYLA" house sound, doesn't do much different from the CE-5 and TE-5B.
• Fantastic bass response and strong clarity in the upper-midrange. However, can be genre dependent.

U-Shaped 1DD+2BA+1PZ

7

6.3

B

$1400

Softears Turii

• Resolving and fairly well-tuned dynamic-driver IEM.
• One of the more technically proficient single-DDs on the market.

V-Shaped 1DD

6.9

6.4

B

$1400

64 Audio Solo

• It's nice, but is planar and kinda dull.
• Warm and shimmery with excellent imaging. Dampening in the mid-treble elevates this above the standard planar IEM experience.
• This Planar lines up with the 64 Audio house sound. There are better options for Planars and this sound signature.

n/a n/a

6.9

6.3

B

$1250

Hidition NT6

• If Etymotic made a multi-BA IEM, this would be the closest to that dream
• A Viento on steroids with not-so-desirable consequences. Lean and shrill.

Neutral 6BA

6.9

6

B

$1100

Campfire Andromeda 2020

• Out-of-head imaging, plus terrific layering chops and musicality. Stay away if you want good bass.
• Pros: Extremely airy soundstage. Cons: Slightly bright, not very natural mids.

n/a 5BA

6.7

5.9

B

$1860

Vision Ears VE7

• Fairly inoffensive tuning with solid technicalities.
• Very pleasant tonal balance for the astute midrange connoisseur and solid technicalities.

V-Shaped 7BA

6.6

5.5

B

$1200

Unique Melody MEXT

• Decent tonality and BC seems to work in the midrange, but low-level note definition.

U-Shaped 1DD+4BA+1BC

6.5

5.7

B

$1100

Hidition NT6 Pro

• A V-shaped version of the NT6. The change in tuning kills the technical ability slightly
• Hidition's take on a V-shaped signature and one executed pretty well at that. Slightly too much lower-treble begets drier sound.

Neutral with bass boost 6BA

6.5

5.9

B-

$1150

FAudio Dark Sky

• 5kHz runs slightly hot and technicalities aren't enough to push it above the single-DD competition.

V-Shaped 1DD

6.3

5.6

B-

$1850

Hidition NT8

• Coloured neutral kind of sound that works better with Asian genres.
• Lean and somewhat sharp sounding in typical Hidition fashion. Needs deep insertion to tame mid-treble.

Neutral 8BA

6.3

5

B-

$1300

Audeze Euclid

• Certainly far better tuned than its predecessors with the same excellent technicalities.
• Very detailed, but treble rolls-off which makes it hard to tell sometimes.

V-Shaped n/a

6.2

6.2

B-

$1400

Craft Ears Aurum

• Somewhat strange treble tonality and generally could use some improvements for technicalities.

Neutral with bass boost 1DD+4BA+2EST

6.1

5.1

B-

$1600

Empire Ears Valkyrie MK.II

• Sounds basically the same as the original Valkyrie.

V-Shaped 1DD+1BA+1EST

6

4.5

B-

$1000

ThieAudio Voyager 14

• Evokes a qdc-ish house sound, though stumbles in both tuning refinement and technicalities.
• Good tonal balance and technicalities. Just lacking a few legs of refinement.

Neutral 14BA

6

5.5

B-

$1350

Empire Ears Hero

• Well-controlled bass emphasis with a less-well-controlled treble emphasis makes this hard to appreciate.
• Energetic sound signature with solid dynamics that's bottlenecked by an overzealous treble response.

U-Shaped 1DD+3BA

6

5.7

B-

$1600

Empire Ears Valkyrie

• Lots of sub-bass with extremely thin mids. Adequate technicalities.
• Vibrant, intensive listen with some seriously awesome bass decay.

V-Shaped 1DD+1BA+1EST

6

5.1

B-

$1100

Moondrop Solis

• A good implementation of the EST drivers with Moondrop's signature tuning specialties.
• Very plasticky and thin transients. Not very impressive.

Neutral 4BA+2EST

6

5.1

C+

$1700

Dunu Luna

• Needs more work on the tuning front.
• Top-tier dynamic contrast bottlenecked by peaky, rolled-off treble and other tonal quirks.

Mid-centric 1DD

5.8

5.9

C+

$1100

Empire Ears ESR MK.II

• Solid layering chops and all-rounder; however, can sound overly sharp in the treble and generally plasticky.

Neutral 3BA+2EST

5.8

4.9

C+

$1500

Campfire Solaris

• Similar (but not identical) upper midrange problems to the original, with added sibilance.
• Holographic imaging and some of the worst DD bass that I've heard.

V-Shaped 1DD+3BA

5.6

5.5

C

$1200

64 Audio Duo

• Strong dynamics and easy-going signature that could use more detail in the midrange.

Neutral 1DD+1BA

5.3

4.9

C

$2000

Final Audio A8000

• Technically strong but going too far with the treble emphasis.
• Ear piercing upper-midrange and treble response. Decent technicalities, but a far cry from the Dunu Luna.

V-Shaped 1DD

5.3

5

C

$1500

Vision Ears VE6

• A little incoherent and could use more midrange evenness.
• See VE3, just less muffled sounding.

Neutral 6BA

5.3

4.6

C

$1300

Sennheiser IE800S

• Very subtle refinement to the original IE800.
• The usual Sennheiser in-ear tuning with a strange lack of dynamics.

Warm 1DD

5.3

4.7

C

$1300

Campfire Ara

• Very resolving set of IEMs, triggers the "uncanny valley" effect with its tuning.
• Very good detail and sharp imaging, but wonky midrange. Not as holographic as the Andro 2020 either.

Neutral 7BA

5.1

5.2

C-

$1300

Canal Works CW-U77

• Heavy emphasis on lower-treble and lots of mid-bass lends to stereotypical farty and dry presentation.

Neutral 8BA

4.8

4

C-

$1050

Shanling ME800

• Sounds very mediocre for the price.

Variable 2DD+4BA

4.8

4.2

C-

$1300

Campfire Atlas

• Gobs of bass with added treble sparkle that prevents complete congestion and muddiness.
• Easily the best CA DD IEM with insane amounts of bass and just enough treble to balance it.

Bassy 1DD

4.6

3.8

C-

$1500

Tansio Mirai Spark

• Decent midrange microdynamics, but decidedly rolled-off, fatiguing treble kills potential.

V-Shaped 7BA+4EST

4.6

4.7

D

$1500

Effect Audio Axiom

• Good imaging, but the tonality is all sorts of borked.

V-Shaped 1DD+2BA

3.9

3.8

D

$1700

MMR Homunculus

• Not the worst thing out there, but also nothing special about it.
• Bloated bass, sucked out upper-midrange, and rolled-off treble.

Neutral 1DD+1BA+2EST

3.6

2.9

D-

$1540

EarSonics Stark

• Typical Earsonics house sound of "screwed up midrange", now with DD bass.
• Silly amounts of bass without the midrange and treble to balance it out properly.

Warm 1DD+4BA

3.4

2.6