IEMs Reviewed by Tim Tuned

Subtonic Storm

• The best IEM I've ever heard. Best timbre. Super natural. TOTL tech. It's just good. That's all.
• Exceptional resolution, neutral sound signature. Hard to drive. The most detailed IEM I’ve ever heard.
• Easily at the top for resolution and dynamic contrast, accompanied by rigid transients and pinpoint layering.
• Pros: The most extraodinary normal sounding IEM ever. Amazing all-around. Cons: big and heavy shell.
• World-class resolution and layering. Extreme, almost exaggerated dynamics. Staging is large but not class-leading.

Elysian Annihilator 2023

• Powerful, impactful bass, the best treble I’ve experienced in an IEM, endgame-level detail. The bass might be too much for some people. Hands down, my favorite IEM.
• Treble extension is insane, I always think I'm over it, but I may never be over it.
• More of an all-rounder with better bass compared to the 2021 version, sacrifices some soundstage.
• Pros: More defined bass than 2021 version. Cons: 2021 is cleaner and more open sounding.
• Top-tier resolution with world-class treble. Great dynamics. Could use better bass texturing. An exciting listen.

Elysian Annihilator 2021

• Agressive listen with excellent resolution and, currently, the only true implementation of the EST drivers.
• Pros: Speediest Treble, well extended, high details. Cons: Midbass a bit too much for me.

Xenns Top Pro

• Very technical, amazing resolution and detail for the price, treble is slightly crispy and sparkly, clean but dynamic all-rounder. Mid-volume set for the most part as treble can get hot at higher...
• Early, might go up.
• Pros: New meta tuning with boosted bass and upper treble. Cons: BA timbre.

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.

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.

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

Thieaudio Hype 10

• U-shaped, nice treble extention and dynamics, solid vocals, more low-end emphasis than MK3, dynamic and great all-rounder that doesn't specialize in anything.
• More detailed Hype 4. Too similar to the Hype 4.
• It leaves me lacking nothing, just a fantastic set.

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.

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.

Elysian X

• Basically a more sub-bass focused Annihilator 2021 with some trade-offs in technicalities.
• Pros: Near excellent timbre, fantastic bass. Cons: Slight uppermids uneverness.

Letshuoer Cadenza 12

• Pre-Production Unit with a different tuning. A better version of the U12T vocal/tuning wise, no mid scoop and wonkiness. (#1 or #2 vocals for me). Vocals are sweet, extended, open, airy, but also...
• Great timbre good on classical. Detailed and analytical, but too Safe.
• More 'musical' tonality with a touch of spice in the treble. Technicalities could use work for the price.
• Pros: One of the best treble-head set. Lots of micro details. Cons: Treble will be too

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.

Moondrop x Crinacle Dusk

• Inoffensive safe tuning, less fatiguing uppermids good for jpop/kpop. Vocals lack the last bit of extension, detail, and power. DSP APP is a shit show. Heavy competition from Nova, Cincotres, Hype 4.
• Great bass quality, rich vocals, balanced tonality, sparkly treble, and excellent resolution. I prefer more bass. Excellent tuning and a highly detailed, all-around performer.
• Just so chill with certain music.
• Pros: Balanced tuning with world class timbre decay.
• Overall high engagement factor.

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.

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.

Elysian x Effect Audio Gaea

• Pros: Versatile DNA that's also unique. #1 Jack of all trades.

Softears RS10

• Great tuning with forward vocals and excellent detail. Unvented design, BA bass, and can be slightly shouty on some tracks. I prefer more bass.
• A little shouty and intense but very resolving and well-defined. A somewhat refined Moondrop S8.
• Nice iem, clean clear out of the box
• A slightly more resolving S8 at the expense of added grittiness and more upper-midrange.
• Cons: BA timbre.

Sennheiser IE600

• Tons of detail and amazing clarity. Stage is smaller than most IEMs at/below its price tag but very well defined details and imaging within that space. Bass is detailed, but amount is not as much as...
• Fantastic bass (both quality and quantity), great V-shaped tuning, excellent detail, and precise imaging. Treble is too much, could use more vocal focus. Fun, V-shaped tuning.
• Well-tuned mids, powerful yet controlled sub-bass, with highly extended (and somewhat spicy) treble.
• Lots of upper trebble.
• Well-extended on both ends of the spectrum and adds back in the upper-midrange the IE900 lacked.
• Pros: Very well rouned fun subbass focus sound. Cons: Treble might be too much.

Softears Twilight

• Beautiful warm sound signature with outstanding timbre and an open sound. I wouldn’t change a thing. My top choice for timbral accuracy.
• It's like a tubed iem, it's really fun. Something about DDs, so good.
• Pros: Warm tuning done correct, one of my favorite single DD. Cons: Need more treble.

Hisenior Mega5-EST

• Neutral, clean, well-balanced, monitor like, great tech, but boring. Just get the TOP PRO, Oracle MK3 or Volare, or Xuan Wu Gate.
• Great tuning, neutral with bass boost, smooth, safe, and balanced. Could use more detail, incisiveness, and excitement. Very neutral, "plain water" sound signature.
• Let's call a spade a spade, this is boring.
• Very bouncy bass but midrange sounds sucked out and has some oddity. Original sounds more coherent even if less exciting/detailed.
• Pros: Exceptionally tuned across the board. Cons: Could use more "wow" and details.
• Fantastic tuning.. it really does not get better. Technical performance could be better.
• Well-tuned and great techs at this price point. Lacks dynamics and the mids are a little lean. Otherwise a great all-rounder.

Moondrop Variations

• Very clear with lots of detail. Sub-bass has a nice rumble and texture. Amazing treble extension and stage air. Female vocals are vibrant and shines. Mid-bass cut is real, affecting some genres and...
• Great sub-bass, Harman tuning, and excellent detail. Can sound thin. A solid benchmark.
• Sub-bass-focused signature with Moondrop's clean tuning makes this one of the best $500 tribrids.
• The more I listen the more perfect I find it.
• A more refined B2 Dusk with better bass texture and treble extension.
• Pros: Great separation and details. Cons: Thin lower midrange.
• Great tuning, neutral timbre, and a satisfying bass with a sub-bass focus. Solid all-rounder.

Softears RSV

• One of the best vocals I've heard on any IEM (especially for male artists). Mids and Treble is TOTL, smooth and well extended and has great naturalness and the perfect bite. Bass has great speed and...
• Warmer, bassier, and slightly more resolving than the Studio 4, with great timbre. BA Bass. I prefer the Studio 4.
• Very well-balanced tonality with surprisingly good timbre, though slightly lacking definition.
• Great upper treble, but its overall tonality isn't perfect.
• Well-tuned from top-to-bottom with good timbre. Safe to the point of boredom.
• Pros: Timbre so beautiful you think it's not a BA set.

Empire Ears Odin

• A Legend X with the bass properly controlled and the resolution one step higher.
• High-clarity signature that invokes a sense of stateliness.
• Pros: Well textured bass, good control, pleasing tones.

Moondrop S8

• Harman-like sound with plenty of detail. BA bass. Smooth, detailed, and balanced tuning.
• More faithful to the Harman target compared to the A8, with a smoother bass response.
• Special set.
• Excellent treble extension and detail retrieval.
• Pros: Smooth engaging harman signature with fun bass. Cons: BA timbre.
• Very resolving with a sweet, pleasant timbre. Good mids and treble. Average bass. Upper-mids may be shouty to some.

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.

ZiiGaat Odyssey

• A mini Subtonic Storm that scales better and fuller with less tech. A musical odyssey. High volume set, great scaling, a cleaner/midrange focused Explorer with better layering and detail. Takes you...
• Great bass, natural vocals that aren't shouty, and excellent treble extension. The lower treble can be too much. Fun and engaging tuning. It's like a more exciting version of the KE4.
• Great tune, upper trebble is kinda funky, but basically perfectly tuned.
• Pros: Fantastic V-shape Meta Tuned. Cons: Could use a bit less mid-treble spiciness.

Aful Performer 5+2

• Clean, balanced, neutral sound with good layering and tech. Relaxing vocals, but lacks power and last bit of vocal extension. Bass has good controll, but lacks impact. Has sizzly planar timbre in the...
• Smooth, neutral tuning with a bass boost, excellent bass quality, clean mids, forward vocals, and sparkly, incisive treble. Great detail. I wouldn’t change a thing. A detailed, engaging all-rounder...
• My kind of neutral, improves a lot on my favorites.
• Overall it is sounding more visceral and incisive than the Performer 5.

ThieAudio Origin

• Best bassy set under $1K. Bassy/thicker meta tuning. You can actually feel the reverb and vibration from the bone conduction drivers, great control and low-end texture. Mids and treble are also well...
• Great set, has a lot of positives and is amazing on bass tracks.
• Pros: Mega bass additiveness. Cons: Bass too much.
• Interesting sound. It becomes it's own thing. Fit is not great.

ThieAudio Hype 4

• One of the best all-rounders under $600 (v-shaped harman). Treble quality is smooth and well extended. Great low-end texture with lots of impact. Good vocals. Solid tech, and just solid in general.
• Fun, bass-boosted sound with powerful bass, great treble extension, and clear vocals. Treble can be overly crisp at times. A fun and exciting IEM.
• Upper trebble is odd on many tracks, but is a strong set.
• Bass sounds somewhat 'BA-ish' for being DD, but well-tuned, decently technical, and a very solid package overall.
• Great imaging and headstage. Width is outstanding. Even at 400 bucks it's outstanding in this pricerange.

Xenns Tea Pro

• A more resolving Davinci, literally. The Tea magic is gone :( but it's now the most refined and well-balanced. It's the most bassy one with better low-end texture, heavier notes, more details, better...
• Powerful bass with great slam, open sound, excellent imaging, and detail. Treble is a bit bright.
• Great set, but lacks slam for it's bass level at times.
• Pros: Good warm-neutral tuning with enough details. Cons: Could use a bit more treble refinement.

ThieAudio Oracle

• Amazing airy and relaxing vocals. Sweet and gentle presentation. Clean, clear vocals - could be too balanced tho. Great separation, but stage size could be better.
• Functionally similar to the Clairvoyance with slight cutbacks in overall clarity and resolution.
• Great iem for what it is. Really impressive.
• Pleasant tonality, but low-level detailing and compression.
• Pros: Tuning so good it melts your soul (kinda). Cons: treble wispiness + slight incoherent.

Tangzu Xuan Wu Gate

• Clean, neutral, balanced, technical, laid back, very detailed. Neutral tuning done right while being a little dynamic/engaging (unlike the MEGA5EST). Tip wise Azla spinfits for more detail, tangzu...
• Solid mid-bass, natural vocals, and detailed treble. Treble is a bit elevated, and upper mids feel a bit relaxed.
• Pros: Great relaxed tuning. Satisfying subbass and treble. Cons: Female vocal lack a bit of life.

Softears Studio 4

• Best all rounder under $500. "Correct" and neutral tuning. Perfect vocals, not as forward like RSV but zero faults. Slight Improvement over RSV in-terms of seapration and stage size/treble is...
• Neutral, accurate sound with great bass, tonal accuracy, forward vocals, and natural timbre. Excellent isolation. Unvented design and BA bass may not suit everyone. A benchmark for tonality and...
• Something magical about this set, but it's not the Bass.
• Sounds plasticky and smoothed; inoffensive to the point of being offensive.
• Pros: Just great all around, balance with amazingly clean midrange.

Tanchjim Origin

• A cleaner/less warm LM, smoother EA1000 (fermats a little more resolving), very balanced, clean, and neutral sound. Very tough competition.
• Cohesive, vocal-focused tuning with dynamic bass, smooth extended treble, and excellent detail. Could use more sub-bass. Smooth, detailed, and vocal-centric sound.
• Great Clarity, exceedingly tip sensitive.
• Japanese flavor of tuning (mid-bass and upper-mid focus) finally done justice. Strong technical chops and slightly forward.
• Pros: Beautiful timbre and treble. Cons: Bass can use a bit more...volume.

Kiwi Ears Astral

• Great all-rounder. Slighty airy with good sub-bass extenion. Balanced but still fun. A cleaner, airier, and less sharp & sparkly version of the Meta - vocals pop out more than Meta. Tip rec Sancai...
• Deep, textured sub-bass, clean and forward mids, airy treble, and great detail. Upper treble can be a bit much, and the bass tuck isn’t for everyone. Great all-rounder with a bright, airy top end.
• Tonality is fantastic.
• Pros: Clean, techinical v-shape signature with great midrange. Cons: upper treble too much.

Moondrop Blessing 3

• Bright-neutral. Slight resolution bump over the B2 Dusk, but at the cost of weak bass and sharp 6K.
• Neutral, vocal-focused sound with great treble extension and detail. Light bass, can sound lean, thin and technical. Excellent resolution.
• A little lean, but if you eq it's one of the best sets out there for the price.
• Detail-oriented signature at the expense of sounding quite anemic.
• Pros: Brighter, slightly more detailed version of B2 Dusk. Cons: Bass a little light.

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.

Hidition Viento-B

• Pros: Most speaker-like IEMs I've heard. Extremely cohesive. Cons: Timbre a bit grainy. CIEM graphs better.

Letshuore EJ07M Kinda Lava

• Pros: Balanced, Versatile. HBB's Best. Cons: Small EST (treble) incoherency.

QDC Gemini

• Pros: A more natural feeling VX.

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.

Elysian Pilgrim

• Clean, clear, all-rounder, similar tuning as the Dusk but with better vocals, bass quality is great as well, aethestically pleasing too. If you want a clean all-rounder, or sensitive in the 3-8K,...
• Elysian house sound with a balanced tuning, textured sub-bass, smooth mid-range, well extended treble, and excellent resolution. I prefer more bass. One of the most resolving IEMs under $1000.
• Great little set to consider for those after an Elysian Product.
• Pros: Most technical sounding IEM under $1000.
• Not a bad IEM. Very solid but in this price range it's really competetive. Very safe tuning.

Kiwi Ears KE4

• Just get Odyssey it's better. Warm/bassy with solid vocal and treble extension (not buried) that scales really well with good treble air to not sound too intimate. Has a fuller noteweight with one of...
• Great Meta tuning. Could use more detail, not very engaging. Solid reference.
• It's boring. So boring, like mega boring to the max.
• Pros: Almost dead neutral tuning in the best of ways. Cons: Lacks excitement, bass is alright.
• New Meta tuned IEM. This gives you a bass boost and it's not the best bass. If you want the Hexa + Bass this is what you want.

Hisenior Mega5-EST +Bass

• The Mega5est 7th but with more sub-bass. That's it. Does sound better now, more "musical" and less vanilla and boring. A good comforting and smooth listen that scales well. Bass texture isn't as good...
• Hisenior Mega5est with added sub-bass. The bass might be too much for some people. Great for bassheads or sub-bass lovers.
• Smooth dark, and enjoyable.
• Good sounding IEM. Nice fitting. New Meta tuning with much more bass. But I didn't need that

Aful Performer 8

• Good neutral set. Airy and open staging but with forward vocals although lacking in extension. Great layering and details but not 3D and more flat. Vocals could also be more open, and feels "stuck".
• One of the most technical and best air and details iem out there for the price.
• Quite solid technical performance. Good imaging/separation. Good sense of positioning.

Dunu Falcon Ultra

• Bassy boy that lacks air and detail.

Simgot Em10

• A more immersive version of the Pilgrim with better mid-bass kick. More airy and slightly more detailed in the treble. Harman vocal gain might be too much for some. Bass might be boomy depending on...
• Bass-boosted Harman tuning, forward vocals. Overall detail, PZT timbre.
• Very Special set, but the Supermix might be the better value.

EPZ P50

• Clean balanced tuning done right. A better tuned MEGA5EST & MOONDROP Meteor with fuller low-end, and more treble extension, same tech, but more dynamic - also half the price. A Mega5EST with better...
• For me this has some oddities. It would be higher if those weren't there.
• Pros: Beautifully done tuning all around. Cons: Nitpick: Bass dynamic could be better.
• Bass can be a little bit on the distracting side if you are looking for a neutral sound signature. Contrasty meta-tuning.

ZiiGaat Cincotres

• Great bass texture, vocals, treble, solid all-rounder. Similar to Variations but with a smaller/delayed scoop, more mid-bass, but not as much treble/air. A fun bassy sound but still well-balanced....
• This is a mini Monarch MK , V baby.

Dunu DK-3001 BD

• Technical, but thin, and bright tilt with LOTS of planar sizzle and timbre. Needs more low-end (small scoop), noteweight is very light, not peaky, but just artificial. Needs 10hm adapter to be...
• Excellent bass quality, deep sub-bass, transparent mids, and great resolution. Low mid-bass, slightly lean vocals, and bright treble. More mid-bass and less treble would be perfect
• I prefer this with the adapter, but is fine without.
• Not to my taste - treble sounds slightly brittle and harsh - but plenty of resolution and clean presentation.
• My second 5 star IEM in 2024. The Braindance is a very satisfying IEM to listen to.

Moondrop Blessing 2

• Very well tuned from bass to treble, perhaps lacking in the last octaves of extension.
• Pros: Very well tuned neutral signature.

Thieaudio Clairvoyance

• Inoffensive, pleasant tuning specialising in extremely balanced tonality and bass control.
• A more pleasant, warmer Monarch with cutbacks in resolution.
• Pros: Amazingly balanced tuning.

DUNU SA6 MKII

• V-shaped SA6 Ultra with more recessed mids and vocals. Sharper and more bass than SA6U but mids are buried in busier tracks.
• QDC Anole VX tuning, excellent resolution, and great bass with a practical bass switch. Unvented design. Similar to the SA6 Ultra but with more bass, airier treble, and improved soundstage and fit.
• Technical, nice but upper mids not for me.
• A warmer rendition of the original SA6, best considered a side-grade than a true upgrade.
• Pros: Slightly more V-shape than the Ultra with small detail boost. Cons: Could use a little more upper mids.

DUNU SA6 Ultra

• An SA6 with improvement in treble extension, and stage air; better tuned Oracle2 with wider stage. Relaxing tonality but also very resolving. Airy stage with great depth and height. Smooth dynamics...
• QDC Anole VX tuning, excellent resolution, and great bass with a practical bass switch. Unvented design. Tuning style is a matter of preference.
• A slightly refined SA6 with better treble extension. Very coherent.
• Pros: Anole VX-ish tuning with less treble and details. Cons: Could use a little more upper mids.

Kiwi Ears Quintet

• Great tech and treble detail. Amazing performance to price value, but metallic timbre and peak can be an issue.
• upper air drives me crazy.

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.

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.

Thieaudio Monarch

• Endgame clarity and layering. Great resolution, and open staging. Not holographic but very clean. Rumbly sub-bass but mid-bass tuck can kill some libraries, and affects vocal thinness.
• Neutral with bass boost
• Not particularly coherent, but an attention grabber with solid, surface-level detail.
• Pros: Superb separation, fun clean signature.

Mangird Xenns Top

• What the Variations should've been. Fantastic tehcnincalities. Neutral-bright leaning. Nothing wrong with it at mid-volume, but I can see treble can be too much at highet volumes.
• Very inofffensive tonality with a soft treble response, sounds like lower and mid-treble are too recessed.
• Pros: Exceptionally tuned, full range and detailed. Cons: Treble might be too much for some.

Pula PA02

• Just get Odyssey it's better. Dreamy/airy treble presentation with genres like indie, slow-rock, ballads, singer-songwriter. Immersive/forward vocals that scales nicely. Bass is ok, a little boomy....
• Great tuning, fantastic vocals.
• Great tone, lacks dynamic treble, but overall solid for the price and very enjoyable.
• Pros: Great across the board. Cons: Bass decay slightly too short.

Moondrop Blessing 2: Dusk

• Great resolution and separation. Vocals can sound recessed/thin, and is sibilant at higher volumes. Uneven and grainy treble. Clinical, thin, and not as musical as others sets.
• Pros: Very well tuned with great bass responsse.
• Great midrange with a natural timbre. Could use better bass and treble quality/extension. Mids may be too forward for some.

Dunu SA6

• Gorgeous mid range and great dynamics. Good timbre makes me forget it's a full BA set. Good bass texture, but wish it had more rumble. Wish stage and imaging was more 3D. Could use more treble air...
• Tonality reminiscent of the Anole VX, though not up to the same level of technicalities.
• Slightly "wet" characteristic that takes the edge off of the qdc-inspired tuning. Very pleasant on the ears.
• Pros: Engaging signature with great vocals.

Kiwi Ears Orchestra

• Great vocals. Clean and neutral signature. A bit vanilla and "boring" but scales great with volume.
• Very well-tuned reference-y signature with a mild bass and treble emphasis for added energy.
• Well-tuned with surprisingly good treble extension. Upwards compressed dynamics contrast poorly with tuning.
• Pros: Slightly warm neurail tuning, well done.

ThieAudio Hype 2

• Mini-Monarch MK3 with less bass and details. 80% there. Harmanish tuning, and best all-rounder before Studio 4.
• Just not right for me, but solid.
• Poor bass performance and sounds like surface-level detailing due to mid-treble recession despite great frequency response.
• Imagin is fantastic and stands out. Hype 2 is a pretty good place to start in the hobby

Sony IER-M7

• Balanced across the board, though doesn't seem to excel in any particular area.
• Pros: Very neutral tuning, great for audio work. Cons: Can be very boring.

Yanyin Moonlight

• Balanced and clean presentation that scales beautifully with slightly forward/powerful vocals.
• Pros: Great vocal centric signature & Imaging. Cons: a bit safe bass and treble wise.

Simgot Supermix 4

• Endgame Harman, one of the smoothest IEMs I've heard with Tangzu Sancai tips (regular). Some units might be hotter in the treble/pzt timbre
• Harman tuning. Soft bass, bright sound, metallic timbre.
• Way too much upper mids, also gets a little off sometimes.
• Pros: Harman with more treble energy. Cons: Can be too spicy.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro

• Pros: Lively vocals and balanced tuning.

Tangzu Zetian Wu Heyday

• Pros: More detailed than original + better bass. Cons: treble can be smoother.

ZiiGaat Doscinco

• Benchmark bass set before the UP. Low-end is impactful, rumbly, heavy, and slams hard with reverb detail. Ideal for hiphop/rap/r&b/rock. Separation & resolution not the best around its price, but...

Truthear Nova

• NEED FOAM TIPS makes the treble smooth and clear. Very clean harman sound with smooth but well extended treble/one of the best treble under $200, no roll-off. The pinnacle of trying not to offend...
• Harman tuning, great detail. Lean vocals, could use more bass. A solid reference.
• Nice set, great bass. Too much upper mids.
• A little bit thin and shrill sounding. Hexa costs half as much and it's the better IEM.

7Hz Timeless 2

• Good all-rounder set with solid tech. Good variety with the nozzles that actually changes the sound. Treble is smoother than other planars, and not much "planar timbre".
• Clean, impactful bass, great detail, fast transients. Upper mids are a bit intense, bright treble, planar timbre. Sounds is identical to the Timeless OG.
• It's fine, but it's 230 dollars.
• Pros: A good v-shape. Cons: treble can be a bit too much.

Moondrop Kadenz

• Literally a more fancy Tangzu Xuan NV. Sounds basically the same but just with better packaging, cable/case, and build... but for $100 more?? Nah
• Great Cohessiveness and tonality. Upper air is very nice.
• Nice physicality and punch. Better bass as most basy IEMs. Okay technicalities. Image Separation is not the widest but decent.

Moondrop May

• A very enjoyable listen, hard to fault at this price and design. Could be a winner for you.
• The May is the way to go if you have 80 bucks. Standard EQ sounds great. Nice low contrast neutral sound

JUZEAR x Z Reviews Defiant

• Another all-rounder with good balance. Doesn't do anything right or wrong, but has qc issues with channel imbalance (and also my case ziper broke within a few weeks), it's ok but there are better...
• Punchy bass, natural vocals, balanced tuning, great detail. Solid all-rounder.
• Fun engaging set!
• Pleasant, neutral warm tuning with good treble extension that wholly belies its price point.
• Pros: Great balanced tuning with a vocal emphasis.
• Exciting and contrasty. Very well tuned. Sub-bass focused. Vocal area pretty well tuned. Treble surprisingly well tuned. Tasteful V-Shaped sound signature.

Moondrop Kato

• For $200, I'd probably recomend other iems. But it's solid.
• A slight improvement over the KXXS all-round in the technical department.
• Pros: KXXS with better vocals and details.

SIMGOT EM6L

• A solid budget choice. Hard to think of a more neutral set than this.

Tanchjim Oxygen

• One of the best-tuned DDs tuned somewhat to Harman. Defined and detailed.
• A better KXXS with slightly out-of-head imaging.
• Pros: Great energy for a harman signature.

Tangzu Zetian Wu

• Pros: Good mild v-shape tuning with little to fault. Cons: Not ideal soundstage for the price.

Yanyin x HBB Mahina

• Pros: A more balanced Moonlight with better bass. Cons: a bit safe treble wise.

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.

Truthear Hexa

• Foam helps tame uppermids/treble. Amazing detail for price and new benchmark below $100. Better tuned "softer" Dusk with slighlty less accurate imaging. Note-weight can be light.
• KING. Special. Inoffensive. But honestly where bass?
• Sounds like a warmer, lo-res Moondrop B2, emphasis on lo-res in the bass.
• Pros: Well done, clean midrange focus tuning. Cons: Can be fatiguing in the treble.

Aful Performer 5

• Fun slight v-shape tuning with forward vocals with slight excitement in the treble. Separation takes a hit as a result, and treble is a bit uneven.
• Still a king.
• Inoffensive other than being a bit too gritty and clacky in the treble.
• Pros: Balanced tuning with fantastic treble extension. Cons: imaging could be better.

Simgot EA1000

• The only Passive Radiator iem that doesn't make me want to vomit.
• Technical performance is pretty solid. Bright leaning V-Shaped signature, but tasteful.

LETSHUOER s12

• The most refined S12 to date. Smoothest treble out of all the S12, and very little Planar timbre while keeping up the great tech and detail.
• I think the s12 is fine, the pro and z12 don't add too much value
• Pros: Planar with the most "wow" factor. Spacious heead stage. Cons: Treble can be too much.

TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero Red

• Great all-rounder, IEF-harman. Bass is a bit pillowy.
• Great balanced, smooth tuning. Needs more bass for my taste, can be a bit soft at times.
• I think this is massivly overhyped, but it's not terrible and a great value with impedance adapters
• Pros: Balanced tuning, smooth and natural timbre, good stage. Cons: Can use more micro details.

SoftEars Volume

• Smooth, slightly splashy treble, but a legend.
• Decent tonality but boring dynamics and low-level detailing. Oddly dipped in the mid-treble.
• Pros: Nicely tuned, vocal forward signature. Cons: Treble air.

NICEHCK F1 Pro

• A cheaper S12. Almost identical sound and tuning. Good value. Look for aliexpress deals.
• I like this planar the best of all planars, normally I hate them.
• Pros: Cheaper S12 Pro/ Z12.

Simgot EA500LM

• Very resolving for its price, great value. A warmer EA1000 with a slight decrease in separation and resolution, but warmer with more bass (same bass quality). Not as sparkly and resolving as the...
• It's a good u shaped with nice bass, but be weiry of uppper mids.

7Hz Timeless AE

• Pros: Slightly more balanced out Timeless. Cons: Metallic timbre.

Letshouer S12 Pro

• Pros: Basically S12. Cons: Treble can be too much.

Letshuore Z12

• Pros: A slightly more balanced S12. Cons: Treble can still be too much.

XENN Mangird Tea 2

• Pros: Good tonality. Cons: treble too safe, details need work.

Moondrop Aria: Snow Edition

DUNU Talos

• It's a fine set, but my excitement is dulled by it's price.
• Sounds best with the BA switch off. Somewhat thin, mid-treble oriented sound.
• Pros: Very well tuned, well balanced. Cons: Could use more air.

7Hz Timeless

• Great details. Good stage in front but lacking in wideness/3D. Imaging is good and speration is great, but uneven treble peaks. Planar timbre. Vocals and notes can be thin. Fatiguing at higher volume...
• Clean, impactful bass, great detail, fast transients. Upper mids are a bit intense, bright treble, planar timbre.
• Easily the best-tuned planar IEM by a country mile, the Timeless is also no slouch on the technical front.
• Has the planar advantage with most of its disadvantages and a reasonable tonality.
• Pros: High details for the price, good fun tuning. Cons: Metallic timbre.

Kefine Klanar

• A cheaper S12. Almost identical sound and tuning. Good value. Look for aliexpress deals.
• At $120, I'd still go with the NicHCK F1 pro.
• Pros: Cheaper S12 Pro/ Z12.

Tripowin X HBB Olina SE

• It's a solid set for the price. Hard not to like, a little mellow.

ThieAudio Oracle MKII

• CLEAR with LOTS of detail. Nice sub-bass rumble with no mid-bass bleed. Treble is super extended as well as high-mids. Female vocals sound lively and sings, but can be too much at high volume and...
• It's a little bright.
• A brighter Oracle. Shouty upper-midrange and artifical sounding treble response.
• Pros: Detailed, airy, mostly well tuned. Cons: dry timbre from treble amount.