The Ultimate IEM Ranking Hub

B+

$129

Kefine Quatio

• A bassy all-rounder, and cleaner Doscinco for $100 less. Very versatile with the different nozzles - goes from bassy to clean all-rounder. Solid packaging and accesories. Competitive tech, but not as...

Neutral with bass boost 2DD+2BA

7

8.1

A-

$300

EPZ K9

• All-rounder with slight v-shape tonality. EW300 upgrade. Natural and sweet vocals, nice mid-bass slam, treble is nicely extended, well-balanced with a mix of smoothness and contrast, and great...

n/a n/a

7.5

9

B

$350

Moondrop Harmon

• Clean Harman 2019 sound. Clear and balanced, but can still be shouty in the vocals. New Crossover and 3DD talk is marketing jargon not that much difference vs other DDs. You can just buy Nova or...
• While fun, and a nice tune, it's not the best value to be had.
• Does not actually sound as it graphs. More dominant Bass than you might expect. Warm tilted slightly contrasty sound signature. Kind of a fine IEM.

U-Shaped 3DD

6.9

7.9

B+

$170

Kiwi Ears Aether

• Clean, balanced, with slight air boost in the treble. Bass sounds like a DD with great texture. Cheaper better tuned P5+2. Not as smooth as Timeless 2 with more dynamic contrast with a slight sizzle...
• Not for bassheads, but one of the best planars I've ever heard.
• A little bit spicy in the treble (like the other planars). Relaxed upper mid-range. Warmer tuning than S12. It's a decent IEM

n/a n/a

7.3

8.9

C-

$500

64 Audio Aspire 2

• Pretty warm and lo-res sounding overall.

n/a 1DD+1BA

4.5

4.5

C

$350

64 Audio Aspire 1

• Sounds like a pretty average single-DD, maybe with some fine-tuning in the treble but it's not that significant.

n/a 1DD

5

4.8

C

$650

64 Audio Aspire 3

• A bit platicky overall - extends in the treble, but has some idiosyncrasies that contribute to the odd timbre/coherency.

n/a 1DD+2BA

5.1

4.7

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

C

$170

SoftEars Studio 2

• HIGH VOLUME SET (at least 75dbs+). Warm, comfy, vintage-like sound with great immersion. Vocals are somehow still clear at higher volume and not overly dark. Not very good tech to $$ value wise, but...
• Sound underwater.
• Plasticky and lo-res. Upper-midrange sounds scooped out which contributes to large imaging but nothing else commendable about this.

n/a 2BA

5.3

6.1

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

$899

Moondrop Illustrious

• Basically the Softears Twilight with less sub-bass extension, alot more neutral and monitor like, and very pricy since Twilight goes on sale for $700 with a more musical playback. This is just...
• Nice single DD, not a benchmark, but very nice.
• Sounds like it has metallic timbre. Percussino compression around 5kHz due to lack of treble extension and generally bad tuning.
• Sounds like an open-back IEM. It delivers on open design. Something to consider if you are looking for that.

Moondrop 1DD

6.6

6.3

B+

$500

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.

V-Shaped 1DD+4BA+4P

7.4

7.9

A-

$299

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.

n/a 6DD BA

7.6

8.9

B

$99

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.

n/a 1DD+3BA

6.9

8.2

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+

$3500

Canpur CP622B

• A good set, but lacks magic for me to justify keeping.
• Highly technical with great tuning and vocals. Punchy mid-bass with great sub-bass extension. Can sound somewhat unexciting and dry on some sources. Cons: Poor quality stock cable.

Neutral 6BA+2EST+2BC

8.7

7.3

A+

$2000

Unique Melody MEST Jet Black

• Safe, clean iem.

W-Shaped n/a

8.5

7.1

A+

$500

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.

V-Shaped 2DD+8BA

8.6

8.9

A-

$329

Punch Audio Martilo

• Cheaper, and slightly more energetic HBB Punch with slightly less mid-bass and slam. Endgame "balanced" basshead. Imaging feels sharper than Punch, but treble is not as smooth, aside from that very...

n/a n/a

7.5

8.1

C-

$73

Soncie Meory SW500H

• Unique tuning. A little bit on the weird side. There are pos and cons to it. Overall... this is a hard one.

n/a 1DD+4BA

4.8

6.4

B-

$65

Truthear Zero: Blue 2

• Harman tuning with clean, punchy bass and great resolution. Bright treble.
• Pros: Slightly more balanced and pleasing Harman tuned. Cons: Treble with silicone tips is piercing.
• Harman target tuned. Sounds pretty V and contrasty. Not a whole lot of mids. Fairly tasteful. Good sense of separation. Sterile/Lifeless mids and annoying treble. Needs foam eartips.

n/a 2DD

6.2

6.6

B-

$16

CCA CRA PRO

• better wired

n/a n/a

6.2

6.6

C

$89

CVJ Shadowblade

• It's not good, I'm probably sending back.

n/a n/a

5.2

5.7

C+

$25

Tangzu Waner 2

• Balanced All-rounder. Basically the same as OG Waner but with a little more treble air, helps boost resolution and imaging by a tiny tiny bit. Accesories are great for the price, sancai tips + nice...
• The stock USB C cable came jacked up.... lame.

n/a n/a

5.9

7.3

C+

$20

ND Planet

• Slight vshape all-rounder with punchy bass. KZ EDC PRO better treble extension/smoother, and cheaper.
• Maybe not a default pick, but a nice budget set 100%

n/a n/a

5.9

7.1

A

$189

TWISTURA WoodNote

• Great overall sound and packing, easy recomendation.

n/a n/a

8.3

8.8

B

$25

Fiio JD1

• Fun, cool, great build, but not it.

n/a n/a

6.8

7.4

A

$770

FATfreq x Effect Audio: Quantum

• Bright and full sound, very detailed, sparkly, airy, tons of treble extenstion... but it gets fatiguing with the stock filters. Blue filter has the best balance but still doesn't scale too well. 300...
• I don't want to like, but I love.

n/a n/a

8

8.6

B

$479

Flipears Aegis

• Slight v-shape, but with less bass and low-end texture than Legion, more "balanced" and less engaging, but my unit was shouty and a bit sharp in the uppermids, also costs alot for what you can get at...
• Shouty, bad, needs EQ, fully MID.

Bassy n/a

6.7

7.6

A-

$850

FlipEars Legion

• Fun and bassy, v-shape, great low-end slam and texture, full, rumbly, solid tech imaging, and cool faceplate... but price is a bit high.
• What this does well, it does very well. Fun set.

n/a 1DD+1EST+1BC

7.8

7.1

A-

$199

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.

Jm1 2DD+2BA

7.5

8.1

6.5

B+

$180

Ziigaat LUSH

• A cleaner more technical AFUL Explorer with a more open sense of space and airier treble. High volume set. Very smooth and balanced at higher scaling - has a "Lush" and full sound. Mid-volume sounds...
• Mid mid focused set, I dig it.
• Nice take on new-meta tuning. A little bit more relaxed but nice.

n/a n/a

7.2

8.7

B

$220

Juzear 61T

• Low-end is good, tight, with good impact, but bass feels low-res. Vocals are too recessed and warm. Treble and air is good, but that's about it. BA timbre. Relaxing listen, but Dynaquattro is just...
• Very strong iem, with a unique tuning at this pricepoint.
• It's on okay IEM. Decent IEM but you can do better.

n/a 1DD+6BA

6.8

8.3

B

$99

Letshuoer S08

• More uniquely tuned than other planars. Tamer uppermids, not as energetic, but still with great bass separation and tech. Timbre is good.
• Fantastic value product, really strong.
• A little bit thick and poofy in the bass. Aful Explorer is better option.

n/a n/a

6.8

8.1

B+

$239

FATfreq x HBB Deuce

• The defacto basshead rec before the more expensive stuff. Super fun sub-bass, textured, heavy, prolonged decay for more reverb in the bass, well-balanced as well, smooth and scales great. Tech is not...
• Hits Hard, and is super fun. Suprisingly great mids.
• This is not my usual sound signature which I like. But it's a lot of fun in a unique way. One-trick pony.

n/a 2DD

7.4

8

B+

$600

I/O Volare

• Best Harman IEM under $600 (my unit is less harman), smooth and natural, great layering and tech, bass texture could be better/not as good as Oracle MK3, but overall very balanced and great...
• Nice overall quality.
• If you are looking for the most bang for your buck in terms of the costs of materials - this is it. But not the most interesting sound.

n/a n/a

7.2

7.8

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

C+

$80

TinHifi Dudu

• Least planar, almost doesn't sound like one. 3K gain can be a bit much, tech very similar as the other ones.
• A few minor issues, but still a good value little set.
• Not really good looking IEM and not very much in the sound which I like

n/a n/a

5.8

7.9

B

$65

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

n/a n/a

6.9

7.7

B

$160

Meze Alba

• Aceptable, but not great value.
• Build Quality and Fit are stand out. Fantastic Fit. Sound-Wise very engaging. Cons: Little bit sharp and contrasty.

n/a n/a

6.6

7.6

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

B-

$159

Letshuoer DX1

• Dynamic, vibrant, and contrasty vocals with good balance and scaling. Natural, full, and immersive with scaling and not peaky. One of my fav vocals under $200.
• Fit is odd, but great flat iem at the cost.
• I don't get the point of this IEM. Not offensive sounding. Sound-wise unengaging.

n/a n/a

6.4

8.5

B+

$300

Jays Audio x ZiiGaat Estrella

• Great soundstage,very V shapped, to those sensitive to those regions.
• A little bit overcooked. It is certainly not a bad IEM. It does a good job in give you a lot of bass and a lot of physicality in the bass and not compromising in separation and imaging.

n/a 2DD+4BA

7.4

9.2

C+

$80

Dunu Titan S2

• Very nice built and cable for the price. Sounds like a warm harman. Tech is good, but not too competitive at the price (EA500LM).
• Pretty! But boring and bright, and doesn't fit.
• Pretty unreal accessories for 80 bucks. IEM is not bad.

n/a n/a

5.9

7.3

C+

$90

Truthear Gate

• All rounder with less uppermids than the EW100P, very close to waner.
• Yuck, at least it has a cable.
• Nice frequency response. Stellar Cable. Bright but not overly in the vocals. I would still call it a mild V-Shaped sound signature.

n/a n/a

5.6

6

A-

$800

Aful Cantor

• LOW VOLUME SET. Clean, airy, and highly resolving at its price with endgame separation and detail. Low-end is quick, but lacks impact and a bit of texture. Notes are on the lighter side, not very...
• Exceptional detail, neutral tuning, and great bass quality. Very revealing. Could use more bass for my taste. One of the most resolving IEMs. It reveals details you’ve never noticed before.
• Maybe best detailed set, fit is extremely difficult.
• It's super impressive but also really difficult to edge on comfort. It's not my favorite sound but good sounding. Competing well at it's price point

Vocal 14BA

7.7

8.8

A

$320

Softears Volume S

• Amazing vocals under $500 with the stock switch/clear tips or tangzu sancai regular (no impedance boost) with amazing vocal scaling. Recommended for higher volume listening like ballads, slower...
• Studio 4 with DD bass, great bass texture, tonal accuracy, forward vocals, and natural timbre. High impedance mode sounds bright. A benchmark for tonality and timbre.
• Probably the best iem of 2025 so far...
• Fantastic IEM for the price. Super sharp and standout

n/a 2DD+2BA

8

7.8

B+

$693

Dunu SA6 EST

• QDC Anole VX tuning, excellent resolution, and great bass. Unvented design, no bass switch, and less airy than the SA6 MK II. I prefer the SA6 MK II.
• Not a bad IEM if you get the right tips. It's a bit disappointing compared to the original SA6.

n/a 6BA+2EST

7.3

8

B

$400

Yanyin Canon Pro

• Clean, neutral, balanced. Airy treble but smooth, great tech. Recommend UP UP switch with bass boost. A smoother pilgrim basically.
• Not really stand out at the price range. Lack a bit of definition. Decent IEM

n/a n/a

6.8

8.3

A-

$250

CrinEar Meta

• Bright-leaning all-rounder with sparkly treble sauce. Great tech for price and great accessories. Good coloration that's not vanilla and safe as other crin collabs. Can be fatiguing at higher...
• Versus similar priced IEMs this is probably the IEM I would be buying. Very nice IEM and a little bit on the contrasty side.

n/a 1DD+2BA

7.5

5.3

B+

$300

DUNU x Gizaudio DaVinci

• Warm leaning with thick, thumpy mid-bass that hits pretty deep and hard. Decent vocal and treble extension, although female vocals are warmer and huskier. Good for hiphop, rap, r&b, but low-end isn't...
• Bass-boosted meta tuning with excellent detail and a grand sound. Bass may be too much for some.
• Bass kind of pops off in the worst way possible.
• A little bit too bassy. imaging is impressive. If you are looking for a bassy set with great imaging, this is a good option.

Neutral 2DD+4BA

7.4

8.2

C+

$99

Moondrop Rays DSP

• A more neutral version of the May with less bass and treble, very neutral sounding, inoffensive and boring, overpriced, many cheaper options with similar tuning and performance
• When People ask me for the best IEM for gaming, I would probably point them to these.

n/a n/a

5.5

8.8

A-

$800

Elysian Pilgrim Noir

• Good but expensive. Recommended if you can find it for around $500. Direct upgrade to the AFUL Explorer. Scales great. Reminds me of the EJ07M but a bit smoother and less dynamic. Prefer it more than...
• Bassier than the original Pilgrim with similar resolution. Sound is similar to the original Pilgrim.
• Way different than Pilgrim OG, less bright. Smoothe.
• Relaxed at the vocal region compared to orignial Pilgrim. Too expensive. Texturing is a little bit better than original Pilgrim
• Cons: Similar to Pilgrim OG at twice the price.

n/a 1DD+3BA

7.5

7.7

A-

$400

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.

U-Shaped 1DD+3BA

7.5

7.9

A

$380

Yanyin Canon II

• Warm, relaxed IEM - technical enough. Has a bass boost. Pretty decent option.

n/a n/a

8

7.8

B-

$400

I/O Sogno

• Literally Harman 2019. Inoffensive and good all-rounder. A little sharp in the timbre vs Volare (I'd just save up for the Volare if you want Harman), more low-end than Volare, better bass and timbre...
• It's a fine IEM if you look for something which is Harman compliant. It's a bit narrow sounding but pleasant.

n/a n/a

6.3

7.8

B-

$2000

Ice Lab Spectrumica

• Kind of what people expect from a 2000$ IEM. Very strong first impression effect. Mid-Range performance and quality of vocals not quite there where I want it to be.

n/a n/a

6

4.5

B-

$999

Fiio FA19

• Warm V-shaped sound with bassy lows, sparkly treble, and excellent resolution. Bass quality could be better and treble is bright. Great resolution and micro-details.
• I can't recommend this IEM. Even if it would be 1/10 of it's price.

n/a 10BA

6

7.3

A-

$899

Dita Mecha

• Great bass, vocal-focused, cohesive sound with excellent detail. Cohesive sound with great detail.
• This is the best Dita iem that I've heard, I dig it. Big and Bold Sound
• Warm laid back and base-forward. competes with other IEMs in it's price range.

V-Shaped n/a

7.6

7.6

A-

$400

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.

JM1 ish 2DD+4BA

7.7

7.7

A-

$239

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.

Neutral 2DD+4BA+1PLA

7.8

8.7

A-

$179

Gizaudio x Binary Chopin

• If Harman wasn't boring and had a few drinks
• Harman tuning with excellent bass, clean mids, extended treble, and balanced tonality with great detail.
• Solid set, thin mids. Slightly bright at times.
• Best Collab IEM in years. It's a nice clean tonality. Fantastic vocal presentation. Added low end warmth.

U-Shaped 3DD BA

7.9

8.6

B

$190

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.

Crin n/a

6.9

7.9

B

$140

AFUL MagicOne

• The resolution and clarity at this price is so lovely.
• Sounds quite good but not exceptional. Not a lot of depth. Nothing is sharp or aggressive. Take it for what it is
• Pleasant female vocals and decent bass. Male vocals are forward and treble has some grain.

Neutral 1BA

6.7

7.5

B+

$299

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

n/a 2DD+2BA

7

7.8

B-

$79

Tanchjim 4U

• Solid IEM. Warm to neutral depending on the switch. Overall pretty smooth with good tech.
• It is not super special, unless you are looking for standout stereo imaging.

n/a 1DD

6

7.3

B+

$150

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.

U-Shaped 1DD+4BA

7

8

B+

$189

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.

n/a 1DD+2BA+2Planar

7.4

8.2

B+

$120

AFUL Explorer

• High volume set, very immersive, scales great with no sharpness, wide staging, enough detail/extension, good bass, just crank it up and enjoy the music.
• Smooth, relaxing tuning, great bass with good slam, rich mid-range, safe treble. Upper mids may be too relaxed for some, treble is a bit dark. Perfect for rock and metal.
• I own two and gave two away. So yeah, I kinda like it.
• Relaxed upper mid-range. Vocals sound a little bit more forward than instruments. Smooth treble performance.

Neutral 1DD+2BA

7.3

7.9

B

$200

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.

n/a n/a

6.6

7.5

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

A-

$400

Ziigaat Arcanis

• My favourite vocals under $500 (best imo). A more refined OG Mangird Tea with better resolution and tech. Recommend listening at higher volumes on slower vocal centric tracks. Don't rec hiphop or...
• Lots of good neutral energy here. Interesting set up.
• Not really stand out at the price range. Lack a bit of definition. Decent IEM

n/a 2DD+5BA

7.7

8.7

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-

$850

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.

Bassy 3BA+1BC,+1DD,+2EST,

7.8

7.9

A

$400

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.

n/a 2DD+2BA+2PLA

8.1

8.3

A-

$500

Moondrop Meteor

• Neutral, clean and clear vocals, vocals pop out, good tech. Next to no planar timbre - one of the least planar like planars. Treble isn't sizzly and bright, but vocals can get shouty on energetic...
• Forward vocals, super smooth treble. Bass lacks weight, impact, and slam. I need more bass!
• Bright leaning. But very nice when it hits.
• Objectvly great but unengaging. Not a set I reach for often. Maybe I am underrating it a bit.

Moondrop 1DD+4BA+4PLA

7.6

8.3

B+

$369

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.

Neutral 1DD+7BA

7.4

7.8

A-

$599

ThieAudio Oracle mk3

• Great bass texture, much better than predecessors, smooth and slightly airy giving it a sizzly timbre, great layering/separation, vocals are slightly laid back but not gone, very balanced across...
• It's like a Pilgrim OG with EST. It's kinda cool.
• Pretty detailed but sounds incoherent, particularly in the treble, which also seems exaggerated in a bad way.
• A step in the right direction compared to mk2. I like this as much as the mk1. Solid all-rounder, good sense of separation.

n/a 2DD+2BA+2EST

7.7

7.7

A+

$2499

64 Audio Volur

• 64 Audio's finest.
• If you are a lover of bass, this is a good option. Does not sacrify the rest of the sound signature

W-Shaped 2DD+8BA

8.9

7.4

A+

$3000

Nightjar Duality

• Bass thunder, with impedance adapter fun and switches.
• Massive yet controlled bass. Lush timbre and well-extended, non-pesky treble. Bassy mode may be too bassy for some. Mids can be a touch forward on balanced mode.

Bassy 2DD

8.8

7.3

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-

$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

B+

(disc.)

HIDIZS2 RED NOZZLE

• HIGH VOLUME SET 75dbs+. Insane scaling, better than DX1 scaling wise, amazing musicality, non-fatiguing, warm, but also has powerful/extended vocals. Great for male vocals, husky, but not congested...

n/a n/a

7

8.4

A-

$539

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.

Neutral 1DD+2BA+2EST

7.7

7.1

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

$3300

Campfire Audio Trifecta

• It's a tubed iem, very unique. Very hit or miss on music, love it or hate it.

U-Shaped 3DD

8.2

6.9

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+

$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-

$800

Symphonium Giant

• Super warm and thick, mid-bass centric, basically the Meteor with less treble and more low-end, needs power, turns into basshead at higher volumes, very bassy.
• There's warm, warmer, then a huge gap, then the Giant. Warmiest.

n/a n/a

7.5

7.4

S-

$3000

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.

U-Shaped 1DD+4BA+2EST

9.2

7.6

A+

$3300

FiR Audio Radon 6

• Solid set, enjoyable, fun.
• Engaging bass, decent mids, and vibrant highs. Suffers from coherency issues. Mids are a touch veiled. Decent staging except for depth.

Neutral 1DD+4BA+1EST

8.6

7.1

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

B-

$25

Final Audio E500

• Very well-balanced though plagued by the usual E-series QC problems.
• For users who like ear buds, it's a great little set.
• The most well-tuned Final Audio IEM with a balanced, fairly neutral sound.

Neutral 1DD

6.1

6.2

A+

$4700

Aroma Audio Fei Wan

• Impressive tech, is even better with EQ. Has a special sauce.
• Decent bass and lush, "wet" mids. Has a treble peak that can be pesky to some. Great overall techs. Cons: Price, treble peak, build quality.

U-Shaped 2DD+10BA

8.6

7.2

A+

$4500

AME Mousa

• Energetic Bassy fun set, but so excellent.
• Cons: Price, bass bloat.

Bassy 13BA+2BC

8.6

7.2

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+

$2050

Craft Ears Omnium

• Dark Rich, fun beautiful.

W-Shaped 1DD+5BA+1PL

8.6

7.1

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

A+

$3000

FATFreq Grand Maestro

• The best basshead set. That is all. EXPENSIVE. If you just want bass HBB Punch way better value.
• Is one of those sets that can do it all. Very impressive.

Neutral 4DD BA EST

8.9

7.4

S-

$6500

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.

Neutral 7BA+2EST

9.4

8.1