I want YOUR opinion! What's your favorite IEM you heard in 2024? Vote now in the 2024 Yearphone People's Choice: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6GYPvAkiN0NrHVl-mpY6UjUYnYgc7E8tzaDudfRkcYNjFgQ/viewform
In the close to $1K range I have the Supernova, BGVP Phantom SE and a custom set of Sound Rhyme DTE900. Their various sound signatures work well for my personal taste.
As much as I love the hobby, I would find it incredibly difficult to justify a 1k+ costing iem, I've tried a few and they are a great but not worth it, the only 2 items I've ever heard that made me think "yes, this is worth every penny of the exorbitant price point" have been the noble audio viking Ragnar and the noble audio chronicle, which is by far the best sounding iem I've ever had the pleasure of listening too.
I think that's generally true for me as well, and maybe supports the notion I suggested that the reason you pay for high-end is you want something really specific and unique... which means the majority of high-end products won't be for you.
@SuperReview yeah that's a good reason, all the expensive iems I've tried and liked have been on the more esoteric side. the craftears argentum has some of the nicest bass slam I've ever heard, the noble viking Ragnar had highs that I thought were better than the elysian annihilator, the chronicle has a v shape tuning yet is as technical as anything else I've tried, even my current daily drivers, the fatfreq deuce, somehow do a magic trick in having ungodly amounts of base yet sounding very neutral and balanced. What I'm trying to say, piggybacking off your point a bit, if you are going to charge so much for iems, you better do something unique and be very good at it.
As I've said before, I don't consider being an audiophile a hobby but rather a luxury I spend money on. Sure, it's possible to min-max the enjoyment of music, but seeing it as a luxury changes how I think about it. It isn't an experience I am proactively trying to improve, but sometimes, I will buy a new item as a reward for exercising restraint in my spending or reaching milestones in life.
I absolutely agree. I've listened to demo models of the 64Audio U4, Meze Advar, and Vision Ears V2, and bought the Softears Twilight deaf based on universally glowing reviews. None of them were really any better than the ones I have under $300. I am returning the Twilights. Completely hype.
I have tried multiple IEMs that are $1000 and beyond and I rarely find ones that I feel like justifies its asking price. Off the top of my head, the ones that I can wholeheartedly recommend are probably the Monarch Mk2, Elysian Gaea (now discontinued), Elysian Diva, Fearless x Crinacle Dawn (probably the most versatile all-rounder kilobuck IEM I've heard), and maybe the Canpur CP74E (yes, I prefer the 74E over the 622B) It really does feel like IEMs at these astronomical price points tend to target very niche demographics that can and will justify the price that they're paying. I personally feel that the sweet spot for IEMs is around the $300-500 price range
#4 you have a kick-ass disposable income burning a hole in your pocket and nowhere else to go so what the heck 😎... as usual a very professional and well done review👌
Thanks for critical and descriptive review. Now I know the cons better and the SQ overall. I wanted to support local POLAND company since I already use their LE3SW for 8 years all that you described is crossing them out off 📴 the shopping 🛒 list. Back to the drawing board.
Looks like a cool iem. Looks very 70's which is very cool. Just a pity about the cable. I suspect a fair amount of it's kilobuck price might be associated with that collaboration. Not sure that I would ever pick it up since I've made my fair share of purchases the last 3 or 4 years, but it's cool to see.
Something I did with a different cable with a similarly useless metal ring chin slider (the Moondrop Line T) was to basically wrap the slider with the smallest size Dunu S&S tip. The end result turned it functional and still looks pretty decent.
I sold all my kilobucks. Now my two most expensive sets are the Pilgrim and the KE4 (both bought used). Only kilobuck I’d love to try is the Helios (scared of the fit though). Is the SE version as good sound-wise or should I just try to survive the fit of the OG?
@ now I have to try both. 😂 Thanks for sharing your experience! I must say I prefer the darker coloring of the OG, but I have fit issues with medium IEMs already, so maybe the whole thing is more a dream than a real option
spending on an iems just for the craftsmanship and history behind them is no for me, specially something reach kilobucks, i need a great sound, great technicalities, and come with a ridiculous low price as possible. if i need a history i'll just go to museum. great review and objective as always mike, God Bless
Something that I've noticed is, many of the less expensive models look way better by design plus craftsmanship. Some of these kilobuck sets look rather uninspiring to me, especially given their price. A good story/history/fairy tale will not make something sound better to me.
only on things people care about how the end product will look like that they will pay for craftsmanship it's just like those plain/boring looking websites but they just work without problems, people paid the developers with function first in mind
It's hard to top the 7th Acoustics Supernova at $800, you're unlikely to get something that's tuned better than the Nova unless you're looking for a very specific IEM flavor. Buying a Symphonium Helios didn't really solve that upgrade itch even tho it's more resolving than the Supernova. Heck, you can probably stop at the Mega 5EST for $250 less.
It's hard to justify anything above 500 bucks, and that's me being generous. The price itself is equivalent to someone's monthly salary, which is insane, in my opinion. But that's just my two cents.
500 bucks is nothing to many people. I collect sneakers and 500 bucks is peanuts in this game. I also work and wouldn’t get out of bed for 500 bucks per month, I totally get I’m fortunate.
I'd have to hear an IEM over $300 before dropping cash on it... I'm not confident a single reviewer has it right, this side of the hobby is full of conflicts of interest. I'd rather use a headphone 9/10 times
I want YOUR opinion! What's your favorite IEM you heard in 2024? Vote now in the 2024 Yearphone People's Choice: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6GYPvAkiN0NrHVl-mpY6UjUYnYgc7E8tzaDudfRkcYNjFgQ/viewform
In the close to $1K range I have the Supernova, BGVP Phantom SE and a custom set of Sound Rhyme DTE900. Their various sound signatures work well for my personal taste.
As much as I love the hobby, I would find it incredibly difficult to justify a 1k+ costing iem, I've tried a few and they are a great but not worth it, the only 2 items I've ever heard that made me think "yes, this is worth every penny of the exorbitant price point" have been the noble audio viking Ragnar and the noble audio chronicle, which is by far the best sounding iem I've ever had the pleasure of listening too.
I think that's generally true for me as well, and maybe supports the notion I suggested that the reason you pay for high-end is you want something really specific and unique... which means the majority of high-end products won't be for you.
@SuperReview yeah that's a good reason, all the expensive iems I've tried and liked have been on the more esoteric side. the craftears argentum has some of the nicest bass slam I've ever heard, the noble viking Ragnar had highs that I thought were better than the elysian annihilator, the chronicle has a v shape tuning yet is as technical as anything else I've tried, even my current daily drivers, the fatfreq deuce, somehow do a magic trick in having ungodly amounts of base yet sounding very neutral and balanced. What I'm trying to say, piggybacking off your point a bit, if you are going to charge so much for iems, you better do something unique and be very good at it.
As I've said before, I don't consider being an audiophile a hobby but rather a luxury I spend money on. Sure, it's possible to min-max the enjoyment of music, but seeing it as a luxury changes how I think about it. It isn't an experience I am proactively trying to improve, but sometimes, I will buy a new item as a reward for exercising restraint in my spending or reaching milestones in life.
I absolutely agree. I've listened to demo models of the 64Audio U4, Meze Advar, and Vision Ears V2, and bought the Softears Twilight deaf based on universally glowing reviews. None of them were really any better than the ones I have under $300. I am returning the Twilights. Completely hype.
I mean people spend far more on watches and unlike almost all luxury items, high end hifi at least offers something measurably different.
I have tried multiple IEMs that are $1000 and beyond and I rarely find ones that I feel like justifies its asking price. Off the top of my head, the ones that I can wholeheartedly recommend are probably the Monarch Mk2, Elysian Gaea (now discontinued), Elysian Diva, Fearless x Crinacle Dawn (probably the most versatile all-rounder kilobuck IEM I've heard), and maybe the Canpur CP74E (yes, I prefer the 74E over the 622B)
It really does feel like IEMs at these astronomical price points tend to target very niche demographics that can and will justify the price that they're paying. I personally feel that the sweet spot for IEMs is around the $300-500 price range
#4 you have a kick-ass disposable income burning a hole in your pocket and nowhere else to go so what the heck 😎... as usual a very professional and well done review👌
What if IEMs become like art, a way the ultra rich to embezzle money.
@SuperReview launder might be more accurate
Thanks for critical and descriptive review.
Now I know the cons better and the SQ overall. I wanted to support local POLAND company since I already use their LE3SW for 8 years all that you described is crossing them out off 📴 the shopping 🛒 list.
Back to the drawing board.
That cable 😮
Looks like a cool iem. Looks very 70's which is very cool. Just a pity about the cable. I suspect a fair amount of it's kilobuck price might be associated with that collaboration. Not sure that I would ever pick it up since I've made my fair share of purchases the last 3 or 4 years, but it's cool to see.
Something I did with a different cable with a similarly useless metal ring chin slider (the Moondrop Line T) was to basically wrap the slider with the smallest size Dunu S&S tip. The end result turned it functional and still looks pretty decent.
Not a bad idea. I've used small silicon o-rings for similar, but it's not as clean.
Most important…reason (3) to consider: TECHNICALITIES!
I sold all my kilobucks. Now my two most expensive sets are the Pilgrim and the KE4 (both bought used). Only kilobuck I’d love to try is the Helios (scared of the fit though). Is the SE version as good sound-wise or should I just try to survive the fit of the OG?
I like the SE as much as the OG, but some fans of the OG disagree. I haven't heard them back to back FWIW.
@ now I have to try both. 😂
Thanks for sharing your experience! I must say I prefer the darker coloring of the OG, but I have fit issues with medium IEMs already, so maybe the whole thing is more a dream than a real option
I bought a pair of cheap crinicle iem changed the buds to the fastest I had and used with them with my LG Phone......PERFECT....FOR ME......
hola cable on the U4s is killing me 😂
edit: is the hexa still good even compared to these iems ?
if u dont care about the bass, yes
U4S, how would that compare with something like U12T?
Can you get your hands on ISN's latest?
Btw do you plan to review the Fiio JM21?
Yes.
@ Great, looking forward to it 🙏
spending on an iems just for the craftsmanship and history behind them is no for me, specially something reach kilobucks, i need a great sound, great technicalities, and come with a ridiculous low price as possible. if i need a history i'll just go to museum. great review and objective as always mike, God Bless
Is there anything else you'd pay for craftsmanship for? e.g. An artisan keycap
Something that I've noticed is, many of the less expensive models look way better by design plus craftsmanship. Some of these kilobuck sets look rather uninspiring to me, especially given their price. A good story/history/fairy tale will not make something sound better to me.
only on things people care about how the end product will look like that they will pay for craftsmanship
it's just like those plain/boring looking websites but they just work without problems, people paid the developers with function first in mind
You might want to try the DIVINUS VELVET for TWS tips
5:05 every 👏single 👏cable 👏 is like this, why?
Hi question , is the marnoch mk3 leaps and bounds better than oracle mk3 ? Since i was considering oracle at there price
Different, not better.
I've thought that some expensive innovative drivers like electrostats or similar makes a k$/IEMs, honestly I don't care about other 3 reasons
It's hard to top the 7th Acoustics Supernova at $800, you're unlikely to get something that's tuned better than the Nova unless you're looking for a very specific IEM flavor.
Buying a Symphonium Helios didn't really solve that upgrade itch even tho it's more resolving than the Supernova.
Heck, you can probably stop at the Mega 5EST for $250 less.
Yeah IMO Supernova and IE 600 compete with the best on any technicalities. From there, it's just tonal preferences.
It's hard to justify anything above 500 bucks, and that's me being generous. The price itself is equivalent to someone's monthly salary, which is insane, in my opinion.
But that's just my two cents.
500 bucks is nothing to many people. I collect sneakers and 500 bucks is peanuts in this game. I also work and wouldn’t get out of bed for 500 bucks per month, I totally get I’m fortunate.
Switching a Thieaudio Hype 4 to a Thieaudio Monarch Mk3 is like listening to a 128kbps mp3 and then listening to a lossless version of the song 😂
Is the difference that much?
I love my hexa & dioko with eq
Hexa my beloved
dioko with a midbass bump is very solid
Terra in name but most likely Terror for the wallet of most. 👋💸💀
That cable does not look like a good cable.
Looks awfully cheap
That cable LMAO! It' like they totally missed everything that happened in the industry past several years.
I do wonder if it's maybe an older Effect cable.
I'd have to hear an IEM over $300 before dropping cash on it... I'm not confident a single reviewer has it right, this side of the hobby is full of conflicts of interest. I'd rather use a headphone 9/10 times
So this is a paid advertisment?
Smart conclusion.
Its more of a dashed line than a dotted line
For kilobuck I'll just go with thieaudio & done with this iem hobby. Mainly things like origin
You really think you'd exit the hobby?
@SuperReview 😂 that's the plan. let's see how "man of my words" i can be. Will come back to this comment either to regret or rejoice 😂😂
Talking of cables what,s your take on modular cables,? i like lime ears but agree here cable looks too rigid, earpieces are nice though!
I haven't bought anything in a long time. I think I can exit the hobby, all you have to do is buy a good pair of speakers.
Yet you'll always be here...
Kilobucks are more than worth it for me. It’s all subjective of course. Won’t be worth it to everyone
Yes sure, there are hundreds of reason to waste $1000 for an IEM, but the 7Hz Zero II has almost the same FR and sounds thus almost the same.
🤣
@ this just shows that you understand nothing