I think something left out that is very important is comfort. You'll pick a worse sounding IEM to be your main over a better one if it's more comfortable and competent enough sound wise. Every time.
Very true - some of these IEMs are the size and weight of a small elephant sticking out of your ear - which leads people back to those standard Apple EarPods (not even the AirPods)
Case in point for me at least is The East 6, which I love the sound of, but can only wear for short periods due to its unique chassis. Luckily I have the ea500 which is damn close in sound quality, but fits like a glove. It could just be my ears though. On the small side in the cavum, but medium size canal.
FOMO and the "Upgrade Bug" are imo, some of the biggest things to avoid when you're new to the hobby. When you first get into it, it's very common to keep wanting to chase the same wow factor you had when you first upgraded your IEMs. This is also emphasized by your brain adjusting to what you're listening to, so they may start to sound "boring," and you feel like you need to upgrade. Try to avoid that because it can become a money pit really fast, and as someone who had trouble with impulse purchasing, it is best to enjoy what you have, and take more time if you do eventually consider getting something else
this is why its good to have 2 iems, either with completely difference sound signatures or have two with similar sound signatures but enough difference so there is a reason to own both, that way if you can always impress your brain. another tip is to train your brain to listen to lower volumes, only boosting volume for a couple songs, getting used to how an iem sounds at like 85db will amaze at first but like you said above you may get bored with the sound and chase "better" if you instead train yourself to listen at like 70-75db which is still fairly loud, and only bumping up to 85 for the moments your really feeling it or want more excitement or feeling bored of your iems the added volume could possibly excite you enough to scratch the itch of wanting better.
I avoid this by buying iems that has subtantial diff in their tuning. When you keep changing between em, you’ll always be satisfied with the ones you have, since you could always hear the diff between iems imho.
We got: Open-backed Variation (520$); Open-backed Starfield 2 (220$) Broken-cable-that-took-40days-to-be-replaced Moondrop Solis 2 (2700$) Super-thin-shell-that-crack-or-broken Darksaber (700$), Empire Ears Raven (3500$) Driver flex (this one is classic) and many more to come..... With the release of the Unique melody MAX at the price of 20.000$ and many other iem that release around 3500$+, personal audio has become more and more of a joke with insane price and laughable QC, so you need to be patience, don't follow hype, trust no one and demo the iem yourself. The money stay with you until you give the final decision and being hasty will cost you your fortune and time. Good iem can and will stand the test of time, hype will eventually die out and the true color will be revealed
Now here's a crazy one that has changed my listening a lot. My IEM collection has exceeded three watch cases at this point, and always remembering the sound signature of every single pair I have has been difficult. I ended up picking up a desktop label maker. After a purchase, I always print out the FR and attach it in the window. That way, at a single glance, I can identify how a pair will sound without giving it a second thought. Whether I want to listen to some super complex acoustic works or some stanky hardstyle, I know what to grab. God I need help.
#5 is probably the most important and least emphasized part of the iem equation. Thank you very much for taking the time to say how very important proper seal and insertion is Timmy. It can and does make a huge difference!
I would add as soon as you get a basic understanding of frequency response and graphs, start playing with EQ! even a basic EQ will teach you a lot and help you to interpret graphs and sound even better. After a while you will be able to learn how to use PEQ which will totally change how you view and enjoy every IEM you own, at least it did for me. Also if you plan on having a collection, it helps to keep up an actual rotation, which will keep your brain "fresh" and help you critically listen. To facilitate this I keep my IEMs on hooks so I can pick them up any time, and I leave my "retired" IEMs in a box for reference (if they're not worth selling/gifting). You don't need expensive gear to be an experienced listener but you do need dedication and variety, so I don't think there's anything wrong with buying an assortment of cheap gear when you're starting out, just try to buy stuff that is significantly different. Probably the worst thing you could do is just blind buy expensive gear looking to jump to the "best" based solely on recommendations; When you spend a lot of money you should know WHY, and what makes that IEM special to you beyond being just "good" to someone else.
You don't even need to fuck with eq-ing... MSEB will likely get you where you want and is far easier. I come from an electronic music production background - I know how to EQ tracks & huge sound systems... but EQ-ing headphones & iems can be very overwhelming & is unnecessary in the vast majority of cases.
Another thing I'd like to add about the reviewers part is: trust the reviewers when they all agree on something, even about products they don't all like. If they say something is really good value for the money, and then you think "but this other iem costs twice as much, why wouldn't it be better?", the reason they are saying what they are saying is because most of them have tried hundreds of different iems, headphones, earbuds or whatever, that's why they can make the sort of assessments they do. An example of this on this channel is the Hexa. Timmy doesn't particularly like it because of its tuning, but he agrees with other people in saying it's incredible value for the money. I don't share the same taste as Timmy since I really like the Hexa, but when trying it for the first time it was apparent that it sounded noticeably better than all other single dd iems under 100€ that I've tried. So, despite not liking them, Timmy's objective opinion of it was still reliable
So well said! I went all out buying a bunch of IEMs early on, developing an understanding for the differences in tuning, fit and driver tech. Now, it’s been over a year without buying any new gear. Enjoy what you have once you learn what you like.
One other thing that i find to be one of the most important: EQ. It allows me to take just about any iem amd make it suitable to my preferred curve. It's the actually the reason why i can buy iems based on their price and fit, instead of trying to find the perfect sound.
I purchased the Dunu Kima's to start with the IEM world, and I quickly realized new IEM's are released every day. I keep watching reviews and learning, but man, I love the way these KIMA's sound even if they're discontinued. I think it's great advises you're putting on the table, people nowadays lives more for the hype than actually enjoying what they have and using it. I mainly play videogames and these things are great for footsteps, I don't miss the Logitech headphones I've been using for 3 years before starting with the Kima's.
One other really important thing for me is the ability to EQ. That said, you need to learn how to read measurements first, so it goes hand in hand with your tip 6.
Great advice. Especially the eartips. It's not all about the proper seal, but also depending on the form factor, insertion depth, the eartips do alter the sound.
Watch cases for IEMs can be dangerous! At least if you're like me... and have the urge to fill up your beautful watch case with various IEMs... causing you to buy more IEMs... which in turn leads you to buy a bigger watch case... which brings back the urge to fill up again with even more IEMs....
I bought this Sony IER Z1R for $1,800 and since then I never felt the urge to upgrade as it sounds really good with solid bass like the Fir Audio Radon 6
I bought the Sony IER Z1R last year and until now I never felt the need to buy another IEM thus saving money! As I've bought many Iems before I bought it. It sounds really good and 3d with the 360 audio plug-in from Sony
I had the chu 2 for a while, I wanted to upgrade since I enjoyed my first IEMs, and was waiting for sale. My wife bought me the Dawn Pro and I was looking to get a sale on an upgrade. Then saw moondrop Kato -45% and blessing 2 - 35%. I didn't wanna spend too much on the blessing, because I didn't know if I even like IEMs that much, to be my main thing. So went for the Moondrop Kato matte grey 150 Australian Dollars same day delivery. Really happy with the upgrade so far, waiting for the DAC to see if it makes any difference
I first brought the Aria SE as my starter and brought a budget dac/amp, Tanchjim Space, and it does improve the sound in my case. I can't seem to go back without using one again. 😅
Comfort for me is the most important thing, so even though I don’t adore the tuning as much as some other iems, the ie600 is my daily driver and I don’t see that changing
I went straight to buying the $1,800 good old Sony IER Z1R and until now I never tried another IEM so I finally found my end game and I saved money instead of buying and buying $80 $133 $220 $309 $150 $400 $230 Iems every month 😂
I'm glad the one like doesn't even have an upgrade because of its sound signature, and fortunately my place is close to audio store, so i can do demo there every time new iem got released.
The diminishing returns comment is soooooo true!!! He suggested the Moondrop Variations over a year ago. I bought them and were pleasantly happy until FOMO kicked in & I felt like I had to have the Thieaudio Monarch MK3’s, bought them & honestly they sounded great but $500 greater than the Variations?? No way!! Maybe $150 more but not $500 more. So resold the MK3’s
Thank you for this very informative video. Since you mentioned it, could you please make a video on the best IEMs at 300 euros and for which you think the law of diminishing returns applies? Regards,
Imo, as someone who tried over 30+ IEMs, the law of diminishing returns always applies. The price to performance ratio for newer sets will always be better than the same-priced IEM from just 1 year ago, but that just means that the diminishing returns are kicking in harder than before. Basically, as time goes on, it'll be harder and harder to justify spending the same X amount, because newer sets keep performing better. The rest is up to taste I'm not as crazy chasing newer releases as before so I can't give recs at $300 tho, sorry
Comparing to camera photo system, the frequency response concept of iem is similar to the color response of the camera. It is important but not the most important, because the color of the photo can be modified by post process like photoshop. Similarly the FR of the iem can be modified with the EQ. You can get any curve you like. In the camera system, the most important thing is the information of each photo contains which are the resolution and dynamic range. The resolution and dynamic range concept can be applied to iems however these are not easy to be recognised with “graphs” so most RUclipsrs just simply ignore them.
Tip 8 is so real. The amount of times I have listened to someone reviewing an item because "they're the experts" was insane. Just for me to get it, and not be happy with it.
I am in the tuning is most camp, but recently i've tried a dd ba hybrid that I couldn't make agree with my ear even by painstakingly macro- and micro-eq-ing it, so a weird enough character beyond FR (dynamics, cohesion, placement) can eff up things more than I expected
It's not just that, but generally people into the hobby for a long time lean away from turning and more towards technicals after a while. A ho-hum driver tuned really well can only sound so good and I've heard many at this point. So where I was in the 90% tuning camp years ago I'm probably about 70% tuning now, and when I do value tuning more I'm looking for more unique tuning, not just "correct" stuff like harman.
Hi! came across your video and find it incredibly helpful. As I'm stuck in between getting Aria 2 or going all out to get new Crinacle DUSK as my first IEM, i plan to use it for music and gaming most of the time. Any advice on which should i get? thanks alot in advance!
I definitely agree with spending a bit more in one go, my most expensive IEM rn would cost $210, but all of my sets combined would be enough to get a Prestige LTD, sooo next year I'll just stop buying hype budget stuff and actually save up for once lol
Moondrop May, A 10mm DD with 6mm Planar for Treble. For 65$ With USB Type C with build in EQ DSP. The Graph: it has Good Base, Good sub base till Upper Mids But the Treble has a Significant Hump so that's that So please make a Review on this.
Hey Timmy! I like the look of the Chopins, and they're getting good reviews. I'm not sure whether to wear Herod or Layton with them. What do you recommend?
Great tips... well, except for tip 6... Frequency graphs do not take in context your specific ear canals (which are different on right and left ear) and how the ear-tips sit inside your ear canals... Plus, they don't take in context your hearing capabilities, which changes with age... Plus, they don't take in context the type of music you hear the most... And most important, they don't take in context the quality of reproduction (fidelity, attack, sustain, decay, etc.) of the frequencies, only the quantity (power ratio)... Plus, frequency response graphs only measure power responses when testing individual frequencies, not real music! Finally, any good EQ setup can change the perceived frequency response of any IEM, thus, frequency response graphs are of little help and we can make big mistakes by making assumptions on the quality of the sound using the frequency response graph as an evaluation tool. I would substitute that tip with an alternative one: the quality of the recording, mastering and processing of your music is more relevant to the perceived quality than the money spent on your IEM setup...
I don't disagree with #2 at all but. I can personally say getting a decent dongle dac is really important I went from a fiio ka1 to there newer ka13 and its night and day. But its not that i strictly makes the iems sound better its just more there is more power i like bass i have the fiio crin collaboration and im happy with them but now there is enough power for them and they sound even better. I should also note im just using the cables that come with everything and a Samsung phone as a player. Take away get iems that you know you will like then get a decent dongle dac and boom hifi audio you can take anywhere
omg after watching hours of your reviews i just realized i used to watch your frags reviews before. i was wondering for a bit why you looked so familiar!!
Recently I've started to buy all my headphones and iems used, does anyone have thoughts on this? I like the idea of saving the money and feel like there's a good used market right now.
when you get into IEMs you quickly will realize that the most expensive of all are the eartips cause comfort is king especially if you have several iem pairs there's so many eartips and they are so freaking expensive and the thing is you need to try to see if it works for your ears and your iems which of course costs alot i have over $2000 in tips and i still haven't bought half of the tips i want to try and of course when you find several tips that work for your then you need to buy several pairs of each so yes tips Very expensive
Timmy i had a question so I got Truthear Zero Red and then I saw Moondrop releasing Moondrop May so is it worth it for me to buy? I just want to feel how planar the driver is
You know I'm only catching up on audio devices once every 5 years😂 like I don't even know until recently there's a brand called KZ have a planar IEM which is pretty rare 5 years ago😂
I have a question. I am just finding out about IEM'S and I play a lot of call of duty. Do I buy a good set and just plug them into the pc or do I have to get a amp or dac? Sorry for the stupid question but I really know nothing about them.
It's extremely rare to need an amp for an IEM. You could consider a DAC especially if you notice some sort of background hiss from your computer because it would eliminate that issue.
What to get as my first IEM? I am between stalnotes zero and KZ zs10 pro X ? I am playing some piano , hear all genres of music and I really like the marshall kind of sound, especially the minor iii.
I bought Aful Performer5 because of you, but have to disagree on Tip 4. P5 has a poor crossover around 2kHz, the phase is off and distortion the highest. Despite the good and smooth tuning, it actually doesn’t sound that good. I wouldn’t care if it was warmer or brighter if it wouldn’t have that flaw. The brain can adjust to different tunings, technical performance matters more than 10%.
For me, the treble part of the FR graph is the most difficult to understand. In terms of general average amplitude it's fine but it has lots of ups and downs instead of being smooth which is hard to understand unless you're very familiar with what each frequency sounds like.
Man, if only you said that before I bought my sixth set of IEMs... Just joking, I buy the ones with different tuning to actually broaden my collection.
I’m on set 26. When I had 6, I thought that I was done. Not n any way condoning buying more. If you’re happy then don’t. At least not for awhile. I have so many now that I had to start a YT channel. lol
Anything over $50 is money wasted. There are plenty of IEMs that have decent audio performance under that price. A multiband equaliser can, in theory, completely flatten or boost frequencies so that every IEM or headphone will sound identical regardless of the components. Perhaps an over simplification but essentially true. Everyone has a unique ear canal and cochlea audio curve, so headphones that sound great to one person can sound horrible to another, hence the reason for so many different IEMs with varying audio response. Once you have an audio equaliser, you are not going to be spending any more money on IEMs because you can make pretty much anything sound good.
bro, tuning is important, I agree, but sometimes I think that you cut down really good headphones that are mostly diy product: coz u simplify it so much, there are lots of factors, like: attack speed, separation, the quality of the bass, mids and high, resonances and so on
Extra tip: Wait some time if you're going to buy a chi-fi IEM that's just released, they always have qc issues (happened to me, 4 times, different brands)
best iems for u? i want the best for gaming and music, i main the zetian wu planner iem but idk much about dynamic or other plannars, can u recommend me 1 iem that doesnt cost more than 400? and a dac/amp because i,m using sound blaster g6 and prob is bad XD xd
Yes, but only to a certain extent. If you boost certain frequencies on certain drivers too much, you'd get a crap ton of distortion and it'll still sound bad. Drivers like dynamics and BAs tend to have this limitation for treble. Some things you just can't replicate with EQ. Like, if a driver doesn't have punchy bass but a boomy one, EQ'ing will give you more bass but still boomy.
Yes but the less you have to EQ, the more EQ headroom you have and the further you will be from the distortion limit (a good thing). So it's still better to start with a canvas that is closer to your target. You can still use heavy EQ to fix really wonky FR but you could encounter distortion and you will have less room for small tweaks because most of your EQ bands will be spent fixing the bad areas. You will also often need some heavy negative preamp so you could run into power/volume limits easier that way too. I use heavy EQ on a couple of sets because I find the technicals still worth it, but if the driver doesn't have much potential in the first place it's probably worth just buying something better than trying to save something that will never sound that great.
So suppose i have Hexa which is neutral sounding iem or maybe good balanced with sound staging. Am not a bass head or treble head. I am happy with the sound. So now what could be a reason to buy an IEM like 64audio or Sennheiser or Blessing 2 ? What extra can it provide? Because the Hexa gave me the sound balance that I want.
I really wanted to buy the KZxHBB PR2 because i want to try whats the hype of Planar and im coming from NiceHck DB3, should i pull the trigger ? Also whats yall opinion on NiceHck DB3 ?
I think something left out that is very important is comfort. You'll pick a worse sounding IEM to be your main over a better one if it's more comfortable and competent enough sound wise. Every time.
Very true - some of these IEMs are the size and weight of a small elephant sticking out of your ear - which leads people back to those standard Apple EarPods (not even the AirPods)
Case in point for me at least is The East 6, which I love the sound of, but can only wear for short periods due to its unique chassis. Luckily I have the ea500 which is damn close in sound quality, but fits like a glove. It could just be my ears though. On the small side in the cavum, but medium size canal.
I wish the industry would pick an iem geometry that would fit more ears.
Me with the Kiwi ears cadenza. Not my best set but the fit is almost perfect.
yes. confort, fit and seal. All 3. even though they are also tip dependent they also have a lot to do with the iem.
FOMO and the "Upgrade Bug" are imo, some of the biggest things to avoid when you're new to the hobby. When you first get into it, it's very common to keep wanting to chase the same wow factor you had when you first upgraded your IEMs. This is also emphasized by your brain adjusting to what you're listening to, so they may start to sound "boring," and you feel like you need to upgrade.
Try to avoid that because it can become a money pit really fast, and as someone who had trouble with impulse purchasing, it is best to enjoy what you have, and take more time if you do eventually consider getting something else
He said as he continued to add another pair to his cart 😂. Kidding aside, I feel you bro. We just gotta enjoy what we have.
Every single hobby in a nutshell lol
this is why its good to have 2 iems, either with completely difference sound signatures or have two with similar sound signatures but enough difference so there is a reason to own both,
that way if you can always impress your brain.
another tip is to train your brain to listen to lower volumes, only boosting volume for a couple songs, getting used to how an iem sounds at like 85db will amaze at first but like you said above you may get bored with the sound and chase "better" if you instead train yourself to listen at like 70-75db which is still fairly loud, and only bumping up to 85 for the moments your really feeling it or want more excitement or feeling bored of your iems the added volume could possibly excite you enough to scratch the itch of wanting better.
Fabulous advice.
I avoid this by buying iems that has subtantial diff in their tuning. When you keep changing between em, you’ll always be satisfied with the ones you have, since you could always hear the diff between iems imho.
We got:
Open-backed Variation (520$); Open-backed Starfield 2 (220$)
Broken-cable-that-took-40days-to-be-replaced Moondrop Solis 2 (2700$)
Super-thin-shell-that-crack-or-broken Darksaber (700$), Empire Ears Raven (3500$)
Driver flex (this one is classic)
and many more to come.....
With the release of the Unique melody MAX at the price of 20.000$ and many other iem that release around 3500$+, personal audio has become more and more of a joke with insane price and laughable QC, so you need to be patience, don't follow hype, trust no one and demo the iem yourself. The money stay with you until you give the final decision and being hasty will cost you your fortune and time. Good iem can and will stand the test of time, hype will eventually die out and the true color will be revealed
Yo the starfield 2's are now 100$ for me, are they still worth it?
Now here's a crazy one that has changed my listening a lot. My IEM collection has exceeded three watch cases at this point, and always remembering the sound signature of every single pair I have has been difficult. I ended up picking up a desktop label maker. After a purchase, I always print out the FR and attach it in the window. That way, at a single glance, I can identify how a pair will sound without giving it a second thought. Whether I want to listen to some super complex acoustic works or some stanky hardstyle, I know what to grab.
God I need help.
#5 is probably the most important and least emphasized part of the iem equation. Thank you very much for taking the time to say how very important proper seal and insertion is Timmy. It can and does make a huge difference!
Very true,
true2 they all basically best for money and my advise is to simply buy whats discounted, at the moment
I would add as soon as you get a basic understanding of frequency response and graphs, start playing with EQ! even a basic EQ will teach you a lot and help you to interpret graphs and sound even better. After a while you will be able to learn how to use PEQ which will totally change how you view and enjoy every IEM you own, at least it did for me. Also if you plan on having a collection, it helps to keep up an actual rotation, which will keep your brain "fresh" and help you critically listen. To facilitate this I keep my IEMs on hooks so I can pick them up any time, and I leave my "retired" IEMs in a box for reference (if they're not worth selling/gifting). You don't need expensive gear to be an experienced listener but you do need dedication and variety, so I don't think there's anything wrong with buying an assortment of cheap gear when you're starting out, just try to buy stuff that is significantly different. Probably the worst thing you could do is just blind buy expensive gear looking to jump to the "best" based solely on recommendations; When you spend a lot of money you should know WHY, and what makes that IEM special to you beyond being just "good" to someone else.
You don't even need to fuck with eq-ing... MSEB will likely get you where you want and is far easier. I come from an electronic music production background - I know how to EQ tracks & huge sound systems... but EQ-ing headphones & iems can be very overwhelming & is unnecessary in the vast majority of cases.
Another thing I'd like to add about the reviewers part is: trust the reviewers when they all agree on something, even about products they don't all like. If they say something is really good value for the money, and then you think "but this other iem costs twice as much, why wouldn't it be better?", the reason they are saying what they are saying is because most of them have tried hundreds of different iems, headphones, earbuds or whatever, that's why they can make the sort of assessments they do. An example of this on this channel is the Hexa. Timmy doesn't particularly like it because of its tuning, but he agrees with other people in saying it's incredible value for the money. I don't share the same taste as Timmy since I really like the Hexa, but when trying it for the first time it was apparent that it sounded noticeably better than all other single dd iems under 100€ that I've tried. So, despite not liking them, Timmy's objective opinion of it was still reliable
So well said! I went all out buying a bunch of IEMs early on, developing an understanding for the differences in tuning, fit and driver tech. Now, it’s been over a year without buying any new gear. Enjoy what you have once you learn what you like.
One other thing that i find to be one of the most important: EQ. It allows me to take just about any iem amd make it suitable to my preferred curve. It's the actually the reason why i can buy iems based on their price and fit, instead of trying to find the perfect sound.
true it really suits mest3 range iems
360 audio plug-in makes my IEM like I'm listening to live concert or when watching movies I feel like I'm in there
I purchased the Dunu Kima's to start with the IEM world, and I quickly realized new IEM's are released every day. I keep watching reviews and learning, but man, I love the way these KIMA's sound even if they're discontinued. I think it's great advises you're putting on the table, people nowadays lives more for the hype than actually enjoying what they have and using it. I mainly play videogames and these things are great for footsteps, I don't miss the Logitech headphones I've been using for 3 years before starting with the Kima's.
One other really important thing for me is the ability to EQ. That said, you need to learn how to read measurements first, so it goes hand in hand with your tip 6.
That's why you are THE BEST, Timmy!
Very good advices. I learn all this by myself, and after lots of mistakes...
Agree with everything.
Congrats!!!
man i really love the cadenza, glad i watched reviews and looked at timmy squiglink first
Great advice. Especially the eartips. It's not all about the proper seal, but also depending on the form factor, insertion depth, the eartips do alter the sound.
Watch cases for IEMs can be dangerous!
At least if you're like me... and have the urge to fill up your beautful watch case with various IEMs... causing you to buy more IEMs... which in turn leads you to buy a bigger watch case... which brings back the urge to fill up again with even more IEMs....
I bought this Sony IER Z1R for $1,800 and since then I never felt the urge to upgrade as it sounds really good with solid bass like the Fir Audio Radon 6
I bought the Sony IER Z1R last year and until now I never felt the need to buy another IEM thus saving money! As I've bought many Iems before I bought it.
It sounds really good and 3d with the 360 audio plug-in from Sony
I had the chu 2 for a while, I wanted to upgrade since I enjoyed my first IEMs, and was waiting for sale. My wife bought me the Dawn Pro and I was looking to get a sale on an upgrade.
Then saw moondrop Kato -45% and blessing 2 - 35%. I didn't wanna spend too much on the blessing, because I didn't know if I even like IEMs that much, to be my main thing. So went for the Moondrop Kato matte grey 150 Australian Dollars same day delivery. Really happy with the upgrade so far, waiting for the DAC to see if it makes any difference
I first brought the Aria SE as my starter and brought a budget dac/amp, Tanchjim Space, and it does improve the sound in my case. I can't seem to go back without using one again. 😅
Do you find yourself looking for more iems or is the Kato or chu 2 sufficient for music gaming etc?
Comfort for me is the most important thing, so even though I don’t adore the tuning as much as some other iems, the ie600 is my daily driver and I don’t see that changing
I bought new filters for my moondrop starfield. Turns out they've been upgraded. Now they sound even better, saved a hundred bucks!
I went straight to buying the $1,800 good old Sony IER Z1R and until now I never tried another IEM so I finally found my end game and I saved money instead of buying and buying $80 $133 $220 $309 $150 $400 $230 Iems every month 😂
you are my most trusted reviewer since i like what you have recommended so far.
You legitimately said what I needed to hear at the beginning man. Thank you.
And the driver capabilities to handle that tunning at a your desired volume 2:53, or the tunning that the driver allows before giving distortion
I'm glad the one like doesn't even have an upgrade because of its sound signature, and fortunately my place is close to audio store, so i can do demo there every time new iem got released.
I'm jealous. I live in tge middle of nowhere in terms of iems.😂
The diminishing returns comment is soooooo true!!! He suggested the Moondrop Variations over a year ago. I bought them and were pleasantly happy until FOMO kicked in & I felt like I had to have the Thieaudio Monarch MK3’s, bought them & honestly they sounded great but $500 greater than the Variations?? No way!! Maybe $150 more but not $500 more. So resold the MK3’s
Thank you for this very informative video. Since you mentioned it, could you please make a video on the best IEMs at 300 euros and for which you think the law of diminishing returns applies? Regards,
Imo, as someone who tried over 30+ IEMs, the law of diminishing returns always applies. The price to performance ratio for newer sets will always be better than the same-priced IEM from just 1 year ago, but that just means that the diminishing returns are kicking in harder than before. Basically, as time goes on, it'll be harder and harder to justify spending the same X amount, because newer sets keep performing better. The rest is up to taste
I'm not as crazy chasing newer releases as before so I can't give recs at $300 tho, sorry
Comparing to camera photo system, the frequency response concept of iem is similar to the color response of the camera. It is important but not the most important, because the color of the photo can be modified by post process like photoshop. Similarly the FR of the iem can be modified with the EQ. You can get any curve you like. In the camera system, the most important thing is the information of each photo contains which are the resolution and dynamic range. The resolution and dynamic range concept can be applied to iems however these are not easy to be recognised with “graphs” so most RUclipsrs just simply ignore them.
im exited to get my chopin. Thats all.
Ditto. I saw on my camera that mine got delivered today. I’m not home, though!
Tip 8 is so real. The amount of times I have listened to someone reviewing an item because "they're the experts" was insane. Just for me to get it, and not be happy with it.
Really helpful, well though-out video. Props to the author!
I got tool organizers for my IEMs and they work perfect for me
I am in the tuning is most camp, but recently i've tried a dd ba hybrid that I couldn't make agree with my ear even by painstakingly macro- and micro-eq-ing it, so a weird enough character beyond FR (dynamics, cohesion, placement) can eff up things more than I expected
It's not just that, but generally people into the hobby for a long time lean away from turning and more towards technicals after a while. A ho-hum driver tuned really well can only sound so good and I've heard many at this point. So where I was in the 90% tuning camp years ago I'm probably about 70% tuning now, and when I do value tuning more I'm looking for more unique tuning, not just "correct" stuff like harman.
New to the IEM world. I appreciate the video.
Hi! came across your video and find it incredibly helpful. As I'm stuck in between getting Aria 2 or going all out to get new Crinacle DUSK as my first IEM, i plan to use it for music and gaming most of the time. Any advice on which should i get? thanks alot in advance!
The most important video I have watched about audio.
Okay if $300 buys 90%, will you recommend a couple you like and where does your Chopin land in the % mix? Always enjoy your videos, Thanks!
Kinda noob here. This video was incredibly helpful. What kind of community do you recommend, and where can I find the graphs? Thank you
I definitely agree with spending a bit more in one go, my most expensive IEM rn would cost $210, but all of my sets combined would be enough to get a Prestige LTD, sooo next year I'll just stop buying hype budget stuff and actually save up for once lol
Moondrop May, A 10mm DD with 6mm Planar for Treble. For 65$ With USB Type C with build in EQ DSP.
The Graph: it has Good Base, Good sub base till Upper Mids
But the Treble has a Significant Hump so that's that
So please make a Review on this.
Hey Timmy! I like the look of the Chopins, and they're getting good reviews. I'm not sure whether to wear Herod or Layton with them. What do you recommend?
Layton would fit the mood, but I also love Herod
Such a good and honest video
Choises are overwhelming,with the indepth reviews, pro and con of each iems.
Great tips... well, except for tip 6... Frequency graphs do not take in context your specific ear canals (which are different on right and left ear) and how the ear-tips sit inside your ear canals... Plus, they don't take in context your hearing capabilities, which changes with age... Plus, they don't take in context the type of music you hear the most... And most important, they don't take in context the quality of reproduction (fidelity, attack, sustain, decay, etc.) of the frequencies, only the quantity (power ratio)... Plus, frequency response graphs only measure power responses when testing individual frequencies, not real music! Finally, any good EQ setup can change the perceived frequency response of any IEM, thus, frequency response graphs are of little help and we can make big mistakes by making assumptions on the quality of the sound using the frequency response graph as an evaluation tool. I would substitute that tip with an alternative one: the quality of the recording, mastering and processing of your music is more relevant to the perceived quality than the money spent on your IEM setup...
I don't disagree with #2 at all but. I can personally say getting a decent dongle dac is really important I went from a fiio ka1 to there newer ka13 and its night and day. But its not that i strictly makes the iems sound better its just more there is more power i like bass i have the fiio crin collaboration and im happy with them but now there is enough power for them and they sound even better. I should also note im just using the cables that come with everything and a Samsung phone as a player. Take away get iems that you know you will like then get a decent dongle dac and boom hifi audio you can take anywhere
That's because some DACs also change the tuning. It's called "colorization", which is why you feel some dacs make the iem better or worse.
Tips are super important. I sod some iems's I would have probably kept if I changed the tips
nice animation between the tips, its like the Chopin 😂😂😂
Good video Timmy! I agree with all of it!
omg after watching hours of your reviews i just realized i used to watch your frags reviews before. i was wondering for a bit why you looked so familiar!!
Lol
Great review. Thanks for the information.
Recently I've started to buy all my headphones and iems used, does anyone have thoughts on this? I like the idea of saving the money and feel like there's a good used market right now.
I got my hd599 for $45, love the used market
The part of the importance of the tuning kind of doesn't add up with the diminishing returns one... 🤔
when you get into IEMs you quickly will realize that the most expensive of all are the eartips cause comfort is king especially if you have several iem pairs there's so many eartips and they are so freaking expensive and the thing is you need to try to see if it works for your ears and your iems which of course costs alot i have over $2000 in tips and i still haven't bought half of the tips i want to try and of course when you find several tips that work for your then you need to buy several pairs of each so yes tips Very expensive
Timmy is such a legend GD
Great video for beginners, thank you!
7:41 yep the Sony IEMs for $1500 are where it’s at
Timmy i had a question so I got Truthear Zero Red and then I saw Moondrop releasing Moondrop May so is it worth it for me to buy? I just want to feel how planar the driver is
Ok, we had the 11/11 sale and the black Friday/cyber Monday sales, what are the other sales? Or at least the next one.
You know I'm only catching up on audio devices once every 5 years😂 like I don't even know until recently there's a brand called KZ have a planar IEM which is pretty rare 5 years ago😂
What IEM can you guys recommend me to complement my 7hz Timeless? Would prefer the price to be under $150. :)
I have a question. I am just finding out about IEM'S and I play a lot of call of duty.
Do I buy a good set and just plug them into the pc or do I have to get a amp or dac? Sorry for the stupid question but I really know nothing about them.
It's extremely rare to need an amp for an IEM. You could consider a DAC especially if you notice some sort of background hiss from your computer because it would eliminate that issue.
When is sale season?
Thank you so much for this; I’m never getting a pair because of this video.
well i just need good ear tips for my beloved CCA PLA 13. And waiting for the next big deal.
Great Video! The big question is, Do I hear what Timmy hears? I think so.
What to get as my first IEM? I am between stalnotes zero and KZ zs10 pro X ? I am playing some piano , hear all genres of music and I really like the marshall kind of sound, especially the minor iii.
dude, great tips. Thanks alot!
I bought Aful Performer5 because of you, but have to disagree on Tip 4. P5 has a poor crossover around 2kHz, the phase is off and distortion the highest. Despite the good and smooth tuning, it actually doesn’t sound that good. I wouldn’t care if it was warmer or brighter if it wouldn’t have that flaw. The brain can adjust to different tunings, technical performance matters more than 10%.
For me, the treble part of the FR graph is the most difficult to understand. In terms of general average amplitude it's fine but it has lots of ups and downs instead of being smooth which is hard to understand unless you're very familiar with what each frequency sounds like.
I wouldn't read too much into treble FR on 711 couplers. It's not representative of real experience.
I'm sadly still struggling to find an IEM that I can wear without discomfort in one of my ears. Which are the gentlest tips?
So buy Chopin? I like this advice.
Real
Just buy if dont like the sound sell it XD but i already done this hobby, and yeaa just love watching your vid
Hi is fiio fh3 better than airpods pro
Where would you rank your own gizaudio x galelio and the chopin ?
No bias. Just on sound quality?
What do you think about yanyin canon ii?
Man, if only you said that before I bought my sixth set of IEMs...
Just joking, I buy the ones with different tuning to actually broaden my collection.
I’m on set 26. When I had 6, I thought that I was done. Not n any way condoning buying more. If you’re happy then don’t. At least not for awhile. I have so many now that I had to start a YT channel. lol
Thanks Bro... u saved my Money...🎉🎉
What's the ending song?
ふわふわ (Fuwa Fuwa)
Timmy Vangtan
I'm not a much bass lover I'm more like in depth vocals obsessed any suggestions for me ? That cost me perfect for mt ears ? 😭❤️
Very useful info, thanks
What is the outro song ?
I have to know too
@@ultragamemode8288 it's Fuwa Fuwa by Timmy Vangtan
Good tips Timmy!!
thank you for these great advises
I stuck with qkz x hbb love them. Need more like them any quotes?
Anything over $50 is money wasted. There are plenty of IEMs that have decent audio performance under that price. A multiband equaliser can, in theory, completely flatten or boost frequencies so that every IEM or headphone will sound identical regardless of the components. Perhaps an over simplification but essentially true. Everyone has a unique ear canal and cochlea audio curve, so headphones that sound great to one person can sound horrible to another, hence the reason for so many different IEMs with varying audio response. Once you have an audio equaliser, you are not going to be spending any more money on IEMs because you can make pretty much anything sound good.
Some truth here, but also misleading. It's not as simple as just using EQ.
Can you please review crinacle zero 2
bro, tuning is important, I agree, but sometimes I think that you cut down really good headphones that are mostly diy product: coz u simplify it so much, there are lots of factors, like: attack speed, separation, the quality of the bass, mids and high, resonances and so on
Extra tip: Wait some time if you're going to buy a chi-fi IEM that's just released, they always have qc issues (happened to me, 4 times, different brands)
...sometimes so many, they just get discontinued.
Great video Timmy!
best iems for u? i want the best for gaming and music, i main the zetian wu planner iem but idk much about dynamic or other plannars, can u recommend me 1 iem that doesnt cost more than 400? and a dac/amp because i,m using sound blaster g6 and prob is bad XD xd
try some blessing 2's or 7hz timeless.
are these good for gaming? TANGZU x HBB XUAN NV⭐
number 8 is really really true, you need to have same taste
Great video Timmy. Well done. Fomo is hard to ignore
I need Iem for gaming in budget may you recommend to me like20-30 dolar
Is there any non chifi good IEM? I can figure it out, all look like it’s imported from Ali express. 😢
Can't we fix bad tunned IEM with the help of EQ?
Yes, but only to a certain extent. If you boost certain frequencies on certain drivers too much, you'd get a crap ton of distortion and it'll still sound bad. Drivers like dynamics and BAs tend to have this limitation for treble.
Some things you just can't replicate with EQ. Like, if a driver doesn't have punchy bass but a boomy one, EQ'ing will give you more bass but still boomy.
Yes but the less you have to EQ, the more EQ headroom you have and the further you will be from the distortion limit (a good thing). So it's still better to start with a canvas that is closer to your target. You can still use heavy EQ to fix really wonky FR but you could encounter distortion and you will have less room for small tweaks because most of your EQ bands will be spent fixing the bad areas. You will also often need some heavy negative preamp so you could run into power/volume limits easier that way too. I use heavy EQ on a couple of sets because I find the technicals still worth it, but if the driver doesn't have much potential in the first place it's probably worth just buying something better than trying to save something that will never sound that great.
So suppose i have Hexa which is neutral sounding iem or maybe good balanced with sound staging. Am not a bass head or treble head. I am happy with the sound. So now what could be a reason to buy an IEM like 64audio or Sennheiser or Blessing 2 ? What extra can it provide? Because the Hexa gave me the sound balance that I want.
Can some one provide the name of the outro song
I really wanted to buy the KZxHBB PR2 because i want to try whats the hype of Planar and im coming from NiceHck DB3, should i pull the trigger ?
Also whats yall opinion on NiceHck DB3 ?
I got the KZ Symphony which has a planar and a dd for more bass (almost too much bass lol) and the planar driver sounds outstanding and musical.
Page not found
The page you were looking for does not exist.
Thank you
Newer is not always better. The 11$ KZ EDX PRO X boasted better sound in the marketing but I think the original EDX sounds better.
Song name ?