Decided to check in on the state of Chi-fi and picked up the Kiwi Ears Cadenza. So far I’m liking them quite a bit. They will probably be my default rec now for entry level. They have a natural sound and a bit of bass emphasis so I think they would be pleasing to most people. They are dynamic and detailed enough for an engaging listen. They remind me of the things I liked in the BL03 but they actually fit and look nice. Cable is servicable but I picked up a cheap chi-fi replacement terminated in 4.4 to use with my R5. Makes a pretty sweet budget portable setup imo.
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I derped and forgot to check if there was a general IEM thread… 
Okay, so, Final A3000 for 110€, what could go wrong, right?
Hello there! I don’t know that much about IEM sources, so I wanted to ask for some recommendations. I currently own a Gae Bolg and it’s somewhat likely that I might pick up a Hyla Sarda or a Fir VxV, and I’m curious what mobile sources make sense at this $1K IEM level.
At the moment, I have a CEntrance HiFi M8 V2, but I find it has audible noise floor without an IEMatch on most of my IEMs (though I /am/ running balanced and high gain), so I’d be looking for something that’s still neutral-ish and detailed, but with a lower noise floor and that’s more intended for IEMs.
Hello,
Take a look at the Imr Acustic.
They come from England and have different filters to adjust the sound to your personal preferences.
I have an Imr R2 Red and I am quite happy with it.
Unfortunately, it was only available in a limited edition.
They are really not bad.
As a drive, I still find mobile Dac/Amp the best somehow.
With the separate power supply of the dac/amp, the mobile dongels unfortunately don’t get along, and often have noise floor unfortunately.
No matter which one you buy.
An Ifi Hip Dac 2 can be enough to be happy.
Of course, there are also better ones with better connectivity.
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Maybe to help clarify, are you looking for desktop? transportable? Fully portable?
If portable, is it a DAP you have in mind? Or a dongle + phone solution?
And if DAP, do you need Android for streaming? Or is local FLAC playback good enough?
And maybe thinking a little longer term, do you plan to scale up in the future? Would you want to run both IEMs and headphones?
You already indicated a neutral-ish sound signature preference. Any other sonic preferences?
Price target?
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I think of looking for a DAP under 1k range you won’t do much better than this
It’s price has been cut in half for brand new here recently since they are probably getting ready to launch a new flagship dap soon. No streaming, only local files though and you might not have the easiest time selling it if you decide to move it on, but probably my pick for a DAP under 1k best bang for your buck imo
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Also I might recommend if you haven’t already considered it, sell the gaebolg and take the funds along with what you are planning to use for the vxv/sarda and buy a higher end set. You can get a secondhand fourte for around 1.6k these days and that is pretty much endgame tier for a lot of people and would be infinitely better than the sets in the 1k range.
Just a thought instead of muddling around in midfi iems for too long
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Looking for fully portable, I was thinking a DAP that also has some sort of Bluetooth functionality, so I could play either local files or just use Bluetooth or USB if I’m streaming, but maybe that’s a bad idea? lol
It doesn’t make sense for me to go super-high with IEMs considering how often I use them, so this $1K-ish range is probably where I’m going to stay for a while, and I already like the HiFi M8 for taking full-size headphones portable.
In terms of sonic preferences, I’m not looking for realism especially, so I like a sound that’s a bit spatially exaggerated, though these are IEMs, so my expectations are in check on that front. Something a little on the thicker side can also be nice. Good detail and separation are also a big plus. I don’t need a ton of bass, I spend a lot of time listening to like, a MYSPHERE and tube amps and stuff, so I’m okay with not-the-best extension on both ends, lol
Ideally something like $1K or $1.5K ballpark.
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That’s a fair point, I could totally imagine going this route instead. But I’m still not wanting to spend too much in IEM-land, and I assume a higher-end set would mean spending /even more/ money on a good source for it, but yeah, maybe I should just wait and make a bigger, more worthwhile jump some time later
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If you can stretch to 1.5k then definitely try to find a lotoo paw gold touch secondhand and call it a day.
Really depends on the set some will synergize with certain daps/sources better than others. If we are talking the fourte specifically or even just 64audio in general, you won’t have any trouble with either the QPM or lpgt. The 64a stuff in general is less picky of source than a lot of other brands I have heard of course that doesn’t mean it won’t sound better with a better dap but it certainly won’t sound like shit either. If you go lpgt that is pretty much a endgame dap imo so don’t really have to worry either way
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You’ve thoroughly answered these questions into a corner where I have very little advice/ideas to offer 
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I’m looking for an upgrade to my IER-Z1R and 2020 Andros driving off of LPGT primarily. I love the comfort of Andros which I’ve had for almost 2 years at this time but technically Z1R is much more impressive, although tonally not as balanced.
I had mainly gotten the Sonys for dat bass and they definitely deliver but the comfort…let’s just say my ear canals are starting to loosen up. After trying out several tips and sizes, I can finally wear them for extended periods and while fun to listen, my ears still thank me for taking them out. Plus they are heavy. I out my Andros in today after like a month and it was soo nice but I immediately missed the punch and speed and music just seemed…weak, for the lack of a better word. Especially death doom type stuff which is mostly what I listen to on the go.
So with that background, I’m looking for a TOTL upgrade (budget is 3-3.5k used max including a good cable). Hopefully the above gives the criteria but it’s basically excellent staging, timbre, punch and dynamics with a balanced tonality with emphasis on mids on good bass (doesn’t have to be bass heavy but good texture). I’m more interested in a good balance with excellent technicals. Oh and has to be comfortable.
My top contenders are EE EVO, Odin, Traillii (this seems like an IEM Sus), Infinity Mk2 (I’ve heard not so good things about comfort otherwise this was the top contender based on shit list). Any other suggestions are welcome but if anyone has listened to both Odin and Traillii first hand, I’d appreciate the inputs since I’m leaning Odin heavily atm.
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YMMV, but I thought Inf MK2 was infinitely more comfortable than the Z1R. I can see how fitting is strange because they are quite large, so they stick out a little, but I was using them for hours at a time without issue.
If you are prioritizing comfort, you should check out 64 Audio as well. Their pressure relief makes it a prereq for me from now on.
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I’d really add in the MMR thummim as well, really fits what you want well for a more bassy approach in quantity and quality
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Quite possible, the guy who reached out on HF to me with them said the reason he was selling his second pair was comfort which could very well be just one person’s comfort but just made me rethink after my Z1R experience.
I have looked at some of their models but they seem too “reference-y” for lack of a better word and gives me the notion that they might not be as punchy/slammy/dynamic but I could be wrong.
I have gone back and forth on this one, I’ll do some more research on these.
This is for all the folks who are reluctant to buy used IEMs for the reason they are normally deep in someone else’s ear. No judgement as I have been rocking Purell since the 90s. I recently purchased some used Trios and there was an issue with a grill. 64 Audio offers a deep cleaning service which includes grill replacememt for $60 plus return shipping. I though this was an amazing deal. They also changed out the connectors at no extra charge. After cleaning the IEMs, 64 Audio tests them and lets you know if additional repairs are needed. If this is the case, they would not charge you for the deep cleaning cost, but rather the repair cost which is around $200. Not sure if all companies offer this, but i was very impressed with their customer service and quality of work.
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Wish I knew about this when I had my used trios. Was always worried about the connector on one. Seemed to be on the looser side and it made me nervous.
Finally have more than one IEM that fits me reliably. Gonna be comparing these two in the next few weeks. Done a little bit already and the A8000 is capturing my attention more, but it’s not really the most fair comparison.
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I was surpise how great 64 Audio’s customer service was. Actually, the connectors they put in are so tight that its hard to remove my cables. Lol
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