I’m looking for a pair of low profile IEMs/earbuds for commutes (think AKG K3003, Focal Spear, or custom monitors that are made to sit flush with the concha) that are more recent and easily purchased. The cable routing doesn’t matter.
I’d like them to 100~200 USD, the lower the better. (I’ve unfortunately spent most of my money on my headphones)
I don’t have a specific genre I listen to. I do prefer a flatter sound signature, and sibilance is not much of a problem, though I prioritize technical performance over tuning.
Thank you.
DK2001 and 3001 pretty small housing, fits flush in my small ears.
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There are the Shure line-up of iem’s. Not such great value anymore with such a packed market. But they are very comfortable and sit flush in my ears. You can lay down and sleep with them in. If you can pick up some SE425’s for a good price they aren’t bad. But as I say you can get more bang for your buck now.
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Yes, there are way too many options today for firm recommendations without intimate and current knowledge of the marketplace (@Antdroid?). My thought was that @Minjun_Kim might review the Ultra Cheap IEM and Chinese IEM threads for options.
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I really like the Shozy 1.1 and Rouge for their fit. 1.4 is a little bigger, but still fits flush with their smaller tips. The Moondrop SSR, is also a flush and small fit. Hope that helps!
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I’ll make sure to read the 2 cheap IEM threads and do more research on the fit of the IEMs mentioned.
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Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll look into those two.
I’ve noticed that Shure has a new Aonic lineup. The Aonic 3 has an unconventional design (at least for Shure), but is the only one in my budget. I haven’t seen much talk on forums about this though. I don’t think they have been out on the North American market for long, though I’ve seen them for sale here in China for a couple of months now.
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They seem to be a tad bit outside my budget, but thank you for the recommendation!
KBEAR KS2 is also pretty flush for me. My wife has little ears, and they stick out for her… but for me they’re flush, and cheap, if you like bassy. I just did a review on my YouTube channel of them if you want to check them out.
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Yes, definitely agree. There’s far better value in that are of iem’s.
Since I’m only a level one member, who cannot create a post, I thought that I’d start my search by reviving this two-year old thread. I have a Sennheiser that I can listen to on my headphone amp for soundstage, sub-bass, and other aspects of faithful reproduction. Some years ago, I purchased an Urbanears Medis for casual listening driven by smartphone and notebook. It fit well and reproduced music enjoyably enough for non-critical listening. When it broke recently, I purchased a Dunu Titan S from Amazon. While the lean sub-bass was not too bothersome, the fit was very much a bother. Retrieving the Titan’s optimal sound required that I use both hands to hold this IEM so that the sound tube pointed toward my ear canal instead of parts of my outer ear. Tips and the cable loops weren’t the problem; the length of the sound tube was. I see now why the Medis fit so well. I’m hesitant to order another pair of modern-day, tubed IEMs only to have to return them and face suspension of return privileges.
I would appreciate suggestions of lower-profile, $50-$100, good-build, fun (more bass than the Titan S - but I’m not a bass head) IEMs. Thank you!
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