IEMs Discovery & General Discussion

IEMs / In-Ear-Monitors General IEM Discussion
102

Hi all, I just joined an elite group, Blessing 2 owners. I didn’t drink the kool-aide until last night. I was skeptical as to how a $300 iem could get so much praise. Now that I tried them, they are worth all the praise they’ve been getting.

My next question is,

can someone who owns the Blessing 2 and the other 2 more expensive Moondrops, Solis and S8, tell me if, I’m your opinion, are they Blessing 2 plus and Blessing 2 plus plus or are they completely different? Ie different weaker build, different tone, etc.

If similar, they are definitely in the running for a near future purchase.

If not similar, more research would me warranted. :woozy_face:

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103

I only own the Blessing 2 as well; however, the general consensus is that the S8 and Solis are not strict upgrades, particularly the Solis.

The S8 has a slight technical edge over the B2. The Solis makes use of the ESTs, and that’s actually what most of the price differential is being predicated on. Crinacle has reviews on all of them, if you want more in-depth takes!

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104

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The CVJ CSA is a hybrid IEM using one dual magnetic dynamic driver and one balanced armature on each side. CSA is a recent entrant to the Chi-Fi scene, and the CSA joins a crowded price bracket of 1+1 hybrids currently dominated by the KBEAR KB04. The CSA retails for $26.99 on Amazon at the time of this review.

The CVJ CSA is a bright-sounding IEM with a neutral bass presentation. It sounds best at low-to-moderate volumes. The CVJ CSA is easy to drive with a variety of source devices. While CVJ should be applauded for offering an alternative to the dominant tuning in this price range, the CSA needs further refinement, particularly in its upper midrange presentation.

As always, my full review is available on my blog: https://medium.com/bedrock-reviews/cvj-csa-review-f6e0da901acf

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106

You have NM2 and NA2, they both have different tuning and great reviews, I was looking at them weeks ago and end up going for D02 instead. I believe the 2 pin connection is a little problematic on the NF pair. There is also a new one coming , NM2 pro I think.

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107

Just a quick question, is there any reason why no Sony IER Z1R in the ‘Official IEM Model Discussion’?

108

There’s a combined Sony iem thread:

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109

Great review, I’ve been really interested in trying a hybrid like this as Ive never heard a planar before. And also the metal design is a stunner!

The lack of punch and bass weight is a deal breaker for me though, I listen to a lot of bass heavy music (DnB, electro-soul and glitch-hop) so it doesn’t sound like the sound profile is for me.

The search continues for a planar hybrid with gutsy bottom end and punch :rofl:

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110

Thank you, I greatly appreciate it!

I am not sure whether the lack of bottom end was because I didn’t have a suitable source. I am waiting for my Burson Audio Playmate, maybe it’s a better fit. As stated in my review, the TRI i3 is the only IEM that was able to produce the thump in “Do I Wanna Know?” - this is why I initially fell in love with it. Planars are known of being quite capable of producing heavy bass, but boy, oh boy, are they power hungry. If you already own some stronger sources, then I would suggest you definitely try the TRI i3, the thing is a monster. I can love it solely for its comfort & fit - but as stated in my review, I love it’s sonic performance.

Tbh I am happy that it is getting more attention, it’s definitely too underrated.

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111

If I could run it off my laptop without an amp Id maybe give it a go. But my DAC gave up on me a few months ago so I tend to just use my laptop now, that’s the only issues with Planars I guess, they’re hungry little beasts :rofl:

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112

I currently have the Campfire Solaris but very curious about 64Audio Nio and similar price range ±300~ IEM. Can someone give me pointers?

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The IEM’s are “little”… wait 'till you have to power a full-sized headphone.

But you think planar magnetics are bad? You should see what you need to power an electrostatic headphone :joy:

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2 posts were merged into an existing topic: DUNU SA6 - Official Thread

116

Hi everyone, I’m going to be traveling to a place with very high humidity (Florida), and was wondering if it is safe to bring my IEMs (Odin, etc…) and my Utopia/Stellia. I will keep the room on AC, but it will still have at least 90% humidity on some days. Does it damage and wear them down? I notice that 64audio specifically includes dry packs… Thank you!

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117

I answered your question in the Utopia thread, but I will add that I’ve accidentally washed apple IEMs in the washing machine a couple of times, and they were fine after leaving in a Ziploc bag full of rice for a few days, which completely dried out the electronics.

Florida humidity is a breeze compared to the washing machine, so a silica packet in your storage bag should be fine, but if you ever notice issues, you can always store them in rice.

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118

I live in Fla, have for 65 years. Its fine, really. There are people that love audio all over this state and humidity is not a problem. My IEM, my iphones, my cameras, cars trucks, boats, grills you name anything works.

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119

I second @PaisleyUnderground and would add that you could get a Pelican 1010 Micro Case in which to store your IEMs with the silica gel packs.

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120

Thanks so much! Will definitely get the Silica packets.

121

Great idea on the mini pelican cases! I got the Go versions today. They are very slick. Thanks for the advice everyone!!

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122

one thing to consider with the pelican cases is that if your iems arent secure, it can bounce around and hit the top hard cover which can damage BAs. I recommend putting the BAs in a soft pouch or something if you do use a pelican case.

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123

Many of you know, I’m not generally a fan of IEMs, and have been reluctant to spend too much on something that is just not available for me to try before I buy. I don’t think I’ve got ears that are more sensitive than others, but they probably are hairier, (gross) and I find that many IEMs are just not comfortable for more than say, an hour.

Well late to the party I am, because I finally found a pair that I like, having bought used Audeze iSine 20s from @Earmuffs. This is doubly weird because my only prior experience with Audeze was the closed-back LCD-2, and it was not a good experience.

The iSine 20 does not seal tightly in my ear and clips on with a rather better designed over ear clip than Koss does with their clip ons, or an in-ear clip that I have not tried. They almost stay in place without either. They are big, which is probably why they have decent bass without a tight seal. I have not tried them with foam tips because I’m OK with the silly-cone ones. They come in plain and ribbed tip design (Just like Trojans).

The Cipher cable does DAC duty and works great with my i-sources. ROON has EQ presets. I even like the tie-fighter look of the shell.

From what I glean, the iSine 20 is sort of a mid-level earphone/IEM/whatever. I have posted on the Audeze thread here some questions (nobody seems to know the answer) about what the heck is going on with Audeze’ mobile supply. Are they getting ready for new models, or have they discontinued, or do they plan to make more? Is it a Covid supply issue? But most of the models are sold out or nearly so.

Given that I like the sound signature, and everything about the iSine 20, except perhaps the fact that it does not cut out, either passively or actively, external noise, where do I go from here? I have finally experienced a decent quality IEM that might rival headphones as a use case. While I’m not ready to drop a boatload of cash immediately, I am an opportunistic scavenger. What should I be looking at as a step up? The nearly sold out LCDi3? The $2400 LCDi4? Something from a different manufacturer?

I think that the single-driver planar is a good design, and suspect that an electrostat would be similar if it is large enough to provide bass and does not have crossovers. I recall liking the STAX SR-001 when I heard them years ago, but I wasn’t a sophisticated listener back then. But they come with a lot more baggage than a planar, requiring an amp…

This is not an urgent question, but something I’d appreciate seeing bantered about. “What would the old fart like? Yeah, but he’ll never spring for it… Just suppose”

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