I wanted to add some notes on a comparison I did recently. I consider these the “mostly good” planar IEMs, and while I’m sure there are many more, I figured these are a good reference point to compare other planar IEMs to in the future.
All of these are measured with the GRAS RA0402 coupler which cannot be compared to the RA0045 equivalent aliexpress couplers seen commonly, as this one does not have the coupler resonance around 8khz.
I’ve used a smoothed version of the Thieaudio Oracle MKI FR as my neutral reference point here and will continue to do so until there’s better research done on the B&K 5128, as Harman IE2019 is no longer suitable.
Tangzu Zetian Wu:
This one surprised me as it didn’t have any hype surrounding it when it got sent to me by HiFiGo to evaluate, but it probably should. One of the most well-tuned if not the most well-tuned of the bunch. It’s just not quite as incisive as the Timeless and some of the top ones for the intangible qualities. But really solid.
Raptgo Hook-X:
This one is the most straightforward recommendation with one exception, and it’s that it’s an open-back design. But for tuning and technicalities it’s near the top for me.
7hz Timeless:
The one that kicked it off. I like the timeless, but it’s got a few quirks that actually make me go for some of the other ones, most significantly of which is that I find the fit a bit awkward and it doesn’t stay in my ears all that well. But I think for most people this should still be the top pick and it’s probably the safest blind buy.
7hz Dioko (correct filters)
Good value for technical performance but its treble peak causes some sibilance making it tough to use without EQ for me. But still good value.
LETSHOUER S12 and Z12:
These are the more colored/flavoured sounding IEMS. Both have a bit of honk and shout, but with strong, solid bass and crisp treble. For a more esoteric version of ‘good’, these are a lot of fun, but they’re both also a bit on the blunted side for trailing ends of tones.
Dunu Talos:
In planar only mode, it’s… decent. But not great. I found myself needing to EQ it a bit to add some bass and tone down the upper mids and treble a touch - only 3 filters - and when I did it actually sounded fantastic. It’s also up at the top for technical performance in my mind. So with that in mind this is one I could see myself using as the comfort is good too.
The weird thing though on this one is that the planar + BA mode turns it into an absolute treble cannon, which in my view is a bit of a wasted opportunity as that mode is completely unusable for me.