Ha! Place and time 
I’ve beat my ugly mug against enough of other people’s fists to know you get more with honey than vinegar lol
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That’s funny… 
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Quarantine sure gives me a lot of time to browse and post for better or for worse 
With so many high-end IEMs out now and my inability to go and demo them, I have very limited experience with today’s high-end offerings so I don’t think my list will be too interesting. I mostly dabbled in entry level and mid-fi IEMs a few years back. I really wanna try the U12T someday. Edit: bought one from a sale.
Edit: Thinking about this in post, I realize I’m sort of a Sony fanboy. At least in IEMs.
- 64 Audio U12T - I don’t think there’s anything I dislike about these IEMs. Wonderfully tuned, very resolving, and just very fun to listen to.
- Sony IER-M9 - I think they’re very good in its technical performance. The tonal balance isn’t to my taste but with a bit of EQ in the bass and midrange, it’s all good. The treble is oh so smooth.
- Sony IER-Z1R - I really like the fairly wide field of sound though it’s still within the realms of an IEM. I prefer a bit less mid-bass energy but I could not stand the really sharp treble peaks. A deeper insertion helped a tiny bit but the peaks are still there. On my particular unit and with a tone generator, I pull back 6.25, 8.15, and 11 kHz down by 2-3 db which made listening more bearable. I had no problems with the midrange though.
- Sony IER-M7 - Like the M9 with less treble.
- Campfire Audio Andromeda - I thought they sounded very good throughout besides the treble. Very hot sounding up top.
- Sony WF-1000XM3 - From what I can recall, they matched my preferred tonal balance almost perfectly. I just wished the sub-bass had more rumble. If only they were smaller and had a longer battery life.
- Sony MH755 - Fairly good tonally though I EQ them to my taste.
- Sony MDR 7550 - Very good throughout besides a very problematic peak around 5 kHz. At the time, I would call this sort of characteristic “plasticky” sounding. I’m not sure what I would call it now.
- JH Audio Rosie - I don’t quite remember how they sounded but I remember liking them besides the treble.
- Spider Realvoice - I think they’re tonally very good though I need to try them again. Just a bit too recessed up top but everything else sounds really nice. The sub-bass is especially very nice. Not the most resolving or detailed though.
- AKG In-Ear freebies - Surprisingly very good sounding. Harman-like tuning IIRC.
- Moondrop Starfield - I thought they were ok though there’s this weird sort of extra energy in the upper treble that’s a bit fatiguing.
Most of the ones below I haven’t heard in at least a few years, so I’m not exactly sure how I would rank them.
- SMS Audio In-Ear
- Etymotic HF5
- Westone UM PRO 10 - No good.
- Klipsch Image S4
- Klipsch Image S4 II
- Klipsch R6
- Sennheiser CX 685 SPORTS
- JLab Acoustic
- Ortofon E-Q5
- Audio Technica ATH-CKR10 - Surprisingly nice when I had them. No idea what I would think of them now.
- Sony XBA-20
- Sony XBA-H1
- Shure SE215
- HIfiman RE-0
- Audio Technica ATH-CKR9 - Surprisingly nice when I had them. No idea what I would think of them now.
- MEElectronics M6 Pro
- MEElectronics M-Duo
- Panasonic HJE900 - God awful.
- Brainwavz M5
- Brainwavz S5
- Sennheiser CX 300-ii
- Audio Technica ATH-CKR9LTD - Surprisingly nice when I had them. No idea what I would think of them now.
- Audio Technica ATH-CKS1100 - God awful.
- Yamaha EPH-100
- Dunu Titan 1 - Pretty good but a bit bright.
- Aurisonics Forte - Treble murder.
- Klipsch X10
- Brainwavz BLU-200
- Brainwavz Jive
- Audio Technica ATH-IM03 - Harsh treble and rather unmarkable.
- Brainwavz M100
- RHA T20 - Upper midrange is way too much.
- Hifiman RE-400 - mid-centric sounding, didn’t really like
- Aiwa Prodigy-1 - Very v-shaped sounding. Treble is unbearably harsh.
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Thought I would also join the discussion and make the list as well.
1- 64audio U12t (with FiR Modules) - great detail, separation and excellent timbre, especially for drum sounds. Bass can be tweaked with modules, but it is still amazing (regardless of technology). Easy to listen up top, which makes it great for metal.
2- QDC Anole VX - detail oriented signature, great imaging and a very fast IEM. Can get a bit fatiguing for long periods.
3- VisionEars VE8 - best timbre in the business for vocals and instruments. Might not be the most impactful in the bass region, but definitely one of the best IEM out there.
4- Sony IER-M9 - great reference IEM. Quite neutral with decent bass to round things up. Excellent for vocals and imaging.
5- Campfire Audio Solaris - Not the best bass in the list, but this IEM feels very coherent to me (except for that upper mid dip). Fit can be an issue for some, but does most things very well (especially the lower mids).
6- Empire Ears Legend X - Does not need much introduction. The king of bass (in terms of quantity at least). Detail might not be its best trait, but it’s a fun IEM to listen to regardless. Pairs really well with modern music.
7- FiR Audio M4 - Excellent bass and quite relaxed up top, which makes this IEM very pleasant to listen to. Overall, I think it’s the best bass I’ve ever heard (better than Z1R imo). Unit variance is a real thing though, so better be careful !
8- Sony IER-Z1R - Very popular model and I can understand why. Too v-shaped for my own tastes, but lower treble and bass are its best assets. Comfort can be an issue too, so better to be safe and try it out before buying it.
9- 64audio Tia Trio - Sounds too v shaped for my tastes as well, but has great extension on both ends. Mids sound a bit hollow and too far back in my opinion.
10- Shure KSE1200 - Best resolution in the game, but has limitations everywhere else. Treble is WAY too hot for me, but can be good for well recorded music or acoustic. Bass is alright at best.
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Great list man! I’ve heard everything there except the M4 and M9 and (notwithstanding some different tastes/preferences on my part) I concur with pretty much everything you have to say.
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I feel like everything in the top 6-7 is fairly close (minimal differences, mostly preference at this point), so better to just try them all if you get the chance. I really hope you get to try the M9 soon, even though it will might be a bit too flat sounding to you. It’s now my recommandation for under $1000 (better than the Andromeda in my opinion) !
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Yeah the M9 vs. Andro comparison gets brought up a lot…I was never won over by Andro but I know enough people who, even after years, still swear by them so they must be doing something right for some. The M9 is one IEM that’s eluded me so far…I do hope to try it at some point (perhaps after the age of isolation ends and we can start having actual face-face meets again).
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All pls pls pls in this lifetime experience the QDC VX. I’ll put it like this. I have 5 IEMs more expensive and these beat them.
I would love to see the list of those 5 more expensive IEMs…you got me really curious. Thanks in advance for sharing them.
Same, curious what the 5 IEMs mentioned are.
Tia Fourte (tie)
Layla AION (Close)
Roxanne II
UM Mason V3+ (Close)
Inears Promission X (Close)
Inears PP8
I have an VM Erlkonig on order. I’ll let you know.
Also, Z1R, pls tell me about fit. I’ve heard from folks saying they fit great, then I hear there is quite amount of fatigue.
Thoughts anyone?
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Well, I’ve heard both the VX and the Tia Fourté and I much preferred the latter so clearly there’s a “discrepancy” in our preferences. I own the Fourté, not the VX so that says it all.
I’m glad you like the VX so much to believe, think and feel that they’re better than the IEMs you listed. I wish I had the same “luck”, my wallet would certainly thank me.
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[quote=“Feilong4, post:45, topic:4358”]
Sony IER-M9
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I’d say discrepancy is the wrong word. This is a recommendation, like it or not.
Btw, if adding quotes to the word makes you right and me wrong, no one intimated that.
Maybe you didn’t spend enough time with the VX. Try again. Either way good to hear your opinion.
Not sure what you mean by being “lucky”, should we feel bad for you? Again, quotes, lol.
That’s a fantastic list of TOTL iem’s @Michael_Oleksy. You’re certainly an iem lover like myself. Though I haven’t such an extensive list as yourself.
My top 5 are as follows: All of these I own.
- 64 Audio U18t
- Campfire Andromeda (first gen)
- Etymotic ER4SR
- Shure Se846
- Massdrop Plus
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Discrepancy was just to mean that we have had different experiences. I have absolutely no need to feel that I’m right, I respect your opinion and most importantly I’m glad that you’re happy with your assessment. I’m not right (or wrong) by no means I just happen to have my opinion and you have yours, and the quotes were just to highlight that I wish I was that lucky to happen to like IEMs that are actually cheaper than the ones I like.
Once again, thanks for sharing the list of the 5 IEMs.
PS. There’s absolutely no need to feel sorry for me for having an opinion that is not aligned with yours.
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Thanks Gents. I will send through a complete list over the next days.
Btw, @prfallon69 I don’t know why nowadays i feel its shunned upon to mention Shure. Shure 2’s then 5’s were my first IEMs. I discovered them when Apple started selling them in the Apple store. We don’t talk about service a lot, but they might have the best customer service I’ve ever come across.
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I feel you about Shure. I truly enjoyed the SE846 while I had them it was one of the first pair of IEMs that WOWed me.
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Yes I have to agree that Shure is a great company. In my eye’s anyway. I think the Shures have come in for a lot of flak of late. It seems to be fashionable at least on Reddit to jump upon the 846’s as soon as they’re mentioned. I know they aren’t the world beaters they were hailed as upon their release and they are too expensive now in the current market but they are still a great iem. It’s down to preference in the end and if I enjoy something then Nobody’s going to crap on my parade.
Shure was my gateway into the iem and music world years ago so I suppose I do have a soft spot for them.
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- CFA Solaris SE
- Vision Ears VE8
- Legend X
- 64 u12t
- QDC Anole VX
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- 64Audio A3e (Custom)
- ikko OH10
- CFA Polaris 2
- TinHifi P1
- CFA Comet
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