Interesting. I’ve not had the issue of them falling out but I’m not active when using them. Usually stuck sitting behind a mixer. Cool work around I’d never consider.
Yeah. Thought it might not fit the list but figured what the heck. Throwing caution to the wind.
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Not really high-end more mid-high but rare are the Advanced Sound Furai.
I was sent a pair to review and have enjoyed them so far. A somewhat mid forward sound with extended bass and slightly rolled treble.
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Hey all! Since I am from Singapore and have lived in Japan for a period of time, I thought that I could contribute a bit of information in this thread about some brands I’ve got to try over the years.
Canal Works
As @Zhanming057 has shared about this brand, they’re kinda one-trick. It is to note that they’ve also stopped doing the resistor-on-faceplate shtick since that compromised durability in the long term for their earphones. Canal Works is manned by Hayashi-san and his wife. Seems like a family business. I’ve met the couple in person and can say that they are very nice people!
Onto the sound. The L3x series (e.g L33LV) are really quite muddy and lacking extension of the treble. Vocals can be suppressed sounding as well with insufficient uppermidrange. I think they might be trying to compete with fitear 334 and 335? I don’t know honestly. But I don’t like that series’ models. I think where canal works is famous for should be the L7x series. I’ve tried their L72 and L77 models and they are seriously fantastic with the upper midrange especially with female vocals. Just so sweet and clear voicing. The 72 sounds like a slightly darker version of the 77. There’s also the recently launched L73 which is supposed to be an upgrade from the L3x series. I do hope I get to try it.
Kumitate Labs
Their house sound tends to be very polite and reserved with the lower midrange. Their house sound tends to be thin sounding. I can’t say I’m a fan but I can see where the appeal is. Typically uppermidrange boosted signatures. The newest KL-Focus does remind me of the JVC FW10K a bit.
Elysian Acoustic Labs
This brand is not new but very obscure. They’re made by a Malaysian man named “Lee”. His brand has recently seen some success in Japan (it’s his target market) and the house sound is a v-shape. It is safe to say that he is very consistent - I think every model is at minimum, ok. He has a clear focus on getting treble extension with his iems.
The Artemis V2 is my favourite from the brand. Colored but well extended treble that puts many earphones to shame. He also has a tribrid (DD BA EST) called the Annihilator/Dio which seems to be very well received by the people who have tried it. Extremely massive treble extension but I find that the lower midrange is way too recessed. One of the two better sonion est implementations out there. The other is Vision Ear’s Elysium. I prefer Ely’s tonal balance a lot though!
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Another unknown brand unless you follow Crinacle or some other IEM enthusiasts, particular from asia, is Hidition. They’re out of South Korea and have a few IEMs that have garnered high praise from the community. The hype is so big, I blind bought the Hidition Viento Reference model.
The reference model has 4 switch modes to play around with, with the first one being, from graphs, similar to a Diffuse Field target (etymotics with more treble extension) and the B switch being similar to a Harman IEM tuning, with a FR that is very close to the Samsung Galaxy Buds, which I really like. At least that’s what I see via measurements. I can’t wait to try them.
It’s being built now, and hopefully I’ll get it in a few weeks.
Buying it isn’t super easy as the owner doesn’t speak much english and I’m pretty sure our email exchanges were through a translation app and you can only pay by wire money transfer. But nevertheless, I believe I’ll be getting something soon!
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To continue…
Wavaya
A brand from Cyprus that specialises in making porcelain CIEMs. They try not to use tubes in their BA constructs and instead opt to use some kind of filling as a waveguide. Man are they generally bad. Their sound sometimes has this echo-y quality/characteristic to it. I am not sure exactly why but I am guessing its the fillings used. Their 3BA has some nice vocals but other than that its meh. Most of their models have a brighter but smeared treble response which I equate with distortion. Very disappointed since I was hyped up to try some porcelain tubeless IEMs. Also their demo units started chipping off and I don’t know if they can survive a drop…
qdc
Quite a familiar name it seems around these parts. Don’t know if they classify as rare anymore haha. In Asia its generally easy to try this brand. They’re best known for their qdc8 series and Anole VX. I find that the 8SL and Gemini have top tier imaging and resolve but have a certain tonal wonkiness. Maybe it’s the early rise in the uppermids? I don’t know. It makes their bass harmonics sound odd. Treble is also too intense (midtreble) especially with the VX. Very strong technical ability though. My favourite model will have to be the 4ss. Warm but rather aggressive listen but not fatiguing compared to qdc8.
The 8SH has less bass than the 8SL/Gemini but accentuates the uppermidrange problems further IMO. A bit bass light at times. 8SS I’d recommend skipping, it’s uppermids go the other way around and is now recessed and suppressed sounding. Great brand overall but certain things can be hit/miss.
Moondrop
Moondrop is getting really popular. They recently launched the S8 which is an upgraded A8 that addresses its bass bloat issues. Bright leaning to my ears but not overly so. Very airy and technical. To me the mids are a bit too lean and it could use less uppermids. If not, very good. They’re one of the most consistent brands out there.
HUM
HK brand that believes in “less is more”. 2BA as their flagship. They are meh IMO since they have too little treble extension. It’s as if they roll off a cliff suddenly after 8-10k. Gives that grainy and dying tweeter sound as a result.
Hidition
Very excited to talk about this brand. I think they’re the most consistent brand by far. Korean made and seems like they operate similarly to Canal Works. I’m a fan of the NT6 - to me its very neutral in tone and only has a slight treble lift. Viento is well liked by some people I know but it’s too lean. Waltz is a nice bass boosted monitor. Violet has a big big bass tuning but very colored in the mids and treble.
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Great stuff. I love learning about new iem’s and brands.
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Here’s even more obscurity (I LOVE trying out underdog and obscure brands)
Flipears (Phillipines)
Their house sound tends to lean towards a thicker signature. Think something like JH but a bit more extended at the treble and with less warmth. Overall balanced signatures that lean on thick. Their upper end models (Axl, Alpha, Ace, Redeemer) have this consistent sound signature and it does sound like they just driver stack them to add a bit of difference. Their most memorable and polarising model would be the Axis. Suuuuuper thick, warm and bassy model (it does sound lo-res) that challenges the EE Phantom in the thiccness category.
FAudio (Hong Kong)
This company makes CIEMs as well as universal single DDs. You may have heard of the FAudio Major and Minor somewhere. They’re more refined, better takes of a single DD sound IMO. The Major is a downslope, thick and warm earphone while the Minor is a balanced (albeit bright leaning) earphone.
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Have you tried out Nguyen Custom Monitors? I have some interest in them for maybe obvious reasons.
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I haven’t! Actually I’ve already contacted them for a loaner unit of the NCM5v2 (hybrid model) that’s quite similar to the Bella v1 from what I read. I keep forgetting to follow up with them. They should be sending one to me soon, I’ll message them to check 
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+1 on CanalWorks, you know how much I love U77 
. Best female vocals I’ve heard.
To add on,
Acoustune (Japan/Hong Kong)
They specialise in single myrinx-coated dynamic driver IEMs, housed in unique-looking metal chambers (brass, stainless steel and titanium are some of the materials they have used). Very cool steampunk aesthetic that will turn heads, google Acoustune for some eyecandy. Their house sound tends to be variations of V-shape, and mostly leaning towards the warm side of things. I am personally a fan of their current flagship, the HS1695 Ti.
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I recently auditioned an InEar ProMissionX (PMX), driven by an A&K SP2000 Copper for the context. Very similar sound signature to the Abyss Diana V2 (Neutral, laid-back/relaxed), top tier technical performance. Perhaps a bit boring/unexciting for some (Like the V2), but can potentially be perfect for those who appreciate that type of sound.
It’s rarely discussed online, but for sure deserves to be considered among the best in the industry.
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I really wanna check that one out, partly because its from InEar and mostly because it’s purple.
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Do any of you have any experience of Clear Tune Monitors, for instance, the Da Vinci X? I’ve started seeing adverts for them and know nothing about them.
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I never heard of them before. I saw Audio 46 is carrying it now though.
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Thanks for this. They’re also available at the Guitar Center, so it looks as though they’re designed for musicians. This might explain why the first model to appear on the radar is such a pricey one (at nearly two and half grand), which at first seemed like a bit of a bold move.
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I believe Clear Tune Monitors are really popular in South America, might be worth a listen !
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Would love to try a pair of MMR Thummim’s
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Straight up I think the Campfire Audio Atlas’s are one of the best IEMs that represents mid bass and the classic V shaped frequency response sound sig. 
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My guess is that they’re not for those who found the Campfire Andromeda too uncomfortably sharp-cornered…
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