need some recommendations for really good wired earbuds / IEM's.
I've been contemplating this for almost half a year now. I recently moved back to Android from Apple and first I thought I'll just get another wireless set of earbuds. The more I thought about it though my mind has gone more towards maybe doing a portable DAC + a pair of really nice sounding wired buds.
The absolute max I think I can spend on the buds themselves are around $300. I can be flexible but I am not looking in the Sennheiser 600 ballpark haha.
So if you have any recommendations, experiences or just have some tips to what to look out for please share them with me!
Crinacle's list is a great place to start. https://crinacle.com/rankings/iems/ If you're in the US Amazon has the Moondrop Blessing 2 on sale for $279. That would probably be what I'd try in the $300 range.
Thanks for the suggestion! Crinacle completely slipped my mind haha, yeah the Moondrops look mighty inviting that's for sure!
I've had the blessing 2 dusk for about 2 years now and nothing has really seemed like a worthwhile upgrade to me. I'm sure you'll find a lot of praise for them on the internet so I'll give you what I dislike about them.
Wow thanks for this resource! Would you say they are still a bit lacking after the EQ or do you like them where they are now? I decided to go for a pair of Blessings so will definitely make up my mind on them with my library as well but it's nice to hear others experiences!
I did order some Spinfit W1 hoping they will be a good fit for my ears!
I'm pretty happy with where they're at now, they're not perfect for every song but they are pretty dang close.
Only reason I would want to upgrade would be for something with better technical qualities like separation or clarity. That's not to say that they are bad at that, it's more just me wondering what's out there.
Got it! So many good headphones nowadays it's really exciting!
On top of that I would also recommend the Abigail/Pro dongle from VE as it sounds really good for 10 bucks
Ooh, thanks for that one! Do you use that dongle with the Blessing2's?
I don't since I don't own a Blessing2, but I do use them with my Aria SE. It's a nice, clean DAC/amp that has plenty of power for 99% of IEMs
Sounds like just the thing I need then :D
Moondrop IEMs are really good. They’re tuned very well. I have the Moondrop Chu and they sounds great especially for casual listen, though they cheap out on the cables and they’re non detachable. I think it’s intentional to differentiate their product lineup, otherwise people wouldn’t have any reason to buy their more expensive models.
kiwi cadenza are the only thing i listen to post-BLON
What you get is largely going to depend on your preferences for sound signature.
I would dive into the world of chi-fi IEMs.
KZ make some great IEMs; I love the ZS10 Pro and I'd love to own a PR1 Pro.
Kiwi Ears also make great products.
I'd recommend checking out the Linsoul website as they often have great deals on their headphones.
For DACs, I love the Qudelix 5k myself. I think it's better than the FiiO DACs.
Can confirm, I have a set of KZs (I forget the model) but they're shockingly good, even better when paired with a FiiO DAC
Shocking good is exactly how I describe them. And for the money, like $40-90, you can't beat them!
IEMs are actually advancing at a rapid pace and those KZs are pretty outdated by now. Salnotes Zero or Truthear Hola beat them for less and something like the Truthear Zero are a pretty decent step up.
The PR2 especially is nice though, just sad they seemingly had a silent revision that's worse.
If you like neutral tuning i can't recommend the Truthear Hexas enough for around $80
The Aful Performer 5, despite the name, is great and on sale right now.
Haha what a name. They also look great!
What kind of music do you like?
S12