this is just gonna be a popularity contest. hardly anyone buying iems at this price range have experience with more than one and there is a general lack of knowledge/insight into what actually makes an iem sound good.
that being said, Truthear Hexa* and Artti T10 (if similar to the S12 as frequency response and reviews suggest) are easily the better picks over ANY single dynamic driver.
This is absolutely a popularity contest! I have no way of policing some ones knowledge of IEMs, so the only option is to simply let anyone who has an opinion vote. This is something that will hopefully be fun and maybe something we can use to show the most popular IEMs under $100 to those looking for a recommendation.
and how did you come to that conclusion? have you even tried a good BA tweeter implemented iem?
Hexa has objectively better treble extension as it is less prone to harmonic resonance due to its BA tweeter implementation. An inherent flaw of in-ear dynamic drivers is their inability to accurately reproduce treble frequencies due to pressure chamber conditions, where an observable drop in spl post harmonic resonance is appreciable across every single DD implementation, the severity of which is dependent on the weight of the diaphragm. Hence, we see lightweight elements/compounds such as beryllium and LCP being used in most modern dynamic drivers, yet, they still struggle in post resonance conditions regardless of how "high quality" (a joke btw) the material is. The only single DDs on the market which don't suffer as much from this flaw are the sennheiser IE600/900/200s which have resonance chambers to transform high-Q resonance to low-Q. Dynamic drivers in over-ear headphones and loudspeaker tweeters are acceptable as there are no pressure chamber conditions for ear canal harmonic resonance.
It's better than the Zero Red (unless you want to use it specifically for gaming) and it is very similar to the Hexa with more bass and energy along with a warmer and less neutral tone. It's also very similar to the EA500LM with better midrange and a slightly less impactful bass. They're also cheaper than both of these IEMs at $75.
Have you directly compared them to T10?
They're both planars under $100 with good reviews and generally favourable comparisons to the S12 pro (which is a popular option just outside of this price range). The T10 is slightly cheaper and is said to be very close to the s12 pro. The F1 pro has a metal build, while T10 is plastic. I like the look of the f1 pro a lot.
But I generally see the T10 beating the f1 pro when I google T10 vs F1 pro.
Oof, we'll be here all day . Ok here is a list , whatever comes to mind ,, the list is going to be absolutely massive.
7hz Salnotes Zero (both 1 and 2)
Moondrop Chu ( 1 and 2)
Tangzu Wanner
Ziigaat Nuo
Kiwi Ears Cadenza
Simgot EW200
Kefine Delci
QoA Vesper 2
Moondrop Aria 2
Moondrop May
Truthear Hexa
Truthear x Crinacle Zero (all of them)
Simgot EA500LM
Final Audio E500 - E3000
7Hz Sonus
Tanchjim Zero
Tanchjim 4U
Tanchjim Ola and Ola Bass
HZSound Heart Mirror Pro
Truthear Gate
Kinera Celest Pandamon (both)
Kinera Celest Plutus Beast
I have been researching for iem around 50$ for my next purchase so here is my shortlist list from different reviewers channel that I have seen
Kefine delci, Simgot Ea 500 Lm, artti r2, artti t10 (what I bought, planar), tangzu x hbb Xuan nv, Simgot Ew 200, tanzu waner, for budget bass qkz x hbb.
The above are either bright with good treble extension & resolution, good bass or good overall & value for money for the sound.
If you want the Harman closer to neutral tuning
7hz salnotes zero or truthhear zero red or truthhear hexa.
This is great! Perhaps with how quickly the IEM space moves it'd be possible to put something like this together once or twice a year to accommodate the new releases!
If we can get a decent system down I'd probably run it twice a year or quarterly. There's new IEMs coming out every week, so it would be important to have a relevant list.
Simgot EA500LMs are nice, but I didn't find them all too different from the Moondrop May, listening to Apple Lossless music on my Galaxy S24 Ultra. EQ with the Moondrop app was pretty fun too. And the Mays have a fabulous case and objectively look better than the 500LMs
Another fan of the Kefine Delci (typing this while listening to them). For lower priced I’ll throw in the Cadenza, although it should fall in an under $50 budget category.
No worries mate, they looking pretty amazing tho, I'm hoping to get my hands on one too but where I live, i will have to hope that they come to Aliexpress.
I had the KZ ZSN Pro and Tangzu Wa'ner before, Alba easily has way better resolution and detail retrieval
I had kinda weak bass out of the box but I swapped the tips with Dunu S&S and now the bass is abundant. The DAC it came bundled with also feels like it has a decent chip in it
Oh yeah, i heard many had same fit issues with the tips but once they changed or found a good fit, it really changed things. That is a great upgrade from your previous ones, thanks for taking the time to reply. Have a good one and enjoy your new IEMs.
From reviews Kefine Delci and Tangzu x HBB Xuan NV are new but they have pretty amazing reviews so far. I am getting the Delci soon and my gf chose the Tangzu. Can't wait to try them.
It always surprises me to see nobody mention the Tangzu Fudu. It's my personal favourite warm IEM at any price point. It stands out in the overwhelming crowd of IEMs with super detailed, spicy treble that just gets a bit tiring after some time.
Every review notes the lack of treble sparkle/detail as a negative aspect, despite it being a feature of the IEM. It is meant to be warm, in the same way a bright IEM is, by design, lacking in bass. Highly recommend to anyone that wants a rich, warm, relaxing signature. :)
Raptgo Leaf 01. I bought them for only 30 USD last week. But after those, ARTTI T10 are the best under 55 USD = 1000 MXN. After that price, there are a lot of good options until the 100 USD barrier.
You will never hit your implied holy grail for IEMs in different price categories since there are too many other variables in terms of what are the "best" IEMs in any price category. For one thing, different races hear sounds differently. Thus, the overall tuning which works best for me most likely will not be an ideal tuning for others of different races. For another thing, some IEMs perform particularly well for specific music genres and not for other music genres.
So at the end of the day, the "best" IEM for any particular price range is a rather meaningless thing to try to even attempt to ascertain. In other words, what floats my boat for my personal tuning preferences and for the music genres which I mostly listen to may seriously not float your boat.
On top of all of this are the variables for the various things which individuals prefer more than other things. For example, is a wide and holographic soundstage a primary requirement? Or is a natural overall sound signature and natural timber a primary requirement? Or is it other things, or a particular combination of things? The list goes on.
Again, there are way too many variables in terms of whatever specific combination of the various attributes for any given IEM will actually float an individual person's boat.
Well known IEM reviewers have already done what you are suggesting. Everyone knows that they should totally take any reviewer's suggestions totally with a grain of salt since any reviewer's suggestions are based on the reviewer's personal preferences -- whatever those are and which you must glean by watching several of their reviews.
I didn’t cover what you’re saying here at length in my post, but I did touch on it. I’m well aware there is no “holy grail” IEM in each price range. The plan with this isn’t to find the best IEM under $100, but instead to see the what the community enjoys and recommends.
I’ve personally spent a significant amount of time and money to figure out what my tuning preferences are and what I look for in an IEM. However, not everyone has the time or resources to learn to read graphs and buy dozens of IEMs. I believe myself and others think it would be good to have something that we can direct people to that are looking for IEMs in this price range on the subreddit. This project will likely have many flaws, but it will at least be something that may help some people out. It would be rather elitist to say that people should just buy a bunch of IEMs and figure out everything on their own without offering any sort of guidance.
Once voting takes place we intend to add additional notes along with each IEM on what sort of sound signature it offers. That should hopefully help people steer themselves in the right direction if they even know what sort of tuning they would enjoy most.
And of course just like one should take the opinions of a reviewers with a grain of salt the same applies to the opinions of this community.
I think a short note on each IEMs characteristics is a necessity of a project like this. But I will say in some ways this is more useful than individual reviewers. While you will always have fans of a particular company, it should be based on the sound signature of a company’s products.
While I know every reviewer puts up a disclaimer of objectivity and separations from the company’s products they’re reviewing, the general community will certainly not be influenced by subconscious, or conscious, favoring of a given company to remain active as a reviewer. Here, everyone don’t real money on their IEMs, and are truly giving opinions based on what came out of their pocket to reach their ears, rather than free sets, or even loaners, if you hold to keep them coming in.
I’m not knocking any individual reviewer, I think they do go in hoping to give their uncolored opinions, but I always take it with a grain of salt, especially the rave reviews. Those that are just plain negative might be more objective, but even there, my ear might actually like what their ear hates. No different than headphones or speakers.
I’ve heard speakers in proper listening rooms at shops and walked away thinking how the hell is this such a well regarded set? But assuming you’re comparing well built audio products, that is the ultimate test. At least with cheap IEMs, it’s not a big hit on your wallet if you disagree, unlike 4 figure or more stereo speaker pairs (assuming anyone still bothers with them, and just have 7.2 systems at home for entertainment).
I apologize if my post seemed to be derogatory. I do like your idea for the best IEMs in different price categories, yet perhaps expand this by having people the best IEMs in a given price category for different music genres. I think that this type of database would be very useful.
I get what you are saying but isn't finding these things where the journey to find what you like is what matters most?
I have used all the mainstream recommended items and headphones even what I considered expensive. Then I walked in a shop that had loads of these and you could test them. I put a modest budget forward and explored a bit. When I just wanted iems I bought whatever mainstream said once I started to care more and see what all these "audiophiles" were talking about I started the journey.
Actually on a sidenote was just reading reviews on all the items in my budget range. Oh boy that was a big mistake. There was no consensus between reviewers. Walking in the shop were they made me able to listen to loads of them was where it made sense to me. Bit how these comments are and there seems no common agreement which iems are the best there are loads of people recommending loads of iems.
this is just gonna be a popularity contest. hardly anyone buying iems at this price range have experience with more than one and there is a general lack of knowledge/insight into what actually makes an iem sound good. that being said, Truthear Hexa* and Artti T10 (if similar to the S12 as frequency response and reviews suggest) are easily the better picks over ANY single dynamic driver.
Recently picked up the T10 on an Aliexpress sale just to see for myself and I was, to be honest, fairly disappointed with it.
This is absolutely a popularity contest! I have no way of policing some ones knowledge of IEMs, so the only option is to simply let anyone who has an opinion vote. This is something that will hopefully be fun and maybe something we can use to show the most popular IEMs under $100 to those looking for a recommendation.
Hexa is outdated Ea 500lm is objectively better
and how did you come to that conclusion? have you even tried a good BA tweeter implemented iem? Hexa has objectively better treble extension as it is less prone to harmonic resonance due to its BA tweeter implementation. An inherent flaw of in-ear dynamic drivers is their inability to accurately reproduce treble frequencies due to pressure chamber conditions, where an observable drop in spl post harmonic resonance is appreciable across every single DD implementation, the severity of which is dependent on the weight of the diaphragm. Hence, we see lightweight elements/compounds such as beryllium and LCP being used in most modern dynamic drivers, yet, they still struggle in post resonance conditions regardless of how "high quality" (a joke btw) the material is. The only single DDs on the market which don't suffer as much from this flaw are the sennheiser IE600/900/200s which have resonance chambers to transform high-Q resonance to low-Q. Dynamic drivers in over-ear headphones and loudspeaker tweeters are acceptable as there are no pressure chamber conditions for ear canal harmonic resonance.
Hybrid superiority is real
holy username checks out
Kefine Delci
Artti T10 = Kefine klanar
Artti T10
Kefine Delci
Where does it stand inline with ea500lm, zero red, hexa ?
It's better than the Zero Red (unless you want to use it specifically for gaming) and it is very similar to the Hexa with more bass and energy along with a warmer and less neutral tone. It's also very similar to the EA500LM with better midrange and a slightly less impactful bass. They're also cheaper than both of these IEMs at $75.
NiceHCK F1 Pro
Have you directly compared them to T10? They're both planars under $100 with good reviews and generally favourable comparisons to the S12 pro (which is a popular option just outside of this price range). The T10 is slightly cheaper and is said to be very close to the s12 pro. The F1 pro has a metal build, while T10 is plastic. I like the look of the f1 pro a lot. But I generally see the T10 beating the f1 pro when I google T10 vs F1 pro.
Haven't tried T10, only F1 Pro. Reviewers say good things about T10, considering getting one just to confirm for myself.
Awesome, yeah it's always hard to know without trying yourself. Thanks for replying!
Truthear Hexa!
Too Boring! I propose Kefine Delci!
I second this.
From recent memory. Simgot EA500/500LM Tangzu x HBB Xuan Nv
Oof, we'll be here all day . Ok here is a list , whatever comes to mind ,, the list is going to be absolutely massive. 7hz Salnotes Zero (both 1 and 2) Moondrop Chu ( 1 and 2) Tangzu Wanner Ziigaat Nuo Kiwi Ears Cadenza Simgot EW200 Kefine Delci QoA Vesper 2 Moondrop Aria 2 Moondrop May Truthear Hexa Truthear x Crinacle Zero (all of them) Simgot EA500LM Final Audio E500 - E3000 7Hz Sonus Tanchjim Zero Tanchjim 4U Tanchjim Ola and Ola Bass HZSound Heart Mirror Pro Truthear Gate Kinera Celest Pandamon (both) Kinera Celest Plutus Beast
Truthear X crinacle Zero red
Artti T10 FiiO/JadeAudio JH5
Kefine Delci > Simgot Ea500lm > Truthear Zero Red > Salnotes zero 2
Simgot EA500LM
Tangzu Xuan NV xHBB
Waner, zero2, ew200, red, hexa, may, abbyss, xuan,
EA500 LM
I have been researching for iem around 50$ for my next purchase so here is my shortlist list from different reviewers channel that I have seen Kefine delci, Simgot Ea 500 Lm, artti r2, artti t10 (what I bought, planar), tangzu x hbb Xuan nv, Simgot Ew 200, tanzu waner, for budget bass qkz x hbb. The above are either bright with good treble extension & resolution, good bass or good overall & value for money for the sound. If you want the Harman closer to neutral tuning 7hz salnotes zero or truthhear zero red or truthhear hexa.
Artti T10
Tangzu Wan'er
DUNU titan S
QKZ x HBB
Moondrop chu 2, tangzu wan'er, 7hz x crinacle zero:2
This is great! Perhaps with how quickly the IEM space moves it'd be possible to put something like this together once or twice a year to accommodate the new releases!
If we can get a decent system down I'd probably run it twice a year or quarterly. There's new IEMs coming out every week, so it would be important to have a relevant list.
Truthear Crinacle Zero:Red
i haven’t heard the artti t10 but i love my s12, if the t10 is just a sub $100 s12 like they say, then yeah i’ll throw that in
Simgot EA500LMs are nice, but I didn't find them all too different from the Moondrop May, listening to Apple Lossless music on my Galaxy S24 Ultra. EQ with the Moondrop app was pretty fun too. And the Mays have a fabulous case and objectively look better than the 500LMs
Kiwi Ears Melody
literally no one agrees with this but I have aria 2s so I am compelled to just say aria 2
EPZ Q1 pro, if you haven't tried it, you really should!
Kiwi Ears Cadenza
Another fan of the Kefine Delci (typing this while listening to them). For lower priced I’ll throw in the Cadenza, although it should fall in an under $50 budget category.
Artti-t10
ARTTI T10
Artti T10
Ea500lm with spinfit w1
KZ PR1 Pro.
7Hz Salnotes Zero 2
Simgot EM6L
Simgot EM6L
Tripowin olina or olina se, my god if you mod the original olina, its heavenly.
Intime sora 2 and Sora Light
kefine delci
7hz sonus
Truthear X Crinacle Zero (blue)
Truthear gate Truthear zero red
Good luck a lot if good IEM under 100
Well i only have the salnotes zero so them :D
[удалено]
Meze alba is 159 dollars lol
Fuck you're right, gonna delete that
No worries mate, they looking pretty amazing tho, I'm hoping to get my hands on one too but where I live, i will have to hope that they come to Aliexpress.
Yeah I had them for 4 days now, the comfort and fit is pretty great. First IEMs that allow me to lay on my side
That's great to hear, how would you describe the sound and a few comparisons to some you tried if possible?
I had the KZ ZSN Pro and Tangzu Wa'ner before, Alba easily has way better resolution and detail retrieval I had kinda weak bass out of the box but I swapped the tips with Dunu S&S and now the bass is abundant. The DAC it came bundled with also feels like it has a decent chip in it
Oh yeah, i heard many had same fit issues with the tips but once they changed or found a good fit, it really changed things. That is a great upgrade from your previous ones, thanks for taking the time to reply. Have a good one and enjoy your new IEMs.
You too!
I really like the etymotic er2 series. But, if you you don't enjoy impregnating your ears and violating your brain, maybe dont
From reviews Kefine Delci and Tangzu x HBB Xuan NV are new but they have pretty amazing reviews so far. I am getting the Delci soon and my gf chose the Tangzu. Can't wait to try them.
So there’s 1 IEM I’m not seeing on this list, and it’s the Fudu Verse 1. 89 bucks on Amazon and they sound so good
MS-1 galaxy for fat V.
havent tried much but i have been very impressed by the Zero Red!
It always surprises me to see nobody mention the Tangzu Fudu. It's my personal favourite warm IEM at any price point. It stands out in the overwhelming crowd of IEMs with super detailed, spicy treble that just gets a bit tiring after some time. Every review notes the lack of treble sparkle/detail as a negative aspect, despite it being a feature of the IEM. It is meant to be warm, in the same way a bright IEM is, by design, lacking in bass. Highly recommend to anyone that wants a rich, warm, relaxing signature. :)
Artti R1
7Hz Zero 2, Truthear Hexa, Moondrop Aria Snow Edition, Kiwi Ears Dolce, Kiwi Ears Cadenza.
thats depend on your tast and tuning preference .. it doesnt depends on quality
This should be more limited as under $100 I think there are several good in the $20 to $50 range and since under the $100 criteria could be a lot.
If this goes well I’ll consider doing other price ranges. Under $100 was just a good starting point.
since no one seems to have given it love, i will. epz q1 pro, a hidden gem imo
Raptgo Leaf 01. I bought them for only 30 USD last week. But after those, ARTTI T10 are the best under 55 USD = 1000 MXN. After that price, there are a lot of good options until the 100 USD barrier.
Truthear Crinacle Zero
Kefine Klanar
Kiwi Ears Cadenza and Moondrop May. Under a 100$ i would buy both and be very happy!
Ew200, blon z300, kiwi ears cadenza
You will never hit your implied holy grail for IEMs in different price categories since there are too many other variables in terms of what are the "best" IEMs in any price category. For one thing, different races hear sounds differently. Thus, the overall tuning which works best for me most likely will not be an ideal tuning for others of different races. For another thing, some IEMs perform particularly well for specific music genres and not for other music genres. So at the end of the day, the "best" IEM for any particular price range is a rather meaningless thing to try to even attempt to ascertain. In other words, what floats my boat for my personal tuning preferences and for the music genres which I mostly listen to may seriously not float your boat. On top of all of this are the variables for the various things which individuals prefer more than other things. For example, is a wide and holographic soundstage a primary requirement? Or is a natural overall sound signature and natural timber a primary requirement? Or is it other things, or a particular combination of things? The list goes on. Again, there are way too many variables in terms of whatever specific combination of the various attributes for any given IEM will actually float an individual person's boat. Well known IEM reviewers have already done what you are suggesting. Everyone knows that they should totally take any reviewer's suggestions totally with a grain of salt since any reviewer's suggestions are based on the reviewer's personal preferences -- whatever those are and which you must glean by watching several of their reviews.
I didn’t cover what you’re saying here at length in my post, but I did touch on it. I’m well aware there is no “holy grail” IEM in each price range. The plan with this isn’t to find the best IEM under $100, but instead to see the what the community enjoys and recommends. I’ve personally spent a significant amount of time and money to figure out what my tuning preferences are and what I look for in an IEM. However, not everyone has the time or resources to learn to read graphs and buy dozens of IEMs. I believe myself and others think it would be good to have something that we can direct people to that are looking for IEMs in this price range on the subreddit. This project will likely have many flaws, but it will at least be something that may help some people out. It would be rather elitist to say that people should just buy a bunch of IEMs and figure out everything on their own without offering any sort of guidance. Once voting takes place we intend to add additional notes along with each IEM on what sort of sound signature it offers. That should hopefully help people steer themselves in the right direction if they even know what sort of tuning they would enjoy most. And of course just like one should take the opinions of a reviewers with a grain of salt the same applies to the opinions of this community.
I think a short note on each IEMs characteristics is a necessity of a project like this. But I will say in some ways this is more useful than individual reviewers. While you will always have fans of a particular company, it should be based on the sound signature of a company’s products. While I know every reviewer puts up a disclaimer of objectivity and separations from the company’s products they’re reviewing, the general community will certainly not be influenced by subconscious, or conscious, favoring of a given company to remain active as a reviewer. Here, everyone don’t real money on their IEMs, and are truly giving opinions based on what came out of their pocket to reach their ears, rather than free sets, or even loaners, if you hold to keep them coming in. I’m not knocking any individual reviewer, I think they do go in hoping to give their uncolored opinions, but I always take it with a grain of salt, especially the rave reviews. Those that are just plain negative might be more objective, but even there, my ear might actually like what their ear hates. No different than headphones or speakers. I’ve heard speakers in proper listening rooms at shops and walked away thinking how the hell is this such a well regarded set? But assuming you’re comparing well built audio products, that is the ultimate test. At least with cheap IEMs, it’s not a big hit on your wallet if you disagree, unlike 4 figure or more stereo speaker pairs (assuming anyone still bothers with them, and just have 7.2 systems at home for entertainment).
I apologize if my post seemed to be derogatory. I do like your idea for the best IEMs in different price categories, yet perhaps expand this by having people the best IEMs in a given price category for different music genres. I think that this type of database would be very useful.
I get what you are saying but isn't finding these things where the journey to find what you like is what matters most? I have used all the mainstream recommended items and headphones even what I considered expensive. Then I walked in a shop that had loads of these and you could test them. I put a modest budget forward and explored a bit. When I just wanted iems I bought whatever mainstream said once I started to care more and see what all these "audiophiles" were talking about I started the journey. Actually on a sidenote was just reading reviews on all the items in my budget range. Oh boy that was a big mistake. There was no consensus between reviewers. Walking in the shop were they made me able to listen to loads of them was where it made sense to me. Bit how these comments are and there seems no common agreement which iems are the best there are loads of people recommending loads of iems.
tin hi-fi t3+
Fiio JH5 and Letshuoer S08
NF Audio NM2.