JT7

I bought the new Jade Audio JT7 planar magnetic and they go great with it! They come with 2 sets of cables and sound amazing for ~$100! Best value out there if you ask me.

I've tried a couple of the ones on here and I think the jt3s absolutely bulldoze everything else up until the ft1 and even then I could see the jt3s taking it in certain conditions. I'm less excited about the jt7 but they are still solid, same for the jt1s.

A review of the FiiO Jade/Audio JT7 ( the very cheap planar from FiiO Subbrand) - also takes to pad swaps very well and IMO more comfortable than the FT1 Pro.

yeah but 5-10 years ago even 300 dollar iems sucked compared to modern stuff. You have to keep in mind all products change and improve either in quality or value. For example, currently Hifiman has the Edition XV that is a new set for 400 dollars, it'll get hit with a price cut in a year, for context their 500 dollar edition xs is like 230-300 now. And for something that is new, the FiiO FT1 Pro is an excellent contender nowadays and the FiiO JT7 is a cheaper version of it at 130 dollars that is slightly worse, like the Tanchjim Fission and Origin are to each other. I auditioned the Edition XV and people say the XV and FT1 Pro are similar in terms of tech, so basing off that assumption i'd say these are really close to my Moondrop x Crinacle DUSK. It's like a 5% improvement on the DUSK in terms of detail/dynamics compared to the XV but that's it. The soundstage of the FT1 Pro/XV is not their strongest suite but due to being an open back they're still better than an iem. Due to their drivers, they have a response down to 20 hz, so no bass issues unlike the HD600 stuff. Sound is subjective only for the tuning, that's completely up to taste but the quality of the sound/the technicalities can be heard or at least felt by most. For example a 20 dollar iem vs a 300 dollar one.

hmmm not quite, imo the DUSK is still a 7/10 overall in terms of sound and although imo iems dont get above 8.5/10 cus of the staging, there's still a decent gap, just not worth it. I'd take a 600 dollar arya stealth over a kilobuck iem any day of the week for example but that's only hifiman, no one else is really able to put out such good value. Moondrop is trying but still slightly behind in technicalities at the same price points. Technically speaking, at least based on what I've tried, the Arya Organic, a 900 dollar headphone, is an 8.5/10 in terms of sound. That's endgame quality imo and im not buying any other headphone after my HE1K Stealth (which i got cus of its metal build despite the sound quality being the same as the Arya Organic). I don't think a true 10/10 exists for headphones, the LCD-5 has everything but slam, the Focal Utopia has slam but suffers in other spots, i've only heard the LCD-5 and i'd give it a 9.5/10. So yeah based on this one guy's weird ahh rating system i hope you can get an idea of what black magic Hifiman is doing in the headphone space with their price cuts. And dang lol the HE400Se is a bit old, it's not gonna be bad but you're in for a disappointment if you're gonna compare it to iems. Until 200 dollars iems ROCK. After that headphones and iems start to become similar in quality until around the 400 to 600 dollar range where the Moondrop Para 1/2 and the Hifiman Arya Stealth come in, IEMs just dont stand a chance for me. And i'd take my 320 dollar Adam T5V speakers over the LCD-5 lol

100$ - JT7 (cheap planar magnetic. Great sound. Can EQ to taste or add FT1B velour pads for better bass definition and fixing the 2-3Khz peak). Can add a Meze Boom Mic or buy standalone mic. 150$ - HyperX Cloud 3S wireless. Simple no frills wireless headset. With great sound quality, comfort and battery life. Add StealthZ Gadgetrytech collab velour pads and you will have great sound for gaming and music. 200$ - HD 505 with BAM Mic or FT1 Pro. Both are similar with FT1 Pro having better planar slam. Can add a Meze Boom Mic to FT1 Pro. 300$ - Asus Rog Kithara. Absolutely goated at this price. Essentially getting a full box set with everything needed and sound quality very close to an Arya Stealth. 350$ - Audeze Maxwell 2. Good bass definition though some people have complained about being able to hear footsteps in games. Will require EQ. Wireless but heavy at around 550 g. 400$ - Edition XV. Safest option available. Great soundstage and imaging. Never fatiguing. For me comfort also is very good. Can wear for hours. Also takes EQ very well. Just all around a great headphone. Can add Meze Boom Mic to make it a headset. Costs extra. For dacs, I can recommend: Ifi Air - 100$. K11 - 135$. K11 R2R - 175$. F0S! K7 - 200$. DX3 Pro+ - 200$. (A bit older model). Ifi Zen DAC V3 - 250$. DX5 II - 300$. (Maybe some software and build quality issues). K13 R2R - 320$. Hope this helps. Take your pick.

I haven’t tried it. But I tried the V2X and didn’t like it. Also generally I don’t like Razer products (had bad experiences with their mice a decade ago so wrote them off). So no information from me on them.

I have tried Logitech G Pro X 2 and I didn’t like them also. Too muddy and bass heavy for me and footsteps weren’t clear. HyperX Cloud 3 S issue with earpads size can be fixed with the StealthZ Wicked Cushion pads that I spoke of earlier. If you like Razer products then it makes sense to upgrade to V3 Pro headset. I personally, haven’t tried it so I have no opinions about it. Personally, for me durability was important as my son uses the HyperX and it has a metal headband. Razer small bars around the ear cups is what deters me from having them and I have seen quite a few broken V2X in the past. Overall, sound quality wise, you can check out Gadgetrytech latest review videos to make your conclusions. I believe he has a video on HyperX Cloud 3S, Razer V3 Pro, HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 and also a 2026 headset roundup video. Based on that you can decide what you prefer. Hope this helps.

Fiio JT7 for 100€. Pretty darn good driver performance for this cheap.

The jt7 is great and personally I like it more than the FT1PRO