Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to help keep lights on! I may get a small commission.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Reddit Reviews
absolutely_noone_0I have a curse with IEM faceplate, first Moondrop May then the U4s :((
bdellophiliacU4s with the MX module for classical.
jadenthesatanistI’d say the first break point is somewhere around $300ish, then the next break point is “entry” kilobucks around $1k. So for the first break point IEMs like Dusk, anything Xenns, Thieaudio, Softears, so on and so forth, and for the second break point you have a lot of solid options like Monarchs, Dunu Glacier, CFA Andromedas, 64 Audio U4S, etc. Edit: to clarify, those are the points where I think you get the biggest jumps in quality relative to price points around them. So I don’t think it’s as worth it to move beyond that $300-$400 price point unless you’re jumping up to $1k.
While I haven’t tried other kilobucks, my 64 Audio U4S were a clear step above all of my other IEMs in the overall clarity of the mix while retaining both heavy-hitting bass and treble detail. Every section of the mix is well-represented and high quality while being distinctly separated out from the rest, they’re just super clear, cohesive and immersive. The bass quality is the best I’ve heard so far as well, nothing else that I own has the same quality of mid-bass attack. I went in frankly skeptical that they’d be worth the cost, but I was super impressed when I first got them and they’ve been at the top of my collection ever since.
My U4S is a no-brainer, but I’m gonna specifically call out my Tea 2s for the killer soundstage and imaging. They’re immersive and enveloping and idk what I’ll do if anything happens to em now that they’re discontinued. That’s the unfortunate thing about chifi, with how the market constantly pushes forward, who the hell knows about long-term support once models get pushed out of their lineup
You can also get 64 Audio from Headphones . com (idk if we can link stuff here off the top of my head lol). Got my U4S from them open box, no complaints
kapparino-feederinoAfter trying gazillion of iem Honestly i cant get my absolute favorite like storm or elysian annihilator. But u4s is my fav and i just bought them used for 550 bucks. Best purchase so far, buy once cry once. Why do i like it, well it just the perfect "compromise" I can get in an IEM Bass not as good as z1r but a really solid 8 if z1r bass is 10 Mid is really nice, not as good as something like storm but solid 8. Treble isnt as effortless and sparkly and airy like annihilator but its solid enough in 7.5 for me. Coherency isnt as coherent as m9 but solid 8 for me Imaging isnt as holographic as m9 but solid 8.5 for me Detail isnt the detail monster like storm or annihilator or u12t but its good enough for me like 8 Timbre is also not the absolute best but solid 8 lol. Dynamic not the most dynamic like annihilator 2023 but its really nice i will put it at 8.5 It basically has everything i wanted in an iem, its mostly i find them at 8. U12t while have really good ba bass i dont find them as fun as u4s dd bass. Sony m9 while imaging and coherency with nice details but again the bass is not as good and not as dynamic IMO There just isnt any iem i find really good all around. Not a master of something but damn U4S can do everything at a high level. Thats why i love it
nolankohlerOh awesome. I also bought the U4S after listening to a bunch of iem’s and headphones at a local show. To me they sounded the best out of everything I listened to even stuff more expensive
OmniEnvyousi dunno....i started back in 2015 when i bought my first proper iem(sony xb50ap) and kz zsn back in 2019. fast forward to last year i bought chu 2 then join a local audio meet in my town...then i tried 64audio U4S using fiio m17(back then i dont know anyhting about daps) and it blew my mind of how an iems can sound like. today i'm using simgot ew300+tempotec sonata bhd dac. i just recently attend the same local audio meet and the difference isn't as big as i remember...maybe the simgot ew300 is just that good 😂
Phantom_NyanI have the xenns top pro (considered to be one of the best at the below 500 point) And the 64 audio u4s (at exactly kilobuck range iem) i use it mainly with the dark Grey module and right now waiting for the red fir audio one to arrive Honestly i like the u4s more, and I can't rly pin on why, I use same tips for both (eletech baroque) but u4s just sounds more fun to me, bass seems to be cleaner, has more impact and the mids and intimate enough and highs are just bright enough Xenns I really enjoy too, they are more detailed than u4s and on paper i should like these more but I kind of do but like 80% of the way of the u4s What i found is chasing details kinda leads to being a but too sad and picky (hello to my campfire ara) where listening to shitty recordings from YouTube becomes unfun, xenns and u4s don't have that issue
premierScherzoPhoto 1: Focal Clear OG Photo 2: * (Top row) 7Hz Salnotes Zero, Elysian X Effect Audio Gaea, CCA CRA * (Middle row) Final Audio A4000, 64 Audio U4s, Sony IER-M9 * (Bottom row) Crinear Daybreak. Empty slot is for the 7Hz Timeless II Having reached "endgame" —a word thrown around loosely, but one I’m using with literal intent— I wanted to reflect on the journey that got me here. My first glance into the true potential of high-end audio began with the Moondrop KATO (i traded it away; something I regret a little). It fit my preferences so well that I that time, I couldn't find anything better near that price point. In attempt to "escape", I blind bought what many hailed as the most correct monitor, the Sony IER-M9. It was an impulse purchase I originally regretted, but at least it didn't sound bad. It just never sounded special. And thus, my exploration phase began. I went to various stores, trying out IEMs from mid-fi to summit-fi, and here I learnt my first major lesson: **know your priorities**. It look a long time for me to realize that timbre and vocals are my "north star". But the problem was not over. Many people assigned accurate timbre to more smooth, rounded sounds. To me, that was the opposite of what I thought is reality. Accurate timbre means preserving the edge in instruments, like the strike of the piano hammer , or the dark "scratchiness" of a violin bow. I eventually realized this is the divide between the musician and the listener. As a musician, my life was spent with my ear in close proximity to the instrument. It’s a "close-mic" sound. But listeners are spoiled with polished mixes from engineers and the acoustic treatment of concert halls, which favor a smoother presentation. With this realization, I bought the U4s and Gaea. Both had very good timbre and vocals. At this point, I hit a wall. I couldn't find better audio experiences anymore. Things just ended up being similar to what I owned: Annihilator (Gaea but less energy), RS10 (functionally like the M9, but with a poorer tuning), Etoile (U4s), IE900 (U4s). It was here that I realized how much of a monster the IER-M9 actually is. It is quite literally, perfect. When I tried to EQ it, everything made it sound worse, except a bass shelf. Of course if you A/B tested them, there would have been obvious differences, but it is not very relevant. My second lesson: **Gear that sounds objectively different but evokes the same feeling is still redundant**. If I were have gotten RS10, for example, it wouldn't have mattered. I would have just swapped between it and the M9 for the sake of it, not because I needed it. My new criteria became: *It must evoke a new feeling.* There was only one that achieved this: the HD600. But the bass extension was so poor it was a little unbearable as someone who has been spoiled by IEMs. This led me to the Focal Clear OG. Truthfully, I still think the HD600 is still better stock, but with EQ, the Clear OG has become the last missing piece of the puzzle. From here on, I only seek new interesting experiments that catch my ear, like the planar Timeless II (honestly not very good), or the new meta tuning from the Daybreak (actually quite decent). The best part of all this, is that I am enjoying my music more than ever.
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Competitive FPS gaming
Top pick
Kiwi Ears - Astral
Best for Console controller gaming
Top pick
KEFINE - Klean
Best for High-noise environment isolation
Top pick
Shure - SE215 Pro
Best for Immersive cinematic gaming
Top pick
ARTTI - T10
Best for Live bass performance
Top pick
KZ - Castor Pro (Harman Target with Improved Bass Version)
Best for Live vocal performance
Top pick
Sennheiser - IE 200
