Legato

7hz legato are a top pick under 100$ for bassheads

I have the Explorer, Defiant and Martilo. I don't hear the similarities between the Defiant and Martilo as you do. They both have a similar approach to songs. If the sub-bass is there...you will hear it. More so the Martilo. The Explorer is bassy...but not basshead. In fact...I don't classify the Martilo as basshead either. Give KBears Rosefinch a twirl first. It's a budget set...but it's THE budget basshead set. See if that's what you're looking for. I also have the 7Hz Legato. For me, the Legato is more "basshead" than Martilo. It's not as warm overall as the Explorer, but the are definitely more in the low-end. You may have to step up into FatFreq territory for more mid-bass along with the sub-bass rumble. Keep in mind...how bass is presented also depends on how mids and treble are set. Pulling both of those back slightly can greatly increase bass response

If you’re looking for contrast, get the Explorer. Its warm signature is quite unique. Certainly different than the Defiant. You can’t go brighter with something like a Kiwi Ears Canta. Dual planar and plays well with EQ. OR…go full bass head (within the Defiant price range) with the Legato. You can also jump up slightly for 7Hz Diablo as well. Bottom line is that you have a wealth of options. Don’t understand why you’d dip back down to the Cadenza.

Martilo, Pilgrim, Diablo. The Volume S can do it. The bass is good...a more balanced presentation for hip-hop. Explorer is bassy and smooth. But they're balanced for hiphop in almost the same way as Volume S. The Legato and Rosefinch are good...but some tracks...all you hear is the sub-bass. In terms of actual hip hop...I'm basing my choices on hip hop from the 80s and 90s with a sprinkling of the 2000s. East Coast NYC, West Coast Gangster, G-Funk, Miami Bass Wars, Southern Trap....etc.

Have the Arcadia's but dont have the Explorer, so I'll try to compare with others I have. The Arcadia's are iirc called L shaped where the tuning is highly tilted towards the lower regions. So its quite a bit bassy and mids are warmer than neutral. Highs are also rolled off so the treble never feels spicy or sibilant. I think the bass gets really fun and prominent when the track calls for a lot of bass, but when theres none you dont feel it. Compared to something like my 7hz legatos, tracks sometimes just sound bassy when on other sets you dont even notice it that much making those feel always bassy so I think its better on the Arcadias. Mids are always warmer and lush so I really love that on rock, alternative/indie, rnb with male vocals. For female vocals, they can sound fine to noticeably muted on like jpop or kpop but I've gotten used to it, but due to this, it might be a deal breaker for someone. Personally have other sets when I want to listen to those genres so I dont mind a specialized set for rock for example. This is much more worse on the legatos but think they are slightly better and more focused than on the s12 pros which is v shaped. Treble is very much tamed down and even on high hats or symbals, it never gets sibilant or harsh. Even then, they are still clearly noticable and just enough for me. Might make certain genres less exciting but its still the right amount of treble to play most genres well. But this does make this iem sound less detailed and airy so if technicalities is what you want, prob not it. Def average or even slightly below for the price range so I would advise getting on sale or used. Think thats pretty much it. My entire reasoning for getting these were because some poeple have pointed out that these are just a bassier and upgraded version the Aful Explorers. Again, can't comment on those but they do achieve what I wanted from the Explorers which is smooth and warm tuning but + bass.

Can only comment on the Arcadia and Legato. Legato is VERY dark and bassy. Not sure how it compares to Diablo or Portazo as they are bassheads as well. I think it is considered L shaped and its never ever bright or sibilant for me. Its very good for certain genres like hiphop and certain types of rock but other genres very depends. Males vocals sound good to fine but females sound dry and dark asf. Weirdly I think its the most immersive set I own for movies and soundstage is decent as well. My Aful P7 is objectively better overall for most genres but the Legato is strangely unique and great for movies for me. Fitment might be bad as I heard some people say its uncomfortable but I use divinus velvet ear tips and they fit well for me. Arcadia is quite different in that it has slight less bass but its still a lot of bass and mids are also darker. Males vocals sound great but females sound not bad too. I heard that people have said it as an upgrade to the Aful Explorer with more bass. I dont have that too so I can't speak on that personally. Its a great general bassy set imo as its great for some genres but ok/good on others. Bass sound more tactile and fast on this too over Legato where the bass decay feels slower. I'd probably sway you to the Arcadia between the two but the legato is a lot cheaper than the arcadia so I'm not too sure. I also don't know how either compares to you 7hz Elua so pinch of salt from my impressions. Enough yapping from me.

If you want bass then 7hz legato Nothing comes even close under 100$

Listed from cheapest to most expensive: CVJ Luki KB Ears Rosefinch 7hz Legato 7hz Diablo Fatfreq Deuce TSMR Armor TLDR winner: TSMR Armour So I've been on the hunt for an IEM that works well for metal with thunderous bass that clearly defines kick drum from bass guitar. I'm treble sensitive and what would probably be considered an extreme bass-head in this community, so my opinions will probably only be valid for a small selection of you but hopefully this helps someone. Impressions (favourite to least favourite) without any EQ: Armor: does everything right for my ears. The only IEM that I haven't felt the need to touch EQ. Kick and bass guitar are balanced wonderfully and a really pleasant warm sound signature without fatiguing highs yet still sounds clear and transparent. Is an absolute monster if you plug in to the deuces impedance adaptor. Diablo: Similar thoughts to the Armor. Less sub bass than the armour but has fantastic midbass punch thanks to the planar. Also a pleasant warm signature though the slightly boosted uppermid/high presentation makes me slightly prefer the Armor. Close contest though! Deuce: lots of sub bass but in stock form without EQ the lack of midbass makes it sound thinner and more brittle than the other two above when listening to rock and metal. Highs are a bit harsh for my ears without the midbass to smooth it out. This pair sounds fantastic for genres I don't really listen to much though - think any music that's sub bass heavy - R&B, hip-hop etc. With EQ the deuce can be made to work well for rock and has the largest quantity of sub bass of the others, so its still a set I enjoy using depending on my mood. This pair made me decide to not try Martilos as they seem to have a similar tuning looking at graphs and reviews. Legato: plenty of sub and mid bass but lacking some definition between kick and bass guitar. Upper frequencies are a mixed bag: a little muffled/veiled yet also has some sibilance. Probably the one set I wouldn't recommend as it sits in an odd price bracket where it's just outside of 'cheap' where you get the value for money recommendation yet just a little below the midrange bracket which are a significant step up. Rosefinch: similar to legato - less veiled but has a very irritating fatiguing spike at around 8k that kills this pair for me. With EQ these turn in to quite a good value for money bass-head pair though. These are my knock around pair for travel, workout etc. This pair with a cheap peq dongle like the JA11 would be my budget conscious recommendation. Luki: just a super cheap $10 set to test out bone conduction. Not enough sub bass and wonky tuning. EQing helps a little but still sounds cheap. However I love the way it made bass guitar sound in some tracks - assuming that's the BCD. Makes me want to try something like the Penon Archangel but for now I'm satisfied with the Armor and not sure I want to push this hobby in to the high price bracket when I have nowhere in my hometown to 'try before you buy' (Brisbane).