Sonus

I've been using 7hz sonus for the past two years and it definitely performs better than headsets I've owned with similar price, especially in fps games

Moondrop may's (my daily driver until about a week ago) or the cheaper but similar tanchjim bunny, or 7hz sonus, newer set i own Both are great, may's sound warm and neutral (you'll hear vocals, bass rumble, higher frequency instrument will sound laid back like violins tambourine... rock is great though), sonus sound spacious, clear and detailed with extra subbass (super fun at high volumes, and for busy tracks) If you don't get a sub $20 set you should benefit quite well by a dac, ka11/trn black pearl will do great, get the latter if you intend to get balanced planars or headsets in the future (or just want a more powerful dac) keep us updated and gl, hf

Bought the Xuan NV and 7hz Sonus just now. I know those others you mentioned and have those, ie Pure, Hexa, Bunny and Lush and those definitely fit in camp neutral. Going to roll the dice but since you've been spot-on with the others I'll take a chance on the Sonus and Xuan NV :P Thank you for the recommendations! :P

I'm making a review of both on Youtube but the Sonus is neutral bright. Here's my notes though on the Sonus. I had ChatGPT format my notes nicely: # 7Hz Sonus Notes # Track: Bibi – Weekend * Bass sounds good. * Vocals sound correct. * Requires a bit more gain to reach proper volume. * Overall correct, but nothing extraordinary. **Day 2** * Bass correct. * Vocals correct and on point. * Ok, moving on. # Track: Wolftyla * Subbass between polite and correct. * Vocals sound correct. * Compared to Performer 8: * Performer 8 hides flaws better. * Sonus reveals slight “whispiness” in her voice. * Overall: vocals on point, accurate, true. **Day 2** * Subbass correct. * Vocals correct, but less full than Performer 8. * \~90% there. # Track: Justin (male vocals) * Vocals sound correct. * Neutral tonality, nothing exaggerated. * Not thin, but lacks fine detail. * Feels “almost dead spot on.” **Monitoring test** * My voice sounds like mine, but: * Low-end rumble reduced. * Slightly higher pitched, like swapping to AT2035 mic.

**Day 2** * Vocals correct, no obvious flaws. * Lacks the “X-factor” of pricier sets. * Brighter sheen vs. HD600 & JBL 305, but not thin. * Neutral-bright tuning. * Compared to Hexa: more engaging, slightly brighter. * Tip rolling: * **Kiwi Ears tips:** Adds bass, but makes vocals thinner/brighter. * **Final Audio E:** Stock tips sound better. * Slightly too bright (\~10%), but still enjoyable. * Neutral overall. # Track: Chris Brown * Voice correct, slightly less low-end warmth. * Tonality slightly higher pitched. * Brighter overall (\~10%). * Neutral with a touch of brightness. **Day 2** * Pitch \~½ step higher. * Brighter by \~10%. * Neutral-bright is accurate description. # Sibilance Test * Medium volume: moderate. * High volume: very strong. # Final Thoughts * Can you **mix** with this? → Yes. * Can you **monitor** with this? → Yes. * Can you **critically edit** with this? → Absolutely. ✅ Accurate, neutral-bright tuning. ✅ Great for mixing, monitoring, and editing. ⚠️ Slightly brighter than ideal; lacks some vocal warmth/detail.

Lately these are my favorites. I don’t know their exact sound signatures, but here’s how I’d describe them: Celest Pandamon 2.0 (with Kiwi Ears Flex eartips) – Super small, comfy, and chill—similar vibe to the Aful Explorer. I actually prefer these over the Salnotes Zero, 7Hz Sonus, Crinacle Zero Red, Artii T10, Tangzu Waner 1/2, Kefine Klean, IE200, Truthear Hexa, Moondrop Lan Reference, Chu 2, FDX1, Blessing 2, Kiwi Ears Cadenza, Inawaken Dawn, Dunu Titan S, and Truthear Gate. It’s about $20, a total “grower.” Boring at first, but comfort and tuning make it great. Likely warm or neutral-warm. Softears Studio 4 – Kicks ass. Especially on female vocals. I prefer it over all Meta-tuned and Harman IEMs. Campfire Andromeda 2020 – Neutral-warm with massive soundstage. Letshouer Cadenza 4 – On par with the Studio 4; I can’t pick a favorite between them. I can't describe how it sounds correctly and it's an IEM that shocked me because it (looks) like it'd be a Blessing 3 on graphs. Sounds nothing like anything out there. It's just an amazing IEM. I think it's U-shaped. Etymotic ER2XR – Love these for sentimental reasons. My EDC setup—always in my work bag. I use the Final Audio E multipack with the red adapter and my own tips. Dunu Kima 2 – The definition of neutral-warm to my ears. Filled the one gap in my collection (Lush, Dunu SA6 Mk2, Truthear Pure, S08, Explorer, etc.). The Kima 2 nails what I was missing. For budget stuff which surprised me. Xuan NV and Defiant. Both are spectacular with female and male vocals. Great punchy bass. Xuan NV is a bit more...liberal with bass. Defiant sounds more...correct with bass. But both are giant killers. Though the Defiant feels like more of a dragon slayer.

The weight normally helps them *not* fall out of your ears. My other "out and about" IEMs are the Ikko OH10 which is one of the heaviest IEMs in existence. It's basically a lump of solid copper, and quite a bit bigger than the Kato. That thing is super stable in the ears. Extra weight is only a problem if it's all on the outside of the IEM and tends to pull it out, like the 7Hz Sonus or Moondrop Stellaris. It's all about the centre of gravity being inside your concha, and ideally a bit towards the front so it will push itself towards your ear canal. If they're not stable in your ears then they might just not be going in deep enough. Maybe try other sizes of eartips. Or else you might just have quite small ears, in which case maybe something a bit thinner would be better, rather than something lighter. The Tanchjims are a bit smaller than the Kato, but I find them a bit less stable because they're too small to stay in place properly. In fact it could be that you have unusually large conchas, in which case a much larger IEM might be more stable. Also make sure the ear loops on the cable are supporting the weight properly so it's not just flopping around like it's loose. If they ear loops are too big then you can heat them up with a hair dryer and re-shape them to fit better. Hold in place until it cools down and repeat as needed.

I can safely tell you that the 7Hz Sonus punches significantly above its weight, by far, especially for gaming, you can drive it further with a DAC (I have yet to test it, waiting for delivery). The IEM by itself is insane as a first IEM. I have listened to the same songs for the past decade, and this is the first time I picked up many details on all of them, I can separate instruments with ease. Gaming-wise wise I can hear footsteps really far, and know the direction with precision, with a custom EQ I can even gauge distance a bit, but not as precisely).

Kefine Delci AE > Kefine Klean > 7Hz Sonus > Tripowin Vivace > QKZxHBB

just get Klean or Sonus for that budget, friend got Phoenix, it's mid

Kefine Klean and 7Hz Sonus > Dawn Ms, Sonus used to be around 70 msrp but it's now under 40

Bunny has 0 soundstage, under 50 Kefine Klean or 7Hz Sonus

Klean are slightly better for gaming, imo better tuning for music, they are about same technically and Klean costs a lot less other option I would suggest would be 7Hz Sonus and if you want absolute best for gaming for your budget judging by these Kefine Delci AE

Kefine Klean, 7Hz Sonus for $60 cad, if you can stretch to 100 cad Kefine Delci AE best is to run dongle DAC that can do USB UAC 1.0(if it's 2.0 it will work on PC but not Playstation and Nintendo) with a longer cable or an USB extension from your console. I know for a fact $40 usd msrp(can be had for under $35 usd atm) snowsky(fiio) melody does have UAC 1.0 and 2.0 modes so that would work and you just run a long as s USB cable to it from console, not sure which cheaper good stuff has UAC1.0/2.0 switch or run on 1.0 exclusively

I suggest try checking out 7hz Sonus its really good iem for gaming with a balanced profile and also good sound separation and sound imaging. And yes you need to have a DAC dongle for 3.5mm or type - c for this iem but there are other iem cables out there that has a built-in mic and dac chip already since this iem doesnt have built in mic and dac. My iem cable is JCALLY TC30 PRO which has a built in mic and DAC. But try to check it out tho its one of the best of buck iem in my opinion since i also have the same list as yours before i bought 7hz Sonus