7Hz - Timeless AE (AngelEars)

7hz, Truthear, Mangird, Dunu. Lots of different options at different price points, and every year the tech gets cheaper/better implemented so an $80 IEM at this point is pretty close to a $300 IEM from 5 years ago. Truthear Hexa is my go-to recommendation, has a really natural presentation and good bass.

Timeless 7Hz. Anyone else or are these too old or surpassed now?

Timeless 7Hz is great for classical.

My first pair was some Fiio pair (o think the F3?) that everyone raved about for gaming and sound quality compared to how cheap it was....was one of THE WORST sounding hollow tin pieces of shit ive ever heard lol. I swore off all IEMs after that thinking they could never compete with "real headphones" but then I got pretty damn lucky; there was a pricing error on Amazon and I bought 2 pairs of EW300 DSP for me and my ex for $8 each (was supposed to be $80) and damn were they actually pretty fucking close, just had weird highs that I started hearing and didnt like them after 5 months, so I gave them to my niece and bought myself a used pair of 7Hz timeless and just cleaned them, absolutely my favorites so far. I fear this new hobby of mine is going to cost me more than my ex ever did, which she made off with $1000s worth of shit. Oh well I got better headphones/earbuds now 1 point for me; 3450 for her

The first wave of well-tuned planars (Timeless/S12/etc). That level of technical performance for 200 bucks (or less) was (and still kinda is) insane.

> The s12 pro are still fantastic in my books. Yeah, it and Timeless broke the meta for a good reason. Roll the clock back to 2020; good tuning was already widespread, but anything technical was >$300 for the very best stuff (like Blessing 2) and >$500 on average.

bunny dsp/7hz salnotes zero/tangzu waner sg2. Personal recommendation - tangzu

My 7hz Timeless for example does in my opinion sound better than my Sennheiser Momentum 4 for example, so I can kinda agree. The same Sennheiser Momentum 4 in my opinion does not sound as good as the Fiio FT1 Pro that is half price. So it's swing and roundabouts

Knowing your recommendations here, do you have any experience with the 7hz Timeless. I have them and I like the bass on them (once I EQ a bass bump into them) but Ive read a lot of ppl saying they’re disappointed by the bass and Im wondering what something better would sound like. Im wondering how they compare to what youve mentioned above because I def like bass but Ive been underwhelmed by the Zero Blue 2s (rather fatigue-ing).

I have the s08 and the s12 pro. I like the s12 pro, they sound very similar to the 7hz Timeless, and the Timeless are one of my favorite headphones of all the ones I own. I haven’t heard the MP145, but they are supposed to be incredible if they fit. The normal T10 is an amazing value. I’m not sure how good the T10 Pro are, but if you want value, the T10 is the way.

I was from Aria -> Timeless -> Supermix 4, and so far i’ve been liking the Supermix 4 when I changed the tips to Tangzu Sancai. Dy think Tea Pro/Odyssey is a worth upgrade / worth buying? Im tryna find my endgame, and Tea Pro actually looks intriguing to me.. what are your thoughts?

While I don't currently commute much, if I'm going somewhere on public transport, I find that I prefer a more v-shaped tuning than usual, with a strong bass especially. I think maybe it helps with background noise, but also in general I prefer a more energetic sort of sound if I'm out and about. My current go-to is the Ikko OH10. I've been looking for an endgame for this use-case and so far, the OH10 is the closest, but not quite perfect. It could do with a couple more dB of bass (without EQ) and a touch less stridency in the treble. I will say though, it's pretty easy to make the OH10 perfect with EQ, it's just something I don't like doing because I'm always listening to different stuff and it's a pain to manage profiles. Plus it encourages never-ending tinkering and tip rolling is bad enough as it is. Some things I was hoping would unseat the OH10 but have not done so include the Aful Explorer and FatFreq Deuce. Some warm/bassy IEMs that I don't like as much for travelling are the QKZ HBB and Letshuoer S08, despite being my #3 and #2 IEMs overall, respectively. The HBB is too laid back. The S08 is let down by its bass, which can be a bit boxy at the best of times, but this gets exaggerated quite a lot when travelling, especially on buses. The Timeless AE is an interesting one in that it sounds perfect for walking around, but as soon as I get on a bus, it suddenly sounds like it has no bass. Been meaning to write a separate post about that one. I think there's something about "planar bass" and acoustic impedance going on there; something to do with the engine noise/vibration from buses. The same thing does not happen with DD bass drivers, regardless of whether they are midbass or subbass focused. I haven't had a chance to compare the Timeless AE, Ikko OH10 and Moondrop Kato on a train, but for a long time the Kato was my go-to for long train journeys. I find the OH10 is a bit ahead of the Kato for bus trips, as it's more v-shaped. I think if I'm going to spend 2-4 hours on a train, I'll still prefer the Kato. I'll also mention my favourite IEM overall which is the Simgot EA1000. It works for everything including travelling, but the Kato and OH10 are both warmer/bassier so those are what I'd normally go to for travelling. If I were travelling, staying hotels, etc., and wanted to take a single IEM for everything, it would be the EA1000.

I wouldn't list the QKZ Hades, as it's pretty universally hated, unless you specifically mention that it's a *very* niche tuning most people don't like (even most bassheads). And even among people who like it at all, it's generally a one-genre set. I'd strike the Juzear Clear off the list because it appears to have [really bad unit variance](https://old.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1insj4z/some_thoughts_on_the_juzear_clear_and_myer_audio/). I still recommend it for the cable if it's on sale for $20, but only if you really want that cable (it normally costs about $15-20 on its own). It's not a highly recommended IEM anyway, it just had a brief period of hype as a basshead IEM. Rarely gets mentioned nowadays. Neither of my two units are true basshead sets (and one is quite bright), so clearly some golden units went out to reviewers. The Blon BL03 ii hasn't got particularly good reviews. It seems to be that if you care about tuning, the original is better. The new one has 2-pin but it has all the ergonomic problems that plagued the original, so I don't think it should be recommended at all, with maybe a nod to the original as being a classic if people are able to pick one up cheaply. I don't think the KBear KB02 is worth recommending unless you specifically want to know what a BC driver does, in which case it's the cheapest way to get one. I got one for that reason. It sounds pretty bad. All the reviews point out the same issue - there's some weird "springy" resonances, especially noticeable with spoken word. It also makes everything sound like you're listening through a cardboard tube. It's just weird, not good. Audio Amigo and Paul Wasabii both have good reviews btw, I agree with pretty much everything they say about them. I don't see the Tin Hifi C2 mentioned on your original list or the new one. That's a 2025 version out recently. I have both and they are both excellent. Lots of reviews out there, but fewer for the 2025 version. I'm not sure if the old one is being discontinued, but it seems to be still for sale for about $20 while the new one is closer to $40. The difference between the two versions is quite subtle. The Moondrop Starfield 2 got pretty universally terrible reviews. The Juzear 41t and the Flame are the same IEM, so I'd put them on the same line - the flame just has a different faceplate. I have the 41t and it's good aside from the annoyingly bad venting, but I'm hesitant about recommending it for the reasons mentioned in my post about the Clear. Since it's a hybrid it really *should* be fully vented and I now consider this an engineering flaw rather than "just the way it is". Every other manufacturer seems to be able to vent their hybrid IEMs properly. The 7Hz Timeless probably shouldn't be on the list because it's very outdated nowadays. It's only a classic because it was the first reasonably-tuned planar, not because it's good by current standards. It was still an early and not-very-refined version of a formula that's been iterated on continually since then. The AE is better but less widely reviewed. The 2 seems to be getting good reviews but I believe it's closer to $300.

EA1000 is my favourite IEM at any price, that I've heard so far. It's a very good driver, which easily competes with planars like the Timeless & S12 Pro as far as resolution goes, but it has better timbre. The quality of the treble is about 90-95% as good as the Variations, which probably has the best treble under $1000. I haven't heard the Timeless 2, but I have the Timeless AE. Haven't seen any comparisons, but I suspect the T2 is very similar to the AE. The [graph](https://audioamigo.squig.link/?share=7Hz_Timeless_AE,7Hz_Timeless_2_Gold_STD) looks nearly identical. The AE is quite bassy, mainly sub-bass focused, so is good for electronic music. A bit less spicy than the S12 Pro, but still very much from that generation of planars with similar planar timbre etc. It's maybe 5% better than the S12 Pro, for double the price. The EA1000 has a bit less sub-bass, but it has really exceptional midbass and makes acoustic drums sound more real than any other IEM I've heard. I don't know if you've heard the original EA500, the EA1000 is basically that, but more refined, less spicy treble, a bit better timbre (which is already pretty good) and better bass quality. I didn't really like the LM compared to the original. The extra sub-bass ruined the soundstage and masked a lot of the ultra-detailed sound the OG has. The EA500 actually sounds slightly bigger and has sharper imaging because it has so much extra treble. The EA1000 is still about 95% of the stage size & imaging precision, but much smoother and more natural sounding. I did some experimentation with the LM while I had it, but nothing I did could make it have the same magic as the OG, so I ended up returning it. The only thing I would change about the EA1000 is it has a Harman-like cool-tilted midrange, so male vocals can be missing some huskiness compared to some warmer IEMs. It's not a true Harman tuning though, because it doesn't have the midbass tuck. I haven't heard the ET142 so I can't compare, ~~but I did check a few reviews of it before and it sounds like the treble is a bit harsher than the EA1000, because of the PZT. That was the thing that put me off trying it.~~ Edit: It wasn't the PZT, it was something else, but I can't remember why I wrote this one off. In fact, most of the trustworthy reviews (Paul Wasabii, Audio Amigo, HBB's updated review) are very positive about it and it has a more S08-like treble tuning with some of the nozzles (which is a good thing).

I don't know where the ET142 sits in that order but I'd put the EA1000 ahead of the Timeless - at least the AE. The main difference I think is going to be in the bass. The bass on planars is generally more resolving, but less punchy. So if you have for example a bass guitar and kick drum playing, the planar will make the separation between them more obvious, but the DD, especially on the EA1000, will have more of that punchy quality to the bass. I especially notice if I'm out walking around or on a bus with the Timeless AE that the bass loses even more of its impact because it gets drowned out by e.g., the bus engine noise & vibrations. Whereas on my DD IEMs, the bass continues to cut through any background sounds. On the planars it sounds almost like the tuning has changed, but with the DD it doesn't. In terms of bass quality overall, the EA1000 is definitely better & more realistic sounding for acoustic music. The deeper rumbly sub-bass on the Timeless can be better for some electronic music. Most recording don't have much sub-bass at all. I would imagine that the bass performance of the ET142 will be fairly similar to other planars like the Timeless, the S12 Pro and Artti T10, as it's the same sort of driver and these effects are pretty similar for all of them.

There's quite a broad range. For example: * Aful MagicOne - pretty, but not overdone * Ikko OH10 - good looking, nature-based & reserved * 7Hz Timeless, Timeless AE, Simgot EA500 - minimalist * Tin C2, Dunu Titan S (black/red version), Truthear Hexa/Pure - industrial There's a whole load in the middle that are just random swirly colours which has become the default low-effort design. Something like the Thieaudio Legacy 2 does that well IMO because its just one colour with a bit of texture, not all the colours, all at once. If you want a plain black cable, look at the KBear ST12. There's lots of options out there. I notice the stock cables often don't match the IEMs very well, and intentionally or not, this most likely helps sell a lot of aftermarket cables.