Those are my new daily driver IEMs after I upgraded my UM MEST MK2. The change is noticeable - handling of complex songs with lots of instruments playing is insane only time I had this experience is when I demoed a $4k Canpur IEM!
Though, I think the OG Timeless is still the best one
Endgame for me would be something like Annihilator 2023. I think the Mangird Xenns Top Pro is a good “endgame” iem. I have the Top OG and although it was real good, I tried the annihilator, elysian x effect, u12t so now I consider endgame to be the best possible experience for me. I upgraded to the FatFreq Quantum and I’ll keep these until I can justify spending $2k-3k on IEMs.
I have been wondering what planar driver they use. I’ve had the first Timeless and those sound honestly so bad compared to the Top OG and Quantum. Do you have any more info on the driver? Tbh the Super Soundstage noah module is the only reason I love the Quantum. They have one of the widest sound stages I’ve ever heard, and the bass is pretty nice. EQ’s well too.
I have the OG timeless 7hz, I like how punchy the bass was but found the treble to be a little harsh (I am quite sensitive to it). I also found the detail of the low-mids and mid-highs to lack the resolution I was hoping for, in my ears it sounded "foggy" for lack of better terms. I recently got the moondrop meteors which are a hybrid iem and found them to be a significant step up and address a lot of my complaints from the timeless (though bass is a little lacking)!
In your position i would pick either Tangzu Heyday or 7hz Timeless (og) rather than Aether. However, if you want buget planar S12 (non pro) might be the best option as well as Artti T10 (non pro)
Some background: I currently mainly use the Moondrop KATO (previously Aria), and I find it to be the most comfortable for me. I also have the Timeless 7hz, but it doesnt fit well into my ears, so I ended up benching it because my ears start to hurt after an hour or two.
I listen to a lot of R&B, Rock/alternative rock, New Age, Classical, Ballad, J-pop, and more recently, K-pop. That said, I also really like vocals, with Ado being a good example.
Budget: \~$200-300. I'm willing to spend a bit more if it is worth it.
I also want to use it with my phone since I can't really do that with the KATOS, as they're quite heavy, so I can't walk around with them. This isn't a hard requirement, but is something I would like.
I've been eyeing the Tanchjim FOLAs, but I'm not sure if there's something else I should be looking at, like the Origin or Force instead.
The Timeless is okay, but I honestly prefer the KATOs in every way, just that the treble/highs can peak a little high sometimes, causing it to be a little harsh on my ears, and it's why I'm using the brass nozzles. For the most part, I'm just looking for something similar but with a more controlled treble. So like imagine the KATOs but the peaks are less harsh. I currently have them EQ'd to where the top (~20 kHz) is gently brought down because of this, but the upper mids and high do have a decent boost.
I value vocal clarity and presence, and I don't care too much about the bass "hitting" strongly. I was mainly looking for something clean, kind of bright, and has good details.
From what I read up, the FOLAs and Force were the most similar, but it seems like I can't quite find a good comparison of the two. From the charts, Force seemed the most similar to the KATOs, but the FOLAs have a smooth fall off for the highs I believe, which is what I think I'm looking for, but I'm not sure.
I honestly don't know what exactly I like, especially since I EQ'd my KATOs, so it's not exactly "stock." I actually really like my KATOs post EQ, just that the treble can peak a little high sometimes, causing it to be a little harsh on my ears, but that's also why I'm using the brass nozzles. I'm also not a "basshead."
With my EQ, I have it as this:
(Bass & sub bass) 20-200 Hz: Almost flat with a slight cut.
(Low mids) 200-500 Hz: Noticeable dip to reduce "mud" and thickness, making mixes sound cleaner and less boxy.
(Midrange) 500 Hz - 2kHz: Close to flat with tiny tweaks (short incline, then flattens).
(Upper mids and highs) 5-10 kHz: There's a clear boost, but it's not insanely high.
(Very top) ~20 kHz: It is gently brought down to lessen that harshness I was talking about earlier.
For the most part, I would say I'm just looking for something similar to the KATOs but with a more controlled treble. So like imagine the KATOs but the peaks are less harsh.
I value vocal clarity and presence, and I don't care too much about the bass "hitting" strongly. I was mainly looking for something clean, kind of bright, and has good details.
From what I read up, the FOLAs and Force were the most similar, but it seems like I can't quite find a good comparison the two. From the charts, Force seemed the most similar to the KATOs, but the FOLAs have a smooth fall off for the highs I believe, which is what I think I'm looking for, but I'm not sure.
I'll read the post you linked, but I'm honestly not sure what I should be looking for in terms of describing these IEMs.
Melodic_Farmer_9022
