the Top Pro and Hyper 4 MK2 are basically sidegrades from what y understand, both being more or less equal with the Top Pro having better soundstage and instrument separation, while the Hype MK2 has better treble and sparkle, so it kind of depends how you like your audio.
For me instrument separation is key to life to music, and the treble on the top pro is enough for me,
Then again i do go back to my Aful P5+2 once in a while for that smooth microplanar treble, i guess thats why so many people enjoy the Daybreak by crinear, its basically a gift at 170 bucks.
From those i own currently, I love the Letshuoer S12 Pro the most currently, because they just carry the most energy when I'm listening to my favourite metal bands.
Other than that I also love my performer 5+2 if I'm listening to other genres or want something more comfortable.
It may just be because my initial IEM was the Performer 7's, but the Hype 4 and Hype 4 MK2 had amazing bass comparably. It is legit tight and punchy. It actually makes the hype 4 seem muddled and the P7's non-existant. Id be VERY curious to try something that sounds better, honestly.
thanks. I used a headband cover and stuffed it (fluff like you'd find in a stuffed animal) So I got both the comfort and fit sorted for the XS.
I might venture to Audio Technica after I pick up the XV.
Nice IEM collection... love the P5+2. It is the set that's held back my purchases.
I have heard good things about the Armor. I own the Martilo and the P5+2. The Martilo's sub-bass shelf NOT bleeding into the mids sets it apart. So for a "bass head" they may not seem enough. As bass centric IEM...it's quite good. I don't think they're "as technical" as the P5+2...but I think it's just the tuning and my perception of the presentation of sound. It is a good choice if you want a lot of more bass...while retaining some shimmer in the treble.
Explorer is the smoothest of the sets you listed. Defiant is fun and exciting from both bass and treble standpoint. The Sivga set...I don't have those...but have heard (like many) that they are quite nice for vocals.
Either the Explorer and the Defiant will definitely satisfy your want for more bass. Be aware you need to make sure the fit and seal is good. I purchased my Defiant about a year ago. The nozzles slid off about 6 months into ownership. I was able to repair them myself and the nozzles are now secure. I did not experience flex issues that some have reported.
The Explorer does NOT have nozzle filters. Also to note. The 2pin connectors on the IEMs are notoriously tight. This is true for both my Explorer and Performer 5+2. This is a known issue. I was able to get the cables in...and they are extremely secure.
Defiant is a good choice. Explorer is actually a nice complimentary set to the Defiant.
The Dunu DaVinci is tuned very similarly to the Tea Pro. Both have a 6 kHz dip in the upper midrange to remove harshness in female vocals and to make the upper midrange sound a bit more relaxing. I have the DaVinci and the Performer 7 and both of these IEMs are endgame IEMs for me. The DaVinci has more bass than the P7. The P7 has a slightly early rise for the simulated pinna gain. I listen to the DaVinci when I want more bass and a more relaxing upper midrange. I listen to the P7 when I want a somewhat more energetic upper midrange. I pick one or the other to listen to depending on my mood and the genres which I want to listen to. So for me, the DaVinci and the P7 are somewhat yin and yang IEMs to each other. I like being able to pick up a pair of IEMs to listen to depending mostly on my mood.
I have never looked at the iemrankings website until hearing about this website from your post, so I don't know what to make of this website. I can say that the P7 and the DaVinci are on a similar level but with differences. The Tea Pro is potentially the third endgame that I want since I think that its tuning will fit between the DaVinci and the P7. Although the P7 is really good and punches above its price, I find it hard to believe that the P7 is better than the Tea Pro.
Ive had TE Nova, s12 Pros, Ziigaat Arcadia. All pale in comparison to my hd560s in terms of soundstage but I think are still good enough for an iem. Still able to tell directions, space and width but imo I dont find audio gear that necessary for gaming even for competitive ones. Any decent soundstage iem or headphone is enough.
I never heard the Arete before and I know freshreviews is like the gold standard for audio gear reviews catered to competetive gaming side of things so it might be a great leap but from the OG TE Zero which he said was good for gaming, didn't notice much of a difference upgrading to the Nova. Idk man, unless you REALLY want to get into high ranking comp games, I personally don't see the benefit.
Actually I also ordered the Performer 7 for about the same price and can't wait to get it though I wanted it purely for music enjoyment and maybe casual gaming or media consumption. Better iems or headphones never got me better at gaming so yeah lol. Good luck on deciding tho. Sorry for the lenghty reply
Yeah, same with me a few days ago. Been hearing them nonstop since I got them. They make everything sound good. And the details, man I thought I was already hearing most of them on my TE Nova or S12 Pro but these bring out even the most barely noticable details out. Admittedly, the technicalities, they are not 2x times as good as my highest set, not even 50%. I'd say they are about 20% better than my current best sets but that 20% does make it a pretty noticable improvement when the song has them.
Solely on the tuning, boy these are almost perfect. Like I said, they make anything sound amazing. My little nitpick if I had any, is that they do make me slightly fatigue after a couple hours but seems like I'm slowly getting used to it already. Definitely my endgame set for a long while, also because Im broke lol and the $115 I spent on them means I would need to go severely up in price to gain an improvement.
I havent tried any highend let alone kilobuck sets but my Aful P7 pales even compared to the ksc75 imo when it comes to soundstage. Might I suggest going for earbuds/flat head iems or maybe even clipon headphones like the Koss ksc75. Saw some people praising the new Aune AC45 for being like the upgrade of the ksc75. For earbuds, recommend awsmdanny on yt since he has tried quite a lot and reviewed and ranked them too.
Tuning wise is where they differ from iems though, so might be a turnoff for some if you like very impactful bass but aside from that I find most earbuds and open back headphones have great midrange.
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Budget gaming pick, but poor cables and polarizing bass.
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