Extreme Metal only sounds great on BA/Planar IEMs. The problem with EM is that that it doesn’t have the V-shape sound that most budget sets are tuned for. Niche genres need niche IEMs.
For EM, the IEM needs to have exceptional treble. Hence BA/Planar sets. Anything with DD for bass = muddy since transient response of DD is simply not enough for the kind of speed you need. That is a limitation of DD.
For budget I recommend S12 Pro, kilobuck Andromeda 2020, or multikilo U12T.
I’ve tested all sorts from all budgets in accordance with the hype, these are the only three sets that sound good for Metal.
Andromeda 2020 was a kilobuck IEM (does it count, it's a bit less? )that genuinely blew me away.
The soundstage didn’t just feel wide — it changed how I perceived the music entirely.
Instead of “listening to music,” I suddenly started *seeing* a person:
holding a microphone,
standing in a room,
singing in front of me.
Their voice echoing throughout the room.
It was the first time an IEM made the performance feel like a physical scene instead of an audio file.
I could even visualize fingers plucking guitar strings.
The only problem? I barely use them because I’m terrified of scratching the paint.
I agree with that Blessing 3 take! :D That's how I hear it too! :D "Thin, slightly shouty, basically no bass presence, reasonably textured treble. This one's purely for the weebs." Gad damn. That's what I thought too!
Agree, ironically, with his take on Airpods Pro 2. Those are honestly really great/awesome especially when you factor size to performance and comfort to performance.
Lush is legit.
RSV Mark 2 is great. (though I like RSV Mark 1 better) :P
There's so much 64 Audio stuff. (I have zero knowledge in that area) (but I am super curious). But there's so much 64 audio stuff on this chart and it's a huge gap in knowledge in my side. :P
Agree on Truthear Hola! What a legend at $20. THAT is the $20 iem that was so good for its price. RIP indeed.
Agree on the take on Hype 4. That did have a bit too much treble. It's why I don't care for the Hype 4 MARK 2. They added moar treble in Mark 2. no no.
Agree on the take of Hexa. Hexa to me is more bright than neutral. And Hexa is very much inconsistent in that there are many people who hate it, but few who love it. I personally hated that shindig.
Agree on the Andromeda 2020 take. That IEM is so strange. Usually I associate soundstage and spacious with bright-ish iems. But Andromeda 2020 is undoubtedly warm but has the most soundstage I've ever heard on an iem to date. It's puzzling.
Slight disagreement on Letshouer Galileo. To me, Galileo is neutral. Most reviewers call it neutral. Then again, could be another situation where no one is wrong here :P
Studio 4
It literally feels like the singer is an arm away. // on some songs.
Andromeda 2020
You don’t think this song is awesome. You think, I can hear a person with a microphone in a room, and I can hear the room.
You don’t think I can hear a guitar. You think, I can hear the fingers on the guitar.
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.
**Iems that look good that sound pretty good**
Juzear Defiant, Celest Wyveryn Abyss, RSV Mark 1, Tea Pro, Dusk, Tanchjim Origin, Celest Pandamon 2.0 (I like it anyway), Yu9 Que, Elysian Pilgrim, EM6L (with Kiwi ears flex eartips), Dunu Kima 2, Sivga Que, Zigaat Lush, Misty Blue, Cadenza 4, Kiwi Ear Astral, Moondrop Variations, Twistura Woodnote, Fosi IM4 (but some eq may be needed), Xuan NV, IER M7, Kiwi Ear Orchestra Lite (in green), Tanchjim Fola, Softears Studio 4, Truthear Hola, Shure SE846, Andromeda 2020, Softear Volume S
**Iems that look good that I don't like the sound of**
Moondrop Blessing 3, Tipsy M3 (their shells looks sick), Chu 2 (used to like it but standards have went up), 7hz G1 (looks sick in white) (sounds bad tho), Kiwi Ears Cadenza (purple) (it's pretty but vocals are too thin), Mega5EST (pretty shell) (sleepy sounding to me), RSV Mark 2 (sick design) (but the bass gets overbearing over time), A bunch of Zigaats look nice but I didn't like them (Ziggat Arcanis, Zigaat Crescent, Zigaat Odyssey), Canpur Silver Flash, Inawaken Twilight (Harman 2019, hate it), Chopin (thin vocals), Letshouer S08 (sick in black) (I used to like it but don't like it as much anymore), Kiwi Ears Cadenza v2 (pretty faceplate but cookie-cutter sound), a crapton of Simgots have beautiful faceplates but I don't like how they sound (EW200, EW300, Supermix 4, all of them except EM6L), Crinacle Blue Zero (harsh), Crinacle Blue Zero 2 (harsh at high volume), Truthear Nova (gorgeous shell, quite a unpleasant sounding iem), Phoenix call version 1 (gorgeous shell but lackluster sound), Dunu Falcon Ultra (gorgeous shell but imo can get harsh at times)
0.5k I would say. I am quite happy with SA6, had a few kilobucks before that. When I got sa6 I was running Andromeda 2020 as my daily drivers and I felt more happy with sa6. Enough technicalities for my needs and somehow more fun!
My bad, I never tried the Emerald Sea. But the Andromeda V2 was so good. I remember going to the local shop almost every week just to listen to them until I finally bought it lol.
Don't underestimate the Andromeda. They’re an older set and have been surpassed by many newer IEMs in terms of sheer detail. But it’s the sound signature that deserves its legendary status. It’s still one of the most spacious and smooth-sounding IEMs, and I would love to listen to it again just for that.
$100: Truthear Hexa - I haven’t tried much in this range, admittedly, but i really like the tuning.
$500: Symphonium Audio Meteor (can get for around $350 used) - warm, bassy set with great upper treble extension
$1000: Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 (discontinued and hard to find in good condition now) - warm-neutral set with great treble and open, holographic staging/imaging
$2000: Letshuoer Cadenza 12 - balanced set leaning neutral. A lot of people call this set neutral, but it has quite a bit of mid bass and sub bass extension. Bass texture is fantastic, treble is well extended and never sibilant. The best all-rounder I’ve heard so far at any price across my library.
$3000: Final A10000 - excellent midrange clarity and timbre. The most precise imaging I’ve heard on any set, though the stage isn’t massive. Bass is super visceral despite lower quantities. Dynamics are stellar as well. A mild v-shaped tuning with a lot of mid treble, but that can be tamed mostly by tips and deep insertion.
HM:
* 7th Acoustics Supernova for under $1000, but they are too similar to my Cadenza 12 which are an improvement over them in most ways.
* Canpur cp622b and Empire Ears Raven which are around $3-4k. Only other sets around the $3-4k price range I’d be willing to get from the ones I’ve tried. The fit just didn’t work for me over long sessions.
My Monarch MK3’s were the one that made me think, Holy Shit I have been listening to music all wrong haha! From the I have really loved the Dawn X, Andromeda 2020, and Mest MK2 a bunch. Have some FX17’s landing tomorrow and excited to see if all those EST’s really change anything.
As someone who has owned and listened extensively to both the Performer 7 and Andromeda 2020. This is absolutely not true. A P7 is incredible and punches above its weight for sure. Andromeda lives on another planet comparatively. You can EQ anything to have a similar sound. It doesn’t at all equate for stage, clarity, width, punch etc.
I hear you on all points, before my current line of business I spent a decade in the cycling industry. Also watched plenty of small businesses fold to being priced out of the market.
As an American (I know, I can’t help it though) I love that Campfire is a home brewed option. Though blind buying 1k+ IEM’s blind is a tough go, especially when Campfire is still seen as somewhat polarizing in this market. I am loving the Andromeda 2020 a lot all the same. Hope you end up loving the Holocene! I also vote you keep the glow in the dark cable, acting your age is boring!
As to rotation, I work from home and have a lot of time that I can listen. I will also sell many of the ones I have now and keep a couple. Then in a few months do the same thing again. Keeps the inventory fresh and the unused market is always hopping with folks looking to try something new and different.
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7Hz
7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2
76% positive of 495 users
Budget gaming pick, but poor cables and polarizing bass.
Dear_Archer7711
