the thing with chifi iems is that they don't offer nearly as much sound isolation as something meant to use on stage
you'd want something like the shure se215 or entymotic er2se. er2's are the better set though imo but only if you're okay with the fit
for live performance iems with focus on good isolation your only real options are shure se215 or entymotics er2se in this price point. the chifi iems won't provide enough or something comparable to the two mentioned, same goes for ie200
er2se are tuned better then se215 but the fit can be polarizing
There are comfortable IEMS. There are good sounding IEMS, and there are IEMS that are noise blocking.
I am sure its impossible to do all three.. but two is possible.
I found one IEM that sounds awesomely flat and blocks the most noise you can imagine using foam tips.. But they are not comfortable as they go super deep into your ear canals. I mean crazy deep. The sound is extremely balanced and studio monitor quality, you could mix with these. They block all sounds from the outside. so much so you can only hear what comes thru your body and skull. But they are not comfortable to wear you can feel the pressure of the expanded foam in your ears. I use these when I am playing drums.
Comfortable IEMS are the Shure SE215 but they don't sound great they sound good enough but dont block too much noise as they claim. Loud noises leak thru.
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Noise blocking IEM that sounds awesome if you use foam tips included is the **Etymotic Research ER2SE IEM**
[**https://etymotic.com/product/er2se-earphones/**](https://etymotic.com/product/er2se-earphones/) They are usually only $80
These feel like deep foam ear plugs but sound like heaven and block out everything.
If you dont push them in deep you get a bad seal and they don't have enough bass. You know when you get them deep enough as the bass fills in and they sound like heaven.,
I went with the tanchjim fission to mix a livestream. Have been happy so far. $130 USD
The tanchjim Nora are marketed as a set of “professional” IEM to mix with. No personal knowledge there. $110 USD
The tanchjim bunny are said to be much like the fission while only being $20 USD. No personal knowledge there.
I own etymotic er2se and find them too uncomfortable to bounce in and out of, I have to work the live room then get away from stage volume throughout my shows…..
I may or may not have a predilection for single driver dynamic sets! If you need a dac amp for this use, consider a Qudelix 5k. It can be Bluetooth for convenience and also USB for critical listening.
Don't know about the BT adaptor but you want the XR series, such as the ER2XR. The SE ones have almost no bass and are really designed specifically for singers.
Etymotic have the most isolation you'll find. Up to 42dB with foam tips. I think Shure get close, but not quite as much. IE200 isn't anywhere near that, but they're very comfortable. Foam tips will give more isolation than silicone, regardless.
I haven't heard anything from Shure, but they don't have a good reputation for their tuning, they're mainly cruising on being "good enough" and brand recognition from being around so long (although so have Etymotic, but Etymotic have always had a tuning that's closer to the modern theory of "correct", so they aren't as outdated).
The only issue with Etymotics is the fit, so I normally recommend getting them from Amazon and returning if they won't fit (I couldn't tell you much about the sound because I had to return them for that reason). Dracomies recently put out [a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZC5g_267_s) with some tips on getting them to fit better, along with some sound impressions comparing different tips. There's also an [official Etymotic video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KwXEqe6Gq4) that shows the manoeuvre you're supposed to do where you pull part of your ear up while inserting them. You don't need to do any of that with normal IEMs, but (a) that's why they isolate better and (b) deep insertion can potentially eliminate the occlusion effect, which is important for singers.
You'll probably want to choose between the ER2XR and the ER2SE, as those are the ones priced around 100-ish. And you might be tempted to go for the SE because the XR is the "increased bass" version. But bear in mind that even the XR has less bass than most would consider neutral. The SE is really designed for one thing and that is vocal monitoring, so if you need to hear any bass at all, go with the XR.
>Yes it’s not one of the costly iems but still I’m not sure how these can challenge AirPods or high end tws.
The TL:DR is, you're not used to the sound. The Zero 2, has a mild v-shaped signature nearing neutral, and comparing it to your Realme Air 5 and Apple Buds it will sound really flat because its based on what the masses like (Harman 2019 on the Air 5 vs Crinacle's tuning on the Zero 2).
https://preview.redd.it/feeuqx5mbzug1.jpeg?width=2093&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=79124144977207bd53c526b4f3f76a142cd950b6
* The Zero 2 is more technical than the Air 5 sound wise but IMHO you can still EQ it based on your taste
* Your dongle dac is just fine, adding a more powerful DAC/AMP will not really help
* Its expectations vs reality, you bought the wrong IEM for the sound signature you like or is used to
No prob, my suggestion is to EQ it first, AFAIK since the Zero 2 responds cleanly to EQ w/ no to minimal distortion. If you can check the graph above, the EQ used there (blue lines) was from Super Review, maybe you can follow it.
A lot of IEMs are really good nowadays especially compared to 15 years ago, its just there is too many out there even at the lower end of the price range, blind buying w/o knowing what you like and how you estimate the sound signature is always a risk, not everyone can test everything, and individual sound preference is diverse. Best way to go around this is if you can specifically test it, our if you can also join your local audio meet-ups.
For video or audio editing, you should use something really flat so it won't colorise the audio. During my TV production and VO directing days, we use near field monitors and some of our audio engineers and editors use a Sony MDR 7506.
For IEMs I haven't really encountered something flat and neutral in the budget space. Probably the "affordable" one to get would be the Truthear Pure unless you can find a Etymotic ER2SE at a great price.
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7Hz
7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2
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Budget gaming pick, but poor cables and polarizing bass.
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