DK3001BD

Lately, I've been using the DUNU SA6 EST and DK3001 BD quite a bit. The original Zen Pro used to be my daily IEM, but after using this single DD IEM for so long, I wanted to try something new. The SA6 EST is also versatile across different music genres, while the DK3001 BD has a more distinctive tuning—it’s fantastic for instrumental and jazz tracks, with resolution and separation that can rival some super-flagship-level IEMs. But you might want to be cautious to DK3001 BD If you're sensitive to treble. If there's a chance, I'd love to pick up the Sony IER-M9 at a discounted price, which I've been waiting for but haven't been determined to purchase.

Dunu DK3001BD right at 500$ msrp but lower on sale

I got a Dunu Brain dance for $297! Can't wait to try it out and see if the "brain damage" claims are true

I was just thinking that it was interesting that ASMR doesn't get brought up on r/iems much. My recommendation is the dunu Braindance or a used Mest series. I have the Mest mkIII and it's perfect for comfort when falling asleep to ASMR, but a little out of budget. The Braindance is a little less spacious but is still comfortable for me. IEMs I've also tried for ASMR include: * Empire Ears Raven (too big but very nice rumble feeling) * Mega5EST (comfortable but not as spacious) * Thieaudio Monarch MK2 (too big) * Galaxy buds 3 pro (not nearly loud enough)

Agreed on all your points (except the cable, I much prefer this one over the one on the bd) it's an everyday wear version of the Braindance, still very technical yet fun, but much more reigned in.

I know this is a controversial one, but the Dunu DK3001BD. As someone who loves details, albeit at the expense of natural playback, this set is money. It's definitely something I would like to own down the line. (It was lent to me for 2 weeks by a friend who has deeper pockets.)

Tea pro, top pro, dusk, aful performer 7, 3001bd or anything around this price point. Your money but I never saw a point of buying many of cheap iems because there’s nothing special between them. 

The Braindance are excellent for metal, but beware, if you are sensitive to treble, stay away. It's smooth but at the same time fatiguing. It's hard to explain. I find them really enjoyable though, haha.

Try the Dunu Braindance, Softears Volume S or QoA Misty Blue.

I guess this is not an absolute scale, but based on price/performance? I have the FX17 and had a DK3001BD. I don't think it's in the same league, though it's a far better bang for the back (esp in China where a DK3001BD can be had for 2800 RMB)

Even at $1500 , I've seen plenty of people claim the FX17 is actually a really good value for the money. I guess they must be TOTL good, considering it's becoming really hard to justify buying IEMs over $500 mark, based on audio quality alone. I'm normally a headphone guy, but I jumped on the FX17 because of how well it was reviewed, and thought I might as well have at least 1 IEM, and might as well buy the " best" one (without going into the absurdly priced category) In terms of build/feel, i was really impressed with the braindance. I actually prefer how it felt in the hands over the FX17. It's a bit heavier, and the ceramic coating is lovely. The FX17s are very light as they're made from Titanium. Fancier material, but doesn't feel as interesting in the hands as the ceramic coated braindance

RIP Dunu Brain Damage, my fave IEM I own but I guess trebleheads are few and far between

Dunu Brain Dance, can’t stop listening to it since I got it, which also happened with the Tea Pro when I got that one. I think I have a really good variety in my collection now and I have no desire to buy more, I feel like anything else will be a very minor sidegrade or possibly a downgrade. edit: BD has everything I like, nice timbre, extremely good technicalities, just the right amount of bass and mids and treble, I have nothing to complain about

Xenns Tea Pro maybe? A little warm or bassy but it definitely works great for metal and rock I’d recommend Dunu Brain Dance but most people might think the treble is too much and dont spend anything on another dap or dac just keep the dawn pro

Could try something with EST and very smooth extension if you want minimal masking like HBB Punch which is basically a KE4 with ESTs, though you're going to want to eq the bass down on punch if you want technical. Or you can try something bright like the Braindance. Also harman tuning overall like Volare/Variations would be good as they have a midbass tuck which leaves a clean impression and wider stage, or a bass-light airy harman like Studio4. Lower mids and 3k scoop can also open up the stage a lot, make everything sound very wide and enveloping and leave a very technical impression/much more layering/better perceived detail retrieval like SA6 mk2 (or ultra if you can find one) which are tuned rly similarly to Anole VX. EPZ P50 could be a good more affordable choice it's still a tribrid, with microplanars handling the treble.

It won't be a huge difference since it's similarly tuned and you're hitting diminishing returns, but the quality of the bass/treble is a bit better with the better DD and the ESTs. It's also not muddy stock as most of the boost is concentrated in the subbass which is moreso felt as a rumble than heard and tapers down by 200hz, so it won't bleed into the mids or drown out the sound, and if you turn the bass down you get something pretty much identical to a Mega5est. \\ If you already have a KE4 you aren't going to be that much more impressed by another meta iem, they're just going to be slightly more refined like 5-10%, Braindance would be too bright if you're sensitive to lower treble or don't want a lot of air, it doesn't have as much mid treble as Supermix4. But it doesn't have the same X factor/special sauce when it comes to layering and separation as the SA6 series like SA6 est or SA6 ultra, the overall flatness with small peaks/dips gives that holographic imaging and staging where some things can literally feel like they're wrapping/circling around your head clockwise instead of panning left/right for instance and you get a good sense of width, depth and height. Techs are moreso a psychoacoustic illusion than a driver thing, and those pull it off very convincingly, this is the sort of IEM I'd look toward if I wanted to be impressed in that way. You can try to EQ it in as well, but lots of IEMs just sound way off mark when you eq them that way, imo only certain IEMs can really pull off this tuning like the Mest mk1 or Mest mk2 which are often touted as endgame for separation/layering but mk2 is crazy expensive like $900 best case scenario on sale and mk1 is discontinued. Dusk is neat if you want DSP on the cable, but if you use EQ on your system or just use it stock analog, EPZ P50 has almost the same base tuning as the Dusk and near identical driver config with 1dd+2ba+2planar instead of 2dd+2ba+2planar while costing much less.