DUNU - Studio SA6 MK2 / SA6II

DUSK(default dsp) - neutral, non-fatiguing, but still fun sa6 mk2 (u can buy it cheap) - super non-fatiguing and musical, bass off mode is more warm than neutral, still highly recommended mega5est - satisfies your description perfectly except the price is a bit higher Neutral: mega5est > DUSK > sa6 mk2 non-fatiguing: mega5est \~= sa6 mk2 > DUSK acoustic: mega5est >= DUSK >= sa6 mk2 vocal: sa6 mk2 > DUSK >= mega5est

The $400 range is where it really maxes out. It doesn’t get better at $500 or more. I swear I’ve seen this exact discussion before. I basically have $400 sets that perform better, or about the same, as $500, $600, even $1,000 sets. That’s where the improvements stop. Dusk is $400 and Tea Pros are around $340. Softears Studio4 is currently around $350. We’ll use that as a reference. Dunu SA6 Mark 2 is $600. One of the most overrated and overpriced IEMs I own. Sounds like flat coke. I’d take Studio4, Tea Pro, or Dusk over it — all around $350–$400. Xenn Top Pro, even at $500+, isn’t “better.” It’s just different. I have cheaper sets I like more, like Kiwi Ears Astral, Cadenza4, Studio4. I extensively tested the oh-so-hyped Mystic 8. My Studio4 still beats it (for me). Mystic 8 is $1,000. Studio4 is $300–$400. I like the IE600 and IE900, but they weren’t better than what I own now. And those things are stupid expensive. Mega5EST a few months ago was $500+. It was eh. Murky. I like Dusk and Tea Pros better. Again: things don’t really get better past $500. I also have zero interest in the Mega7. Would not be shocked if Kiwi Ears Astral or Xenn Top Pro kicks its ass. And while unrelated, this is exactly why I don’t bother with 99% of Thieaudio. They make it SO easy for me. Stupid expensive, stupid huge. If your idea of “premium” is building IEMs the size of BOULDERS that don’t even fit smaller ears, then thanks — you just removed yourself from consideration. I demo them, I try them, and I literally can’t wear them for long. So you never get my money, and you never will. You’re basically the GORUCK of IEMs: stupid expensive, stupid big. Easiest pass in the entire hobby.

Sony IER M9 Sony IER M7 Andromeda 2020 Xenn Tops Pro Mega 5EST Dunu SA6 Mark 2 Moondrop Variations Softears RSV Mark 1 Softears RSV Mark 2 Letshouer Mystic 8 Sennheiser IE 600 Sennheiser IE 900 Andromeda 10 (Canjam) All of these are $400-plus sets I’ve spent real time with, whether through ownership or extended testing. They’re not significantly better than the five I listed earlier in the 199-$400 range.

From experimenting with a ton of IEMs, I’ve found there are three real “value peaks” where performance jumps make sense: **$80–$100 tier:** Defiant, Explorer, Xuan NV, Dunu Kima 2, Truthear Pure — this is where good sound starts. **$200 tier:** Performer 5+2, Kiwi Ears Astral, Letshuoer Cadenza 4 **$400 tier:** Dusk, Softears Studio 4, Tea Pro — this is where things get *really* good. **Beyond $400, returns drop off hard.** For my preferences: * Mega5EST didn’t beat Tea Pro or Dusk. * Dunu SA6 Mk2 fell behind Studio 4, Zigaat Lush, and Dusk. * Top Pro is good, even great, but not $550-good — Astral and Studio 4 gave me more. * Mystic 8 at $1000 disappointed; Studio 4 still sounded better to me.

I’d personally remove the SA6 from your list. It never really resonated with me — I found it quite overpriced for what it offers, and the sound signature felt a bit bland. I’m glad I didn’t pay full price, because I don’t think I would have been happy with the value. In my experience, options like the Tea Pro, Dusk, and even the Studio 4 outperform it, and all of them are more affordable. To me, the SA6 just doesn’t justify its price. (Edit: I'm referring to SA6 Mark 2)

DUNU SA6 MK2. But if you're asking about preference, I prefer the TOPPING ArpegEar Hane with 1010 configuration, it just has a lot more emotion, the DUNUs sound boring imo

I've used a DUNU SA6 MK2 (844 SGD) before getting TOPPING's ArpegEar Hane (200 SGD), and yet I still prefer the Hane

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.

Hi all. My small ears (*literally* toddler-sized) have been somewhat of a barrier for my enjoying IEMs in the past years, but now that I have come to learn more about IEM and eartip sizes, my enjoyment has grown considerably. So I thought I’d do a quick guide for beginners with small ears, as it took me years (and too much money…) to figure out what fits me and what doesn’t. Hope it helps. **IEM body and nozzle sizes** One of the most important factors for a good sound is **whether you can get a deep fit or not**, as that makes a *huge* difference to the treble. I define a deep fit as being able to *comfortably* push the tips into your ear canals, so that no part of the tips are in your outer ear, but the near-entirety of the tips are in the canals. The first step to getting a deep (and comfortable!) fit is picking an IEM that is sized to your ears. A good fit for small-eared people is **largely dependent on a good shell size and a small nozzle diameter**: **IEM sizing** * It is unfortunately very uncommon to know the exact size of the IEM body; you just have to rely on reviewers describing the IEMs as “small” or “medium”. * A smaller size is good, but not everything. I actually prefer a well-shaped CIEM style IEM like the SA6 MKII or the Yanyin Mahina to very small options like the IE600. * More important for me personally is the **nozzle diameter at the widest point**. With my tiny ears I can fit a relatively big shell size, but any nozzle diameter over 5.8mm is simply a no-go. The cutoff point for everyone will be different, but I think anything under 5.5mm will fit most, if not all small-eared people. * Nozzle diameters is an exact measurement you can often find online, but it’s sometimes a challenge to find. For budget IEMs AudioAmigo always includes a nozzle diameter and is a great resource; otherwise it’s just a question of googling it and hoping someone on Head-Fi mentions the nozzle diameter. I find that using quotation marks after the IEM name (i.e., Aful Explorer “nozzle diameter”, or Aful Explorer “nozzle size”) gives good results, or ask ChatGPT to try and find it for you, it’s also quite good at that. * As for brands that I can personally recommend for not only making amazing IEMs, but also doing so with relatively small shells and small nozzle diameters, I can recommend anything from **Aful** (usually 5.5mm), **64audio** (usually slightly under 5.5mm, and **Yanyin** (4.5mm with a lip of about 5.5mm). Yanyin Moonlight 2023 is currently my favourite IEM. If you really have tiny ears and need the smallest possible diameter, the answer is **Etymotics** with ER38-14A Small Beige Foam tips. CIEMs are good if you have a unique ear shape. Feel free to suggest other brands in the comments. **Eartips** Once you have an IEM that fits you well, you might need to get small aftermarket tips. * Included stock tips are rarely small-ear friendly. I define small tips as anything under 11mm in diameter, but this varies with the stiffness of the tip and so on. For me, my goldilocks zone for tips is 10-10.5mm. Smaller will mean a bad seal, larger will mean too much pressure on my ear canals. * Let’s get straight to my recommendations for small tips. Impressions are based on my hearing, nothing final, just to give you a quick impression. * **Spinfit CP100+ in SS size**. 10mm. The most comfortable tip I’ve ever tried. Slight bass boost, very slight air boost. I suggest you start with these. * **Whizzer SS20 in SS size**. 10mm. Very cheap tips. Very short and small, good if you don’t want to go too deep or need a close fit for Bone Conduction Drivers (these were perfect for my MEST MKIII). Increases upper mids and soundstage. * **Moondrop Spring in S size**. 10mm. Very small and sticky, but the walls are too hard for me. I don’t like these, but many do, and they’re relatively cheap. Increases treble generally. * **Whizzer ET100 in S size**. 10.5mm. Interesting shape, though the end bit is too hard for me, I still quite like them. Increases upper mids, reduces bass. * **Spinfit CP240 in S size. Double flange**. These make the treble sound amazing, but I don’t like the fit. Buy if you like the idea of dildo’ing your ear canal. * **Dunu S&S in S and M sizes.** 9mm and 10mm. The smallest tips you can get probably, but they just don’t really work for me. Still, I do recommend them, many people swear by them. Reduces bass, increases soundstage. * I haven’t tried these yet, but all these also measure under 11mm: Azla Sednaearfit Light SS, Spinfit Omni SS, Divinus Velvet SS, Tanchijm T300 S. Well, that’s about it for this small guide. Hope it helps!

Dunu SA6 MK2 is around $500 but you’ll never need any other headsets ever again.

Mid-high: Moondrop Variations, Sa6 Mk2 (530€) Both better than all you wrote. High: 7hz Supernova, Monarch Mk2 (800-900€) And there are much more better +1400€ For me, of your list I think best overall will be Estrella, Tea pro and Odissey. Different tunning.

Dunu SA MKii - neutral detailed sound, treble is not too bright. Simgot Supermix 4 - warm and good bass.

Ive demo’d the mega5est before in Japan. It’s a fantastic all rounder, there’s no genres it performs poorly in. But as others have said, it lacks any specific tuning oddities to be especially exciting to listen to. I own a SA6 mkII. It is well tuned for female vocals and most genres where you aren’t looking for bass impact and slam. The lack of a dynamic driver makes the more anemic BA bass noticeable. Other than that however, it is a well tuned iem. I have tried someone’s pair of meteors a while back, so these impressions are a little more fuzzy. I wasn’t too happy about how there was no venting in the iem. As a result, the isolation was excellent, but the pressure feeling in the ear was unpleasant enough for me to dismiss owning a pair altogether. I will say however that I probably liked its tuning more than the SA6mkIIs. It has a U shaped tuning with more emphasis on the bass and treble, which can make it more engaging to listen to. As a result, this one has more coloured tuning compared to the previous 2 iems. I prefer iems with this type of tuning, as my favourite pair is the 64audio u4s. However, it is less natural sounding than the others due to this. To be honest, I personally would just get a pair of Hype4s. I find them more interesting to listen to, and they have enough technical performance to satisfy most people. However, if you want something that sounds mostly neutral and safe, the mega5ests are good. You might want to include what kinds of music you listen to, and what are you looking for in an iem when asking for a recommendation

I would argue that the Dunu SA6 has a very nice cable, the SA6U and MK2 also have very nice cables. I didn’t like the hulk mini at first but it gets better with use. They wrap easily, don’t kink whatsoever, and generally are very well behaved. Plus they feel like they are built like a tanks

I would argue that the Dunu SA6 has a very nice cable, the SA6U and MK2 also have very nice cables. I didn’t like the hulk mini at first but it gets better with use. They wrap easily, don’t kink whatsoever, and generally are very well behaved. Plus they feel like they are built like a tanks