KZ - Libra

Under $10 the best is the KZ EDC PRO (edx pro is another iem), use it with Kbear 08 eartips. In Aliexpress (sometimes using coins) you can get for $8-15 the ND planet, KZ Castor Pro/OG, KZ Libra Balanced/Hi res/X, KZ Saga balanced/bass, KZ ZVX pro, all of them have good reviews and comments. The Kbear 07 and 08 eartips are good for them.

Paul wasabi, an iem reviewer, pointed out rightly that the kz libra are better for gaming due to its ability to highlight game cues.

Lots of great flat heads that have come out recently, Angelears Kaza and Aoshida E60. Both are a bit warmer than the E2BS Pro with the E60 sounding wider but not as bright. The E60 really punches above it's price bracket. I want to try the new Aful Polar Night whenever that comes out but I don't want to drop another $200 on a flat head lol.

Kz vader balanced would recommend its an upgrade from the castor released recently and is three dynamic drivers instead of two. The soundstage is more placed on vader vs castor, punchy while clear, and imaging apparent. It’s musically immersive and can be tuned with the switches as well. If it’s too out of range Kz libra balanced, another well tuned single iem. Best of luck.

But the reason I want flat or reference is because I'm using neural DSP and when setting up amps and recording and stuff I want to actually hear what the settings im choosing are rather than coloration from iems with a specific tuning. There's some super cheap iems that punch way above their weight it's called kz Libra x angle ears. It's a single dd with a good freq graph

I have the KZ caster Pro, KZ x Angel ears, KZ × HBB DQ6S, TRN Conch and the TRN V10 Pro ♥

I got a set of each and I could still not fit them, sadly and they were not the smallest I had found either. I got a random cheapo pair off AliExpress and they're about half a millimetre smaller, but still not small enough :(

You can just EQ them for free, but I'd take a $10 KZ Libra (balanced) over those for sound quality.

If you EQ them accurately enough then there's not much to pay for, but in practice might be pretty tricky needing good measurements and a great ear and effort. If you can't do it particularly well then exactly the KZ Libra will already be an improvement.

KZ Libra (balanced). Can be had for even $8 and beats most things at any price point.

EDC is not as good. At least not my unit while several Libra's have been and measured identical. Haven't heard Saga. The tuning is excellent allrounder from metal to EDM to classical, the bass is impressively tactile and nuanced reminding me of Dusk DSP (my main pair) and beyond a slight inoffensive wonkyness somewhere from mids to treble they just beat most things for me.

EM6L, but imo there's no meaningful difference between the good ones even if they sound and stage very differently. I can hear the same things with a Zero Red, G1 or even KZ Libra and get used to the sense of distance etc while the bad ones make it hard toake out where the sound is coming from.

EQ settings are relative to frequency response. It's like asking how much should I add salt to fries without the information if they're already saltes. The question is what kind of a tuning is ideal for metal and as a metalhead at least in my youth I find that a very interesting question. Preferences matter a lot as well and someone who loves the sound of one IEM maybe just hasn't heard something better yet and can't imagine what the improvement might be. The best tuning for metal I've heard so far with maybe fifty IEMs and some EQ on top was Oluv's mainstream preset for the Free Pro 2's. Really fun yet clean bass and you could push the volume really high without any fatigue etc. Gave me chills with a lot of metal music. With IEMs I have to say I haven't found anything excellent yet and actually KZ Libra (balanced) is easily on of the best for that and costs $10. The bass is pronounced, but much cleaner than the measurements seem to imply. The straight rising bass boost might be the reason instead of a bass shelf. Old but gold would be a Tin Hifi T2 Plus as it really pushes vocals pleasantly forward and has that big energetic feel to it. Not detailed etc at all, but really enjoyable. IEMs I love otherwise like Zero Red, Hexa, MP145, Timeless, B2 Dusk, Dusk DSP just don't impress me at all with metal specifically and I would take the Libra over probably all of them for that. You can make an EQ preset for the Chu to match KZ Libra on the AutoEQ website and elsewhere. Give it a try if you want.

Past like $300 preference is all that matters. The top ten most liked would split opinions a lot. There are IEMs suggested here that I would take a $7 KZ Libra over.

Not the Gate for sure. KZ Libra balanced is really good, but a bit still bright leaning with some harsher passages.

They're kinda mid. FT1 is fantastic. For something comprable Chu 2 DSP or KZ Libra (balanced). Better stuff you might find around $100 depending on preference.

KZ Libra is good for gaming.

Massively so. I'd take a $8 KZ Libra (balanced) over most TOTL TWS from Sony, Samsung or Sennheiser. Airpods Pro 2 sound okay, but a dozen sub-$100 options I've heard soubd better.

Hi!, what's your budget and what's your usual taste in music? If you are a gamer, the Caspro Harman is the safest choice, but there's another option in the segment i recommend for being a gaming and microdetails beast: KZ x Angelears Libra X

https://preview.redd.it/wif9xi6tfwye1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df4e30653755b06184490343ac4da055302d05a8 KZ x Angelears Libra X. My vote for best under $10. And no, that's not the cable it comes with lol But yeah AliExpress for USA right now... RIP

Kefine Klean is way better than Zero Red for almost the same price. My favorite up to $10 - KZ x AngelEars Libra X. Up to $20 - Tripowin Ruta10/Tanchjim Bunny. Up to $40 - Simgot EW200. Up to $50 - Kefine Klean.

KZ & Angelears Libra Hi-Res IEM. I've always had a preference for wired headphones while I'm gaming.