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Top Pros
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Reddit Reviews
I have had like kadenz, aria, aria 2, em6l, actually im not gonna bother listing all of them, like 30+ iems from 50 to 250 No benefit that I can see. Also, The concept of tuning an iem seems absurd to me. Recording methods and audio software should improve and then there should be an actual scientific baseline thats iem is tuned flat and sounds are tuned to be correct. Also apple solved this entire problem by putting mics in airpods and tuning it to your ear. Until better tech and proper scientific baseline is established, I will get banned from reddit repeatedly for criticizing this sub
I have had like kadenz, aria, aria 2, em6l, actually im not gonna bother listing all of them, like 30+ iems from 50 to 250 No benefit that I can see. Also, The concept of tuning an iem seems absurd to me. Recording methods and audio software should improve and then there should be an actual scientific baseline thats iem is tuned flat and sounds are tuned to be correct. Also apple solved this entire problem by putting mics in airpods and tuning it to your ear. Until better tech and proper scientific baseline is established, I will get banned from reddit repeatedly for criticizing this sub
Bluetooth is very good, but not quite excellent. I take my Moondrop Aria 2, for example. When I use it with my Bluetooth Ifi Go Blu, the quality is 4 stars. When wired, the quality is 5 stars. Most people won't know or care about the difference, but there's some added dimension and impact that I perceive when it's wired. I'd never say that Bluetooth is trash, it's just not purely optimal.
the paint of the aria 2's especially like to chip and bubble over time and look horrendous so keep that in mind if aesthetics are important to you producing + listening can be tough cause you typically want a flatter more neutral set for that purpose. the friction happens if you prefer to have a funner signature over something neutral. truthear hexa are nice and neutral but ppl blind buying them for the glowing reviews to end up dissapointe they sound boring due to their flatter curve
if you're also doing some gaming with them to othen ew300 aria 2 is decent but has paint chipping issues and don't perform as well for gaming (i'm assuming fps). ew300 silver you won't have to worry about that but you also get the bonus of two tuning nozzles for some sonic variety and they also perform better for gaming
both solid but i'd lean towards ew300. comes with 2 tuning nozzles for some sound variety and you won't need to worry about stuff like paint chipping (on silver ew300) which aria 2 are prone to defiant can be a nice set too though there have been quality concern issues for a small amount of people for that set
Aria 2 is a good pick, although I heard there are issues with the paint peeling off. Not a deal breaker personally if I want to get one, but might be for others.
I'm gonna say Moondrop Aria 2. This iem single handedly got me in to the audio game. Was eyeing the aria SE since the release but couldn't ever pull the plug on it. Thank god I decided to get one. I stil want to get one just for the collection.
I just started this year but it goes something like this. Moondrop aria 2 is my choice great comfort good sound. Then waner 2. It sound good don’t get me wrong but the comfort was the biggest issue. And I purely got it to look how $20 iem compares to my arias. Also I tip rolled a bit and can say that my favorite ones were divinus velvet wide bore and dunu ss. My biggest let down was spinfit Omni(uncomfortable as hell after 10 minutes)
I’m using Moondrop arias everyday and they are good as an everyday carry. But they can get cold once it’s a metal shell.
I’ve gone from using my iPhone with Moondrop Dawn to Chord Mojo 2 then to an A&K KANN MAX and now using an SP3000T. My iem’s are Truthear Hexa, Moondrop Aria 2 Red, Sennheiser IE 600.
When I moved up to the KANN MAX, that was the real game-changer for me. Suddenly I could hear all the little details in the track — way better separation — and it just sounded like a higher-quality recording. For me, music’s all about the emotional connection, and when your setup really clicks, whether it’s a proper hi-fi or headphones, you just want to listen more, rediscover forgotten albums, and actually play them all the way through. That’s exactly what happened when I improved the source. The Hexa and Aria are amazing for the money — they easily hold their own against the IE600s. I’m sure I’ll try some higher-end IEMs at some point, but honestly, I’m happy where I’m at right now.
I think the moondrop aria 2 is similar to the zero red. I'd avoid the truthear pure and hexa since all of their IEMs have large nozzles. Etymotic ER2XR would be an interesting option too, although you might have to find it used since it's a little bit above your range.
I see people say this but then I just bought a pair of Aria 2’s and put up against my AirPod Pro 2’s I am severely disappointed. I know the Aria 2’s aren’t the best IEM’s around either but I didn’t think they would be that bad when people can say comments like even a $40 IEM will be better. Did I just get the wrong IEM’s or am I missing something? It seems to me that I would need to spend significantly more to get even close to the AirPods Pro 2.
Rankings by Use Case
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