Moondrop - Chu 2

Decent headphones recommended to me on a synth discord I’m on. I like them.  https://www.amazon.com/Moondrop-CHU-II-Performance-Interchangeable/dp/B0CB8HHS8V

I wanted to say I thought they were pretty flat and good for mixing but I couldn’t remember.  I’m a novice among novices who midlife crisis’d into some gear. 

As someone who owns much more expensive headphones, I always keep a pair of moondrop chu 2 (non DSP)around. The build is absolutely phenomenal for the price and I’d say better than my 300 dollar pair of Softear Volume S. The cable is straight up one of the best I’ve tried at any price. The sound is pretty good, but there are probably slightly better sounding pairs at the price. It’s balanced and exciting enough for me to enjoy my music quite a bit and one could easily have these as their only headphones for life and be satisfied. I often only bring a pair of these on trips and listen to nothing fancier for days or weeks.

Not really in order, as different tunings: * Moondrop Chu 2 - mild v-shape, great IEM * QKZ HBB - warm/bassy, great IEM * Blon BL03 - fun v-shape (but the fit is terrible) Bright neutral has a few options - I prefer the original Chu but the crappy fixed cable lets it down. The 7Hz Zero is a bit better in that regard, but I don't think it sounds quite as good. Arguably it's better to pay the extra for the Moondrop LAN for this signature because it's the best one until you go up significantly, but OTOH it's also kind of overpriced for what it is (I think it's around $40 normally, but it's basically just a Chu 2 with less bass). The 7Hz Zero 2 is OK as well but I personally find it a bit of an overly safe middle ground between other, better IEMs. Like the QKZ HBB, if you want warm but don't want to go quite that warm. It's probably the one that's the closest competitor to the Wan'er, as a better all-rounder. Although I find the Wan'er has a stand-out feature in its vocals while being weaker elsewhere, but the Zero 2 doesn't have a single stand-out thing it does better than anything else. It could maybe get the award for the okayest $20 IEM, as it doesn't do anything bad, but nothing stands out as particularly good either. You also have things like the KZ EDC Pro as probably the best beginner IEM, for around $5. It's very close to the Chu 2 but a bit bassier and slightly less refined in the treble. Probably more comfortable than the Chu 2 and less prone to condensation issues. The KZ Castor Bass, around $15, is good for a really hard-hitting bass tuning, although it's not an all-rounder and the tuning is a bit grainy.

Personally I'd go for the Chu 2 over the Gate because the treble on the Gate is a bit grainy, though you do need to be a bit more careful about humidity because of the metal shells. They're both a similar Harman-inspired, mild v-shape.

They all perform pretty similarly. I'd have to A/B to remind myself but I *think* the Chu 2 is slightly ahead of the rest. The Gate might be a bit wider sounding actually because it's a bit brighter than the Chu 2, but IMO it's not as well tuned as the others and can sound a bit "scratchy" at times. If you want to avoid too much bass, you will probably prefer the 7Hz Zero as it's a bright-neutral tuning (Chu 2 & Gate are both mild v-shape, Wan'er & Zero 2 are warm-neutral). With that said, none of these are basshead. Bear in mind that soundstage is a psychoacoustic effect anyway, so what sounds wider to one person might not sound like that to someone else. Very broadly, a slight v-shape with a lean towards more treble and less mid-bass will sound wider, but there's no guarantee everyone will hear it that way.

Kefine Klean if you can find them in budget (they're generally right around that price, depending on sales etc.). Otherwise KBear KB01 or the Kiwi Ears Cadenza. The KB01 is a 1:1 clone of the Cadenza, so choose based on price/looks. They sound identical. Failing that I'd go for the Chu 2 as IMO they sound the best in that price range and have the best build & accessories (only the Klean is ahead of them). But they do need a bit more looking after than most IEMs and can be prone to moisture issues if not kept dry between uses. I've also heard good things about the Bunny DSP, but haven't heard it myself. The fact it's plastic makes it lower maintenance than the Chu 2, but it won't look or feel as high quality. They do have them on Aliexpress, but it's possible they don't ship to your region and that's why it's not showing up. Sometimes Aliexpress search can be a bit weird so try googling it with "site:aliexpress" (you need to add .com to that but I don't want to get caught in the spam filter). That will sometimes help with finding listings that Aliexpress decides not to show for some reason. If you get a "not found" error that normally means it's not available in your country. Also another one that's not on your list but is excellent is the QKZ HBB. It's a very warm, laid back tuning. Quite bassy, but not energetic bass, just really warm. One of my favourite IEMs at any price, because there isn't really much else tuned like that. It's not as good and all-rounder as the others, but I think it might suit the genres you mentioned quite well. I like it for background listening because it pushes vocals back a bit (without making them sound muffled or unnatural) so it can make otherwise distracting music sound less distracting. It also volume scales really well if you decide to crank it up (just don't damage your hearing doing this!)

Kefine Klean if it's in budget. Otherwise the Truthear Gate. The Artti T10 has an even better cable (going up in price a bit). The T10 and the Klean are both excellent IEMs that punch well above their price point, in addition to coming with a decent cable. The Gate has one of the best lightweight cables around, but it's not a particularly good IEM IMO. It's OK, but it's not one I find myself wanting to pick up and listen to (I mainly bought it for the white cable). Also the Chu 2 cable is pretty good (just behind the Gate one) and IMO it's a much better IEM than the Gate. Although some people do run into issues with clogged filters (although lots of people don't have any issues so I wouldn't get over-concerned about that). If all you need is a cable, have a look on Aliexpress to see what KBear cables are on sale. The 8-core, 16-core and ST12 are all excellent cables. They rotate what's on sale, but there's usually at least one under $7. Only thing to watch about the KBear cables is they mostly use semi-flush connectors. That's better for most IEMs because they'll fit in a shallow recess and they won't stick out awkwardly on a flush IEM, but they don't do a version that will fit in a deep-recessed socket. They don't fit the Chu 2 properly, for example. The Kefine Klean and T10 cables are both fully flush, so they won't fit an IEM with any sort of recess. The Gate and Chu 2 cables both use micro connectors that will fit anything.

Linsoul like to do that with all their product descriptions to confuse people into thinking they're the brand, or to get people to go to their website instead of other sellers if they see the name on Amazon. They do it for any listing they control. I prefer the Chu 2 overall. They maybe aren't quite as bassy but a bit better balanced. TBH I haven't listened to my G1s enough to give them a really fair comparison - I listened to them for a bit and nothing especially stood out as being particularly great about them, other than the size. They're maybe a touch more comfortable than the Chu 2 and about the same size (the Chu 2 is known for being very small).

I would recommend the Chu 2 over the Gate. The treble on the Gate is a bit peaky and sounds unnatural at times. The 7Hz Zero (the original one not the Zero 2) is also closer to flat neutral if that's something you're looking for. I prefer the Chu 2 as it's a bit smoother and more engaging with a bit more bass. The Chu 2 is a mild v-shape, but not so v-shaped that anything is "missing". If you want neutrality though, the Zero is closer to that. Either one will give you good clarity, details etc. The Chu 2 feels a bit higher quality and the accessories package is a lot nicer, especially the cable. Because it's metal, it does require a bit more careful looking after than the Zero, which is plastic, because metal shelled IEMs are a bit more prone to moisture-related issues. The main thing is it's important to give the IEM time to rest and dry out between uses. If you live somewhere humid, it's best to invest in some silica gel to help with that. Otherwise just leave them out of the case somewhere warm and dry for a couple of hours to dry out before putting them away.

I wouldn't bother personally. The Chu 2, which you already have, has better quality treble than the Gate. Otherwise the tuning is fairly similar.

Don't know about the Vivian, but the Chu 2 is perfectly good for that. It's not flat neutral (but no IEM is), but it's quite a mild v-shape without any frequencies particularly missing, masked or over-boosted, and it has good extension in both the bass and the treble. Really "for gaming" is a bit of a meme and means basically nothing. It's just marketing. Looking at some graphs, it seem like the Vivian doesn't have as good treble extension as the Chu 2, so it's going to be a less reliable reference if you want to be able to hear high frequency noise in your recordings.

There's very significant diminishing returns. A good $500 IEM will be better than a good $20 one, but probably not as much as you might expect. Conversely, once you go above about $500 things can start going wrong easily. It's mainly about niche things that some people will love and others will hate. Roughly $500 is where the technical capability of drivers needed to achieve a near-perfect tuning tops out, and nowadays you can pretty much get there for $200-300. The price where you see the most difference for the least amount of money is around $80. Stuff like the TRN Shell (actually only $50) the Simgot EA500LM and things like that sound quite noticeably better than the Chu 2, in terms of technical ability, not just tonality (in fact in terms of tuning I'd say the Chu 2 is better than the Shell). But once you go up from that to say $200, the differences are much smaller and you're mainly paying for technical ability + better tuning. If you have the patience, you can achieve the same thing with EQ. The EA500/EA500LM is probably the perfect platform for "unlimited performance" with EQ because it's a very capable 1DD, which means it has no coherency issues around the crossover point (since a single driver IEM has no crossover). That said I'm somewhat interested in the [Fiio FX17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5GGRzPv8EA), which is about $1,500. The thing about that is that if you were to actually buy all the EST drivers it contains (never mind the shells and the other drivers), it would cost more than $1,500. ESTs tend to sound very good, but they're stupidly expensive to make (and only one company makes them). So this is one case where you actually know what you're paying for. But it's a but like buying a phone with 64GB of RAM installed - does that actually make any difference? This apparently is one of the few kilobuck IEMs that may be worth it (if you have the money burning a hole in your pocket). But at the same time, it's likely someone will bring out something around $300 in the next year or two that renders it obsolete, just using much cheaper drivers to achieve the same sound. Also when you get up into these more expensive multi-driver IEMs, very often the shells and nozzle have to be bigger, so they're worse for comfort than much cheaper options. You can only cram so many drivers into a certain amount of space.

If it's available, maybe the EPZ Q1 Pro. It's quite small and doesn't have huge nozzles, but it's a more ergonomic shape than the Chu 2. If you also have small conchas (the "bowl" inside the ear, just outside the ear canal) then some find the Chu 2 uncomfortable because of its shape, even though it's quite small. Otherwise the Wan'er is fairly safe. The OG has a crappy cable but most find it fits slightly better than the Wan'er 2, and IMO it's tuned better as well. The QKZ T1 is a good cable that fits the OG. Don't know about the Fiio but they have a reputation for all of the their IEMs sounding pretty crap, except the FH3 and the new flagship one. So I'd probably skip that one.

The Cadenza is pretty good. IMO quite a bit better than the Zero 2, both in terms of sound and also comfort (some people find the pointy edges on the Zero/Zero uncomfortable). I haven't heard the Vivian or seen any reviews from anyone reputable that I can think of. You could also have a look at the KBear KB01, which is a pretty much exact clone of the Cadenza, but it's usually around $20 instead of $40. It's a pretty safe all-rounder that most people will like for most music. The Zero 2 is more of a very-warm-neutral that can sound a bit dull and either too bassy or not bassy enough depending on whether you like bass or not. The only potential issue with the Cadenza/KB01 is that the nozzles are a bit above average, so I wouldn't recommend it for anyone with small ear canals. Another option is the Moondrop Chu 2, which sounds very similar to the Cadenza/KB01 as well, just with slightly sparklier but slightly less smooth treble - the differences in sound are pretty small tbh. It's small and the shells are metal. The overall package is quite nice & it's very pocketable. It can have some issues with condensation though, so needs a bit more looking after, especially if you live somewhere humid. And going up from that the Kefine Klean is very good. It's a bit bassier sounding than the Chu 2 but still quite clean-sounding. It's a bit of a step up in terms of the accessories, and I haven't seen as many reports of issues happening with clogged filters on these despite the metal shells - I think they use a different type of filter that's a bit less prone to that issue.

Not sure. The only Kiwi Ears I have are the Orchestra Lite (fairly large) and the Cadenza. The Cadenza is fairly small, but has larger than average nozzles (and it's still slightly bigger than the EDC Pro). There's also the KBear KB01 which is a cheaper, 1:1 clone of the Cadenza. Either would be a slight upgrade from the EDC Pro, but not a huge one & probably not worth the cost. You also have the Chu 2 which is small, but it also has pretty bad ergonomics for anyone with small ears. And it's really a sidegrade from the EDC Pro. I prefer it personally, but there's not a huge difference, it's just tilted slightly brighter. For comfort I'd say the IE200 is the absolute best you're going to get, although personally I think the sound is a bit meh for what it costs. It's not bad, but it's probably not going to sound like much of an upgrade from the EDC Pro. Also the stock cable is pretty bad, so it's a good idea to budget another $20 for the OpenHeart one.

> kb02, the kiwiears cadenza Ah, shame you don't have those as I was going to ask about them specifically. Mainly because they all have Beryllium drivers (most likely the exact same driver). The graph looks very similar to the Cadenza (which the ~~KB02~~KB01 sounds identical to). The Moondrop Chu 2 is also very similar to the Cadenza is you have one of those. The treble on the Cadenza is slightly smoother, but it's barely noticeable. In fact, the Chu 2 graph is almost identical to the Unicrom except for about 1-2dB more eargain - everything else could be two channels of the same IEM: https://squig.link/?share=Harman_Adjusted_Target,Super_22_Target,IEF_Comp_Target,Pula_Unicrom,Moondrop_Chu_2_(S2) I think the Pula *looks* really good and I'm very tempted to get one at some point, but I'm definitely wondering if it justifies its price purely on sound quality as a 1DD. If you listen to a Simgot EA500 or EA500LM it's very clear that it's a much better driver than the Chu 2, Cadenza or EW200. Those (EA500s) can easily keep up with things like the Hexa in terms of resolution (albeit with a different tuning), whereas the others can't. Edit: I meant KB01 (which is the clone of the Cadenza) not the KB02 (which is the crappy sounding one with the bone conduction).

If you're going to give someone an IEM as a gift, the Chu 2 is the safest choice. It's got a balanced, mild-v sound that isn't going to offend anyone and most people will like, it feels high quality and comes as quite a nice little package with a decent cable and a carry pouch. People will have their own preferences for tuning and whatnot, but it's the most complete package. One thing to watch is that metal IEMs can need a bit more care than plastic ones, especially in a humid environment. The main risk is condensation, especially if they are worn for hours every day. IEMs need time to dry out. If in doubt, it's a good idea to get a better case and some silica gel to keep in it (the Chu 2 pouch isn't airtight or large enough to fit a pack of silica gel in with the IEMs). If the Cadenza is in budget, it's a slight upgrade from the Chu 2 (they sound almost identical, but the Cadenza is very slightly more refined). It has a plastic shell, so it's a bit lower maintenance, but also feels lower quality. It doesn't come with a case or pouch and the cable is also slightly worse. And since it has 4 colours, you better know which colour they will like. It might be outside your budget, but if it's on sale around the same price as the Cadenza, also consider the Kefine Klean. It's a much nicer package than any of these and comes with a proper semi-hard case & pretty good cable. It's a metal shell like the Chu 2 and if anything it feels even higher quality. It's not quite as small though. Again, the tuning is pretty similar, although the Klean also comes with 2 tuning nozzles to experiment with changing the sound slightly. Ones I would personally avoid as gifts: * Wan'er - feels very cheap & plasticky with a terrible cable & no accessories. Not great technical performance though most people won't notice if it's their first IEM. * KZ Castor / Castor Pro - quite an intense v-shaped signature that isn't all that balanced. Not everyone will like it, nor is it a good all-rounder * 7Hz Zero / Zero 2 - comes with a very poor quality cable and the angular shell shape get more complaints about comfort than the rest of the options around the same price. The case is plastic. Not as cheap looking/feeling as the Wan'er, but worse than the Cadenza. The Wan'er 2 is a more complete package that's potentially giftable (nicer cable than the OG but still not as nice as the Chu 2; the tips it comes with are the best part; no case included), but it still looks/feels very cheap and plasticky up close. It's much lower quality than it looks in photos.

Yes, like I said the Chu 2 is a better overall package, but the Cadenza is worth considering as well. Definitely wouldn't recommend the Wan'er.

bro neither 💀 get the truthear gate from headphone zone. its on sale right now as well. available only for 1700. much better than both these iems. also better than wan'er & chu 2. or wait for the wan'er 2 (coming out in early march). also use headphone zone for buying iems. they have fantastic customer service & u also get points for buying stuff (which u can later use to get discounts on other products). i can tell u more about this stuff if u want 🙌🏻

If you want something which is nuetral and clear with good bass get the CHU 2(3.5mm) If you only care about BASS then get the castor pro. The have really prominent bass but lack clarity in highs. Tangzu Wan'er have a shitty build quality, since you come from the samsung AKGs, tangzu will feel really cheap, and they have okayish sound quality with nice bass. overall i would suggest moondrop chu 2, really great build(metallic/aluminium alloy) built, and have a good balanced sound with a nice bass that doesnt get into your brain, KZ castors are purely bass prominent!

Your exactly question was, “Why do headphones need to cost 3-5x more to match what a pair of tribrid IEMs can do?” I answered that question. Why are you now talking about sound quality? I agree that IEMs can sound good, I own more IEMs than over ear. The best value in hifi right now is the $22 chu II

I use my moon drops chu2 for casual gaming for my switch. I alternate between supermix 4 and tea pros for pc.

It is overall balanced, can say slight v-shape

And for your question, IEMs for gaming maybe at or under $20 or less. Tangzu Wan'er 2 * New and will improve the original Wan'er SG, 2-pin 0.78mm (better than QDC) * Pre-order and no reviews yet so far. Tangzu Wan'er SG * Mellow and easy to daily drive both physically and sound comfort wise, one of the best stock eartips I experienced. Best low sub-bass I experienced. * Might sound a tad muddy footsteps especially Valorant, uses QDC connector. Moondrop Chu 2 * Great all rounder for competitive gaming, light and small, metal case and 2-pin 0.78mm. * Bass might be lacking for some, and especially single-player games, might be abit treble harsh sounding for some. KZ EDC Pro * General all rounder, punchy bass with good clarity and highs. Great for general single-player games and maybe some online games as well. 2-pin 0.78mm and light to wear. Mellow and not treble harsh sounding. * Might muddies out footsteps especially Valorant KZ Castor * Silver version - A more versatile version of the EDC Pro, has the better soundstage a bit, can change sound feel from a neutral bright, neutral, and abit bassy. uses QDC and might be a tad heavier in the ears, treble harsh especially at its treble and mid focused tunings. * Bass version - Best avoid with competitive games, especially Valorant. But great with single-player games that are cinematic and has alot of cutscenes and environmental stuffs. QDC and heavy as well. KZ Castor Pro * Silver and Bass versions - same with the OG Castor, but a tad bit physically heavier. There are definitely better IEMs on slightly higher price range of $50-80, but they might be expensive for you. You can wait and save some more money for a more pricey set.

1500 INR? * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Silver * KZ EDC Pro If you can at least push it at 2k INR, I would suggest * Tangzu Wan'er SG 2 * Tangzu Wan'er SG * Truthear Gate * 7Hz x Crinacle Zero 2 * Kiwi Ears Dolce * Moondrop Chu 2 Prices are HeadphoneZone, Audio Store, and Concept Cart If Amazon * KZ EDC Pro above 1.5k INR * Tangzu Wan'er SG 2 * Tangzu Wan'er SG * Truthear Gate * 7Hz x Crinacle Zero 2 * Kiwi Ears Dolce * Moondrop Chu 2 * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Silver

All under 3k INR (based on ConceptKart website) Neutral (including warm and bright) * Tangzu Wan'er SG (neutral warm) \*\* * Tangzu Wan'er 2 (neutral warm) \* * Tanchjim Bunny DSP (neutral bright) \* * Tanchjim One DSP (neutral warm) * Moondrop Chu 2 DSP (neutral bright) * 7Hz Salnotes Zero (neutral bright) * Truthear Gate (neutral balanced) \* * Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing (neutral balanced) \* * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Silver (v-warm-ish to neutral bright) \*\* V/U-shaped (including warm and bright) * Tanchjim Bunny 3.5mm * Tanchjim One 3.5mm * 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2 (mild v-balanced) \* * ND Planet (v-warm) * Rose Technics (Roseselsa) Aurora Ultra (v-warm-ish) \* * Moondrop Chu 2 3.5mm (mild v) * DUNU Titan S2 (v-balanced) \* * BLON BL-03 (v-warm) * BLON BL-03 II (v-warm) * Kiwi Ears Dolce (u-bright) * TRN Conch (mild v-bright) * Moondrop Chu 2 3.5mm (mild v-balanced) \* * Kinera Celest Wyvern Abyss (mild v-warm) * Tangzu Shimin Li (mild-v bright) * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Silver (mild v-warm-ish to neutral bright) \*\* * KZ Castor/Castor Pro Black Improved Bass (v-bass to v-bright-ish) \*\* * KZ EDC Pro (u-warm) \*\* * KZ EDX Pro (v-bright) (\* recommend | \*\* personally I own)

Chu 2 is ok, just that it might sound abit less fun with single-player games because of lack of enough bass. As well as recent issues with broken 2-pins and them getting stuck within the IEM. (very fixable and cable replacement) Tangzu Wan'er SG is a safer for the ears set, less treble crazy, but personally it sounded abit low mid muddy (but generally its all fine) KZ Castor, I am still waiting for my Silver version (but I liked the EDC Pro, similar-ish to the Silver Castor). I have the Bass, which is better for me vs the Wan'er SG, better sparkle and technicalities.

Bassy IEMs: Under $5 * QKZ AK6 Pro $25 and lower (bass-focused) * KBEar Rosefinch \* * QKZ x HBB (OG version) \* * BLON BL-01 * KZ Castor Bass \* $25 and lower (neutral warm) * Tangzu Wan'er SG/Wan'er 2 \* * 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2 \* * Moondrop Chu 2 * KZ Castor Silver (UUDD switches) $25-60 (bass-focused) * BLON BL-03/BL-03 II \* * BLON x HBB Z300 * TinHiFi C3 Mk2 \* * 7Hz x HBB Elua * Kinera Celest Gumiho * KZ Castor Pro Bass \* * CCA Rhapsody \* * CCA Trio \* $25-60 (neutral warm) * Kefine Klean \* * Inawaken Dawn Ms \* * Kiwi Ears Cadenza \* * Tripowin x 0DiBi Vivace \* * Kinera Celest Wyvern Abyss \* * Tangzu YuXuanJi * KBear KB02 * KZ Zenith (UUDD switches) \* * KZ Castor Pro Silver (UUDD switches) Special mentioned * Truthear x Crinacle Zero Blue 2 \* * QKZ x HBB Khan (\* recommend)

$25 and lower * Tangzu Wan'er SG/Wan'er 2 * 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2 \* * Moondrop Chu 2 * KZ Castor Silver (UDDD switches) \* $25-60  * Kefine Klean \* * Inawaken Dawn Ms \* * Truthear x Crinacle Zero Red \* * Truthear x Crinacle Zero Blue 2 \* * Kiwi Ears Cadenza * Tripowin x 0DiBi Vivace * Kinera Celest Wyvern Abyss * Kinera Celest IgniteX Beast \* * Tangzu YuXuanJi * KBear KB02 \* * KZ Zenith (UUDD switches) \* * KZ Castor Pro Silver (UDDD switches) \* Or any other neutral warm IEMs, but the two Truthear Crinacle are the closest one with minimal mid-bass. Or go for planar IEMs, which their bass is speedy decay enough to be not too much mid bass: * SGOR Luna * Artti T10/T10 Pro * NiceHCK F1 Pro * Shozy P10/P20 * Letshuoer S08

|WARM|BALANCED-ish|BRIGHT| |:-|:-|:-| |Tangzu Wan'er SG (neutral warm)|Moondrop Chu 2 (mild v-bright-ish)|7Hz Salnotes Zero (neutral bright)| |Kiwi Ears Cadenza (neutral warm, with a touch of bright)||Simgot EW200 (mild v-bright)| All of them are good at their price point, but basing on your other IEMs, you prefer a mild-v tuning, either abit bright or abit warm. * KZ Castor Harman (Silver) which is a neutral bright to mild v-warm from switches * 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2 which is a mild v-balanced with a warm-ish feel * KZ EDC Pro is a u-balanced with a touch of warmness Kiwi Ears Cadenza has better brightness and air vs Tanzgu Wan'er SG, and personally experienced some minimal lower midrange mud with the original Tangzu Wan'er SG. Tangzu Wan'er SG 2 kinda fixed most of the issues with the original Wan'er SG, but its still a neutral warm IEM. Simgot EW200 has more energetic and brighter sound signature than KZ Castor Silver (Harman), but KZ Castor Silver has better soundstage and image separation vs Simgot EW200. Moondrop Chu 2 is the smallest on all of these, but might lack overall sound experience abit vs both the KZ Castor Silver and 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2. 7Hz Salnotes Zero is more neutral bright, lacks bass impact vs 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2. (fairly similar to KZ Castor Silver at DDUU/DDDU switches) * So if you want a little bit more warmness but retaining some balanced feel, Kiwi Ears Cadenza * If you want more treble energy and abit more analytical, Simgot EW200 * If you want a small IEM, Moondrop Chu 2

https://preview.redd.it/oc5qk49gnqze1.png?width=2400&format=png&auto=webp&s=9aa9538b56e361c6da5d2c43aba4962eff6c12fd SGOR Adonis should be also good for you, though its more v-shaped than the Salnotes Zero 2, with abit more upper midrange energy (which means female vocals and lead sounds will be more pronounced) But male vocals might get thinner abit, but advantage for the Adonis maybe slightly better on soundstage and image separation vs the Salnotes Zero 2, because of its semi-open back design (Like the KZ Castor Silver, at the UDUU switch setting)

* KZ Castor Pro (Harman Target with Improved Bass * Big bass, slightly cleaner bass than OG Castor, but may sound sharper trebles a little bit vs OG Castor. And the shell are known to be big for some people. And if you some like experimentation and tinkering with it's switches. * 7Hz X Crinacle ZERO 2 * Warm-ish leaning, may lack some technicalities than newer IEMs on your selection. * Tangzu WANER SG 2 * Warm-ish leaning, personally a little bit more balanced than Zero 2. Shell departed to the old style, so shape maybe a little weird for some. * Moondrop CHU 2 * Older IEM, Balanced-ish set but a little bit tinging to bright, because of its minimal bass punch. Smallest shell, but is plagued with corrosion for some people. * CCA PHOENIX * Balanced IEM, with some portions of its treble region may sound a little touching bright. Metal IEM with no paint so its a fingerprint magnet, metal IEMs usually can have issues with moisture (but can be alleviated by silica gel inside the case, and putting the IEM inside when not in use) * Truthear GATE * Balanced-ish IEM, though personally its a little bit tinging to warmness (not as warm as the OG Wan'er SG), technicalities average at best. * Tanchjim BUNNY * Balanced-ish, technicalities, details, and soundstage focused. Weird shape, but may work with many ears. DSP version is better overall because of the Tanchjim App support and included PEQ. Within your selection (based on your criteria), I would rate them like this: 1. Tanchjim Bunny (Both versions) 2. CCA Phoenix 3. 7Hz x Crinacle Zero 2 4. Truthear Gate 5. Moondrop Chu 2 6. KZ Castor Pro (Bass) Terms of soundstage, instrument separation, and details: 1. Tanchjim Bunny (Both versions) 2. CCA Phoenix 3. KZ Castor Pro (Bass) 4. Moondrop Chu 2 5. 7Hz x Crinacle Zero 2 6. Truthear Gate With the DAC, a simple JCally CX31993 DAC/AMP, like the JM6 Pro is enough. If you have an iPhone, get the Apple Dongle (US version). But if you want features and additional stuffs like hardware-level Parametric EQ, there's a bunch. But the cheapest with alot of enough amount of features is the TRN Black Pearl. [*Beginner's Guide through the world of IEMs*](https://www.reddit.com/user/NinjaSiren/comments/1jil8re/beginners_intro_guide_to_iems/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)

Chu 2 is a mild V-shape IEM, so if you feel its boring then a proper V/U-shaped IEM, or an energetic set. S08 is a planar set, though that one is leaning towards more into warm. Delci is a single dynamic driver IEM, that is a mild V-shaped IEM, with some upper treble sparkles. Planars should somewhat tick your retrieval and on the soundstage/imaging part. Within $100: * Artti T10 Pro (Planar, V-shaped) * Artti T10 (Planar, Mild V-shape) * Juzear x Z Reviews Defiant (DD+3BA, V-shaped bass focus) * NiceHCK F1 Pro (Planar, V-shaped) * TRN VX Pro+ (DD+8BA, Mildish-V, holographic) * Simgot EW300 (DD+Planar+Piezo) * SGOR Luna (Planar, U-shaped) * KZ AM16 Balanced (8BA, between V and U-shape) If willing to go slightly above $100: * 7Hz x Crinacle Diablo (Planar, V-shape sub-bass focus) * Simgot SuperMix4 (DD+BA+micro Planar+Piezo, Mildish U-shape) * TinHiFi P1 Max II (Planar, V-shape) * Kiwi Ears Airoso (DD+4BA, Mildish V-shape) * Kefine Klanar (Planar, V-shape) * Simgot EM6L (DD+4BA, Mild V-shape) * CrinEar Daybreak (DD+2BA+2 micro Planar, Mild U-shape) * CCA Hydro (2DD+8BA, V-shape)

[these](http://Moondrop CHU II High Performance Dynamic Driver IEMs Interchangeable Cable in-Ear Headphone https://a.co/d/9BibJsF) Has to be the best IEM i owned for the price