Chu II DSP

The nozzles are made of brass. It will oxidise and turn green no matter what. It's not a defect. Brass does that. It's just cosmetic, although if you use clear/white eartips it will stain them green as well. People should be more aware of it because if it bothers you, you should buy something else. But it's also not a reason why anyone should avoid the Chu 2. It doesn't cause any harm other than the colour.

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.

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.

The Chu 2 and Hexa tunings couldn't be more different. If you aren't getting any bass from the Chu 2, you don't have a proper seal. It's a balanced, mild v-shape, but actually quite bassy. I'm also wondering if this is why OP described them as "not that good" because they are, in fact, quite good. Especially for what they cost. The original Chu (with the fixed cable) is bright-neutral. So that one is a bit more Hexa-like, but the Hexa has much warmer midrange, despite having no bass. Agree with the rest of what you said though.

IMO the Chu 2 is the best IEM under $20 in terms of the sound, the build quality *and* the accessories package. So if you go looking for other surprisingly good stuff, you may be disappointed with most of it, unless you're paying a lot more (and even then you may find the upgrade is a lot smaller than you might expect, because diminishing returns are huge). The only negatives really are that it can be a bit more sensitive to moisture than other IEMs, so make sure you let it dry out between uses. It's usually best to leave it out for a couple of hours before putting it away, so it can air out properly. If you live somewhere very humid, it's a good idea to get some silica gel and a sealed case (but also make sure the silica gel is kept fresh if you store them in a sealed case, otherwise you're just sealing in the moisture which is worse than just leaving them out or in the pouch). Also the brass nozzle *will* turn green. Don't worry about that, it's normal, it's not a fault, it's not water damage, and it won't affect the sound. Just be careful that if any of the green oxidation flakes off, you clean it away so it doesn't get inside the nozzle. You don't need to go out of your way to clean it though, because a thin layer of oxidation on the surface just protects it from oxidising more - the more you clean it, the more you're removing a thin layer of metal each time. If you want to try something else, it depends on what you want. Something bassier, something brighter, something closer to flat "reference" neutral? The Chu 2 has a very well balanced tuning so it's not really lacking in either bass or treble extension, nor does it have significantly recessed mids. So don't expect other things to be flat out better, just different.

I would get the Moondrop Chu 2. It's very well balanced. Mild v-shape so it's not going to be lacking bass like the Hexa, it's not risking overly sharp treble like the EW200 (this depends on your ears, but you won't know until you try it and you might not like it) and it's a lot more comfortable than the Truthear Zero. The bass is enough, but not so much that it overpowers the mids. It has enough treble that all the details come through without sounding bright or harsh. Alternatively, if you're worried about possible condensation issues because of the metal shells, the KBear KB01 is another good option for basically all the same reasons. If you want to spend slightly more the Kefine Klean is another good option. Metal shells again, slightly better cable and case. Arguably a slightly better driver than the Chu 2 as well, but it's not a massive difference.