LAN II POP

Based on my personal opinion? Haven't tried those two, but I can speak for those I have. Kefine Klean are great and the swappable nozzles help tend to your preferences but will basically require you to store them in a airtight container with silica gel to avoid moisture blocking the filters. Moondrop LAN IIs are very great but they are bright for sure, nothing that an EQ can't change though, they fit amazingly and they're tiny and light. If I had to choose I would personally take the wan'ers just out of a packaging and design choice.

7Hz Zero (original not Zero 2) is the closest thing to neutral (leaning a bit bright) in that price range. If you want to spend a bit more (or can find it on sale) then the next step up is the Moondrop LAN. It's been discontinued so if you're lucky you might find one in a clearance sale. Avoid the LAN 2 because both versions are not as good as the original.

Better, at least according to Super Review. I like the original LAN but it does lean slightly bright (especially if you compare to something like the Hexa, although the Hexa has peakier treble and worse bass than the LAN - IMO the LAN is the better IEM out of the two). Apparently the LAN 2 REF is even brighter, so at that point it's probably just a bit too bright unless you're a serious treblehead. And Mark who is normally a fan of slightly brighter tunings didn't rate the REF very highly at all and only gave it 2 stars. Whereas he recently called out the OG LAN again in a recent video of things he underrated (even though he did rate it quite highly at the time). The comparison I'd be more interested in (and have not seen yet) is LAN 2 REF vs Simgot EA500, since the latter is an outstanding IEM, but it's definitely bright, so it's only for trebleheads or at least people who aren't treble-sensitive. I'd also like to see a proper comparison of the LAN 2 POP vs the Chu 2 because their FR graphs are basically identical but the Chu 2 is less than half the price (in fact the Chu 2 being so good is why the original LAN got overshadowed for a long time).

I've got a few [standard tip recommendations](/r/iems/comments/1dw6c4l/what_are_your_top_recommendations_for_eartips/lbspp1t/) but the thing about tips is that it's always going to take a bit of experimentation, so it's worth grabbing a few different ones, that aren't too expensive, and see what works best in your ear. As a rule of thumb narrow bores tend to be warmer and wide bores tend to be brighter, but it doesn't always work out exactly like that because sometimes a wide bore can even out the treble, making it sound less bright. I don't find tips do an awful lot to the LAN though because usually when a tip is a bit warmer, it's mainly adding some bass and reducing the upper treble. But the brightness of the LAN comes from the eargain region where it's a bit forward from about 1.5kHz up to about 8kHz, especially around 5kHz: [This graph](https://graph.hangout.audio/iem/5128/?share=Hexa,Lan) comparing to the Hexa shows how big the difference is in that area. I can't put it in the link but it's easier to visualise if you click the button to normalise at 800Hz instead of average dB. The trouble is that eartips don't really target that region very well. I get sibilance from the Aful Explorer from a peak around there somewhere and couldn't find any tips that fixed it. The only ones I've found that noticeably tend to down-tilt the midrange are Dunu Candy. I normally recommend 07 tips, because they're much cheaper and very similar, but this is one unique thing the Candy tips do that 07 tips don't, at least not as much. Some other warm tips that are worth trying are Final Type E Black and Penon Liqueur Orange. Those will add a bit of bass and roll off some of the upper treble, but they probably won't do much about that sense of brightness from the ~5kHz region. If you don't have any 07 tips I'd pick up a pack of those too because they're so cheap and sometimes they work better than anything else. The ones I'm using on mine currently are H570. They don't get rid of the bright tilt but I think they do help balance out the low treble and upper treble a bit so they sound quite "correct" and they add sub-bass extension without really adding much bass level. But bear in mind that I tend to use the LAN as my "bass fatigue antidote" IEMs so I intentionally don't want them sounding warm/bassy. I actually think the Hexa has a better tonal balance for that purpose, but there are so many issues with the Hexa with a big one being the uncomfortably large nozzles. In general though, even if you can't reduce the 5kHz region, if you add more bass that will usually make it sound more balanced and less bright. I just did a quick comparison between the H570, Dunu Candy and TRN T-Tips. The Candy and T-Tips definitely did add a bit more warmth but I find the H570 sounds a bit more correct in the treble with the test tracks I tried. YMMV a lot though. T-Tps are another one that's super cheap and worth having, although they don't have a multipack so I'd recommend buying either all 3 sizes (still only about $10 for 3 packs of 3 pairs), or S+M or M+L depending on which way your ear canal size leans. They're shorter than most tips - so if in doubt go larger not smaller. T-Tips are also medium bore like 07, and Candy tips are a bit narrower. If you're going to EQ I'd probably just add one filter to bring down the 5kHz region a bit. I think that's the main thing that makes them sound bright. I haven't experimented with that, but that's where I'd start as that's usually a pretty sensitive region.

The EW200 has a lot of treble energy but also a lot of bass (although this is very dependent on getting a good seal with the eartips), so it's more of a v-shape than a bright set per se. It's a slightly more aggressive v than the Chu 2, but still the same general tuning concept. Probably the best bright-neutral set is the Moondrop LAN. There isn't really anything better than the LAN with that style of tuning until you get up to the level of the Blessing 3, which is quite a big jump. If you want to spend a bit less, the 7Hz Zero is also bright-neutral, but it doesn't sound as smooth & refined as the LAN. If you want something that has tons of treble energy and resolving ability, while also being a mild v-shape so there's a bit more kick to drums etc. (but very much a bright IEM) then consider the Simgot EA500. The original silver version, not the LM or the new black one. This one comes with a health warning though, because it is *very* bright and potentially quite fatiguing. Definitely one to avoid if you're at all treble-sensitive. This is an incredible IEM in short bursts, but I can't listen to mine for more than an hour or so at a time. It sometimes goes on sale for as low as $50 since the LM got released. It's by far the most technical IEM at that price other than maybe the Artti T10.

Dunu Titan S (slightly warmer & more vocal-forward) or Thieaudio Legacy 2 (more of a reference-neutral). The Legacy 2 is maybe more suited to pro work as it can be a bit less forgiving about badly mastered tracks, but it's still a good IEM for listening to music, as long as you're not regularly listening to absolutely awful mixes. It has particularly good soundstage and imaging for the price. The Hexa gets recommended a lot, but I'm not a big fan because it has peaky treble, bad imaging, weak and flabby bass, and the fit is uncomfortable for a lot of people (including me), because of its large nozzles. There aren't really any other flat neutral options in that price range, but if you want a slightly brighter neutral then the Moondrop LAN is pretty good, as long as it hasn't sold out (it's been discontinued but the LAN 2 REF is even more bright and not as neutral). The Aria 2 isn't really neutral, it's more of a warm-leaning mild v-shape, but it's not some crazy Beats By Dre style of tuning or anything. It's probably close enough to neutral for most people and a good all-rounder (at least as far as I know as it's the only one I haven't heard, but I've heard what it's very frequently compared to). And of these will run just fine on the Apple dongle, even the EU one.

7Hz Zero (original not Zero 2) is the closest thing to neutral (leaning a bit bright) in that price range. If you want to spend a bit more (or can find it on sale) then the next step up is the Moondrop LAN. It's been discontinued so if you're lucky you might find one in a clearance sale. Avoid the LAN 2 because both versions are not as good as the original.

Truthear Hexa is probably what you want. Beware the nozzles are bigger than average, so it can be uncomfortable unless you have larger ear canals. There might be some brighter options with more boosted upper mids, which seems to be a more popular tuning in Asia for some reason. But they mostly get quite bad reviews, so I can't remember any offhand. That's if you intentionally want female vocals to sound shouty. The Hexa is more neutral than that, but it has a lot of treble extension so you shouldn't miss out on cybals, hi-hats, etc. The Moondrop LAN is also a bit brighter than the Hexa (but not to the extreme & not shouty), but it also has stronger bass (it's quite neutral bass, but the Hexa is a bit below flat neutral whereas the LAN is just above).

If you're planning to get the LAN then you should act quickly while there's still stock left. It got discontinued and the replacements don't seem to be as good as the original. I wouldn't rush out and buy the Clarion tips right away, as it might be fine on the stock tips. I don't like the Clarions on it personally. The effects of Clarions seems to vary quite a bit from person to person, because the shape means they seal abnormally well for some people, but they're usually bass-reducing and treble-increasing (and the LAN is already a slightly bright IEM). I've got some general [tip recommendations](/r/iems/comments/1dw6c4l/what_are_your_top_recommendations_for_eartips/lbspp1t/) if you happen to want to experiment. Just bear in mind it's a potentially expensive rabbit hole, as it's impossible to predict anything exactly without just trying for yourself. It's best to disregard any overly-specific recommendations (this tip on this IEM etc.) because how a given combination sounds in one person's ear canal and how it sounds in yours may be quite different. You can usually get a rough idea, like narrow bore tips tend to be bassier, wide bore tends to be brighter, etc., but even that doesn't hold 100% of the time.

Overrated: * Truthear Zero / Zero Red: The nozzles are huge and the sound is just OK for the price. They were a big deal at the time for target adherence (although the "full Harman" Zero actually has terrible Harman compliance), but that's more of a technical curiosity than actually good. Fortunately there are much better options these days, so the hype has died down a lot. * Truthear Hexa: Bass is anaemic, treble is peaky and the nozzle is also huge, though not quite as bad as the Zero. * Simgot EW300: The worst Simgot I've heard for coherency, although it does have the safest tuning as long as you don't get the killer treble peak around 11kHz (that's solvable with eartips, its other issues aren't). * GK Kunten. I mean it's *OK* for the price, but it's literally just a slightly downgraded and more expensive [ZVX Pro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eQc95TR0Ls), which in turn is almost identical to about half a dozen other KZ IEMs. All of which have the same driver as the Zenith too. The hype around this one is insane. A very successful astroturfing campaign though, so I guess well done for fucking up the sub with a tsunami of spam, and congrats to everyone who fell for it (including me, because I bought one too out of curiosity). Underrated: * Moondrop LAN (the OG one): A very good bright-neutral IEM for its price, overshadowed by the Chu 2 costing half as much, and the 7Hz Zero having nearly the same tuning (but much lower build quality, comfort and less refined treble). * Dunu Titan S: it's like the Hexa if it were better in every way and also cheaper. Actually these were a very highly regarded IEM at launch but I believe the hype machine moved on to the bassier Moondrop Aria and they got a bit forgotten about. Still a very good IEM though. Unclear if they're still in production or not, but everyone seems to agree the S2 isn't tuned as well. * Ikko OH300: Just one of my favourite IEMs with a fun but mostly natural-sounding warm v-shape tuning and incredibly holographic imaging. Nobody else ever talks about them. * TRN Shell: One of the few TRN IEMs that's actually good. It's like the EW300 but better in ever possible way aside from having a more pronounced v-shape tuning (personally I like it though, especially after some tip-rolling). It's also only $40 (on frequent sale) and comes with an insane set of accessories for the price. * Aful MagicOne: It's not an all-rounder IEM, it's not for everyone, and it's probably overpriced at RRP. But it's a very unique IEM in every way and nothing else sounds quite like it. I only paid about $60 for mine on sale and it's absolutely one of the best things I've bought.

The Pure is a flat-out better IEM. Neither is perfectly neutral but if you want to achieve neutral with EQ, it's easier to do with the Pure because the treble quality on the Hexa is not good, whereas the Pure really only needs one filter and it's in the "easy to EQ" region. If you want any bass, avoid the Hexa because it has very limp bass that's a bit below neutral and not very good quality. The Pure is further away from flat neutral, but it's within the bounds of warm-neutral and probably a lot closer to what most people would actually want anyway. Arguably the Pure has a bit too much upper midbass and it can bleed into the mids slightly, but it generally sounds quite good and is certainly an upgrade from the Wan'er, especially when it comes to the *quality* of the bass and upper treble. Another thing to watch with both the Hexa and the Pure is comfort. The Pure is going to be safer for most people, because the nozzle on the Hexa is pretty big. They did improve that quite a lot with the Pure, although it's still not as comfortable as something like the Wan'er. A more direct upgrade from the Wan'er for a bit less money is the Dunu Titan S, which I would also recommend over the Hexa. It's warm-neutral with a bit of vocal forwardness. So it's closer to the Wan'er style of tuning, but not quite as warm. It has much better clarity, resolution and build quality (anodised metal shells). The Pure has better treble than the Titan S and punchier bass, but if you don't want to EQ and are worried about that slight bass bleed, the Titan S is a safer option. It's also a lot safer comfort-wise for most people.

Do you mean as opposed to the S2? The S2 is v-shaped. There are loads of v-shaped IEMs around, but very few neutral-ish ones like the Pure, the Hexa and the Titan S. There's also the Moondrop LAN which is bright-neutral, and has also been discontinued - replaced by two different versions, neither of which is as good as the original. Seems to be a trend. I haven't heard the S2 myself but every single review I saw, where they had also heard the original, preferred the S to the S2. The S2 has arguably better accessories, but the tuning just isn't as good.

I don't have it anymore but it would be somewhere around 250Hz and reduce by about 2dB. You could maybe go a bit lower with a higher Q to bring down more of the bass, or keeping it around 0.7 should target just the part that bleeds into the mids. Listener himself mentioned in one of the Headphone Show live streams that's what he does personally, though I forget if he mentioned an exact frequency. I did notice a slight elevation around there causing some bleed into the mids, so that's what I would change, but it didn't bother me enough while I had them to actually do it. In fact I quite liked the bass presentation overall - it has a nice well-rounded thump to it. The best thing would be to do it by ear and see what sounds neutral to you. Another trick you can do is go into auto EQ and set it to work in just the bass frequencies (say, allow it to adjust 20Hz to 800Hz), and constrain it to a single filter. Then Auto-EQ to JM-1. That would at least give you a good starting point to then adjust to what sounds right to you. Doing a quick experiment on squig.link gives me good results with 1 filter on 711 (although the level came out weird and I had to adjust it manually). On 5128 I needed 2 filters to get it looking nice, but that's compensating for a rocking mode that isn't really there (that weird S-shape bump around 200Hz), so I'd be careful about that. That's a problem with the 5128.

I haven't heard the iM4 so I can't comment on that one, but if you aren't treble-sensitive and prefer a bright tuning, you should probably look at the original EA500 (the silver one). It's an incredible IEM but it's also quite bright, so it's not for anyone treble-sensitive. The EA500LM adds a lot more bass so it's quite aggressively v-shaped, but it sounds like more of a mild v-shape than it appears on a graph. It loses a lot of the magic of the original (especially in the soundstage), in order to be a bit safer for more people. It actually has even more treble energy than the original, but it's more balanced out by a lot of bass, so it doesn't sound quite as bright. The Hexa is more neutral but IMO it has a lot of technical issues in the treble, and it also has large nozzles that can be very uncomfortable unless you have larger than average ear canals. Some people describe it as bright, but it's not really bright, it just has peaky, inconsistent treble, and lacks bass. It's actually more of a warm tuning, aside from the bass being a bit below neutral. If you're specifically looking for a brighter tuning I'd skip the Hexa and either go with the EA500, or if you want something a bit safer then consider the Moondrop LAN instead (the original version which is now discontinued, but there is still stock left).

It’s still a solid set if you like the tuning. Also works well for smaller ears.

Used to be Dita truths. Now moondrop lat 2? Forgot the exact name.

Apologies if I'm necro-ing. But just looking at IEMs again after a long time. I've got up to a 75USD budget (quite a lot in local currency) and I see the TangZu wan er 2 and Moondrop Chu 2 being recommended for 20$ budget. How do they actually sound? For reference I have a WF 1000XM3 and have also listened to my sis' WH 1000XM5. My taste is right now for musical clarity, details in instruments but decent enough of bass (strong but not overwhelming as the Sony's) and just overall warmth? I'm sorry if I am not able to describe it correctly. I have heard (and am trying my friend's) salnotes Zero, but I kinda feel like it's lacking just a bit of mid range and lower bass. And some song's pitch hurts my ears. I've also set some Simgott EA500LM (2nd Gen?) and Moondrop LAN ii in my price bracket just to give an idea of how much I'm willing to pay. TIA for the recommendations. Any other IEMs in the same range is also appreciated

Thanks so much for your help! I'll go with Moondrop, either the Chu 2 or the Lan 2 Pop version. Just want to decide if it's a gonna be worth biting the bullet. Either ways. I'm excited

Hi there! I have decided to go with the Lan 2 Pop, and they just arrived today. My GOD they are actually what I wanted. I am enjoying it and have been the last 3 hours I'm testing them. Listened to a variety of songs now and I haven't felt fatigued. It's warm, bass is punchy but never overhelming. In some songs I feel it does enter the mids a little, but I could be wrong. Vocals are clear, sharp and stands out no matter, surprisingly. I don't get any sibilance in any of the songs so far, compared to my friends 7hz Salnotes Zero, but that's to be expected given the price difference and age. One thing to note is I don't know how to distinguish treble. Its something I'm still learning. This is my first set of IEMs after a long time out. I look forward to trying even more in the future should I start looking for a different sound. But this Moondrop Lan 2 feels like a nice entry point for myself. Others may disagree but that's okay.

I got the Moondrop Lan II Pop before it dropped out of my pocket one day on the bus (rip). It was really suitable for modern pop music or anything with a lot going on. It sounded clean, had a nice precise, but maybe a little weak thump of a bass but vocals were really clean, sharp and beautiful to listen to. I would 100% buy it again once stocks are replenish in my country, as all the online retailers are out of stock for the pop version. I just bought a Tanchjim Bunny to replace it temporarily and I'll see how it holds up. The word is that it really punches above it's price point.