Sennheiser - IE 600

You should definitely check out the Sennheiser IE line. From their cheapest IE200 , their midrange IE600 and to the most expansive IE900 they are all amazing iems, with incredibly small shells. Small enough to actually sleep with, as they do not stick outside of the ear.

Yeah me too, I have some very expensive sets, like the IE600, and I prefer the EW300 over the IE600... I still prefer my Ziigaat Odyssey, or my Mangird Xenns Top, but damn the Simgot is indeed very very good for the asked price

IE600 if you can find one in that budget but you will absolutely need to change the cable cause the default one absolutely will not allow for a proper fit and stay there. Outside of that, Dusk is pretty good.

IEMs:- Campfire Andro 2020 > Shure se846 > Sennheiser ie800 > Dunu sa6 > Sony mdr ex800 > Sony xba N3 > final a4000 > Sennheiser ie200 > etymotic er2xr > Sennheiser ie600 > Kiwiears Cadenza > Shure se215 > blon bl03 > Moondrop Space travel Headphones:- Audeze LCD2C > AKG K701 > hd600 > hd660s > hd6xx > hd650 > Meze 109 > Koss porta pro > Grado sr225 > Grado sr80

The Cadenza is a really great all-rounder and an easy go-to first IEM recommendation. They’re wonderful and not just for the price. The Wa’ner I got for $5. They’re great…for the price. You mentioned bass so that’s why I mentioned the Rosefinch. My approach with IEM’s right now is I use my Sennheiser IE600 for detailed listening sessions. I used the wa’ner for watching video on my laptop. The Cadenza and Rosefinch are in my travel bag. The Sennheiser‘s don’t leave the house given the price tag.

Depends on the person. The pressure from headphones gives me a headache. I bought a pair of Sennheiser IE600s for gaming and general use and they're better sounding than most headphones I've used for both gaming and general use.

I went to try out the IE 200 at my local hifi store and found that they fit my ear perfectly. However I found the audio to be bland, very flat, which can be a good thing for some I guess. Listening to techno I felt that they really excelled in the audio details, but for like rock and other non electronic genres not as much. Knowing that they fit good, I tried the IE 600 a week later as soon as they had them in store, and that's what I ended up getting. It's a whole other level of audio they put out. Goosebumps and smiles :) Did enjoy the cable that came with the 200 over the stiffer one(s) on the 600. Great review on your part, just what I was looking for before going to the store to try and buy.

My ears are small too, after trying multiple iems, this is what I think are some comfortable iems for small ears which i have owned. Sub $20 - Get Truthear Gate over salnotes zero Sub $150 - S12, ie200 Sub $200 - Meze alba (Most comfortable iem i have ever tried) Sub $600 - Symphonium meteor, ie600 Kilobuck - 64 audio

very hot take: ie600 One of the most expensive purchase for me, after all the hype. The cable was atrocious, fit wasn't good for my huge ears and it sounded sibilant. I spend some 3 months to justify the purchase, by rolling tips, changing cable and all that. In the end decided its not for me.

Great write up. I got the ie200 when it originally released, then I got the ie600 in between and had QC issues. I also found there wasn't much difference between them after EQ. I ended up selling the 600 and keeping the 200. I'm really happy with them, they're my only iems. I think I might try the Final E tips after reading your post.

Yeah I preferred the 600 a lot without EQ, but with EQ they were pretty similar. Have you got any other tips you'd recommend that do fit well? I don't use the tape mod anymore. Thanks for the advice!

Great writeup! I'm really interested in the ie900, but that price is crazy high for an iem. I recently sold my ie600 and stuck with the ie200, I didn't find a huge difference after EQ. There is a bigger difference between my HD600 and 800S, but I'm keen to see how the ie900 compares.

Yeah I'm now regretting selling the ie600, but I suppose now I can try out the ie900. I completely dismissed them to begin with because I listened to reviewers a bit too much. Keen to form my own opinion on them.

IE600 > IE200(terrible cable) >> IE900 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> IE300 problem with everything but IE200 is it's rly overpriced, IE600 at $800 msrp most closely competes with $259 Intuaura Splendor II

and my friend got Splendor II for $145 open box(I got it from him used), it's msrp that matters, you can't compare graphs 1:1 because of size of DD, Quarks DSP for example graphs like it has bass but it has none because smaller drivers move less air and bass can't be felt like with bigger drivers, if it's 10 vs 11mm driver sure you can somewhat compare the graph but IE600 is 7mm, a small DD, other friend had IE600 so I used that too for a bit, it sounds rly close, IE600 sounds a bit natural in the midrange but Splendor II has more bass depth and rumble even tho it graphs like it's less than IE600, that's why graphs don't tell the whole story

My first ones were the KZ ZS 10 Pro and I had a similar experience. The sound wasn’t pleasant at all. I went to a friend and tried his FiiO something’s. And in the End I got Sennheiser IE 300s. Those were so muffled that I decided to get the IE600 which are absolutely everything I hoped them to be. More recently I have also gotten the IE200 which are much cheaper and sound 90% as good as the IE600. I recommend the IE200 to everyone in a heartbeat.

Fun hobby - enjoy discovering IEMs man! I had a blast with using my first couple sets of IEMs (wan'er and zero red) and I hope it's an awesome experience for you too. After buying a few more I decided to grab a pair that was a decent jump up (went to ie600 ultimately) so that I wouldn't feel the urge to keep buying the new hyped set and it's been great. Always helpful for me at least to see the reminders on this sub to use my gear to listen to the music rather than the other way around.

Fun hobby - enjoy discovering IEMs man! I had a blast with using my first couple sets of IEMs (wan'er and zero red) and I hope it's an awesome experience for you too. After buying a few more I decided to grab a pair that was a decent jump up (went to ie600 ultimately) so that I wouldn't feel the urge to keep buying the new hyped set and it's been great. Always helpful for me at least to see the reminders on this sub to use my gear to listen to the music rather than the other way around.

Dear Op, save enough money and buy Sennheiser IE600 iem or Open back Sennheiser HD600 Maybe pricey, i do understand, but you don’t need to buy anything else again ( Requires lots of patience and money saving and keep an eye out on Sennheiser hearing website as they often list it at flat 50 percent off during end of November and other festive seasons )

No , i cant recommend the ie200, but the ie600 and ie900 is out of the world And never buy from any other outlet other than Sennheiser hearing website as lots of counterfeits are being sold Or go with open back , the best option, if you aren’t so stuck with iems

**Introduction** I attended an audio show and had the chance to listen to over 30 IEMs. Rather than going too deep on every single one, I wanted to highlight the 3 IEMs that truly impressed me and share some rapid-fire thoughts on the rest. Do note that these are my subjective impressions, and the rapid-fire takes might not convey everything. **64 Audio U12t** 64 Audio was the brand I had looked forward to the most at the show. And U12t was easily the best IEM I heard there. The first thing that caught my attention was its imaging and soundstaging, it was one of the few IEMs that gave me a true sense of holographic staging. I really liked the treble tuning, it was extended, crisp, and avoided being sibilant. The midrange was on the warmer, lusher side, with upper mids slightly recessed for my taste. I hadn’t expected the bass to sound this good coming from BAs. It was detailed, hit hard, but decayed a tad faster than typical DDs. **Softears Enigma** At first, I thought it was just another ridiculously overpriced IEM that would sound mediocre. But I was wrong, the bass quality was pretty good, better than U12t. I didn’t feel anything special about the mids, they were neither shouty nor recessed. I sensed a dip around 5-6 kHz, as I am quite sensitive to peaks there. This made vocals much smoother to listen to, but there was a lack of excitement, so vocals weren’t the strong suit of this IEM. But it was the treble that hooked me and made me want to keep listening. The treble had an 'ethereal' quality. It felt lighter, extended, refined, and more importantly, exciting. Because of this, I just kept listening and ended up staying longer than I had planned, it was that good. **64 Audio U4s** This is basically a 'baby U12t', with a dynamic driver for the bass, giving it a proper bass thump. It had all the qualities I mentioned in U12t, but the overall technical prowess was slightly lower. I am still confused whether I preferred U12t’s faster bass response or U4s meatier bass response, nevertheless it was good. The midrange had similar qualities to what I described in U12t impressions. But the treble performance was a slight downgrade compared to U12t, it was on the splashier side with touch less refinement. **Top Performers in:** **Bass** * 64 Audio Volur * Sennheiser IE 900 **Mid-range** * 64 Audio U12t/U4s * Mega5EST **Treble** * Softears Enigma * 64 Audio U12t **Rapid-fire impressions** **64 Audio Fourte** * Emphasized bass * Recessed vocals * Non-offensive treble * No wow factor * Overpriced **64 Audio Trio** * Recessed mids, but not as much as Fourte * Non-offensive treble * Third best 64 Audio IEM for me **64 Audio U18t** * Treble presentation didn’t work for me * Not as good as U12t **64 Audio Volur** * Best bass I’ve ever heard in an IEM * Treble is quite peaky **64 Audio Nio** * Darkest among the 64 Audio lineup I’ve tried * Not my preferred sound signature **64 Audio Solo** * Best planar IEM I heard at the show * Bass quality wasn’t the best compared to others * Technical performance not up to the price **ThieAudio Monarch MK3** * Chonky shell, but still comfortable to wear * Emphasized yet controlled bass * Treble was slightly peaky * No wow factor **Sony IER Z1R** * Uncomfortable to wear, lacks proper seal * Because of that, bass suffered, I had to hold it with my hands to get the best seal * Bass quality is great (not the best I’ve heard, can’t say much due to poor fit) **Sennheiser IE 900** * Vocals sounded stuffy, weird, and recessed * One of the best bass I heard at the show after 64 Audio Volur * Lacking in detail and imaging for the price **Sennheiser IE 600** * Better tonality than IE 900, especially in the upper mids * Again, not the best in technical performance **Mega5EST** * Most normal-sounding IEM I heard at the show * Quite bassy for this type of mid-range * Not the best in subjective qualities **Dunu Da Vinci** * Similar impression to Mega5EST * This type of sound signature doesn’t work well with such a bass boost **Letshuoer Cadenza 12** * Fairly neutral with a bass boost * Lacks the wow factor * Treble was slightly on the harsher side **Elysian Pilgrim** * Non-offensive sound signature * Treble is a bit forward and spicy * Lacks excitement **Softears RSV** * Bass quality was good * Vocals sounded strained * Nothing special about the treble **Softears Volume S** * Non-offensive, but somewhat shouty on some songs * Slightly peaky treble (in some songs) **Softears Studio 4** * Sounded okay (but in a good way) * Nothing particularly special **FATfreq Maestro Mini** * Driver flex * Too much bass (works well with engaging songs) * Treble not refined **FATfreq Scarlet Mini** * Driver flex * Even more bass (too much on top of the already excessive bass of Maestro Mini) **FATfreq Grand Maestro** * Didn’t felt as bassy as compared to others * Faced similar fit issues like the IER Z1R **Campfire Audio Andromeda Emerald Sea** * Warm sounding with non-offensive treble * Didn’t felt anything special about the rest **Campfire Audio Trifecta** * Very weird sounding (that’s what I wrote in the notes:) * Overpriced for what it is * But looks stunning though **Campfire Audio Astrolith** * Too much treble * Again, overpriced **Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon** * Best sounding Campfire Audio IEM in my opinion * Bass quality was good * Mids sounded recessed * Energetic treble response

Thank you for the detailed comparison. I have the IE300 and 600 myself and am more than satisfied (except for the cables :(, I have sent you a PM). I'm also considering buying the IE200. More out of curiosity, it doesn't make sense (but a lot of things don't make sense in our hobby). Happy New Year to all and enjoy your music... 🎵

Probably the most comfortable iems for the most people. It's very small.

IE600, Trance. That's what i have and what I'm listening to 90% of the time.

I would highly recommend honestly I’ve had mine for a year and a half . In that time I’ve bought 10 different iems and only the ie600 beat them on quality but I hated the fit.

I have ie200 too, put on the stock cable from ie600 and use it for gaming haha, it’s so far the best I used for gaming and casual level entry level music. Ie600 still rocks the main tunes. I also got the solstice cable for ie600, it makes the fit much better and snap on without any fiddling like the stock cables, and results better sound quality.

For reference I also have and LOVE the Xenns Up, IE600, Dita Project M, SA6 Ultra, and Mangird Tea Mk1.

I second this. I prefer it over the Hype 4 for your music selection. I own both.

I have the dusk, hype 4, ie600, Aful 5+2 and I can EQ any one of these to sound like the other. Fit is most important. EQ really can do the rest. As for me, dusk is more comfortable than hype 4 as well.

Well… as the owner of the IE600, little drivers (7mm) can and do produce amazing bass when designed properly. EQ a single DD is a little tricker and I feel there is less you can get out of it compared to a multi driver unit. I suggest you look on the used market. You can absolutely find an iem that represents the full spectrum faithfully. Now I’m not too experienced with the budget segment but from all the reviews and comments I read, they have made SIGNIFICANT improvements in FR and technicalities. Hopefully someone can chime in on a budget set that suits your needs. Don’t be discouraged by your choice, and if you like the comfort of the IE series, the 200 is a mini 600 and with the tape mod you can get one hell of a iem for a very reasonable price. Especially if you buy used.

Throwing in the Sennheiser ie600 into the hat. Natural sounding timbre, nuanced details with good instrument separation, good sound stage - things that would be great for soundtracks!

I did vote for the IE600 because they are still very good for the price they sell here with discounts, but if you take price to performance ratio into consideration, the IE200 takes the cake.

I’d say probably like 400$ish. My personal favorites are the moondrop x crinicle dusk that’s about 380$ *with the dsp cable* or if you like more of a v shape tune the ie600 can be found between 500-600$

The IE600 is so good. I like it even better than some more expensive Fiio.

Anything that sounds good to you will work (but probably something more on the neutral side), you'll just want something comfortable and with a good fit/seal (and a cable that you like, I swapped mine to a set by null audio, the stock was microphonic and just felt uncomfortable to me) I use IE600 when playing cs2, but found that the sound profile of the truthear hexa is similar (fit/comfort isn't the same), used to use some over ears (ATH M50) and haven't noticed any difference in my ability to hear where the players are in the 6 months of use.

(I like U-Shape) I had an HE1000 Stealth and it was great. Got an IE 600 and i found it better cause of the very strong sub bass, and then I got an Elysian Annihilator, and I seriously doubt ANYTHING has better sound than it, for my tastes. I don't know if it's even possible for a headphone to have the kind of bass the Annihilator has. Also, Annihilator has better mids and treble FR than every HiFiman. HE1000 Stealth was peaky and sharp in comparison. I've never seen a headphone with an FR graph nearly as good as Annihilator. There's no recession anywhere, and the treble boost has an intentional gap in the 6kHz area, where the HE1000 Stealth has a peak. Annihilator has very good stage width and imaging. With headphones, you have to deal with limited bass response, more external noise, replacing expensive pads, having long and ugly stock cables, heavy weight, sweaty ears, hair getting on the driver, higher cost, larger size and lack of portability, and worrying about things poking the driver. With headphones, they will get very dirty and be hard to clean, whereas with an earphone, you just wipe some little white bits of ear wax off the tips. Only downsides to earphones are that I guess they tend to have worse staging, can be unusable for people with ear deformities, block your voice wheb talking, and sounds weird when eating (im used to it) and there's ear wax but thats barely an issue.

Elysian Annihilator 2023. The only other stuff I own is KSC75 and Salnotes Zero 2 but thise are $20. I used to have an IE 600 that was pretty nice.

IE600 can often be found for $500 from Sennheiser. And looking at the [comparison](https://aftersound.squig.link/?share=SENNHEISER_IE600,INTUAURA_SPLENDOR_II) the Intuaura looks nothing like the IE600 which is known for its bass and treble extension.

Growing up in a hot climate, I'm used to having an IEM in my ears. Headphones are ok for a period of time, but nothing beats a IE600.

Second this. It is such a good fit and good tuning in that series

So Dunu recently released the dk3001bd ($499) and it has been a outstanding iem for me. I have had this iem for a week now and I can seriously recommend it despite its rather high price atm (may be discounted in the future). It's been extremely hard to put down this iem and really sounds better the more you listen to it as your brain readjust to the treble. Item was also purchased with my own money for this review so thoughts are all my own. Starting with the design, this is clearly a IEM that was designed with a both thought and intent. Whether you like it or not is another topic, but dunu nailed it when it comes to how the iem's execution and the memorability of it. Before even diving into the sound aspect of this iem, dunu manages to captivate a design idea and presentation so well with a cyperpunk look, and a intriguing brain dance naming scheme that perfectly matches its sound. The driver configuration is also on the more innovative side with 1 DD for bass, 4 BA for midrange, and 4 micro-planer for treble per side. The accessories are also up to high standards such as the cable considering dunu started out as a equipment manufacturer in 1994. The drivers are all vented properly in heaps with its design which you see at least three venting sites that relieves pressure buildup and preventing any signs of driver flex. \*\*Driver Configuration\*\* \* Dual-System, Four-Way Precision Crossover \* Flagship “Glacier” Low-Frequency Dynamic Driver \* Custom Mid-High Balanced Armature Drivers \* High-Performance Planar Ultra-High Drivers \*\*Specifications\*\* \* NET WEIGHT: Approx. 8.1 g (per side) \* FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5 Hz - 40 kHz \* IMPEDANCE : 26 Ω \* SENSITIVITY : 108 dB/mW @ 1 kHz, 122 dB/Vrms @ 1 kHz \* TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION: < 0.5% at 1 kHz \* DYNAMIC DRIVER CONFIGURATION: \* 1 Dynamic 4 Balanced Armature 4 Planar \* HOUSING MATERIAL: \* Aerospace-Grade Aluminum Alloy \* WIRE MATERIAL: \* 4-Core Secondary Refined High-Purity Furukawa OCC Copper \* CABLE LENGTH: 1.2 ‡ 0.1 m \* CABLE CONNECTOR: MMCX \* PLUG CONNECTOR: \* Patented Q-Lock Mini Interchangeable Plug System \* INCLUDED ACCESSORIES : \* 4.4 mm TRRRS Balanced, 3.5 mm TRS Single-Ended, 6.3mm \* Cable, 5x eartip styles, nozzle brush, cleaner cloth, cable clip, iem pouch, and IEM carrying case Vocals have very natural energy. The treble while prominent, is effortlessly tuned to avoid sibilance while still providing air. It is one of the few iems on the market that delivers elevated treble without the harshness. It has a style that pays off which is competing with the TOTL IEM in terms detail retrieval. Eartip selection does make a difference so you can subtly alter the treble based on the supplied eartips or your own which is a testament to the finely tuned treble (long stem eartips works the best like spinfit w1, azla sednaearfit series, pentacon coreir al alloy, or a more narrow bore for a better soundstage and treble refinement). At the same time, it manages to make songs you heard before sound new but maintaining neutrality to not be too bass or treble heavy which can overshadow other nuances. No frequency feels like it's left behind, and the bass is textured and controlled with a crunchy sub-bass presence that contrasts excellently with the extended treble. Vocals are well placed in the mix, not too forward or too recessed. They are slightly pulled backed a little so it doesn't sound shouty and allows treble to have more attention. The treble doesn’t seem to overwhelm the entire frequency as it becomes the only thing you hear (unique melody mest 2 is a culprit of this with too much boost of a treble and sharp electrostatic thinness). Personally I find the sound characteristic of planar for the treble to be more satisfying due to their weight and immediacy compared to the softer, quick-decay of electrostatic drivers. It does sound a little less realistic, but also trades balance with not standing out with the other drivers (better coherency). Mid-bass is de-emphasized, but it works in favor with the tuning since every frequency has its place to shine and you hear the extension from both ends. Sub-bass is apparent and the transient speed is fast and dyanmic contributing to the coherence of the sound signature. Vocals are incredibly clear and undistorted, the trade-off in the mid-bass I think allows the vocals to have its own focus and feels clean. Overall, I think dunu has done a fantastic job with tuning these and utilizing the different driver configurations. At no point did I get the feeling the treble was overly separated from the rest of the frequencies like in electrostatics). Main source used was ifi go link MAX dongle which brought out more warmth in the overall mix and helped with powering the micro-planars which I found to be smoother. Treble was pleasant to listen to and I didn’t have to squint hard to hear the details which is a standout of this set, enjoyable enough sound from a neutral set with a nice bass boost and separation by the 9 different drivers. Sound signature can be described as neutral with sub-bass and treble boost. Before buying these, you should be aware of the more neutral presentation of the music and that the treble might not work for every genre if you want it be more forgiving, but serves as a fantastic flavor IEM for hearing all sound in the mix. TLDR; pros: \\- easy to pick out treble detailed trailed by the vocals, space for everything to breathe \\- manages to be extremely resolving without sacrificing midrange quality \\-non fatiguing treble despite being boosted and remains neutral for vocals in any mix cons: \\-fit dependent since the treble is so fine tuned, any adjustment is easily noticeable from tip rolling \\-planar timbre, sometimes the treble can sound too clean and analytical. \\-emphasis on sub-bass rumble rather than mid-bass warmth can also give a more analytical feel, but is still musical nonetheless because it manages to bring out treble excitement without the expense of piercing your brains out I will do a quick comparison between 2 other IEM that I am very fond of which are the sennheiser ie600 and ie900. Whenever I listen to these two iem, I hear a tuning with a purpose and thats the same energy I get with the dunu brain dance. Sometimes you can just tell the sound presentation of a certain IEM and if something is missing by how well they control peaks in the frequencies. IE600 definitely has a bit of sibilance to it despite the use of their resonator chambers, but you can tell sennheiser didn't go all out in evening out its frequencies and only used 2x resonator + a dampener near the nozzle, because it would kinda defeat the purpose of the 3xr resonators in the IE900. Treble overall sounds less refined and detailed than the DUNU but has more bass for a warmer and musical sound. A common theme between IE900 and dunu bk3001bd is their treble extension. The single dynamic driver IE900 has been praised for its unreal feeling in the treble and being being a bass extension rumble monster. Both of these iem have its cons and pro. Ie900 is a single driver iem and has coherency that helps with its naturalness, but is then counteracted by its wonky tuning (recessed upper midrange- vocal details gets lost and become nasally). Dunu is also recessed slightly, but that's honestly how your suppose to tune IEMs to prevent sibilance given how close iems are to your eardrums (without getting shouty and give a more wide separated soundstage.) On the Dunu bk3001bd it may be easier to tell the drivers apart (incoherency and timbre differences), but the more naturalness of the tuning help with it detail retreival (a lot more neutral with breathier vocals presence). Ie900 is on par and beats brain dance for musicality (expected because ie900 is like endgame u/v shape dynamic tuning which kinda makes every song a little bit too energetic; and emulate headphone/speakers by taking aways crucial vocal elements). Best way I can describe the treble in dunu bk3001bd is imaging the overall technical performance of planar drivers in general and now focusing all that on just the treble. It's definitely a detailed and dynamic listen that all BA sets simply just haven't inherently matched, and comes close to my ie900. Overall, I can recommend this IEM and its easily in my top 5 so far. Haven't been impressed with some IEMs I've purchased recently, but the dunu bk3001bd manages to scratch a section of my brain associated with clean audio precision and a purposeful tonality, vocals are centered in the mix despite a treble emphasis. Its kinda funny how sennheiser pours their heart and soul into tuning the treble with a tiny DD for naturalness and have to compromise with ie900 while dunu just places some micro-planars and it retrieve much more details at 1/3 of the cost of ie900 while maintaining natural driver coherency that works with its the sound signature. Not just on these two IEMs, but I have tried sony z1r, mest 2, anole vx, u4s, andromeda, monarch mk2, and have long stopped going above 1k for either worse performance in value or sound. If these ever go on discount, the decision is made easier.

IE200 and if you like it a lot, upgrade to ie600. You’ll never have to think about another iem again. Sennheisers has one thing few manufacturers manage to perfect which is the timbre. Sennheisers is ultimately known for their timbre and naturalness. They know when to emphasize and recess certain frequencies to make sound exciting and natural at the same time. Sennheisers themselves said when they first started working on their IE series, they were thinking how could they shrink the driver from their headphone to the size of the miniature 7mm and fit snuggly. I think they succeeded, and many who owned ie200 and HD600 would say ie200 is like the iem version of hd600. Doesn’t have the most detail, but literally nothing the ie200 does wrong. Vocals are pretty natural not too pushed forward like in ie600 or too recessed like in ie900. Sennheisers definitely planned their series to be an upgrade path. They managed to nerf it so buyers will want to upgrade while at the same time serving as a benchmark for introductory IEM users.

DC ELITE + IE600 , end. ...... ok... maybe Monarch 3... end....

Lined up as my last and only upgrade from my lovely ie600s which I levelled up with ibasso DC Elite into their 3rd year.

I’m currently trying to downsize - if you’re interested in trying Moondrop variations vs thieaudio hype 4 vs sennheiser ie600, I’m down to send them to you as long as you buy one of the three and send the other two back!

Tried them. Returned the IE600, kept the dusk and variations from Moondrop. Those two I wasn't expecting the size of them, the tube seems to help making the sound a bit more airy. Dusk is quite neutral, a bit more airy than variations, and less fatique on long run. But tuning I preper variations a bit more. Both are very nice. Quite a step up from my old SE846. Thanks.

Meze Alba, Sennheiser IEX00, Moondrop Chu/Chu2, etc. There are also plenty of hybrid/tribrid IEMs that are not tiny, but still very appropriately sized. I find DUSK to be pretty comfortable despite being a 6-driver tribrid.