Simgot EA1000 "Fermat"

Simgot EA1000 **with gold nozzle** and AZLA Crystal **2** tips will fit all of your boxes **greatly**. DAC: Apple Dongle if you have it or Jcally JM20 Pro if you wanna go premium. If you're american and can't order Jcally because of tariffs, then Apple dongle is good. However, if you're on Android, you'll need to install RootlessJamesDSP and Shizuku for it to work properly or your phone will keep not using the external DAC.

Fwiw I heard IE600 and prefer my much cheaper and much sturdier EA1000

By that logic ie600 , tanchjim origin , ie900, mk12 , ea1000 and many others is not worth it.

Are you my clone lol! Those are my 2 IEMs alongside Simgot EA1000s.

The EA1000 is definitely the most refined of the Simgots I've heard, which is all of them except the SM4 and the ET142 (and the EA2000, but nobody cares about that one). It has that signature Simgot bright-leaning and airy sound with a large soundstage, but it has the best combination of resolution, smoothness and balanced tonality. Overall it's a mild v-shape with what I'd call cool-tilted mids rather than being bright per se. I'd prefer a bit touch more warmth to the low mids, but I'm not sure that's possible without ruining everything that makes them special, like the soundstage. I plan to do some EQ experiments at some point but haven't got around to it yet. At least for me, it never gets fatiguing (though it might for anyone very treble sensitive). It will certainly do electronic music fairly well, but it's not the *best* for it. I do think it's the best IEM for metal, at least out of everything I've heard so far. It's super resolving (very close to planar) so never gets muddled with complex arrangements, layered distortion, etc. The punchy bass is exactly right for any sort of rock music. Cry of the Blackbirds by Amon Amarth on the EA1000 is something else. Also Youngblood by Russian Circles has some great sounding drums, which on the EA1000 sound better than any of my over-ears. Only the Edition XS comes close, but it doesn't have the same weighty reverberance that sounds like an actual kick drum in a closed space. I'm using the red nozzle on mine which was the default and tbh I've never got around to trying the other ones. So I can't confirm red is the best, but most seem to agree that it is. I suppose I should try the others at some point, but I haven't felt the need to. I also like Divinus Velvet tips on these, thought that's a big YMMV thing of course.

Overall, Simgot EA1000. Partly because it resolves about as well as any of my planars. But lately I have been mainly listening to my Ikko OH300, which cost about $40. Sadly looks like it might be discontinued, because it disappeared from Aliexpress a couple of weeks ago.

It's very well regarded. Some reviewers slightly prefer the Tanchjim Origin, but I skipped that one because some other reviewers say it's more of a downgrade or sidegrade from the Oxygen, which I already have. The EA1000 is definitely in another league technically when you compare it to 1DDs like the EA500LM, Kato, Oxygen, Dunu Falcon Ultra, etc. Even the reviewers who prefer the tuning of one of the other 1DDs acknowledge that the EA1000 is ahead on technicalities. The Origin is the only one out of that list I haven't been able to hear and compare myself. I also haven't heard the stupidly high end ones like the SoftEars Twilight, but that one interests me, to hopefully try in the future. Oh also I keep forgetting that technically the EA1000 isn't actually a 1DD, it's more like a 1.5DD because it has a passive radiator. Most people group it together with the rest though and it's unclear if the passive radiator actually contributes anything. I think it *might* because the bass on the EA1000 is pretty unique too. If I had to pick from the ones that are true 1DDs, in terms of enjoyment I'd rank them OH300 > Dunu Titan S > Kato > Oxygen, but in terms of "technically-the-best" it goes Oxygen -(tiny difference)-> Kato -(big difference)-> Dunu Titan S -(big difference)-> OH300. Also worth calling out the QKZ HBB for being stupidly good for what it costs (about $15). It's roughly my #3 favourite IEM at any price, but maybe drops down to #4 because of the OH300 (I haven't decided if the OH300 completely replaces the S08 or not). The HBB is just very unique for it's super laid back, warm tuning, so I can't see it ever leaving my collection.

The L2 handles metal pretty well. It has good separation & doesn't get muddled with busy parts. Bass is clean & punchy. Cymbals and hi-hats are well resolved but not pushed forward to where they could get fatiguing (like on the S12 Pro). The Simgot EA1000 is the best IEM I've found for metal. The L2 isn't quite as dynamic or resolving as that, but for being very neutral (and a lot cheaper) it keeps up pretty well.

They are bright. Very bright. So if you're at all treble sensitive, avoid. OTOH, if you're not treble sensitive or don't mind the risk of treble-fatigue, they're absolutely one of the best IEMs under $200. Absolutely insane performance for the price. They're basically a mini-EA1000 (my favourite IEM btw) but the EA1000 has slightly more realistic-sounding bass and smoother, less harsh treble. It's still bright-leaning but it's not outright bright like the EA500 and I don't find it fatiguing at all. Because of the extra treble, the EA500 actually has very slightly sharper imaging and a bigger soundstage than even the EA1000, which is known for it's very expansive soundstage by IEM standards. Most reviewers seem to agree on this, despite soundstage in IEMs being a very subjective psychoacoustic effect. You'll be hard-pressed to find a more open-sounding IEM than the EA500, especially not at the price. Keep an eye out for sales on Aliexpress. When the LM came out (not as good IMO but it's a *safer* choice, because the extra bass makes it sound less harsh to most people), there were some pretty big discounts on the OG. I thought they were planning to discontinue it, but it looks like they decided to just keep on selling it. I wouldn't be surprised if it's more popular than the LM in Asian markets, where they tend to prefer a brighter signature. Last couple of times I looked it wasn't as heavily discounted as it was just after the LM came out, but you should still expect to see some decent offers in the many & frequent Aliexpress sales.

That's interesting, I've been curious about those for a while. Maybe at some point in the future I'll be able to track down a lightly used pair to see if I get the same effect and if it's a huge jump up from my current best. I get that sort of effect from the Simgot EA1000 (which we talked about recently). That sort of thing is very recording-dependent though. One that I find is quite good is the Dire Straits live at the Hammersmith Odeon 1983, especially [Tunnel of Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3jw0Fjp_fU). Partly for how good the recording of the band is, and also because the crowd sound actually image properly instead of just adding a load of clipped white noise that ruins the recording. Harry Belafonte live at Carnegie Hall is pretty good too, although musically, I'd rather listen to Mark Knopfler. I also get that same effect to a slightly lesser extent but also with an added "bass blanket" effect and more emphasis on depth/layering in a slightly narrower stage from the Ikko OH300, which is $40. And an even more intimate version from the Letshuoer S08. I used to list the EA1000 and the S08 as my 2 favourite IEMs because of the contrast: the EA1000 is like standing on stage, 2m from the band and the S08 is like being trapped in a cupboard with the band, with the singer 2cm in front of your nose. The OH300 has mostly taken over the #2 spot from the S08 in my rotation, but it doesn't have that same trapped-in-a-cupboard presentation (it's very similar in a lot of ways though). The thing about imaging/soundstage is that it's mostly faked in production, hence the huge variation between tracks. Live recordings are usually mult-miked rather than binaural, but the positioning is less fictional because it pretty much has to reflect where the musicians actually were on the stage at the time. Especially if they're moving around between different mics. And then you have things like [Amber Rubarth, Sessions from the 17th Ward](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLgTaL-Q6Ig&list=PL0emVwtw4R9VbtzcZrkMkwXxqPABo9zfE), which is just cheating. It's a fully binaural recording and sounds holographic on just about anything that doesn't have completely whack channel balance, maybe with some slight variation depending on how well that particular headphone/IEM matches your HRTF. Have you got any good recordings you suggest for that sort of holographic imaging? Anything in particular that stood out on the Andromedas? Especially anything that sounds holographic on them but doesn't on other things? I'm always looking for good soundstage/imaging test tracks, that really show off the good stuff and show up the bad stuff.

Yeah, sorry about that one. I do find it far too bright unless I use Spifit CP-100+ tips, but those bring it down to the right level for me, so that my OG sounds fairly neutral and my 2025 sounds mildly v-shaped. I guess tip-related fixes don't necessarily translate well from person to person. But it's likely that you're more treble-sensitive than me too. I don't think I'm the most treble-insensitive person either. I definitely find the S12 Pro and EA500 fatiguing, and I find the Aful Explorer very sibilant, which a lot of people don't seem to notice (probably to do with the amount of 5-6kHz it has relative to the rest of the mids). Hence, definitely don't go buying an EA1000 at full price, there's clearly a big risk you'll find it much brighter than I do. I'm also using Divinus Velvet tips on mine, which are relatively trebly compared to many tips, so if it's just on the edge there you could almost certainly bring the treble levels down with the right tips. Maybe KB07, Dunu Candy or something like that. Maybe even Final Type E black, but I find they remove so much treble they usually kill a lot of technicalities.

Simgot EA1000. Keeps up with my planars for resolution, but with more natural timbre. Also has exceptionally realistic sounding bass when it comes to reproducing things like acoustic drums. Haven't heard anything that touches them for that, including over-ears. Hifiman Edition XS comes close in terms of overall clarity and bass extension, but lacks some of the punch.

The Simgot metal 1DDs are all very comfortable. You have the EA500LM for a balanced, but somewhat aggressive v-shape, the original EA500 that's very bright and gets fatiguing quickly, but it probably has the biggest wow factor for the price. And the EA1000 might be just in your budget depending on sales/offers and is sort of a more refined EA500 that isn't as bright or fatiguing. The EA1000 is my overall favourite IEM, but the EA500LM is possibly a safer option for more people as it's the bassiest one, and although it also has more treble than the OG EA500, it's more balanced out by the bass and it doesn't sound as bright. The other notably good 1DDs are the Tanchjim ones, but their ergonomics are terrible. They're small, but have very bad fit stability. Also the Moondrop Kato, if you can find one, is a great all-rounder 1DD and very comfortable. But it's discontinued. The Kefine Delci is really comfortable, but it's a warm, laid back sort of tuning that's not really competitive with the $100+ stuff when it comes to resolution etc. If detail is your top priority, you aren't going to beat the EA1000. Also while it doesn't have as much bass as the EA500LM, it has more "kick" to it than any other IEM I've heard, and it is very *realistic* sounding bass, especially for acoustic drums.

Depends what mood I'm in. Want warm, bassy & relaxed for mostly background listening? QKZ HBB. What warm, bassy & cosy but more focused on the music? Ikko OH300. Out for a walk? Ikko OH10. Out for a walk but want a more neutral sound? Moondrop Kato. Want less bass & lots of resolution? Stellaris. Want the most "realistic" sound possible? Simgot EA1000. And so on... I've got a lot of IEMs that I don't listen to that often. Some of those are just not very good but are too cheap to be worth selling. Some are good but not part of my core set, so I'll maybe listen to one of those now and then to mix things up a bit. I don't really do "genre-specific" IEMs because the mastering of individual albums can make a bigger difference than genres. But if I mainly want to listen to metal, I'll almost always get the EA1000 just because it's so much better than any other IEM for several things that come up a lot in rock, metal, prog, etc. If I'm in the mood for hip hop there's a very good chance I'll get the Dunu Titan S, but that's also more mood-specific and I might want something bassier. Even these "genre-specific" cases are more mood-specific anyway; just because I'm in the mood to listen to metal doesn't mean I'm exclusively only going to listen to metal, nor am I going to put Spotify on shuffle then change IEMs depending on what track comes on.

I don't go based on artist/genre so much as the overall presentation that I feel like at the time (which might also push me to listen to certain genres more than others, but not always). These days I listen to random playlists more often that specific albums, so I'm not a "this headphone for this album" sort of person. Generally if I'm going for a walk somewhere I'll pick up one, or if I want to just listen to music for a bit, I'll pick one. I won't normally change during a listening session unless I'm specifically A/B comparing them, or if I thought I was in the mood for a particular style and then realise I was wrong and swap over to something else. Occasionally I might hear something in a particular track and think "I wonder what that sounds like on such-and-such", but I keep a bunch of headphone-specific playlists so that I can just bookmark it for later. Although occasionally I will just want to hear how it sounds *right now*. The ones I'm listening to the most lately are: * QKZ HBB - these are mainly what I listen to when I'm doing something else; they have a similar warm, "wrapped in cotton wool" type of sound with recessed vocals that help to make them less distracting at lower volumes. * Ikko OH300^[1] - similar sort of warmth to the HBB, but also vocal-forward with incredible depth/layering - very relaxing but also engaging if I want to get fully absorbed into the music. * Aful MagicOne - another good one for relaxing, but more midrange focused without the bass of the HBB/OH300. I don't grab this one as often, but it's pretty unique. I'd probably listen to it a lot more if it was vented, but it doesn't bother me as much as my other unvented IEMs. * Moondrop Stellaris^[2] - Quite open and airy sounding with incredibly detailed treble and extremely linear bass, which just stays out of the way when it's not called for, and incredibly forceful when it needs to be. There is a bit of shout, but I don't really mind it and it's nowhere near as bad as they graph. Where the OH300 is for getting absorbed into the music, these are for getting absorbed into the overall soundscape, space and texture of the instruments, if that makes sense. You could call them analytical, but certainly not clinical. * Ikko OH10 - these are my main "walking around" IEM because the v-shape that combines deep, rounded bass with some good treble clarity makes them ideal for blocking outside noise. They're also incredibly comfortable. * Moondrop Kato - another mainly "out and about" IEM but they're slightly more neutral than the OH10, so I prefer these for longer trips on trains etc. They're probably the best "all rounder" IEM I have; can listen to them anytime, anywhere. I've also been listening to them more generally, since I started using my Shanling M0 Pro as my main DAC/amp instead of the Fiio BTR7. The BTR7 is a bit warm in a way that really completements the OH10, but the M0 Pro makes the Kato sound a lot cleaner. It's a really tiny difference, but it's enough to notice. Also the Simgot EA1000 remains my overall favourite IEM, but it's kind of similar to the Stellaris in a lot of ways with pretty different style of bass. There might be some recency bias that's making me grab the Stellaris more often lately. Both of them fall into the category of IEMs that can do certain things no other IEM/headphone can do (at least none that I've heard so far). ^[1] I'm not sure if the OH300 has been discontinued. I'd be recommending it to everyone if it wasn't sold out. Sounds incredible for ~$45 and it's mostly replaced the Letshuoer S08 for me (they have a lot of similarities, but the OH300 has better bass and the slight technical downgrades are barely noticeable). They dropped off Aliexpress a couple of months ago. I managed to grab a spare before all the stock disappeared from the Ikko website, but they're gone now. It now says "coming soon", so it might just be that they produce them in small batches and more will be available in the future. Not sure. ^[2] The Stellaris completely changed for me with Dunu Candy tips and quickly became one of my favourite IEMs. With most tips they are bright like a thousand suns and quite fatiguing. IDK if they'll work for everyone, so I don't recommend going out and buying a Stellaris (if you can find one: they're discontinued) but if you have one and have Candy tips lying around, I *highly* recommend giving them a try (and also let me know how it goes!)

Well, my overall favourite IEM is the Simgot EA1000 and it's also the only one I'd specifically recommend for metal. It handles everything else at least competently or better. The only thing that's missing really is it doesn't have tons of sub-bass for EDM, but it's not entirely lacking either, it just happens to excel more at acoustic stuff like making kick-drums sound incredibly realistic (which actually requires the sub-bass dip: you have to choose one or the other, because more sub-bass will make kick drums sound "slow" and maybe even muddy). It's resolving enough to keep up with my planar IEMs, and gets within about 95% of the Variations for treble quality (plus it has a bit more "bite" than the Variations which again works well for metal). It also has a particularly open/expansive soundstage, particularly with live recordings. I haven't heard the Astral or the Top Pro. Both sound interesting, but I can't do comparisons with them. I would say the EA1000 is "bright-leaning". I don't find it outright bright or fatiguing like the EA500 or S12 Pro, but if a track is mastered bright, it won't hide that fact. So anyone treble-sensitive might be better off with something else.

QKZ HBB. Nothing else is tuned quite like it. To give a more expensive set with similar-ish tuning that they sound better than: the Aful Explorer. Although the Explorer is better in a lot of ways (fit is better, resolution is better), vocals sound better on the HBB. Sibilance on the Explorer bothers me, so out of the two, the HBB is the one I'll normally listen to. Next to better, but quite differently tuned IEMs like the Simgot EA1000, they still hold their own as something completely different. They make a good complementary set as part of a collection. Whereas I have a bunch of other cheap IEMs that I rarely actually listen to, because they don't do anything unique. Another cheap pair that I do listen to a lot is the Ikko OH300, which has largely replaced the Letshuoer S08 for if I'm in the mood to listen to something like that. The S08 is pretty unique and I wouldn't say the OH300 is flat out better, but it does have better bass. The OH300 sits in a similar category to the HBB and they have quite similar-sounding bass. But whereas the HBB is quite relaxed, with pushed back vocals, the OH300 is quite vocal-forward. The OH300 also has exceptional imaging/layering, which is the other reason why it competes with the S08. The S08 is also exceptional in that regard, but incredibly tip-sensitive, and the S08 has a really tiny soundstage (which is a good thing, in the sense that it's very unique).

Simgot EA1000, mostly. The tonal balance isn't quite neutral though, it has a slight cool tilt to the midrange that I sometimes notice. Some would call them bright, but they don't really sound bright to me, so much as very unforgiving about bright-mastered tracks. For the most part they just sound correct, as long as the track is well mastered. I think someone who indexes specifically for vocal timbre, might be more bothered by that cool tilt than I am, especially where it's noticeable on male vocals. But I tend to index for things like complex tracks with lots of instruments, being able to still pick them all out, and each of them still having realistic timbre, so across the whole frequency range. I would say the Thieaudio Legacy 2 sounds the more neutral to me tonally, which can be better at times, because sometimes that cool tilt won't sound as natural. But most of the time, the EA1000 is the one that makes things, especially live recordings, sound more like they're actually real, rather than like I'm listening through transducers. The L2 is good but it doesn't quite have that effect. I was listening to the Truthear Pure recently and while it's fairly neutral across a lot of the FR (except the midbass/low mids), I would not say it sounds natural at all. It's far too warm, so it's very obvious you're listening through a device of some sort, that's colouring the sound. I have the Hexa as well and it just sounds pretty wonky, mainly because the treble is so peaky, which causes things like instruments wandering around on the stage. And also the lack of bass. There's one thing that the EA1000 does that I have not yet found any other headphone or IEM that can match, which is how realistically it renders drums, especially kick drums. I'm not sure what it is, but I have a theory it's because the passive radiator simulates the time-domain response of speakers in a room (which would add natural room reverb, that IEMs normally don't do, because they are supposed to be minimum phase). The closest I've heard is the Hifiman Edition XS, which can reproduce most of the decay in the sub-bass, but it doesn't have the same initial transient kick. Real drums at a live gig are really fucking loud. They should sound loud. For the most part, in recordings, they don't, but on the EA1000, they do. But not in a bloated, distorted, beats-by-dre sort of way. In a way that that just makes drums sound like real drums.

edit : bought a simgot ea1000 instead. it is perfect for me exactly what i want. got it for 125$ ish, almost pulled the trigger for the supermix 4 but glad i didnt. Anyways since im not gatekeeping anymore, these prices are from carousell

carousell Malaysia. goated app i got the simgot ea1000 instead for 125$. sound quality is crazy good

I listen to a good amount of classical (less opera these days) - lately a bit of mahler, bach, brahms....and I love my Simgot EA1000.

I really love my Simgot EA1000s with the gold filter and some wideboar tips. there's so much detail, and the bass is tight but present.

you're looking at them. same colorway too. I go back and forth between the hype 4s and the EA1000s