Softears - RS5 5BA

In my quest for the best gaming IEM, I've tried or owned the Tanchjim Oxygen, TripowinxHBB Olina, Softears RSV, Simgot EM6L, Letshuoer EJ07, Truthear Nova, and ZiiGaat Odyssey, among others not worth mentioning. Some $2,000 invested in my handicap of not being able to use open back headphones, which is most ideal for gaming by nearly every measure. Fuck me for having heatsinks for ears! What I've learned is that staging and, to a lesser degree, imaging are critical, yet often under appreciated when you see answers to the question of the best gaming IEM. By staging I mean being able to determine exactly where a particular sound (such as footsteps) is coming from in 2 or, ideally, 3 dimensional space, as well as distinguish it from other similar sounds coming from that direction that are even slightly nearer, farther, above, or below.  Currently, the ZiiGaat Odyssey, paired with DTS:X Headphones (worth paying for! Stick with balanced), Tripowin foam tips, and a decent DAC+AMP, is serving me the best in FPS games on PC like OW2, Squad, Battlefield, Marvel Rivals, and STALKER 2. Of all the IEMs I've tried, Odyssey's staging is the widest, most accurate, and most immersive for my ears. All the others I mentioned are varying degrees of "effective enough" at ensuring that I hear footsteps, but the Odyssey beats them all at telling me exactly where those footsteps are in 3 dimensions. It's also great for general purpose listening.

For 1. I still love my Blon03 and it has been on my active rotation for years now. I guess I love the timbre. * Dac/AMP type and eartip does affect the sound presentation. Some examples:  My RSV’s bass went missing and treble presentation sounded dark on FC6 even if I tip roll. I found it best paired with ibasso Nunchaku, midbass presence is better and treble became noticeable. Also low gain + slow filter is best paired with RSV. Symphonium Meteor and Titan treble went missing after tiprolling. Stock tips were still the best for me. Symphonium Titan midbass went missing, subass sucked and treble became splashy with Akliam FC6.  Titan and Meteor are nicely paired with ZX707, bass was really good and treble became present however sound feels congested and too intimate. This was greatly improved with Topping G5 by widening the soundstage and provided with a really clean sound, at the expense of ruining the sparkly treble of Meteor and great subbass of Titan. It did cut off those peaky highs and lows for a clean and wide presentation.

**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