Studio4

I can’t help but shake my head watching that video — or anyone who quotes it, honestly. There’s a part where he says he disagrees with websites that list JM-1 targets as one category and neutral as another. I don’t know… but I just don’t like the sound of the newer Meta-tuned IEMs at all. To me, they don’t sound neutral — for example, the Truthear Nova and Kiwi KE4 both sound pretty bleh. They’re definitely not neutral in my book. That said, I do love the Studio4 — and it doesn’t follow any of the “rules” mentioned in that video. But is undoubtedly more neutral than any hogwash from those other IEMs.

I mean this respectfully, but to me, the new Meta just sounds a bit blubbery — not really my thing. It doesn’t sound neutral to me, though if you believe it is, I won’t argue. But let me turn the question on you: what’s your one pick for the IEM that best demonstrates neutrality — basically answering the OP’s original question? I mentioned the Studio4, since to my ears it sounds more neutral than any of the Meta IEMs. What would you choose?

Studio4 is amazing on female vocals.

Studio4. It's so good with vocals

This is my jam! :D Here's my recommendations for pop and female vocals: Kiwi Ears Astral (go one size larger than usual on eartips) (I used stock) Softears Studio4 (Hard to explain but super magical how it sounds) (I literally cannot explain in words how it sounds. But it's magical. It's almost like they're singing right next to you is the best way I can describe it) Letshouer Cadenza 4 (a sleeper pick that wowed me. Definitely recommend)

Softears Studio4s That's where things don't get better, even when you throw hundreds or thousands of dollars on top. I legit went to Canjam and walked away thinking the Studio4s were better than even the Mystic 8 ($1000). And while an entirely different sound entirely, I'd take the Studio4 over the Andromeda 10 (demoed at Canjam, $2000 set). I also personally like Studio4s over ALL Meta tuning (ie Dusk, Mega5Est etc) and all Harman tuning (Ie Variations etc). That said I'm a bit of a neutral-head. It really works wonders for the type of music I listen to.

The $400 range is where it really maxes out. It doesn’t get better at $500 or more. I swear I’ve seen this exact discussion before. I basically have $400 sets that perform better, or about the same, as $500, $600, even $1,000 sets. That’s where the improvements stop. Dusk is $400 and Tea Pros are around $340. Softears Studio4 is currently around $350. We’ll use that as a reference. Dunu SA6 Mark 2 is $600. One of the most overrated and overpriced IEMs I own. Sounds like flat coke. I’d take Studio4, Tea Pro, or Dusk over it — all around $350–$400. Xenn Top Pro, even at $500+, isn’t “better.” It’s just different. I have cheaper sets I like more, like Kiwi Ears Astral, Cadenza4, Studio4. I extensively tested the oh-so-hyped Mystic 8. My Studio4 still beats it (for me). Mystic 8 is $1,000. Studio4 is $300–$400. I like the IE600 and IE900, but they weren’t better than what I own now. And those things are stupid expensive. Mega5EST a few months ago was $500+. It was eh. Murky. I like Dusk and Tea Pros better. Again: things don’t really get better past $500. I also have zero interest in the Mega7. Would not be shocked if Kiwi Ears Astral or Xenn Top Pro kicks its ass. And while unrelated, this is exactly why I don’t bother with 99% of Thieaudio. They make it SO easy for me. Stupid expensive, stupid huge. If your idea of “premium” is building IEMs the size of BOULDERS that don’t even fit smaller ears, then thanks — you just removed yourself from consideration. I demo them, I try them, and I literally can’t wear them for long. So you never get my money, and you never will. You’re basically the GORUCK of IEMs: stupid expensive, stupid big. Easiest pass in the entire hobby.

Cadenza 4, Studio 4, Kiwi astral, Tea Pros/Dusk Things don't get better after these 4. They just get "different".

From experimenting with a ton of IEMs, I’ve found there are three real “value peaks” where performance jumps make sense: **$80–$100 tier:** Defiant, Explorer, Xuan NV, Dunu Kima 2, Truthear Pure — this is where good sound starts. **$200 tier:** Performer 5+2, Kiwi Ears Astral, Letshuoer Cadenza 4 **$400 tier:** Dusk, Softears Studio 4, Tea Pro — this is where things get *really* good. **Beyond $400, returns drop off hard.** For my preferences: * Mega5EST didn’t beat Tea Pro or Dusk. * Dunu SA6 Mk2 fell behind Studio 4, Zigaat Lush, and Dusk. * Top Pro is good, even great, but not $550-good — Astral and Studio 4 gave me more. * Mystic 8 at $1000 disappointed; Studio 4 still sounded better to me.

I'd take Studio4 over Top Pro any day of the year. Studio4 imho are the GOAT when it comes to vocals, especially for pop, kpop, and female vocals.

I'd say the Defiant. It's $80. It sounds incredibly good for the price. And from what I've seen I don't think it'll go cheaper than that on the used market. But I could see it, time and time again, beating IEMs that cost much more. I also think the Studio4 will continue to be good even years down the line. But I really love the Studio4. While unrelated yet still related, your comment reminds me of when I recently (last week) got the Truthear Hola. Damn, it genuinely makes me sad we can't get this sort of sound and IEM. It's a truly unique sound and it was insane this was once $20.

Softears Studio 4 (better for female vocals, ie kpop) Xuan NV (great for male and female vocals. Imo better than Truthear Nova. But soundstage is lacking on Xuan NV). But it's a hell of a deal for $67. Great artwork box. Great eartips (usually 20 bucks). Great cable. Great sound. Kiwi Ears Astral (better for female vocals. But no penalty for male vocals) Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite (better for female vocals) Cadenza 4 (great all-rounder) Juzear Defiant (at least the unit I have; mine works fine. Vocals are spot on for male and female vocals.) YMMV but I feel like Zigaat Lush has good vocals too.

Going to use a grading system: A, B, C, D, F like in school A means excellent B is good C is average D is bad F is absolute fail **Mixing:** Going to avoid using the word "neutral" because then every mofo comes in the thread saying, what's neutral. Let's use the word "even-keeled'. Good iems for mixing are generally more even-keeled. If it has way too much bass you'll thin out your mix. If it's way too trebly and bright and shouty you're going to overcompensate. Ideally you want something more even-keeled. **Enjoyability:** Subjective. But how enjoyable it is **Critical Editing:** This isn't the same as mixing. But it means will it let you know if you have shit audio. If I listen to Kanye's sibilant ass tracks does he sound sibilant on them? If I listen to Lana White Dress is she sibilant on it? She better be. If I watch a DMS video from 6 years ago, does he sound sibilant on it? He better. Because he does. This is important because you need to evaluate your audio and the iem lets you know your audio is shit before thousands of people hear it. Etymotic ERXR Enjoyability: C to B to A. Pretty good, depending on who you ask Critical editing: A+. Very good at letting you know areas of trouble in your audio Mixing: D. Poor soundstage Truthear Hexa Enjoyability: D. I hate it Critical editing: A+ with wide bore tips Mixing: C. Imo actually a bit thin on lowend. You'll overcompensate. Also the soundstage on Hexa is kinda eh ngl. Salnotes Zero Original Enjoyability: C. I think it's ok. Or mid. Critical editing: B. Honestly pretty good at letting you know egregious areas. The version 1 is less forgiving with sibilance than 2, so it's better for critical editing. Zero 2 blunts the sibilance out (better for enjoyers; bad for audio engineers) Mixing: A. pretty neutral imo Softears Studio 4 Enjoyability: A to A+. Very enjoyable IEM Critical editing: D. Ironically. It smooths out all sibilance so you won't know sibilance is there. This is why it's so beautiful sounding. Mixing: A+. Very neutral. I'd even say probably my closest definition of neutral Moondrop Blessing 2 Enjoyability: D (harsh, shouty, bright, sibilant). Same with Blessing 3. Critical Editing: A. These are very picky with harshness in vocals. I genuinely think these are the Sony MDR 7506 in iem form. Mixing: A Zigaat Lush Enjoyability: B to A Critical Editing: C You won't really find problem areas of sibilance. You really really really have to crank it to hear it. Mixing: A. Pretty even-keeled. Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite: Enjoyability: B to C Critical Editing: A. Excellent at picking out flaws. Mixing: A+. Excellent at telling you the whole picture. Excellent for mixing. Very very even-keeled.

Letshouer Cadenza 4 Enjoyability: A to A+ Critical Editing: B to A Mixing: A. While a bit U-shaped it's not egregious. It's enough to make decisions. Sennheiser IE200 Enjoyability: B to A Critical Editing: D to F (rounds out a lot of sibilance imo, which is actually a good thing for enjoyers). Mixing: B. Kind of shocking but while people call this v-shaped this is actually not as v-shaped imo. If you monitor yourself using these iems it'll sound exactly like you down to the microphone. Most other v-shaped iems don't do that. Crinacle Daybreak Enjoyability: B to A- Critical Editing: A (rofl. It's funny because it genuinely is good at picking out bad audio. If it sounds harsh it's because the original track is harsh) Mixing: B (This is more of a "Meta" tuned iem. But imo just enough where it sounds true) Crinacle Dusk Enjoyability: B to A+ (depending on who you ask) Critical Editing: C on Analogue. F on DSP. It rolls out sibilance by quite a large margin. Mixing: A on analogue mode. Honestly pretty neutral. almost HD600ish. But about a C on DSP mode. Tanchjim Origin Enjoyability: C to A (depending on who you ask) Critical editing: A (it'll definitely let you know spicy regions Mixing: A. A bit bright-slanted but definitely capable for mixing. Theioaudio Legacy 2: Enjoyability: C Critical editing: A+ Mixing: A+ Xuan NV (honorable mention) Enjoyability: A Critical editing: B Mixing: D (too bassy imo) I mention these because imo these are the Audio Technica M50x of iems but the size of 2 quarters. They basically give you accurate vocals down to the tee but thumpy bass. The vocals are very accurate on these. Not good for mixing though. Dunu Titan S (original) Enjoyability: C Critical editing: D (the treble is rounded out quite a bit) mixing: A (these are my imo pretty close to neutral)

I think it's something in the drivers that makes it hard to do treble right. It's either not there and there's not enough airiness or it's super bright and sibilant. And if you think about budget sets that have brightness we have Hexa, CCA Phoenix, Moondrop LAN 2 Reference, 7hz G1 (trash btw), et etc etc. They're shouty and sibilant. It's not like...let's say...Softears Studio 4, etc which is done really well. Ultimately that's the one area that cheap iems don't know how to nail down. They don't know how to nail smooth and airy but full vocals at the same time. That's basically not something it can do. You only see that at higher tiers.

Studio 4 It literally feels like the singer is an arm away. // on some songs. Andromeda 2020 You don’t think this song is awesome. You think, I can hear a person with a microphone in a room, and I can hear the room. You don’t think I can hear a guitar. You think, I can hear the fingers on the guitar.

Lately these are my favorites. I don’t know their exact sound signatures, but here’s how I’d describe them: Celest Pandamon 2.0 (with Kiwi Ears Flex eartips) – Super small, comfy, and chill—similar vibe to the Aful Explorer. I actually prefer these over the Salnotes Zero, 7Hz Sonus, Crinacle Zero Red, Artii T10, Tangzu Waner 1/2, Kefine Klean, IE200, Truthear Hexa, Moondrop Lan Reference, Chu 2, FDX1, Blessing 2, Kiwi Ears Cadenza, Inawaken Dawn, Dunu Titan S, and Truthear Gate. It’s about $20, a total “grower.” Boring at first, but comfort and tuning make it great. Likely warm or neutral-warm. Softears Studio 4 – Kicks ass. Especially on female vocals. I prefer it over all Meta-tuned and Harman IEMs. Campfire Andromeda 2020 – Neutral-warm with massive soundstage. Letshouer Cadenza 4 – On par with the Studio 4; I can’t pick a favorite between them. I can't describe how it sounds correctly and it's an IEM that shocked me because it (looks) like it'd be a Blessing 3 on graphs. Sounds nothing like anything out there. It's just an amazing IEM. I think it's U-shaped. Etymotic ER2XR – Love these for sentimental reasons. My EDC setup—always in my work bag. I use the Final Audio E multipack with the red adapter and my own tips. Dunu Kima 2 – The definition of neutral-warm to my ears. Filled the one gap in my collection (Lush, Dunu SA6 Mk2, Truthear Pure, S08, Explorer, etc.). The Kima 2 nails what I was missing. For budget stuff which surprised me. Xuan NV and Defiant. Both are spectacular with female and male vocals. Great punchy bass. Xuan NV is a bit more...liberal with bass. Defiant sounds more...correct with bass. But both are giant killers. Though the Defiant feels like more of a dragon slayer.

https://preview.redd.it/l522or74h97h1.png?width=1536&format=png&auto=webp&s=822fbf1237772690436e074da0216578c0f7638d $20 iems - Most are bad. $80- $120 iems - Iems get good, ie Defiant, Hexa (if that's what you like), Dunu Kima 2, Twistura Woodnote, Pure (if that's what you like), Xuan NV, Artii T10, Fosi IM4, Sivga Que, Aful Explorer (if you like that sound) $300- $400 endgame iems - Yu9 Que, Astral, Crinacle Dusk, Tea Pro, Volume S, Softear Studio 4 etc. $401 and up. Things don't get better. They're just "different". No fecking joke, I'd take some 160 buck iems over a $550 sleepy sounding Mega5est. I'd take $200 iems over a $600 Dunu SA6 Mark 2. List goes on. I liked Studio 4 over a $1000 Mystic 8 (for me, and based on the version I heard at Canjam).

**Iems that look good that sound pretty good** Juzear Defiant, Celest Wyveryn Abyss, RSV Mark 1, Tea Pro, Dusk, Tanchjim Origin, Celest Pandamon 2.0 (I like it anyway), Yu9 Que, Elysian Pilgrim, EM6L (with Kiwi ears flex eartips), Dunu Kima 2, Sivga Que, Zigaat Lush, Misty Blue, Cadenza 4, Kiwi Ear Astral, Moondrop Variations, Twistura Woodnote, Fosi IM4 (but some eq may be needed), Xuan NV, IER M7, Kiwi Ear Orchestra Lite (in green), Tanchjim Fola, Softears Studio 4, Truthear Hola, Shure SE846, Andromeda 2020, Softear Volume S **Iems that look good that I don't like the sound of** Moondrop Blessing 3, Tipsy M3 (their shells looks sick), Chu 2 (used to like it but standards have went up), 7hz G1 (looks sick in white) (sounds bad tho), Kiwi Ears Cadenza (purple) (it's pretty but vocals are too thin), Mega5EST (pretty shell) (sleepy sounding to me), RSV Mark 2 (sick design) (but the bass gets overbearing over time), A bunch of Zigaats look nice but I didn't like them (Ziggat Arcanis, Zigaat Crescent, Zigaat Odyssey), Canpur Silver Flash, Inawaken Twilight (Harman 2019, hate it), Chopin (thin vocals), Letshouer S08 (sick in black) (I used to like it but don't like it as much anymore), Kiwi Ears Cadenza v2 (pretty faceplate but cookie-cutter sound), a crapton of Simgots have beautiful faceplates but I don't like how they sound (EW200, EW300, Supermix 4, all of them except EM6L), Crinacle Blue Zero (harsh), Crinacle Blue Zero 2 (harsh at high volume), Truthear Nova (gorgeous shell, quite a unpleasant sounding iem), Phoenix call version 1 (gorgeous shell but lackluster sound), Dunu Falcon Ultra (gorgeous shell but imo can get harsh at times)

I don't like the word 'trust' here. But I'll say that there are iem reviewers I'm more in sync with. I sort of look at reviews sort of like everyone with a map in a forest. If every damn person says there's a tree next to a lake, there's a 100% likelihood that exists. But if every reviewer says the birds are in one direction and another, there's definitely some variance. So here goes: **JayAudio.** He loves the Zigaat Odyssey v1, Chopin, Truthear Nova, Supermix 4. He loves Hexa and hates Pure. He likes Arcanis. He loves a TON of Simgot iems. I think his preferences are--> V-shaped and bright. Or Harman. >!I don't like the Odyssey, Chopin, Supermix 4 or any Harman Iems. I also like Pure more than Hexa. I hate nearly all Simgot iems. Nearly all Simgot iems are super bright, shouty, sibilant and thin with vocals. But hey, that's just me. I also think the Arcanis is ironically bad with vocals, male vocals in particular. That said I hate Harman 2019 iems, imo they make vocals too thin. Also. He called the Supermix 4 "buttery smooth". I assure you it is NOT "buttery smooth"!!!!!!!!< **Mark (Super Reviews)** \- He likes Hexa. He likes Blessing 3. Ranked it 5 stars. He calls Moondrop LAN an S-tier iem. I think his preferences are--> Neutral bright. Lean bass. >!The Blessing 3 isn't a 5 star iem. It's a 2 star iem for me. ;P I like watching his reviews because if he warns about problems with an iem, he's spot on.!< **Precog.** He leans bright. And expensive. 😃 He values treble a lot. But I can't give a definitive answer because 99% of the iems he's reviewed are above the price of a car. I find that at least with the cheaper iems he managed to review, I agree with him. He has to review more peasant iems. And he needs a shirt. **Jaytiss.** He ranks Hola, Sivga Que, Etymotic ER2xr as F. That's all I need to know. >!To me those iems are not F. I freaking adore the Hola and Sivga Que. So when someone says to me, but Jaytiss reviewed this A, I go..so?! But imo this is important to know.!< **Zeo Reviews.** He likes everything.>! But you should tread caution with actually buying everything he recommends.!< **Andy Vault**. He likes everything. >!But imo that's dangerous to a wallet.!< >!If he was a real estate agent, this is what he'd do.!< >! If the house was small he'd say 'it's quaint'. If it's a crime scene, he'd say, "It's lively and has character." !< >!If it's tattered and dirty, 'it's rustic'. !< >!I legitimately watched his "walkthrough" of Zigaat iems (I already tested all those iems but wanted to hear what he said) and walked away thinking, holy hell, that video told me nothing rofl. !< **Paul Wasabi.** I find I'm in sync with a lot of his reviews. He never outright says he hates an iem. But you can tell with more subtle things he's doing in his video. If he didn't like the iem he does a ton of eq on it and shows you how he's eqing it. You can tell what he's adding or taking away to know what's wrong with the iem. **Audio Amigo.** He does an excellent job of describing everything about the iem and I walk away with a good understanding what it'll sound like.>! I'm a bit skeptical now that he's joined the land of the Overseers. (shaking head) We lost a good reviewer 😛 I liked him a lot more when he wasn't owned by Linsoul 😄 !!I also can tell a lot of people who are selling 64 audio iems on Avexchange lost thousands of dollars without them saying they lost thousands of dollars lol!< **Bangaudio Reviews.** He's another Zeos. He likes everything. >!He's veering towards unreliable.!< **Akros.** He's too wordy and rambly. Hot take, but I actually use Gemini to summarize his takes because he's all over the place.

PART II **Prime Audio Reviews** I like him. He's concise. And he's actually quite honest. I'm pretty calibrated with him. I listen very closely to how he uses the word "lean." If he says "lean" like 7 times on an IEM, I back the fuck off. Because he nailed it 1000% every.single.time. Ie., lean bass, lean mids, lean here. Every single time he calls an iem "lean", he nailed it. I buy it. I hear it. And I think, "Damn. He was right." There's a certain way he says it. Almost like if you wanted to know about someone and you ask, "Is she cute? or "Is he cute?" and he says, "Well.....(cough)....she's uh....(coughs)...I mean....She's tall." It's the saying without the saying. And it's VALUABLE! He's also extremely descriptive and to-the-dot in his reviews. He's, imo, one of the most indispensable reviewers for me. Very few times do I disagree with him on an IEM. He never says it's bad. He says it in a way...where you have to know his lingo. "Um, well the bass...lacks....authority. Lean. Quite lean......" --> translation: It's bad. **Passion for Sound** He's good at telling you about things that are new. He's not the best at telling you what he hates or dislikes. I look at him more like a paper catalog. **HBB Reviews** My overall take is that if I were a hip-hop and rap guy, I'd love his channel. Every time I click on one of his videos, I see his gloves and hear some hip-hop song. Problem is, I don't listen to hip-hop. And I don't picture HBB as the kind of guy who listens to Matt Prasty K-pop remixes lol. That said, I love Xuan NV IEM and he tuned that iem. **Fresh Reviews** I don't know enough to form an opinion. But he's gaming-focused. So anyone who wants to know about gaming IEMs, I just say go to his channel. **Practiphile** I actually like his reviews a lot. Cool cat! He's entertaining to watch, but he's also pretty clear about what he likes and is good at describing an IEM. I do find his grading confusing at times, ROFL. He ranks the Cadenza 2 the same grade as the Yu9 Que. And I'm literally bashing my head on the monitor! But preferences are preferences. He liked the Celest Pandamon. I liked that. He liked the Kima 2 and the Pure. I liked those. He likes the Defiant. I liked that too. He loved the Misty Blue. I adore that IEM. He liked the Divine. I liked that too. He loved the Studio 4, Pilgrim, Astral, Reference, and Volume S (though I returned it because it sounds too much like Pure). I loved those too. But he also has some outliers. Ie., he loved the Chopin and EA1000, and I didn't like those. So with him, I view it as maybe 70/30. About 70% of the IEMs he likes, I like. About 30% of the IEMs he likes, I don't.