Sony - IER-Z1R

Exactly, I owned z1r before. Ie900 has slightly more sub bass but z1r has overall slightly better bass quality.

Sony ier-z1r and before people whine about the fitting , custom ear tips made these God like and unmatched.

not at all wasnt even good at release. and outdated now

for me it’s how everything sounds like a low quality midi file and vocals are too sibilant

In a nutshell, Tia Trio's wow factor lies in its bass response while U12t's wow factor lies in its imaging. I found the upper treble peak on the U12t its biggest weakness and likely its most controversial aspect, but it's no worse than the IE600's upper treble exaggeration. Truth is, the 'reference-adjacent flagship' sound the U12t targeted has mostly been done better by newer IEMs such as Symphonium Helios or Subtonic Storm. Meanwhile, the Tia Trio's bass is only rivalled by (IMO) the IER-Z1R and the astronomically-priced Brise Audio Fugaku, but both have an even more coloured overall tuning. The common reviewer consensus is that 64audio's A line tends to have excessive bass that makes it sound unbalanced compared to the U line; this makes sense in a loud live session, less so in casual listening. Not exactly an issue if you plan to EQ though. If you've been EQing anyway, may I recommend the dark horse (and my own daily) that is the 7th Acoustics Supernova. Bang-on neutral bass and treble with a relaxed (some would say honky) midrange that could easily be EQed to whatever you want thanks to its smooth frequency response. Resin shell is on the medium-large side but it sits in my ear comfortably, good isolation because of the fit, but even aside from the midrange, its other weaknesses are possible 8k glariness (you need to experiment with tips) and the fact that neutral bass and treble isn't for everyone (Precog mentioned lacking resolution, I'd say it's because he's used to heaps of upper treble in most other flagships. My opinion is if that's the price to pay for balanced tonality, so be it; the resolution isn't that bad anyway). Also, while it's a sturdy resin build, it's also a very small company, so it may be difficult if something does go wrong with it.

> I need the best bass If bass is one of your main considerations, **all electrostatics** are out. As someone who's gone through several Stax models, that driver tech is just not built for slamming. Do not listen to anyone that tells you otherwise. And yes I've tried the SR-007A/SR-007Mk1/SR-007Mk2 with port mod + brown pads/vesper pads/etc. Even on a KGSSHV Carbon, BSHE, and DIY-T2 amps, the bass will lack texture and body compared to a good planar and will lack punch and slam to a good dynamic. The detail + resolution + presentation is why people buy electrostatics. Period. Going back to your question, cross out KSE1200 from your list. The Valhalla is a way better fit for your all-rounder prerequisites. It doesn't do bass as well as the Monarch Mk4s but it's a very decent all-rounder. The IER-Z1R also checks the boxes and does bass better (quality not quantity) than pretty much most IEMs to this day. However, it loses out on the midrange. It is known for its hard-hitting and visceral bass with a spherical soundstage and sparkly treble but do you know what else it's known for? A horrible fit. That was my biggest problem with the IER-Z1R but I still kept it because it's still one of my favorite IEMs. I highly suggest you try them out first because I'm willing to bet you will run into comfort issues. Hopefully you live somewhere where you can demo them but they are top-notch IEMs and definitely the most enjoyable ones from your list. > not many iems exist that perform all rounder duties in a technically proficient manner and the ones that do are significantly more expensive. Like Hercule Audio, Forte Ears or Noble stuff. Correct. The best all-rounders (with bass as somewhat of a priority) will cost more than all of the IEMs you listed so decide on a final budget and I can give you a list of IEMs that I've tested that might fit the bill.

I have 2 iems sony ier z1r and aful cantor I use the cantor for mixing and mastering audio because of it's balanced tuning while the sony ier z1r is purely for listening to music Next time i get Canpur Cp622b because of the cantor changed my opinion about BA bass

For me it's Grand Maestro I am getting rid of my Z1R to afford it

Idk. I had it for awhile and it’s pretty mid. Shell is large so make sure you were born with big ears. Sound was okay, bass was nice but it’s not resolving set - more of a chill set with good bass.

Newer isn’t better. The Hexa is a detailed neutral sound with a slight bass boost. The Nova has been around for a while, and is tuned to a Harman curve, which isn’t the most neutral or detailed sound out there. The EW300 is a nice IEM, and sounds quite different from the Hexa. You’ve already placed the order, so listen to them for a few days and decide if you like them or not. If not, you’ll have a better guide for that you might want to get in the future. The Hexa should sound better than those Zeros you mentioned. Age isn’t the issue. The Sony Z1R is over 7 years old and still regarded as a TOTL IEM. The Variations have been around for years, and are still respected iem’s. Concentrate on the sound, not the age.

It goes to show you how different people's ears are. I've owned or borrowed (for a week) most of these & I own a couple as the rest didn't do if for me. My opinions on a few that really stand out - The 64 Audio Volur were a huge disappointment for me. And the bass really isn't very special to my ears. It was lacking in both quality & quantity. I typically hate all BA bass, but I've chosen the U12T over them (which were a rare blind but & got sold extremely quickly). The Campfire Astrolith are one of the very few IEMs that I believe are actually worth spending that kind of money on... I don't find the treble an issue at all. I was given the option to borrow a demo pair for a week & within 10 minutes of using the demo pair I'd transfered the funds to purchase. It was the quickest IEM decision I've ever made alongside the Prestige Ltd. The Sony IER-Z1R are by a very, very long way biggest selling high end IEM of all time & for very good reason - they are incredible and can do blow for blow (and usually win - at worst, a draw) with any $4000 bass centric set. You need to gets to use the right tips (the Sony Triple Comfort tips that are one of two kinds they are boxed with & hook them to your ears properly with cables that will allow for it - reinforced in the few inches leading up to the MMCX cable or something a generally a bit stronger). The comfort issues are a common complaint, but they are mostly unwarranted. It's a little bit like learning to tiw your shoelaces, but with 90% less time & effort once you understand how. You certainly wouldn't be putting them above the Volur for bass & I think that's objective rather than subjective. Unless you can find someone who seems proven to have very similar tastes to you in things you have tried in terms of both likes & dislikes of several sets... I wouldn't take their opinion very seriously as it's unlikely you will have a similar experience.

Juzear Defiant, Maestro Mini and Z1R (All of which I tried at a meetup I went to recently) Juzear Defiant just wowed me for the price. sounded very clean and punchy, i like my bass (as obvious from my selection lol) and it was very clean and fast. As was the Butterfly 61T but for the price diff- just get the defiant Maestro mini as an overall favorite when i tried it at the meetup, its now my 'grail iem' to get some day Z1R..... man this thing was just cinematic to me. I was listening to songs from movies and it felt like I was back in the theater. These were quite the experience. but are they an experience worth 3 to 4 times the cost of the mini? No. But I did like them more than the grand maestro, shogun, and scarlett mini