Fission

tanchjim is known for their vocal centric tuning. Origin is a great bet, tanchjim fission is there as well for something cheaper but still very capable

pretty much, get very close but much cheaper

So what's ur use scenario? My suggestion in general for whoever enter this hobby (it they care about gaming) is getting the Tripowin Vivace+ Azla asmr max tips (obbligatory with this iem) cus i think even up to 500 there is nothing (in game) that outperform by a huge margin this. So if u care about gaming u can choose this combo first and then also buy an iem where u can focus only on ur music preferences (+ having the Asmr max automatically open u the doors for every harsh treble iem, cus this can tame anything). And with 120 u can do something like: Vivace combo+ Kz Am16 bass (best Kz with Ba rn and pretty cheap on Ali, meanwhile the best DD from Kz is in their Kz Zenith that i put way above the Zero Red if the qc is good). Anyway my favorite iem under 50 are the Cadenza, i read someone above saying that the Zero red is overall better, but for me the Cadenza is way better than the Zero red (not in game) the timbre is of the Cadenza is better (Cadenza Berillium timbre is my favorite timbre even up to 300) and the bass hit more satisfing and that bump in the high give u an impression of high technicality and is pretty berable + they are way more comfortable (worst than the Red in gaming if u use the adapter and obv they have a worst final extension in the trebble as u can see in graphs) some people prefer the Kefine klean in this price range and overall can do more things (especially in gaming) but music wise i prefer Cadenza. So i covered the combos...now let's talk about the best all rounder/sets under 120 (sometimes with discount) Kiwi ears Airoso (incredible iem for music,for me the best, a direct upgrade from Cadenza, not the best in game but still usable) Kefine Delci Ae (great valuable iem) Simgot Ew300 (not great in game, but 🔥 music) Juzear Defiant (if the qc is good, pretty close level wise to the Airoso if not better for someone) Arti t10/t10 pro if u want to try planar Truthears Hexa (neutral and all rounder, exquisite, better than the Red, but can be boring) Simgot Em6L (great allrounder) Aful explorer (if u want to raise the volume, this is great, in game they kinda 🙃😅) Tanchjim Fission (best 1DD at this price) Idk if i forgot something but this should be pretty 😏. This is kinda it i think.

Oh! So, for music production u want something as flat as possible, this are not bad, but maybe slightly bassy (for music production obv, cus this are not bassy at all) probably something like the Fission if u still want some sparkiness in the treble, but buying something studio focussed and not this type of iem is way better in that sense...(And u can get overear studio for really cheap, im not really into this Sector,but i have friends that works professionally and rarely they use iem). So don't count the music production in ur buy for iems, cus audiophile and music production are 2 separate things. My raccomandation rn are: U want bassy (not basshead obv) and warm (like a Jbl speaker): Kiwi ears Airoso U want basshead (don't start with a pure basshead set like the Legato,the Martilo..., never) U want best neutral (with great trebble so not completely flat): Tanchjim fission U want "neutral" with boosted bass (like the red...): if Qc work, Defiant? (But slightly more get u a lot more) Like the Ziigaat (Ziigoat) odissey and sincerely 99% of iem are tuned like this...so pick ur favorite Budget (under 50 and even 40/30) Warm (my goat) and comfy af(important, cus the Red are massive...):Kiwi ears Cadenza Bass: Qkz x Hbb Cheaper: Kz edx pro 2 (try this mf) My main: Kiwi ears Airoso (music), Ziigaat arete (gaming)

Tanchjim Fission Use the included USB Dongle with the Modular Cable, with the Tanchjim App (Android Only), and that will give you access to their PEQ, and you can dial in as much or as little vocals as you want.

Tanchjim Fission would be a great option. It also has a USB DSP adapter for the cable, and you can adjust the EQ with the Tanchjim App (Android only). Lots of tunability with the Fission, and really good detail. Same driver as the Origin.

I went with the tanchjim fission to mix a livestream. Have been happy so far. $130 USD The tanchjim Nora are marketed as a set of “professional” IEM to mix with. No personal knowledge there. $110 USD The tanchjim bunny are said to be much like the fission while only being $20 USD. No personal knowledge there. I own etymotic er2se and find them too uncomfortable to bounce in and out of, I have to work the live room then get away from stage volume throughout my shows….. I may or may not have a predilection for single driver dynamic sets! If you need a dac amp for this use, consider a Qudelix 5k. It can be Bluetooth for convenience and also USB for critical listening.

I'd say go with Tanchjim stuff — Nora, Fission, Bunny, Origin, Force... they all have a fairly neutral-ish tonality. In my opinion, they’re a safer recommendation than the Hexa. The Hexa is really divisive — people don’t seem to agree on how it sounds. Maybe it’s the odd hexagonal shell shape, but there’s a lot of variation in impressions. Nobody agrees on the sound. You got like 75% of people saying it has no bass and 25% saying it has the perfect amount of bass. Quite a number of people (myself included) just don’t like it. Go for Tanchjim instead. You really can’t go wrong with Fission. It's very very close to the Tanchjim Origin which is an awesome IEM.

DX1. Gives me Hexa vibes. It's just as soulless as the Hexa and with no toe-tapping but quite accurate. It's like the Hexa with a smidge more soundstage, just a smidge. I returned it that very day. Aside from that go for the Tanchjim Fission which is pretty much (apparently) the same as the Tanchjim Origin. I have the Origin and legitimately view it as an upgrade over the Hexa in every single way.

PART 1: I'm coming back to your post now 22 days later. Because I wanted to answer this question. So think of this as a better update/answer than what I gave you. From a point of simplification, there's monitoring (this means when you use a microphone your voice sounds pretty close to you). There's critical voiceover editing (this means you wear headphones you can accurately detect problems with your audio, ie sibilance, plosives, phasing issues, etc) Then there's mixing. mixing means you are generally trying to make everything comprehensive and cohesive and sounds good on many mediums, ie iphones, speakers, car speakers, cans, openbacks, everything basically. Here's my thoughts: The Tanchjim Origin/Tanchim Fission are good at all 3. The Westone Mach60s (bought recently) excel at all 3. To elaborate, when I use any microphone it sounds exactly like me. When I watch microphone reviews by Podcastage, Boothjunkie, Curtis Judd, not only does it sounds like them to the dot but it sounds exactly individually how that mic sounds on them. When I listen to male singers, they sound correct. When I listen to female singers they sound correct. But it also does a great job of pointing out flaws in audio, ie I can hear everything. But also these have a ton of soundstage. The Beyerdynamic DT70IE (bought recently) excel at all 3. Though I'd give the edge to the Mach60s. Vocally it's pretty on point, with my voice and others. I noticed a voiceactor on Youtube mentioning the same thing. Just be sure to use the silicone eartips and toss the sponge ones (those suck). The Shure SE846 (bought recently) can do all 3. However I used the blue filters (neutral) along with the the black adapter from the AZLA SednaEarfit Crystal Standard which allows you to use all eartips, ie Dunu S&S. It veers warmer than the Mach60s but it's still pretty on point. It reminds me a lot of my JBL 305 speakers on my desk. The Moondrop Blessing 2/Blessing 3/Cadenza 4 excel at all 3. I map these all the same. While not exactly the same they're pretty much in the same camp. If you own 1, you don't need the other. The Softears Studio4 is good at only 2. Monitoring and mixing. But it isn't good for critical editing for voiceover. This is because it tends to round out sibilance and round out flaws in audio. So you need to cross-check it with something like a Moondrop Blessing 2 or a Thieoaudio Legacy 2. The Etymotic ER2XR is only good at voiceover editing and monitoring. But because of its poor soundstage it's not good for mixing. The Crinacle Dusk is good for monitoring. Good for mixing. But not suitable for critical voiceover editing. You won't know you have sibilance and problems in your audio. It even smooths out DMS's old sibilant headphone videos. ie I use his old videos as a reference for detecting horrible sibilance. The Dunu Titan S (original) are good for monitoring and mixing (it's relatively neutral). But not good for critical editing. It completely smooths out harsh sibilance on female vocals. Wouldn't count on these. The Salnotes Zero (original) are surprisingly good for $20. They are perfectly fine for monitoring. They also give you a general sense of the landscape and can be used for mixing. I thought it was a meme when I saw a ton of audio engineers mentioning the Salnotes Zero (original) for mixing. It also is good with critical editing (but nowhere near as reliable) as other options but it'll definitely point out egregious areas with your audio. Not bad for $20. I'd still strongly recommend going with the Fission (with S nozzle) which almost the same as the Tanchim Origin for a good price.

PART 2: (CONTINUED) Thieoaudio Legacy 2 are good at all 3. Excellent for monitoring. Though when I hear through with my microphone it's my voice but with about 10-15% of the lowend removed from my voice. These imo are the true "Baby Blessing 2" and imo are far more effective and reliable than the Hexa. These also are fantastic for pointing at flaws in your audio, ie issues like sibilance, clipping, plosives, boxiness, phasing, muffled audio, etc. Zigaat Lush (recently bought) is fine for monitoring. But I'm not entirely sure how it would translate to mixing and critical editing. It tends to relax a bit of the highs a bit too much imo. However, the Lush sounds substantially better when paired with the Moondrop Spring tips. Truthear Hexa - I'm going to list these as unreliable (for me). They've steered me so wrong so many times. Not that it won't for you. But I can't recommend them. Also the Hexa is the most divisive IEM. Just read this thread. No one agrees on how it sounds. Watch and read everywhere. No one knows what it sounds like. You got people saying it has a ton of bass. No bass. Little bass. Peaky. Harsh. Smooth. No one knows. You have me saying it's anemic in bass. Who's right? Who's wrong. Imo these are fine for monitoring and mixing. Not for critical editing. Purely anecdotal. But they have steered me wrong.