Origin

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

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

ya i am also quite worried about this cause when someone i know let me try their Tanchjim Origin the difference is so small that it does not justify the price difference from the Hexa at least in my opinion

Ya I am also thinking but I don't know if the jump is enough to justify buying it 

I would argue 250-500 is the spot where differences are minimal but better than sub 250. I have ew300s and origins and I prefer origin.

Origins are 250-300 dollars not 800 dollars Edit: here’s a better response: Origins have a better sound profile vs the ew300. I purchased the origins to get away from over the ear headphones I wanted something more portable and comfortable. The main focus was music nothing else. I chose to get the ew300 for gaming and I did not enjoy them; between sound effects and party chat it was muddy to me. I tried my origins for gaming and I was able to distinguish sounds way better. Now to state my original comment the threshold of 250 to 500 the differences are minimal beyond 500 your chasing the last 5% Now for sub 250 IEMS or even cheaper there’s a lot of competition and sacrifices made. They aren’t bad if you don’t have the budget for it. It’s worlds better than 300 “gaming” headsets or buds that are purely marketing. I’ll take 20/30 over someone’s 300+ head sauna any day of the week. The last thing I’ll state is it’s personal preference IMO what sounds good to you sounds like crap to me. Proper fit matters more than anything else. Everyone is different and that’s okay.

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.

Yeah but how does it compare to the Origin which imo is better than all of those you're comparing it with. Also, maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t a lot of Tanchjim’s stuff kind of sound similar?

Ok got it. It's because it seemed like in your review they sound similar but this unit had better technicalities. But Origin is the same thing, it has better technicalities too. Would you say these have better soundstage and imaging than Origin?

Zigaat Lush with Moondrop spring eartips. Without those tips it's mid. With those tips, it's amazing. Tanchjim Origin / Tanchjim Fission (they look identical on frequency response graphs). Fission is pretty much the same but cheaper parts, cheaper price but almost the same sound. I've been using the Tanchjim Origin for critical editing for voiceover and mixing. Dunu Titan S (original)

Cadenza 4. Tanchjim Origin. DX1. If you have to go below the price of the Studio4, these are solid picks. Funny enough, that last paragraph you wrote? That’s basically the Shure SE846. (I bought it recently.) Fantastic for critical editing, mixing, mastering, and voiceover work. In blue filter mode they honestly remind me of the JBL 305s on my desk. The Cadenza 4 is near perfect for the task. Great for mixing, voiceover editing, video editing, and monitoring. Ironically, the Studio4 is pretty bad for critical editing. It rounds off flaws so you won’t even realize they’re there. ======= Edit: I mentioned the DX1 because they reminded me so much of the Hexa. LIterally returned them promptly.

**Meze Alba:** \+is small and comfortable \+is v-shaped \+fits budget \- Defiant is better. The sound on this is ngl, very meh. Not horrible. Not bad. Just meh. Defiant stomps. **Tanchjim Origin:** \+is small and comfortable \- not really v-shaped in the literal sense. But could be. But v-shaped with a slight bright slant. More neutral-bright. Not like Defiant at all. This isn't what you asked for though. \+fits budget \+ imo better than Defiant. **Tanchjim Fola** \+is small and comfortable \- not really v-shaped. More neutral-ish with a slant of warm. But not enough to call it neutral warm. Think warmer than Truthear Hexa but not quite as warm as Truthear Pure. This is basically the Truthear Hola on steroids (ie better vocals, better soundstage but similar vibes to Hola, a discontinued IEM). \+fits budget \- I find Defiant more engaging. **IE200:** \+is small and comfy \+ People call this V-shaped. People call it U-shaped. People call it L-shaped. I honestly don’t buy the V-shaped label at all unless you’re tape-modding it. Stock, this can’t really be V-shaped because the sibilance regions are dipped down *hard* (in a good way). This has way way way less treble than Hexa; how can it be called V? NickyoungWTF.gif. \+fits budget \- Defiant sounds better though. But this is probably your closest bet. **Dunu Kima 2** \+ is small and comfy \+fits budget \- Neutral-warm. Think Truthear Pure. Think Lush. Think Tea Pros. That kinda warm. Not what you asked for though. \+ Sounds better than Defiant. But isn't what you're looking for. **Kefine Delci** \+is small and comfy \+fits budget **--** V-shaped. Thin vocals. Kefine Klean over Delci for me. \- Defiant stomps this. **Sennheiser IE600** \+ is small and comfy \- Does not fit budget \+ V-shaped undoubtedly. \+ better than Defiant or on par with a similar signature. **Kiwi Ears Astral** – Not single DD – Not as small as you’d like * Comfort is actually very good * Fits budget * Better than Defiant * Has the sound you’re looking for * Also excellent for gaming (especially FPS) — people don’t run long FPS sessions on this if the comfort sucked

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)

**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)

So I don’t listen to male vocals as much, but I went through some male vocal test tracks I’ve used for years specifically to check whether they sounded pitched up, pitched down, thinner, fuller, synthetic, etc. On the Astrals, some male vocals can sound slightly pitched higher by a hair. It’s subtle — if you’re not actively listening for it, you might not catch it — but it’s there. Tea Pros, Lush, Mega 5EST, and Defiant were better with male vocals. And despite my many complaints about the Mega 5EST, I’d actually say it does male vocals spectacularly. I might’ve missed this or maybe didn’t emphasize it enough before, but if your *main* focus is male vocals, I’d honestly pass on both Astrals and Horizon. Horizon was pretty much like the Tanchjim Origin to me — and that doesn’t do male vocals excellently either. It does them good to decent, a solid B. That’s basically where Astrals land too. If male vocals are the priority, I’d look elsewhere. That said — if you want gaming, that’s a completely different story. I literally had a ton of people chime in on a post I made yesterday asking *“For people who insist on gaming with IEMs — why do you use IEMs?”* and a bunch of them specifically called out **Astrals** as their gaming weapon of choice. So if gaming is high on your list, you should seriously consider them.