TANGZU - Shangguan Wan'er Studio Edition (SE)

Tangzu Wan'er Studio Edition (SE), its a flatter tuning, with less coloration of the sound, SPECIFICALLY for Studio type work, hence the name. This is the only reasonable option in that price point. Everything else mentioned in this thread, provides too much coloration to make for a good set of Studio Mastering IEM's The OG Zero is too bright. The Zero2 is too bassy, with rolled treble, and the timbre isnt correct enough. Plus both Zero's suffer from mids that are scooped enough to hurt lower register vocals. The Truthear Gate is closer, but its a darker tuning that loses some detail up top, and doesnt push the vocal range. The Wan'er has always been known for its vocals, and the Studio Edition emphasis that by reducing the bass, to not get bass bleed into the mids that add coloration, and a smooth rolloff on the highs, so as not to get too many sparklies. Its not a musical IEM, but if you are doing production, you want accuracy, not vibrancy.

most of these $20-ish IEMs are pretty much all same sound quality, detail level, QKZ Odin, Moondrop CHU II, Truthear GATe, 7Hz Zero, 7Hz x Crinacle Zero: 2, Wan'er SG, Wan'er SE but for what you are looking for QKZ Odin will imo be the best choise, Wan'er SG is also good but their build quality is step or two below everything else on the list

Wan'er Studio Edition doesn't have a lot of bass, not even compared to Chu 2. At least that's my impression when I tried both of them.

Can't say about the OG Wan'er but my Wan'er SE is definitely far from being punchy bass. Vocals sounds fantastic though. The Chu2 bass is also isn't punchy atleast not Basshead punchy but better than my Wan'er SE, a lot more balanced overall. And Immersion is at the Ears of the Beholder if that's how the saying goes lol. I'm assuming you're talking about soundstage, but person to person you'll hear different comments about soundstage when it comes to IEMs.

Depends how much audio you consume. To an ordinary gamer. IEM doesnt strain our heads or over ears. And headphones do tend to do that. Secondly, prices. Iems dirt cheap at 15 bald eagle bucks (cca cra) are waaaay better sounding, addition of isolation. Than lets say a 10 bald eagle bucks sennheiser CX80S However, if you dont sit around for hours and hours with audio consumption. You should absolutely go for over ear headphones. A 30 bald eagle bucks headphones will always be better than the 30 bald eagle bucks IEMs. (Bigger the driver, the better the sound stage) But again, **its all down to preferences** Personally, my hair and outer ears had fatigue after hours of over-ear-headphones. And that made me switch to IEMS. And I have never turned back to OEH and always been around IEMs. Been 4 whole years now. And am on my second pair of IEMs (Tanzu waner sg SE for 17 bald eagle bucks, with my replacement cable which I got for 7 bald eagle bucks.) They are value for money and you can really get the last pulp out of them.

I've never done video mastering, but I'd assume you want something fairly neutralish. Maybe with a little of the V-shape signature that is so popular these days. I'd recommend the Truthear Gate. It's one of a few Neutral-ish options under $25. (Tangzu Wan'Er Studio and Simgot EW100P being the other two I would recommend) What sets the Gate apart is that it comes with a better cable than the other two, and includes a carry pouch. The three sound very similar to each other. The Simgot has a bit of extra top end, and the Wan'er Studio is a tiny bit warmer. The Gate sits in the middle and is very resolving for the price. Feel free to pick one of the other two if you know you prefer a bit of extra treble or a bit of extra warmth.

I find if you want to hear footsteps in gaming you want something with a bit of an upper mid/treble emphasis. Under $20 I think the ones that do this best are the Tangzu Wan’Er, the Original Moondrop Chu, and the Original Salnotes Zero.

Studio Edition was made to be more reference so no big punch.

I did the exact same thing after buying the ND Planet, I bought the Wan'er SG Studio Edition just to see if most budget iems are supposed to sound similar but the Wan'er sounds so much better to me. idk if I got a bad pair of ND Planet iems, but it seems accurate to the frequency response graph when I listen to music through the ND Planets.

Tangzu Waner studio edition sounds better than chu II. But chuII has better build quality.

Go with Tangzu Wan'er SG or Tangzu wan'er SG Studio edition, use the EQ by Timmy (from Gizaudio & now Hangouts.audio), or just use ur own EQ (which is best). They r so good. I EQ'd my wan'er studio on the Hola signature, and it is so good. Alternatively, Zero and Zero 2 are pretty great. I personally prefer zero 2 over zero but some prefer the opposite. Chu ii is a very safe bait too. Lastly I'd say take a look at Truthear Gate, tho I'm personally not the biggest fan. I heard KZs here and there from others , not a big fan of the signature. Haven't experienced any of simgot IEMs, tho heard a lot of good things about them. If u end up going with the simgot one, pls do tell your experience with it, I'm interested on them.

(amongst the iems have I owned) s tier: kiwi ears ke 4 and truthear hexa a+ tier: Ikko OH10, Pula PA02, Shuoer s12 pro, Sennheiser ie200, Kefine Delci, Dunu Titan S OG a tier: Dunu Titan s2, Tanchjim One, pre revision CCA CRA+ A- tier: Binary Chopin, Tangzu Waner Studio, KZ PR2 pre revision, Tripowin Olina SE B+ tier: Kiwi Ears Quintet, Tangzu Xuan Ji, Simgot EW 200, Truthear Gate and Hola, Tangzu Wan'er SG B tier: Moondrop Chu 2 and OG, KZ EDA Balanced, Kiwi Ears Quartet, Moondrop Aria Snow, FiiO Jade Audio JH3, Tripowin Lea B- tier: 7hz zero OG, Truthear Zero Blue, Whizzer BS1 C tier: KZ CRN D tier: Moondrop Quarks honorable mentions: Koss KSC75 in A minus, Porta Pro in B, Moondrop Space Travel in B-, Galaxy Buds Plus and 2 in A minus along with Airpods Pro Gen 1, and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro in A plus.

Neutral iem 20 bucks ? Tangzu Waner Studio Edition, neutral flathead 10 bucks? Ve Monk Studio, the monk studio has high impedance so if you choose that, also buy the jcally jm6 pro, or the VE Odo dongle dac

I have the Cadenza's and they are very nice comfy iems both fit-wise and sound-wise! However, they're not exactly neutral since they have an elevated high region as well as a lowered mids region. However however, they are still an absolute joy to use for music and can also be EQ'd very well to be more neutral (and more enjoyable for me). I used Squiglink to compare it's frequency response to the Kiwi Ears KE4 (cool neutral "meta tune" iem) and did auto-EQ to get values for a parametric EQ (which i used on Equalizer APO and the Peace UI on windows, it lets you change gain and Q value for specific frequencies!). Alternatively, for android because it is good enough, the generic slider: 63: +1 dB ### 125: -1 ### 250: 0 ### 500: +2 ### 1k: 0 ### 2k: -2 ### 4k: -2 ### 8k: 0 ### 16k: 0 (### just for formatting to make them easier to read cuz mobile formatting idk :)). The only other iems i know are: 7Hz Zero 2: a pretty good budget neutral option actually! Just too bass-boosted for me so it is unpleasant to use for a long while (7Hz Zero 1 as a less bassy version?). I absolutely hate how it fits though because it has a large-ish blocky shell and short nozzles, so it doesn't feel like they insert properly. Also, it somehow does feel more boring to listen to vs my other "neutral" iems. Tangzu Wan'er Studio Edition: idk how they compare to the normal ones, but they are also a good budget neutral but without the bass boost of the Zero 2! I also hate their fit for the same reason though. Edit: I tried the Wan'er SE's again recently and I do love their tuning a lot actually! Like my EQ'd Cadenza's but less bass so it also sounds cleaner. --- but the Cadenzas are still better overall >:D. Also, the fit isn't bad though, it just takes more effort to make it good, whereas the Cadenzas are effortless to insert properly :) Simgot EW300: a bit pricier, but basically has the same-ish sound as the Cadenza's but with all the other technical parts of the sound being better! Also comes with different nozzles and foams to adjust the sound further, so I used one foam in each nozzle to reduce the treble a bit (tuning is like my EQ'd Cadenza's now) and now its perfect for me :) I also heard the Simgot EW200 would be a good option, but they're especially bright sounding

I feel like a big thing for fit is also how the nozzle is angled when protruding out from the iem shell, and how much it protrudes out by. I had the zero:2 and tangzu wan'er studio edition and their nozzles both were short and at a 90 degree angle to the body, which made it hard for me to consistently get a good fit and seal with them both. Eventually, even if I got a good seal with them by angling them in my ear in a slightly awkward way, I got headaches or a sore ear from wearing them. I now mainly use the Kiwi Ears Cadenza and Simgot EW300 and the both of them have nozzles that protrude out further and are also angled a bit too. With these, its super easy to get a nice fit (with the right tips, especially on the cadenzas because their stock tips were not good for me) and they fit so snugly and without any discomfort. It could also be that they have small shells too though, so they can actually reach my ear canals properly.

I just ordered a simgot ew300 ($70) today, which is supposed to be a decent step up compared to my Kiwi Ears Cadenza and Tangzu Wan'er studio edition. If I remember, I'll let you know how I feel about it when it eventually arrives (which might be like 2 or 3 weeks) :)

Hello! I have returned and now with my simgot ew300's :) For a quicker summary, skip to the last two paragraphs before the final one :D Also, I'll add that I use all my iems with TRI Clarion tips since they feel like they improve clarity of all sounds, including the bass, without taking away from the bass still. I've only used the ew300's a little bit for like a day so far, but I think initial impressions of them are that they sound very full and weighty in every aspect of sound vs my Cadenzas or Wan'er studios. Its literally the great sub bass and thick, warm bassy (but inportantly not a boosted boomy) sound of the Cadenzas, but with the clarity, separation, and detail in the bass, mids, and highs as the Wan'er studios. I'd say they for sure sound a lot more complete overall and are much more satisfying to use for music. I think I'd also describe the tuning as neutral with a slight emphasis on bass (literally sounds the same as my Wan'er studios just with the deep bass of the Cadenzas!). I haven't tried them much in games yet because school, but from what I tried, the very deep bass made things feel very impactful and immersive, and the detail retrieval in all aspects of sound is also good enough that it made hearing and identifying small sounds easy. Also, I can't really tell much of a difference for soundstage vs the Wan'er studios, but imaging does feel more accurate an natural, probably since I feel like it has clearer separation between sounds, making it easier to place them in 3d space. I think it might not be worth getting solely for trying to improve in competitive games since the Wan'er seems to be just fine, but I think it is a fun improvement. Overall, the improvement wasn't noticeably huge (almost kind of underwhelming), until I went back to trying my cheaper pairs. But after trying my other pairs, it really did feel like I could tell that the ew300 was just a much more complete package. It just did everything very well. My Cadenzas and Wan'er studios felt like they were mainly focussed at being good at one aspect (warm, natural, deep sub bass for Cadenzas, and neutral sound with good details and a somewhat airy (but thin) sound that was ideal for hearing things for the Wan'er studios). Still, I'd say that it is not necessary to spend the money to upgrade from the Wan'ers to something like this since the experience is better, but I would've definitely been 100% happy even sticking with the two iems I already had. It was not enough to immediately make me say "wow", even after using it for a while, but I still think it was a noticable and satisfying improvement to be able to get basically everything you'd want in one iem. If you have the money to spend and are willing to spend it, why not! Its a fun step up and a good experience then! Otherwise, the cheap iems are highly recommended for a reason - they can give you most of the experience for relatively little money. Also, some stuff on the Cadenzas in general because you mentioned it. I love them for listening to music with because they feel like they have such a natural, comfy sound with how the deep, powerful sub bass works with everything else. Also, with its tuning being a warm V-shape (focus on bass and highs, has quieter mids), it is easy to turn up the volume to get a really impactful sound without feeling too overwhelmed at times. Even my Wan'er studios get very fatiguing after longer periods because you can hear so much more from them. I can't compare the sound to the original Wan'er because I've never tried them, but vs the studios, the Cadenzas have a much thicker sound as if they came from some big speakers. The main downsides to the Cadenzas though are that they do have a narrow soundstage and poorer separation of sounds, so the listening experience isn't very expansive. However, that combined with the recessed mids from the V-shape make it very comfy to listen to still, and the great bass still feels immersive. However however, the V-shape with the recessed mids also make it awful for competitive gaming in my opinion since many sounds in that region will just be so quiet. Also final thing for fun, when I compared my Cadenzas, EW300, and Wan'er studios listening to "End of Line" from the Tron Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk, there is this one super bassy synth that comes in around 0:30. On the Wan'er studios (keep in mind, less bassy vs original), they sounded bassy and were good. However, with the Cadenza and ew300, they actually FELT and like a bassy sound and gave me goosebumps when I heard it the first time with them. That is all from my enormous comment! Enjoy!

Moondrop Chu 2 Tangzu Wan er SG/Studio edition(to be released late june) Truthear Gate Truthear Zero red Simgot EW200 Simgot EA500(LM) 7Hz Zero 2 All of these sets are well known and beloved by many in the audio community. Easily replacable too given their cheap price.

7hz Salnotes Zero or Tangzu Wan'er is good based on your preferrence. Wan'er does have a mic included in their cable. Or you could get the Tangzu Wan'er Studio Edition, it has less bass than the original Wan'er making it leaning to more neautral sound. I would like to also add the KZ-D-Fi, this is not a safe buy not for its tuning but due to its brand. Chu 2 is is more like a V-shape sound. Better get the Chu 2 DSP for a cleaner sound. Truthear Zero Red is trully great but be aware of its nozzle size as some have fit issues of them.

7hz Salnotes Zero or Tangzu Wan'er is good based on your preferrence. Wan'er does have a mic included in their cable. Or you could get the Tangzu Wan'er Studio Edition, it has less bass than the original Wan'er making it leaning to more neautral sound. I would like to also add the KZ-D-Fi, this is not a safe buy not for its tuning but due to its brand. Chu 2 is is more like a V-shape sound. Better get the Chu 2 DSP for a cleaner sound. Truthear Zero Red is trully great but be aware of its nozzle size as some have fit issues of them.

Yes i love the first ones and the studio edition so i will get those as well for the price they are a bargain

I'm going to get the castor pro after sending back my waner sg studio. I really like the kz edc pro for the 5 I paid.

I'm a beginner audiophile who is new to IEMs like you. I got my first IEM 3 months ago. When I got my first IEM(Tangzu Wan'er Studio edition), it felt no different from any regular earphone or TWS. It sounded boring at first. After a week or two I started enjoying it and could better perceive little details of highs and mids. Even the lows(bass) started feeling adequate. Now I have got 4 IEMs in 3 months. So I would suggest you give it some time. Your ears or brain will adjust to the sound and then you'll eventually start enjoying it!

I love the 7HZ Zero but I feel like I could only recommend them to someone who already has a bit of experience with bright IEMs. I would recommend you to start Tangzu Wan'er or its studio edition. They are more of a completely neutral or neutral warm sound. If you want something fully warm without many treble Tachjim Bunny is a good option.Finally, if you want a good IEM with a V-shaped sound, I recommend KZ Saga Bass, KZ ZVX Pro or KZ Libra Balanced.

Yup thats the plan; tangzu wanr was a surprise tho, excellent for the price. Very warm and crisp. Hope there is a little bit of more bass in for the warnr 2....

I forgot to add that, having tried several IEMs and owned 3, namely Tangzu Warnr's, Kiwi ears Quartet and now the FatfreqxHBB Deuce all under $250, and also having tried IEM's worth $400-$500, I must say that with Deuce I really had a a mind blowing expereince. I have never enjoyed Bass so much. Super exciting, excellent trebles and mids. A crazy all-rounder for the price. Probably in this price bracket, this is an easy top 5 for me!!

Hmm.. tough, I like them both. The Castor has tuning switches to give a little bit of customization. There are also 2 versions, regular and bass edition. I've never heard the bass edition but hear good things. Honestly don't think you could go wrong with either. Wan'er won an award in 23. It comes with above average accessories/packaging. The Castor is made by KZ, they are known for making some of the cheapest of the cheap. Their packages are minimal with only the necessities.

Hi Am looking to get an IEM which is good for my treble sensitive ears I have the KZ ZS10 PRO X It was pretty shouty , fatiguing, and not tolerable Then I bought the Tangzu Warner Same issue shouty and fatiguing but not as much as KZ now looking for something under 120$ or 10,000 INR

Yes thanks. I enjoy the fudu verse 1 (dark bassy), tagzu Waner (vocals), ew200(quite bright but okish. The edition xs way too bright for me (I lasted 1min haha). I think I will go the pula pa02/d41 route

I have the tangzu wan'er. I can objectively say they are amazing for gaming. Even better than some cheap "gaming headphones"

Balanced, you mean neutral? Tangzu Wan'er. Slight V-shape sya pero yan ang neutral tuned for the 1k lineup. Mag Dongle Dac ka nalang kesa sa type C na cable. Makakamura ka pa. Check mo yung Abigail, Venture Electronics, Jcally. Or kung gusto mo bluetooth, yung Hiby W3 2 or FIIO BTR3K.

Tangzu Waner is better choice than CHU 2 in that regard. Waner is bit more clear, sharper sound that CHU 2. For my taste CHU 2 was bit warmer with less detailed treble. Other options to consider: - KZ D-Fi - with tuning pins, you can tune the sound signature a bit. (7-15 $) - KZ ZVX (5-7 $) Very good detail retrieval and resolution for the price.

I would say avoid getting flat tuned iems like Wan'er and hexa if you don't want to get disappointed as you're used to bass emphasised tuning but if you're willing to take risk you can buy there's a 50-50 chance. Meanwhile I would suggest you to go for a kz iem instead of wan'er. You can go for zero red but I would suggest hbb hades. And legato instead of hexa. Buying these IEMs will give you good chance of not disappointment for first time iem. But if you listen to more vocal centric music and relaxed music then go for Wan'er.

I stopped reading at "Truthear Zero Red", that trash usually goes for $55-65 and "Bass-forward"? did you ever listen that thing? All HBB collabs are known for their bass but the zero red?. It's $60 for an iem with a cheap cable and cheap eartips, with a gigantic nozzle, how do you tip roll with that nozzle?. It's just one of the worst iems for a beginner and totally overpriced, you can get a better cable and eartips with the Tangzu wan'er at 1/3 of the price. It's 2025 with so many options, at this point it's just a meme of this subr recommending that thing

Pls bhai iem lele not even kidding, downside is iem's are not handy unlike tws, day-to-day life mei tws convenient h, but agar sirf sound matter krta h toh Bina soche iem le, tangzu waner is best for warmer bass vocals and extremely superior.

I have the zeros, but I got it for 800 pesos with shipping. The zero is really on par with the wan er, but in this case, the wan er is cheaper making it the better option. Go for the Tangzu Wan'Er Avoid Moondrop chu because of its QC issues. Zero and Wan'Er both have detachable cables, this may contribute to the longevity of the device. Whereas with the Chu, you're stuck with that.

Havent heard but was also interested in them awhile ago. Though heard it went thru a silent revision not too long ago and it is no longer a bassy set. I also looked for a basshead set and got something else. It has quite mixed reviews but I still deeply love my 7hz Legato. Got it over 1.5 years ago for around $65. For reference, all the sets Ive heard: TE Nova, TE zero, Letshouer S12 Pro, 7hz Legato, Artti R1, Tangzu Fudu, Kz Pr1 Pro. Used to own the Tangzu Waner and TE Hola, but gave them away. If you really wanted bass, cant go wrong with Legato. Artti R1 is still quite warm and bassy whilst still being more detailed and balanced if you dont want to lose much detail.

If you want bass, the Zero 1 has less bass then the 2's and probably the Chu 2's as well. You could easily get a different cable - try Tripowin brand or even Simgot - they both have some pretty affordable mic cables. This would honestly be my recommendation as both of those IEMs will have more bass than the Zero 1s. There is another option at that price point which is the Tangzu Wa'ner. Slightly more bass than the Zero 1s and less than the Zero 2s. But this IEM has a pretty cheap build quality (and it also didn't fit me) so I can't necessarily recommend it. Hope this helps.

Have you tried the Nuo. Was looking for a good daily driver for male and female vocals. Was stuck deciding between those and the Gate. I had the Wan'er but they didn't fit me unfortunately.

As someone who is also fairly new to the game id suggest just starting off with the low end iems. $25 here,$30 there etc. Go for the names u see being recommended the most. Id buy maybe like 2-3 in this price range at the same time so u can compare them in real time to see which one u like better. Then simply return the ones u dont like and then if ur satisfied u can stop there or do the same method with more expensive ones to compare ur cheap ones with more premium ones to see if its worth the price difference. Also side note,i found depending on wat device ur playing ur music on the iems sound different. For instance the wan'er sound amazing on my laptop but kinda mid on my dap so thats something to consider as well. Maybe try them on different devices

Yes I'm treble sensitive a bit. I also don't like thin voices. I also had the wan er but sold it cause the sound was boring to me. My experience with iems hasn't been the best. I loved how zero sounded. It amazed me but I couldn't listen to it for too long. I'm currently using a tws and it's been really good for me even though I'm looking for an iem under 50 dollars that is kind of bassy and has treble but not too little or not too much and doesn't have thin voices

a 20-50$ iem will sound much better than any non audio brand 10$ earphone and even rival 100-150$ wireless earbuds like a samsung or oneplus. an 200$ iem will sound better than an airpods, these are just logically normal things. when it comes to actually comparing against over ear headphones or speakers. under 100$ generally iems will be the best but there are some good like 70-80$ headphones that rival them. around 100-500 or even 1000$ you really cannot beat over ear headphones for sound quality, once you spend multiple thousand dollars then speakers rule. but these categories arent really comparable since they are used in different situations most of the times. people mostly use iems outside, headphones in front of a computer and speakers in the living room. I can say that on well mixed tracks you can definitely hear a difference, it does not make the song different or anything like that but you pick up on new details when comparing a 30$ iem to a 150$ one, but usually the more important one is the sound signature of it, some are very flat and neutral some are made for bass some are made to be the most clear and detailed some are focused on male or female vocals its all depending on your personal preference. personally when listening to just popular rock songs I do notice that 150$ ie200s have more detailed guitar sounds and more separated drums than 25$ 7hz zero's in terms of really high end iems, they arent really supposed to be competing with normal headphones or speakers but trying to get as close to them while still being portable and private so you can use them anywhere. at home I would not use my iems since I already have decent over ear headphones that are much more comfortable and are open back, but ofc I cant use them on the train so I use my iems. going into iems its probably a good idea to not spend a ton of money, 20-30$ options like 7hz zero2 or tangzu waner will sound much better than what you have in every way you can imagine for not much money, if you go up to like 80$ they will become more detailed and technically better but the general sound of the music wont change much. in the end they are just a piece of tech not anything elite or smart or whatever, like 1000$ iems and such are a niche and stuff most people wouldn't care about them, but more affordable ones are just objectively great value if you care about sound.

I like the forward vocals, some clarity and little bit subbass in tangzu wan'er. I want to upgrade on more better vocals, better bass and sub bass, excellent surround sound stage and better separation in the sound. My budget is 120$. Can you suggest me the best one a much better upgrade. I was thinking of ew300 at cheaper option and supermix 4 in expensive one. Is there a better option than this?

Already ordered mine Those and the 7hz zero 2 I have the chu 2 They’re amazing The wan er too And the 7hz zero (original)

Sub $100: Tangzu Wan’er Truthear Hola TRI x HBB Kai I might be biased because I own those :-)

Yes and no (mostly no) To preface this, I'm an audio engineer with significant recording studio experience. No gold records or anything, but I have worked with artists who have gold and platinum records before. Anything I say is coming from a recording/mixing professional standpoint, not necessarily an end-user or consumer standpoint: IEMs *can* be more detailed, just like headphones *can* be. What you hear through them doesn't become more detailed just because an IEM is an IEM. It's about driver selection, construction, and tuning. You buy a $20 IEM, you get a $20 product. (Tangzu Wan'er) Mostly, these sound better than some JLabs garbage at Target/Wal-Mart (due to tuning) but they aren't ever going to outperform a set of over-ears with a half-decent pedigree (ATH-M40x and the like) When we get into the $500 range (like the Mega5EST) then you can really start to see the benefits of the tuning and driver selection but also the benefits of simple physics. BeyerDynamics can put out the same kind of treble extension that the Mega5EST can, but the M5E doesn't have to work as hard doing it. Those ultra-high frequencies die off in open air very quickly. Not so much when forced through a mostly sealed tube (your ear canal) That's a lot of your "detail". One thing I have never heard a dynamic driver IEM do (but have heard it slightly with some BA units) is get the sound of the bow moving across the strings of a double bass or cello right. Those little "skips" you can hear as the bow kinda barely jumps along the string surface. I can only get *that* kind of detail out of properly powered over ears with great drivers. Detail isn't all treble extension. You will never hear a snare sound more like a snare than through Neumann NDH-30s. They just punch and are alive. Tuning will also play a HUGE part by attempting to make up for the what the outer structure of your ear does to sound before hitting your eardrum. I dislike these meta tuned IEMs, mostly, because they sound incredibly unnatural to me. Bassy, recessed mids, too much treble in weird ranges. My HRTF and these tunings usually *do not* get along. You might LOVE them, though. Headphones aren't perfect, but we all can get closer to agreeing on how a pair of headphones sound between us than we can IEMs due to at least having our entire ear involved in hearing them. Plus... I would NEVER mix or monitor tracking sessions with a pair of IEMs. Doesn't matter how well it matches my HRTF or how "neutral" they're touted to be (Ziigaat Cincotres and their marketing it as "studio reference tuning" was a flat-out *lie* ) I know what sound really sounds like having recorded strings, guitars, drums, woodwinds, etc...

If you're looking to find your sound signature then just get two or three of the budgets. Truthear Gate, Moondrop Chu2, and Tangzu Wa'ner. 3 different sounding budget iem's.

Tangzu Wa'ner. It was whiny, that's the best way I can describe it. It sounded like a petulant child, upset that it didn't get its way. Whatever frequencies that a child whines at about not wanting to do something or whatever, those frequencies seemed enhanced to my ears, and just like a want to smack a whiny child (but don't, of course), I wanted to smack the Waaaaa'ner. I gave it to a friend almost immediately.

waner definitely

Not sure if these are within budget but the Tangzu YuXuanJi. I never realised I like neutral-ish. The bass is still there but not bloated. The wan’ers are good and enjoyable (I use them at work) but the YuXuanJi are better.

Wait for sales in AliExpress to get better deals. Also u can consider some kind of dongle dac as well. From those options Waner is probably the safest (plug and play kind of product).

I would avoid KZ altogether. They're outdated in the Chifi IEM market. They're also a scummy company for a plethora of reasons. There's new shit coming out every month. Best budget recommendations are the Truthear Gate, 7hz Zero:2, and Tangzu Wan'er, imo. The Gates are like $15, the other two are about $25. Personally I have the Zero:2 and love them. The treble is toned down, and the mid bass is much better. You get a fuller sound without the peak-y high end of most cheap single dynamic drivers.

Love my 7HZ Zero:2s. The Truthear Gates and Tangzu Wan'er are the other two cheap cheap options I would look into. Truthear Zero Red or Blues would be good if you want to spend closer to $50. Most of the KZ options are out of date with the speed of the Chifi IEM market. You can get better for the same price. Any of the Shure and Sennheisers are overpriced compared to what's coming out of China. I wouldn't even bother personally.

Bass on the Wan'er is a bit flabby. I'd recommend the Tin Hifi C2 instead. It's a bit U-shaped, so if you want to make it more neutral (but still with better treble extension than most things around the same price) then I'd recommend using Spinfit CP-100+ tips. It has a mild bass boost, which should be perfect for monitoring drums, without being excessive. It's also much more controlled than the Wan'er (and also the other budget options like the 7Hz Zero). Around that price range I don't think there's going to be a huge difference in the amount of isolation you'll get, but it's not a factor I specifically look for. If you can find it on there, [rtings](https://www.rtings.com/) include isolation measurements in their reviews. Note that if you do go with the Spinfit tips, they will increase the isolation slightly because they have a slightly grippy silicone that will give a bit more consistent seal than the stock tips. AFAIK the best isolation you'll get is from Etymotics such as the ER2XR, but it's quite a bit more expensive and the fit can be problematic. They go really deep into the ears. I had to return them because they were painful.

The Tangzu Wan'er is probably your best bet. It's cheap and has the best midrange until you start spending a lot more, which is what you want for optimal vocal clarity. They aren't super bassy, but they do lean a bit warm. A less bassy and slightly higher quality sounding alternative is the Moondrop LAN. These also have much nicer build quality than the Wan'er.

If you want something primarily for listening to speech for languages then something like the Tangzu Wan'er is a good choice because it's very midrange-focused. OTOH, if you want something to listen to things in the background while studying and don't want to be too distracted by the music, I highly recommend the QKZ HBB, since that's one of the things I use mine for. It's really good for relaxing, or if you just want a lot of bass, without being too in-your-face about it. The HBB would also work for listening to speech (or anything really), but it's quite bassy, so it might be harder to make out what's being said, especially if you are trying to understand a foreign language. As far as the Meta Quest goes, you can pretty much use anything.

I'm interested in IEMs with $100 budget that offer good detail and soundstage. I love the Tangzu Wan'er and Moondrop Para, but I'm unsure if planar IEMs like the Artti T10 would be a good fit for me since I don't want to invest in a portable DAC that's as expensive as the earphones themselves. Do you have any recommendations?

I own all of these except the chu. the only one that sort of fits everything you want is the wan’er. the zero:2 is really good at all those things except imaging, but I think they make up for it with really good clarity IF you can get a good seal (I struggle to keep a seal with them). castor is terrible and i’m convinced people that recommend it probably only own them so they don’t realize how bad they are. none of these will blow you away at everything you want (this is the $20 range btw). the wan’er is the winner in the technicality department in this group, although zero2 is better sounding if they fit your ear their imaging is just not good (only really important if gaming imo.

I hope you have a place/shop to try out the iem rather than blind buying them cause there are a lot to consider (how they sound, comfort, price, quality, etc.) but i do suggest the tangzu waner and the moondrop starfield theyre my current favorites and all that i can afford

Best ones: 7hz Salnotes Zero 2 Tangzu Wan'er Truthear Zero:RED Truthear Hexa Moondrop Aria 2 (no, Simgots are not better) Edit: newlines

Tangzu Wan'er, I didn't like them neither in tuning nor in material(it looked nice but felt like worst kind of cheap plastic) and after losing filters(I was a blue collar at the time) the treble was unbearable so I gave it to my brother who doesn't have any issue with them. Waner 2 should come in today as I'm looking forward to give them a second chance

I have no recommendations for you but just my recent experience. I am new to IEM but not new to HiFi. I purchased the much recommended TANGZU Wan’er and IMHO it’s a POS. Source is important. Garbage in, garbage out. Since you have already ordered the R4, that’s sorted. Next would be the IEM which is the speaker equivalent in HiFi. I would be spending most of my $ or at least as much as my source and amps. In this case about the same $ as the R4 for the IEM. Basic cables will work and makes less of a difference than the speakers (IEM in this case). Upgrade those only when you have found your preferred source and IEM. That’s (cables) like the seasoning to the main dish. No amount of salt and pepper can make 💩 taste good. Have fun 🤩 and mostly importantly, enjoy the music. It’s no fun finding fault (unless it’s so bad, like the TANGZU I bought that I can’t stand listening to).

Your post is awesome. Revisiting it a lot! Started the hobby about a month ago and got the Wan'er then the Chu II. I believe I like the Wan'er warmth better and it feels comfier on my ears (still tip rolling on the Chu II). I'm looking for a brighter IEM and a bassier one too just to know which tuning I prefer. Which one would you recommend?

Wan'er is a safe pick, zs10 pro 2 can get a bit spicy/hot but also a bit more airy and more engaging. ZSX Pro looks a bit lacking in bass and bright, though the upper mids/lower treble looks better than ZS10 Pro 2, maybe good if you use eq and boost the bass, otherwise I think it'll probably be too bright. Castor pro idk much about it it looks like the bassiest of the bunch, ppl seem to like it.

please don't make the mistake of buying kz iems. just get the 7hz zero or zero 2. or you can buy truthear gate (best gaming iem under 2k). all of these are much better value than kz iems. kz iems have a terrible cable + they only give 3 pair of eartips inside the box & nothing else. while, tangzu wan'er or truthear gate or zero/zero 2 give you 6-7 pairs of eartips + a cleaning cloth or case to carry your iem + truthear gate has the best cable quality of any iem under 3k.

Tangzu wan'er, the connection pin broke in November so I upgraded to final a4000

They are completly differente, tangzu is vocal focused and castor is bass focused

My first headphones were sundara. Then i got tangzu wan’er just to see what iems were like. Enjoyed them enough that i got 7hz timeless. Liked the timeless more than the sundara. Fit was part of it, but detail to i think. I got high and did an a/b one night to private investigations live by dire straight. With the sundara, i felt like i was in the crowd at the Hollywood bowl watching the performance play out. How awesome is that? I can be at home and feel like i am at a live concert? Tremendous. Then i went to the timeless. I wasnt in the crow anymore. I was walking around on stage just hanging out next to the musicians. I wasnt listening to music, i was in the music. Ok both are excellent but these win. Then i ordered arya stealth and was hoping they’d have the intimacy of the timeless mixed with the presence of the sundara. And i think thats a decent enough description. I love the aryas but i still feel them on my head and it sounds like listening to speakers. If i want the music to feel like it’s beamed directly into my head it has to be an iem.

I’d like them. It’s the sound signature that I’m looking for. But Tangzu Waner is better.

well you haven't specified your tastes but I am gonna probably buy the simgot ew300 dsp(or the simgot ea500 dsp) so probably look between them. Simgot are a really trusted brand with a good image so simgot should be safe. I have bought 2 iems before the tangzu waner and the yu xuan ji they both kinda sucked since they don't have bass. These simgots are an all rounder. If you can increase your budget even a little buy the aful explorer. Here are some lists you can use if you want some more info [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zeby9PqsTmHMRQ3D3n5W\_1Gx9aNPPK67yoBl\_FXdaF4/edit?gid=0#gid=0](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zeby9PqsTmHMRQ3D3n5W_1Gx9aNPPK67yoBl_FXdaF4/edit?gid=0#gid=0) [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XQtSH90BGK99Vij3dXcSylfwcut5XerPbkkEksFwATA/edit?gid=0#gid=0](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XQtSH90BGK99Vij3dXcSylfwcut5XerPbkkEksFwATA/edit?gid=0#gid=0) [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZHVib50XFQW4up3SwOZUTbI-hZB6Ir5LX6XnZblIM6o/edit?gid=0#gid=0](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZHVib50XFQW4up3SwOZUTbI-hZB6Ir5LX6XnZblIM6o/edit?gid=0#gid=0) hope this helps

For old J-pop, classical, and hip-hop?, Tangzu Wan’er, my friend. Smooth tuning, nice vocals, and enough detail to catch those background strings and classic beats. The ZS10 Pro's got punch but might be too shouty for the gentler stuff. And the 7Hz Zero:2? Clean and technical, good for hip-hop layers but might lack a bit of soul for J-pop vibes.

You listening to those genres too? Yes wan'er eq shape suit for multiple genres like that. But for breakcore is not suitable for wan'er.It handles electronic textures decently, but might lack the super deep sub-bass slam or ultra-crisp treble that hardcore synth lovers chase

Tangzu Wan er or gate are good options too. Both good iems for gaming

DUDE HASHDAJDASJDHA WE ARE SHARING ALMOST THE SAME ROUTE LMAOOO My first IEM's were some cheap random brand ones, but they got exactly the SAME design as those QKZ of yours, idk they were like 2USD from ali, then got my KZ Castor (Silver) tho using them UUDD, and just got the Wan'er, they were slightly more expensive for me than the Castor (with mic cable), but the sound feels extreeeeemely dull to me, they having a lot of eartips add a plus but it's just wasn't for me I guess (the cable was also kinda worse in comparison ngl). I was wondering which tips you prefered, apparently one set are the "bass" ones and the others the balanced ones, not sure which one them as I thought they were the same, I'm using the black ones myself.

For gaming you need to check imaging/soundstage of an iem. The better it is, the better you will know where the enemy is coming from. To find out go read reviews. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/kz-zsn-pro-2.26992/reviews Plus less bass is better for competitive or multiplayer gaming so that the sound effects do not mask more important sounds but if you play single player then you will need that bass. **Remember boat bass is considered bassy or bass head in iem world. Here if they say it has good bass or balanced then compared to boat earphone it means it has ok bass and if someone says neutral then it has very less bass.** if you want bass, qkz x hbb or kz castor bass. If you want mainly for gaming then 7hz salnote zero and Simgot ew100p (have very less bass) For in between kz zsn pro 2, 7hz salnote zero 2 and moondrop chu 2 (kz n chu2 similar in sound for most part except treble, zsn can sound harsh for some songs) Tangzu waner are ok for gaming but great for music especially if you like vocal forward and prefer a decent amount of bass. How do you pick, compare reviews and also go to youtube type iem name and add this line, sound demo or sound test.

i love the samsung buds 2 and also liked the tangzu wan'ers (current dac: ifi audio go link). Do you think the simgot EW300 will be a good choice for me? or is there something else better for me.

**Pros:** * Clarity focused tuning * Good volume scaling * Inclusion of good cable * Nice pouch **Cons:** * Slightly off timbre * A little bass light Truthear is a relatively new brand in the IEM market, but everything they've released so far has been impressive. Their collaboration with Crinacle on the Zero IEMs has definitely helped, but their consistent quality suggests they are either very experienced or supported by industry giants. https://preview.redd.it/481gu4i1quad1.jpg?width=2664&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22a1c415fa757278e004eb60e0c1c08efbf91630 After the discontinuation of the Hola, a successor was anticipated, and Truthear answered with another ultra-budget IEM, the GATe. Priced at $18.99 ($19.99 with a mic), the GATe has big shoes to fill and stiff competition to overcome. # Disclaimers The Truthear GATe was provided to me by Cloris from shenzhenaudio for free. As I always say, everyone has biases, so take everything you read with a grain of salt. I'll strive to be more concise and to the point in my reviews from now on. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments, and I'll do my best to answer them. # Packaging, Build, and Accessories In this ultra-budget segment, packaging and accessories are often minimal, but the GATe still manages to impress. Unfortunately, I haven't tried the Hola, so I can't compare them in terms of accessories or sound. From what I've gathered, the GATe uses the same cable as the Hola, which is one of the best in this price range. It's very soft and doesn’t retain memory. The IEMs and cable come in either black or white. Besides the cable and a set of tips, you get a magnetic carrying pouch similar to what a-brand-that-should-not-be-named on reddit offers with their IEMs. I don’t recall getting a carrying pouch with any IEMs below $20, let alone one of this quality. https://preview.redd.it/k13m6bx2quad1.jpg?width=2302&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c6fe804706cc72fe64e0721fe3fcfb6b40facbc The GATe has a beautiful design with transparent faceplates. The insides aren't as attractive, featuring only a single dynamic driver, but I appreciate the look. The shells are entirely made of plastic, which might be a step down from the Hola. I don't mind it, but former Hola users might feel a bit betrayed. The shells have a small wing that helps with fit security without being annoying. # Sound Quality # Tonality https://preview.redd.it/7v92ahh4quad1.jpg?width=2640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d559ee73d3e4ae355d5588ed9885cdf5b93342ba This time around, Truthear went with a clarity-focused tuning for their ultra-budget offering. On first listen, the clarity and vividness stood out, but it felt bass-light. The GATe isn't devoid of bass; it actually has more bass than some older ultra-budget IEMs like the Moondrop Chu and 7Hz Salnotes Zero. However, the upper mids and treble are more prominent than the bass. The GATe scales well with volume and comes alive, a sentiment confirmed by a few of my friends. The mid frequencies on GATe are very well-tuned. As I mentioned, the GATe's clarity-focused tuning makes the mids its best feature. The treble isn’t harsh, peaky, or piercing, but there is a slight unevenness that affects the timbre a bit. # Technicalities https://preview.redd.it/3hurmjl5quad1.jpg?width=2617&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3896e0ec234725fa3c6380ae747af1acfe941957 Discussing technicalities for ultra-budget IEMs might seem pointless. There are technically better or worse IEMs in this price range, but ultimately, you get what you pay for. In the GATe’s case, it has decent imaging and staging capabilities. The timbre is slightly off but not too bad. The clarity-focused tuning helps reveal a good amount of detail, but the drivers' resolving capability can barely keep up. However, these drivers are pretty good among other ultra-budget IEMs since the GATe scales well with volume. # Comparisons # Truthear GATe vs. Tangzu Wan’er https://preview.redd.it/23nkloo6quad1.jpg?width=2221&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c18932243f43500dafb734585e09410777f11e0 * Wan’er has more bass, but GATe’s bass is better defined and textured. Wan’er’s bass is less controlled and the weakest point of the IEMs, though it extends deeper into the sub-bass and rumbles more. * Wan’er is warmer, thicker, and has more note weight. GATe’s note weight is sufficient, but some listeners might want more. * Wan’er emphasizes its mids more and is slightly shoutier. GATe is more balanced and scales better with volume, sounding clearer and crisper. * GATe is more prominent in the treble overall. Wan’er has lower treble energy. While neither is particularly sibilant, GATe is more susceptible to sibilance with volume. Still, GATe has more snap and shimmer, while Wan’er sounds blunted in comparison. However, Wan’er might suit those sensitive to treble better. * Wan’er has a better timbre overall, but GATe has a wider and more spacious presentation. Wan’er feels more in-your-head, while imaging is more focused and precise on Wan’er. GATe has better detail retrieval, revealing more nuances. https://preview.redd.it/teqqlqt7quad1.png?width=2400&format=png&auto=webp&s=246516702c8e97624675b3898b4b00680da0e0a8 # Truthear GATe vs. EPZ Q1 Pro https://preview.redd.it/nc4l537aquad1.jpg?width=1574&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6254120a2ab6a6713c8a594ad9384b912e98f8d * GATe is slightly warmer and thicker, with a more impactful bass. Q1 Pro has more sub-bass extension. * Q1 Pro has more prominent mids and is shoutier in the upper mids. * GATe has a more relaxed and slightly blunted treble. Q1 Pro sounds livelier without being harsh or sibilant at moderate volumes, but GATe can be pushed more without becoming harsh. * Q1 Pro is more technically capable, with better timbre and resolution. Q1 Pro has a slightly wider and deeper soundstage. Imaging is also more precise on Q1 Pro. https://preview.redd.it/kq075mxbquad1.png?width=2400&format=png&auto=webp&s=35d687fb24a396d2ed74dea02bc310342e572ac5 # Conclusion I enjoyed the Truthear GATe more than I expected. Usually, after reviewing unimpressive products, I set them aside, but the GATe convinced me to keep them around. They have a comfortable fit, scale well with volume, come with a very good cable, and include my favorite type of pouch with a magnetic closing mechanism. According to other reviews, they sound vastly different from the original Hola, so perhaps both could have been kept around. Nonetheless, I'm quite happy with what Truthear has delivered.

Not necessarily, wan'er has better timbre and I personally still prefer wan'er

I have Castor Pro Black and Tangzu Wan'er, for me Castor Pro sounds better more clear and detailed but the comfort on my ear is pretty bad I can't have It for long time, Wan'er on the other hand is just a little bit worst not much, and It's comfortable to use for many hours. So I would recommend Wan'er, is a safe option, I haven't tried Chu II It could possibly be a good option aswell since most people like It.

Kz Castor, D-fi, Tangzu Wan'er, Kiwiears Cadenza, Tripowin Léa

I might be little biased in this because I use Wan'er longer than my Castor so I will pick Wan'er because of how comfortable it is with long time gaming and also Wan'er is much more fun to be EQ. Actually 7hz Zero2 might be a better choice if you comfortable with their design. If you have more budget for IEM, Sennheiser IE 200 can do better but with that price might just go for Simgot Supermix 4

They're all cheap enough so i wouldn't sweat it. Wan'er and Castor Pro can be had for under $15. Little difference between them all, they are all good . Ps. Castor Pro's are ace.

Tangzu Wan’er - Overall balanced sound signature with slightly forward vocals. Good for any type music plus vocals heavy songs sound rich and natural. 7hz Zero 2- Overall balanced sound signatures with better bass than Tangzu Wan’er. Good for any type of music and gaming as well. You can also try: Moondroo Chu 2- These are More balanced than other two with good bass balanced vocals and treble.Good for any type of music. If this is you first IEM i would suggest you to go with Chu 2 or Zero 2. I have Wan’er and l love them but forward vocals not for everyone.

Here's Tangzu Wan'er EQ'd to Stax SR002. It only really works if your anatomy is similar to mine. Preamp: -9.4 dB Filter 1: ON PK Fc 22 Hz Gain -2.0 dB Q 1.500 Filter 2: ON PK Fc 53 Hz Gain -7.4 dB Q 0.500 Filter 3: ON PK Fc 55 Hz Gain 1.2 dB Q 1.600 Filter 4: ON PK Fc 630 Hz Gain 5.1 dB Q 1.400 Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1000 Hz Gain -4.3 dB Q 2.600 Filter 6: ON PK Fc 1600 Hz Gain 2.8 dB Q 5.000 Filter 7: ON PK Fc 2800 Hz Gain -3.4 dB Q 2.300 Filter 8: ON PK Fc 4200 Hz Gain 10.2 dB Q 4.600 Filter 9: ON PK Fc 4700 Hz Gain -8.5 dB Q 1.100 Filter 10: ON PK Fc 5500 Hz Gain -8.0 dB Q 4.700 Filter 11: ON PK Fc 7000 Hz Gain 5.0 dB Q 5.000 Filter 12: ON PK Fc 15000 Hz Gain 10.0 dB Q 5.000 It sounds a bit odd to me. But maybe this one is not as good as SR003Mk2?

I'd recommend tangzu waner. I don't recommend stuff like kz because of their QC.

the tangzu wan'er costs so little money, that most would suggest you start there and just see where it takes you. its such a great set, that you might not even feel the need to upgrade until they break somehow.

I have always loved my Tangzu Wan'er, but I feel it is underrated, at least within my local community. All the hype goes to Moondrop and Truthear.

I don't have any idea about sound signature XD the music i always listen, probably rocks songs like (blind guardian, sabaton, nightwish, kamelot, rhapsody, amaranthe, etc). Sometimes I just listen to any song I found it likable! I even listen to jpop, kpop, even nightcore songs! a lot of variety of songs! btw, I used kz zsn, kz zsn pro, kz zsn pro 2, and tangzu waner Planning to buy moondrop chu 2 and 7hz zero 2, to compare but I want something a bit higher price point than them if I testing the sound, I always use the song cyaegha - USAO

Moondrop Chu2, Truthear Hola, 7hz Zero:2, Tangzu Waner …are all fantastic IEMs in a cheap price bracket (20-30€/$). Choose randomly and you won’t be disappointed. There’s slight differences, but they won’t matter that much if your learning aversion is too strong ;)

I've the kiwi cadenza and tangzu waner. I would pick the kiwi for the more smooth and in-depth listening when I am in my zone. It is more comfortable and feels more balanced and being inside a closed room with good acoustics (I am not an expert, hope I am conveying what I feel). Tangzu is for casual listening. It's crisp, clear and pleasant.

KZ EDA, I dont use it anymore but still works. I was so amazed when I first used it, but only after using Tangzu Waner for a week, KZ EDA sounds like I'm listening to mono audio.

If you are a bass guy, KZ castor, if you want not only the bass but every other thing, tangzu wan'er, Do not buy from Amazon/Flipkart those are a rip off. I had a pretty bad experience with conceptkart, so I would recommend The headphone zone but the choice is yours to make.

Tangzu Wan'er would be my vote out of the ones you have listed. Especially if you listen to music with a lot of vocals (rock, rap, opera, etc...). Great tuning, very lightweight and comfortable. Look nice. Only ding against them for me is that they feel a little fragile. But they live in your ears or in a case - so I don't think it's THAT big of a deal.

been using them for an entire year solely for gaming they cook.

Dude, they are so cheap, just buy the Wan'er and enjoy figuring out the difference. Then when have a bit more cash but the 7Hz and then enjoy all three. It's a journey to enjoy.

Gate is a tad bit better than the wan'er but a bit worse than the zero2, imo.

I really don't recommend KZ because it sounds generic compared to my Salnote Zero. I mostly recommend Tangzu Wan'er, Truthear's Hexa and ZERO, Salnote's ZERO and ZERO:2, Simgot EW200. KZ is decent but their whole lineup sounds the same, that overwhelming bass and fatiguing treble is the most cons of their products.

Not saying they are worse, if anything they provide better experience when it comes to sound. Just in my experience it hasn't been as useful as I thought when it comes to directional audio and it's product life, left and right audio is alright but not much help to me when it's any other direction. Also as an iem owner i wouldn't suggest buying it if they are thinking of using it for longer sessions. The wax buildup, cleaning, wire problems, pin problem are no joke when it comes to cheaper iems, they break easily. I have had moondrop sparks, blon 03, tangzu wan'er, monk plus etc and although they sound great, they all had some problems within a year or two.

I don't have many iems, but I just got the supermix four and it is so good and comfortable, better than my Tangzu Waner at least. From what I read, the MP145 is kind of heavy, but I don't know what a heavy IEM feels like, but I think I would notice if the supermix was heavy at all. For 150, in absolute terms, I am very satisfied with the sound, very detailed. I have the edition XS and HD600 as far as headphones go, and they don't lose to them technically

iems do help with that, but for that to happend you need a good fit and thats a very specific thing to find with iems since each person has a different ear, you might wanna check TWS (True Wireless earphones) better. And so, just to clarify this out before recomending anything, being recomended based on "noise reduction" in iems is the equivalent of walking into a shoe store and ask for shoes your size without trying them on, nor saying what size you are. Now, you either can go the safe-ish route or the VERY safe route. the just safe route is getting a small nozzle size iem (the nozzle is the part of the iems that directly into your ears) and try them to see if the fit well enought with stock eartips, and then decide if you need tips (for example: Moondrop Chu2 for cheap and TRN Orca for super cheap. Now, this should work for most people, but there are a few that have an ear canal big enought to not be able to fit small nozzles properly (the fit is too loose), so, if you fear that... The next best is to pick a very cheap iem with a decent size nozzle (like the Tangzu Waner - Not too big, not too small) and pick some generally good fitting tips like spinfit W1, Dunu S&S and maybe moondrop Spring tips (or just search/ask here for some examples) to pair With your iems to see what fits better. its your call, but i personally would recomend to just pick a pair of Space Travel ($25 TWS) and use the ANC (Active Noise Cancelation) functionality and be done with it.

you have 3 options: 1.- try your luck again to see if QKZxHBB works (at this price range, the most relaxed bassy one). 2.- Get Tangzu Waner beacuse of the pretty tamed treble and EQ bass into it (Or EQ the treble down ln any other of your iems so you stop wasting money). 3.- Or overpower the treble with bass with something like the Kbear Rosefinch. Other than that, under $20, i dont think there are that many "dark" IEMs to pick from, and this does seem to be a case of sensitivity. but BTW, do you like to listen at high volumes?

Dark iems, specially under $50, are hard to do because most people would be quick to say they are "muddy", i have QKZxHBB and i dont think it has much problems of sibilance, if anything at all, but is a bass centric iem, if you want clarity just EQ more bass into a decent iem, i also have waner and have tried a few bassy EQs and they manage clarity with extra bass fairly well, but is more about the rumble than anything, if you also want punch thats another whole story.

For what you want, sounds that Waner Is the option.

I'll try to explain this as descriptively as possible, as I'm not sure of the right way to explain it but: Do you know of any IEM that has a tactile, fast, kicky bass, and doesn't come with a V-shaped tuning or, in general, doesn't come with very elevated treble or upper vocals, under $100? I ask because most of the IEMs I've tried with this kind of bass, to a greater or lesser extent (such as Conch, TKZK Ouranos and even Tangzu Waner, TRN Orca or KZ Zex Pro/CRN) are IEMs that are not really bass-centric. That said, after doing some research, I found that in part I think that this "tactile and dry"-like punch I'm looking for may be affected by a very high sub-bass and lack of treble presence to some extent (or in other words, It seems that to get this kind of bass you need less sub-bass and enought treble boost), so I want to know of an IEM that is warmer or bass leaning, but still has that kind of tactile mid-bass? All the iems I've seen in bass-leaning Reviews (Delci, QKZxHBB, Castor, Fudu, Legato, among others) always end up having more of a "boomy" bass, more like with a "softer" punch than an aggressive "tap", and the few that might have that characteristic, like the BL03s in my experience, didn't fit my ears well. It doesn't have to be a completely dark or basshead level IEM necessarily, as long as it gives a good bass performance (as described), and isn't too intense in the upper half of the sound, it's good enough for me. I don't expect a super rumbly bass either, especially if the sub bass could be affecting the quality of the mid bass kick. Thanks in advance for your time. PS: and btw, i haved tried some of the mentioned IEMs, special cheaper ones like QKZxHBB and Castor Bass, im just asking for people to share their personal experiences from other IEMs just in case this might be a problem of just reviewers not explaining the type of bass in a way i could understand It was the kind i was looking for. Edit - an example i Made to try to explain what kind of bass im looking for: Imagine the sound of hitting a hollow hard plastic thing with the back of a pen, or something like that, something more snappy, that kind of bass Is what i want, most of those other bassy IEMs mentioned, the bass sounds kinda more like hitting that same hollow plastic thing, but with a cloth over It and with a Rubber mallet, that kind of bass Is not what im looking for. ------- So edit/Update: I finally ended up buying the PR3, not because i wanted the tuning lol, but because i wanted to check the sound of a planar iem, and well, first, it seems that the type of driver does make a difference in the feel of the bass, so it wanst just me, that said, i also discovered that things that help to this kind of mid bass i wanted were: a "dry" bass, also a bass that has a fast response, and having a focus on the mid bass with a decay into the sub bass, as sub bass seem to affect the tactile kick of the mid bass a bit, so yeah, if you are also looking for a bass like that, chek iems that doesnt have more sub-bass than mid-bass, planars also gives that kind of dry and fast bass you might like, and if anyone is interested, i can share my wavelet EQ of the PR3, althoght its pretty much a somewhat bassshead EQ. thanks for comments and recomendations, hope to also try them in the future.

I already have the waner and It kinda has the type of bass i want, althought what im looking a bass with that said texture, "kicky, tactile" without being too flat, althought maybe Hexa could so that, but its not an overall tunning i would be interested on trying, Thanks still for all your help and recs Man.

While i wouldn't call both bad, people usually recomend Harman improved bass over normal Harman since, for normal Harman, there are a few good bunch of balanced picks already, granted, most arent as cheap as castor Harman, but very few people Is usually looking for something as specific as that, and KZ usually have other better option that they recently made, and thats even cheaper most of the Time, like KZ EDC Pro in this case. Now, castor Harman improved bass, or how people usually call It, Castor Bass Is a very bassy iem, a bass canon, which Is a very hard thing to find for this cheap, so Is a very good pick for bass Centric music, things like electronic music, hip-hop, some R&B, and so on, but Its usually not recomendé for pop since bass can get too overpowering at times, so you either need to crank volume up with an already strong bass, or use the switches, but the problem with the switches Is that they just boost bass or treble área, so you either way will have boosted bass and boosted treble but the mids(vocals) will be somewhat on the background either way, thats why i mostly recomend them to bass heavy music genres. As for Harman, Its just more balanced, energetic, not too much bass, and you can also either boost treble or bass area, but again, for that, you could check thinks like Salnotes Zero2, moondrop Chu2, Tangzu Waner, even KZ EDC pro and so on, Its not like a terrible pick, Is just not the Best in their type of sound, but people can enjoy It as well.

This is my First formal IEM Pick Mega Guide – "Revamped" (Last Updated: January 2025) PART 1 Oh well… here we go again. And this is going to be LARGE, so buckle up, this is a part 1 because turns out reddit wont let me publish this much text in one single post, so yeah, ill link the Part 2 right here: * [For part 2 Click - HERE -](https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1f332k3/the_iem_pick_megaguide_part2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) # UPDATE: Now i also have a Sub $100-ish list if you want to check it: [https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/s/OXgg8IsbYi](https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/s/OXgg8IsbYi) /---------------- # Gaming Update: As quite a lot of people asks for gaming options, I’ll make this update marking iems with performance rakings from the "WALLHACK TIER LIST" of Reviewer Fresh Reviews, who is known for recommending iems for gaming use, just be aware that this does not reflect my opinion about each IEM nor does it ensure that you will have an excellent video game experience just because the iem is listed. The Fresh Reviews system gives letter grades where “S” is the best grade, going down from S-A to C+, where C+ means that they are the minimum for video games. I will mark the IEMs by putting the score besides the name: "( FRS: “Mark obtained”)" (FRS = Fresh Reviews Score), example: Zero Red (FRS: C+), if you don't see this mark, it means that Fresh Reviews did not consider it for gaming, or didnt review the product. /---------------- **So, lets continue with part 1:** Some people might identify me already, I’m one of the redditors in this sub that’s usually giving recs and trying to help people left and right, things doesn’t always work, but I hope that I’m being of some help. So yeah, I finally gathered the will to do a proper post about this, I’ll try to pour everything I know after around 4 years of checking reviews and trying around more than 27 different iems (mostly under $100).   ***BTW, IF YOU SEE SOME GLARING ERROR, ANYTHING THAT JUST DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT, PLEASE LET MY KNOW, IM DISLEXIC TOO, SO YEAH XD, THANKS FOR THE FUTURE HELP.*** \----- # CONTENTS: Part 1: * Where to buy? * List of mostly recommended iems under $50. * Reviewers List. Part 2: * FACs (Frequently Asked Concerns lol – I recommend you to read this one first if you are a newbie). * Final extra details. Now, remember that I’m just another person, I have preferences and some degree of bias towards some sets, especially ones that I own, my intention is not to tell you “You should pick this”, but rather to point you out to a clearer direction as to what you might like or need. This info is not “absolute” as preferences and music library plays a huge role on the experience, but at least I hope I can make this decision less complicated for you. \----- # Where to buy? So, first, I don’t know what store you are planning to use but most common recs for buying are: * Mostly free shipping Stores: Shenzhen Audio, Amazon, and alsoAliExpress, but with ali, you need to pick the seller carefully, I have got 3 iems and some cables from there without any problems, but it isn’t as safe as Amazon and Shenzhen could be. * \- * They usually charge shipping Stores: Hifigo, Linsoul. I would recommend the free shipping Stores better since, besides free shipping, I have had less problems with them (in my very personal experience) and they usually do as much as possible to help their clients, however, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have problems with each store, sometimes life sucks and online stores do too, so always be careful when ordering online, specially check sellers on AliExpress Also, when buying, remember that if you wish to have a cable that comes with a mic, since IEMs don’t always come with one, especially around $50 and above, you need to specially pick the option of having a cable with mic when selecting the IEM for purchase if the options is given. \----- # Usually recommended IEMs under $50 If you don’t feel like reading or you have some IEM experience, skip or ignore the “FACs” part, HOWEVER, if you are new to this hobby, I recommend you to check that first, it could help clear your mind about a lot of questions you might have. ***The price in brackets is the original base price of the IEMs.*** ***Purchase links disclaimer:*** The links included are affiliate links, but make sure to check vendor reviews when you make any AliExpress purchases. The links have no influence on which IEMs are recommended or picked for the list.   # ----- # BASSY IEMS IEMs that their key point Is the lower end of sound, more Rumble and/or bass punch/kick, if you want some good bass, check this one, there will be iems from bass heavy to balanced, but overall, picks that have an elevated bass area, even if that also comes with some extra treble. * **($16) KZ Castor Bass enhanced edition (Black colored):** An IEM with a heavy, but still somewhat clean, punchy and rumbly bass, that can have the amount of bass and treble adjusted with switches, can have some more treble energy than QKZxHBB, but bass is very prominent, so vocals do get a bit overshadowed and might feel lacking intensity, recommended mostly for electronic music or bass heavy genres like hip-hop or R&B, not really recommended for vocal centric music genres like rock or ballads, Works for gaming, but bass might be too distracting. Nozzle is on the larger side. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mt6hFPl) * \- * **($17) KZ Castor Pro:** A small upgrade to the Castor bass OG, a bit more Rumble, a bit less punch, it is overall better than the OG Castor, but also comes with a larger nozzle. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mKmDf4B) * \- * **($20) QKZxHBB (FRS: B-):** A lot of rumbly bass with decent vocals, altough it can sound muddy for some at fist, is mostly for those who really like a lot of inmersive bass but also still want enough vocal and treble detail. Works for gaming. Nozzle slightly on the larger side. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_msetV8R) * \- * **($50) Truthear Zero (blue) (FRS: B-):** They are actually balanced sounding, bass, vocals and treble all are very energetic, but this IEM was made to have very clean bass, like a mini “subwoofer” effect, and that’s the main focus of It, although their nozzles (the part of the iem that goes into your ear canal) are some of the biggest on the market, if you happen to have small ear canals, or you are looking for comfort, they could hurt or not fit well when using them (the biggest nozzle from this list). Usually recommended over the Zero Red for gaming, from the less bassy picks in the bassy section. You should consider using a dongle DAC if the sound is too quiet with them. If you happend to have fitting problems, check the Spinfit CP155 eartips, could help a lot, but those tips get streched kinda easy and can fall out of the nozzle, so do take in mind. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mOGUNun) * \- * **($24-34) BLON BL03:** Great hard hitting bassy IEM, a lot of Energy and intensity with enough intense treble, biggest downside Is that Fit might not be great thanks to their particular shape and short reaching nozzle (the nozzle might not be large enough to enter properly into your ear canal), the nozzle itself is on the smaller side. Not a bad pick, works for gaming, but a bit outdated. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mqDowxp) * \- * **($50) CCA Rhapsody:** THE Castor bass upgrade, better techs, some more clarity, all in all, a great bassy package for the price, but shell is VERY large and nozzle not so smaller, so, if you have small ears, then maybe this is not the best pick, nozzle size is in a middle ground. Works for gaming. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mMQ1ytz) * \- * **($35) BLON Z300:** A very specific pick since they are just somewhat bassy, they could sound balanced for bassheads, and muddy for non-bassheads, the bass works better with well produced/mixed files, for poor quality tracks they might lack punch, they are decent for vocals, but might feel a bit on the background. They are decent for an inmerssive bassy sound, and have pretty good resolution and detail, also, sound direction is good, if you like ASMR, those are good bot a bassy relaxed replay on a budget. Should work for gaming, nozzle is pretty small, should have a comfy fit. If you want clarity and cleaness is not the best option. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mrDU1eF) * \- * **($50) Blon JOJO:** this one is like a more bassy, aggressive QKZxHBB, techs are just decent for $50, but because of its quantity of bass, aren’t the best for clarity or detail. Might work for gaming, not really recommended, best for bassy music genres. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mOT3o83) * \- * **($37) CCA Trio:** This ones comes like a small upgrade from the Castor Bass, if you feel that Castor bass would be too intense, might as well go for this one, this is more of a bassy V-shaped or balanced set, but with the ability to increase the bass or treble just like the castor. should work for gaming. Vader Balanced is a good alternative if you find it cheaper. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mPAIXdp) * \- * **($31) KZ Vader Balanced:** Energetic bassy V-shape-ish sound with a less "Harman-style" approach (less obvious clean-cut bass, some warmness on vocals), so it has a bit more body, but not that much, mostly a bit less V-shaped CCA trio, a good alternative to it. Decent techs for the price, get whichever is cheaper. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_m05R5aF) * \- * **($50) INAWAKEN Dawn Ms:** Warm, rumbly, a bit thick, bassy V-shaped iem, could feel slightly less technical than other iems, but clean-ish sound still, relaxed upper treble but a bit foward lower treble (shoutiness warning), warm-ish vocals, pretty good bass performance. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mKp2ac3) * \- * **($25) Tachjim One (has DSP/Type-C option too):** A bullet style earphone that has a focus on Mid bass over sub bass, it’s somewhat V-shaped and energetic, a bit foward on the lower treble, and it has a bass that should work better for rock genres since it gives energy to drums without making the sound way too bassy. Could work for gaming, but being this mid-bass centric, wouldn’t recommend It. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mPULWWP) * \- * **($22) Tanchjim Tanya (DSP):** Another bullet style, the only reason I’m mentioning only the DSP version (Type-C cable connection) is because this one would pack a very good amount of bass, while keeping it reasonably clean, slightly better than Castor bass in that specific regard, but keeping an affordable price over other picks like Trio or Zero Blue. Could work for gaming, still similar problem to Castor. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mKWofm3) # -- # BALANCED IEMS Section for more balanced and somewhat neutral IEMs: (For clarification on what’s “neutral” and what’s “balanced” please check the FACs) * **($19) Tangzu Waner:** a slightly rumbly IEM that has a lot of vocal qualities, with a close-to-neutral and pretty balanced sound, great for long listening sessions, not great for directional sound/gaming in my personal experience. A very versatile starter pick, but bass area can come as a slightly muddy at first, so, better for people that like some bass presence and nice body on male vocals. Nozzle size is in between, not too big, not too small. As a side note, some people say they work for gaming, i dont find them particularly good for that versus other options, your call. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_m0Z0EQr) * \- * **($30) Tripowin Vivace (FRS: B-):** A nice slighlty bass leaning iem that has good technicalities for the price, almost performing above its price range, a very safe sound overall, on of the safest sounds on to pick from the list. The best cheaper allrounder starting point under $30 and arguably the best gaming pick under $50. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mKx3o0L) * \- * **($38-44) Sgor Luna:** While it’s a planar, it doesn’t exactly compete with other planars around this price, however, it’s a very cheap good option to try a planar driver, plus you can pick them bundled with a dongle dac which should take care of your amplification needs. As far as technical performance goes it is decent for its price range (which is around $40) but the best part is that it is like a less intense Simgot ew200, it might have an edge over them technically speaking, but the tuning of the luna doesn’t make it too obvious. It has a better bass quality and presence, making it a pretty decent and very safe pick for the price, as long as you use a dongle with them OR a DAP with decent amplfication on the 3.5mm conection. *PROBABLY THE SAFEST PICK AROUND $50.* Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mKynQSJ) * \- * **($19) Truthear Gate:** A correct and pretty balanced iem, similar to waner but with a tilt to female vocals and treble, also, bass might sound slightly cleaner than waner, but just a bit. Should for gaming. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_m0ebw6r) * \- * **($25-30) Kinera Celest Wyvern (Abyss/black, Quing, Pro) (should had a Type-C option):** the 3 verions are around the same, pick the most appealing to you. Tuning is similar to waner with a bit of more overall energy on vocals and presence on the bass, maybe a tilt to female vocals too, and slightly cleaner in the bass. Should work for gaming. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mrlZ1Ij) * \- * **($20) Simgot ew100p (There is a DSP/Type-C variant):** Another similar one to Gate and Waner, maybe an inbetween from gate and waner, but all in all, a very decent, balanced set, slightly more treble energy than other models, nothing too much. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mqIAQHH) * \- * **($19) Moondrop Chu II (There is a DSP/Type-C variant):** A pretty balanced and clean IEM, detail is nice, and they are a bit more forward on the female vocals and treble than Waner, still not too intense, another great starting pick, especially for people that do want to hear some bass, but don’t want it to affect the rest of the sound much. As a heads up tho, these are especially known for having problems with humidity and moisture because of its metal shell. Works for gaming, nozzle on the smaller side, should have a comfy fit. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mK6uRmj) * \- * **($25) 7hz Salnotes Zero 2:** A more bassy leaning version of the Chu II, the second safest allrounder performer after Vivace for any kind of music genres under $30, a good gaming replacement for the Vivace too, nozzle is slightly on the larger side. This one is not on the bassy side since it has less bass than most of the other Bassy picks, around the same as the Zero Blue, but without any fancy “subwoofer” approach. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mqKyRcR) * \- * **($35) Kiwiears Cadenza:** A more energetic version of the Tangzu Waner, with a more v-shaped approeach with extra sub-bass and female vocals, overall good performance if you like that energy in your music, however, bass isn’t like super strong or super punchy, is there, is nice and has some presence, but it isn’t the focus of its sound, works well for ballads or rock style music, with some extra versatility for some electronic music, not recommended for bassy music genres like hip.hop or R&B tho. Watch out for sensitivity to 4Khz peaks, vocals in general might come as shouty for some people, I wouldn’t recommend it for people looking for bass quality, as the vocal energy can get in the way for enjoying them,. Works for gaming, nozzle leans to the larger side. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_m0ZUrDt) * \- * **($40) Simgot EW200 (FRS: C+):** a somewhat neutral IEM that intends to be balanced but actually has a lean on the vocal an treble side of sound, so there Is more clarity and you will perceive more detail on the sound, but some people might feel that the treble can be a bit too intense, bass is there and has presence, but Is not the main focus. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_m0hfYft) * \- * **($55) Truthear Zero (red) (FRS: C+):** this is a bit more expensive version of the Truthear Zero blue, It has the same build quality but the sound Is a bit more balanced and less overly energetic, it works well with more music genres. The IEM comes with an adapter to increase the bass quantity to Zero Blue Levels (in stock it has less amount of bass), but It also shares the big nozzle of the blue version. Usually less recommended for gaming over the Zero Blue. Recomended to use a dongle DAC for amplification, to get te Best performance out of them. If you happend to have fitting problems, check the Spinfit CP155 eartips, could help a lot, but those tips get streched kinda easy, so do take in mind. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mMrjPcX) * \- * **($50)** [Kefine Klean](https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/s/7PVWrvBEU2)**:** A good balanced sounding set with a small bass lean, great techs for the price and a decent fit with an average size nozzle, all in all, probably on of the best picks on the list if you have $50, want the best performance and don’t know what to pick. ***I must mention that some people have encounter situations of channel imbalance with their sets, it could be the filters unscrewing or just not being properly put on on the first place, check that if you have any problems, also, be careful with humidity since its a metal shell, and if you have any actual problem, please do contact the store where you get them from for help with the issue, or the people at Kefine for direct Help*** Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_msWNk9V) * \- * **($15) Tangzu Princess ChangLe:** A mild V-shaped bullet style iem that would be pretty versatile for most music genres but technicalities like resolution, soundstage and instrument separation (check FACs if you don’t know what these means) are slightly worse than most other sub $20 options. Its price and comfort is pretty good still, a good gift option, wouldn’t recommend it for gaming. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mNZJZK7) * \- * **($10) KZ EDC Pro:** Very cheap yet good sounding iem, some less technical than its $20 peers but costing significantly less, the cheapest yet best starting point to test what iems have to offer, however don’t expect the best build quality, also, some people find the treble a bit too intense. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mrXq3FN) * \- * **($16)** [TRN Orca](https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1cbec6e/trn_orca_consumer_pov_review/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) **(should had a Type-C option):** This is another pretty nice, inexpensive pick for people on a budget that doesn’t know what they like and cant spend too much money, Orca is a metal shell iem that has a kinda V-shaped tuning but with a lean on the bass, however, thanks to its 3 tuning switches, you can adjust the sound to either something kinda bassy clean like the Chu2 (switches Down Down Up – DDU), to a very V-shaped bassy tuning similar to Zero 2 (UDU) to a very bass heavy sound somewhat similar to QKZxHBB or Castor Bass (DUD - works particuarly well when amplified with a dongle dac for a somewhat "subwoofer" feel). They also gain some extra resolution when amplified with a dongle dac. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_msqEjYX) * \- * **($55) TKZK Ouranos (FRS: C+):** This one might show the similar shouty vocals than the Cadenza could have, but it is kinda the direct upgrade from them. It has a noticeable more punchy bass, but it’s very balanced with the rest of the sound, very prominent upper mids, intense in the note weight -the weight the sound hits with- and has very good techs for its price, slightly better than Truthear Blue and Red, but would recommend to get it discounted below its $55 price. Overall great if you like vocal forward leaning sound, specially female vocals, it has a bit less aggressive treble that EW200 might had. Not recommended for bassheads at all, as bass quantity will let you wanting more. Should work for gaming. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mMsadP9) * \- * **($50) Tangzu YuXuanJi:** Decent techs for the price, bright leaning sound, focus on vocals and treble over bass. Around in brightness to the ew200, open back design doesn’t do much for the sound, controlled amount of decent quality bass, and fairly good technical performance. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mPz7wQn) * \- * **($30-40) TinHifi C2 OG/2025:** Very balanced sounding, enough of everything from bass to treble, good alternative to the Vivace, with a vocal focus + slightly less boosted bass. Good technicalities for the price. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mKfH9Jd) * \- * **($30) Twistura D-Minor:** Somewhat V-shaped energetic set with average technicalities for the price, nice accessories that comes with a dongle dac, if you feel that it lacks bass or needs more bass try the different tuning nozzles. Basic but complete starting point pick. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mtr7wKB) * \- * **($50) Celest IgniteX Beast:** Balanced but slightly bright leaning (focus on vocal and treble) set that performs as its price point, semi-custom shell that can fit either really good or not so good depending on your ear. Decent techs for the price. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_m0Luh8J) * \- * **($30) TRN Conch:** This is a risky pick for the price, is better to get it on sale. The biggest upside are the accessories it comes with, is like an upgrade combo of a nice interchangeable connections cable, some decent eartips and a metal box, that comes with some extra iems included. The thing with the Conch is that it comes with interchangable nozzles, but just 1 of the 3 is useable for most people, the red nozzle, as the other 2 have a pretty forward and intense treble. The Conch has a V-shaped kind of sound, its somewhat similar to the ew200 but with more presence on the bass, which packs good punch, rumble and texture, and its also pretty clean; vocals are just fine, not that natural sounding iem, but also not bad; the treble Is energetic with some peaks of intensity, not the most refined but not super harsh, so your mileage may vary, just dont pick them if you are sensitive to treble. It works fairly well for rock genres. The nozzle is on the smaller size, however, because of the weird shape of the shell of the iem, its possible that the fit wont be the best for you, since its like a bullet style earphone, with just a cylindrical weight at the end that has very little support in the ear, so, keeping them in while moving too much could be a problem. Again, its not too bad, but it has a few “buts” to consider before buying it. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mK0gJK7) * \- * **($70) Artti T10 (and other planars):** I know the T10 stock price is around $70 bucks, but in some sales in AliExpress, and with new customer discounts, you could find it closer to $50 or even less. The main reason why I mention this one is mostly to talk about Planar iems, those are know for having good overall performance in sound and techs, but that also comes with a not so cheap price, and the need for some extra anergy from a dongle DAC to work the best. The T10 has a somewhat balanced, slightly V-shaped sound, that has just enught bass, but some people could use a bit more, overall excelent quality of sound when properly amplyfied. Build quality is also fairly good. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mKBFQ47) * \- * **($50) KZ PRX:** Mild V-shaped energetic planar, technically-wise competes with its planar peers but for a reduced price, however, it needs some good amplification, you should also get a better cable, 4.4mm cable with a dongle that has the connection, if possible, would be great. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ms7AueR) # -- # BRIGHT IEMS Now for more "bright" IEMs: Bright IEMs are more focused on vocal clarity, and especially treble intensity and details of the sound, they are not for everyone since most of the time the bass Is quite controlled and don’t really have much presence. * **($23) 7hz Salnotes Zero (Originals)(There is a DSP/Type-C variant):** Pretty detailed, vocals do take the main stage while bass it’s pretty tamed, still being plenty enough for it to be musical. The most sub $20 IEM recommended pick for gaming thanks to its price, performance and clarity. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mK0Lu71) * \- * **($39) TKZK Wave:** A very technically competent pick, borderline neutral sound, with a clear yet small emphasis on treble, boosted enough for a detailed replay, the bass is clearly very reduced, but you can still hear some of it, dont expect much bass rumble. The bass might be too little for gaming. Check it out here: [Linsoul.](https://www.linsoul.com/products/tkzk-wave?srsltid=AfmBOopjxSmV08WMQvk-Rl0f6qiqRi0A-7hiIFV35tn3Q_6sqzbao6Ht) * \- * **($16) Tachjim Zero:** slightly more mid bass than the TKZK wave, slightly less overall technicalities, but in accordance with its lower price, similar focus on vocals with less treble. And, as it’s a bullet style it should be a comfy fit in your ear. Bass might be too little for gaming. Check it out here: [Linsoul.](https://www.linsoul.com/products/tanchjim-zero?srsltid=AfmBOooqEkFsn3ddSoCxeNxxA9ZhUqALVc7TAQVwn-j-wvSlP4B-8t5f) * \- * **($21) Tangzu Waner SE (Studio Edition):** A slightly brighter, but also cleaner Waner, with some more energy on vocals and treble, nothing else special other than the memory foam ear hooks in the cable that might or might not help with comfort. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mMI8dSb) * \- * **($30) Ziigaat Nuo (FRS: C+):** A more bass energetic Salnotes Zero OG, the focus is on vocals and especially treble, but it doesn’t overlook the bass, has good performance for the price, but not a safe pick for people with treble sensitivity. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mKr0NOF) * \- * **($40) Moondrop Lan (FRS: C+):** This could be a small upgrade from the Salnotes Zero original. A very decent build quality and technically competitive for the price, it has a nozzle on the small side just like chu 2, so should be very comfortable. The sound might have around the same to slightly less bass than the Zero OG, but, it will also have slightly better vocals than it, besides that, they are pretty similar, good if you don’t like much bass and you just enjoy a treble focused sound, but not with an overly intense replay. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mO5eyD5) * \- * **($60) 7hz Sonus (FRS: B-):** This one might be a bit out of budget but you can find it for less than $50 on a sale. Sonus Is said to have pretty good technical performance that is above its price range, however, the biggest downside it might had is that the sound could not be as "cohesive" as it should because of the dual driver implementation, that means that some parts of the sound around upper mids and treble might sound somewhat slightly separated from the lower mids and bass, most people don’t find this as a glaring problemm but you are warned. Of course, bass is reduced, but around the same as the Zero Original, this would be more like a direct upgrade, and should work well for gaming. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mrnxgiR) * \- * **($40) Tanchjim OLA:** A bit outdated for the price, but still the special pick if you want to know what “neutral” is actually supposed to sound like, pretty similar to the Wave but it has almost no noticeable Sub-bass, in favor of a very clean sound reproduction, it has some mid-bass to it but mostly for getting that specifically neutral sound, and has just enough vocals and treble intensity for the sound to be correct and very natural. This is not a pick that is recommended for daily use, but if you love vocals and clean instruments, this one is still a great choice, although technicalities might be slightly below average at this point. Check it out here: [AliExpress.](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_msI48If) * \- So that’s It, those are some of the best IEMs to pick for under $50, there are more that I didn’t mention and it doesn’t mean they are bad, is just that these are the most commonly known to be good and considered that most people would probably enjoy. Also, there aren’t many KZ or CCA options here because there are already some better options for similar tunings. Besides, KZ and CCA accesories and quality control is not from the best, and they have had other problems in the past like possible silent revisions of iems (changing drivers or tunings without prior notice) so they dont give me enough trust to recommend them so easily. Any question just Let me know. Notice that I do own or have owned some of the IEMs mentioned, but most of these recs are made by checking and comparing various Reviews from different sources. # -- # Reviewers List The purpose of this is so you can check the opinion of various people that had already checked a good bunch of other iems so you can have a wider perspective of what you might deal with, don’t take the word of just 1 or 2 unless you are sure they share your exact taste in audio, ideally use them just as a reference, compare any already owned iems with their opinions to see where their preferences stand in relation to yours, DO NOT trust only one opinion just because you like it better or the reviewer just sounds more knowledgeable. * HBB (YT Is called: bad guy good audio Reviews).\* * Paul Wasabi.\* * Super Reviews.\* * Jays audio. * Audio-in Reviews.\* * Gizaudio (Channel now run by ATechReviews - New Channel TimTuned). * WhatsNew. * SuperChonk.\* * Audio Amigo.\* * AndyAudioVault. * Acho Reviews. * Tone Deaf Monk. * Prime Audio Reviews. * Akros. * Ian Fann. * Hobby Talk. * Vortex Reviews. * AV Atmos. * Joyces Reviews. * Lumerion. * Honest Audiophile (I find him to be very biased by his own taste in sound, but it’s good to have every single second opinion in this case). * Joshua Valour (More headphones but still) * Kenneth Tanaka (this Is More for TWS/Blueetooth earphones) * Dan's audio Review (mostly for IEM sound comparation).\* \--- * *And please, do not take Sharur seriously, he Is trolling most of the time.* The names marked with a “ \* “ are the ones that are mostly well known and somewhat generally respected by the community and I. There is also the Legend "Crinacle" but he stopped doing "serious" reviews, i wont explain his lore, but if you find a review of an iem from him, especially in his "Crinacle" channel, he is also very respected, but he also sells iems now, so he has a lot to gain from you buying some sets. Now timmy, original host of Gizaudio has joined Crin into his Store Channel.

I wont call the Zero 2 neutral bright, is actually just balanced, and even a bit on the bassy side, if you want a balanced, kinda neutral iem, actually Tangzu waner is closer to that, also focusing on vocals, its a good middle groun, if you want to test bassy, you can either go for the KZ Castor Pro Bass (there is normal and Pro verions, both with bass and harman verions, you want to go for the bass version) to test a bassy V-shaped iem, more energetic, nice punch, and then you can check the Salnotes Zero original for something actually more neutral bright, leaning to vocals and treble. Also, you have alternatives like the Tanchjim Bunny to the Waner, the Kbear rosefinch for a "bass canon", or the QKZxHBB for a bassy relaxed very warm set, for better or for worse tho, there arent that many "bright" options on the budget bracket.

I recommend to choose on the basis of your music preference, but castor is good for bass , tangzu for vocals , https://preview.redd.it/594207ilsyre1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=45c7d8ae407cb16602086e85c31d5c6f4dd38f71

I'm pretty new to IEMs, still exploring budget range. Started off with KZ ZSN Pro, & it is still my daily driver. I got a Hexa last year, liking it but then I realized I prefer bright IEMs better, hence why I use ZSN pro regularly. And just yesterday I received my Tangzu Wan'er. I like the brightness of it, but the bass is a real turn off for me. Just bought it since it's on sale, & wanted to try out new things. Now that I read this post, how's Castor when it comes to the vocals? I'm not much of a basshead, but I do appreciate a good bass output, without compromising the mids & highs.

Chu 2 are small, light and good construction but a very boring and average sound IMO. I've got Chu 2 and the Tangzu Wan'er, Wan'er are slightly bigger but a better sound. Wan'er have a wider sound, Chu 2 sound a bit narrow and muffled. I listen to metal, electronic and a few other genres and the Wan'er win for me. The Chu 2 seem to get recommended because they're cheap, they won't blow you away

Same here. Was looking into another gaming haptic headset on yt and fell into an iem rabbit hole. Started around beginning of May. Now here I am 11 iems later, half as many more sent back or given away. Same feeling about the zero1. It was terrible to me. Zero2 ordered at the same time was way better. If you think the wan'er is excellent for gaming, wait until you get some with way better technicalities (stage, imaging, separation, details). The wan'er to me is below average for gaming. Its been relegated to music only. As far as spending money, I set 2 limits on myself. I'm never going over $100 for a set. I'm not an audiophile so this is easy for me. My 2 highest sets were $75 and $50. The other is to fill up a 12 slot case. This one I may break. I've already made a music only set not count because they stay in my work bag.

>I would like to get into IEMs, but I’m having trouble choosing one. I’ve seen a lot of recommended options, but the reviews contradict each other. For example: some say the Tangzu Wan’er have no bass and others say that it’s the best option for the price because it has good sound and good bass. That's cause people have different preferences. Finding the right IEM for you is difficult if you base it purely on Reviews. I think that reviews + measurements and knowing your own Target is the best way to get a "perfect" IEM. I'd say go with the waner as they have the lowest price and got a relatively smooth response (easier to EQ) and play around with EQ to figure out what your "Target Response" is. Then buy something that fits the Target. If you're on PC you can download Equalizer APO and import EQs you can create using the website [Squig.link](http://Squig.link) or Crinacles Website [https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=Diffuse\_Field\_Target,Wan%27er&bass=10&tool=4620](https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=Diffuse_Field_Target,Wan%27er&bass=10&tool=4620) The Harman 2019v2 Target is what the average listener prefers. Just EQ them to it and see if there is anything off in your opinion and change it via EQ. too little/much Bass? -> add a ...dB 105Hz 0.7Q Low Shelf Filter want a warmer sound/ less "muddy"? play around at 200-400Hz need more/less "attack"? -> Try boosting 4kHz ... Once you figured out a Target you can look up IEMs in your price range that follow the Target as close as possible. If anything is unclear about EQing or something else, ask! In case you're interested, this is my Target and EQ for the Wan'er when using Crinacles Measurements: [https://imgur.com/a/mDELbEk](https://imgur.com/a/mDELbEk)

For the sake of this thread I just compared my cheaper IEMs to each other (tangzu wan'er, moondrop chu, salnotes zero 2) to the dusk and the difference was night and day. The bass response, the soundstage the finer details I literally missed with the cheaper ones. The cheaper ones don't sound bad but yeah switching to the dusk is like going from McDonald's to a steak.

I have the Wan'er and the Zero:2 and generally prefer the tuning on the Zero2s. But the fit of the Wan'er are better for me. I still have the Zero2s as my office headset but I might switch if there's better bass on the Wan'er 2. I'm not expecting it to compete with better sets but be at least way better with music and fidelity than your typical office headset.

Been using these for around a year now. I play competitive shooters and single players as well. Solid sound for both scenarios.

Hi OmenchoEater, I just read your review and other comments so I feel like I can trust you. I'm currently using tangzu wan'er and want to upgrade it to Klean. What are the sound differences between these two? I see that Klean has more bass and overall more treble than wan'er, but I don't know if the difference is too big between these. How would you describe the sound difference in terms of frequencies and quality in general? is it brighter than wan'er overall? Klean is currently on sale on Ali so I think I might get it because it seems like a bang for bucks but I want some additional info. Thank you.

I felt like wan'er has not enough treble, it has a good amount of bass that is punchy but to me it lacks that sparkle while having enough bass. Btw, when I try out different stock wan'er tips i can really feel some small addition to bass/treble. So now I think I'll go with klean cuz it's more balanced and refined overall. Plus, it comes with some kind of a cheap dac. I also ordered trn clarion eartips. I hope this will basically be my endgame. Thank you for your reply. I wish there were more people like you on this subreddit. ^^

If you are really keen on being scrutinous in determining the sound you like most, I highly suggest getting something in the $20 range and go up from there. Getting something neutral like the Tanchjim Bunny, Tangzu Waner (any edition), Salnotes Zero (1) or MoonDrop Chu II would be a great start. BUT just get one pair. So for example, you get the Tanchjim Bunny first. Listen to it for at least a month, then if you find anything in the frequency lacking or copious, then find your upgrade from your findings. I hope this makes sense. My biased answer is for you to get the Hexa or 7hz Zero as these are 2 of my favorite IEMs right now. Cheers.

I suggest getting the Tangzu Wan'er

Salnotes zero doesn't have bass so I'll put that aside Talking about waners ,it is the most natural sounding iem and it has decent controlled bass and is EQ friendly. KZ castor bass as the name suggests it has bass (I don't own these but it may be too much for you) I'd suggest you should buy waners as it's the most safe option it has great vocals and sufficient bass and has great details 😀

It's less about being worth the upgrade if you already own one of the other sets, to me at least. I find that the question is more about just spending the little bit of extra money to begin with if it's within your budget. If it's not then an upgrade would also be out of the question either way, so that's not the focal point. As you said, the Cadenza just take EQ really well and have solid technical performance for their price, so even if you don't enjoy the tuning, they can be a really good deal. From there, newbies can easily play around with different signatures and AutoEQ other IEMs onto the Cadenza to get a fairly good impression of what they enjoy. I consider the Cadenza to be a great starter IEM for that reason and would argue that if you're looking to eventually upgrade or expand your collection, they are a top notch recommendation. Where I agree with you is that they are not ideal as a standalone one-of product. As part of an arsenal or as a first entry point they can shine but if you're only ever planning on one "do-it-all" IEM, then the 7hz Zero:2, Tangzu Wan'er and (as much as I dislike them) KZ Castor Pro are better in that regard. One last thing too, and this is a very minor criticism: Since you mentioned the Truthear Gate, which are considered very treble forward and the sharpest sounding non-KZ IEMs in their price range, I think it's a moot point to argue about the perceived sharpness of the Cadenza, especially given that a simple tip-roll can solve that issue entirely. I agree that the problem exists, I just wouldn't outright fault the Cadenza for that when other IEMs that people might be upgrading from had even sharper treble, even with better tips. Still, the default upgrade path here would go through the Truthear Zero:Red, not the Cadenza for most people and I'd levvy a lot of the same criticism against those as well (nozzle size -> stock tips, good technical performance, minor price difference to other entry level IEMs). I think it's more of an issue with ultra-budget and budget IEMs just not being all that different from one another and the most notable differences only coming once you invest more, which many people want but can't do. Then they opt to make marginal upgrades and end up disappointed at the lack of a difference. It's more of a customer behavior issue, not a product issue inherently if you ask me. Other than that, great stuff, appreciate the attention to detail.

I'm a simple wan'er simp

Vocals sound pretty natural, and the timbre is also good. The bass is present, but is definitely not the focal point. Something like qkz x hbb (I'm not sure if they're still in production) might be better if you're looking for a bassy set. I've also heard good things about the kbear rosefinch as a good bassy iem but I've not tried that personally.

Before buying your first set, think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection… Bassy - QKZ HBB v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for small ear canals) Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er Bright - 7hz Zero (original) Unless you can sample multiple sets before you buy, try not to blind buy one set using most or all of your budget. You’ll end up wasting money in the long run buying sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. (If you can’t sample, most newbies favor V-shaped IEMs.)

Best is subjective. The IEM world has so much variety and your enjoyment would depend greatly on personal preference. What’s great for one person could be trash for someone else. In my opinion, the best way to approach this hobby is to sample numerous sets of various tunings. Try not to blind buy one set, using most or all of your budget, based only on recommendations. You may end up wasting money in the long run buying expensive sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. Think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? If you really can’t sample first, and can only buy, I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection (take note, I’m treble senstive, so some of my classifacations may be a bit skewed)… * Bassy - Tanchjim Tanya DSP * Slight v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 * Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for smaller ear canals) * Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er * Treble leaning - 7hz Zero (original) If you can’t sample, most newbies favor V-shaped or balanced IEMs. If you have a little more money to experiment with... * Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 * Warm - Kiwi Ears Cadenza * Warm leaning - Truthear Zero Blue* * v-shape - Truthear Nova * Neutral - Truthear Zero Red* * Slight treble focus - Truthear Hexa * Treble leaning - Simgot EW200 and Simgot EA500LM *thick nozzles, not recommended for narrow ear canals. I’m not a gamer, but I’ve noticed that gamers here often recommend v-shaped IEMs like the Zero Blue, the Truthear Nova and Simgot EM6L. Borrow or buy-try-return. After sampling various tunings, you might be surprised by what you like and don’t like. (Whatever you do, stay away from KZ or CCA - same company. They’re a terrible company with shady practices.)

Best is subjective. The IEM world has so much variety and your enjoyment would depend greatly on personal preference. What’s great for one person could be trash for someone else. In my opinion, the best way to approach this hobby is to sample numerous sets of various tunings. Try not to blind buy one set, using most or all of your budget, based only on recommendations. You may end up wasting money in the long run buying expensive sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. Think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? If you really can’t sample first, and can only buy, I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection (take note, I'm treble senstive, so some of my classifacations may be a bit skewed)… * Bassy - Tanchjim Tanya DSP * Slight v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 * Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for smaller ear canals) * Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er * Treble leaning - 7hz Zero (original) If you can’t sample, most newbies favor V-shaped or balanced IEMs. If you have a little more money to experiment with... * Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 * Warm - Kiwi Ears Cadenza * Warm leaning - Truthear Zero Blue\* * v-shape - Truthear Nova * Neutral - Truthear Zero Red\* * Slight treble focus - Truthear Hexa * Treble leaning - Simgot EW200 and Simgot EA500LM \*thick nozzles, not recommended for narrow ear canals. Borrow or buy-try-return. After sampling various tunings, you might be surprised by what you like and don’t like. (Whatever you do, stay away from KZ or CCA - same company. They’re a terrible company with shady practices.)

“Best” is subjective. The IEM world has so much variety and your enjoyment would depend greatly on personal preference. What’s great for one person could be trash for someone else. In my opinion, the best way to approach this hobby is to sample numerous sets of various tunings. Try not to blind buy one set, using most or all of your budget, based only on recommendations. You may end up wasting money in the long run buying expensive sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. Think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? If you really can’t sample first, and can only buy, I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection… * Bassy - Tanchjim Tanya DSP * Slight v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 * Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for smaller ear canals) * Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er * bright-ish - 7hz Zero (original) (If you can’t sample, most newbies favor V-shaped or balanced IEMs.) If you have a little more money to experiment with... * Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 * Warm - Kiwi Ears Cadenza * Warm leaning - Truthear Zero Blue* * v-shape - Truthear Nova * Neutral - Truthear Zero Red* * Bright-ish - Truthear Hexa, Simgot EW200 or Simgot EA500LM *thick nozzles, not recommended for narrow ear canals. Borrow or buy-try-return. After sampling various tunings, you might be surprised by what you like and don’t like. (Whatever you do, stay away from KZ. They’re a terrible company with shady practices.)

It depends on your definition of “bad”. The original Wan’er had a flimsy white cable, but newer runs have sturdier ones. Most IEM stock cables are decent (except KZs which are prone to oxidation) but aftermarket replacements can be so much sturdier and more visually appealing. Vocals pop out more with the Wan’er, especially female vocals. If you mean sibilance, the Wan’ers aren’t. I am treble sensitive and I’m ok with them

Short answer: That’s up to you and your ears. Long answer: The IEM world has so much variety and your enjoyment would depend greatly on personal preference. What’s great for one person could be trash for someone else. In my opinion, the best way to approach this hobby is to sample numerous sets of various tunings. Try not to blind buy one set, using most or all of your budget, based only on recommendations. You may end up wasting money in the long run buying expensive sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. Think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? If you really can’t sample first, and can only buy, I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection… * Bassy - Tanchjim Tanya DSP * Slight v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 * Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for smaller ear canals) * Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er * Bright - 7hz Zero (original) (If you can’t sample, most newbies favor V-shaped or balanced IEMs.) If you have a little more money to experiment with... * Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 * Warm - Kiwi Ears Cadenza * Warm leaning - Truthear Zero Blue\* * v-shape - Truthear Nova * Neutral - Truthear Zero Red\* * Vocal forward - Simgot EA500LM * Bright leaning - Truthear Hexa * Bright - Simgot EW200 \*thick nozzles, not recommended for narrow ear canals. Borrow or buy-try-return. After sampling various tunings, you might be surprised by what you like and don’t like. You may want to take a look at the v-shaped Sennheiser IE 200, since they're a manufacturer that's crossing over from the music world to the audiophile space. (Whatever you do, stay away from KZ. They’re a terrible company with shady practices.)

Sounds like you’re new to this space. The IEM world has so much variety and your enjoyment would depend greatly on personal preference. What’s great for one person could be trash for someone else. Think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? This is my cheap starter collection… Bassy - Tanchjim Tanya DSP Slight v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for smaller ear canals) Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er Bright - 7hz Zero (original) (If you can’t sample these before buying, most newbies favor V-shaped or balanced IEMs.) If you’re willing to spend a bit more… Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 Warm - Kiwi Ears Cadenza Warm leaning - Truthear Zero Blue* v-shape - Truthear Nova Neutral - Truthear Zero Red* Vocal forward - Simgot EA500LM Bright leaning - Simgot EW200 or Truthear Hexa *thick nozzles, not recommended for narrow ear canals.

Before buying your first set, think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection… Bassy - QKZ HBB v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er Bright - 7hz Zero (original) Unless you can sample multiple sets before you buy, try not to blind buy one set using most or all of your budget. You’ll end up wasting money in the long run buying sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. If you don’t mind spending a bit more on experimenting, then you can try the following (one might even end up your “endgame”)… Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 Warm - Truthear Zero Blue or Kiwi Ears Cadenza Slight v-shape - Truthear Nova Neutral - Truthear Zero Red Vocal forward - Simgot EA500LM Bright leaning - Simgot EW200 or Truthear Hexa After trying various tunings, you might be surprised by what you like and don’t like.

“Best” is subjective. The IEM world has so much variety and your enjoyment would depend greatly on personal preference. In my opinion, the best way to approach this hobby is to sample numerous sets of various tunings. Try not to blind buy one set using most or all of your budget based only on recommendations. You may end up wasting money in the long run, by buying expensive sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. Think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? If you really can’t sample first, and can only buy, I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection… Bassy - Tanchjim Tanya DSP Slight v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for smaller ear canals) Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er Bright - 7hz Zero (original) (If you can’t sample, most newbies favor V-shaped or balanced IEMs.) If you have a little more money to experiment with... Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 Warm - Kiwi Ears Cadenza Warm leaning - Truthear Zero Blue* v-shape - Truthear Nova Neutral - Truthear Zero Red* Vocal forward - Simgot EA500LM Bright leaning - Simgot EW200 or Truthear Hexa *thick nozzles, not recommended for narrow ear canals. After trying various tunings, you might be surprised by what you like and don’t like. (Whatever you do, stay away from KZ. They’re a terrible company with shady practices.)

The IEM world is quite different from the headphone world that you probably know as a musician. There’s a lot more variety (in terms of tuning) and personal preference is much more important (due to differences in things like ear canal dimensions). In my opinion, the best way to approach this hobby is to sample numerous sets of various tunings. Try not to blind buy one set, using most or all of your budget, based only on recommendations. You may end up wasting money in the long run buying expensive sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. Think about your tuning preference. What particular frequencies do you want to hear more? What do you want to hear less? If you really can’t sample IEMs first, and can only buy, I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection… Bassy - Tanchjim Tanya DSP Slight v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for smaller ear canals) Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er Bright - 7hz Zero (original) (If you can’t sample, most newbies favor V-shaped or balanced IEMs.) If you have a little more money to experiment with... Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 Warm - Kiwi Ears Cadenza Warm leaning - Truthear Zero Blue\* v-shape - Truthear Nova Neutral - Truthear Zero Red\* Vocal forward - Simgot EA500LM Bright leaning - Simgot EW200 or Truthear Hexa \*thick nozzles, not recommended for narrow ear canals. Borrow or buy-try-return. After sampling various tunings, you might be surprised by what you like and don’t like. If you’re looking to spend even more you might want to look into these… Bassy - iKKO OH10 V-Shape - Sennheiser IE 200 Vocal forward - Tanchjim Origin Treble forward - Letshuoer S12

The IEM world has so much variety and your enjoyment would depend greatly on personal preference. What’s great for one person could be trash for someone else. In my opinion, the best way to approach this hobby is to sample numerous sets of various tunings. Try not to blind buy one set, using most or all of your budget, based only on recommendations. You may end up wasting money in the long run buying expensive sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. Think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? If you really can’t sample first, and can only buy, I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection (take note, I’m treble senstive, so some of my classifacations may be a bit skewed)… * Bassy - Tanchjim Tanya DSP * Slight v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 * Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for smaller ear canals) * Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er * Treble leaning - 7hz Zero (original) If you can’t sample, most newbies favor V-shaped or balanced IEMs. If you have a little more money to experiment with... * Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 * Warm - Kiwi Ears Cadenza * Warm leaning - Truthear Zero Blue* * v-shape - Truthear Nova * Neutral - Truthear Zero Red* * Slight treble focus - Truthear Hexa * Treble leaning - Simgot EW200 and Simgot EA500LM *thick nozzles, not recommended for narrow ear canals. Borrow or buy-try-return. After sampling various tunings, you might be surprised by what you like and don’t like. (Whatever you do, stay away from KZ, QKZ or CCA - same company. They’re a terrible company with shady practices.)

The IEM world has so much variety and your enjoyment would depend greatly on personal preference. What’s great for one person could be trash for someone else. In my opinion, the best way to approach this hobby is to sample numerous sets of various tunings. Try not to blind buy one set, using most or all of your budget, based only on recommendations. You may end up wasting money in the long run buying expensive sets with tuning you later realize you don’t prefer. Think about your tuning preference. Do you want a lot of bass (warm sound)? Or do you want more treble (crisp/bright sound)? Do you want something balanced (middle ground)? Or do want something with a bass boost with a treble boost (V shape)? If you want a boost in upper mids (vocal forward)? If you really can’t sample first, and can only buy, I recommend starting at the low end, then upgrading from there. This is my cheap starter collection… * Bassy - Tanchjim Tanya DSP * Slight v-shape - 7hz Zero 2 * Balanced - Moondrop Chu 2 (good for smaller ear canals) * Vocal forward - Tangzu Wan’er * Bright - 7hz Zero (original) (If you can’t sample, most newbies favor V-shaped or balanced IEMs.) If you have a little more money to experiment with... * Bassy - Blon x HBB z300 * Warm - Kiwi Ears Cadenza * Warm leaning - Truthear Zero Blue\* * v-shape - Truthear Nova * Neutral - Truthear Zero Red\* * Vocal forward - Simgot EA500LM * Bright leaning - Simgot EW200 or Truthear Hexa \*thick nozzles, not recommended for narrow ear canals. Borrow or buy-try-return. After sampling various tunings, you might be surprised by what you like and don’t like. (Whatever you do, stay away from KZ. They’re a terrible company with shady practices.)

Tangzu waner are a good choice with mostly flat but slightly bassy sound. I have one and they're great

Yes. I used to own the KZ ZS10 Pro, then moved to QKZ x HBB, TangZu Wan'Er, and the KZ Castor Bass. And honestly the QKZ, Tangzu, and Castor Bass outperforms the ZS10. I haven't heard of the 7hz Zero:2, but I would put the Tangzu Wan'er over the ZS10 all day. It sounds cleaner, and better resolution. Although the tuning of the Wan'er isn't for me. It lacks the bass that I'm looking for. I think from the 3 that I mentioned earlier, I would go for the QKZ x HBB just for it's bass quality (I still think this is unique from the budget price point), the TangZu Wan'er if you prefer a more "balanced" tuning, then the KZ Castor Bass if you prefer a V-shape, fun sounding budget IEM.

I currently own both the TangZu Wan'er, and the KZ Castor (Bass), and *used to* own the KZ ZS10 Pro 2. I think you should get the TangZu Wan'er. It fits all the things you're looking for. Balanced sound, clear details, and separation, better comfort, and no need for a DAC/AMP. And I think it also fits your music library of old J-Pop, and a bit of Classical. Although I wouldn't consider the TangZu Wan'er "FUN TO LISTEN TO". I just find it *okay*, not entirely "boring" but I just don't find it as fun and lively as the KZ Castors.

the gate isn't bad but is in no way good, I recommend for budget get the tangzu wan'er or the 7hz zero2. but honest at this price range it won't be any really bug upgrade if you wanna hear major difference you gotta bring your budget to around 50 with things like the simgot ew300, crinicle project red or the tangzu Xuan nv

I’m new to the IEM world and audio in general. I first bought the Salnotes Zero and I was a little underwhelmed. I just got in the Tangzu Wan’er and they are excellent for gaming and enjoyable for music but I’m still wanting more. For $20 I’m definitely not upset with my purchase. I don’t have the vocabulary or knowledge to explain what I want but like I said in the tittle how much do you have to spend for objectively goood not just good for the price. I’ve been looking at the project red and truthear hexa and im confident they would be a step up but im worried im gonna have the same feeling until I spend serious money. I’m open to any recommendations or advice. Thanks! I started down this path just for the gaming aspect but man it has reminded me just how much I love music

This comment was super helpful. I liked the sound of the Wan’er and was just gonna return the zeros with out give them another shot but I decided to try the Wan’er ear tips on them to try and get more comfortable and holy shit I can’t believe what a difference. Not only do they feel better but they sound better now too! I think I prefer them now actually

Oh boy... *deep breath* So, right now I have an EDC Pro on the way (curious what a $6 iem could sound like)...also have a Tangzu Wan'er that just got here that was $12, a couple others I got for $13-$20 (Rosefinch, Castor bass, Ziigaat Nuo), three I got for $30 (Simgot ew200 which I have, and a EDZ Q1 Pro and CCA Rhapsody also on the way) and one for $50 (Artii T10) to compare with my $60 TinHIFI T3+ I got like a year and a half ago. I'll be pairing them all with my Qudelix 5K and BTR3k (which I also got around the time of the T3+.) No opinions yet because (and here's the craziest part) : I'm waiting to get all of them before I start my listening adventure. I *tried* to cover my bases of different sound signatures (based on dozens of written and video reviews and forum posts, per each IEM), but I know some might end up being similar or even disappointing. I'm gonna have fun comparing and testing everything all out! Putting one foot SECURELY in this "rabbit hole," lol. I also made/am making a Spotify list of different genres of songs to compare. I'm enjoying myself so far...and I haven't even gotten to the listening part yet! Although it's made me listen to my T3+ more and pay more attention to it and the music i listen to in the meantime. Which has already been great. Even the tip/cable rolling has been fun so far, it occupies my brain in an interesting way, aside from buying stuff just for the sake of buying stuff. I know this may seem counterintuitive or counterproductive or just plain daffy in some ways, but I did this on purpose to have a little journey through this endless scaling budget iem landscape. I'm sure it sounds stupid to most of you...but not to me, lol. I mean, a little excessive maybe, I'll admit, but I feel I could have spent the money on something less awesome than listening to music and hearing different sound representations of it. Oh and I know I could've bought 1 or 2 more expensive, possibly end game (for me atleast) IEM's but to me that would have defeated the purpose of what I'm doing. With that said, I don't recommend this unless you're insane. I feel my ocd and autism have definitely contributed to this, lol. Also, I've always been a collector (sports cards, tshirts, cd's and then mp3's, poetry books, shoes, hats and etc etc) so this is nothing new...I tend to go off the deep end every now and then on things I really am into. :P

You've got your eyes on a pretty nice set ngl. I got the deuce for myself so i might be biased to it, but its does pretty well on Hip Hop and other bassy electronic songs. Its tuned to be leaning towards the Subbass performance. On the other hand you can actually try the Tangzu Wan'er for very cheap. not exactly deuce level bass but its pretty good for its price.

Okay I gotchu. I'd suggest something like: Treble: Simgot EW200 Vocals: Tangzu Wan'er Balanced: Truthear x Crinacle Zero: Red, Moondrop Chu 2 (DSP ver is just slightly better than analog that it's a bit clean? Idk. Gizaudio said that). Idk category: Artti T10 and Artri R2 (idk which type they are as I didn't check on them but it's good according to Jaysaudio). You can check them and dive deeper if you'd like to. For me, I'd prefer EW200 over the Tangzu Wan'er as it's better as it should be considering Tangzu is just $29 and EW200 is $50; Truthear x Crinacle Zero: Red over the Moondrop Chu 2 (Chu 2 in fact is similar to Zero 2 but maybe a few subtle differences and again the Chu 2 is $20-25 and Zero:Red is $55). I can't prefer only one between the Zero:Red and the EW200 because they have different plus points and compliments each other. Zero:Red is balanced and EW200 has better bass texture and treble foward. You can always do your research and ask others which are the best between the ones I've listed and they'll give you better sense of what the tuning is like and how they compare in terms of tecnicak performances.

I tried pro 2 a few days back, while owning the shuoer s12 pro. Honestly I couldn't listen to the airpods pro 2 for more than 10 seconds. I couldn't put it against the s12 pro on performance, would have been grossly unfair for the pro 2. I immediately thought about the tangzu wan'er that I have lent to a friend, as I felt like the wan'er is better than airpods pro 2. But man, the tech in airpods makes it absolutely worth buying

As always, like everything when it comes to "quality" from food to electronics and to even more subjective quality of results such as music, everything has to start at the source. For example, my daughter's $20ish Tangzu Wan’Er, Vs my $400ish Shanling ME600 had almost no difference listening to one of her tracks which she "captured" via YouTube but when listening to another track that I bought from HDTracks, there's a world of difference. But to answer your question, only you can decide if spending xxxx of dollars is "worth it". For most, the $60ish KZ ZS10 Pro2 or the $70ish KZ ZS12 X or even the $40ish 7hz Zero is more than good enough. Also in my opinion, diminishing returns especially with the really excellent chi-fi IEMs starts at around the $150-$250 mark. For most users, owning any of the "fan favourite" around this price range is the sweet spot where you get the most bang for your dollars. Do you "need" to buy the "better" iEMs? No. But if you can afford them, understand that while there will be improvements, it's exponentially more expensive, and the "WANTS!" is great, why not?

Get an IEM. Wearing headphones in Malaysia for a long time can be uncomfortable. Just like others had commented, IEM like Tangzu and Moondrop are very good. Heck, you can get Tangzu Wan'Er for RM15+ in AliExpress (welcome deal)

Heads up if you get the Wan’ers. I found the 2’s (like some did with the OG’s) shell is really chunky & can dig into your ear ridge. Nozzle was also uncomfortable. I have no issues with other big iems/nozzles at 6mm. Vocals are quite forward, fatigued almost instantly. Obviously sound is very subjective, I prefer balanced, warm leaning sets with good vocals yet these aren’t graphed too far from my other iems. Otherwise, they’re not bad. Bass is present but balanced, treble isn’t peaky, just the 2k upper midrange peak is probably causing my sound problems. Male vocals fine, female are more forward. There’s only so much clarity/details/separation etc you can get in a budget set but all seemed good. Can’t comment on the other iems but wanted to make you aware of the fit issues, especially as you want them for long sessions. You could be fine though! Tanchjim Bunny, Moondrop Chu might work better for fit. Both balanced/harman tunings, good starter sets. Step up to $35-50 is where the quality improves with the right set.

I still don’t know my preference, but I tried a few different iems SM4: I really like it, but sometimes hurts my ear after long use. Vivace: Great Details, great IEM but not enough details. KZ EDC Pro: I loved this especially for the money I paid for it ($1) Tangzu Waner: I didn’t like this :( Can you tell me what iem fit my preference? Thanks!

Sounds like IEMs are your solution. Get a 20$ IEM to see if the fit is good for you first. I’d suggest Tangzu Wan’er but there are multiple good choices in this price range.

Yeah there are so many options but for around the 50$ the Truthear Zero Red are kind of a reference point and have amazing value but the nozzle size is a bit girthy and is not for the faint hearted beginner ears unless you’re daring. Other than that for lower there’s Moondrop LAN with smaller metal body and good tuning and Tangzu Wan’er for people who prefer vocal forward mid focused sound and 7hz Salnotes Zero for a more powerful good bassy sound with good extension only for 20$. There’s a very good Simgot IEM which I’ve heard praises a lot but can’t remember the name. There are many other options that are just as excellent depending on your preferences in sound signature and design and what not.

kz castor ni herw, ND Venus ko build quality xaina. budget extend gareu vani 1k jati you can get salnote zero or moondrop chu2. Top budget IEMs chai salnote zero, tangzu waner ani moondrop chu2. maile 1 year Tangzu wan'er chalaye 3.5k ma kine ko maja le chalo tei filters ma problem auxa paxi gayerw. ani aile 6 month jati moondrop chu 2 dsp wala chala xu around 3.7k paro kinnda. malai chai moondrop chu 2 ko sound quality mann paro tangzu vanda.

Did you really include the ThieAudio Hype 2 on this list? Does it really stand a chance against these price-tag-heavy monsters? I am planning on getting the hype 4. Do you think I will be disappointed? I am looking for a good thumpy bass and soundstage, of course good quality bass not like the 7Hz legato. The IEMs I have heard are, KZ Castor Bass Truthear Nova Aful Performer 5 Tangzu Wan'er 7hz Timeless 7hz Legato

I have the wan’er and am currently using them as I type this. I use them every day at work in fact. Great iems, but I definitely find them better for bassier songs where as the kz zs10 pro 2(which I also use daily at home lol) are better for more higher note songs in my opinion. The pro 2’s are WAY brighter in the highs than the wan’ers are. I would recommend them both but if you’re looking for something to bring out really bright crisp kids and highs, definitely go for the pro 2’s, if you’re looking for more base/mid the wan’ers are better

I definitely do, after a while it just becomes too much for sure. Usually when that happens I just take a break but if you’re worried about fatigue I would go with the wan’ers. I use them every day for 8 hours a day and find they have perfect tuning when it comes to fatigue. Both are really nice though for sure. If kz is still shipping the pro 2’s with the really stiff non braided cord, I would definitely upgrade that, but other than that they’re both extremely solid

I got Kz castor silver harman and tangzu wan'er . Would be used for pc gaming. Which would be go to pick ?

That’s exactly how I feel about those 2. Much prefer the Wan’er

Waner is better for vocals, gate is kind of all rounder, not too much not too less. Depending on the types of songs you hear more, your choice can vary. You can always eq though (unpopular opinion,but yeah as long as you feel good everything works )

Tangzu waners are infinitely better than kz. Do not buy kz.

Depend on your music taste, tangzu waner is for vocal, but its uppermid is not good, very flat( also burned in). Zero 2 and Wyvern is for bass: wyvern have better cable and accessories, zero 2 if you choose the taste of Crinacle, which helps you identify your taste. Chu 2 is for build quality, metal shell. If you want to choose the other, trn conch and castor bass, in my country conch just have 22$ but the best accessories in my view, cable, box, nozzle, ear tips,... Castor bass have many tunes, so you can identify your taste easily.

If i'd pick out of these three, I'd pick wan'er because of the price. I've used wan'er for my first IEM back around 2 years ago. The change from consumer earphones to a 'balanced' IEM is disappointing at first because I usually listened from v-shaped earphones. I felt the bass is lacking, the mid spiked making it harsh to listen and i didn't feel any treble. But the more I listen the more my brain got adapted to it and without noticing, I can't go back to my usual v-shaped earphones. Wan'er is just really pleasing to listen to. It also has a decent mic for zoom calls. If you want an iem with better mic, I'd recommend kinera celest wyvern pro.

The usual recommendation of entry point IEM are all good. Of course I don't have all but I do have some and in case you're new and don't know, I'll name a few so you can start looking into them to see which fits your tastes better: * Mooondrop Chu 2 - metal body and small, very nice pick * Truthear Gate * Tangzu Wan'er (normal, 2 and studio edition) * Salnotes Zero (both 1 and 2) * Kiwiears Cadenza * Simgot EW100 or 200 * Tripowin Vivace - I just ordered this to try it as it has been getting a lot of praise and is supposed to perform way above its price range * Moondrop Lan - this is about 40 dollars, above of what you mentioned but I love it. Super comfortable, very neutral and pleasing sound signature. Full metal body, which is always a plus for durability. On the current sale I think it may be on your budget. If you have any more question just send them.

I am using Tanchjim Tanya and Tangzu Wan'ner. Surprisingly, I like Tanya more. This may be due to it not requiring the over year thing. Bass is respectable, mids and highs are good enough. Don't expect a good soundstage in this price bracket though.

CCA CRA+ and Tangzu wan'er I can both vouch for

I've been using this for months for gaming and other stuff in general. It's great!