TRUTHEAR - TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero:BLUE2

I have 10-ish different models in the 10€ to 150€ range, mostly for PUBG and about 3000 hours in the game. Here are my top picks: - Tripowin Vivace 35€ - Simgot EM6L 120€ - Truthear Crinacle Zero blue 60€ (need AMP&DAC) - QKZ x HBB 20€ In that order. For other games, the Simgot and Crinacle Zero jump higher. The next ones can do, but not competitive: - Moondrop Quarks DSP 15€ - 7Hz Salnotes Zero 25€ - Apple earpods 3.5mm 20€ - KZ Zex Pro Crn 40€ Can't recommend for PUBG: - Moondrop Chu 25€ - Brainwavz Omega 15€ I recommend checking Fresh Reviews on Youtube, he checked many pricier models...

I found them lacking sound strength and volume when using onboard audio or an average soundcard. It does not need to be an expensive AMP, a decent usb-c dongle can do. For example, the Jcally JM6 Pro, even the Apple dongle. That's 10-20€. I use the Akliam PD4 and 4.4mm (balanced) cables. A portable AMP& DAC like that costs 50-100€, examples would be the Truthear Shio, Moondrop Dawn Pro, Fiio KA3, etc. If you decide on the Truthear Zero Blue 2, they have an option of getting the JM6 Pro for about 5€ when getting it in a bundle.

My personal rankings for stuff I've heard. I'm a neutral/neutral bright guy. (My post on reddit goes somewhat in depth on all of these, sadly I'm not very technical in my language) Kotori Audio Zephyr (Duh) Truthear Hexa Tangzu Yu Xuan Ji (might be too bright for some but easily looks the prettiest by a *BIG* margin) Truthear Gate (My current set, would upgrade to one of the options in the list in a few months) Tanchjim 4u (Bang for buck) Truthear x Crinacle blue 2 (tachjim 4u has better value) Aful Magicone (very similar to hexa) Moondrop May (A default starter set for almost everyone regardless of taste.) Letshouer s08 (not my taste, great value, premium for the price) Letshouer dz4 (not my taste, great value) Moondrop Chu 2 (My previous set that are lying around somewhere) Tangzu x hbb Xuan Nv (just because of the fit) Kotori Audio Vampire I'll check out your YouTube!

Heard the true hear zero blues were good so I bought them and their on their way if you want I’ll lyk how good they are

They are better for closer enemies position but if there’s a fuck ton of noise they’re mid

I'm split on it, as long as you don't use the bass boost adapter the reds are closer to the Harmon target. But you lose just a bit of detail. With the bass boost adapter. I'd take the blues every time https://preview.redd.it/xzynydy7g61e1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6adfd76e29fc9619d08efea7d8e44c5c6f1bfbe8

I'd say blue is better for gaming anyways! Keep in mind, if you have small or smallish ears these will hurt if used in long gaming sessions!

Look into Truthear Crinacle Zero BLUE 2 using the stock silicon eartips not the foam like most will recommend. It almost graphs or has the same frequency response in the treble and air region https://graph.hangout.audio/iem/711/?share=Ear_(1),BLUE2_S37

Truthear Zero (blue shell) best IEMs for gaming at 50 bucks, beating other IEMs 2/3X its price. Headphones are good, I have HD800S, 490 Pros, HD6XX, HD569S along with Arya Organic. EIMs are at league on their own and it about preference but the DETAIL you get from IEMs, is different.

I’m glad you liked them and they are the best bang for the buck!! When you get a chance, try the Tri Clarion IEM Tips… the Zeros have a wide nozzle and the Clarion are design for wide nozzles, it also accentuates the sound overall and have a very good seal. Welcome to the never ending hobby.

A 20$ iem won't be as good as a 500$ headphone but for the value each of them offer for their price, iems usually have more to give. My moondrop chu 2 is almost at par when it comes to gaming with my jbl 700bt and costs 3 times less. I'd suggest those or salnotes zero. If you have more cash to spare go for the Truthhear x Crinacle Zero BLUE ($50) to get the most bang for you buck.

Truthear zero blue for me. Played lots of cs2 with it and it was great. It's also a pick for many others, I also don't mind the Harman tuning for music. Overall a cool set but the nozzle is chunky (6.5mm)

You are probably going to get a lot off differing opinions on almost anything audio as we all have different preferences and hear things differently. I would also take reviews and impressions with a grain of salt for that reason including mine. Your good bass and someone else’s can be quite different. For good bass do you mean you want a lot of bass and not much matters after that? Case in point the Zero:Blues definitely bring a bit more bass than the Reds and are more of a V shaped presentation and the Reds more of a neutralish with the highs being a bit more rolled off. That said someone saying the Reds have terrible bass I really don’t know what they are talking about. Do the have the greatest bass of any IEM I’ve heard no but do the had decent bass for a $50 IEM yes they do. Just my opinion.

They’re fun with movies but I like the TE Crinacle Blues for gaming as the Reds are slightly darker, gaming for me works well with brighter headphones. But I truly do like the Reds and consider them one of my top IEMs out of the dozen plus I’ve got so far in my collection.

I love the Fiio JH5 with my Xbox. I’d also recommend the Truthear Zero Blue.

I heartily agree with all of this. I started about 18 months ago with a Kiwi Ears Cadenza. Since then I've bought a Fiio K7BT, BTR7, Ka11, K9 AKM and about a dozen different IEMs. These include all of the usual suspects, Wan'ers, Salnotes Zeros (& 2's), Crin red & blues, JH5s and others, up to an MP145. I've just ordered a Fiio FH7s - an IEM that I've wanted since I started. I'm telling myself now that it's my endgame - or at least my final IEM of 2024. Time will tell if I stick to it!

for me, the real problem of zero red and blue is not their sound but their comfort is the problem. their big nozzle create the pain vacuum in my ears. i end up returned both of them because i can't wear their more than 1 hour.

I use the truth ear zero blue 2 for music and cs2 and I'll take half with them the bad is amazing and directional audio is amazing can hear all the opponents

Personally I like the Trio and the Vader Balanced over any of the Truthear Zeros. You can get the Trio or Vader Balanced for under $30, and with a good cable from KBEar, you will still be under the price of the Zeros, and have better overall tonality, without the oddball shortcomings of the Zeros. I still feel, personally, that the Zero Blue is better than the Blue2. But I am in a minority for this opinion.

Personally I like the Trio and the Vader Balanced over any of the Truthear Zeros. You can get the Trio or Vader Balanced for under $30, and with a good cable from KBEar, you will still be under the price of the Zeros, and have better overall tonality, without the oddball shortcomings of the Zeros. I still feel, personally, that the Zero Blue is better than the Blue2. But I am in a minority for this opinion.

Personally I like the Trio and the Vader Balanced over any of the Truthear Zeros. You can get the Trio or Vader Balanced for under $30, and with a good cable from KBEar, you will still be under the price of the Zeros, and have better overall tonality, without the oddball shortcomings of the Zeros. I still feel, personally, that the Zero Blue is better than the Blue2. But I am in a minority for this opinion.

I went to my local shop to try out some “endgame” level of iems today since I am on off day, and saw this new Truthear Zero Blue 2 on the shelf. So while waiting to test the other kilobucks iems, out of curiosity i reached out and tried the Blue 2, and….it is so damn good I thought i was hallucinating. So to make sure i wasnt being dramatic, i tried other thieaudio prestige ltd and “almostexact” same shell size 64 audio u6t and it proved that I wasnt. Dont get me wrong, blue 2 doesnt out resolve any of those kilobuck iems, but the tuning is so good! When dirextly compared to u6t, u6t sounded like theres a something lacking on the treble? Not sure if its the unit issue but blue 2 sounded so much better and natural. Just the technical aspect isnt comparable especially when full band of bass/drums/guitars coming in u6t I am still able to pinpoint everything while blue 2 is more of a mess. Blue 2 i personally feel that the vocals and treble is just nice 👌, and smooth! Not to mention very comfortable too. I have some endgame level sets and still plan to get this one just for everyday beater set! Tldr; Its crazy how much quality 64.99 can get you in 2025!

Blue 2 is much much better in comfort! With smaller nozzle size and overall size of the iem.

Reds are more balanced or less V shape than Blue 2 for me and Blue 2 sounds more resolving to me too

You're not going to be "wowed" by the soundstage of any iem. Any iem that is praised for its soundstage is being praised relative to other iems. It's like saying, "You're tall for a dwarf." That being said, in the ballpark of your budget, both the Truthear Hexa and the Dunu Titan S are pretty good. The Hexa has a better soundstage, while the Titan is a bit livelier. Both are fairly neutral. I like acoustic instruments better on the Titan (somewhat mid-forward, so vocals and acoustic guitars sound good, and the bass has nice texture and detail to it), but I like classical better on the Hexa (better imaging, and the horns sound good, to my ears, and pianos sound lovely on it). The Hexa is a little warm, and the Titan, as I said, has a bit of a midrange focus. Both punch a bit above their weight (although not as much as they did when they were launched, as the iem space has evolved quickly). I haven't tried the Truthear Red. I have the original Zero, the blue one, but that is a different tuning, and it is something I would recommend more for pop or edm than jazz or classical, because it has a somewhat immersive bass with a big sub bass emphasis and a very sparkly, even hot and a bit sharp, treble. EDIT: Oh, I didn't read the entire post. If your budget is $200 (I just assumed Truthear Red-ish), get the Binary+Gizaudio Chopin. The Chopin is crisp, clean, and clear with a balanced sound and a punchy, detailed (although not particularly elevated) bass. Indeed, the details throughout the frequency range are quite nice. Again, the soundstage on iems is less than on headphones, which is less than on speakers, so temper your soundstage expectations, but the Chopins are an amazing set, and jazz and classical will both work well on them. They demolish both the Hexa and the Titan, but they should at that price point. The Hexa can trade soundstage and imaging blows with it though, but again, that's just two iems being tall for a dwarf. 2nd EDIT: No offense intended to any dwarves.

A budget set that will give you the bass and still retain details is the Truthear Zero, but the treble is a little spicy. An iem that sounds similar (regardless of the graph) to the Hexa but has punchier bass and a bit more life in the mids and treble is the Simgot EM6L @ $110.

For gaming the Truthear X Crinacle Zero Blue are awesome for just 50$

Got them a couple of days ago as my first pair of iems and they've been amazing. Now everyone shits on their cable quality and i will admit it is kinda "cheap" feeling as in it's practically weightless. But that sort of turned out to be a plus for me. You don't feel these cables dragging you at all they almost feel wireless, plus they're very soft and you don't hear any noise travel up to your ears when you move the cable around or when it rubs against your body. Also easy to wrap around and store in your pocket or whatever. About the comfort, I've tried a couple of other iems around it's price range and they've fit me the best. I already fell asleep with them on twice even though i fear about damaging the cables. Good news is that nothing bad happened to them yet, no kinks or weird bends or anything. So im getting hopeful that they'll last me long enough, till i can get a fancy cable. Im a total noob so I can't really explain the sound well but they sound nice to me. Even though it is advertised to have increased bass, it's nowhere near to what kz offers in some of their cheap iems. But it is tasteful, as in you don't get assaulted with bass and bass only with muddy details. They sounded very "sharp" and "precise" to me, you can hear all the instruments in a song with great clarity. Plus it's not very annoying with the high end frequencies. I was initially planning on returning the zero2s but once i got them I didn't want to part ways lol, plus the colour is really neat.

NOT the truthear zero blues. Awful pair of IEM's with my experience. The wall hack experience is not there. I 100% suggest the EW300's or some other suggestion

In my expereince, the truthear zero blues, even with a seal (that is pretty hard to achieve in some people's cases like mine) don't do gaming all that well. First the gunshots are shouty so they cover up sound queues, the bass is alright and boosts the right frequencies for footsteps in-game that are deeper but the imaging, soundstage and vertical imaging was quite poor. If you are willing to gamble with the fit, they are a pretty OK pair of IEM's but they are starting to show their age 100%. For music they are quite lifeless so there's that. You could wait for the Truthear Zero Blue 2 which has a smaller nozzle with nicer bass but still similar "clean" sounding tuning. Maybe they'll fix the technicalities with this upcoming second version. I'd much rather pick the EW300's, the Kefine Delci (for a similar price)

I would mainly use them for gaming. Right now I own the truthear blues but they are starting to sound low. I saw the orchestra recommended for gaming but what would happen if I use the xenns for gaming? Are the specs worse for that? Thanks in advance

You should also ask yourself if you are cool with foam tips since this zero 2 is tuned with foams in mind. I personally dont like them as I find them uncomfortable because they make my inner ear very warm and sweaty quickly. Just looking at the graphs, I bet the zero 2 is a bit more dynamic feeling than the Hexa, though note weight with some vocals using silicone might be on the brighter side. Hexas are very easy to enjoy as their sound signature is inoffensive, slightly laid back and warm. They can also seem a bit "boring" in comparison to a more Harman tuning.

Then the Zero 2 may be a pretty compelling option honestly.

Preach! My daily drivers are Hexa’s and Blue 2’s

So I just broke my earbuds, and I decided to get some IEMs, and I stumbled across [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/comments/1iw9jxu/best_iems_for_fps_gaming_the_results_may_surprise/) He scores like this >The way I determine if an iem (or headphone) is good for gaming is by 3 main categories: soundstage, imaging, and sound separation. A good and accurate soundstage has good width (x), height (y), and depth (z). Imaging, or stereo imaging, is the spacial perception and ability to perceive the precise placement of sounds. Essentially directional audio. I.e left, right, center, back, top left, etc. Sound separation in a iem or headphone is the ability to pick up different sounds at once without it overlapping each other. So the ability to hear explosions go off, gun shots, gadgets, footsteps, etc without distorting the other sounds. I'd agree with that, and I went with his overall recommendation of the Zero Blue 2, Simgot EM6L is his highest rated but I normally have ear fit issues and I really don't want an earbud stuck in my ear. Anyways I'm quite happy with it, and immediately picked up on the sound separation, currently listening to some music and it's quite nice for that too.

Mine just arrived… and I found it weak as hell. I’m a basshead, not an audiophile btw, so I dgaf about all that "oh, the sound is clean, crystal clear, bla bla bla" stuff. That’s just fancy talk to me. I wanted a pair of headphones that would shake even my eyebows, so I could just throw on some rap or trance/techno and melt into the bass. I researched the hell out of it until I found the ZERO series. Reviews always said it was more bass-heavy and all that. And yeah, it kinda is, but way too weak for my taste. Max volume on both my phone and PC, and the headphones just don’t deliver. And yes, I’m using a JM6 Pro DAC (CX31993 x MAX97220) before anyone says I need a DAC. Even my girl’s cheap QKZ AK6 is WAY louder. The quality is worse, obviously, but it’s way louder, even without a DAC. Years ago, I had two Razer Hammerheads, the V1 and the Pro V2, and holy shit, *those* were some badass headphones. At just 60% volume, the bass was already hitting hard, shaking my ears and everything—and that was without a DAC, just the raw power of the headphones. Back then, I was still in school, riding the bus in another dimension, man. Nowadays, I can’t find anything like those. I’ve even tried top-tier brands (SENNHEISER), even premium TWS earbuds (Hyphen 2), and they’re EXTREMELY weak and in every review, people kept saying it was THE bass-heavy TWS… yeah, right. You just can’t trust audiophile reviews, man.

The problem isn't the tunning, the tunning is fine to me, but actually it's the power output, to me the iem is like weak even on max volume, the bass adapter just makes it more bass tuned but also even lower volume. I don't know how to explain in technical terms (I'm not an audiophile as I said), but the best example I can give of what I'm seeking is the Razer Hammerhead Pro V2, since I used one of these in like 2015/2016. https://preview.redd.it/wc05xooljhre1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=94aaec0c90420cf7da5275e9f4cbed41fb48b9bb I know that for audiphiles this one might not even be in the conversation or is a crap sounding iem idk, but I'm saying about power output, like this iems I remember that at 60% colume the bass already makes my ears tremble, and not in a way that it overcomes the rest of the frequencies (ie too much bass tuned), no, I still could hear vocals and mid/high tones just fine (maybe not as "crystal clear" like audiophiles like to say...), but the bass output was just a punch in the ear at every beat, I'm trying to find something like that again, since I can't find those Hammerheads originals anymore. I don't know if that is just a matter of getting a better DAC, or amplifier to raise the output volume of the ZERO:BLUE2, but if those Razer could do that back in 2015 even without a DAC, it doesn't make sense to me needing it now on a supposedly better iem.

"With proper amplification" you mean getting an external amp like this? https://preview.redd.it/9bdy1m894ire1.png?width=2000&format=png&auto=webp&s=82861d20f64be8bfdae3554d169780b1a4f4bc9d Because if that is the case, again, I don't understand how these new IEMs needs a external amp to get even closer to what those old Razers could deliver with just the power of an 3.5mm jack lmao

Are you sure the Khan is an option? It's long discontinued, so unless you are buying used, it's probably not the Khan. Personally I prefer the HBB to the Khan anyway. The Khan is semi-unique for having a "detached subwoofer" sound, but not entirely unique because it's actually just a slightly retuned Truthear Zero (blue). I'd say the Khan sounds a bit better than the Blue, but the Blue looks a million times better. Both of them have the same uncomfortably large nozzle (it's literally the same IEM with a different faceplate & slight tuning adjustment). I didn't much like the Legato because it's very muddy, but it might suit someone who just likes stupid amounts of bass. Way more than the HBB, which is just a very-warm tuning, which I do like. I don't normally EQ but I expect the Legato would be a good option if you are into EQ. It does at least have good drivers and is quite resolving. It's definitely better than the HBB technically, but I'd say the HBB is better tuned. Haven't heard the Delci or the Clear yet.

You won't need any specific sound signature for a guitar, especially if it's just for practice. If you are into metal then v-tuning of guitar amps is pretty common. But if you want to be faithful to what the guitar/amp actually sounds like then you'll want something with a fairly flat midrange. That doesn't mean it can't have a bass boost. Harman-tuned IEMs like the Truthear Zero (blue) and Nova have a boost in the sub-bass, which is quite different to a traditional v-shape where the bass boost occurs much higher up, resulting in a relative dip in the lower mids, around 800-1200kHz. Something that is considered "Harman neutral" will have pretty neutral mids, although some of these (especially the multi-driver IEMs that are tuned very close to the Harman target) can sound a bit hollowed out in the midbass, due to the "Harman bass tuck". With single dynamic IEMs like the Kiwi Ears Cadenza, it's not physically possible to tune it like that, so they have a smoother bass glide without the "tuck". That makes them sound a bit warmer overall, but they don't have that hole in the midbass frequencies. That Harman tuck is bad for bass guitar, because it will result in some of the notes actually sounding noticeably quieter than others, but it shouldn't give you that problem with a guitar.

Howdy r/iems, I received a review copy of the Truthear X Crinacle Zero Blue 2 in the mail a few days ago and I wanted to share my thoughts. Let's talk about the good, the bad, the adapter, and the many changes Blue 2 brings to the Truthear Zero line. **How does it look?** Compared to the shimmery waves of the original Zero Blue, the faceplate of the Blue 2 has a bolder, more textured design reminiscent of petals or leaves. The refresh is a welcome one as I find the sharper relieve of the pattern on the Blue 2 a much more eye-catching and aesthetically appealing design. The shape of the faceplace itself is virtually unchanged while the nozzle diameter has shrunk from 6.8mm to 6.2mm, along with about a 5mm reduction in nozzle length. I tried to illustrate the differences in the album. They paired it with the most widely praised Truthear cable to date, the double helix 2-core design. It's similar to the cable that comes with the Truthear Gate, except here we have a straight 3.5mm termination rather than the right angled one. This is likely to accommodate use of the bass adapter and I personally prefer a straight termination if I'm using a dongle DAC with my phone. The simple black contrasts nicely with the Blue/Purple iridescence of the shell, and keeps true to the Truthear formula of providing a simple, handsome cable. **How does it feel?** Honestly? Better. Much Better. The original Zero Blue/Red's Achilles heel has always been its fit and comfort, and the extreme chonk of the original nozzle has been massively reduced for Blue 2. Many have said a 0.6mm reduction in nozzle size hardly seems like a significant difference, but this fails to account for the reduced nozzle length. That length reduction creates a more shallow fit that still feels comfortable, secure, and wont stretch out your ear canals like the original. I feel this is a massively overlooked aspect of the redesign. The cable has a matte finish and minimal memory. It seems to be the least tangle prone Truthear cable to date, so I understand why they included it. The earhooks are comfortably shaped and hug the back of my ears well for a secure fit. The chin cinch works as expected, and I experienced virtually no microphonic interference. **How does it sound?** The important part. I'd like to start by saying that this is the most tip-dependent set of in ear monitors I've ever encountered. I'm a flat-head by nature so the Harman tuning is just a bit too much "fun" for me in general. I like a vocal-forward or soft v-shaped sound signature normally, and I can do a little bass boost sometimes, but I need a comfortably extended treble to accompany any tuning. This was not what I found in my first impression of the Zero Blue 2. I used the stock silicone tips with no bass adapter for my first listen. I stepped into the Harman immersion of it all (I get why you like it Harman fans, it's just a lot), and I found a set that excelled at a tuning that's not for me. Excellent sub bass and treble extension that improves upon the original, a dynamic and wide soundstage, and clarity undiminished by it's sub bass thanks to the dual DD configuration. I was enjoying the set, I thought it has good noteweight for its price range along with a decent resistance to sibilance. Then I put it to "the test". I'm fairly treble sensitive (hence flathead status), so I like to try out my worst case scenario by playing "Looking for Somebody (To Love)" by The 1975 as a testing track. Check it out, seriously. If I can play that song without tearing the set off my head then I know I'll be safe, the IEM wont be able to hurt me. I pushed play and crossed my fingers. It did not pass the test. To be fair, I haven't met a Harman tuning that's passed that test yet. But I decided to to tip-roll to see if we could make the sound a bit more comfortable. Truthear not-so-subtly implies that you should use foam tips by giving you a whole bunch of them, so I swapped tips and went in for round 2. Huge difference. I was able to make it through the entire song without feeling like I was going to die at any moment. The next day I saw the release video Crinacle made about the Blue 2 and it started to make even more sense. The set was specifically tuned with foam tips in mind to deaden the more troublesome high frequencies, with silicone provided for those that like a spicy time. With the troublesome treble tamed, I enjoyed a nice, Harman-y experience. I was asked to test out how the set takes to EQ, and honestly that's a major strength. The sub bass and treble extention combined with the driver configuration allow the set to essentially transform into any flavor you like. I auto-eq'd my set to the original Zero Red target, and I found better noteweight and extension (both sides) on the Blue 2 while A/B testing, along with a more dynamic, less "flat" soundstage. Then I remembered the 5 ohm bass adapter. **Lets adapt.** How much of a difference does a little 5 ohm impedance bump make? A whole hell of a lot actually. I'm going to link to Super Review's Squig here to give you an idea: [https://squig.link/?share=Harman\_Adjusted\_Target,Super\_22\_Target,IEF\_Comp\_Target,Truthear\_Zero\_Blue\_2,Truthear\_Zero\_Blue\_2\_foam,Truthear\_Zero\_Blue\_2\_5ohm](https://squig.link/?share=Harman_Adjusted_Target,Super_22_Target,IEF_Comp_Target,Truthear_Zero_Blue_2,Truthear_Zero_Blue_2_foam,Truthear_Zero_Blue_2_5ohm) As you can see, we get a HUGE bass boost in the balance of this IEM, running into the mid range and smoothing out the treble. If you add foam tips into the equation, what you get is a bassy, new meta-like sound with a much fuller mid bass and lower mid range, making for much richer male vocals while eliminating Harman shout and spice. Once adapted, the set has a much more pronounced mid bass kick and texture, and will satisfy a fair amount of bassheads. However I got a bit cocky and grabbed my 10ohm adapter from the Zero Red to try out. Don't do that. It made everything muddy and boomy. This thing is super sensitive to impedance changes so use a clean, audiophile grade DAC with <1ohm of added impedance if you're thinking about getting one. And if you're reading this you might already have one. I used a Jcally JM6 Pro for testing. All in all, the adapter makes it sound like a completely different IEM, and that makes for a pretty versatile, choose-your-own-adventure style experience. **Final thoughts.** **Who should buy this set?** Harman fans. It has great extension on both sides of it's FR and technical capabilities that punch above weight. However, foam tips are required for those with treble sensitivity. With the adapter plugged it, bassheads are going to like the much warmer sound and textured low-end. And anyone that liked the original Blue should love Blue 2 and its added versatility. **Who should avoid it?** Those that don't want to use foam tips, or don't want to adapt their way to a basshead set, and those that will not/ can not EQ. Pure flatheads wont find a native tuning to their liking, and neither will those that prefer a brighter balance. Your getting a warm IEM with the Blue 2, any way you slice it. The Zero Blue 2 is a nice improvement over the original that essentially makes the first obsolete. That's what we like to see in a second generation. And while I do think the Blue 2 is a very fun addition to my collection, I'll be waiting for the Zero Red 2 to satisfy my stock-flathead desires. Thanks for reading.

Yup, review copy just got in. The difference the adapter makes is not as pronounced as the Zero Reds changes, but makes a huge difference depending on your tuning preference. The adapter really brings forward male vocals and fixes quite a few problems I have with the typical Harman tuning (shout, no midbass kick, recessed male vocals.). The adapter gives the set a warmer, better balanced sound than any harman tuning.

This is the answer. Dusk is actually not nearly as good for gaming as most people think. Well. At least competitive gaming. The sound staging is just not there vs headphones. Or buy cheaper iems as a start to see what I'm talking about. Dunu titan S's are good and I daily drive them. But there not as good as a decent headphone. Truthear blues and reds are perfect imo. And they're only $50

Moondrop Sparks TWS is my target. They were my first well-tuned IEM and I absolutely fell in love with the sound signature. It's basically the Harman 2019 v2 target with about 5db less subbass. The Blessing 3 is tuned very close to the Sparks already, so I just EQ'd the B3 to match the Sparks from 1k to 8k and they're just about perfect. I also love the Truthear Zero blue. It follows a similar Harman with rolled-off subbass signature, but with a bit more contrast and lot of extra punch which is just so much fun with my music library.

I can’t wait for the Truthear x Crinacle Zero Blue 2 to drop. Currently use the OG ones for gaming and music but it sounds like they’re taking all of the good things from the reds plus more and putting them into these new upcoming ones. Plus they’re going to come with a mic!

I have the qkz x hbb, and then got the zero blues. Im using mine mostly for gaming, but the blues are a deffinite upgrade over the qkz x hbb. Huge nozzle though . I heard it was big, but its really big.

Qkz x hbb are good for footsteps in cod. Only paid 15 bucks on Amazon for those which is insane for how good they are. I stepped up to truthear x crinicle blues which are better but 50 bucks.

No, I've got them and they don't sound great if you just plug them into your pc raw. You need to buy some other extra thing. Not worth the hassle, imo.

The original Truthear Blue Zero and hell no. Was the most boring, sterile, and uncomfortable IEM I've ever used.

Maybe the tuning isnt to your liking. TBH I have the red and it doesn’t get a lot of use, some say it’s great for online gaming. I prefer the hexa a bit more. I got the blue2 recently and that’s a pretty good harman tuning. My main iem i use a lot atm is the simgot ew300 hbb. Pretty great for the price. It has a more planar sound to it though but bass is tight and punchy.

I just got these and currently I have them on a 3.5 jack extension with the 5ohm adapter and they go into an EU iphone dac I was wondering if anyone can tell how much difference the jcally would make in comparison? the volume is strong and they sound good but can they get even better

I just realized that they include 4 pairs of foam tips now, 3 pairs of medium sized ones and 1 small pair. Personally, I am not a big fan of them just because of how they feel. https://preview.redd.it/q8a06h0ow8ne1.png?width=182&format=png&auto=webp&s=9fbb0e4f9d1e2c8ee3bd24720ceaa0aad01a4b8f

I’ve had a Zero Red for some time, but was curious why the Blue is considered better for gaming since the FR would seem imply the opposite and since I was getting Nova to test comparing those to the Blue seemed like a good idea as well. Music It’s pretty straight forward. Red is very well tuned and is still a standard in the field. Blue is a V-shaped, sub-bass roll-offing, bass to mids bleeding fun yet messy tuning with a huge scoop in the mids and slightly fatiguing past 2kHz. I understand how the Blue has this energetic and gripping feel to it, but I find it a bit fatiguing and kinda bad for most music. Especially anything acoustic, instrumental or in general mixed in a balanced way. Maybe hip hop or something works well, but the Red with a bass shelf sounds better in every way really (the impedance adapter is not so good either). I’d give them a 5/5 and 3/5 for the price and wouldn’t really recommend Blue for music to anyone without knowing that’s exactly the kind of thing they’re looking for. Gaming Both are really good. The difference is surprisingly small unlike the music side. I looped gameplay videos of Siege, Valorant, CS/2, Overwatch etc. and played a bit trying to find how Blue would be better until I realized that all it does “better” is make some sounds a bit louder which in practice didn’t seem to matter almost at all except it really distorted the sense of distance. I can hear louder that someone is walking towards a corner, but it sounded like they were 3 feet away instead of 9 which was more accurate and the Reds felt too close as well (let’s say like 6 feet. EM6L does this way better). I could hear both easily and couldn’t find situations where the volume boost made a difference. There are even some “can you hear the footsteps?” type of clips on Youtube with particularly quiet sounds to spot and the Red was more than enough for each. The Blue also felt notably more fatiguing so I can listen to the Reds with a higher volume as well further reducing the potential benefit. Imo the Reds are thus overall better or at least as good for gaming as the Blue. We could also consider just the immersion instead of directional imaging and perhaps the Blue makes some guns sound more fun or something, but the V-shaped tuning really closes the soundstage in a way that I feel is mostly a loss for the Blue as well.

For gaming yes, but not so much that someone who wants to save the $50 wouldn't be very much fine doing so. For music Blue imo is pretty bad, Red is fantastic if such a neutral tuning is your thing while EM6L is really good and safe.

No need to spend more than $10 on the dongle unless you want functionalities like PEQ, semi wireless setup etc. Interesting options and very different from each other. I hated Blue and Blue2 doesn't look much better to while Hexa is great for me. It's a very clean sound, but needs a deep insertion to get the bass which some can't get. There are plenty of options around those price points so knowing what you listen to would help since preference is what matters most.

Just to be clear .. The mic option gives you both the standard AND the mic cable?! 😲

That's crazy good value! I just received my Zero like a week ago and they are really good. My biggest problem is the size of the ear tip .. But this is solved now! 😁 Just requested a return to amazon. Now I just need to figure out how and where to order the new ones (I live in Denmark).

I just ordered them via LEAUDIO at the german amazon site. This way I don't have to worry about import tax etc. I couldn't get the adapter, which is a bit sad .. But I'm going to use it with my Elgato Wave XLR and perhaps the PS5 controller now and then, so it shouldn't be a problem 🤷‍♂️ All I have to do now is wait 2 weeks (or hopefully sooner) 😁

People who is considering the Zero Blue 2 should get these instead. These are like the budget version of the Tea Pro's (according to reviews). For reference: I did try the Zero Blue, Zero Blue 2, Nova and Tea Pro.

People who is considering the Zero Blue 2 should get these instead. These are like the budget version of the Tea Pro's (according to reviews). For reference: I did try the Zero Blue, Zero Blue 2, Nova and Tea Pro.

Not sure I agree with this .. I used the HD660s for 7-8 years, but I was starting to get some discomfort using them for more than 30mins 😵‍💫 So the obvious choice for me was a pair of IEM's, which is a bit tricky for someone like me who never really used those before. I bought the Zero Blue, Gate, Nova and Zero Blue .. And sure, they all sounded fine (some better than others) except for the Zero Blue 2 😒 After reading several reviews of Xenns Mangird Tea Pro and watching pretty much everyone praise them for how good they are. I just had to give them a try myself. It was very easy to hear the difference straight away. I was able to hear sooo many details ingame (just like my HD660s). I could pinpoint footsteps with such ease, which I couldn't even do with my headset! I don't regret buying them at all. Pretty much everything I read or watched about these IEM's is 100% accurate 👌

Not sure I agree with this .. I used the HD660s for 7-8 years, but I was starting to get some discomfort using them for more than 30mins 😵‍💫 So the obvious choice for me was a pair of IEM's, which is a bit tricky for someone like me who never really used those before. I bought the Zero Blue, Gate, Nova and Zero Blue .. And sure, they all sounded fine (some better than others) except for the Zero Blue 2 😒 After reading several reviews of Xenns Mangird Tea Pro and watching pretty much everyone praise them for how good they are. I just had to give them a try myself. It was very easy to hear the difference straight away. I was able to hear sooo many details ingame (just like my HD660s). I could pinpoint footsteps with such ease, which I couldn't even do with my headset! I don't regret buying them at all. Pretty much everything I read or watched about these IEM's is 100% accurate 👌

The HD660s is/was premium enough for me. But sure, you can always find better and more expensive ones. I've tried the HD660s2 as well, which wasn't really an upgrade over the "old" version. In terms of IEM's I've had the IE300, Zero Blue, Zero Blue2, Gate and Nova, which I really enjoyed .. But the nozzle size was just too big for my ears. If it wasn't for the discomfort of wearing my headset. I would most likely still be using it .. But getting a headache after 30mins of use is just not worth it.

The HD660s is/was premium enough for me. But sure, you can always find better and more expensive ones. I've tried the HD660s2 as well, which wasn't really an upgrade over the "old" version. In terms of IEM's I've had the IE300, Zero Blue, Zero Blue2, Gate and Nova, which I really enjoyed .. But the nozzle size was just too big for my ears. If it wasn't for the discomfort of wearing my headset. I would most likely still be using it .. But getting a headache after 30mins of use is just not worth it.

I just got the truthear zero blues yesterday (my first iem purchase) and played Black ops 6 quite a bit. Selected the bass cut preset in settings cause the gunfire is too distracting but damn does it sound good otherwise. Maybe just for non PVP id run it with no preset. Imaging is good I suppose, I found myself not picking up exactly where other players were if I purposely were testing next to teammates, but in the heat of the moment I could pick up people coming up behind me somewhat easily. I do really enjoy these for music, way better than my Sony xm4 buds. Listening to some Gesaffelstein on them as I write this actually. Currently using a Google USBC dongle as it's just what I had on me already. Still thinking about a proper dac though, but already these blow my mind on how I've been assuming the xm4's were top notch.

I own these and have had them for about 2 weeks now. They are amazing both for music and gaming. For reference, I upgraded from Truthear x Crinacle Zero (Blue) which was for me amazing for competitive FPS gaming. Also, I play a lot of extraction shooters (Arena Breakout Infinite and Tarkov). The imaging on these is great even if you don't have comtacs on or if you have helmets that reduces your hearing. I can accurately pinpoint footsteps no matter where I am in-game. I believe also you would need to invest in some good ear-tips to maximise them. I use Spinfit W1 and they have been great so far. I have Divinus Velvet Wide Bore as well but honestly, I do not have the need to change the ear-tips right now so will be sticking with the W1's.

those particular headphones will also need an external AMP. which will add to the cost. overall i would say go for the truthear zero red, but if you like extra bass go for the zero blue 1 or 2

the truthear zero is a better choice .

no? the bass is definitely better on the truthear zero blue og, imo it is better

not twice as much but i believe that paying that extra price gives you far better experience. using truthear zero after using kiwi ears cadenza feels like a massive upgrade. the sub 20-30 dollar market is just not that good considering if you pay 10-15 extra. you get a far better iem

imo the salnotes zero 2 and 1 both are really shit, very cheap plasticy iems with good? sound i guess, I have the same kiwi ears cadenza from hpz, and they are really really good, they are better in bass and build quality for sure, the overall sound stage is also very good, if you can increase 500 INR more to your budget the truthear x crinacle zero blue are great choice

kefine klean but if you can wait get the truthear crinacle zero blue 2 for a more "fun" tuning

TRUTHEAR X CRINACLE ZERO BLUE/BLUE 2 depending on your budget. the subwoofer crossover is just amazing

TRUTHEAR X CRINACLE ZERO BLUE/BLUE 2 depending on your budget. the subwoofer crossover is just amazing

Zero blues > zero red

Lots of sources. I wondered the same thing and found almost no one saying that the reds are better than the blues but almost everyone saying the blues are better. I have the blues for my everyday gaming iems and they are brilliant

I use truthear zero blues and they are great but this sub has a link near the top to another thread that shows the best gaming ones for each budget and the under £100 winner on there is the simgot ew300

I have the blues and I play Tarkov with steel series gg. They work pretty damn good for me. I’m intrigued as to how this version will be.

I switched from Steel series 7p to Truthear blues and won’t go back. Best $50 I could I have spent. You can still use the steel series gg to adjust sound. Maybe just make sure you have foam and silicon tips, it appears the sound could be slightly different due to fit/seal.

Yes it is, I had a truthear zero blue which I couldn't stand due to the harsh highs. So I sold it and got the kz castor instead and it was what I was looking for. The bass shelf is around 300hz, which is perfect for hip hop and soul music. Now I'm considering Thieaudio hype series coz of how much I liked the castor.

Do you even know what you are talking about? I am no Crinacle fan and don't own any of his collab IEMs but your entire first sentence can be disproven if you actually did any bit of research. The Blue 2 is tuned strictly to the Harman target, which you can call overrated or overused if you want, but lifeless and boring it is not. The nozzle size has been reduced from 6.8mm to 6.2mm which although still on the larger side is much more in line with average. As for accessories, while the eartips are apparently still shit, the cable this time seems to be the same as the one on the Truthear Gate, which is known to be a good cable. As for whether the Blue 2 is overpriced, we will have to wait for reviews to know. The old $50-55 would have been a good price, but $65 is a bit questionable.

Truthear Zero Blue because BASS

I don't think you can get disappointed by 7hz legato, especially if you can get them at 70$. I'm testing them atm. My favorite iem before getting legato was qkz x hbb, at 10-12$ you just can't beat them. I tried kbear rosefinch, kz castor bass, kz castor pro bass, qkz hades, qkz khan, truthear zero blue. Qkz x hbb and 7hz legato destroys them in the bass department. It's very punchie and rumblie. And at the same time it's clean. Correct tips are very-very crucial when you are looking for good bass. Atm I can't say with 100% confidence what i like more, but I'm leaning to legato heavily. I feel like legato has a bit more bass, with a bit more quality and clarity. The soundstage is definitely wider, and it has more details, thanks to 2 driver setup. Talking about drivers. It's fucking nuts that it has 12mm driver just for bass. And 6mm for everything else. Also it's less shoutier than qkz x hbb somehow. Note that qkz x hbb is already a very dark set for most people. I have very bad sibilant hearing and the legatos sound more comfortable for me. Is it 7-10 times better than qkz x hbb? No. But it's worth the shot imo, not like there's a lot if any sets that are legato alternatives in this price range. Note that they are big, but i don't have any issue with fit. I have yet to receive blon z300, 7hz elua, kz saga bass, kz prx. But i don't think they're beating legato or qkz hbb. Although I'm hyped to hear how planars replay bass on kz prx. Also I'm in the same boat with you. I don't get obsession with clarity. But to each their own. I just think it's a bit forced. Or I'm for real hearing everything differently compared to most people. But none of my friends prefer sets that are cleaner and less bassy.

First time buying pricier iems and I still have a 25 dollar linsoul coupon that I’m debating on using. Bought: Kiwi ears aether with 50 dollar coupon Linsoul. Ziigaat x fresh review arete on Linsoul. Mangrid tea pro with 150 dollar coupon linsoul. Also recently purchased zero blue 2, Blon x HBB Z300, and tripowin vivace shortly before spring sale.

Yes, worth it. 1. They don't heat ur ears 2. Most parts of it are modular and cheap to replace, cables, eartips etc are widely + cheaply available, so pad and mic issues don't affect you. A normal earphone replace pad is 600-1k atleast vs an eartip probably 200 to 400. Cables cost anywhere from 400-2k depending upon features. 3. Physically, IEMs are modular and designed to go over the ears, unlike regular earphones, reducing ear strain on the ear (ear-hole?). Performance-wise, the IEM market is far more competitive, with thousands of reviewers and measurement rigs providing frequency graphs. Additionally, manufacturers focus on IEMs as dedicated music devices rather than just convenience products, leading to a different design philosophy. The best IEM that can be used for longer gaming session with a very good bass response would be the Truthear x Crinacle Zero (Blue) as the other commenter noted. It doesn't have a mic so an upgrade cable with boom mic like the QKZ Q7 Max would be great. But since u had mentioned there that it was a bit over budget I'd recommend the Tripowin x 0diBi Vivace. It is better than the Truthear Zero Blue but doesn't have the same subwoofer-like bass quality but performs better at games while being cheaper. It's also a bit sharper sounding than the TxC 0 I [had made a list](https://www.reddit.com/r/MayankJ/s/zKEU3h48vW) a month ago related to gaming IEMs you can chk that out too if u want some other reccs. But imo Vivace is a great buy and probably the best value for money.

Chu 2 are very bad for gaming. I've never heard a serious person recc chu 2 especially for FPS games. Chu 2 arent good imo, bad cables, questionable build quality and bad imaging. Both tangzu waner and chu 2 are some of the worst for gaming, i think people who are recommending these have probably never tried multiple iems side by side. If u are playing some easy to track game, like CS2, valorant or something else with good staging then it will work ok but tougher games like Apex etc would give startled cat moments. I'd strongly suggest looking at these (ranked best to worse) * kefine delci ae * tripowin 0dibi vivace * truthear zero blue * kz castor harman (silver)/pro * qkz x hbb some channels like Fresh Reviews might be able to help u: [https://www.youtube.com/@FreshReviewsYT](https://www.youtube.com/@FreshReviewsYT)

The bass version has a more V shape sound, might sound a lil bit sharper than the Silver ones. U could've gotten better bass response on the KZ Castor Silver by using the UUDD config using the DIP switches placed on the back. Both CBlack and Silvers switches change the EQ by a lil bit, check graphs below. I don't think the Castor Bass versions have better staging than the Harmans but it won't be as bad as the Chu 2. If u want something good for Hip Hop, EDM kinda sound, the Truthear x Crinacle Zero Blue was the best choice imo considering ur gaming requirements. Not very sharp so u can play for long hrs without fatigue. A huge mid bass presence which sounds like a dedicated sub woofer and great imaging for the price, it's pin point accuracy is way above it's class. Anyways u can always buy more IEMs; I think ur KZ Castors are a good first IEM! Hope u enjoy them! https://preview.redd.it/5iy7xmhk9qhe1.png?width=2400&format=png&auto=webp&s=858ebab244c369e8e3cc7ff1cf0d189bd4bd410d

just to add to this, kz castor silver is TxC Zero RED when u use the UUDD config same goes for Castor Black/Bass being the TxC Zero blue. The drivers used are different but ive tried all four they have similar gaming performance. I know Fresh reviews wont put this on video as he doesnt do KZ but ill say u can kinda keep the KZ castor bass close to (a few notches below) Truthear Zero Blue in the gaming dept

Truthear x Crinacle Zero(blue) is best for gaming around that range and if it exceeds your budget then just go for 7hz Zero 2 which is the best budget gaming iem

(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.

I'm back in gaming, and to find out, once and for all, I bought all these devices at the same time to test, this is what I found. The graph above is related ONLY to the around 360º imaging accuracy, the vertical and depth you can see it below. The HD58X and Truthear Zero are the pinnacle of the around imaging accuracy, between the two, the Truthear Zero is a hair above, because the sound is more forward, more about this later. The 7Hz Salnotes Zero comes close in second, but the more broad precision makes so when turn 180º to shoot most of the time you miss the spot to slight right or left, so you have to spend a few microseconds to fix your aim, resulting in a significant higher response time compare to the other two. All the others I don't think are suitable for competitive shooting games, but some are suitable for casual and adventure games. INDIVIDUAL Reviews (Remember that my DAC has more bass and less treble as sound signature, if you're going to copy my EQ keep that in mind and make the necessary adjustments) ## Truthear x Crinacle Zero (Blue) ## This is my favorite and the only one I use for gaming*. It has all I ever wish. It's the only IEM that the sound doesn't feel inside your head, on a blind test I would think this is a Closed Back Headset. The only aspect the HD58X does better is depth imaging, but I prefer the forwardness of the sound of the Zero Blue over the HD58X, more about this on the HD58X review below. Out of the box the default EQ has a claustrophobic sense of space, it's very narrow, yet you still receive audio cues from outside your sense of space, making the depth imaging very strange, confusing, and breaking your immersion. That's what people usually refers as "unnatural sound stage" when talking about this IEM for games. After a few days, I realized the sense of space it's nothing more than constant feedback of sounds around you, for example, with very minuscule sound close to you, when you hear enemy you unconsciously compare the sound of the enemy with this sound, and gets the feeling of his distance based on the distance of this small sound close to you. By boosting the frequencies, I have all the small sounds of the environment, to unconsciously build a sense of space, by doing this IEM jumped from B grade to S grade, it amplified the sense of space, and now matches and improves the depth imaging. But EQ this guy was not easy, this IEM has 2 drives, one exclusive to bass, and you feel it, no matter what is happening the bass is strong and steady, to the point it was eating all the other frequencies. As always, I tried every single ParemetricEQ Profile available on AutoEQ, but I think they just destroyed the quality of the sound it has originally. So, as suggested by Crinacle, I created a ParemetricEQ to turn the Blue version in the Red Version, and it worked, it sounds much better, then I just had to boost individual frequencies to get ideal for gaming. For music, I disable this boost. The only precaution you need to have with IEM is related to its huge nozzle, with other all IEMs I use the large tip, but with this I had to back down to the medium, I also have to make sure I'm using it straight and parallel, or the nozzle will hurt. *(it has only one scenario that would make choose HD58X over this, you can see it on the review below) ## Sennheiser HD 58X ## Another very good for gaming, and the most comfortable headset I ever used, but I still prefer the freshness of the IEMs. I don't know if it is because it's an open back headset, but I feel the sound it's not forward enough, initially even appeared muffled, but after boosting all frequencies as much as could, without interfering with the pristine sound quality it has, it got better, but it's still not in a level I would like. Those are the two reasons why I replaced it with the Zero for gaming when I'm playing single player games. The only reason I would choose this over the Zero is because it is the only device that doesn't interfere how you listen to your own voice, when you talk is like you are wearing nothing, it's useful for multiplayer, recording and streaming. ## 7Hz Salnotes Zero ## A very good all around IEM, its only flaw is its poor depth imaging, there is just close or far, nothing in between, surprising it's still able to give you an illusion of space around you. The around and vertical imaging it's not pinpoint, but it's good enough for casual play. It's my favorite for watching anime and movies, to this kind of media I prefer the closer / inside your head type of sound, so I can hear all details equally. It also has the best noise isolation by far, I can't barely hear stuff even with no sound playing. For being versatile, cheap and for having an excellent noise isolation, it would be one I would choose for commute and travel. ## TANGZU Wan'er S.G ## The brightest of all devices, it reproduces details on treble that no other does. But the downside is that get you tired really fast. On music, it has this huge sound stage (it feels a little artificial, like an echo effect), way bigger than the HD58X that is an Open Back Headset. In games, this translates to a huge sense of space. Unfortunately, the poor imaging makes it unsuitable for games. ## HyperX Cloud Alpha ## An $80 disappointment, it sounds good enough, but it has a poor imaging, making it unsuitable for gaming. Yes, a gaming headset that is not suitable for gaming. Because of the shape of my head, I can use for 1 hour max, before the pain on the top of my head becomes unbearable. The only positive side it that the sound is not inside your head (like HD58X and Truthear Zero). ## Moondrop Chu 2 ## It's with pain in my heart I have to give it an C. It has the best sound, especially bass, for gaming of the $20 IEMs (it sacrifices treble, but it is not noticeable in games just in music), but it's poor in imaging. The imaging is so poor that you can only know the side (like north, south) but there is none in precision, to the point I had to look if I connected the cable right. OUTRO And that is it. I bought all devices with my own money. I wish to test the SIMGOT EM6L, because if two drivers can do this, imagine 5. But being fully satisfied with the Truthear Zero, I see no reason to buy one. Specially by the fact that is a stupid rule of 92% tax on products over US$ 50 in my country. But if Linsoul send me one, I would pay the tax and gladly review it. So if you like this post, sent it to them and asks if they can send me one. If you have other IEMs worth up to US$50 you would like me to take a look at, let me know below. The Blue to Red ParametricEQ: Preamp: -3.1 dB Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 3.2 dB Q 1.100 Filter 2: ON PK Fc 100 Hz Gain -1.3 dB Q 0.700 Filter 3: ON PK Fc 160 Hz Gain 1.9 dB Q 1.800 Filter 4: ON PK Fc 510 Hz Gain 2.2 dB Q 0.500 Filter 5: ON PK Fc 2600 Hz Gain -2.4 dB Q 2.000 Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3900 Hz Gain 0.7 dB Q 2.000 Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5600 Hz Gain -3.8 dB Q 2.000 Filter 8: ON PK Fc 8800 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 2.000 Filter 9: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000 Filter 10: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000

I have not, unfortunately. But I own the Truthear Zero Blue and Nova, both of which are built decently enough. I've also heard the build of the Wan'er can be questionable at times, so I believe they wouldn't too different from the Gate. I do understand how the design with the clear window inside can look a bit sketchy, I'm not exactly sure why they went for that...

Bassy IEMs: Under $5 * QKZ AK6 Pro $25 and lower (bass-focused) * KBEar Rosefinch \* * QKZ x HBB (OG version) \* * BLON BL-01 * KZ Castor Bass \* $25 and lower (neutral warm) * Tangzu Wan'er SG/Wan'er 2 \* * 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2 \* * Moondrop Chu 2 * KZ Castor Silver (UUDD switches) $25-60 (bass-focused) * BLON BL-03/BL-03 II \* * BLON x HBB Z300 * TinHiFi C3 Mk2 \* * 7Hz x HBB Elua * Kinera Celest Gumiho * KZ Castor Pro Bass \* * CCA Rhapsody \* * CCA Trio \* $25-60 (neutral warm) * Kefine Klean \* * Inawaken Dawn Ms \* * Kiwi Ears Cadenza \* * Tripowin x 0DiBi Vivace \* * Kinera Celest Wyvern Abyss \* * Tangzu YuXuanJi * KBear KB02 * KZ Zenith (UUDD switches) \* * KZ Castor Pro Silver (UUDD switches) Special mentioned * Truthear x Crinacle Zero Blue 2 \* * QKZ x HBB Khan (\* recommend)

$25 and lower * Tangzu Wan'er SG/Wan'er 2 * 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Zero 2 \* * Moondrop Chu 2 * KZ Castor Silver (UDDD switches) \* $25-60  * Kefine Klean \* * Inawaken Dawn Ms \* * Truthear x Crinacle Zero Red \* * Truthear x Crinacle Zero Blue 2 \* * Kiwi Ears Cadenza * Tripowin x 0DiBi Vivace * Kinera Celest Wyvern Abyss * Kinera Celest IgniteX Beast \* * Tangzu YuXuanJi * KBear KB02 \* * KZ Zenith (UUDD switches) \* * KZ Castor Pro Silver (UDDD switches) \* Or any other neutral warm IEMs, but the two Truthear Crinacle are the closest one with minimal mid-bass. Or go for planar IEMs, which their bass is speedy decay enough to be not too much mid bass: * SGOR Luna * Artti T10/T10 Pro * NiceHCK F1 Pro * Shozy P10/P20 * Letshuoer S08

I got the crinacle zero and I much prefer wearing them than a headset, just want to upgrade to something more premium

The truthear zero blue are the ones I have now, not really sure what tuning would benefit me as I’m not an audiophile or anything that’s why I was asking for a few opinions from people who have used them for gaming and more specifically tarkov

My set of these came in last night and they are a really nice refinement of the Zero line, but there is some killer harshness in the top end with silicone tips that makes them almost unusable with treble heavy material.

op, I have the Truthear: Zero Red and Truthear Zero: Blue, and they both fit my ears just fine. as for gaming, the blue is good for fps, rpg and action games where the extra bass and treble is nice to have. while the reds are good for rythim, strategy and turn based games as those have good sound tracks and vocals that the red's can take advantage of. hope this helps.

I have the Zero: Red and had the Zero Blue before the reds and they are both great for me(usually just listening to classical music, anime, rock, j-pop and game audio). In my personal opinion, the Zero Blue has more bass when it comes to listening to rock music while the Zero: Red is great for classical music and anime streaming. Both of them have big AF nozzles, but with the foam ear tips that it comes with, it is fine most of the time. Also, the Impedance adaptor on the Zero: Red doesn't really do much (or at least anything noticeable to me) to the bass as it is only 10 oms, but it is great as an 3.5mm jack extender for my phone when gaming since the Red and Blue both come with right angle adaptors. I am expecting the Moondrop Robin TWS in February 2025 so we'll see how better or worse those are to a wired IEM. (P.S. the Zero: Red's impedance adaptor broke after 1\~ish month of daily use, about 5 inserts and removals per day.)

well I already have my zero red for harman neutral tuning and blue(og) for harman bass+(but lost it) so I guess I'll go for the blue 2 for the trinity, better cable and more foam tips. thanks for the advice tho.

man, those s ranks having prices >= $1000 is really hard for a budget baller for me... also a rank's prices > $200. also nice microphone. anyways, looking at the rankings, man it's hard to see my daily driver (Truthear zero: red) in c tier. tho I will agree that the Truthear zero: blue(I also owned this for a while but it was stolen) is better in fps games due to having a higher bass and treble tuning than the red. I would normally just recommend the Truthear zero: blue for fps and action while the Truthear zero: red for more casual open world rpg, sanbox, turn based, etc. but the Truthear zero: blue2 just released. It is basically the Truthear zero: blue (in sound profile) but with 4 sets of foam ear tips and 3 sets of silicone tips(instead of 6 sets of silicone tips and one set of foam tips), a better cable than the Truthear zero: blue & red, and has a smaller nozzle than both the Truthear zero: blue & red. if you can afford the Truthear zero: blue2 (kinda the same price as the Steelseries Arctis 1 in my country but could be different from your area), you should definitely try them. tho at the end of the day, the biggest advantage of Iems to headphones are form factor and price to performance.

man, those s ranks having prices >= $1000 is really hard for a budget baller for me... also a rank's prices > $200. also nice microphone. anyways, looking at the rankings, man it's hard to see my daily driver (Truthear zero: red) in c tier. tho I will agree that the Truthear zero: blue(I also owned this for a while but it was stolen) is better in fps games due to having a higher bass and treble tuning than the red. I would normally just recommend the Truthear zero: blue for fps and action while the Truthear zero: red for more casual open world rpg, sanbox, turn based, etc. but the Truthear zero: blue2 just released. It is basically the Truthear zero: blue (in sound profile) but with 4 sets of foam ear tips and 3 sets of silicone tips(instead of 6 sets of silicone tips and one set of foam tips), a better cable than the Truthear zero: blue & red, and has a smaller nozzle than both the Truthear zero: blue & red. if you can afford the Truthear zero: blue2 (kinda the same price as the Steelseries Arctis 1 in my country but could be different from your area), you should definitely try them. tho at the end of the day, the biggest advantage of Iems to headphones are form factor and price to performance.

Truthear Zero: Blue. Sadly it was stolen from me. I do have her big sister, the Truthear Zero: Red and been using those since.

Used to have the zero blue for quite a while but ended up selling it because i couldnt handle the big nozzle even with aftermarket eartips (was uncomfortable), now, Vivace is a $30 iem, so dont expect miracles, is just very good for gaming at that price point and is not going to be any worse for gaming than Zero red/blue in that regard.

Adding to the other comment, most people say that the Zero Blue are better for gaming, Reds sounds somewhat worse for that, idk why tho, just a common thing people mention. I have the blue, nozzle Is indeed pretty big, if you know you have small ear canals, check something else. I was wondering if Hexa was an option? Nozzle Is still pretty big, but not as big, also, you can get them on ShenzhenAudio, they have free shipping and usually It does not take thaaaat long, around 2-3 weeks (which Is long, but its not a full month at least).

DAC usually doesnt give you that kind of extra performance for gaming, so dont sorry that much, however, do take in mind that the Truthear Zero (both) if you happend to get any of them, could use a bit of amplification, AND also, they have a really big nozzle, so that might generate fitting issues down the way of you have small ear canals.

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.

QKZxHBB is bassy but it has more rumble than punch, the Zero 2, with bass adapter, is similar but it likely would have more punch too, which would make for a bit different experience, althought in terms of amount, likely will have around the same amount of bass, as it is not really that bassy to beging with, is harman, which is a V-shape kind of tuning, would it be an upgrade? yeah, but not a direct upgrade if want you want is a bass focus. I dont think you would find something as similar on the sub $50 price bracket, there is the Blon Jojo that might be similar, but is not that well known or well reviewed, something like the Letshouer S08 would be a better direct upgrade, but of course, is more expensive.

I have the Crinacle Blue’s and I hear the Red’s have large openings too. I have trouble with getting a snug fit on the blue’s with any of the tips without it being painful. Is there something I’m missing?

I too am a Val and rivals sweat but I also enjoy music so I would say try the truthear blues or Hexa through amazon for their return policy and if you like them you could keep them or if you still want more you could return it and put in another $70 and try the aful explorer as it’s a much warmer sound and probably won’t be as shouty or fatiguing although they may not be as sharp footsteps it’s not like you’re gonna hear footsteps in the wrong places as most iems have good imaging so you can’t really go wrong with one or the other but in my case I started out with the zero blues and then upgraded to the nova but I’m looking to eventually get the hype 4 or origin if my pockets can take it lol

I too am a Val and rivals sweat but I also enjoy music so I would say try the truthear blues or Hexa through amazon for their return policy and if you like them you could keep them or if you still want more you could return it and put in another $70 and try the aful explorer as it’s a much warmer sound and probably won’t be as shouty or fatiguing although they may not be as sharp footsteps it’s not like you’re gonna hear footsteps in the wrong places as most iems have good imaging so you can’t really go wrong with one or the other but in my case I started out with the zero blues and then upgraded to the nova but I’m looking to eventually get the hype 4 or origin if my pockets can take it lol

Sulit ang Chu2. I knew it was good, but it still sounded better than I expected.    Also have the Blue variant of the zero , because harman target provides enough bass for my ears already As for DAC, I use a soundblaster G6, mainly because it has input for audio and mic, and its compact (have limited table space)

i have the blues man they have been so good to me for all my fps games

I didnt know they reduced the nozzle length too. I got the Zero Blue and for me, they sounded good. But they hurt, i tried Spinfit W1 and Moondrop Springtips but they still hurt. I sadly returned them. But the foam tips also seem different in size and shape than the pair from the Zero? And nice review, just in time with the announcement from crinacle 👍🏻

Got these, and was surprised how well they sound and how good the spacial sound is. Even compared to the bose quietcomfort 2. But they are to large, so I just got the Zero blue 2, which are smaller and they fit.

Its been so long since I use it so I forgot how it sounds like but from what I remember it's absolutely good for the buck for me. Kinda silent when plugged directly to my phone even on high volume so I had to use a DAC (FiiO KA1) and it work amazingly. Bass is clean and vocals are there and it's definitely not fatiguing for long session. Overall it's a good iem. Shame that mine broke after a year. For the record it was my fault, I left it on the floor and my mom accidentally step on it when cleaning my room. The pins are skewed so I bought a new cable but it hasn't been the same since then plus the left shell had a crack thus really tone down the listening experience.

He mentioned in his post that the Blues favor bass, whereas the Reds are closer to a neutral sound.

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… * 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.)

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.)

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 have a little more money to experiment with... 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.

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… * 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.)

I'm using IEMs since I have some issues with wearing headsets. Currently Truthear x Crinacle Zero Blue. For that price (paid like around 40-50€ back then) I find them pretty decent. Maybe I will upgrade to a IEM in the 100€ area, I heard it's a noticeable jump from the budget ones. But it's quite hard to find the right ones compared to gaming headsets.

After months of research, I finally picked up the truthear crinacle zero blue, primarily for gaming. But to my surprise, I’ve been enjoying them just as much for music, movies, and series. The sound is 100% natural, with perfectly balanced natural bass and treble, nothing feels artificial or over-boosted. Every song sounds exactly how it was meant to be heard, with incredible clarity and detail and naturality and immersiv-ness. (the fact that my phone has 3.5mm jack adds to the more immersive experience also not to worry about usb c to 3.5mm, also it sounds perfect) Coming from years of using cheap audio gear (like cheap gaming headphones and local tws), this feels like an extreme upgrade. Since I’m from India, where high-quality audio products are often expensive, I knew I had only one shot at choosing the right pair, and I’m glad I went with these. The fittng is slightly tricky, but I’ve managed to make it work. For gaming, these are perfect. As a valorant immortal, tier 2 and premier player, I can confidently say that the imaging and soundstage are spot-on. Footsteps, directional cues, and in-game sounds are incredibly precise and natural, giving a competitive edge without any unnecessary bass/treble bloat. I later realized that the Blue 2 was announced after my purchase, but I have no regrets, given the usual delays and price hikes in India, I doubt I would have waited anyway. The included cable is also of excellent quality, adding to the premium feel. As someone experiencing high-fidelity audio for the first time, this has been a game-changer (SERIOUSLY). The level of precision and detail and naturality in the sound is truly number one I have heard so far. Really liking this so much, 100% recommended for first timer.

no mention of staples like Wan’er, Gate, or maybe Zero 2 for the low budget end. Aria 2 is outclassed by newer releases and the cadenza isnt even 50, its 35 and should be in the higher end of the low budget end. No mention of other mid range staples like Crinnacle red/blue, artti t1, ew300, and especially the hexa which should be close to your pref. Even the Titan S is outdated with the Titan S2 and other competition stated High end is plagued with the same issue, lack of explanation and choice Honestly, the list is outdated and you would be better off just going to r/iems and looking at their list or doing your own research

Unfortunatly I can't try anything where I live and returning is quite pricey too, so I'm limited to trusting the reviews and what other people say. You're right about the graph, and what others say. I have the zero blue and it was supposed to have good bass when it came but no, recently bought the ew300 based on reviews and how it has good bass and sounds fun, but to me it has very little bass.

Zero blue was my first iem and at the time I didn't k ow much about tuning and stuff. I know there are some cheal bass iems, but i'm pretty sure it comes at the cost of mids amd highs. I listen to a big variety music from classical to rock to edm and electronic, so I'm not just looking for something with bass, I want it to have good detail too

IF you asked this question a week ago i would of said the IE200, they are great for gaming and i was comparing them too Truth hear blues, and EM6L which are all great for gaming. Just picked up the Linsoul SuperMix4 and they are absolutely fantastic iems, no issues at all and i can find fault with all the others i listed above - iem falls out easily EM6L or ear tip too big Truthhear, housing scraping the ear IE200 using all different tips/cables and then i seen someone mention that the SuperMix4 are a way better version of the EM6L for a little more money, and if you was thinking of buying the EM6L then get the SuperMix4. Well i did and everything is great - audio clarity clear, comfort , cable length/ strength perfect. Honestly i could of saved myself 400dollars if i just got the SuperMix4 first.

Truthear Zero:Blue - These are the most comfy, budget iems with a great soundstage and great positioning Simgot EM6L - Fantastic sound stage with amazing positioning almost double the price of the Truthear, great comfort but depending on your ear canal these fall out/need adjusting far too much even with different ear tips. I recommend them but they aren't perfect due too this issue i have with them.

The best options IMO are:. - Zero:2. - Blue2. - HBB Deuce. And the endgame basshead; - HBB Punch.

I've been listening to the Blue 2 and the Chopin through auto-eq on my MP143, and they sound really similar so far. The blewtwo sound maybe 92% similar to the Chopin \*based off of auto-eq though, so that's a pretty good deal (would be better if they kept it the same price as the Zero Red). Compared to the Chopin though, the blu2's sounded a bit... "plasticky," whereas the Chopin sounded more pleasant, mainly in its upper mids being more forward sounding and clear, and its treble also clearer, bit more sparkly, and more extended. The Chopin also has a much nicer bass punch and a bit more warmth, while the blu2's had a bit more sub-bass rumble and sounded a tad leaner. Overall, the Chopin still sounded more engaging, more fun, more energetic, and clearer/cleaner than the blue2's. But that's just from auto-eq, so idk how the real iems sound through a/b testing, especially with their differentiating drivers. I also auto-eq'd my 143's to the Truthear Nova, but the blue2's still sounded much closer to the Chopin than the Nova's. Like, the difference I heard between the Bleuwu2's and the Chopin might be 5%-8%, mostly in the upper mids (sounds a bit quieter compared to Chopin sometimes, and a bit shoutier too. A bit weird.), lower mids (leaner), and treble (not as extended as Chopin/more controlled, but still sparkly), and finally a tad plasticky sounding, which was a lot more apparent when I switched to my other auto-eq'd profiles then switched back to the Zero Blue 2's profile. This plasticky sound might be from my 143's planar though, the DD drivers probably sound better. Again, this was from auto-eqing, so idk how accurate my assessment is. But, for how closely the tuning sounds to the Chopin, and potentially even closer with certain ear tips, this seems like a reeeeaalllllyyy good value as it's essentially a budget Chopin with very minor eq-able, or tip changeable differences, and it's less than 3x the price of the Chopin. 3 times!!!  but that's through auto-eq, so I'm probably very wrong 🙃😅

My Chopin just arrived, and after auto-eqing to the Nova and Zero Blue 2, the Nova sounds much more similar (92%- 95%) to the Chopin than the Blue 2 (Blue 2 sounds maybe 89% similar). I'll try to compare my Chopin to the Zero Blue 2 w.Foam tips. Immediately, Chopin sounds noticeably more natural/pleasant probably due to it being a bit warmer than the Blue 2. The Blue 2 sounds leaner, more technical, and has better instrument separation compared to the Chopin. - Chopin's sub-bass isn't as prominent as Blue 2's. - Chopin's mid-bass is a tad bit more prominent and heftier, but slightly more pillowy in comparison. If you like Planar style bass (quick, fast, clean), you'll like the mid-bass on the Blue 2 which I actually kind of like a bit more than on Chopin. - For the lower mids: Blue 2 doesn't have that veil of warmth that the Chopin has (Chopin's warmth is still lean compared to most iems), and as a result, Blue 2's vocals and instruments sound crystal clear, very well separated, and more detailed, transparent, but lacking that body/depth that Chopin has. - The Upper mid vocals on the Chopin sound more pleasant and natural compared to the Blue 2. Blue 2's upper mid vocals sound thinner (less note weight) but cleaner and clearer. Both the Chopin and Blue 2 aren't shouty or sibilant but the sss's are more noticeable on the Blue 2. Female vocals on Blu2 are more unnatural, not in a bad way, but more of a more pronounced and clearer way, and can sound almost sharp and almost shouty for some songs that really emphasize those areas, but they are overall controlled. - Blue 2's Upper mid instruments are clean, clear, and more prominent compared to the Chopin. They're more defined, but leaner sounding and less natural sounding than Chopin. - Presence region: I'm assuming this is where the plastic-y sound is coming from? With the song "Radiohead - High and dry" Chopin sounds fuller, and its snares are less peaky than on Blu2. I'm not toooo sure how to listen for presence region sounds, so idk if this is correct 🙃 I'm not a fan of this weird timbre so far, despite liking the transparent tuning. It's usually prominent and noticeable on classical and instrumental music. Chopin overall sounds fuller bodied/organic and more enjoyable than the Blue 2 timbre-wise. DD drivers do have a more organic timbre, so again, this could be more of a driver timbre thing that I'm hearing with my Planar and BA iems. - Treble and Air on the Chopin is more pleasant to listen to than on the Blu2, most of the time. The Blu2 can sound hot/pretty spicy. "The Police - Roxanne" is a good song to test this. Blue 2 is sort of riding that borderline of harshness, and if you're treble-sensitive, it's definitely harsh for you. The Chopin is tamer here in comparison, whereas the Blu2 is more of a peakier kind of treble, even with the foam ear tips. For songs that aren't so treble prominent, I like the treble of the Blu2 because of that extra detail, but the all-rounder Chopin is still plenty sparkly for me and more balanced sounding. Blue 2 seems more song-specific because of that treble. Again, this assessment is through auto-eqing my Chopin to the Blu2 and using only a small sample size (using 1-2 ppl's uploaded graphs), but for my Chopin, currently the only squig graph I could find, and use is Super Review's graph for the Chopin and Blue 2. All in all, I kind of like the Blu2's tuning. The only real issue for me, is that off-tone/undertone/weird timbre happening somewhere up top. I'm still thinking it could be from my Chopin's BA and my MP143's Planar, but I'm also thinking it could be nonexistent - potentially worse or weirder sounding on the Blue 2's actual Dynamic Drivers. The Foam eartip requirement is a bit iffy and a deal-breaker, but since I have a lot of eartips I can try and make it work, but that's just me. Deal-breakers - Foam tip dependent - If you're Treble-Sensitive - You don't like Harman Potential deal-breaker I've heard through my Auto-Eq's: - Weird timbre/undertone from maybe the presence region? Personally, I prefer the Blue 2's tuning over the Nova because I like the detail and transparency > Nova's warmth. Nova is more intimate and a tad warmer sounding than the Chopin, so, less technical. TLDR; Through auto-eq testing, Blue 2 is like Chopin, but more technical and Harman.

At work I use my phone with a JM6 Pro Adapter and whenever my phone dies I plug them right into the laptops 3.5 out. They definitely sounded much worse into the laptop. At home I use a monolith liquid spark to get a clean audio signal to my items Tested with the Truthear Zero Blue 2 I recently bought! 🙂

I don't think so, it just naturally adds more bass into the earbud by increasing the resistance to the drivers. I recently bought the blue 2 and they're super nice sounding!

If you like airpods or basically any "mainstream wireless earbuds" it's almost certain you won't like the reds, or that they sound boring to you. They are basically as neutral or balanced as it gets without being flat! Many "enthusiests" like this sound signature. The "conventinal" earphones mostly boost bass and highs a lot so it sounds more exciting to people.. so if you like that the reds won't be for you. The blues are a little bit more punchy and also the highs are more exciting.. enthusiasts call it shouty.. but regardless even the blues won't have the "mainstream" sound.

Hi. Generally you don’t need an amp with IEMs. An apple dongle will be just fine for almost any situation. You might end up like me that the volume steps will be too large on your phone. I bought a dongle dack with physical volume controls, but it was more of a feature thing than SQ issue. I causually game on a PS5 with the “edge” controller and it’s 3.5mm port is more than capable of driving all my iems. With my orchestra lite it hisses however so I had to use an adapter which solves the issue. My other IEMs do not hiss when directly connected to the port. What you should choose depends on what your priorities and tuning preferences are. I’ve tried all my IEMs for gaming and when playing competitive shooters, their characteristics highly influence how easy it is to accurately pinpoint the direction of audio clues, like footsteps. If you dont play shooters, how immersive the IEMs will be will be mostly a tuning thing. If they are close to your taste they will be good! I own the trutheat Zero Blue, which is quite good for gaming alone, but for music it has it’s limitations. Not that it’s bad - but with complex music I find their midrange to be not cear enough. My Orchestra Lite is better when gaming - and also much better for music. Again, it’s tuning makes it ever-so-slightly bass shy for some parts of my music library, so I kept on looking. My latest purchase - the Tea Pro’s seem to be a great allrounder. They do well with all kinds of music for me. I don’t feel I’m missing on anything, and they are quite good for shooters. You can clearly pick out the audio clues and tell their direction with pinpoint accuracy. The PS5 controller drives them fine.

I currently have MP145, SM4, Truthear Blue, TRN Tiger, and a few more planars. It powers them all without a problem. I am also using these to give the cable some extra protection. https://preview.redd.it/zmkb3ye8kqoe1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=1a9274a065472b007d86e595a5276163571042fc

Whatever genre Polyphia is, will be using my Truthear x Crin Blues…. anyone e know anything better?

Truthear x crinacle zero red or og blue is probably the best at the $50 price point if you can handle the wide nozzle

It means you’re gonna enjoy the zero: red more than the zero blue

I just bought the zero blues, are they not good?? Whys everyone recommending the red? I just wanna use it for gaming and rock and metal

I do prefer the nova over the Hexa, and the tuning is closer to the blue:2

Im a true believer in the zero blues and the zero 2. I do own higher end bass iems but these are solid for sub $100.

Awesome might just pick these ones up. I have the Zero Blue, which is very clear but the nozzles does things to my ears they didn't consent to. I recently used my old Hyper X cloud Revolver with some added bass in Steelseries GG. And I kinda realised I really like a good base for gaming. Just had a kid so i mainly play single players like POE2. But i do like FPS like COD, BF, Delta etc. So i might just get the Tea Pro. Did you switch to some other ear tips?

Zero blue

Not at home at the moment to check for sure but the Quarks do have a larger nozzle than the Little Q and the Loki. I can wear the Truthear Zero with no problems with its nozzle size so none of the bullet style ones are any different to me. But quarks is bigger. The Tanchjim Zero and the newer One aren’t bad but I don’t suggest them. Nozzle is quite big for how small the IEM itself is, however both of those are a short but fat bullet shape. And the cable is much thinner than those of the Loki, Little Q, Quarks, the KBear Dumpling, etc. With the stress that a full helmet can put in the cables with pulling and snagging, I don’t suggest the Tanchjim IEM’s. I think someone else did. Just an fyi. Foams obviously seal great but with your smaller canal, I HIGHLY suggest looking into the Azla Xelastic series of tips. Xelastic 2 is newer and a little more comfortable to me. They mold to the shape of your ear from body heat and I swear, I will die on this hill against anyone saying otherwise, the Xelastic series tips isolate outside noise better than any other tip I’ve used AND better than any ANC from a wireless earbuds I’ve used. My Harley V-Rod had that annoying rumble exhaust and I couldn’t tell it was running while standing right next to it. My Street Glide is quieter but still has some of that annoying loud harley exhaust sound. Can’t hear it at all when I’m using an IEM with the Xelastic tips on it. Azla also has something like 7 sizes so the Xelastic series has a size for anyone. Worth every penny.

I have both Blue and Res zeros. Really good but after maybe an hour my ears can’t take the nozzles anymore. Audio performance they are great but comfort is what kills them for me. EM6L is fantastic and for gaming you will not be disappointed. I really like my T10 and it hits above its asking price for sure. For the money it’s the best bet. If you’re only using an IEM for gaming and not music too, the T10 is what I would suggest.

As an owner of the Zero blue which has the same shells as the red I can attest that this set is not comfortable for long sessions, if you like something comfortable you can do better. Kefine Klean, Inawaken Dawn MS, Aosheda E20 for a 2dd set (reportedly much better with EQ) are the sets that seem to be getting all the budget love right now.

Have both Zero red and blue with an aftermarket Tripowin 4.4mm cable on the blues which I do prefer for more accuracy

I have the Zero Blues. They're not especially sensitive for IEMs but aren't especially *insensitive* either, it sounds like your KZ is actually the outlier here, some IEMs are exceptionally sensitive. Provided there's not actually a problem getting them listenable and you have tried them on multiple sources only to get the same performance, it sounds like unfortunately they're just not for you. Is the "muffled" spot in the midrange but you find yourself liking them otherwise? If so, you may prefer the Blues over the Reds yourself. I have the exact opposite problem and the Blues try to scream in my ear so I don't use them much. Also, double-check the signal isn't mono somehow, that makes all headphones sound really off.

1.) Headphones > IEMS in most cases when it comes to spatial awareness. 2.) If youre still considering buying IEMS, try the ff: -Simgot Em6l ($110) -Truthear Hexa ($80) -Truthear Red/Blues ($50) -Tangzu Waner ($20) Dont go over $110 if you'll be buying IEMS purely for gaming. And I also want to add that the Truthears nozzles are bigger compared to the others, so if you have a small ear hole, be advised. The only pros I see with IEMS are +No head dent (yay) +Lighter +Easy to bring anywhere u go

i’d go for the crinacle zeros (red or blue) and the hexas honestly. great for the price

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.

Zero Blue or Red with one of the nozzles that make it sound like Blue BUT beware of wide nozzles, might be uncomfortable Moondrop LAN BUT beware it's rly heavy because it's steel Moondrop SSR 0 bass

I have 3 options: 1) Tripowin Vivace (around $30 - a reviewer I trust (fresh reviews) basically non-stop praised this pair for FPS games, in fact he has this thing called a "wallhack-certified list" which all my 3 options are there btw and this is the highest one. unfortunately the accessories with it are shit but it's $30) 2) Truthear x Crinacle Zero Blue/Red (around $50, red is slightly more expensive. blue has more bass, red is more balanced but comes with an impedance adapter to boost the bass. many pro players use this pair, notably most of the g2 roster. the issue with this pair is that the nozzle size is quite bulky and so is the shell, so if you have small earholes, it might be slightly bulky 3) Simgot EW200 ($40, my current pair, love this piece of shit, made of metal and feels like a tank yet also light, sound is slightly more towards treble but I bought a pair of eartips which kinda makes it more on the bassy side and tames down the treble. also being a guy with small ass ears, this pair is extremely comfortable) tldr: #1 is from what I heard the best, but #2 & 3 are really good as well, #2 is being used the most in pro play, in fact I've never seen #1 and 3 used as of rn

I believe NiKo is using a pair of Truthear Zeros, which are great for hearing footsteps

Moondrop chu 2 or Tripowin vivace + some cheap dongle is my rec , something like truthear zero is a little bit better

I recommend any of the Truthear Zeroes, the original one probably has bass pushed up a bit more than the Reds, but the Reds have cleaner bass imo. The Hexas have the cleanest bass but they arent as present as the other IEMs. You could also take a look at something by Kinera but I have no personal experience with them so I cant really say. Hope you get something you like tho!

I have had both of them plus my current ones of the Shure 215 SE Pro. The bose ones were definitely my favorite. They were so comfortable and the sound was amazing. My dog broke them after about two years. Now I can't find a pair that isn't crazy expensive because they are discontinued (at least can't find them in canada) The truthear ones I am not sure if I got a defective pair but the sound was really muffled regardless what I did with my sound settings. I only used them for about a week. They were alright for comfort. Then I bought the shure 215 pro and I found them really good. They were really close in sound quality to bose. They are pretty comfortable too because they are really light. I ended up buying a second pair to have as a back up. They aren't as expensive as the bose either but I think they are a really good option. I know a few pros use them but I can't remember which ones

No problem. I think it's likely I just got a defective pair of truthears. You can order them both off of Amazon though and just return the pair you don't like too

I can vouch for the truth ears… they are the best of the current audio devices that I have… I have AirPods Pro and some Beyerdynamic headphones and I get more audio out of the truth ears.

Plus 1 for this, was basically gonna say the same thing. In the spring I ordered a pair of $50 IEMs on Amazon (Truthear X Crinacle Zero’s) because I wanted an alternative to my A40TR’s, I liked over ear headphones but wanted the option for earbuds sometimes. I’ve legit never worn my A40s since the first day my IEMs got here. For like 1/6th of the price they are so much clearer. Don’t get me wrong, the audio in this game can suck pretty bad, nothing is gonna magically make audio from nothing (never gonna hear someone mantle no matter what you use 🤣) , but the sound cues you do hear are crispy through my IEMs and muddy through my A40s.

I can add my experience to this. I have a Philips SHP9500 headphones and a TruthEar Zero IEM. It all comes down how you want your sound to be presented. For atmospheric and open world games, the SHP9500 is great. But for competitive FPS games like PUBG and CS2, the Zero is king. Everything is so much clearer like footsteps and gunfire direction. And also, with an IEM, you can set your sound levels lower than with headphones and still have better clarity and details. And I bought them both around the same price range too.

From my experience, the Truthear Zero is pretty good for FPS games in general. Very nice and detailed and the sound direction is pretty accurate. I can easily hear people running from 50 meters away.

Truthear Zero is generally regarded as somewhat better. They are 2x the price after all, but if you're not too discerning these will do just fine.

Aful Explorer, or any other lower pinna gain set. Truthear Zero (og), the other side of the coin for me, shouty and harsh.

Truthear Nova if u can get a promo to 100$ or Truthear zero's ( blue or red both good for 40$/50$) Don't get em6l - they are good in only comp games (you can hear the footsteps , directions etc but for me its sounds off, have a muddy feel) , Nozzle - issues (falling apart ), super smooth nozzle causes tips to pop out

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 convinced on that. Is it cool? Yeah. But like a 20$ truthear zero really isn't that bad as is. If the monarch was 200$ I'd buy it again

Your experince has some similarities with mine. I also started with the Zero (1) but it broke, so I got the Chu 2. Found the Chu 2 too V-shaped for me. Next, I got the SGOR Luna, which is like you getting the EW300. Both clearly V-shaped tuned IEM's with similar flaws. I love the Luna but it was just too V-shaped and I felt like I was missing out on the mids and vocals were distant (they never go too busy though since they're plannars). Then I got the 7hz Sonus in an attempt to save from spending for the Hexa. This was 90% there for me but it got really fatiguing ang unnatural after a month. Too "in-your-face" sound. I finally got the Hexa's and have been using them for over 2 months now. The way you describe them is almost exactly how I would too. Cheers.

You mean truthear zero? They are perhaps more neutral sounding, when I heard "dans audio reviews" yt channel. Suprisingly enough the most bass you can get from the cheapest, qkz x hbb, they of course doesn't have the best technicalities, separation, or soundstage, but vocals are clean and bass is there. Something more polished would be the Tri x Hbb Kai, but its too shiny and perhaps also out of stock. They are so cheap, that they cost less then the foam buds, and the bass is there. O course dont know if the bass clarity and separation would be enough, but I was quite surprised how good it is. Perhaps they lack in other areas bu defenitelly not in the bass area.

I love the sound of the Blue 2’s, but I tried the Tangzu Fudu, Kiwis and 7hz - the only reason I’m considering others is because they feel so much better in my ears. But the sound signature has been better on the Truths by far

Truthear Zero. Some people prefer the Zero Red’s as they have a little more/smoother bass but the originals are just as good imo and reds are a few more bucks.

It’s the same earbud, I left out the crinacle to keep it shorter

Ive been rotating between the kz castor, tripowin viviace, and truthear zero. Castor for bass and vivace and red just based on what im feeling. But I do feel like the vivoace is a little bit better

Shure, Westone and KZ are all terrible. The sound and build quality is bad. Get some Salnotes Zero 2s, TruthEar Zero, TturthEar Hexa or Moondrop Aria. All under $100, just get some foam tips to go with them.

Sgor Luna at below $30 is a great option. Truthear Zero at around $45 (2 DD) is a great starting point. It has plenty of bass quality and quantity (one driver acts as subwoofer, the other handles mids and highs). T10 (single large planar driver) is awesome too, but it isn't great to look at. Planar bass packs a tight punch. It's different than bass from dynamic drivers though. At around $65-$70 (on sale): S08 and Aful Explorer. I've been using the 7hz zero on the road while maining Truthear Zero at home. I have Dioko for when I want brightness and that planar sound. Recently I went shopping for something new and ended up with: 1) KZ Castor Bass (good bass, fun, connector for KZ Az09 pro bt adapter). 2) Waner 2 (to try the new release and for Sancai tips) 3) Letshuoer S08 (expecting this dark planar to be my new main IEM. Also has a bunch of accessories I wanted). 4) Aful Explorer (similar to S08 in sound signature but with different, multi-driver tech). Plus I like its shell design. Have fun with your pick.

I have castor bass, wan'er 2, truthear zero, nicehck f1 pro, S08, and Aful Explorer. Of all of them, I love the Explorer the most and it's my current fave. The bass is awesome, mids and highs are clear. Fits very well. Cables and case are super high quality and just awesome to use. Go up a little bit and wait for sale. I got mine for ~$72 with coins in the recent spring sale.