Lush

I like the Zigaat lush, it is indeed Luscious and very good for vocals and ASMR.

ZiiGaat Lush are my favorites and I'd defo get 'em.

Same problem of bass shelf + air emphasis. You could get a 'Meta' set and EQ an inverse U-shape with low and high shelves, but if EQ isn't an option then there aren't that many good choices. I've heard praise for the ZiiGaat Lush for avoiding a U-meta, but its treble is contentious depending on fit.

I'd recommend Ziigaat Lush based on your preferences. If you EQ your Waner to match it how'd you like the signature?

You'll definitely grow on the signature if you liked the sensitive areas and lush is special in its price segment. If you liked the sound then I definitely recommend it. Also if you feel like you'd want more bass the Lush reacts to impedance changes so you could add an impedance adapter to boost bass (it also boosts treble a little bit). https://hobbytalk.squig.link/?share=ZiiGaat_Lush,ZiiGaat_Lush_75

A "gaming set" is hard to pin depending on your own preferences, the question is what genre/category of gamer are you? Do you play FPS only? Do you play serious/competitive FPS? Do you play MMORPG's? All these will have different outcomes for recommendations, this way you can either have 2 sets or perhaps satisfied with one across the board. Details will tell the tale as they say. Explorer is on the more studio monitoring side of things like the Ziigaat Lush, people often refer to them as "flat and boring", I have the Lush and its pretty uncolored and flat.

Sadly not so much, I own a pair.. they are pretty flat sounding.

Zigaat Lush would be a direct upgrade. ie more neutral warm. Xuan NV imo is better than the Red Zero. Better than Artii 10 as well.

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

I bought the Tangzu Wan'er Studio Edition about 4 days ago and honestly that thing is awesome. If I had to realistically choose a next step up above that...I'd say..Zigaat Lush (with moondrop spring eartips). I totally get what you're saying though. The Wan'er Studio I personally actually ranked higher than Hexa, ER2xr and IE200 for enjoyability. It sounds better than those 3 on vocals. It's quite an amazing IEM for only $20. This was my video review of the Wan'er Studio Edition. So you can definitely tell I was shocked at how good they were: https://youtu.be/ke0K9piq3jo

Zigaat Lush with Moondrop Spring Tips (large) is basically an HD600 for my ears. Even when I monitor with it — speaking into a mic and listening back — it’s dead-on with my voice. Crinacle Dusk (analogue mode) also sits right in that HD600 zone. ======================= Random and slightly crazy thought: grab a neutral mic like a RODE NT1 4th Gen or Austrian OC818, then monitor your voice through different IEMs. It’s kind of a trip — one will sound thin and bright, another warm, another exactly like you. I swear it lines up with their tonal balance The Truthear Pure with Tang Sancai balanced bore (green for me) is pretty close to Hd600 too. Don't use the stock eartips though. It's mud with stock eartips.

I feel like this is the cycle of Hexa. Cycle 1: Hi! I'd like a neutral sounding IEM. Cycle 2: (parrots) HEXA! (buys Hexa) Cycle 3: Oh no. I don't like Hexa. Cycle 4: Halp. I need another IEM. So a few alternatives to check out: \- You might like the Truthear Pure much better. Just use Tang Sancai balanced eartips with it \- You should check out the Zigaat Lush. A warm neutral sound. If you pair it with Moondrop spring tips it sounds really nice. Since you mentioned you have the Senn HD600, you'll feel right at home. When people say the Hexa is like an HD600, I actually don't agree with them and say that (this, the Lush) is closer to the HD600. \-You might like Explorer. It's a chill and sit back kinda IEM \-You might like the Celest Pandamon 2.0. It's currently about $9. It won't wow you right away but over time it grows on you. It's kinda like how the Explorer is. I recommend pairing it with Kiwi ears flex eartips since it really works well with the Pandamon 2.0.

It's pretty close with Moondrop spring tips (Large) imo :D. Definitely far far closer than Hexa for dang sure.

Sure thing! Right after Listener’s comment, I literally put both on just now :D Both the Pure (with Tang Sancai tips) and Lush (with Moondrop Spring tips) get much closer to the HD600 than the Hexa. I did a silly test — grabbed a mic, spoke into it, and switched between the headphones to hear how my own voice playback compared to the 600s. Started with the HD600, then tried the Pure and Lush — and honestly, both got pretty close. The Hexa though? Heck no. It sounded like I was talking through a scraggly RØDE NT1-A, haha. TL;DR: Both are way closer to the HD600 than the Hexa.

So I actually kinda bought a ton of IEMs to answer this question too. I was trying to find something that works for voiceover, for mixing, for critical editing, and for checking how mics sound in reviews. If I had to choose under $300, here’s my categories: * Mixing: Neutral enough to translate well on different setups (HD6xx, speakers, etc.) * Critical editing: Can it expose bad audio or does it hide flaws? * Monitoring: How good it is for hearing your own voice accurately. * Enjoyment: Just how fun it is to listen to. Letshouer Galileo Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent (voice literally sounds just like me when monitoring) Enjoyment: Low Moondrop Blessing 2 / Blessing 3 Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Low (pretty harsh, basically MDR-7506s in IEM form) Zigaat Lush Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Below average unless you crank the volume on sibilant spots Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Good

Etymotic ER2XR / ER4XR Mixing: Below average (soundstage is too 2D) Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Okay Crinacle Daybreak (surprisingly) Mixing: Depends—more “Meta” neutral than Etymotic-style Critical Editing: Excellent (picks up sibilance like crazy, great for catching issues) Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: High Xuan NV (big surprise) Mixing: No, too much bass Critical Editing: Excellent (vocals are super accurate for both male and female) Monitoring: Iffy—low impedance can be weird with interfaces like the MOTU M2 Enjoyment: High Thieaudio Legacy 2 Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Decent Cadenza 4 Mixing: Excellent Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Excellent Orchestra Lite Mixing: Excellent (surprisingly neutral—not bright like Blessing 2/3, not warm like Dusk or Lush) Critical Editing: Excellent Monitoring: Excellent Enjoyment: Excellent Basically the Studio4 but more revealing with sibilance instead of smoothing it out. Hexa I don’t really recommend it—too many fit issues and inconsistent impressions. If you do try it, use wide-bore tips (not narrow). Video explaining why: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x-T8el9fbs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x-T8el9fbs) Hope this helps.

Softears Studio 4 (better for female vocals, ie kpop) Xuan NV (great for male and female vocals. Imo better than Truthear Nova. But soundstage is lacking on Xuan NV). But it's a hell of a deal for $67. Great artwork box. Great eartips (usually 20 bucks). Great cable. Great sound. Kiwi Ears Astral (better for female vocals. But no penalty for male vocals) Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite (better for female vocals) Cadenza 4 (great all-rounder) Juzear Defiant (at least the unit I have; mine works fine. Vocals are spot on for male and female vocals.) YMMV but I feel like Zigaat Lush has good vocals too.

Damn. A lot of the ones I think hit the mark are either discontinued or recently went out of stock. I really wish they still had the Westone Mach 60s deal for $350. They used to have this deal where it was the Westone Mach 60s + Ifigo for $350. That imo is pretty spot-on accurate with vocals, microphones, etc, and doesn’t compromise on soundstage. Overall it’s like perfect for your application. But yeah, they don’t have the deal anymore. That said, here’s what I’d recommend, trying to calibrate to what you’re saying. Since you have the Studio 4, I can calibrate to that. If you want something with more bass than Studio 4, accurate vocals, but less soundstage and technicals than Studio 4, you can go for the Xuan NV. They’re basically like the Audio Technica M50x, over emphasized bass but accurate vocals. They imo completely replace the Audio Technica ATH-E40. TLDR: accurate vocals, exaggerated bass, not as good soundstage. Shure SE846, 1st gen or 2nd gen, but go 1st gen. Use the neutral blue filter and either the included yellow sponges or just plop on a Final Audio E large. This imo gets pretty close to JBL 305s. Don't bother with the 2nd gen. The only draw of the 2nd generation is the red filter and the red filter isn't even good. Blue filter is closer to neutral. Zigaat Lush with Moondrop spring tips. I tested a bunch of tips but for some reason the Spring tips help a lot. These have an HD600 tonality and sound. It does tend to dull out sibilance a bit, so it’s not good for critical editing, but it’s pretty warm-neutral. Tanchjim Fola, but use the D filter. D filter equals a better Nora. Warmer than Truthear Hexa, but a bit less warm than Truthear Pure. This is the Truthear Hola upgraded, if you have it from years past, but with better technicals and better vocals. Hard to explain, but you’d only understand this if you have all of these to understand: Truthear Hola, Truthear Pure, Truthear Hexa. Totally different company though. If you use the S filter (default filter) it'll sound like a 90% Tanchjim Origin. Which still actually is useful for your application too. Dusk, Tea Pros, RSV Mark 1 if you’re looking more for the Meta sound and you think Meta is neutral. Beyerdynamic DT70IE. These are very accurate with vocals, but also have bass. These are sort of a refined version of the Xuan NV. Think Xuan NV but better soundstage. A bit overpriced as all Beyer stuff are, but even voiceactors swear by this (they talk about how accurate vocals are on it). I have it and these have amazing comfort. I feel like the fair price for this is $300, but these are great for what you’re looking for. Cadenza 4. Odd choice, I know. But I pegged these as accurate enough for mixing and critical editing. No weak bass on these. Vocals are accurate. U-shaped. Excellent for enjoyment. You might love these. Letshouer Galileo. This is honestly the closest I’ve seen to dead-neutral. I have these and these are insane. When I wear a microphone and speak into this, this sounds exactly like me. It’s insane how neutral these are. But good luck finding these. They’re very hard to find. But imo much closer to my notion of neutral. Kiwi Ears Aether. Think better Hexa. This is not an enjoyable set at all, but I respect its existence. It’s neutral-ish, less harsh than the Hexa, and has better soundstage than the Hexa. But it’s joyless. You might like these. Keep the Studio 4s since they bring so much joy.

It’s honestly hard to find something that’s Tea Pro–warm (or warmer), Tea Pro–level quality, and more comfortable than the Tea Pros. Here are the warm IEMs I’ve tested: (1) Truthear Pure – Warm-ish, but comfort isn’t better than Tea Pro. (2) Mega5EST – Warm-ish, but whether it’s more comfortable is debatable. I also personally think the Tea Pros (and Dusk) sound better. (3) RSV Mark 1 – Definitely warm. Pretty comfy. Still debatable if it’s actually more comfortable. Sonically, this is better than Tea Pros *to me*. (4) Dusk – Warm-slanted, but the nozzle is bigger. Tea Pros are more comfy. (5) Dunu SA6 Mk2 – More neutral-warm than truly warm. I prefer Tea Pros by a lightyear. (6) Ziigaat Lush – Neutral-warm. Comfort isn’t better. (7) Aful Explorer – Better comfort. Definitely warm. Worse than Tea Pros. Worse than Kima 2 imo. (8) Kima 2 – Genuinely punches hard for the money and is really comfortable. Neutral-warm done right. Comfort is along the lines of Senn / Tanchjim stuff, i.e. small shells. Alternatively, you could look at the IER-M7. The IE600 wouldn’t be my recommendation for what you’re looking for — it’s more V-shaped with sharper highs. Edit: There’s also the Softears Volume S. I didn’t keep it long because it reminded me too much of the Truthear Pure (with Tang Sancai balanced bore eartips). That’s not a knock — it’s actually very good — but the Pure makes it feel redundant, and it tends to do that to quite a few IEMs.

Going to use a grading system: A, B, C, D, F like in school A means excellent B is good C is average D is bad F is absolute fail **Mixing:** Going to avoid using the word "neutral" because then every mofo comes in the thread saying, what's neutral. Let's use the word "even-keeled'. Good iems for mixing are generally more even-keeled. If it has way too much bass you'll thin out your mix. If it's way too trebly and bright and shouty you're going to overcompensate. Ideally you want something more even-keeled. **Enjoyability:** Subjective. But how enjoyable it is **Critical Editing:** This isn't the same as mixing. But it means will it let you know if you have shit audio. If I listen to Kanye's sibilant ass tracks does he sound sibilant on them? If I listen to Lana White Dress is she sibilant on it? She better be. If I watch a DMS video from 6 years ago, does he sound sibilant on it? He better. Because he does. This is important because you need to evaluate your audio and the iem lets you know your audio is shit before thousands of people hear it. Etymotic ERXR Enjoyability: C to B to A. Pretty good, depending on who you ask Critical editing: A+. Very good at letting you know areas of trouble in your audio Mixing: D. Poor soundstage Truthear Hexa Enjoyability: D. I hate it Critical editing: A+ with wide bore tips Mixing: C. Imo actually a bit thin on lowend. You'll overcompensate. Also the soundstage on Hexa is kinda eh ngl. Salnotes Zero Original Enjoyability: C. I think it's ok. Or mid. Critical editing: B. Honestly pretty good at letting you know egregious areas. The version 1 is less forgiving with sibilance than 2, so it's better for critical editing. Zero 2 blunts the sibilance out (better for enjoyers; bad for audio engineers) Mixing: A. pretty neutral imo Softears Studio 4 Enjoyability: A to A+. Very enjoyable IEM Critical editing: D. Ironically. It smooths out all sibilance so you won't know sibilance is there. This is why it's so beautiful sounding. Mixing: A+. Very neutral. I'd even say probably my closest definition of neutral Moondrop Blessing 2 Enjoyability: D (harsh, shouty, bright, sibilant). Same with Blessing 3. Critical Editing: A. These are very picky with harshness in vocals. I genuinely think these are the Sony MDR 7506 in iem form. Mixing: A Zigaat Lush Enjoyability: B to A Critical Editing: C You won't really find problem areas of sibilance. You really really really have to crank it to hear it. Mixing: A. Pretty even-keeled. Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite: Enjoyability: B to C Critical Editing: A. Excellent at picking out flaws. Mixing: A+. Excellent at telling you the whole picture. Excellent for mixing. Very very even-keeled.

Letshouer Cadenza 4 Enjoyability: A to A+ Critical Editing: B to A Mixing: A. While a bit U-shaped it's not egregious. It's enough to make decisions. Sennheiser IE200 Enjoyability: B to A Critical Editing: D to F (rounds out a lot of sibilance imo, which is actually a good thing for enjoyers). Mixing: B. Kind of shocking but while people call this v-shaped this is actually not as v-shaped imo. If you monitor yourself using these iems it'll sound exactly like you down to the microphone. Most other v-shaped iems don't do that. Crinacle Daybreak Enjoyability: B to A- Critical Editing: A (rofl. It's funny because it genuinely is good at picking out bad audio. If it sounds harsh it's because the original track is harsh) Mixing: B (This is more of a "Meta" tuned iem. But imo just enough where it sounds true) Crinacle Dusk Enjoyability: B to A+ (depending on who you ask) Critical Editing: C on Analogue. F on DSP. It rolls out sibilance by quite a large margin. Mixing: A on analogue mode. Honestly pretty neutral. almost HD600ish. But about a C on DSP mode. Tanchjim Origin Enjoyability: C to A (depending on who you ask) Critical editing: A (it'll definitely let you know spicy regions Mixing: A. A bit bright-slanted but definitely capable for mixing. Theioaudio Legacy 2: Enjoyability: C Critical editing: A+ Mixing: A+ Xuan NV (honorable mention) Enjoyability: A Critical editing: B Mixing: D (too bassy imo) I mention these because imo these are the Audio Technica M50x of iems but the size of 2 quarters. They basically give you accurate vocals down to the tee but thumpy bass. The vocals are very accurate on these. Not good for mixing though. Dunu Titan S (original) Enjoyability: C Critical editing: D (the treble is rounded out quite a bit) mixing: A (these are my imo pretty close to neutral)

Zigaat Lush sounds pretty dope with Moondrop spring tips. I think we just have different preferences. I recall you liked the Kinera Idun 2.0 and that, to me, sounded super bright and thin with bad vocals. So we might just be hearing things differently.

Kiwi Ears Astral - For female vocals Zigaat Lush - For male vocals Imo these 2 complement each other really well.

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

These are either: 1. Warm 2. Warm V 3. Warm neutral 4. Or warm-ish ============================= Juzear Harrier Softears Volume S Truthear Pure, get it with Tang Sancai balanced bore eartips (recommend) Zigaat Lush, get it with short wide bore eartips to make it open up , ie Moondrop Spring tips (recommend) Dunu Kima 2 (strongly recommend) Aful Explorer Xenns Tea Pro (strongly recommend) Ddhifi Surface Crinacle Dusk (recommend) Mega5est Tangzu Xue Tao (sounds like Apple airpods pro 2 to me) (warm tilted) Celest Pandamon 2.0 (I like it a lot. It pairs well with Kiwi ears flex eartips) Kiwi Ears Belle Artii T10 (with Kiwi Ears flex eartips). Do not use stock eartips with it. (recommend) Dunu SA6 Mark 2 RSV Mark 1 Celest Wyvern Abyss Original (not remaster)------- Great iem. But shit soundstage. But great vocals. Warm tilted. (recommend) Supermix 4 isn't a warm iem at all.

What do you mean by benchmark? But if you want what gets close to its sound. Zigaat Lush with Moondrop Spring tips Large gets pretty close.

**Zigaat Lush + Moondrop Spring Tips (large)** Neutral warm. It really shines with those eartips for me. I’ve gotten feedback from folks saying those exact tips seem to help a lot. (For context, I tried Clarion, Tang Sancai Wide Bore, Tang Sancai Balanced Bore, Divinus Velvet.) But it was, for some reason, the default Crinacle Dusk eartips (Moondrop Spring Tips) that made it sound much better. Reminds me of an HD600. **Letshouer Cadenza 4 ($199)** More U-shaped. Absolutely spectacular. I'd honestly get these (while they're on $199) over everything here. It's not precisely what you asked for but you should absolutely get it while you can. **Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite ($199)** Closer to neutral. I wouldn’t put it in neutral bright like Blessing 3, Blessing 2, Tanchjim Origin, Salnotes Zero OG, or 7Hz Sonus. I also wouldn’t put it on the warm side like Dunu Sa6 Mark 2, Lush, Truthear Pure, Tea Pros, Mega5EST, or Dunu Kima 2. It’s more in the middle. Not the left, not the right. My definition of neutral. I don’t think Meta is neutral. I don’t think Etymotic are neutral. I think the Studio4 is neutral. That’s where the Orchestra Lite lives. Note!!! Comfort can be fiddly. Unvented. **Truthear Pure** In my opinion, the Pure should be recommended instead of the Hexa to people who are confused between the two. Just remember: don’t use the stock eartips. Use Tang Sancai Balanced Bore. This cleans out the muddiness and vastly improves the sound. **Xuan NV** An unconventional pick, but it might be what you want. Vocals are spot-on and are reference quality (like M50x etc). It accurately displays my voice on a microphone exactly how it sounds. Male vocals sound exact. Female vocals sound exact. They also come with Tang Sancai eartips, which are normally $20. The cable, artwork, and sound are fantastic. Basically neutral and accurate vocals with a fun bass boost done well. And imo it’s what you are asking for: – i.e. better than Hexa, a far more enjoyable listen. Good reason why many people complain about the Hexa on this subreddit and regret buying it. It’s a meme at this point. – Better than the Delci. Ironically, I liked the Kefine Klean over the Delci. Delci is like a V-shape but male vocals are thin sounding. Synthetic sounding. The Xuan NV has a more full tonality to all male and female vocals. – Better than the Hola. Tough one because I love the Hola, but Xuan NV has more detail and punchier bass. – Better than the Salnotes Zero. Just literally better on everything across the board. Better vocals. Better bass. Better tonality. Punchier bass. Fuller vocals. – S12 Pro: I can’t comment on that. But I have the S12 Ultra. I felt the S12 Ultra were honestly too blunted on treble. Sounds like the S12 Pro is the exact opposite. Just note the soundstage isn’t the best, but still a helluva deal at $67. **Daybreak** It’s on discount right now. It’s Meta done pretty well but at a great discount. It’s done well. Mild V, warm neutral, Meta-ish tonality. **Performer 5+2** More of a mild V. Then again it might be more of a textbook V. But it’s one to check out as well. **Sennheiser IE200 (unconventional)** I’d actually label this as a mild V and closer to neutral. Vocals sound exact. When monitoring and switching between different microphones (MXL 990, AT2035, SM7B, TLM103, SE4100, etc.) It accurately showed my voice exactly as it sounded. People consider the IE200 kind of V-shaped, but it isn’t an extreme V-shape like Hype4 or IE600. I’d even argue it’s less V-shape compared to the Defiant. The comfort on the IE200 is S-tier, and I often veer toward my most comfortable pairs. That’s precisely why I never buy Theiaudio IEMs. As great as they sound, they never fit my ears, and so they never get my money.

Ziigaat Lush is just a better Explorer and it's close to that range, either one i would not call an all-rounder though, unless you know you want a warm sound. Supermix 4 has QC issues and inverted polarity, Nova is the better Harman for sure and can be had right around 100 frequently. The pure is a straight improvement on the Hexa but it's also kind of muddy. Personally, my rec is Crinear Daybreaks on sale. Truthear Pure if you can't swing that.