Timeless Series

timeless 2 are a beast. if you're happy with these, these can hold you out till endgame which nowadays can be had for 400$\~ on sale in something like xenns top pro

oh ur good drivers for most of them are generally pretty similar just tuned diff. s12 pro, timeless 2, kiwi ears aether, even the cheaper artti t10

planar iems are great for rock. if you want a flatter neutral leaning sound profile then 7hz divine thing is with planars is that the bass is fast and you can crank it up more while still maintaining that clarity and separation. So if you'd abit more bass and more energetic signature then you have stuff like 7hz timeless 2

I'm like you. I was out of the iem space for years and only just returned. I've got the Campfire Audio Polaris, FIIO FH9, KZ ZS12 PRO X, and 7HZ Timeless II. The 7HZ Timeless II is by far the best sounding IEM I've heard to date. It's a planar and my god it has bass for days, amazing instrument separation, awesome mids presentation for rock/metal, resolving highs and it was only $229 USD. The Timeless II is great for rock/metal, hip hop, and EDM. Likewise, the KZ S12 PRO X is in spiting distance of sounding on par with my much more expensive FIIO FH9. Skip the name brand stuff and check out the chi-fi scene 100%.

7hz Timeless handles EQ very well. They say most planers handle EQ very well, but I can only speak on the timeless as its the only planar I own.

Some background: I currently mainly use the Moondrop KATO (previously Aria), and I find it to be the most comfortable for me. I also have the Timeless 7hz, but it doesnt fit well into my ears, so I ended up benching it because my ears start to hurt after an hour or two. I listen to a lot of R&B, Rock/alternative rock, New Age, Classical, Ballad, J-pop, and more recently, K-pop. That said, I also really like vocals, with Ado being a good example. Budget: \~$200-300. I'm willing to spend a bit more if it is worth it. I also want to use it with my phone since I can't really do that with the KATOS, as they're quite heavy, so I can't walk around with them. This isn't a hard requirement, but is something I would like. I've been eyeing the Tanchjim FOLAs, but I'm not sure if there's something else I should be looking at, like the Origin or Force instead.

The Timeless is okay, but I honestly prefer the KATOs in every way, just that the treble/highs can peak a little high sometimes, causing it to be a little harsh on my ears, and it's why I'm using the brass nozzles. For the most part, I'm just looking for something similar but with a more controlled treble. So like imagine the KATOs but the peaks are less harsh. I currently have them EQ'd to where the top (~20 kHz) is gently brought down because of this, but the upper mids and high do have a decent boost. I value vocal clarity and presence, and I don't care too much about the bass "hitting" strongly. I was mainly looking for something clean, kind of bright, and has good details. From what I read up, the FOLAs and Force were the most similar, but it seems like I can't quite find a good comparison of the two. From the charts, Force seemed the most similar to the KATOs, but the FOLAs have a smooth fall off for the highs I believe, which is what I think I'm looking for, but I'm not sure.

I honestly don't know what exactly I like, especially since I EQ'd my KATOs, so it's not exactly "stock." I actually really like my KATOs post EQ, just that the treble can peak a little high sometimes, causing it to be a little harsh on my ears, but that's also why I'm using the brass nozzles. I'm also not a "basshead." With my EQ, I have it as this: (Bass & sub bass) 20-200 Hz: Almost flat with a slight cut. (Low mids) 200-500 Hz: Noticeable dip to reduce "mud" and thickness, making mixes sound cleaner and less boxy. (Midrange) 500 Hz - 2kHz: Close to flat with tiny tweaks (short incline, then flattens). (Upper mids and highs) 5-10 kHz: There's a clear boost, but it's not insanely high. (Very top) ~20 kHz: It is gently brought down to lessen that harshness I was talking about earlier. For the most part, I would say I'm just looking for something similar to the KATOs but with a more controlled treble. So like imagine the KATOs but the peaks are less harsh. I value vocal clarity and presence, and I don't care too much about the bass "hitting" strongly. I was mainly looking for something clean, kind of bright, and has good details. From what I read up, the FOLAs and Force were the most similar, but it seems like I can't quite find a good comparison the two. From the charts, Force seemed the most similar to the KATOs, but the FOLAs have a smooth fall off for the highs I believe, which is what I think I'm looking for, but I'm not sure. I'll read the post you linked, but I'm honestly not sure what I should be looking for in terms of describing these IEMs.

my first (and only) DAP is Hiby R4, and I bought 7hz timeless 2 with it as well a word of advice, while timeless 2 sounds amazing (the more I listen to it the more I love it) it's quite big and getting a comfortable fir with it is not easy, at least for me if I could go back in time I would probably buy some other planar iems