Since you’re not picky abt the signature good pick near the price of the u6t would be the monarch mk4 more bit more neutral and less warm you have the option of a bass switch if you want it to be warmer/ bassier. A cheaper option would be a mega5est or a xenns top pro and under those would be the astrals me personally I like monarch the best and astrals then mega5est the top pro. Only thing to note is that the monarch shells are big asf so I’d demo if you can.
Peeps here touched on it. A GREAT IEM now…will still be a GREAT IEM in 20 years (if the unit lasts that long) Koss and Sennheiser each have headphone models and designs that have been popular and even revered for over 40 years. That said…IEMs like Truthear Hexa and/or Mega5est will have staying power because of their reputation at their “hyped” peak. I think AFUL Explorer will be one of those IEMs that will be talked about for a long time. It has a very warm, smooth, relaxed tuning (treble) that is not common at that price point. Am sure there are fans of kilobuck or expensive mid-fi IEMs that have their favorites that they’ll swear will stand the test of time.
The IEM space is quite young still. Yes, musicians and artists have been using IEMs for a long time…but for those of us using IEMs for music/gaming it is still a young development. Good luck with your collection journey. Consider using a watch box to store and display your IEMs (if you are into that)
I was just thinking that it was interesting that ASMR doesn't get brought up on r/iems much. My recommendation is the dunu Braindance or a used Mest series. I have the Mest mkIII and it's perfect for comfort when falling asleep to ASMR, but a little out of budget. The Braindance is a little less spacious but is still comfortable for me.
IEMs I've also tried for ASMR include:
* Empire Ears Raven (too big but very nice rumble feeling)
* Mega5EST (comfortable but not as spacious)
* Thieaudio Monarch MK2 (too big)
* Galaxy buds 3 pro (not nearly loud enough)
Well, I found a few and my top contenders right now are:
1. Mega5est Bass+
2. Thieaudio Hype 4
The Hype 4 is considerably cheaper than the Mega5 but also has a narrower soundstage and lesser bass (I never thought so before I tried the Mega5EST Bass+). It does have more emphasized treble though which makes it more exciting at times when listening to EDM and electronic music though where it exaggerates the treble a bit. It's also not as open sounding at the Mega5EST.
I just recently got the Mega5EST Bass+ and I chose this over the Mega5EST because I know I like bass and because it was on sale for the same price as the original, non bass boosted version. The Mega5EST sounds A LOT CLOSER to headphones or speakers than any other IEMs I've tried so far. One difference between it and the Hype 4 is that the Hype 4 sound more 'in your head' than the Mega5. Listening to the Mega5EST sounds like you're not wearing IEMs at all, like your ears have windows and they're open. They also don't over emphasize the treble and you can't hear any sizzling sparkles at the top end. I think they are a lot easier to tolerate for long listening periods because they're super chill sounding and everything sounds more relaxed like you are in a room and listening to speakers instead of IEMs. No harsh treble even in the most treble rich music. Also, the bass quantity and quality on these are amazing! Not quite Hifiman Edition XS level but close. The bass can get too boomy at times though.
Conclusion: I think the Mega5EST Bass+ along with the Qudelix T71 with 7.1 surround sound virtualization take the crown for me. I'm a bit sad because I just got the Hype 4s. Oh well, the Hype 4s are a close second and I will probably use them for electronic music more but honestly, the Mega5EST Bass+ do a splendid job with electronic as well because of the phenomenal bass and overall 'open' and natural feeling sound.
You could check out this audio demo of the Hype 4 vs Mega5EST to get an idea about the difference: https://youtu.be/oxo_pR7D7MY. The Bass+ has significantly more bass though.
Can you give some more detail on how it compares to the Mega5EST? I really like them but I found the sub-bass to be a bit much at times, and pinna gain / vocal energy is lacking for me a little, so I put on Pentaconn Coreir Brass tips on them and now they’re a lot closer to my signature preference. My endgame would be a similar sound sig but with slightly more vocal presence, midbass punch, and better dynamics.
the monarch mkiv can sound jarring if you’re coming from a warmer iem (i have the sa6 mk2 and it’s hard for me to categorize. sometimes it sounds warm, sometimes it sounds open and bright—not sure how you hear it). but, since it’s already in your hands, i’d give it some more time. just today, i put mine on and found them to be warmer than i remembered. sometimes it just depends on what you heard last, how tired you are, etc.
otherwise, maybe the mega5est. it’s more vocal forward than the sa6 mk2 and more conventionally tuned, so it would complement your sa6 by giving you something that sounds a little more proper while being more laid back and natural than the monarch mkiv. you also don’t give up too much in terms of technicalities. coming from the monarch mkiv, the bass will definitely sound less defined, but i think it fits the overall sound signature well. some people call the mega5est boring, but musicality is subjective and hard to define. i’m a neutral head and the mega5est has a touch more warmth and bass than what i consider neutral, so in that sense, it’s musical to me.
if you want to be risk-averse, the ziigaat arcanis has pretty much replaced the sa6 mk2 in my rotation. it’s what i expected the sa6 mk2 to sound like (and what i wanted the mega5est to sound like). a bit more sub bass and bit more satisfying bass overall. i find the upper mids and vocals of the sa6 mk2 to be too recessed and the arcanis addresses this by bringing them forward just a smidge (but not as much as the mega5est). vocals have a vibrant quality to them that you might consider musical. and there is just enough treble extension to give it air and sparkles. it doesn’t come across as technical as the sa6 mk2, but all of the details are still there. it’s unique and i actually like it more than the mega5est, but that comes down to how it fits in my collection
penon/isn has been recommended a lot. i can vouch for the ebc80. its warm, has phenomenal sound stage, and is super fun. it isn’t fatiguing at all to me, but it doesn’t really fall under the category of laid back. their other iems might for the bill, though.
these recommendations i think would be an “upgrade” to the sa6 mk2. however, my philosophy is that for a laid back sound, you don’t need to spend a lot of money. so personally, my warm, laid back iem is the ziigaat arcadia. it’s warm, punchy, has just enough treble, and with the right tips, can sound just as well-executed and beautiful as anything in the $200-$250 range. i prefer it to my penon serial and canon 2 for this purpose. i’ve also been going to the odyssey 2 a lot for a laid back listen, though it is not as warm.
the punch audio martilo is also a good choice if you think you can tolerate a lot of sub bass. it sounds mostly normal and conventional, which, like the mega5est, could complement the sa6 mk2 well. when there isn’t a lot of sub bass in a song, it doesn’t sound like a bass head iem. but when there is, the bass sounds like you have a sealed subwoofer in front of your face.
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7Hz
7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2
76% positive of 493 users
Budget gaming pick, but poor cables and polarizing bass.
Acethe7th_
