shotgunshane’s IEM (custom and universal) recommendations, favorites and classics

The B400 are quad BA, so will likely be sensitive to source output impedance. Also, it's hard to recommend them currently because of inconsistency: 3 pairs recently heard and measured by @Brause and me had different responses and different degrees of channel imbalance in the bass.

I don't know if anybody here has heard them, but John Grandberg's review suggests the Sennheiser IE 40 Pro (10 mm dynamic driver, $US 99), or their newer, more expensive big brothers, might suit the OP. A pair of 40s is rumored to be making its way to Calgary, so I hope to be able to report soon.

Edit: Wasn't sure I made a measurment - but I did. Peak impedance c. 3x floor; not as bad as some, but higher-OI sources (which might indeed be found in a studio) will boost the 5.5k-8k range.

 

I recommend looking at the Stagediver SD-2 if you can find them. Not sure how much they vary with impedance thought, nor the price where you are. Their fit and isolations is very good for stage.

 

That's pretty scary, so much unit variation. I'll pass on the B400. @shotgunshane's review earlier in the thread did pique my interest, though.

The Sennheiser IE 40 Pro looks promising, but I'd have to wait for impressions from reviewers I'm more familiar with (and hopefully measurements), before I'd feel confident buying them. From the impressions I've seen scattered around so far, the treble performance seems to elicit quite mixed reactions.

 

If What Hi-Fi says regarding the IE40 "Slightly splashy treble"... Pretty sure my ears would bleed.

 

Did you possibly measure the Kanas Pro?
I have one on the way, reviews seems really good so far..
Currently using FH5 (bad fit), Noble X (too big) and IM02 (terrible cable ).
I also tried DM6 (terrible 8k peak) and M+ (small soundstage for me).
Don't want to spend more than say $250 as I use iems mainly on the go. TSMR 3 is on my watchlist too

 

Close inspection of the outsides of the ones I saw revealed bumps and pits, some quite deep (looked like burst bubbles in the resin) in different places. If similar features are randomly present inside the shells/nozzles, I can see why there could be audible differences.

 

Weird, mine are smooth / sorta polished, I wonder if they changed the manufacturing process. I can see some housing concern from with nozzle being a relatively thin piece of the same material as the housing, they definitely aren’t an iem you want to try to force tight tips onto.

 

Hello SGS!

I followed your reccommendations and bought JH Angie and Massdrop Plus which are my favourite IEMs to date. I unfortunatey sold them because I needed money for another hobby.

I am now thinking about buying JH Layla V1 as I want something similar to Angie, but with more extended and agressive treble and more sub bass.

I would appreciate your opinion.

 

Thanks for your comment! I could never afford Layla at her original price, but now it is possible to find it used for like 1100-1200 Euros which is acceptable.

Edit: I was thinking about running it through the iphone dongle, or Dragonfly Red. I would like to keep the setup as light and basic as possible.

 

@james444 @shotgunshane @haywood I finally bought my wife her earphones: she settled on the Jabra Elite 65t. Thanks you guys for all your help. @james444 the JBL Free X was indeed very good! It just lost out to the Jabra in terms of clarity, for her. @haywood you were right about true wireless; once she tried one, she didn't want to consider a wired set.
Btw, if you guys know any decent true wireless buds that are good for watching movies, do share some recommendations. Mine (from Remax, a Chinese brand) have a bit of latency and it's annoying.

 

Earin M2 have been the best in terms of latency I've tried so far. They're also the smallest / comfiest true wireless IEMs I know, though not without weaknesses. Here's a pretty accurate review:

https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/...-low-latency-earbuds-not-without-compromises/

 

How do these true wireless earphones compare to wired earphones of a similar price? Seems they are constantly improving.

 

They're improving, but I'd consider even the better ones I've heard just solid mid-fi. So far, I haven't come across any TW-IEMs that could rival my modded FD01s.

However, the main point of TWs is convenience. And personally, I'm willing to compromise on SQ for this reason, particularly when I'm out and about. But I definitely wouldn't recommend TWs to OCD-type audiophiles at this point. Just my 2c.

 

Without going all the way to true wireless, you can still gain good convenience while compromising little in sound quality by using a Bluetooth receiver like the FiiO BTR3 or Radsone ES100, and you can use it with your favorite IEMs.

I use my modded FD01's with a balanced cable into an ES100, connected by Bluetooth LDAC to an Android phone. The sound quality is excellent. It doesn't have the freedom of a no-wire true wireless, but still very convenient with a tiny receiver in a shirt pocket or clipped to the collar, connected by a short cable.

I've been following releases of TW-IEMs, and the one that currently gets the highest praise for sound quality is the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless. I'm tempted to try it, but I've been getting such good results with the ES100 (which I've used with different IEMs and headphones).

 

My problem with True Wireless IEMs, I found them annoying when I need to take them out for a moment. Typically when travelling, when I need to take them out for a little while at check in, on plane when going to toilet, etc. For this reason I'm still happier with Bluetooth IEMs with neck collar (just got some random Chinese BT cable for my CIEMs).

 

Yeah, I can relate to that. Though I personally don't need to take them out most of the time. My JBL Free X don't have ambient mode, but I found that all it takes is to break the seal and stop the music, in order to have a "normal" conversation... so I'm fine with it.