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

So you would prefer the SD5 to the PP8?

 

PP8 for neutrality i suppose, sd5 for added excitement, it is not as coloured as other “fun” iems but its bass is prolly the closest to DD i have heard from BAs, it's textured and hits surprisingly hard. it sounds great with well recorded software, but with compressed pop, the upper mids get a little too forward, too strident for my tastes.

 

But why would I need the SD5 when I can add the „excitement“ by putting the switches of the PP8 „on“? I can‘t imagine it would be that different to justify buying them. And then again (I guess) there are the recessed mids I would want to avoid.

 

i would put the bass and upper mids of the SD5 to be more emphasised/forward than even the “on” of the pp8. The sub/mid bass of the SD5 is more solid and textured than the pp8.

 

I fell in the snow today and my CA orions died (snow got in the nozzle and I compared them to a fresh pair) This pair was used and abused for almost 2yrs, so the snow and fall probably gave its final blow. I was wondering should I give the FD01 a try or would it be a very significant departure from what I'm used too

 

Have you given Ken and team a call at CFA? Not sure if they can resurrect your Orions, but worth a try. Cheers

 

It's been out of warranty for a year and been beaten to death so I was not sure if it would be worth i think a replacement from them will be 150-200usd I'll email and ask, Thanks.

 

Has anyone heard the JVC anniversary FW10000 which is probably like the big big brother of the FD01?

According to some of the japanese sites as far as i can understand them, they say it sounds like the Sony Ex1000 but better (bright highs but without the spike).

 

They sound nothing like the FD01, polar opposites, and nothing like the EX1000. They sound much tamer than both. They have a very nice staging and tone but lack dynamics and excitement to me.

 

New dynamic driver IEMs from Sennheiser for the pro market, announced at NAMM and available soon. Will these be worth checking out? Do IEMs aimed at the pro market differ in sound quality from the audiophile market?

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/news-r...rinciple-sennheiser-ie-400-pro-and-ie-500-pro

Edit: I see there was already post about this, sorry about not checking first. But I still wonder about what differences might be expected for an IEM targeted especially for musicians, vs audiophiles.

 

Hello @shotgunshane and everyone else reading,

I'm on the lookout for a neutral IEM with good separation, imaging and isolation in the $200 bracket. I work as a live musician and in audio production, so my benchmark for this are studio headphones calibrated with Sonarworks and monitors in good rooms. Flat, but by no means 'thin' or 'lean' in the bass. More like 'just right'.

My research leads me to thinking the Harman target comes closest to this ideal, as opposed to diffuse-field, but I could be wrong.

What IEMs in the $200 range would give me what I'm looking for?

 

Thanks! The Kanas Pro is actually on my shortlist, but I have heard more than one person talk about the midbass appearing somehow lean compared to the sub bass, because of the tuning. So I have my concerns about it being exactly what I'm looking for.

I know the Massdrop Plus is about $80 outside what I was looking to spend, but if it's clearly superior to the Kanas Pro for what I'm specifically looking for, I might just spring for it. Again, I'm looking for the IEM equivalent of my flat studio monitors in a tuned room, or my various monitoring headphones calibrated flat with Sonarworks.

How do the Massdrop Plus and Kanas Pro compare on those terms, especially in the bass region and the 2 - 4k region (where I feel the diffuse field target might be a bit too intense to sound right)?

 

Thanks. The source impedance requirement is a bit of a red flag to me, because I can't always control the source, especially if I'm using them live and have to deal with whatever wireless receiver I'm given by the venue's techs. I'd also prefer my IEMs to not vary much in sound when paired with different devices.

That said, given the ideal source, in terms of pure neutral tuning overall and in the upper mids, where does the MD+ stand against the Kanas Pro?

 

Hello Shotgunshane,

I am a huge metalhead but also listen to quite a lot of rock and smooth instrumental jazz.
I am currently looking for an IEM as an upgrade from my 2 y.o. Campfire Andromeda.
I have a budget of ~ USD$2500.

I absolutely love the detailed distortion guitar that Andromeda picks up and those punchy snare drums.
The highs are also smoothly sounding.
However, I feel that bass is a little reserved for my liking.
Andromeda does give a fair amount of bass but it lacks that firmness in the sub-bass.
It is more obvious when I listen to down tuning metal songs.

Back to the question, with the above described sound signature, I would be really grateful if you could suggest some IEMs that the price range for me to audition.

Thank you very much!!

 

@totoyuen - If you're desired outcome is "Andro + more bass" that sounds to me like the Solaris. The addition of the DD gives is more bass texture and impact, without becoming a bass cannon. Good news is that it's $1.5K, so $1K under your budget. You'll need to play with the tips a bit to get the best out of the Solaris. Many of us have found a bit of a smaller tip, but inserted a bit deeper, really helps get the most out of the Solaris. If you want the most bass, probably foam tips, or hybrid like the Symbio.

Also depends on what you're driving the IEM with. For portable use, and to stay within your $2.5K budget I'd suggest either a Sony NW-WM1A (Amazon has for ~$1K new, or you can find used for even less) or the NW-ZX300, which is ~$600 on Amazon.

Cheers

Edit - Noticed you're in HK, so much easier for you to try things out there as compared to the US. Give the Solaris + Sony DAP a try and see what you think/hear.

 

Got it. Is there anything else you suggest then, in the $250 range, that won't vary with output impedance but will sound neutral, natural and give me that "accurate studio monitors in a tuned room" sound and presentation? I thought the Kanas Pro would get me there but there's probably IEMs that'll do it better without any EQ. And the MD+ swing in tonality with OI changes is a deal breaker.

Ps. I'd rather not deal with Ety fit, especially on stage.

 

What about the Brainwavz B400, @shotgunshane? Do you still think they are worthy of consideration at the $200 price point, or are the Moondrops clearly better? Seems like the shells on the Kanas Pro are a bit nicer