In Ear Monitor (IEM) Buying Guide - another set of rabbit holes!

Off-topic Chatter
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I’ve recently discovered the amazing sound quality from In Ear Monitors (IEMs). Now if you think flashlight enthusiasts go down rabbit holes, it seems that IEM enthusiasts go down even more rabbit holes, and highly subjective ones too! Here is my recently published buying guide for people who are new to IEMs.

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For budget range, I strongly recommend to add Tanchjim audio’s Bunny DSP

USB-C, DAC with on board DSP integrated, inline Mic.
Relatively neutral nice tonal balance!

For IEM Chi-Fi is absolutely dominating all

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It is amazing the audio quality that is now available for the same price as a restaurant meal.

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Their massive facility investment, R&D, and mass production are making the impossible and unbelievable a reality.

China now have numerous Klippel NFS. So, higher fidelity loud speakers also be possible if they wants. (At this moment, not much profitable market, so they justdon’t)

In the other hand, the company like Purifi makes new era for other side of it, 2026 is really good timing to start audio!

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I’ve been using a pair of sennheiser IE80s for 5 years, and my IE80 for 8 years before that. Hoping for a refresh of them at some point.

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I started my rabbit hole with the Moondrop Kato’s in 2022, I use Xenns Mangird Tea 2’s as my daily. I find them to be the best balance for all the different music I listen to

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I don’t use IEMs very often, but I prefer Knowledge Zenith (KZ) IEMs.
They offer a lot of bang for the buck, and it’s possible to purchase extra-large eartips (I have very large ear holes.)
The eartips for KZ IEMs can be quite inexpensive, too.

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I have a set of KZ ZSX IEM’s I got on eBay for 22 bucks and they sound great! They honestly punch up to my Tea 2’s

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I’m old… I’m amazed how much the cost of eating at a restaurant is nowadays! :laughing:

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Nice!
I have some KZ ZS7 IEMs that I love. :heart_eyes:
They’re bass-heavy (which is what I like), but they’ve been discontinued for years now.
There are other bass-heavy KZ IEMs currently available, but I’m pretty happy with the ZS7 so I don’t have plans to upgrade. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I have at least 50 sets of Iems that I have collected over something like 20 years. At one point I was using them for 8 to 10 hours per day at work. They certainly can provide exceptional sound for the cost. I have them from real cheapos ($8) To over $400 sets. Recently I bought a couple of sets with planar drivers from Hidizs. MP143 and MP145 Pro. I am really enjoying them. Very fast. clean, and without the bass bloom that many IEMs have.
The only downside for me is the audio isolation. For some reason I have gotten where I feel insecure when I can’t hear what is going on around me. Maybe brought on by coming close to getting run down one night when walking the dog.

So I listen more using my speakers… But yes there are some great choices out there now, for not too much money.

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I agree with the isolation thing. I tell my wife to text me if she needs to communicate to me when I’m using them at home as they block out sound so well.

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KZ’s seem to be good value for money, but I’ve seen many reports that they downgrade products after a while - a bit like what Lumintop did to the FW3A! So I’ve left them out of the buying guide for now.

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I wasn’t aware of that, but apparently it’s true with specific models.

Does Knowledge Zenith (KZ) tend to downgrade their IEMs over time?

That said, there are many different KZ models to choose from, and it does take a bit of research to find the right IEM for any individual.
Honestly, it can be overwhelming. :+1:

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Yeah it is quite crazy. When you add in the variety of ear tips and the sound changes they make (I also have a couple of hundred sets of different tips) it IS overwhelming. That is why I have so many. The only way to know what works for you is to get them and listen. Play with tips and cables, different types of music… even different amplification/sources. And listen some more. When I got most of mine it was not like today with Amazon. Mostly it was impractical or impossible to return them.

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Yep, even today, it’s not super-easy to return electronics to, say, AliExpress.
AE says that they offer free returns, but for electronics, the item in question cannot be used!
How do you know if you like an item if you cannot use it?
That said, I was able to return some used electronics to AE–I first started a conversation with an AE employee and they told me what to do, but what they told me to do was technically against the rules! :grin:

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I just thought of something…Have you listened to all of the IEMs that you list.
If so, I am jealous.
If not, what are your thoughts about choices from the ones that you have had personal experience with.

I am always looking for another set to try out… :wink:

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I’ve used expensive ($500+) IEMs for years playing on stage. My current favorite for listening to music is KZ ZS10 PRO X. It’s a little bass forward, which I like (see username). For a more neutral balance, get the non-X version: KZ ZS10 Pro. They are $45 on Amazon and like $25 from Aliexpress.

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Minor correction.
I have four different KZ models.
My two favorites are the ZS7 and the ZSX.
I’m not sure which one I like more, but the one that I use every once in a while is the ZSX.
That said, I prefer over-ear headphones because I find them to be more comfortable than IEMs. :headphone:

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I wish I’ve tried then all. I own a few (mainly in the budget categories), have listened to quite a few more (in the mid categories), and have aggregated review opinions to fill in the gaps in this article. My personal favourite budget is the 7Hz x Crinacle Zero 2, Cadenza II in the next category, and 7Hz x Crinacle Diablo for more $. I would most like to listen to the Punch Audio Martilo as I like bass!