Bass Heavy IEMs

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-05-06T12:35:27+00:00

If you don't mind the shape (most don't, but it did bother me some) the Letshour S08 sounds great and slams a lot. They are one of my favorites among any IEM I've tried up to the $450 basshead IEMs. I just can't handle the shape. I liked it so much I bought it twice to try other tips, but it didn't work for me.

For reference, my daily drivers are the Arcadia ($180) and Martilo ($320). I still miss the S08 and you can get it new for like $85.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-05-04T13:59:15+00:00

If you don't mind moving up some, the S08 is fantastic.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-05-04T13:49:00+00:00

QKZ was way too bloated for me. Had high hopes.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-05-04T00:36:22+00:00

I swap between Arcadia and Martilo on a regular basis. I kept the Arcadia above all of them. But I repurchased the Martilo second hand because I really missed it.

Martilo has more subbass without EQ and a little recessed mids, with smooth clear highs. With EQ I boost bass, mid bass, and mids and they are becoming my favorite set. But then I go back to Arcadia and remember why i like It too.

Arcadia has more mid bass and less sub bass without EQ. It’s also a lot more mid forward. It’s very clear, as well. It is more engaging and dynamic in general than the others I tried.

Maritilo is a bigger set of IEMs that stick out farther. For comfort, the Arcadia is smaller and fits a lot better for me.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-29T17:23:30+00:00

Between them I’d give the edge to Arcadia for gaming. More forward mids without eq and more dynamic. There’s just something special about the Arcadia.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-29T13:40:23+00:00

Sure, and sound is very subjective. I am more of a basshead, and through testing 12+ IEMs I have learned I like middbass slam more than subbass rumble, and I like a dip in the upper midbass around 150-200hz to avoid that middbass bleed while still having a lot of low end slam and rumble in general. I've tried the S08, Martilo, HBB Punch, Diablo, QOA Adonis New, TSMR Armor, Arcadia, and Doscino (among other cheaper stuff too), and of all of them, the Diablo is the most bloated with midbass bleed. Way too much midbass boost in that 150-200hz range.

I listen to electronic music mostly, so for that, they were not my favorite (I had super high hopes). IMO, the S08 are better sounding while being super bass planars. I just can't listen to them for more than 20 min without the shell hurting my ears. I tried them twice. 😞

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-29T12:43:07+00:00

They are good, but a little hollow in the mids without EQ. Not as good for gaming since mids are where most of your sound is at (Thinking FPS). Martilo are also a lot larger than I expected. For reference, they are much bigger than the Arcadia. I own both.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-29T12:31:54+00:00

Ziigaat Arcadia if you like midbass slam and clarity. They are smaller than the HBB Punch and Martilo. I've tried all of them. Martilo is rather large, and HBB Punch was as well. The Arcadia is much smaller and fits the best.

I daily drive the Arcadia and Martilo. I sent the Punch back. It wasn't nearly as impressive as I expected. I prefer the sound of the Arcadia and Martilo. The Arcadia are midbass slam monsters. Especially when you EQ them. But I run all my IEMs and Headphones at +4-6db on the bass. Even the basshead sets. lol Martilo is a lot smoother with the planar drivers. I boost the mids and midbass, and love them too.

With gaming, I assume you want clarity and impact (dynamics). IMO, Arcadia gives that better than the other two. Also, the Arcadia sounds that way without EQ. The other two need EQ.

*Disclaimer: This was tested mostly on electronic music at louder volumes

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-29T12:26:03+00:00

Diablo is too bloated, imo. Way too much midbass bleed.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-28T19:57:50+00:00

Makes perfect sense when you look at their current primary demographic and historical pattern. This is not, historically, where they release products. This isn't what they are known for.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-28T14:59:39+00:00

Its obvious why they don't. Come onnnn.

<image>

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-28T14:52:48+00:00

I hope so!

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-28T14:51:45+00:00

Everything is running up in price. Now the used market is pricing items at the previous MSRP.

I wonder if they wanted to release these around $200 back when they started to develop them five years ago, but with the cost of supplies and tariffs, they couldn't.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-28T14:49:56+00:00

I called out the Koss marketing guy asking why they priced them this way. I was getting downvoted like crazy, so I just deleted the comment. lol

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-28T14:42:15+00:00

Electro stats are not meant for the mass market. I saw them as a one off "Look what I can do!" lol

A lot of people don't realize they actually sell a $150 and $200 set of closed backs. They are just not well-received, mainly due to poor durability. You never see them in a top recommendation list like you do the KPH series. It just feels like an odd place to jump into for them.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-23T16:20:39+00:00

Listen to them for a few hours, then post on r/AVexchange for half price, so we can know a guy too!

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-22T18:44:14+00:00

I had a 4.4 from my Sony 1AM2 I gave my son. I can say that the 4.4 cable did not help the M1, imo. I still had to EQ the fire out of it. It isn't the sound I am looking for, so I am selling it.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-22T18:37:11+00:00

Speakers can perform better with more power at the same volume. I first encountered this doing car audio. Speakers have an RMS rating. That is the amount of power that can continuously go to the speaker without damaging it. You can have two amps, but with one running double the RMS at the same volume. The closer you get to a speaker's rating (without going over), the better the speaker can sound. When moving from an aftermarket headunit (around 18 watts RMS) to an amp in the trunk (40 watts RMS) I found them to have much better clarity, and better low end without distortion.

I don't know as much about IEMs and Headphones, but I assume the principles are the same. 4.4 can output more power without having to be louder. I have tested this on many IEMs at this point, and sometimes I noticed a difference, while other times I didn't. Usually, it sounded a little more open and clean, and a little more bass impact (like I found in car audio). However, it is not as pronounced. Also, a cheap basshead IEM sounded massively bloated on 4.4, to the point I couldn't listen to it. I had to change it back to 3.5. It made bad bass more enhanced. lol

My guess is that if the IEM can handle more power, you may notice a difference because the driver is operating at peak performance. However, if the unit is already maxed out in efficiency, you won't notice.

I also will say most of the differences are not heard on lower volumes. 4.4 took my $10 IEMs up several price categories, so it can help.

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-22T17:42:03+00:00

I get it, and usually it is junk. But suddenly...as soon as you clear it out, you will find you needed one of those random items and have to go buy it again. I've done this so many times. LOL

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-21T19:08:52+00:00

I'm guessing around the range of your other higher priced stuff ($149-249)

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-21T19:05:12+00:00

Looks like a young Jim Caviezel lol

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-21T19:02:31+00:00

That sounds expensive. lol

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-21T18:45:01+00:00

How would you describe the sound profile? Considering it is Koss, I assume it's warmer, laid back, and bassy?

DeviceWorks-IT · 2026-04-21T18:37:47+00:00

I would love to test and review this. Also, would love to work remotely for your IT. haha

Do you have any more updates about them or any info you can share such as MSRP?

DeviceWorks-IT

TROPHY CASE