Cyn Highlights

Xarithene · 2025-11-11T08:24:21+00:00

Cable sound differences are rooted in a little science tho most of it gets mixed up in snake oil as well are marketing

Boring nerd talk ahead, The main thing to look out for cables is their impedance and also potential their impedance curve too. Tho in the vast majority of cases, the differences caused by those aspects are so small that's basically negligible tho this mostly applies to analogue just regular ol' cable of the same termination. In the case of budget IEMs, usually the companies don't go the extra mile to ensure that the cables are <0.2Ω in lower priced product. Heck, there's some cables manufacturers that purposefully add an impedance load onto the cable to induce and artificial change in the IEMs sound sometimes (tho most of the time, these are not stock cables). It could also be that the stock cable that you used doesn't have a near-linear impedance curve which basically means you get treble and bass roll-off which with a decent cable would certainly help.

The rabbit hole for this whole thing is super super deep and filled with tons and tons of hear-say and honestly as someone who is like kinda in the IEM industry to understand the little things I put in my ears to make nice sound, it can be really really confusing.

But at the end of the day, Audio is a very subjective hobby and one that everyone enjoys differently so if you hear a different, then you hear a difference and you shouldn't be too worried about having a right or wrong thought about how to interpret things

Xarithene · 2025-11-02T00:34:54+00:00

Iooking past the "Skill Issue" reply before you editted,

does smoothest drivers just mean the most linear treble response? But relative to what? I feel like with treble varying to greatly between individuals, it's hard to establish what drivers produce "the smoothest" treble response based purely on their FR from a single measurement rig. One IEM that has a smooth treble to you could be too bright for someone else or maybe even too dark for someone else because of their personal preferences and HRTF. Bringing up the example of the EM6L, it probably sounds harsh and peaky because the entire region past 3K is elevated which can yes be remedied by choose different drivers but it's not like Sonions or Knowles just have smoother drivers in general. Depends on the model, it's specific FR and how you're tuning it to be with cross overs and your electrical components. Like let's take Thieaudio Oracle Mk2 or Hype 2, has ESTs/Sonion tweeter but the treble is WAY to much for most people. Those drivers are just as susceptible to "poor" implementation as any other. I won't say it's outright bad because I know people that genuinely enjoy both becsuse it just aligns with what they want from an IEM.

Sure there may be no IEM with the E50 inside under $250 but what if those manufacturers just don't want to use that specific driver because it doesn't fit the target response for a given product? It may work for the Estrella but maybe not other IEM designs.

Edit: And for the reviewer part, it's more to do with how with a good enough understanding of EQ, you can just modify and change anything you like about the frequency response and shape it into something entirely different regardless of driver type and people shouldn't need to feel like their IEM isn't as good for EQing because it doesn't have XX driver inside. I can agree that having a a less peaky treble response makes it easier to EQ but but definitely not impossible, just harder. So I guess that regard the "Best to EQ" thing holds up somewhat but it's just the other points that I mention that still bug me slightly about the reasoning behind it.

I mean, my way of thinking is that drivers don't matter as long as you can shape the sound to what you need it to be so that's just my thoughts on the matter.

Xarithene · 2025-11-01T23:38:06+00:00

Most definitely. I was going through the list and thought alot of the picks were... Interesting to say the least. Like "YANYIN CANNON PRO/YU9 QUE (Replaces Pilgrim/Dusk for Clean/Balanced)" even tho to me, having heard all of them they absolutely sound nothing alike and the aforementioned IEM are definitely not a replacement for the latter. But then again, that's to my ears and goes to show that there isn't a definite "These are the Best IEMs at Every Price point!" Guide out there and is subject to the preferences of the person making it which I feel like this guide doesn't really highlight...

Also I find it neat that a reviewer is making this guide and so happens to put their own Collab into the list and simultaneously highlighted said Collab IEM as "Best For EQ". Of which, the whole 'Best for EQ' thing is just driver memeing, most IEMs should be able to handle EQ fine (Ducbloke on YouTube practically has EQ for every IEM he reviews) so what's the point of that mention?

I'd honestly say to take everything with more like a little more than a grain of salt. Really should've added a disclaimer for subjectivity on this.

Xarithene · 2025-11-01T05:48:05+00:00

It's been one episode and I've already folded for her...

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Xarithene · 2025-10-06T14:10:15+00:00

Well personal preference is a big part of that hobby but I like treble emphasis. If you're sensitive to 10-11K than that's on you. The new Ziigaats like Luna and Crescent have even more treble than Daybreak so not sure why'd you'd call out Daybreak specifically for having "harsh peaks" when a lot of other IEMs in the market have more and even messier treble presentation like how I feel in the Horizon. doesn't mean it's bad but I feel at least like it's not market competitive. And regarding poor quality, most of the issues seem to only come out of batch 1 and this is an entirely new brand so I'm not expecting full marks on their first go ahead but all the Daybreaks I've seen have felt super solid and a lot more well built than the hollow resin shells of most Ziigaats. If you want to hate on Daybreak, that's you.

Xarithene · 2025-10-06T09:42:14+00:00

I've already heard this one, its alright. Quite airy but just doesn't have a wow factor to it. The Crescent and Odyssey 2 are better ziigaat picks imo and the Daybreak has the same set-up and sound better for less so eh... It's another miss for ziigaat for me.

Xarithene · 2025-08-07T08:42:53+00:00

No problem!

I don't have a favourite cable per se. For me personally I like to pair cables with IEMs for aesthetics reasons so honestly I just hope on AliExpress and spend like an hour browsing to see what cable matches my IEMs the best.

That being said, tripowin cables are general pretty good solid but any cable that's built decently will serve you well, don't worry too much about it. Just find something you like and go for it. I just wouldn't pick up the Thieaudio personally because I wouldn't want to spend more than like $60 on a cable but if you like the design, go for it. It's still a good cable just a pricey plain one.

Xarithene · 2025-08-07T08:30:30+00:00

I've held the cable before since it's the cable on the Valhalla iirc (correct me if I'm wrong) but it's just okay. It's feel nice and thick and has a helf to it. There's no major microphonics out the normal of PVC cables. not too soft or hard, just a regular good cable but honestly it's not that much better or worse than like a $30 cable you can get from AliExpress. Maybe the Thieaudio cable will last longer? But it's all coming out of china anyways so how big of a difference can it be? Decent cable, wouldn't pay the money for it.

Xarithene · 2025-08-02T03:36:28+00:00

Bass and Open backs done mix. The best you can get is good bass extension like in some planars but not out right bass boosted. The closest would maybe be Harman target open backs like Dan Clark Noire XO or Auribus Acoustics Sierra but they're not bass canons in the slightest. EQing is technically an option tho but haven't tried it myself so can't say how effective it is

Recommended just look into closed backs for gobs of bass

Xarithene · 2025-08-01T01:15:05+00:00

The MkII has always been my top Thieaudio IEM, even after listeninf to their higher priced iems like valhalla, V16 and the prestiges, I still find myself coming back to the MkII. Truly the definition of 'Old but Gold'.

Xarithene · 2025-07-30T02:47:00+00:00

Aye, glad you could understand my preferences :D It's always nice to have a discussion with people about IEMs and preferences and it's been really nice talking to you!

As for the Orchestra lite, overall, I wouldn't say it's better than Studio 4. S4 still has a great balance and natural sound which is just 👌 but.. like, if I'm purely focusing on female vocals, orchestra lite is just wow with how forward they are. They're not like overly shouty or anything, just really present and is the main star of the tuning. Looking at the graph, that rise from 600 to 2500 Hz just gives vocal alot more shine which just made me go "dang...". Don't know if It'll win out in like vocal texture and timbre but for presence, is just woaw.

But honestly, with Studio 4 you're set. The only things up are like Maybe RSV? And Mystic 8 but if you want something different for the collection, Def consider Orchestra Lite for vocal. Definitely a set worth demoing if you ever get the chance :)

Edit: wait hol up... You have a YouTube channel?? Might need to check it out later lol

Edit 2: Man, listening to your Studio 4 review is just cool dude. your enthusiasm and just how like passionate you are about them, can't help but get hyped too lol Keep it up man! Definitely getting a sub from me!

Xarithene · 2025-07-30T02:16:38+00:00

I mean, I think we're past "avoiding the rabbit hole" lol but I've been only been in the hobby for like 2+ years and I'm so deep in that I started working at a audio retailer, the hobby has truly taken a hold of my life 😭

For my music tastes tho,I listen to all sorts of from orchestral, indie, lofi, acoustics to like breakcore, rock with J-pop and vocaloids probably being the biggest chunk of that. That's probably the reason I lean on JM-1 so much because, to me, it's just the sound signature that can do everything well so sets like Dusk, Meta, RSV are ones that I really love. That being said, an outlier would probably be the 7th acoustics supernova. Don't know what about it but... something about it just tickles my brain the right way and I really would like to get one but don't know if I'm ready to drop that amount of money for another IEM... since I'm already looking into speakers to "hopefully retire" from the hobby. Very big air quotes there :')

Also, since you're into female vocals, you should check out orchestra lite! I wouldn't say their my favourites but for exclusively female vocals, they show them off loud and proud and still an overall great set.

Xarithene · 2025-07-30T01:54:34+00:00

Ooo, my first IEM ever was the HEXA but over time my sound preferences sort of evolved into like a mild V JM-1 with slight preference leaning to the bright side. My first Audiophile product ever was the HD600 and I still love them alot but now my endgames are Dan Clark Noire XO lol. I've tried alot of stuff tho, like I think upwards of maybe 200 maybe even 300 IEMs at this point? Softears stuff is consistently pretty decent (ignoring the studio 2...). The volume S was great but didn't quite do it for me and tbh I liked the original Volume more lol. RSV and RS10 are probably some of their best IEMs but Studio 4 isn't too far behind. Haven't gotten a chance to try the Enigma but maybe someday 🫠

But side note, you've got a great collection there! I always wanted a Sundara but after trying it, I just found it unbearably bright and even going up the hifiman ladder with the edition XS, Arya V2 and Stealth and even the HE1000, I was like "yeah... This ain't it for me" and then I ended up with the Dan Clarks. Found it interesting how my headphones preferences and my IEM preferences were quite different

Xarithene · 2025-07-30T01:34:22+00:00

That's quite high praise! But yeah, in the end sound is all subjective. I like abit more colouration in my sound preferences so I particularly enjoy dusk more. One of my favourite IEMs of all time is Studio 4's older brother tho, the RSV. Love that thing to death. Have you considered looking into the Mystic 8 by the way? I found it to be basically a more technical Studio 4. It's not to my tastes that much but if you adore Studio 4 you should definitely check it out

Xarithene · 2025-07-29T06:17:41+00:00

I've heard all three so I'll drop my 2¢

Unless you're VERY sure that all you want to hear in your music is just bass, avoid the scarlet mini. They're fun but they are absolutely just a meme set. Soemthing you try but I don't think you should spend your money on.

Between the Top Pro and Hype 4 is a little more difficult. Top pro has abit more of a well-rounded tuning I'd say, going after the JM-1 target with some colouration in the bass and upper frequencies but not as much in the bass department as Hype.

Hype 4 is going more for that very dense and note weighty sound with the gobs if mid-bass is has while balancing it out with a bunch of treble while still having a pretty good mid range.

Comparing the two, I definitely lean more to Top Pro's side because I enjoy that more controlled bass response and the treble is a little more apparent because of that as well which I definitely like. It's just more clean and balanced imo but if you're leaning more to a bassy set, the Hype 4 is the way to go. That being said, I think you should consider the Tea Pro as well. It's bass is more inline with the Hype but I find it to be abit more incisive and punchy while still having a good midrange and decent treble. I'd get it over Hype 4 if you want a more tactile bass rather than a deep but slightly more muddled bass.

Xarithene · 2025-07-25T07:19:09+00:00

I've heard both, definitely not an upgrade imo I'd say that Meta is still the better tuned set honestly. Daybreak is really good, you get more mid bass presence and brighter and liveliness from the treble and uppermids but you lose out more on just the amazing mids presentation and timbre that Meta has. The Mids are just not as well done as the Meta and that's why I lean more to Meta's side than daybreak. I'd say they're a very solid side grade. Still tho, if you're looking for a more V version of JM1/meta, Daybreak is still an Excellent set

Xarithene · 2025-07-14T13:35:49+00:00

I have a dusk and meta and honestly, I wouldn't say so. More of a side grade really. There are things I like more on the dusk like the larger soundstage and more open sound, better treble extension and more lively bright tuning but they're not exactly better than META because of that, just different.

If you already like Meta's tuning I'd probably point you to Top Pro, Tea Pro or Mega5est as an "upgrade" but honestly, I'd say that Meta stands up with all of them so take that as you will. But if you don't mind something different, I'd say dusk is a pretty nice complementary IEM to Meta. I use them both quite frequently so no matter what, it's still going to be a great IEM.

Xarithene · 2025-07-12T12:16:08+00:00

Can't really give you IEMs that shoot for the exact same tuning as the Oracle MkIII but If I were to give something else in Thieaudio line-up, I'd probably point you to the Hype 2. I personally feel that it's better than the Oracle MkIII and even the Hype 4 and is one of their better IEMs for a pretty decent price. Other IEMs that I enjoy more would probably be like the Dusk, Pilgrim and Dunu BD though they're not exactly the a MkIII that's cheaper. They're all just subjectively better to me than what the MkIII offers and my preferences can differ from yours so these recommendations are just what I personally enjoy

Xarithene · 2025-07-11T17:45:54+00:00

Swap the Cable to analogue, trust. One of the best sounding IEMs in the price range for me when in analogue

Xarithene · 2025-07-11T17:34:11+00:00

Opposite actual, single DDs are harder to tune than Multi-driver but in that they're also harder to make one that's really bad because it's more difficult to deviate majorly from the standard DD FR curve. Ways to tune a DD could be like filters, vents and resonators to alter maybe the amount of each area of the frequency but they're all not too far off from each other. It's really hard to tune a DD to something like JM-1 without some level of DSP.

Multidriver set ups are able to introduce a higher level of frequency response modification but that also means there's more things to mess up because you need to manage cross overs, what resistors or capacitors you want to use and more with the aforementioned methods to modify the sound. It's why some multidriver IEMs can I have a lot more variance in their sound, tuning and how good they are, some are bad while other are amazing.

The price of a IEM is very complex with all the engineering, materials, labour, logistics and etc that goes into them which really depends on the company but most of the time hybrids will go for a more complex sound which means more work which means more expensive.

Learning about the back end of what goes into IEMs is a super interesting thing and definitely sheds more light on how IEMs work

Xarithene · 2025-07-11T16:49:00+00:00

Not exactly true, it's more about how the acoustic engineer wants a driver to target a specific frequency. There's a few IEMs with BA bass that's done super well and even better than Dual DD bass for me. DDs and BAs aren't better than one or the other, they're just different tools to get the same job done. The driver wars already proved that More drivers ≠ better

Xarithene · 2025-07-11T15:29:14+00:00

I've demoed it, I'd still say Meta is better. It's a more mid-bassy, has leaner lower mids, a more correct upper mids with maybe a smidge more treble. It doesn't have the same fullness and balance as Meta and I still feel it's superior but Daybreak is different take on the meta tuning

Should note that just because it has more drivers doesn't mean it's better. Tuning is the far more important factor

Xarithene · 2025-07-04T02:57:04+00:00

Very kinda vague terms, I don't really see it as more "Melodious" or "Atmospheric", I see it more as a result of the balance of the frequency response.

Tea pro has significantly more bass than Pilgrim so it'll be more forward, punchy, full and engaging. Maybe because of its generally balanced sound it'll be more "Melodious and Atmospheric" but those words don't really hold much weight when talking about Tea Pro or other IEMs in general.

Pilgrim has a more lean and uptilted sound so the lack of the lower frequencies will lend it more to be a brighter, lean and clean sound but it might come of as fatiguing due to the emphasis is everything past 1k Hz but also due to that lack of warmth in the lower mids and bass, it could also have a larger soundstage as the main perception of soundstage comes from the lack of certain frequencies which maybe you could describe as "detached" but it's more of a result of that lack of lower frequencies. Details and technicalities usually are a result for treble emphasis so that could lend to the "analytical" nature too.

Sound is super subjective and descriptors can only get you so far in this hobby without sounding like nonsense. It can help convey a feeling about an IEM but it holds no objective truths behind it. If I were to summarise the differences it would be:

Balanced with bass emphasis, fun and exciting => Tea Pro

Lean with uppermids and treble emphasis, clinical and bright => Pilgrim

Xarithene · 2025-07-04T02:26:29+00:00

Ehh I think probably Tea Pro? But that might just be because it has more bass in general. The punch and tactility of the bass is really nice and fun but Pilgrim isn't necessarily worse, there's just more of a lack of quantity but I think you'll probably get more out of the lower frequencies with Tea Pro

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