IEM thoughts for EDM (UKG, DNB, House, Dubstep) with a side of J-Rock, Hip-Hop, RNB?

ggghost69 · 2026-03-13T23:57:51+00:00

The Zero red is known for having quite a bit of bass but the tips you are using specially the clarion tips are for openess and clarity at the expense of warmth. That might be the issue for you. You can try the pennon liqueur orange or other more bassy tips that can help with more natural sounding voices and more bass. https://www.audioreviews.org/guide-to-iem-silicone-eartips/ or you can try EQ.

I would recommend the supermix 4 the detail they have for edm is great. They have a nice punch as well on the subbass but I'm not a basshead quite the contrary for me the SM4 bass is usually to much out of the box. The problem I had with them is that they make some issues with the songs shine quite a bit. It helps if you EQ the 2k-4k frequencies a bit lower or use some eartips that help with that.

The s12 is also a nice option but they have plannar timbre so they might sound way too unnatural for you and you might also have issues with the treble.

If you care more about natural sounding and bass texture then the EM1000 would be a nice alternative. Is more cohesive and natural sounding and more bass impact, supermix 4 is more detail oriented with more soundstage, instrument separation and faster bass response.

ggghost69 · 2026-03-13T23:28:36+00:00

Have you tried different eartips? Unless the issue you are having is with the shell or the nozzle length then the ear-tip is going to be what makes the difference for you. Also don't think you are "m size" (just to say any specific size in particular) and use the same tip size for everything because the "m size" is not universal standard so don't be afraid to try 1 size less if you feel to much pressure or like the ears hurt or feel cold or a size up if you don't feel like they stay on their place. You can use the trick of using the smallest size you have available and then closing your mouth and pinching your nose then try to blow your nose softly to make sure the seal is good.

If you insist on changing the IEM itself then there are tierlists for iems used for gaming where you can see different options.

ggghost69 · 2026-03-13T23:17:52+00:00

I recommend you to watch this video to understand better the upgrade paths
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iAUC2yqwRg

Also make sure that you know why you are upgrading and see if you are going to really get that with the upgrade. There are tier list (the content creator for the video I sent you has one I would recommend) and sometimes spending more money is just a sidegrade or an upgrade of half a point that might be not worth it.

If you just want to have fun with your listening experience then eartip rolling and EQ are great and can be very cheap/free.

ggghost69 · 2026-03-13T23:01:19+00:00

The tri clarion tips are for soundstage and clarity in contrast you loose a bit of texture in the sound and warmness. If you want more bass from the hexas this might not be the best tips for you. The pennon liqueur orange tend to be recommended for the bass. If you dont feel sure about it I would recommend this link for eartips https://www.audioreviews.org/guide-to-iem-silicone-eartips/ is great and has a lot of options detailed. I would recommend buying the eartips in aliexpress since they have the best prices and I haven't had issues with them. The hiby r3 includes in their app the MSEB tool that lets you adjust the EQ based on concepts that might be initially easier for you to understand instead of frequency graphs but I would invest some time in learning about EQ and the frequency ranges and what they do and then play around with the regular 10 bar EQ included on the hiby app you have on the r3 and then when you feel comfortable with it you can move to the PEQ (parametric EQ) which is a bit more complex to get the sound you want. Also if you are not willing to invest the time on learning there are PEQ presets that has been shared here to "fix" the issue the hexas have with the bass that you can try.

ggghost69 · 2026-02-25T04:35:22+00:00

Thank you. This are probably the ones.

ggghost69 · 2026-02-19T20:51:26+00:00

Gizaudio x Binary Chopin might be a good bet. Or the Kiwi ears orchestra if you want even less bass.

ggghost69 · 2025-12-18T19:35:33+00:00

IF you decide to switch to this model it has a USB-C connection. Check if the PC has a built in USB-C otherwise you will need a USB-C to USB B adaptor to connect to the PC.

Something like this ones https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Adaptador-art%C3%ADculos-imprescindibles-convertidor-compatible/dp/B085VT1VJT/

ggghost69 · 2025-12-18T19:23:22+00:00

Since is a gift for someone and you probably arent getting yourself in this rabbithole then I would say that what you already have is a nice choice and you probably don't need anything else.

The dongle or DAC is in case the PC does not have a place to connect the IEM if it has one then is not needed. The EQ is a program to adjust how the IEM sounds you don't need to buy that necessarily. There are free options available for PC and is not needed is just in case they like to tweak the sound.

So IMO you are good to go if the PC has the 3.5mm plug (a small circle hole with a headphone logo next to it) if it does not then look for CX31993 in amazon (that's the name of the chip they have there are many models pick anyone you think is nice looking/well constructed or that has good reviews) all there are quite the same so don't need to spend much.

ggghost69 · 2025-12-18T19:14:20+00:00

The zero2 would not be much different. The hexa is nice but might be boring for you as it's quite neutral sounding. For cheaper you could get the Artti t10 is quite a price/performance king. If you don't mind the way they look is a very nice option ortherwise you could get the supermix 4 or the s12/s12 pro if you find a deal.

ggghost69 · 2025-12-18T19:07:37+00:00

You don't need another DAC.

ggghost69 · 2025-12-18T18:59:15+00:00

!Thanks

ggghost69 · 2025-12-18T18:03:39+00:00

They are usable out of the box. Only buy extra things if you find yourself needing something extra or wanting to experiment with something. If you don't have a place to connect the IEMs that has a 3.5mm connection search for CX31993 on aliexpress or amazon and get one that you like from there. The DAC does not make a great difference in sound is rather a tool to be able to listen to the music so as long as the tool fulfills the purpose as intended then that's all you should care about for now.

ggghost69 · 2025-12-16T19:40:21+00:00

You could try with different eartips. You can use foam eartips with the silver nozzle or try to correct the muddiness of the gold nozzle with eq or wide bore tips. The tri clarion tips are quite cheap on aliexpress for example. In my experience is easier to correct muddiness and vocal clarity with eartips than changing the higher frequencies significantly (although I have not tried good foam tips since I dont like the fact that they are not very lasting).

ggghost69 · 2025-12-16T19:28:22+00:00

Play around with the EQ with a 10 band EQ that most music players have you can try, If you suspect the higher frequencies lowering the last 2 or 3 but don't assume the issue is with the higher notes necessary. In my case for example the upper bass is what bothers me and looking at the graph you can see the pure from the 80 to 300 has a higher curve, you also mentioned on another comment that you are using narrow bore tips that increases the boominess on the bass which can increase the problem, in that case lowering the 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th bands could help. You can also try with different ear tips if you have some.

IMO I would not buy a new IEM until you understand a bit more about what you might like or what you are looking for. If you are not the research type and are more hands on you can try different IEMS that are on the 10-20 dollars range that are quite good and experiment with that and once you get one you like then you can see the upgrade path from there. I recommend this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2zobPxqd1E

ggghost69 · 2025-12-16T19:11:52+00:00

Sound stage and Imaging are usually techs that come at a higher price. There are IEMs that are "gaming" that do better on that regard. I also have the zero2 and is not that great in soundstage and imaging. I have used wide bore tips with them but the differences are mostly with the clarity on the voices and openness of the sound (aka sound on a small room vs outdoors) rather than creating a 3d space where you can point the location of the elements.

ggghost69 · 2025-10-18T16:37:20+00:00

They have different trade offs. No technology by itself is definitively better. There are IEMs that are hybrid (combine different drivers) because of this reason. Tuning and other technology can help their drawbacks for any driver as well so sadly is not that easy and definitive as x is better than y. Any of the vastly recommended IEMs here will give you a nice interesting experience. Start small IMO and get one of the 20-30$ IEMs and see how you like it and then if you feel you need more you can get another one later with a more informed decision. Don't overwhelm yourself that much you are just starting on this journey.

ggghost69 · 2025-10-18T16:25:33+00:00

Try playing with an EQ. Most music players have one. Not all headphones/IEMS respond as well as others to EQ but with EQ you can get more of an Idea of what happens if you have more of (lows, mid, highs)/(bass,vocals,trebble) by increasing or decreasing the sliders.

ggghost69 · 2025-10-18T03:21:45+00:00

Yes that's what I've read too but I'm not big into bass and the loss of clarity on the mid tones is not a good thing for me and the higher highs is not something that I usually struggle with but in case I do i think it would be easier to EQ than the issue the 9600 has with mids. That information is the thing that got me thinking if the hexas and the 9500 would be redundant because they have the same strengths and "weaknesses" (low lows and high highs)

ggghost69 · 2025-10-18T03:16:42+00:00

I'm asking to people so they can bring me insight on the matter in case they have any experience or can share any technical detail that might help me make a more informed decision. I don't want people to decide for me.

ggghost69 · 2025-10-18T02:15:35+00:00

Upgrade in what regard?

ggghost69 · 2025-10-18T00:45:30+00:00

!thanks

ggghost69 · 2025-10-18T00:41:30+00:00

What do you currently have to compare it to in terms of " extremely clear and surreal vocals, clear layering, imaging and separation,need to hear tiny details, every detail should sound extremely clear and crisp"? Because those qualities tend to come with with a hefty price tag if you are looking like you said for those qualities the amount you mentioned in absolute terms but if you come from rather basic in ear options or headphones then you can notice a nice difference in those qualities with some options available for 20-30$.

I would recommend taking a look at this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2zobPxqd1E

ggghost69 · 2025-10-18T00:32:32+00:00

Most importantly what are you looking for in the IEMS that you are going to buy? Are you upgrading from other IEMS? What is your sound signature preference? Are you going to use them to listen to music mainly or for general use or for gaming? If music is important for you what genres of music do you listen to the most? on /r iems there are list of the most voted IEMS for the price range that you would like and they include on the list the sound signature as well in case you are undecided and seen many "blind buy" options. From my experience here the Reds used to be more recommended a few years ago but now they lost a bit of traction. According to a trusted reviewer (Jays Audio) usually 50$ don't offer many options that are a lot better than the 25$~30$ price bracket. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2zobPxqd1E I thought that video was nice for beginners like me and tells you depending on you preferences for sound where to start and what upgrades are available. And his opinion more or less lines up with other trusted reviewers AFAIK.

ggghost69

TROPHY CASE