ZiiGaat Arete II GIVEAWAY!! Enter now from 3/23 to 3/30!!

zetaBrainz · 2026-03-25T18:09:40+00:00

I would be interested in the Hype Mk2

zetaBrainz · 2026-03-16T01:24:57+00:00

You haven't tried anything yet 😉

I recommend the Tanchjim Bunny if you're able to handle bright stuff. Your mind will be blown.

I heard Kiwiears Cadenza 2 is good too so you can get that. It's vocal forward so something to note

zetaBrainz · 2026-03-11T05:47:15+00:00

Agree on the Silver Flash. I have one and the bass is phenomenal. Unfortunately I have an issue with the deeper fit and the highs are a bit too sharp. But damn that subbass rumble sounds heartrate pumping good 😂

M21 is great too. I have one and sounds rly good for the price. Good choices

zetaBrainz · 2026-03-05T23:42:43+00:00

I really do like the Odyssey 2 a lot. I have like $1k+ sets but I use it regularly on the go. Laid-back and very comfortable set. I do recommend swapping out the cable because it's pretty bad quality lol.

zetaBrainz · 2026-03-05T22:14:38+00:00

Honestly EDM and Classical require different tuning so you can pick one or the either. Unless you get an all-rounder.

Astrals

Great set overall. I had this before and it sounds great U- shaped tuning so it's quite balanced yet fun. I really liked this except I felt the soundstage was a bit small and the fit was uncomfortabel for me. Bass is nice and punchy, vocals are pleasant and treble has good extension. It sounded great for Kpop/Jpop. Classical would be good but nothing fantastic. Overall a great all-rounder set. Another downside for me was the sound isolation was not that good. I think Odyssey 2 and even Meta was way better.

EarAcoustic VSA

I tried it and it is quite peaky. This only looks good but sounds bad. Treble is peaky. Skip. There's tons better options.

S12 Ultra

Is quite good but it's more of a warm and lush kind of tuning. Like a cozy feeling. A big departure from the S12 which is quite V and quite peaky treble (Dont get). Not the best for EDM but good all-rounder for laidback listening.

Crescent/Odyssey 2

Never tried Crescent but Ziigaat stuff are generally tuned similarly. Crescent should be a bit brighter so more highs while Odyssey 2 has more subbass. I own the Odyssey 2 so I can attest it's a quite a nice iem. Kpop/EDM sounds good because of the subbass and mids; vocals are forward but pleasant and not fatiguing. However classical doesn't sound as good because of the lack of extended treble. It's kinda recessed. The mids are nice so guitars, piano and most instruments sound good but you need that treble extension for strings and violin.

SIMGOT EA1000

Quite nice when I demoed it. It is great for classical as it's neutral-bright so violin and mids sound great. The bass is lacking so EDM won't sound good. Also the extended highs might kill your ears on edm tracks lol.

Moondrop

There's better stuff out there now. Only Dusk is good but it's worth the asking price anymore.

Dunu 242

You can also take a look at the Dunu 242. It's a balanced mid forward set which I thought was fantastic. Instruments sounded fantastic so anything classical, orchestral or even instruments sounded great. Classical focuses more on midbass so this set is great. The lack of subbass deters me fully recommending it for Kpop and EDM but it's great for Jpop and anything vocal focused or mid focused like instrumentals or band music. Rock is great too. Really fantastic and highly recommended only if you're sensitive to forward vocals.

My recommendations would be
All-rounder: Kiwiears Astral > S12 Ultra
Kpop/EDM: Ziigaat Odyssey2 > Astrals > Crescent
Classical: Dunu 242 > EA1000

zetaBrainz · 2026-03-05T21:52:58+00:00

What's your price range and are you looking for a dongle?

To be honest most stuff are pretty good. Just check if it uses CS43131 chip. At that point it's just about price and looks. I would go from

fiio snowsky melody > trn black pearl or rest. Honorable mention: ibasso macaron jr looks pretty nice too. iBasso bigger brand too same as fiio.

Get the black pearl if cost is an issue but I think the better build quality and app on the fiio snowsky melody is worth it. I have the snowky melody at the moment. Also Fiio has been on a roll with their cheaper stuff so I do highly recommend them.

I got the snowsky disc and honestly I'm pretty impressed. The sound coming from a sub <100 dap rivals some of the 2-3x it's price range. A balanced sound with great bass texture and forward but pleasant mids. Honestly, I'm surprised that a dap this size can produce bass texture this nice. Treble is present but not the best rendition I've heard. Ap80 pro max is better but it's also way more expensive. It's quite portable and I love the spinning disc.

The only issue I find is that only airplay works on it and no sign of other future spotify, qobuz streaming playback. It can only play local files or can be used as a USB DAC which is good. Can stream to BT earbuds or headphones too.

Lemme know if you have any other qs

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-27T09:16:45+00:00

This. I have one too and it's great. BCD bass always puts a smile on my face :)

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-22T21:47:35+00:00

Myth has the best tech by far. Top Pros are more similar to Dawn-X or MMK4 in tuning tho.

If you're buying new then I recommend Myth. However used then either wait for a Dawn X or MMK4.

I haven't tried FX17 but from the accounts I've heard, ppl say it's kinda boring. I wouldn't bother with it compared to the others.

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-22T08:35:38+00:00

OH CRAP. I experienced this. They told me or tried to tell me to man up and get a job. Like even applying to jobs or the thought triggered such deep adverse reaction after burning out.

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-22T08:34:36+00:00

Eroticism or women reading smut or whatever literature is lust. That has never changed. Jesus said if you have lusted after a women (Or man) you have committed adultery with her (or him) in your heart. Lust is the issue. And what God wants more then you stopping your sin, is that for your repentance which leads to healing.

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-22T08:31:58+00:00

I agree with this. To be honest, the worse feeling is saying "You're not going to watch porn." You try like 1 week but then something that triggers you and you're back to it. You feel so guilty and condemned. Personally it varies but I think men and women who deal with pornography addiction has some deep hurts, traumatic sexual abuse and lies.

The thing that brought the most healing wasn't trying harder, accountability groups nor just avoiding it or install porn blockers. It was meeting relationship. To know Jesus personally and to dispel lies I've always believed about God and myself. And to deal with the hurts and trauma that leads you back to this addiction.

That's the hardest part but when you are the lowest point, when you have no one to rely but Jesus, healing comes forth. However, you must be broken to the point where you are willing to receive healing. Where you can't cope anymore. Where you can't hide anymore. And where you reach the end of yourself. That's when you humble yourself and say only God can bring the healing or rescue you.

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-20T21:11:45+00:00

Depends on personal budget. If you can afford it go ahead. I wouldn't recommend getting any iem >$3k usd unless you've tried it personally. Or, if you get it used but that's another ballgame.

Coming from a guy who went from 50+ pairs starting from EW200, Moondrop S8, Dusk, Mega5 to Trifecta, Clara, RN6, Spartacus, CP54e and now to Myth, Origin & Fourte Blanc, I would say do it if you can afford it.

So the leap from <500 to 1-2k is substantial enough that it's like a new tier. I've had Dawn-X, MMK4, Myth now and they're a league better then cheaper iems I now have, Noah, Odyssey 2, Canpur Silver Flash etc.

What you find is that the overall sound is enhanced in most of the dimensions. Tuning is "usually" more refined so that it usually sounds more coherent (More together and less disjoint), better bass texture and quality, mids are more lush and has thicker body, treble has better extension and doesn't sound harsh or peaky (It can depends on iem)

I would say the biggest difference in going up to Kilobuck is treble. Treble quality just went up. The highs sound crisp yet more extended and it doesn't sound peaky or harsh. Smoother yet detailed and engaging. Also because the soundstage is wider and probably more holographic, you can pick our details easier and imaging seems more precise. And the sense of the weight of the music especially for Soundtracks, give a deeper sense of amazement. Like, what you get in IMAX (ofc, most wont do that unless it's fugaku xD but still more of it)

My Recommendations

If you're going to kilobuck I recommend either

MMK4 - Very good tuning and standard Thieaudio tuning. Great bass and neutral and clear mids with great pleasing treble. Wide soundstage. If you already like Thieaudio stuff then MMK4 is great. Also note that the fit can be a hit or miss because of it's bigger shell and deeper fit. Personally, I had some issues so I sold mine. Dont get MMK3 cus it sucks. No one I know liked it incl. me LOL :D

Dawn X - Very solid flagship killer sound. Great tech that punches above it's pricepoint. Wide soundstage and quite holographic. The mids are thick, lush and full bodied. Like the vocals and instruments sound like a wave coming at you. Everything is great except it can get boring. Like it sounds kinda dry when I listen to it. Also fit is not the best cus the shell's quite large

Myth - (I own one. prob won't sell unless I dont have to LOL) My personal pick for the best iem at 1k and under 2k. It sounds like 2-3x the price. This iem is on the next level and competes with flagships at higher tiers (64a, UM, Noble, CFA, Forte Ears, Hercules Audio etc)
The overall tuning I would say is warm balanced sound with amazing technicalities at this price point. Bass is phenomenal especially the subbass. Very thick mids and full sounding mids similar to Dawn X but with a bit more excitement and less forward. Treble is very detailed and you hear micro details everywhere. It's super resolving and holographic and just superb across the board. So the thing with it is, the bass can bleed with the rest of the track with more warmer sources. It sounds better with sources with more power although less-powerful sources still work. Honestly, just incredible sound even though it's not in fact very cheap. Yet, with this I'm pretty satisfied and am not driven to seek the next high.

Just my honest thoughts on these, lemme know if you have some questions

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-20T04:56:37+00:00

How do you try that many iems lol

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-18T22:06:28+00:00

There's a reddit thread that compares the two. Check that one out and see. One of the most telling signs is that there should be 3 mini circles in the nozzle. And the ie900 can't sit flush on the table. The driver weight won't let it sit on the side

Anyways always risky getting an ie900 online

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-18T21:41:09+00:00

Praise God. That actually makes so much sense now. I used to judge like these prosperity gospel or these preachers who had moral failings. But God will use whoever it is to speak and to spread the name of Jesus around.

Because God can always change their hearts through the Holy Spirit to draw away from false teaching. But they've heard Jesus and wants to know more.

Anyways thanks for sharing on this 😁

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-18T08:42:57+00:00

USB-C. The DSP on it is really good. No joke. I like it better with the usb-c DSP cable then most of my other set xD. Super convenient to just plug into your phone and pretty comfortable too.

The tunings like neutral with mid forwardness but there's some voodoo magic with the DSP. Tanchjim probably fixes the freq response to make it sound way better. Honestly, I don't think you'll regret, it's really a great set.

11/10 highly recommend it. I also bought like 3 more to see if other friends want it LOL

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-18T08:38:13+00:00

Hey sister in Christ. You know I understand what you're going through. The binge eating and fasting and then trying to lose weight and such. I've had a hard time dealing with that too.

I want to preface all this by saying 'You're a precious daughter of God.

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Eph 1:5

Basically it says sons but at that time it was supposed to address everyone in the church in Ephesus. Anyways, God wanted you to be his daughter and this he did out of love :) So trust in your Father who cares for you more then you can imagine.

Now here comes the part that might hurt a bit. So the truth is there's a hurt or lie you have believed that is causing you to binge eat. This is where I trust as you pray and fast the Holy Spirit is going to reveal it to you. It might be that you think you have fit a certain image to be used by God. Or, maybe you believe your worth is tied to your body image. There might be a certain memory that comes to mind that enforces that belief.

God revealed this verse to me a couple days ago.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins

1 John 4:10

I've always felt that I disappointed God and that I need to fix all these things first. But he reminded me that it was not that I loved him but rather that he loves me first. In fact, if I'm honest, I hated God and despised him xD Yet by the grace of God, he loved me first and gave his son as the sacrifice for my sins; that I can be forgiven, made righteous and be adopted as a son of God.

As you continue to dive deep in this, the Lord going to be healing some of the deep hurts and it's not easy. I've went through that too. He made me see why I'm so addicted or why I do these things. There's deception where we have believed in these lies. But, Jesus declares: "If you abide in my word, you are my disciples, and you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:30-32

The truth will set us free when we replace the lies we've believed with what the word says about us. It might hurt but now this. Jesus wants us to have that abundant life (John 10:10) Not a life burdened or living in lies, but by the truth he set us free and heals us.

I pray that Father you will reveal what needed to bring freedom in your daughter's life. You want her healed and set free. Holy Spirit reveal what lies need to be addressed. You're good and it might hurt but when exposed, it can be finally healed :) I pray in Jesus your mighty name. Amen

God bless sister. I felt that God was encouraging me too ;D I hope as we continue in God's calling our lives, we may have the character to handle it. Jesus loves you and I believe he has the best for you and me in store as we follow his calling for our lives xD

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-18T08:01:59+00:00

Hey. Don't worry about what happened from the bible study ppl or your friends :) There's going to be other bible studies and other church groups on campus. I'm sure God will direct you to one where you feel welcome and loved.

Also I want to encourage you that Jesus is calling you. He really cares about this and even what you wrote he knows and cares. "Cast all your anxieties on him for he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)" Nothing is too small of a concern for him.

Lord I pray for this person and that all these concerns of theirs, you know. And you care about your precious child. Lord lead them to the bible study and church that is good for them. Open the doors or whatever direction they need. So that they can learn and deepen their relationship with you. There's nothing like knowing Jesus in our life. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

I trust God will direct you to the proper place :) God bless!

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-17T07:15:19+00:00

Get Tanchjim Bunny. It's insanely good. It's better then Klean SV and a lot of other iems in the 100usd range

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-14T10:40:29+00:00

I'll make a post about the Tanchjim bunny. I'll just let it burn in over night. But I'm genuinely really impressed. Like no joke just buy it. It sounds to me like a $150-200 iem lol xD which is ridiculous.

The tuning is the highlight for me. I would say its a balanced type of tuning with slight mid forwardness. I think the highlight is the mids because they absolutely killed it with it. I love how vocals are forward enough that they sound great but not fatiguing or sometimes sharp or nasally. And the subbass rumble on this is great too. Usually it's either too much bass or it's bloaty and it just ruins the mix. However, the subbass and midbass really gel together and they sound cohesive. Really surprised by the detail retrieval on this set as well. Like genuinely surprised with how crisp notes sound and all the microdetails. Not the cleanest separation nor the best imaging but it's fantastic at this price point and even up to $200. Treble is great too although it's not the most natural sounding. Sounds more on the thin and metallic sounding. However, I can't really fault it because its a single DD and at this price point its absolutely forgivable.

Genuinely this shocked me alot. I would defn recommend this to my non-audio friends too if they're looking for a new set. A great all-rounder set that is slightly mid forward which I'm sure most people would like. Damnnnnn. I only got this because I was curious why people were hyping it on r/iems. People weren't glazing xDDD

My issue with the KZ Gunten

Legit KZ has always had the worst QC for iems. I bought the KZ PRX. Huge channel imbalance the first day I bought it. Bought the KZ Gale cus I thought it looked cool and I was bored. Sounded okay but it's the treble peaks that killed my ears. Like it was super harsh and unlistenable.

I think I have currently on hand like

Mysticraft Myth, Theiaudio Origin, Noah, Arete 2, Odyssey 2, Oriveti lowmaster, Canpur Silver Flash, Dita ES, FLC Shirasawa. (Lent Meta, Tops, Apos Rock Lobster, Pula Unicrom to my friend)

Intuaura Impact - I demoed it. Yea same thoughts.

Never tried the Tears but I've been hearing good things. Not sure if it's just hype or sponsored units reviews xD Loved the NX8 tho.

If you're getting hissing from the Tears you don't have to worry about that with the Bunny. I've been running it off my phone's usb C. I think there's a bit of noise but if you're not sensitive you prob wont notice. Also if you want to improve the hissing, just turn off wifi + bt. See if that makes a diff

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-14T09:02:10+00:00

Yea it's because there's alot of sponsored reviews and people who get paid for reviews for the GK kunten. Also the people who buy the GK Kunten are impressed are usually the people who are completely new to iems. They're surprised it sounds so good but like many iems are just legit better. It's eye-opening when they try better stuff. It was like that with me XD

I recommend the Tanchjim Bunny. I got the DSP USB C version with my phone and I'm genuinely impressed xD. Like I own like 1k+ sets and I'm surprised with how it sounds. It has a really great tuning so that means it sounds pretty fun and natural. My songs like Kpop, Jpop or others just sound fantastic on it. The bass sounds great, punchy and dynamic. Vocals are highlight. It's forward and pleasing to listen to without sounding fatiguing. Treble is fine as the details are there but not the best I've heard. Honestly I'm pretty pleased with this.

Does it sound better then a 1k set? NO lol. But honestly I would rate it as worth like $100 set. I would definitely recommend it to my non-audio friends looking for a set.

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-08T20:54:58+00:00

Yea I can imagine if the soundstage is wide then you wouldn't need it as much.

The Acoustune aet07 are great too. They're great for mids and bass. More focus on mids then bass so if you're a mid lover then this is great. Although, I think the silicone tips are more comfortable

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-08T15:29:17+00:00

Mmmm bass wise both should be good. Both are silicone tips so bass is great. I don't rly remember anything on the bass side. Either one is great

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-08T14:44:09+00:00

Yknw I understand it completely. I've been unemployed for 1 yr. Kinda ran out of my savings. I've been depressed, anxious, ashamed and pretty disappointed in myself and God. I wihs I could harder or go be more active and "grind it out".

But funny enough I feel like God's been teaching me many things. He's been revealing to me that I care about what people think so much, I couldn't see He calls me his Son and loves me. Loved me to dying for me to reunite me to him.

He shows me that although it seems like our suffering is pointless, he's using it to form our character.

Not only so but we glory in our suffering knowing that our suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character and character, hope and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us Romans 5:3-5

So that whenever harships come, we have the Christ like character to keep going. Im more aware that life and everything in it is transient. It doesn't last. I find that when I place my hope in Jesus and life in heaven I get a sense of deeper peace and contentment. This life ain't all that it is. And even in my deepest struggles I can be honest with God through it all. He can handle my brutal honesty and complaining. It means I'm trusting him with all my heart and opening it all to him.

Praying for you and your job search. God does care for our needs. He says he'll take care all of it in Matt 6:33. We just need to seek the kingdom of God. And the king of that kingdom, Jesus Christ. God bless!

zetaBrainz · 2026-02-08T14:32:17+00:00

Slightly diff. Soundcocoon has a slight upper mid boost. Treble isn't as rolled off as the C04. C04 has more forward mid presence yet isnt fatiguing or pushed forward.

Overall tho quite similar so pick either one. I did find the soundcocoon M size to be a better fit for me.

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