It's worth it....trust me lol. This hobby is expensive in the long run if you buy often. Better to save up, buy one super good one and stay for a year or two until something better come up.
@@Gizaudio Of this I know.😋 The system in my early days was made up of Classe’ Audio, Apogee, Linn, Krell, Cardas , Koetsu..so yea I know how this hobby can go.
Great choices for those who listen to more delicate things with female voices. For other styles of music with cymbals and more raucous things, there are choices that fit better.
Many Chinese brands are getting really good now these last 10 years or so. (and really fast) Not only in audio. The time of copy and bad cheap past is over. They are really ingeneering it now. It's great to see.
I am new to IEMs and bought a pair of Katos because I love audio. I’ve mainly used sennheisers do these Chinese brands compete with some of the more well known brands?
Timmy from one year ago: I am sensitive to treble. Timmy now: I love the treble energy from the S12 although it may be too much for some of you. Btw, I do agree with you that more treble revealing micro nuances is definitely addicting. As long as there is not too much in the 6-8k region I am fine with that. For example, something like the blessing 2 is just way toooo intense for me.
To be honest I think it was just poor treble quality of some IEMs I was talking about at the time. Once I get to hear actual good treble it opened my brain
I can't wait for Timmy's review of Elysian DIVA! There's not a lot of information about the Elysian diva, so I wonder what kind of sound Timmy is praising.
My daily carry right now is the Kato, and I love it, but my Dusk has been shipped, so stay tuned. I’m not sure, though, that anything will match the revelation that the Kato was when I first plugged it in. That was the moment I swore off Bluetooth for music…
Have you considered Bluetooth adapters like the UTWS3 or newer. It's not as good as with the cable but damn near, and totally worth it for the convenience. Being able to make any of your IEMs Bluetooth on the fly is pretty great too. I use them with my 7hz timeless and it's incredible
I’ve had the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusks for about a year, and they were my first pair of IEMs. I’m starting to get an itch to try something new. Love these videos to help me look at options!
there was a tap in the beginning of the video in the music that made me think someone was tapping on my door xD thanks for the reviews been looking for some newer iems going to have to try a few out.
While I always liked the T4 tuning, it got eclipsed by my new Timeless. However, the recent addition of the Hip Dac 2 gave the T4 a whole new vibe with more vibrant mids and thicker sub bass. It's like I bought a whole new fun upgrade.
Hm, I tried to test it, but I remembered one of the main reason why I didn't use it much too much - the fit. It kept falling out for me even after trying some different sized tips. Darn
Received the S12. It's amazing. Treble can be fatiguing at times but it's smooth treble not peaky. Partly due to the fact that Im using tempotec e44 dac which is quite an energetic dac causing the fatigue, may be. Ordered the cayin ru6 r2r dac, seeing the reviews..let's see how it goes with S12..overall very impressed with my 1st planar hearing..cheers
@@pavanakumar270187 that’s good to know! I primarily listen on an xduoo XP-2 Pro and it seems to warm things up a bit… I know it tamed P1 max for me. R2R would be interesting…
@@HobbyTalk I'll post my impressions soon I listen to the ru6.. can't wait..have a nice time with s12.. believe the hype..they are phenomenal..one day I have to try the P1 max..out of budget at the moment..😆
The Dusks are phenomenal. I bought a pair of FiiO FH3 which left all the wireless earbuds I'd tried for dead, sound quality wise. I loved them but within a week I started thinking, "If these are that good, how amazing would a c.300 dollar/pound pair be?" I did some research, kept hearing about the Dusk and liked the story behind it so I ordered a pair. OMG (and I don't say that lightly), they were/are incredible. They needed "burning in", as do most earbuds/IEMs/Headphones/speakers, but after a few days of use they had opened up a whole new world of music to me - I honestly keep feeling as if I am in the studio with the musicians. I don't have the money to wonder what the next level might sound like but the Dusk is my perfect listening device and the end-game for me in terms of chasing sound quality. Highly recommended.
@@Gizaudio when I first had my round between the monarch mk1 and the diva, I straight away preferred the diva a ton, but the mk2 at its price point is just too goof
I have the ER2SE, S12, B2/Dusk, Oracle. and yes, they are all my favs. I love Monarch MKii but Oracle is just pure magical. but Elysian Annihilator... man, that thing is the best. you should get it next. it's like Diva, but 2 times better. you won't believe your ears
@@Gizaudio the fastest dynamic bass in an IEM I've heard. detail retrieval equal to Anole VX or perhaps slightly better but not boosted. smoothest treble but highest resolution. although it's V/U-shaped tuning, the vocal is so natural. like "they" said, the truest Sonion EST implementation so far. the EST timbre is not as obvious as Oracle or Monarch MKii. simply the best U-shaped on earth if not the best IEM. now you save some money and print a high-res photo of it and put it on the wall. make it as your desktop background as well.
@@Gizaudio I actually did manage to demo both of them.. it’s definitely a wrong decision to try VX before the Diva. After the VX, I can’t unhear myself from the missing details on the Diva. 😂
I bought the S12 one of these days for under $120 Seeing that it's the best under $300 makes me happy. Hopefully it will be my first and last IEM, especially because it's too expensive for what it is
Hi Timmy, thank you for your sharing, and it is another great video! I am a serious audiophile. Your recommendation helped me a lot finding an end game IEM. You said once you heard end game level IEMs, you will never go back because cheap IEMs sounded so veiled. This is so true that I almost never listen to thieaudio oracle after I got my 64 audio u12t any more. It just sound so good that blow oracle out of water. I can't imagine that I may not listen to oracle anymore, which is my best IEM before u12t. I am curious what motivation do you still want to stick to cheap IEMs (especially IEMs below $300 range) after you listened to so many end game IEMs. Thank you.
Hey! Thanks for sharing your journey. For me as a reviewer I need to always keep up with anything that's new so I can accurately give people recommendation at any price ranges. That's the main reason for me to still test and use cheaper IEMs. For my personal enjoyment I only listen to a few sets regularly. 1. Anole VX 2. Elysian Diva 3. Monarch MK2 4. Sony IER-Z1R 5. Oracle (this one is the only non-endgame I still listen to because I'm in love with how the upper midrange is tuned here, I'm considering this as the base my future IEM if I ever make one. But yes, out of the 5, I use this one the least)
Hi Timmy...You should try the Kotori Audio Dauntless...That may become your favorite under 100$...Vocals, tone, and timbre are fantastic for the price...The bass is lean and clean...Mid bass punch is great when required...Airiness...Personal enjoyment level, these beat the Aria for me, and in certain tracks, S12 as well...
@@Gizaudio Try with a balanced cable. You will be in for a treat I'm sure. I'm using the S12 stock 4.4 mm cable. It's phenomenal. Dauntless and Aria have been my daily drivers for quite some time. Now the S12 replaced the Aria. Hearing the first planar, Dauntless felt like a mix of dd and planar - speed of the planar + bass performance of a DD. Awesome time having both.. cheers..
Really the only high tier IEM or audio device in general that I've owned is the moondrop Kato. I have them paired with a fiio k3 dac and they sound very nice.
I have the b2 dusk, after a few weeks I can finally tell the difference from airpods pro, but I find it lacks a bit of vocal. I also have cca cra, I find I like the bass of cra, but it's a bit shouty for femal kpop songs. Any recommandations for waht I should try next for upgrade?
In my experience the s12 is better then the Dusk, and a bit worse then the Monarch MKII. The Monarch gives you a smoother presentation ( sounds just feel more organic i would say, the s12 sounds edgy in comparison ), some extra detail, a more 3 dimensional soundstage with better depth and better separation. And a different Bass presentation because of the dynamic driver. So the Monarch MKII is quite a bit better. Still the value of the s12 is absolutely crazy.
@@432HigherMind Oh wow, so diminishing returns have already set in with the S12? I just can't justify (to myself or my partner) the $999 of the Monarch MKII new, so I've been trying to find it secondhand 😅
@@JaredClarkBoaz I wouldnt call it diminishing returns. The thing is that the new planar magnetic IEMs like your s12 completely outclass everything else ( except for some etymotic IEMs ) you can buy for the same kind of money. Their technical performance is on the level of good IEMs (with different driver tech) around 500-800 dollars. The s12 even beats the Thieaudio Monarch MKI considering detail. The only step up right now are things like the Monarch MKII, Mest MKII or equally good IEMs, which are all multiples more expensive then for example the s12. So i would suggest you to have fun with what you have. Its an amazing product. Just wait for the next generation of planar IEMs, which will probably be even better with the same crazy good value.
I think Dusk is a great choice but it's more of a tuning change rather than a big technical upgrade. The Dusk has better details but only slightly, however tuning is much more natural and if that sounds good to you than it's a good upgrade. But if you're looking to get a full upgrade both in tuning and details, the Monarch MKII would be the one to save up for, Alternatively, if you can save up a bit more, the Elysian Diva is my current #1
I have tested the Variations and was very much impressed by the details. Great female vocals but I do find it a bit lacking for male vocals. I know for the longest time the Thieaudio Monarch MkII has been your daily carry. Am having a tough time deciding which to get: Variations or Monarch MkII. Most of my library are vocal performances with quite a bit of Broadway musicals which are quite demanding for soundstage and imaging. Wondering what will be your advice n recommendations or should I ditch the two and go directly for the Elysian Diva? Will very much like to pick your brain on this. Thanks!
For vocals it's either Monarch MK2 or Diva. For the money though the MMK2 is a much better bang for buck. Performance wise I would say both are even with one being better than each others in their own way. So let me break this down... Details: Equal Bass: Monarch MK2 is more satisfying here with nice midbass and good subbass. Diva is a little midbass shy. Midrange: Diva wins just little bit for clarity, MMK2 is a little more balanced. Mostly equal otherwise. Treble: Diva.....Diva....Diva Soundstage: Diva is slightly better Imaging: Equal Overall balanced (music genre versatility): MMK2 is more balanced, it can play with more genres than the Diva. It's mostly due to the bass. The Diva leans ever so slightly on the upper mids and treble side while the MonarchMK2 is just balanced. All and all, just a preference thing. I like Diva more because my library consist of mainly delicate female vocals and highs which the Diva is world class at. But the Monarch MK2 is still my preferred if I ever switch to my other favorite genres like metal or edm.
@@Gizaudio Thank you so much for the detail breakdown. It really cleared my mind on many uncertainties I had on the 3 iem options. Much appreciated mate!!! You are the best 👍
Blessing 2 amazed me coming from Aria to Olina, they say the bass is not enough? Buy spring tips and its more than enough for me but the details and timbre and cleanliness of the instruments is so good. Although the separation is just 7/10 but this is the best mid level under 500 IEm for me, i auditioned everything famous on 500 and under even comparing it to variation i prefer the tuning of B2 OG
I have the S12, Dusk, Oracle, Kato and SA6 based on your previous reviews. I'm thinking about a 64Audio either a U6t or U12t as my next choice. any thoughts on either of them?
@@lanemiddleton9 I've had the Oracle about 3 months and the SA6 about 3 weeks, so right now I'm listening to the sa6 more. I will say that I have them both laying next to each other on my dresser and I find myself reaching for the Oracle then correcting and grabbing the SA6 so I can give it more time.... so, given that I'd say I am leaning towards the Oracle a bit more, it seems to have a bigger soundstage and more treble. Hope that helps, I'm a newbie (6 months in and started with the Aria) so weigh that accordingly
I like them both a great deal for sheer fun and details in the music I prefer the S12. The bass is better and the details are excellent. The Dusk is a more refined sound and more relaxed to me. Both are awesome though
Hey guys I am looking to get one of my endgames iem, and I'm having a hard time deciding between the VX, U12T and the MEST MK2. I mostly listen to RNb, Classical and songs. I would say I really enjoy a good piano and listening to the vocals. I would really like to have something that doesn't leave me wanting more, at least until I have the income to afford something like the odin or anhilathor to go alongside this first endgame piece.
So not a suggestion but a personal anecdote. I found I like more V shaped for most music like Rnb, HipHop, some EDM/Techno but for everything else I like a neutral pair (still unsure if I like harman or not). Do with that what you will, I'm not saying there isn't a single IEM that can do everything well (the recent Dioko does fairly well in all ranges) but I found that I personally like having a couple pairs for the types of listening I do. I mean sure I could EQ them too but I can never be satisfied with an EQ setup lol. edit:mypoint: If you struggle to find that one single end-game, it might be worth having a pair for each flavor you enjoy. Get a pair that matches the most with what you listen to but keep another (but much differently tuned) pair for everything else.
@@ROFLWAFFLELAWL4 Thank, you know what I have also been considering that. Getting something like the m7 for my classical music and perhaps a variations/sa6/oracle for the rest. Its tough, I have a couple of headphones but my head starts hurting after like 40 min thus I was looking for something like an endgame iem to just stick with that. One thing tho is I love how my hd660 sound with a loxjie p20. Its fun cause I got some beyerdynamic thinking it would be an upgrade but the way instruments and vocals sound on the had and that amps its just awesome, the amp gives them the punch in the bass that the Sennheiser were missing, I just want that in iem form lol
I would go with the Anole VX but keep in mine you need to be able to handle a bit of treble, which if you're okay with the Annihilator, it shouldn't be an issue. I don't suggest the U12T or Mest MK2 if you're looking for something special. Those are fantastic endgame IEMs, but they are on the safe side. Another suggestion I would like to give would be the Elysian Diva.
To my ears the S12 is a muddy bass cannon. After getting mine surprisingly I noticed how the bass is much more of an issue than the sibilance everyone keeps talking about (my brother said it too). Still trying to salvage them somehow by eq-ing them right. Still haven't found the right setting for my treble-dead ears. Also they make my left ear hurt but every day less so. On the bright side, the detail is rather good though not on par with my sundara by my subjective impression.
You may want to look at the OLINA which is pretty good. If you want to spend more money then the SEEK Real Airship is excellent. This hobby can get expensive! I keep my budget under $300, but I am looking at the Yanyin Canon at $350. Start out at the $100 mark and work up from there. There’s a lot of really good IEMs out there, just check out a lot of reviews before you buy! Don’t blame reviewers if you get hooked! LOL.
There’s some new ones coming out for under a $100 and the market is soon to be flooded with a lot of new stuff. I watch at least three or more reviews before I buy anything. Reviews may help you or confuse you, but still worth looking at.
I've got the KZ ZS10, 7Hz Timeless and Dioko with the Truthear Zero and Z12 incoming. You cannot go wrong with the Dioko ESPECIALLY with price, but for me it's the Timeless, it absolutely lives up to the hype. For the price with a little EQ it's God tier, imo, the level of detail retrieval and tuning is just insane good for $200 but seems like the S12/Z12 is the slightly better value as it's pretty similar but quite cheap.
I would definitely buy the s12 or the er4xr in favor of the blessing/dusk. If you listen to a lot of high quality music thats been recorded very good definitely go for the er4. There is no IEM i listened to yet that comes close to it for such music ( i listened to Blessing 2, shuoer s12, mangird tea, thieaudio Monarch and Monarch MKII, Mest MKII and some others). If you listen to non audiophile music a lot go for the s12. Its value is crazy good.
Hi Timmy.Did you have experience listening to Sony m9? How would you compare them with competitors in their price category? I think to buy them, or buy ie600, both should be very comfortable lightweight, although with different sound
Important note would be : the etymotic er2se is with the er4xr the only iems I've got which competes/ surpasses my full size over ears hd800s and arya stealth. And I've got both thieaudio monarchs also 😂
I see and appreciate the enthusiasm, and I respect your taste completely when I say this but........I entirely disagree that ER2 and ER4 are better than HD800s lmao
Hello good sir, thanks for the frequent uploads🙏 How does the Diva compare to the IERZ1R? It seems that the Diva does almost the same as the IERZ1R. Treble, female vocals.
Thank you so much!! I would say it is very different. Z1R is the bass king while Diva is lack luster bass wise. Midrange and Treble is a win for the Diva. Detail wise about similar.
@@Gizaudio awesome thanks for the reply👍🏼👍🏼 Based on your recommendation and a few others I got myself the IERZ1R and I’m so pleased with it. I’m saving up for the Anole Vx next. Thanks for the videos, we really appreciate your work!!
Oracle Vs sa6 and Vs variations? Could be the title of a new video? But give me an anticipation...please What do you think about Sharur's fobstinacy on suggest only variations, do you read him ?
Variations for best details and widest stage + amazing tuning SA6 for a safer tuning, reference style sound with good details Oracle for the most magical vocal and midrange experience of your life + good details
They are different so you will have two different IEMs to switch around. I love both. Though I would suggest saving money to get an endgame piece instead
There will be a blessing 3 dusk soon. I recommend waiting to see how that turns out but the B2 Dusk is worth the 320 regardless of how the B3 dusk turns out imo. Just depends on if are willing to wait a few months. The S2 dusk is a very safe and still top tier bet. Personally I would just get the b2 dusk after trying the B3. I love my B2 dusk so I might be biased. It’s hard for me to judge quality at this price range but I still like the B2 dusk tuning better so the hardware changes don’t matter for me. You absolutely won’t be disappointed with the B2 Dusk
Didn't want to add too many moondrops lol but I love the Variations as well, it's an all star on its own. For me it's better than Dusk overall, but not by tooo much. It's hard to compare them directly as the tuning style is quite different
It seems that people have so many misconceptions about K-pop in general. It's not all about female vocals, idols and weeb shit. Don't believe it? Check a song called "memory of the wind" from Naul to get a hint of how real k-pop sounds.
So I am very interested in your opinion on this but what do you think is the complete upgrade to the Kato? I am honestly scared to think anything could actually be a complete better product the way the kato is to the aria.
Wow factor. Anole VX: YES. Edit: No VX? I'm legit surprised. Also, the Dusk came out in December 2020, not even 2 years ago as of now, but I can see the Dusk remaining relevant for years to come.
Hi Timmy, I would like to try the elysian diva but i don't find a way to buy it. I live in Europe and it seems to be available only for Malaysia and Singapore consumers... Kind regards
You need to email the owner to purchase. Here's the email: elysianacousticlabs@gmail.com The owner is a really nice guy, so if you have questions, he'll answer.
@@liiou4445 Technicalities are not the end all for everyone. The Variations made me, a huge sucker for technicalities, realise just how much the tonal balance actually matters (to me).
so...guys i wanna ask and i hope i get reply fast from all of you...between aria.....kato and blessing 2 wich is more good....i dont know much about tuning....i just plug in in my phone without setting or anything wich is better choice guys?
@@Gizaudio thank u for a reply...well if u say so im just gonna grab it...but before that do you have any suggestion for other best iem which is same with blessing 2 price range?
I am, so I'm able to pick out good and bad treble quality right away. If it's fatiguing, peaky, it's obvious. But I have to say I've grown to enjoy treble more than before
under 1000 dollars what is the best iem for gaming for you now? I'm using hd800s and for me are amazing for gaming. i want something similar but iem....is it possible?
@@Gizaudio thank you so much...so what to buy that works best for gaming in iem? I try blessing 2 and not amazing for gaming. better for me fd5 but not astonishing....so i think of return these and take other...but what?
I find the positioning on my Zs10 pro X is better than my higher ends iems for gaming. It’s only 40 bucks tho a little short of your $1000 budget 😂 did you end up trying any IEMs for gaming since making this comment?
