Keep in mind with the dsp cable there are alternate tunings to choose from. I wasn’t able to get the dsp cable to work with some games (the dsp connection would freeze on windows and cycle to my amp dac and back to the dsp connection). If anyone has a fix let me know. The alternate tunings could potentially solve some of the area mentioned. Also keep in mind I generally keep my listing based on default tunings, but these do seem like they could be EQ’d quite nicely. Worth a shot, especially if you are getting the set anyway for some good music sessions.
if you cant figure out a fix, timmy from gizaudio posted the EQ profiles he got from crin, in case anyone ended up losing the dsp cable and wanted to EQ as an alternative option.
I really liked the footage breakdown you showed, Fresh. All situations were highly relatable to me playing stealth and immersive sims. Not knowing the correct floor and wasting an opportunity is exactly why audio makes a difference. I'd appreciate more of this.
I’ll make sure I get more visualizations in every Audio video moving forward. I think it’s easy to say what something does well. But I think when talking about what something doesn’t do well videos are very helpful
always the main reviewers opinion i wait for, i heavily make purchasing decisions based on the gaming aspect. truly appreciate your reviews man keep it up!
One thing I've learned after trying several IEM's and Headphones, is that you can't really have the best for both worlds (music and gaming), or it is impractical to expect the best of both in one peripheral. You're much better off having a dedicated peripheral for gaming (treble centric, which is pretty easy to find with cheap alternatives.) and then having another for your musical needs because it's much more subjective. Or, you could have something very neutral and have different EQ profiles for each.
I agree, to an extent! I have many really nice sets for gaming that transition very very well for all needs. For instance, the top and hype 4, the new cinocotres and doscinco. All very nice !
I like the simgot EM6L you recommended in budget tier for Apex, everything you said about them in game is 100% true to my ears and they sound really good with music too. Solid pick for sure! Thanks for this review as well, top notch!@@FreshReviewsYT
was waiting for this! i would really appreciate if you revisited this review and tested the different EQ profiles available for the DSP cable (at least with the games that dont take issue with it) to gain a more complete understanding of where it falls on the list. EDIT: i JUST saw your comment. cant wait to see your findings when you get a chance!
How comes it that you only have bout 30.000 subs??!!! you run a channel that (from the quality of your vids) I would at least expect to have 500k + Hopefully in the future Wish you all the best and thanks for the great content
Hello Fresh, I am grateful for the content of your review here. I am an apex predator player from China. I saw your iem evaluation video on the domestic website before . I think your play habits and the requirements for headphone audio are very similar with mine. I have always been fond of Restoring iem, so I bought bl3 as a replacement for my ie40pro, but after my actual experience, I felt that I was not as comfortable as before when I heard the long-range footsteps, so I began to look forward to the new dusk. Now it seems that I may use ie40pro back. You can also try this. For me, it is the best of all the iem I have contacted so far. Thank you again.
@@FreshReviewsYT will do, I’m not a super crazy audio guy but I like my music and games. I play a ton of apex ,I’ll be coming from dt990 headphones to try my first set of IEMS
@@FreshReviewsYT I just got the tops today and have been enjoying them. Is there any eartips you'd recommend and a amp which isn't so costly but able to give enough power to give a little rumble feeling in the bass if possible
Just found your channel and feel like its a perfect match for my current buying preferences. I’m looking to upgrade from apple earpods (use them for both mic and audio). Looking for an IEM that does music well as well decent for gaming. Any iem and/or mic combo recommendations from Fresh Reviews or other viewers?
Which do you prefer ? Yanyin cannon 2 or DT 900 Pro X ,any recommendations for the $250 mark in either IEM or HEADPHONE Form whichever delivers more at the price point ( WITHOUT DAC OR AMP , I Will get one prob a later date but I'm really looking for a plug and play experience just lmk what you think is better later down the line) Thx in adv
Thanks for the review Fresh! Damn I had high hopes for this one for Apex and CoD. Looks like I might cancel this one and stick with my Hype 4s for now. 🔥review as always brother.
It happened to me that when playing VALORANT with these IEMs, sometimes it would freeze, window out, cycle my headset connections and then go back to normal (all this about a 3 seconds freeze). I noticed too, that when having Windows volume maxed out up to 100, when I listened to considerably loud music, it would do the same cycle of stopping the song and start cycling between headset connections. So my theory is that the DSP cant stand that much of high and loud audio, therefore, creating an overload of the USB C power supply. At the moment, the only fix that I could think about is turning down the Windows volume bar down to 70-80 instead of 100. Correct me if Im wrong, but right now this is the only logic fix that I could find, because there seems to be zero answers rn at any forum about this issue. I hope it helped anyone. Let me know if you find out any other fix.
Is soundstage/imaging objective or are they different for everyone? Everyone has differently shaped ear canals and such so I’m just curious if my experience with these will be different
@Fresh Reviews found out what is causing the game's to crash/ freeze what is happing is the IEMs are peeking/ requesting more power to make the sounds its receiving there are a couple of was on fixing it. 1st. download a EQ and lower the pre amplifying to -5 for the dusk it will stop from discord crashing and apex... from freezing and crashing in gun fights. 2nd have a higher out put type c port if you have a new type c port that can push 20amps it will let the IEMS be louder and not crash game.
Hey Fresh, your channel mirrors my priorities more than anyone else, thanks for the review. How do the Dusks compare to the Splendor II in terms of games and general listening? I’m deciding on a IEM that I’ll be able to play games with at a high level under 400 that can still handle my music listening (a lot of hip hop). Thanks.
Splendor 2, and the Yanyin canon 2 are great for both music and gaming. The splendor 2 is my preference. It’s a bit more impactful in the bass but doesn’t feel muddled. The canon 2 is a great option if you can’t get your hands on the splendor
@@FreshReviewsYT I see; thanks, I’m just still on the fence because if the Dusk has superior technicality and I’m paying the same amount for the Canon 2, (I think the Splendor is out of stock I can’t find it anywhere) I don’t want to regret not getting the Dusk if it’s not that big of a difference in games. Would you say that the Dusk is much better than the Canon or Splendor in terms of audio quality and tuning? Also dyk where else I can look for the Splendor?
Great Review! As a seige player, I would love it, if you can include seige since there is so much audio cues in that game and I've been searching for a good IEM for it.
What tier would you place these at? A-? B+? Also I was wondering if there was plan to make a crinacle-style tier list for gaming iems, would be a great resource for your community!
Great video brother Big Fan I got a question i want a Gaming focused iem for footsteps and directions i want wallhacks for 100+ dollars what would you recommend?
Awesome and detailed review. How do these line up to their predecessor the Blessing 3? Is the verticality worse on these with the driver swap, or is it in the same league as the B3? I'm inbetween the Dusk and the Blessing 3 for my IEM purchase but don't want to go with the Dusk if the B3 has an undeniably better soundstage- but I also don't want to miss out on the punchy bass for music listening and less competitive gaming if the soundstages + imaging are similar between the two. Thanks for all your work!
Hi Fresh, long time watcher and bought a few products based on your recommendations. Recently I’ve been really wanting to get into the wireless space but not wanting to lose too much audio quality… I obviously had to try the Maxwells which sounded great but weren’t the best for Apex and I’ve settled on the Bayerdynamics MMX200. I would really recommend you test them out, they’ve replaced the DT 900 Pro X in my setup and the mic quality is great!
Love these in depth reviews. Not many people talk this "IN-DEPTH" about Gaming in particular. I love good audio music wise, but I'm mainly gaming. So these are very insightful. What's a good IEM for accurate imaging? Given you had lots of position problems with Apex. What would be recommended in a similar price range?
Hello I wanted to thank you for the great review. I would like to ask you a quick questions. For a budget between 300 and 500 euros. What do you think is the IEM for Apex and cod ?
Great detailed review! So I'm looking for like the best all around for gaming, music and movies etc. The games I mostly play are like Tarkov, CS, so would you recommend the hype 4's over the dusk or should I save up a bit get something like the monarchs mk3?
I do recommend them over the dusk for gaming. You could go higher tier, but I personally rank the splendor 2 above the mk3 and it’s less $. The yanyin canon 2 and hype 4 are very good
From your list of mid-tier IEMs, how do they rank for music? I'm looking at Yanyin Cannon II, Intuaura Splendor, and Thieaudio Hype 4 (budget range of around $300).
Amazing video as always. I have a couple quick questions here. Would you rate the splendor 2 over the kiwi lite or not. Wanting to test aome iems before testing the 490 pro out
hey dude first video i saw from you was the glsswrks akari mousepad review and this popped up in my recommended and i thought i'd click it since i wanted to upgrade from the b2d and didnt realize it was the same guy until i checked your channel you have great content so keep it up you got a subscribe from me, just curious have you tried out the thieaudio monarch mark 2's looking to get a new iem and want to go full endgame with this one and the thieaudio monarch mark 2's seem like a solid choice for me considering they don't have a lot of bass or treble they're netural which i love since i hate shouty or bassy iems i want pure neutral and so if you have tried them out i'd like to know opinions for gaming as in if you can hear the enemies and all the sfx etc. thanks a bunch for the content
@@FreshReviewsYT Thank you, are amp/dac essential to have for gaming? I am deciding between the em6l and the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite and don't know if I should get an amp.
Thanks for the video and tier list. I have question related to headphones. I have Arya SE + k9 pro ess combo. Is it worth upgrade to he1000 in hifiman lineup or branch out and try hd800s? I have also hd560s and had some really (out of head soundstage experience + dynamic drivers do something special with sens tuning) good experience. So how was your experience with hd800s with upgraded gear since your last video (2-3 years ago)? Even from my experience I could say that amp/dac matters a lot + cables (not much as other components but cooper vs silver is different enough to try out) Also i read on hifi forums that hd800s get some silent revision (Irish batch vs German change tuning a bit by adding bass and taming treble). Thanks.
Hey man love the videos, sorry my question isnt about these iems but the Splendor 2. Do you think the Splendor 2 is better than orchestra lite for Warzone?
Hey, great vid! i’ve wanted to ask if the moondrop mc2 cable is a good iem cable. I’m mainly choosing this because it has a mic and wanted to know your opinion on it
Not a massive difference, but one that’s big enough for me to stick to the different tier for my own personal play. If you’re strapped for cash I wouldn’t upgrade. But yea, main differences will be in the significant areas. separation region and overall depth perception etc. the lite is VERY good though.
Yes! I would expect it to be different. But I would have to estimate that anything on my list should be very good. I’d only expect something to possibly go up a + or - for instance I could maybe see an A going to an A- but I don’t think an A would somehow turn into a B.
Hey Fresh thanks for the in-depth review. I'm looking to jump into the world of IEMs from a pair of HD 599s. As someone who is also a big hip hop and rnb fan but also plays a ton of Valorant (diamond level) on the side along with non-competitive single player games like Elden Ring would you recommend these as a starting point, or should I look at a different pair? Budget isn't an issue however I would like to stay around or under $400. Thanks!
Hi Fresh! As this IEM has six or seven tunings to choose from and I dont think you mentioned this in the video, I was curious as to which tuning you used for the review (I think you used the DSP Default?) and whether you tested the analog performance or other DSP settings and what you thought of those, especially as some of these alternate tunings have elevated treble which may address your complaints in this video. I can't shake the feeling that a different preset would be much better for gaming with!
hey fresh, thanks for another helpful review! do you happen to know if the moondrop dawn pro dac/amp is any good for gaming? it would be interesting to see if a sub 100 dollar dac/amp can perform well for games
hey fresh i hope you are not too busy and manage to answer that (or if anyone else can answer it) 1- what do you find best to game with, imaging/staging wise, iem's or open backs? 2-what do you recommend (infinite budget) for both styles? 3-*if open backs* which dac/amp stack you would use with it? thanks man love your content
I prefer open backs slightly. And that’s only because the recently released hd490 is that good. The 800 is also very good with the appropriate dac amp. I like my dx9 right now. Better stacks are available but take up more space. IEMs are very close to my open backs. Just slightly under. Right now my bests based on zero budget are close between the 490 and 800. IEMs my favorites right now are probably the 64 audio volur, but they’re exceptionally pricey and the performance gain isn’t that significant compared to the xenns top or splendor ii in terms of gaming performance. All very good options I’ve listed here and any one of the above could be someone’s end game.
Very! I think though comfort is a very subjective thing. But they are very ergonomic and light weight. I had no issues at all I could play for 8 hours straight with no discomfort.
@FreshReviewsYT Thanks for the reply, I'm looking at 200-300+ so I'll take a look at the top 3 at least, although the new 2nd place is looking enticing given its price compared to the others
Damn I was hoping you would like these more for gaming. I was considering these iems heavily but saw one of your other reviews speaking highly of the Orchestra Lites and im unsure now. I play only competitive titles but also enjoy music, hiphop/rap with bass. You have any updated recommendations for a budget around $350>?
Cant wait to get my hands on a dusk. Been daily driving blessing 2 dusk but wanted alittle bit more bass. Between the two of them what was the difference that is subtle or obvious.
What cable are you using on your 490 pro plus? And are these any better or equal? I’m interested in other cables, more thickness and better quality. Any recommendations for the 490 pro plus?
Hey, I assume you put headphones above iem because in your tier list they are mostly superior. So in which case would you recommand iem > headphone ? And for music, is for example HD490 pro better than his price rivals in iem ? thanks for your content appreciate it
Headphones and IEMs are very close. The only two headphones I really appreciate noticeable benefits over IEMs are the hd800s and 490. The he1000se with the right amp dac as well. I use IEMs mostly because I prefer the comfort / nothing making my head/ears hot
Hi, I'm new to the channel and I have a question about your new rate list, you said in the Intuauras video that your main 2 iem are Intuaura ii and Hype 4, do you put Intuaura higher than Hype 4 for the price? or is it better? I bought the simgot it is good but these days I'm really into this world and give it a try to a better iem, but currently I'm struggling with the tips cuz all that I tried hurt me, maybe u can make a video about that(joking). thank u for these videos because I couldn't find the simgot who saved me from using headphones for gaming purposes and sorry for my english.
Hey I have a question. Do you know if the Audient EVO 4 is both amp and DAC? Asking cuz I know the XLR ports have preamps for the mics, but idk if that’s the case in the 3.5mm dac port
I would be interested in what you think, if you can manage to work out the kinks with DSP and play around with different tunings. I'm assuming you were playing on the standard tuning with the 3.5 cable? Are they some 800s' on the table again?
Ant lion just made gaming iems that come with a mic can you review the duos? Compared to the other budget gaming iems list you have they aren't really gaming oriented like these thanks.
Because they are in separate price brackets, how would you say these fair against the Truthear Zeroes in gaming? I'd love to get these for music but is it a step down in gaming to the much lower priced Zeroes as well?
I pre-ordered the Dusk and this will be my first time using a cable with DSP built in. Just to be clear, will it work if I plug it into the USB-C port of my steam deck as well or nah?
As of right now does the EA500LM or singolo beat out the simgot e6l as #1 for budget wallhack tierlist? Looking to buy a pair today but i know you havent released your review yet
Finally this review has arrived before I make my upgrade decision! Great review as always! A quick question, I am using Simgot EM6L with a Qudelix dac/amp for my COD warzone games. I am pretty happy with how accurate it can help me to pinpoint the footsteps and other sound cues, but the only thing I felt a little not there is the intimate sound stage. It seems like the cutoff range is very short, I can't seem to hear footsteps from around mid range but can definitely pick those up in closer range.. I am wondering if upgrading to a higher tier would help me with that. The ones I am looking at are kiwi ears orchestra lite, however, I am wondering how big the improvement is and if that is worth the extra cost. Also, it seems like you rank the Canon 2 highly and over orchestra lite, but that is another $100 more. However, do you think stepping up to orchestra or even canon 2 would solve my soundstage problem and the improvement is more than marginal that will make it worth it?
Personally, i would have to an and b test them both in cod to provide a very accurate answer. However, I have tested both in apex and what I can say is for apex there is a nice noticeable difference with footsteps and things around me having more emphasis and impact. Things slap harder forcing my attention to be directed faster on the lite in comparison to the Em6l. The difference is worth it for me in apex
@@FreshReviewsYT thanks for the detailed response! You just convinced me to get a pair of O Lite! However, how big is the improvement if I go for the yanyin canon 2? Will the upgrade be worth the extra cost or I am pretty much getting diminishing return going beyond the O Lite? What kind of improvements I will get from Canon 2? I am ok throwing another hundred if it is that much better :)
@@FreshReviewsYT I can report that Orchestra Lite indeed perform much better than the EM6L! Thanks for your recommendation. Now, I am wondering should I try the Canon 2 :) Unfortunately, Splendor ii is nowhere to be found....
@@FreshReviewsYT Btw, how would you compare Splendor ii vs Canon ii :) Sorry for asking so many questions, I want to make sure if I "deep dive" into the IEM, I am landing on the right choice ;P
I see lot of your review focus on competitive gaming. Sadly i dont play a lot of competitve game. Im more into story single player game. Hope to hear your opinion on this Dusk for single player game on how immersive experience will it be.
I have had this IEM for about a week. I main Valo and I love how comfortable these are. I am using the the 3.5 cable into a FiiO K7. I cannot seem to find the best EQ setup to hear footsteps directionally so im kind of torn wether to try a more expensive IEM or try to figure out how to help with this and keep the crinical Dusk
Intuaura Purple being that these are $100 off on Linsouls website do you think these would be a big improvement over the Dusk for gaming? Valorant footsteps specifically lolll?
I never tried iem-s, wondered which iem-s could be compared to 900 pro x in terms of gaming performance and value? 900 pro x are 215$ in my local stores right now
I have the raptgo hook x hbb for a year and I really enjoy it for gaming never touched my headphones again lol. I am looking in the market for something new that gives me that open back feel which I know is limited as far as IEMs go. The only issue with the raptgo is the shell touches the bottom right of my ear and after a long gaming session it can bother me a bit but it goes away once I take a break. My right ear is a different shape as I get none of this at all in my left ear. Is there anything open backed that I could look into with a better shell design that is good for gaming? Or should I just look into a dac that would have some transparency mode built in so I can just use any iem? I do prefer the open sound even with headphones at my pc but can get away with airpods pro for music so transparency mode makes a difference. I have tried loads of different tips with the raptgo to try get it to fit well for long sessions but I am looking at my options as there is so many newer shell designs out there that will be more comfortable overall.
Not aware of anything fully open. If you want a really nice IEM though check out the splendor 2 or splendor purple. Enjoying them a lot. Hype 4 is killer also
What you’ve said is pretty much how I feel about the Thieaudio Hype 4, so I’m sure the Dusk is great, but market disruptor sounds like hyperbole to me.
So I say market disruptor because if you really focus on those IEMs that have released in this price range. To me this really sounds like a set that competes more with IEMs in the kilo range than IEMs in the mid range. It’s quite good for music. If you happen to grab one lmk what you think!
I wonder if high-end IEMs can have a hand in handling separation between music and gameplay sound effects. For games like the Souls series and other action RPGs, the mixing of effects and the often times intense battle music tend to create a mess of noise that heavily distracts me when I need to focus on timings and such. Will there ever be a gaming scenario that can determine an IEM's performance in separating music and in-game sound effects? Honestly, that might just be the game developer's job in properly mixing audio for their games...
Yes certain IEMs and headphones will do very well to separate those things out as best as possible compared to others that aren’t so great at those things
@@FreshReviewsYT Nice, I wouldn't mind seeing a small footnote in future videos with an opinion on how the IEM's handle music tracks and game effects simultaneously. A lot of people do be gaming like that nowadays.
Quick question, im thinking of buying the monarch mk3 for gaming, will it perform well out the box, or it is necessary to buy a dac as well for it to be good?
love my moondrop starfield and with eq i love them even more, comparing the frequency response graphs between the starfield and the dusk it would seem like i would very much like the dusk, just an overall upgrade my current eq settings would line up almost exactly with the dusk on the 3.5mm cable under ~10k, i would probably do a +2-4db at maybe 12k and -7db at 15k im just an iem noob and not sure how much of an upgrade going from the starfield to the dusk would be, i went from the moondrop chu to the starfield and it was like going from a budget acoustic guitar to a much nicer one, clearer but also richer would going from the starfield to the dusk also yield a jump like that or am i mainly just going to see a "flavor" change with better technical performance
Now that is a very very close call. It could go either way based on personal preference. Right now I give the slight edge to the splendor 2 and here is why. There is a little less of a “blend” feeling. Things within the space pop more and that additional emphasis makes me focus on things faster. The splendor 2 has been exceptional in EVERY game I’ve used it in so far. I give it the slight edge right now for me personally
