I'm afraid of buying any budget IEM

Submitted by be-LazY t3_ykkbtx in headphones

I've been using the blessing 2 for months now. Before the blessing 2 I had the aria and right before the buying the blessing 2 I sold my aria and my impressions were that the aria were pretty good while the blessing being the best I've tried so far. I can't say that the b2 are perfect but the are for sure the best I've tried. Yesterday I tried the aria after months of not using and damn I had no idea that the b2 were so good. I was used to the aria and I quite liked it, the only thing that threw me off them were the soundstage, being wider on LR than Front/back, and now that I've tried the aria again I saw how bad the aria are compared to the b2, I made a comparison with the b2 and it just got outperformed in every aspect and shape. The probelm is that I was thinking in buying another IEM below 150$, I was thinking about the s12 now that they are on sale, but I'm just afraid that it will get outperformed by the blessing 2 and I will never use it again. My idea was getting two different IEM for different situations but the fact that the b2 are just too good it make me not even want to try the aria ever again. Will the same happen to the other "budget IEMs"? I know for sure that won't be the case other budget IEMs, but for those who have mid range and also low range IEMs do you use them all or do you just main one of them?

10

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

SupOrSalad t1_iutnir3 wrote

I mainly just use my galaxy buds pro and Blessing 2 Dusk. All my other IEMs are rarely used other than situational cases (ER4XR for isolation), so yeah I get ya.

There are some competitors, but in general most budget stuff, even things that sound good, just don't present themselves the same way the Blessing 2 does, but again it is down to preference. You may find something you like more

11

be-LazY OP t1_iutosy6 wrote

I was thinking in getting a heavy bass IEM and I knew that the aria had more bass than the b2 so I thought I would enjoy them because of that. But after trying them the b2 bass is just better, not as heavy but better in every way. I don't even know if I want more bass in my IEMs anymore and I really can't test different IEMs so...

0

TurntableManiac t1_iutrptu wrote

Blessing 2 Dusk has more bass. Still balanced tuning and still sound fantastic

3

be-LazY OP t1_iuuer6g wrote

I want bass without sacrifices, I was thinking in getting the ie300 for the bass, I heard they do it good but I don't want to spend 300bucks on bass, then I found the s12 and I'm a bit afraid that they're not technical as good as the b12. And also, are the b2 dusk bass a lot noticeable compared to the blessing 2?

1

TurntableManiac t1_iuuke6z wrote

I only have the dusk and haven’t tried the OG Blessing 2 but it looks like it has about a 5 decibel rise in bass.. Other than that they’re pretty similar I think so maybe it doesn’t make sense to own both but maybe the Dusk is tuned more to your liking.

I haven’t tried the S12 but it seems like it’s one of the best in its price range. The B2 is also probably the best in its price range (I love my B2D! Blown away to own an IEM this good) so I probably wouldn’t want to go with a cheaper IEM either.

1

Mhosie t1_iv0l7k9 wrote

I got the s12 a couple of days ago and have owned the ie300 for a few months. I am no expert so maybe you wanna take my opinions with a pinch of salt! I really like the ie300s for their comfort more than anything else, you can easily wear them all day and forget you have them in. In terms of the sound, the ie300 has more bass than the s12 which has a lot more treble to my ears and I find I need to listen at a lower volume. One thing I will say about the s12 compared to the ie300 is that the sound is much wider, whereas the ie300 sounds very close. Vocals are so much clearer on the s12 if you care about that. If you're looking to get a cheaper IEM with more bass I really enjoy the Truthear Zero and out of the three IEMs I mention I find their bass to be the most enjoyable (really good punch, when I listened to Karma Police with them for the first time it put a genuine smile on my face!).

1

be-LazY OP t1_iv0ps05 wrote

Ohhh the truth zero, I was also looking at them, but the fact that the blessing 2 may outperform in clarity/detail it just made me think that it may not be really worth it

1

Mhosie t1_iv0r30d wrote

I'm guessing you're going to be hard pressed to find something cheaper than the B2s which have better detail, but you'll certainly be able to find cheaper IEMs with different tunings which you may prefer overall :)

1

senorx12562 t1_iutxeax wrote

I have both the b2 and the s12. They really are so different that I don't think one could replace the other. They are complementary. The s12 has more of a "consumer-centric" signature, and are more comfortable than the b2. But I don't expect to ever part with either.

7

be-LazY OP t1_iuu6u4g wrote

But even with the s12 didn't you ever felt like the b2 are more clear/detailed while being different? I want something different with the same level of detail so one can only feel different from the other but not better.

1

senorx12562 t1_iuu9g0q wrote

Clarity is actually one of the areas that the b2 are better than the s12, but the latter are no slouch either. And I think treble detail is pretty close between them. Detail in the mids is definitely better w/ the b2, but the mids are less recessed w/ the b2, so that would be expected. The s12 has a more v-shaped or u-shaped fr, and the b2 is more neutral. But to my ears, the bass response on the s12 is better both qualitatively and quantitatively. Faster, punchier, and more detailand better texture. Your call.

3

thatcarolguy t1_iutu1g7 wrote

To me it sounds like you need to play around with EQ to figure out what you like instead of buying IEMs blind to basically do the same thing.

Then once you find what EQ makes the b2 even better you can try for an IEM that has that signature or if possible in your use case, just enjoy your perfectly EQd b2.

5

[deleted] t1_iuu0b1z wrote

[deleted]

5

be-LazY OP t1_iuu6dxk wrote

I love my b2 and want to keep them, but I would like to have something with more bass to listen to some different playlist like rap/hip hop. I love the b2 because they are clear and soft, but would like to also try something more different.

1

WillingnessNice3033 t1_iuv48gp wrote

I have 3 sets of iems each for a situation: 1. sleep iems (Beyerdynamic beat Byrd) 2. Running/expendable iem (Blon bl03) 3. sit-down-and-listen iem (Sennheiser ie600)

I have many other 20 usd budget chifi iems which are ina box and use when i want to remember how they sound.

But yes the general tendency for me also is to use higher value iem when the situation allows it. Which is why I don't have any new iems after the Sennheiser ie600, not even budget hypes like 7hz zero. I know I won't use them. They don't fill up any use case for me.

2

be-LazY OP t1_iuvx583 wrote

After trying all of your items are you considering buying any other iem after the ie600?

1

WillingnessNice3033 t1_iuvx6sr wrote

Nope. I have heard many iems and have a good idea 90% of how it will sound from the graph. And the ie600 just fits that preference of tonality. I see no reason to get a more expensive iem unless i am able to sample it any my mind changes. Perfectly happy with this and without absolutely needing a higher tier iem. The reason being that the price to performance ratio really goes down as you go further up.

I went from kz ate, to blon bl03 to bqeyz kb 100 to etymotic er2xr to this. Biggest jump was from the 50 usd range to around 150usd range iems. After that, yes technicalities improved. But less often so.

1

be-LazY OP t1_iuvxuf5 wrote

I think I wouldn't mind using any other iem if it was as good as the b2, but my problem is that I would have to spend a ton in another iem so I think i'm pretty good with the b2

1

WillingnessNice3033 t1_iuvysa6 wrote

If you're at that point where you're saying that. You probably don't need other iems. You can always demo iems by equing them from your current iems using equalizer APO.

Thats what I did. Crinacle has graphs of most iems I'm looking for. I got to his website. Selected the iem I am listening to (ie600) and then another iem that I think might be better (i did a comparison with um mest mk2)

I can get the difference in db from the graphs and "try" out the iem without owning it, by setting that difference in equalizer APO on my PC.

Thats how I got from etymotics to the ie600. I equed them, then bought them. I felt I really would like a more v-shaped version of the etymotics which the Sennheiser's are.

After doing that I decided it wasn't worth it with the um mest mk2 most probably. It won't give an idea of soundstage etc. but you will get a perfect idea of the tonality of the iem.

1

be-LazY OP t1_iuw0q9y wrote

Ohh thanks a lot, I'll play a lot with eq before making any other decision.

2

be-LazY OP t1_iuwx0xe wrote

Oh and also, I'm aware that I don't "need it" I just want to buy some cause of pure curiosity, since I can't test them, and if they ended up working well for my likings I could have two great iems.

2

WillingnessNice3033 t1_iuwxm9a wrote

I get what you mean. I'd recommend figuring out the graph with your most resolving iem. Should give a much cheaper way of trying out the iems you think you like.

1

etantan t1_iuv53a3 wrote

I went through the iems you mentioned above (Aria>B2>S12>Oracle mk2) For me, the s12 is just as detailed as the b2, but on some songs it justs sounds like there is too much going on. You could say its a good complement iem to the b2.

Having upgraded to something even more expensive than the b2, I don’t really get to use my aria anymore. I usually use them when im lying down only.

2

be-LazY OP t1_iuvxb7w wrote

and isn't the oracle mk2 way better than the b2? or is the gap way smaller?

1

etantan t1_iuxctj8 wrote

For me, it is a step up especially on the quality of the bass. The treble of the oracle mk2 either ruins or highlights details in a song.

I still use the b2, it doesnt sound offensive, but sometimes it is boring. Gap isn’t exactly that big, maybe have to jump to a higher bracket to see a noticeable “improvement”

2

urasawasmonster t1_iv3ovct wrote

Have the Monarch MK 2, Timeless, SA6 and B2. Monarch is better than everything else I listed, but the gap is not that big between these IEMs in terms of tier. They're all very good for what they are.

Monarch is very natural sounding with a decent emphasis on bass.

SA6 with symbio W tips sound pretty close to monarch. With original tips, their BA timbre is more apparent. They're smooth.

B2 is a little cold and thin. They're good for listening to podcasts but I usually have to turn the Dusk EQ on for music. Even then, it can be sometimes sharp to my ears.

Timeless is fun.

cc: u/be-LazY

2

ultima-ratio-populi t1_iuxvfs6 wrote

I got this feeling that you get what you pay for comparing my S12 to a Salnotes Zero.

I've got B2D coming in the mail, i ordered that shit MONTHs ago, I'm sore about it. When/if they ever get here, no matter how the S12s sound compared to them, I already know the niche that the S12s will fill. I've seen a lot of folks drop their Blessing2s and they crack up like nothing, the S12 looks like it's built a lot more solidly so they're my durable going-out-doing-rough-shit IEMs. I'll treat my B2Ds with kid gloves so the backplates don't fall off.

And you gotta try etymotics. I know you're after bass, and they have less than neutral, but if you see a deal go for it IMO, it's a different experience.

2

senorx12562 t1_iv3slgr wrote

I have the er4xr, and I would not say the bass is "less than neutral," in fact those are a little boosted compared to what I would call neutral. I would call the xr4sr neutral in the bass.

3

c0ng0pr0 t1_iuuiv2x wrote

Try KZ’s AS16 Pro. Amazon has a great return policy

1

knvngy t1_iuuo6bl wrote

I own the Blessing 2. Then I got the Truehear Zero and to be honest I don't think the Blessing 2 are better.

1

be-LazY OP t1_iuvwfyc wrote

I got that impression when I first tried the b2, but after months of using the b2 I realised the difference in detail and resolution

2

knvngy t1_iuxvpp6 wrote

I don't hear anymore details with the Blessing 2. In fact the bass tuning of the TE Zero make it a bit more easier to tell apart instruments.

1

porscheboy919 t1_iuuo7it wrote

I know how you feel. Once I got my Moondrop S8, I tried many IEMs as a complement (Tanchjim Oxygen, Final E5000, Penon Serial), but I ended up using the S8 over all of them, so I am content with just the S8.

1

dimesian t1_iuuznxe wrote

You're probably better off not buying cheap Chi-Fi. I only have one ChiFi IEM, it was $300, its good though I never use it. The only IEMs I've had problems with were cheap ChiFi models that were very popular when I first got interested in them.

1