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So over the last week, I've been testing some of the more popular budget chifi IEMs. The full list is:

KZ ZSN

KZ ZSN PRO X

KZ DQ6

KZ x HBB DQ6S

KZ PR1

KZ ZEX

BLON BL03

Moondrop Chu

Moondrop Aria

Kiwi Ears Cadenza

CCA CRA+

CCA PLA13

And I already had:

Salnotes 7Hz Zero

TRN V90

Shure SE215

Etymotic ER2XR

I'm still organizing my thoughts on all of them, and will be happy to comment on particular comparisons, though I'm not sure how deep I'd like to dive on each one.

I listened to each pair of IEMs on both my computer audio setup, with a Presonus VSL22 DAC, Xduoo TA-26 Class A tube preamp, and Schiit Magni 3+ Headphone amp. My sources were Tidal, Spotify Premium, and my own library of CD's ripped to FLAC. I also used my Pixel 6 with Apple dongle.

For EQ, I used Peace APO. I used the same pair of medium Spinfit tips on all IEMs, except the SE215 and ER2XR, which don't fit.

Ultimately, 75% of the IEMs I tried were either not an improvement from 7Hz Zero's, technically. From unfixable bass boosts on the BLON, CRA+, and to an extent, the DQ6.

The ones I did like were the Kiwi Ears Cadenzas, CCA PLA13, and KZ PR1. All three easily beat my 7hz Zero's.

If I could trade my Zero's for Cadenzas, I would personally be perfectly satisfied with that as a best under 70$ option.

For twice the price of the Cadenzas, the CCA PLA13's were the only IEM's to truly surprise me. Out of the box, they are tuned nicely, aside from some high treble that, while being very forward, somehow doesn't sound as offensive as it should.

The KZ PR1's were very very similar to the PLA13's, and it took a few hours of listening to each before I decided that the slight differences in things like soundstage (points to PR1) or detail (points to PLA13), were minimal enough that I didn't find a preference for one over the other, and furthermore, with how both respond to EQ, they can perform closely enough that you're not missing anything by choosing one over the other.

Aside from their more V-shaped fun tuning though, neither planar IEM was as good as my Etymotic ER2XR.

My next goal is to compare some higher end IEMs, with the goal of upgrading from the Ety's.

Quark DSP just wipes the floor with all those. No need to spend more than Etys to hugely improve upon them.

Haha, cool

Having tried several of these, and having just gotten the Truthear HEXA, you really need to check those out.

Very nice

You're not the first to recommend them, I'll take a look

What do the Cadenzas do better than the Zeros?

The thing that bugs me the most from the Zeros is their weak bass response on some tracks. I somewhat fixed that with some narrow-opening eartips (I use the oval ones from the Klipsch S4) and taping the front vent with clear tape. Have you tried that with your zeros? If so, how they compare with those fixes to the cadenzas? Been eyeing them, but idk if they are really a big upgrade.

This sub is gonna get even more sick of me now that marriage ended with Chu and Quarks DSP is my new Waifu.

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I'm a bit curious about what OP has to say about this, but I also own both the Cadenzas and the 7Hz Zeros, and I personally like the Cadenzas more. The overall sound is more rich and "fun" in my experience, while the Zeros come off a bit too neutral for me. After listening to a few tracks by Roosevelt (synth pop stuff), the Zeros have very nice upper clarity, but I would agree with you on the bass response holding them back a bit. I feel like I like the Zeros for the vocal side of things, and the Cadenzas for the rhythm/bass side of things.

Not sure if I'd say the differences are big enough for the Cadenzas to be a considerable upgrade though. They both sound great to me, but after typing all of this up, I'm keeping the Cadenzas in my ears.

Thoughts on the Aria’s and Chu’s?

Oh, no shit, you're THAT guy!

Not that impressed. I would have maybe thought about keeping the chus as cheapies, but non-removable tiny cable and bad fit for my ears made returning them an easy choice.

Didn't do anything for me that a 20$ KZ can't.

And tbh, the 'brand new' Arias showed up as a tangled mess of bent cable, and absolutely loaded with earwax. I threw them back in the box and had my refund less than 2 hours later.

I'll try blessing2's some time.

Why’d you bother with getting 2 different DQ6’s? I have a pair myself.

Doubt I'll need an upgrade for my Ety's any time soon honestly, what makes you want to upgrade?

This sub is way too dangerous.

Every time I stop by, I hear about new chifi iems that find their way into my Amazon cart.

And now there's a list with a bunch I missed?

You forgot tanchjim zero and tangzu wan'er sg

Whats the difference between the CCA CRA and the CCA CRA +?

how do the Quarks DSP compare to the 7hz salnotes zero?

:D

No contest for me at least. Zero has a big 11k spike for me that completely kills the timbre. Quarks has smooth treble and the upper treble is somewhat subdued. If it just had a little more from about 9-14k without any peaks it would be perfect the way my Dusk is after applying EQ but as-is without EQ (user applied EQ at least) it may be the best sounding audio device I have heard yet.

Wax?? Bruh, where did you get them from so I can avoid that store?

Shenzhen Audio, amazon storefront.

Just look at all the reviews who ALSO ordered brand new IEMs from them, and got a nasty used pair covered in human filth.

haven't heard the CRA og, but the CRA+ has a god awful bass boost that is pretty much hardcooked into the IEM, EQ doesn't do much to take care of it.l

If it helps, I returned every single pair when they didn't impress me as much as the Shures and Etymotics I've had for years.

Purely wondering how much better an IEM can sound. Out of my over-ears, IEMs, and actual speakers, the Etymotics are the lowest performing.

Because its free to try them and return them, and I wanted to see how different 'upgraded' versions are.

I did the same with the ZSN and ZSN Pro X.

Basically, if you can't use EQ, the tuned versions could be useful, but otherwise you can basically achieve the same sound in either version, depending on your EQ.

Bruh what the heck? That’s where I got both my Aria’s and my Chu’s. They came totally new totally clean.

Then again, Amazon has recently been known to mix up their stock more and more; returns, scams, and genuine product all treated as if it’s the same thing. But I can’t find the reviews you’re talking about. Maybe they got deleted?

That sucks man. Sad that happened to you.

so the plus stands for more bass, okay got it. I own the CRA and I think the bass is just fine so adding more bass to it sounds like a bad idea.

Tin T2's and the Vido 2022 (the $4 earbuds) should be on this list. Tin's are just a classic and the Vido are insane for the price... Maybe the VE Monk+ as well. Have them in the post as heard good things.

You are absolutely correct, the CRA+ just ruins things with its bass.

https://www.amazon.com/sp?ie=UTF8&seller=A2Q0JVLI22BSVA&asin=B091DPFLSH&ref_=dp_merchant_link&isAmazonFulfilled=1

Looks like Amazon has officially taken the blame, filter by 1-star reviews only.

I have both. The main difference is the corrected treble response on the CRA+ which no longer sounds grainy, harsh and overly accentuated on treble heavy music and songs with vocal sibilance present. As for the bass, i'm using short and wide bore Moondrop Spring tips on mine, and the bass response is generally similar aside from the fact that on some tracks the CRA+ has a touch more warmth and midbass presence. I don't think the bass ruins anything on both CRA and CRA+, but then again i find iems like ety extremely limp in terms of bass response so i can see people thinking that these are too bassy.

Interesting. Well, I’m always okay to exchange until I get new ones.

But for now, I love the one’s I’ve got.

I spent (temporarily) 550$ and a week of my time to discover the same thing essentially.

Out of the ones in your list I own I like the KZ PR1 most (paired with a good cable and playing high res music on a Zishan Z4). Curious to hear the Cadenzas, havent heard about these before.

KZ PR1
Moondrop Aria
KZ ZEX
Salnotes 7Hz Zero Dioko (I dont have the Zero)
TRN V90
KZ DQ6

The Cadenzas are fine, but the PR1 does everything better, and the 7hz Zero's are very close to the Cadenzas.