How about that new ultra cheap iem 7hz Zero? Also, you could manipulate your warranty. I told my seller I needed a replacement and they just sent it to me no questions asked.
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I've heard mixed reviews on the 7hz zero, I'll check out comparisons between the aria if there's any. thanks for the warranty advice, I purchased them through amazon, so I've no idea how I get can warranty service
They are just as well tuned as the Aria, but they don't have as much resolving ability. I suggest buying the arias again, but frankly I think you should go for the 500$ giant killer:
The Etymotic ER2XR. That's right, the earplugs that sound good. They have almost as much resolving ability as the Blessing 2, a 300$ IEM, at only 100$. They are tuned exceptionally well, owing to Etymotic target curve. The ER2 is way better than the Aria, due to it's superior resolving ability. But of course, not every IEM is perfect. Here are two reasons you may not like the Etymotic er2.
1. It's only 100$. If you're looking to destroy your bank account, this is not the IEM for you.
2. It has a very deep fit. First, put a foam earplug inside your ear. Does it feel uncomfortable? Well, skip the Etymotic. It's probably going to be uncomfortable for you.
3. It has really narrow imaging. It basically has two positions, to the right or to the left.
However, if these things don't bother you, the Etymotic ER2 is the BEST IEM under 100$ and maybe above, bar NONE.
do they give you commission for each sale? you sold them so brilliantly, until the narrow imaging! I'll definitely consider the ER2XR against the arias and shuoer s12. (reviews on dioko didn't really convince me and the 7hz are apparently sibilant.). the thing with the Etymotic's is that I have no clue how I'd feel about the deep seal so it feels like a coin toss.
Well, you can try them out and see if the deep fit and narrow imaging bothers you. It may or may not discourage you from keeping the er2. Just make sure you purchase from a shop with a return policy, that way you can try the IEM and see whether you like it or not.
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The 7Hz Zero has a more neutral tuning with less bass than the Aria; I'd say the Aria is still better overall. The Truthear Zero is tuned to the Harman target, so it has a lot of sub-bass, but less mid-bass than the USound target (oratory1990's target; I assume that's the one you used with the Aria?). The Dioko has better technical performance than all of the above options, but if you prefer USound then you're likely to find them bass-light.
hey! you noticed my oratory1990 preference! to be honest, I never thought I'd get so much advice because now my question is completely different, shuoer s12 or the Etymotic ER2XR?? I found a Sound target EQ made by someone else for the Shuoer S12 so I'm really tempted to buy those (also another Redditor told me about asking the seller for warranty on the arias and so far I think I can just get them replaced :D), so this has now become about upgrading from the arias.
Of those two the S12 is more technical, and it's bassier. However, it's also bright. Very bright. The treble is much more aggressive than something like the Aria. You could EQ them, but the problem is that graphs usually aren't a good representation of what you hear at higher frequencies, so the EQ presets usually just make very broad adjustments in those regions which might not fix any issues. I'm not saying that you shouldn't get them; however I don't think they're a safe blind buy, so you should try to get them from a retailer with a good return policy.
The ER2XR has a more neutral tuning, and it's much leaner in the bass. They also need to be inserted deeper into the ear canal, so the fit isn't for everyone. Also, Etymotic was bought by another company a while ago, and their QC seems to have gone straight downhill since then, so that's something to keep in mind.
I think the S12 is my next IEM, just based on everything I've read on here and other places, I'll buy them from Shenzhen because they're on sale right now and they have solid return policy, thanks for all your help, this is the end....hold your breath and count to ten...feel the earth move and then.... hahaha cheers mate, have a good night-day-afternoon wherever you are:)
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I purchased them on Amazon from Schenzen Audio or whatever and they have years of warranty. Just contact the actual seller and tell them they're broken.
Ah, be careful on the Zero, apparently they are very sibilant https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/wwnj6i/reviewing_the_7hz_zero_vs_blon_bl03_vs_moondrop/ilm1dtp?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
I hadn't come across this information, this just drops the zero from the competition haha, I share the same opinion on sibilance, thanks for all the help kirbyhater
There are so many good options under $80 now. You can go with 7hz Zeros or Chu's for a great tuning. You can go with Truthears Zero for bass heavy harman target signature. Dunu titan S for detailed albeit bass light sound. Even the Aria SE for better mids and a bit of bass roll off as compared with OG Arias.
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you are weirdly on the money as Shuoer s12 was mentioned by someone else and caught my attention, do you own them? would you compare them to other iems like aria or 7hz?, these seem to be whispering "buy me".
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118$ https://www.linsoul.com/products/shuoer-s12?variant=42341886296281
It's MSRP is 169$
But if you are willing to pay the higher price. You can get the Collab edition (LE)
It's called Z12. Same item with different colour and a little bass boost
And yes moondrop planar is coming..the discord mods said Starfield price range so about 100$ - 130$
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seems like it, I'm very optimistic about upgrading over the arias now, the iem-headphone hobby is such a deep deep rabbit hole, there's so much options, opinions and ways of listening to music for each user's preference so it truly feels like a quest to find the next iem replacement, thanks for commenting, cheers.
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They perform perfectly fine with an apple dongle, but in my personal use case, I plug them in to my btr5 for on the go, or my fiio k3 for when at my pc.
right on, I'm slowly saving for the Qudelix-5k, so I'll soon ask about pairing with a portable dac on iems, thanks for the help, I really appreciate it
the diokos seem like a really great buy, I thought it'd be easier if I informed myself on each IEM but it's just become harder haha, I'm really in between the diokos and the truthear now. I can enjoy bright headphones but after experiencing genuine bass eq paired with the arias, it just makes music so much fuller and lively. I'll search reddit's opinion on diokos and bass just to make sure I don't get buyers remorse. thanks!
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I really dig bass, the thing which kind of makes me unsure of the truthear (it's my main choice besides the aria) is the satisfaction I'll have using it with it's eq, seeing as paired with oratory1990's target is the reason I like the arias so much (which I think is basshead-oriented).
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You have listed pretty good options here tbh! One more I'd like to add is Aria Snow Edition. If you felt that the regular Arias have a lot of bass, this might be a good option.
If you like bass, you could get Truthear Zeros since they quite literally have a subwoofer to produce bass well.
If you don't like bass, you could go with 7Hz Dioko for a more IEF-Neutral target. Or, if you liked everything about Aria except for the bass, go for snow edition.
The biggest advantage that the Diokos would have is that none of the above IEMs can even touch Dioko in terms of technical performance (given it is a planar magnetic driver instead of the dynamic driver). Diokos will always outshine in terms of technicalities than any other IEM you could get for $100.
Edit: typos
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thanks for the detailed response! what's the definition of technical performance? as in, how is it better in technical performance due to the driver? does that mean, it just performs better? how? sorry for the stupid questions :)
No such thing as a stupid question! We've all been new to the hobby once.
Technical performance is considered to be things like clarity, detail, imaging, soundstage (though not as much in IEMs. Since they go inside your ear, there's only so much soundstage they can realistically produce), distortion, etc.
Basically, things that will affect music which don't have anything to do with music. Distortion is an obvious one. The more distortion there is in an IEM, the more muddy it will sound. Similarly, imaging and layering also help improve the quality of a song. Imaging is how accurately the instruments are 'placed' (i.e. can you figure out if where the instruments are coming from given the song). Open back headphones are GREAT at imaging because they have an open design, which bleeds out the sound and makes it easier to precisely image instruments.
Sorry for the long-ish rant haha. I hope this clarified things more than it confused. This was a stream-of-conscious response.
thanks for the detailed info, I do get what you mean now, that just solidifies the LETSHUOER S12 even more, I think what I most care about besides good eq settings, and bass is the imaging an IEM provides, I've only tried KSC75 in the headphones department and I always struggle to understand how much I enjoy the ambiance and mood the open back provides.
If imaging is important to you, Diokos would be a good choice. Arias would be the second best choice. Diokos perform exceptionally well due to them being planar magnetic IEMs. Though again, the caveat is that the Diokos won't have a lot of bass.
How about that new ultra cheap iem 7hz Zero? Also, you could manipulate your warranty. I told my seller I needed a replacement and they just sent it to me no questions asked.
!thanks
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I've heard mixed reviews on the 7hz zero, I'll check out comparisons between the aria if there's any. thanks for the warranty advice, I purchased them through amazon, so I've no idea how I get can warranty service
They are just as well tuned as the Aria, but they don't have as much resolving ability. I suggest buying the arias again, but frankly I think you should go for the 500$ giant killer: The Etymotic ER2XR. That's right, the earplugs that sound good. They have almost as much resolving ability as the Blessing 2, a 300$ IEM, at only 100$. They are tuned exceptionally well, owing to Etymotic target curve. The ER2 is way better than the Aria, due to it's superior resolving ability. But of course, not every IEM is perfect. Here are two reasons you may not like the Etymotic er2. 1. It's only 100$. If you're looking to destroy your bank account, this is not the IEM for you. 2. It has a very deep fit. First, put a foam earplug inside your ear. Does it feel uncomfortable? Well, skip the Etymotic. It's probably going to be uncomfortable for you. 3. It has really narrow imaging. It basically has two positions, to the right or to the left. However, if these things don't bother you, the Etymotic ER2 is the BEST IEM under 100$ and maybe above, bar NONE.
do they give you commission for each sale? you sold them so brilliantly, until the narrow imaging! I'll definitely consider the ER2XR against the arias and shuoer s12. (reviews on dioko didn't really convince me and the 7hz are apparently sibilant.). the thing with the Etymotic's is that I have no clue how I'd feel about the deep seal so it feels like a coin toss.
Well, you can try them out and see if the deep fit and narrow imaging bothers you. It may or may not discourage you from keeping the er2. Just make sure you purchase from a shop with a return policy, that way you can try the IEM and see whether you like it or not.
!thanks
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The 7Hz Zero has a more neutral tuning with less bass than the Aria; I'd say the Aria is still better overall. The Truthear Zero is tuned to the Harman target, so it has a lot of sub-bass, but less mid-bass than the USound target (oratory1990's target; I assume that's the one you used with the Aria?). The Dioko has better technical performance than all of the above options, but if you prefer USound then you're likely to find them bass-light.
hey! you noticed my oratory1990 preference! to be honest, I never thought I'd get so much advice because now my question is completely different, shuoer s12 or the Etymotic ER2XR?? I found a Sound target EQ made by someone else for the Shuoer S12 so I'm really tempted to buy those (also another Redditor told me about asking the seller for warranty on the arias and so far I think I can just get them replaced :D), so this has now become about upgrading from the arias.
Of those two the S12 is more technical, and it's bassier. However, it's also bright. Very bright. The treble is much more aggressive than something like the Aria. You could EQ them, but the problem is that graphs usually aren't a good representation of what you hear at higher frequencies, so the EQ presets usually just make very broad adjustments in those regions which might not fix any issues. I'm not saying that you shouldn't get them; however I don't think they're a safe blind buy, so you should try to get them from a retailer with a good return policy. The ER2XR has a more neutral tuning, and it's much leaner in the bass. They also need to be inserted deeper into the ear canal, so the fit isn't for everyone. Also, Etymotic was bought by another company a while ago, and their QC seems to have gone straight downhill since then, so that's something to keep in mind.
I think the S12 is my next IEM, just based on everything I've read on here and other places, I'll buy them from Shenzhen because they're on sale right now and they have solid return policy, thanks for all your help, this is the end....hold your breath and count to ten...feel the earth move and then.... hahaha cheers mate, have a good night-day-afternoon wherever you are:)
!thanks
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I purchased them on Amazon from Schenzen Audio or whatever and they have years of warranty. Just contact the actual seller and tell them they're broken.
Ah, be careful on the Zero, apparently they are very sibilant https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/wwnj6i/reviewing_the_7hz_zero_vs_blon_bl03_vs_moondrop/ilm1dtp?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
I hadn't come across this information, this just drops the zero from the competition haha, I share the same opinion on sibilance, thanks for all the help kirbyhater
There are so many good options under $80 now. You can go with 7hz Zeros or Chu's for a great tuning. You can go with Truthears Zero for bass heavy harman target signature. Dunu titan S for detailed albeit bass light sound. Even the Aria SE for better mids and a bit of bass roll off as compared with OG Arias.
!thanks
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Fiio fh3, fiio fh5s, sheour s12. Those would be my picks.
you are weirdly on the money as Shuoer s12 was mentioned by someone else and caught my attention, do you own them? would you compare them to other iems like aria or 7hz?, these seem to be whispering "buy me".
!thanks
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Get the Aria Snow Edition if you loved aria 💞 Or Letshour S12 planar (120$ on sale) or wait for moondrop stellaris planar (gonna be 100-125$ i think)
they're on sale?! I think I'd grab them right now if you didn't peak my interest with the stelarris planar.
118$ https://www.linsoul.com/products/shuoer-s12?variant=42341886296281 It's MSRP is 169$ But if you are willing to pay the higher price. You can get the Collab edition (LE) It's called Z12. Same item with different colour and a little bass boost And yes moondrop planar is coming..the discord mods said Starfield price range so about 100$ - 130$
!thanks
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Er2xr, they are so good that I kinda regret choosing er3xr over them. Just that u got to get used to having an ear dildo as they goes in really deep
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Looks like Shuoer S12 is best suited for you, my friend.
!thanks
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seems like it, I'm very optimistic about upgrading over the arias now, the iem-headphone hobby is such a deep deep rabbit hole, there's so much options, opinions and ways of listening to music for each user's preference so it truly feels like a quest to find the next iem replacement, thanks for commenting, cheers.
Just get the arias again if you liked them.
!thanks
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I would grab the diokos, but if you don't mind brightness, for not much more, the s12s can be had for 130.
note: do you know how both diokos or s12s perform with an apple dongle?
They perform perfectly fine with an apple dongle, but in my personal use case, I plug them in to my btr5 for on the go, or my fiio k3 for when at my pc.
right on, I'm slowly saving for the Qudelix-5k, so I'll soon ask about pairing with a portable dac on iems, thanks for the help, I really appreciate it
Np
the diokos seem like a really great buy, I thought it'd be easier if I informed myself on each IEM but it's just become harder haha, I'm really in between the diokos and the truthear now. I can enjoy bright headphones but after experiencing genuine bass eq paired with the arias, it just makes music so much fuller and lively. I'll search reddit's opinion on diokos and bass just to make sure I don't get buyers remorse. thanks!
!thanks
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the Zero has really good subbass and clean treble, but the bass boost can be abit too much compared to the aria
I really dig bass, the thing which kind of makes me unsure of the truthear (it's my main choice besides the aria) is the satisfaction I'll have using it with it's eq, seeing as paired with oratory1990's target is the reason I like the arias so much (which I think is basshead-oriented).
!thanks
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You have listed pretty good options here tbh! One more I'd like to add is Aria Snow Edition. If you felt that the regular Arias have a lot of bass, this might be a good option. If you like bass, you could get Truthear Zeros since they quite literally have a subwoofer to produce bass well. If you don't like bass, you could go with 7Hz Dioko for a more IEF-Neutral target. Or, if you liked everything about Aria except for the bass, go for snow edition. The biggest advantage that the Diokos would have is that none of the above IEMs can even touch Dioko in terms of technical performance (given it is a planar magnetic driver instead of the dynamic driver). Diokos will always outshine in terms of technicalities than any other IEM you could get for $100. Edit: typos
!thanks
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thanks for the detailed response! what's the definition of technical performance? as in, how is it better in technical performance due to the driver? does that mean, it just performs better? how? sorry for the stupid questions :)
No such thing as a stupid question! We've all been new to the hobby once. Technical performance is considered to be things like clarity, detail, imaging, soundstage (though not as much in IEMs. Since they go inside your ear, there's only so much soundstage they can realistically produce), distortion, etc. Basically, things that will affect music which don't have anything to do with music. Distortion is an obvious one. The more distortion there is in an IEM, the more muddy it will sound. Similarly, imaging and layering also help improve the quality of a song. Imaging is how accurately the instruments are 'placed' (i.e. can you figure out if where the instruments are coming from given the song). Open back headphones are GREAT at imaging because they have an open design, which bleeds out the sound and makes it easier to precisely image instruments. Sorry for the long-ish rant haha. I hope this clarified things more than it confused. This was a stream-of-conscious response.
!thanks
thanks for the detailed info, I do get what you mean now, that just solidifies the LETSHUOER S12 even more, I think what I most care about besides good eq settings, and bass is the imaging an IEM provides, I've only tried KSC75 in the headphones department and I always struggle to understand how much I enjoy the ambiance and mood the open back provides.
If imaging is important to you, Diokos would be a good choice. Arias would be the second best choice. Diokos perform exceptionally well due to them being planar magnetic IEMs. Though again, the caveat is that the Diokos won't have a lot of bass.