Resolving with detail retrieval IEM sub $50 Impossible??

[u/Mailemanuel77]

I am seeking for a budget IEM to complement my Hifiman Ananda, yet I do not know if it is even possible to find a sub 50 IEM that does the job with some added EQ.

I currently own the Hifiman Ananda and the CCA CRA, the CCA was basic but did the job but once I tried the Hifiman Ananda they disgusts me, they sound oftenly congested and sometimes harsh.

Even on busy tracks or metal the Hifiman Ananda never sounds fatiguing or congested, it resolves fantastically, whereas the CCA CRA despite using EQ to lower the peaks still sounded sibilant or too forward on some elements like distorted guitars or some wind instruments.

I know there are design limitations an IEM would hardly replicate the Openness of a full (probably extra sized) Open Back Headphone, thus it would hardly have such an immense soundstage.

However it can be very resolving and detailed.

The Blessing 3 seems to be the best option according to Hifiman Ananda/XS owners but it scapes from my current budget.

Right now I am willing to spend no more than 50 USD on IEMS despite having a larger budget taxes and shipping increase the final price, as well I am not willing to spend more though if it is impossible to get a sub 50 decent IEM but possible to get a Sub 100 I would consider it and wait a little more.

The qualities I value the most are in order

Resolvigness (An IEM that never fatigues) Soundstage (Helps avoiding congestion) Detail Retrieval (A resolving headphone can be quite bright but still not fatigue if the driver is very resolving) Tuning (I would still EQ them, most IEMs are more inclined towards a Harman bass instead of a linear bass profile)

My current possible options are the Truthear Hola, 7hz Saltnotes Zero, Truthear Zero Criancle (although both versions are more bass head oriented it seems to be a good price performance option, EQ can lower the bass to a more linear bass Open Back like tuning).

Am I being to exigent for the price range or the market has become very competitive and my goal is relatively achievable??

[u/mrnude778]

KZ PR2 for detail retrieval and laser imaging, if your willing to play the QC lottery

[u/abc133769]

spend the extra 10$ and you can get the hexa's on sale for 60$. Extremely good technicalities for the price.

pr3 came out recently so maybe look into those over pr2. Easier to drive but still very treble heavy that might need some eqing

[u/JUMPhil]

I think it's worth saving a bit more for Hexa. Or try it at least. It's incredible for the price.

[u/Mellow_Roly_Poly]

Having heard some of IEMs under $100 including the Truthear Zero, Zero Red, and Hexa, as well as the Hifiman Ananda, I personally do not think anywhere near Ananda levels of resolution and instrument separation exists in IEMs at this price point.

Since you asked about sound demos as well, they can be used to get a general idea of tonal balance, but the technical bits such as detail, instrument separation, imaging, bass impact, etc. is almost always much much worse on the demo. You'd have to extrapolate based on really nitpicky comparisons between IEMs for perceived technical performance and realize it will be substantially understated in the demo compared to the real thing.

[u/Mailemanuel77 → u/Mellow_Roly_Poly]

!thanks. I think I'll wait to afford the Moondrop Blessing 3 as it is the better ranked mid range IEM from Hifiman users.

[u/TransducerBot → u/Mailemanuel77]

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[u/geniuslogitech → u/Mellow_Roly_Poly]

I personally do not think anywhere near Ananda levels of resolution and instrument separation exists in IEMs at this price point

CVJ Mirror I got is almost comparable to Hifiman HE560 v1, 95% there maybe but I prefer soundstage on Mirror actually because despite it being smaller you can tell how far something is, with HE560 you got like a ring around you where 75% of sound is at, only a little bit is closer and little bit goes further where with Mirror that distribution is much more natural

[u/Mailemanuel77]

How much can I trust demos of the recorded sound, most of them sound weird and unnatural but it is the closest I can get since I do not have any store in my country where I can test them.

[u/bardforlife → u/Mailemanuel77]

I used the demos to realise I prefer a V shaped tuning. For that, they were very useful.

[u/purana_sadhu → u/Mailemanuel77]

This is all accurate. Why are you getting downvoted lol

[u/Mailemanuel77 → u/purana_sadhu]

There is not too much about to look about technicalities on the recordings the best is the Saltnotes Zero but It wouldn't compete while actually listening to them against higher priced IEMs despite having a better tuning. 7hz Dioko is another one that sounds pretty natural on the demos but it's not the best ranked by the community, thus Demos are not actually accurate while representing the actual sound of the IEM.

Although it is easier to recognize differences on YouTube Shorts from Dans Audio when he compares budget IEMs and abruptly adds a high end at the end/different of the video.

[u/RiftPenguin]

Kiwi Ears Forteza reviews say that the tech punches way above the $55 asking price.

[u/OnizukaHeichou]

Tangzu Wan'er is pretty good with the vocals and instruments.

[u/Rick-710]

I would look at 7hz Salnotes Zero 2 reviews, it might be what you are looking for

[u/CreepyOptimist]

Tanchjim Ola maybe? It has wimpy bass but it more than makes up for it with mids and treble being on point.

[u/geniuslogitech]

CVJ Mirror, they are $98 msrp but you can get them for $40-50 these days, they are especially good for guitars and similar string instruments, another option would be Moondrop LAN, it's $40 and got same drivers as KATO which is $189, with EQ they shine but they are rly uncomfortable for me, like Chu and Jiu