Our Earphones Of The Year!

An earlier version of this was posted on 9 November.

Just in time for Christmas and 11/11 — and NOT even close to year end, I discovered this Christmas tree in a Brazilian hotel in the heat of the day. This gave me the idea to think about which earphones I really liked this year. And I passed this challenge on to my co-bloggers, who quickly supplied me with their choices. Below are our top-rated earphones – in no particular order. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND that we only had a small fraction of the Chi-Fi offerings in our hands. Once again, there appears to be little to no relationship between price and enjoyment. For details, please read our respective reviews (as long as they exist), our authors are listed in alphabetical order.

As to the popularity of our reviews with you, the reader: our top-viewed iems this year were (in this order): TRN V90, KZ ZSN Pro, Senfer DT6, Sony MH755, Blon BL-03, NiceHCK NX7, Pioneer CH3, Sennheiser IE40 PRO, and Sennheiser IE500 PRO. Thank you very much for your patronage and interest.

Biodegraded…Vancouver

Sony MH 755

The only pick for me this year is not really from ‘this year’, but it’s only recently that I became aware of it and heard it. The extremely cheap Sony MH755 has a low-bass boost (but not as much as it looks in the measurements) added to an otherwise neutral tonality; has natural timbre through most of the range and with most instruments; dynamics and transients that are high/fast enough yet still smooth enough to be unfatiguing; and good separation and imaging. 

I initially had issues with the fit, but on perservering found the stock tips to work fine. The asymmetric ‘J’ cable is a PITA, but a short cheap extender as pictured in JK’s review addresses the problem, or you can easily pull them apart and fit MMCX or 2-pin connectors (see e.g. here). For the price (many ebay sellers; I got mine here), buy several in case they break. Fakes reportedly abound; consult guides before and after buying.

Durwood…Chicago

Sony MH755 ~$6-9 + recable – K.I.S.S. design with excellent example of a Harman tuning on the cheap. I wonder if I had found this first, do I need CNT, DLC, Tesla, Graphene, cryogentic frozen crystals? Easy to fix the bass level if too much during the re-cable.

BLON BL03 ~$25-30 –This IEM is a jack of all trades, does not specialize in any one thing, ok maybe whack. It’s a sleeper that I  sleep with.

KZ ZS7 ~ $35 – Just a fun signature that is not fatiguing, excellent bass response, slightly recessed midrange but forward enough it is not lost which gives it a wider soundstage. Subdued yet extend treble that does not offend, except for those that like a really rolled off treble. It stops short of fake airiness.

TRN V90 ~$33-36 – Boosted bass should satisfy a basshead, but not the biggest bass I have heard. Everything else is just a wonderfully done V signature in a comfortable package that does not look too flashy. This is a no brainer if you like to bring the fun. If it was between the ZS7 and the V90, I have room for both.

BQEYZ Spring 1 ~$120-140, the naturalness of the midrange, wide soundstage and the micro-details it presents are an upgrade to the typical $50 budget area. The airiness (treble extension) makes this a recommendation from me. The only mark against it is the bass could be improved, but I have plenty of bassy sets.

Simgot EN700 pro masquerading as the “Bass” model $100-150. It shares similarities to the MH755 but a little edgier in the treble and bass is a touch warmer with better rumble.  If the MH755 and the EN700 bass/modified pro could have a baby, yes please. Loomis compares the Simgot EN700 and EM2 HERE.

Jürgen Kraus…Calgary

Blon BL-03: a single DD that was hyped to the hilt, but for the wrong reasons and therefore not much enough. The BL-03 excel by their incredible tonal balance and accuracy, and their natural dynamics. Every time I use them, they stun me. Downside: a bit bright and with poor accessories.

Drop JVC HA-FDX01: hailed as arguably the best single DD on the market, this labour of love is only available 665 times. Like the Blon BL-03 these sound very natural.

Sony MH755: this $7 earphone also reproduces music very naturally without any brightness added.

KBEAR Diamond: A very fast DLC-coated dynamic driver with a natural timbre that beats any budget multi BA in terms of resolution.

TRN V90: great balance, great haptic, great fit…a very pleasant experience on two intercontinental flights.

NiceHCK M6: Once you install the $5 third party filters (as described in my review), the M6 likely offer the cheapest taste of premium imo.

KopiOkaya…Singapore

BLON BL-03 – Cheap, fun tuning. For folks who cannot afford the more expensive Tanchjim Oxygen or Moondrop KXXS but still want that clean, punchy, organic sound.

KBEAR Diamond – KBEAR Diamond is indeed a gem among DD IEMs below US$100. This includes the renowned BLON BL-03, BLON Cardinal/Blue Jay, the hyped Tin Hifi T4 and FAAEAL Hibiscus. Heck! I will even throw in Moondrop Kanas Pro for that matter. How do I describe the sound of Diamond… Two words “smooth” and “authoritative”. Smooth – compare to BLON and KPE, Diamond is smoother overall. Be it treble or midrange. There is NOT A HINT of harshness. Authoritative – Bass digs deeper, slams harder with gusto and body, without sacrificing clarity and details. Compare to BLON, Diamond throws a bigger, wider, taller, more intimate soundstage. To put this into simpler context, it is as if you have upgraded your concert sitting from a $80 to $100 ticket. The stage is still in front, just more up-close with your favorite band or singer. Diamond brings the listener into the music, together with the artists. A definite upgrade to your music enjoyment.

TRN V90 – Hahaha… I shouldn’t have recommend this because I tuned them. But hey! It doesn’t harm doing self-promoting.

Venture Electronics (VE) BIE: One of the most under-rated IEM until recently… If you enjoy the BLON, you will enjoy the BIE. Natural timbre with gutsy low-end that doesn’t cloud the low-mids. Not the most detailed-sounding IEM, but hey you have other earphones to take care of that. Simply, pure fun and enjoyment.

Yinyoo Ash – I know, I know… I tuned these too, but hey, Ash is great if you just want to sit back, relax and enjoy your music. I prefer it over TRN IM2… Yes, both are siblings, with Ash having better treble extension. 

Loomis Johnson…Chicago

NiceHCK NX7—a  very polarizing piece, but they sure don’t sound like everything else.  Lotsa lotsa high end, but it’s the bass that’s really underrated here.  

Budget Division: Senfer UES/NiceHCK Bro—on 11/11, these will be $10, which is just plain stupid.

Slater…Cincinnati

TinAudio T2

If you can get a good fit with its fiddly shell design, this dynamic driver earphone is an incredible value. It is versatile, and can be worn up or down. Some find it a little light on sub bass, but covering the bass vent with a piece of 3M Micropore tape will provide a low end boost.

Blon BL-03

The budget BL-03 has been riding a hype train for the last few months, but I feel the hype is well deserved. A carbon-nanotube dynamic earphone, it was tuned by the same person responsible for the impressive Tanchjim Oxygen. It can also be worn up or down, but to do the latter you’ll need to use a 3rd party 2-pin cable with a straight end and no ear hooks.

Audiosense T800

This is in the mid-fi range ($300), so it may be out of some people’s budget. However, the price is worth every penny, and has been cited as an ‘end-game IEM’ by more than 1 individual (myself included). The T800 packs 8 Knowles BA drivers per side, a solid resin shell, user-replaceable Knowles tuning dampers, and a generous assortment of accessories. The T800’s secret is its vented BA woofer, which provides enough sub bass that will have you doing a double take wondering if the T800 secretly houses a dynamic driver.

Toneking NineTail

Don’t let its odd shell fool you. This is an excellent earphone. It’s ridiculously comfortable, and has front and rear tuning filters for a total of 9 possible tuning combinations. Just keep an eye on the filters though, as some have lost them by not screwing them on tight enough. If you’re looking for a step up from the typical >$50 budget earphones, the NineTail is it.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.