Highlighted RED = Top recommendations.

PINK = Gaming AND Music!

GREEN = Recommend for music.

ORANGE = Recommend for games.

Yellow = Coming Soon!

Colorless = Probably skip!

Bass/Mids/Treble

CONTRAST (0-11)

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Hostile - set dependent

Very Accurate (game approved)

These come with a nice selection of blue foams, worth buying just for these higher quality foams compared to other typical ones. Superb detail retrieval, but has a thin veil over everything. Harshness at louder volumes, difficult to drive. Some of the frequencies are too dipped though. (All MX500 style buds have an accurate and nice stage for both gaming and music)

Very Accurate (game approved)

They're $1.55... and sound really nice! Lots of set variance, apparently, so buy a few of these to get a good one. Mine absolutely kick butt though! In a blind listen I'd probably guess they were around $40. The hype around these is very real, and you can tune it with different bud foams. (All MX500 style buds have an accurate and nice stage for both gaming and music)

Very Accurate (game approved)

If you like an engaging, wet treble and want an earbud, then this might just be it. Bass isn't quite as present as I like but it's overall fine. Cable's not the best, but not the worst.. I'd take the Blue Vido over this one, but it's still okay just not as clear in mids. (All MX500 style buds have an accurate and nice stage for both gaming and music)

Very accurate (Game approved)

Would be great for movies and jRPGs! Mids are too thin. Huge bass (too huge). Amazing stage for gaming (like VK4) but the bass is too much (like MH755 for games). The cable's not detachable but it has a great microphone, function button x1, and even a volume slider that functions well.

This is basically the even-more-budget QKZ VK4. Attached cable with a good mic on it, just slightly less accurate stage than VK4. Other than that, it's pretty much the same sound overall for only $5. There's significant driver flex that gets annoying.

Very Accurate (game approved)

Elevated but still fairly clean bass, awesome mids, clear treble, removable cable $5. If you don't like as much bass, simply change the foam out. These are an incredible value. (All MX500 style buds have an accurate and nice stage for both gaming and music)

Very Accurate (game approved)

Similar to the DIY KGIS, but just not as good (and 3x the price). Too bright, and veiled sounding in comparison. It's not the worst sound, but there are so much better even at this price range. (All MX500 style buds have an accurate and nice stage for both gaming and music)

Very Accurate (Game approved)

Very Accurate (Game approved)

Very Accurate (Game approved)

With EQ this thing's great for music. It's fine without it, but it really needs it to sound amazing. The driver in this is the best driver under $100 (NF NA2 is the next best) and it really handles everything well once you get it EQ'd right for your genre and taste. It works well enough for gaming but too much bass and not enough mids to recommend it without EQ.

This does high mids and treble extremely well, it sounds very nice. Has fantastic detail retrieval for an IEM (non-bud) this cheap. Great on the go/gym set.. but when in quiet area, the bass overwhelms the treble a bit too much. Lacking in stage too. Overall I really like it, I don't know if anything beats it for the price if you want a bassy, comfortable, inexpensive set.

Very Accurate (Game approved)

They are average clarity, and lack treble extension, but overall they're still a very fun sounding IEM with a lot of enjoyable qualities. Usable for many applications since they're never harsh or fatiguing yet remain engaging. Really nice bass quality actually, considering how much bass presence there is.

They are average clarity, and lack treble extension, but overall they're still a very fun sounding IEM with a lot of enjoyable qualities. Usable for many applications since they're never harsh or fatiguing yet remain engaging. Really nice bass quality actually, considering how much bass presence there is.

Airy, open, mid-centric. Although it's not the best microdetails, the separation is amazing. They're pretty good for most music, but really shine for gaming! Gets me fully immersed in games, amazing map awareness with these in, it's just crazy how good these feel in-game. These also have some earbud sound characteristics almost but have the benefits of being in-ear.

Same as ZSN Pro basically.

Very accurate (Game approved)

Looking for a beautiful treble-focused IEM for cheap? TRN VX sound for 1/3 the price. This may be the new best deal out there if you want a bit more brightness than VK4. Reminds me bass-shy/bright EA3. Very nice fit, and recessed 2pin cable. Has the musical nature of BL-05, the tone of VK4 but with brighter, and more detail than both. Better and medium volumes than loud, in my opinion, due to the brightness.

Very Accurate (Game approved)

Don't buy if you don't like being slammed with sound. Not too detailed, narrow soundstage.. but still, the cheapest A+ on my list: Very very musically engaging, like the Jade EA3 and Shuoer Singer tuning but with Shozy Form 1.1 porting/damping. These things will MAKE YOU WANT TO DANCE. You will feel your music and get engaged AF. The mids are smooth (OVERLY SMOOTHED) like on the Audeze LCD2... reminds me quite a lot of LCD2 if it was an in-ear. This is like the BGVP DMG but better treble quality and a bit more treble presence.. I do wish there was a tiny bit less 7k energy, but that's just my preference.

Epic detail retrieval, fun tuning, quality drivers and many wearing options. Good for every genre while also great for movies + gaming. Very solid purchase! Not fatiguing like some other of my favorites.

Overall this is slightly above average in most aspects, but there are drawbacks and nothing shines on it. Lacking in center-stage presence (forward and behind stage), has S sibilance on some tracks.

Accurate (CASUAL game approved, lol)

These are like a more comfortable Tin T4 with more bass and a less late treble. Very nice tone! A bit too much 2K energy, but it lends itself to a lot of music. Great sound all around. Definite upgrade over BL-03.

Very Accurate (Game approved)

THE MOST COMFORTABLE THINGS EVER! If you're wearing these shallow (regular IEM fit) then they aren't great. These are monitoring IEM, meant to be worn like a monit. It has TONS of bass, good woofer rumble, and sparkly (headspace) treble. This sounds fantastic if you push it in deep (to the 2nd bend of ear canal or beyond). Pull out a little until bass is at the desired level and boom, you got it however you want it. Treble is non-fatiguing, and there is a load of good impact and clear note weight. The issue seems to be that after about 12 hours they dull down and mellow out/lose a lot of their weight.

Hmmm.... I don't understand any hype.

Tone, detail, impact.. this has it all for $40. What an amazingly well built IEM. Good job Jade Audio, off-shoot of Fiio. The only issue is some sets never seem to lose their initial treble harshness.

This is like a less expensive Legacy 4 but with a treble peak. If you don't mind raised extended treble this set is beautiful sounding. At first I thought there's nothing really special about this IEM, but the more usage I gave it the better it sounded. It does have a treble peak that may fatigue the listener, but it's surprisingly good even with this issue. Use foam tips and it's not a problem. Bass could be a bit raised if you like more bass, this set responds well to EQ. Overall I like it a lot more than I was expecting, I do recommend it.

:Nozzle dependent

Very Accurate (Game approved)

This IEM has a ton of endgame potential. It's hard to find the right nozzle and tip setup (it comes with 3 tuning nozzles, but I have 6 additional from the LZ A6 that fit it and they change the sound drastically.) Very very good sound for the price. This might be my new top rec for the price at only $55 with coupon from AliExpress.

I love it! Easily could be an endgame. Right now you'd need to spend $850 to get Shuoer Conductor to compete with this. I love how impactful and hammering it is! The soundstage is amazing, the bass slams when called for it, the timbre is extremely natural, the details are very present without crowding the music. This is all-around a very big winner! Bass might impact too much for some, sound reminds me of BGVP DMG but even more natural yet less derailed. For a bit less bass impact, go T2+. Both safe bets. I can see how some people find this set harsh, but I love how energetic it is! There IS a hint of sibilance on some songs, but it's still rare even though the treble's quite elevated.

All BA setup, it's interesting, it's actually quite good for gaming on despite being a wider stage. The notes just have a very crisp clean sound even though they're not the most detailed, and the stage sounds nice even though it's not the most natural... Really weird and hard to describe IEM. I like it, and I want to like it, but I can't.

Similar tuning to BL-03, but better presentation and controlled bass, really great sound all around. The bass is a tiny bit lacking still, but everything else is in just about the right spot. If you like reverb then this set's so good! Very comfortable too with long stem tips. Low isolation if that matters to you.

Some of the cleanest sound in the whole world. Extremely high quality driver, leaving me hearing things in songs I've never heard. If this stage was a bit less wide it would be the best gaming IEM in existence since the forward mids are so nice. Unfortunately it's also lacking a bit of treble. The cable's really nice though too.

Tip Dependant

Very Accurate (Game Approved)

Transparent sound, but it does have a hint of unnatural air to it. Recommend using with foam tips. This sounds similar to Mangird Tea's treble but with better bass levels and less veiled mids. Beautiful treble, a bit harsh on some songs (around 7khz I think?) but overall really clear and high fidelity sounding. These can definitely be fatiguing for me because I'm sensitive around 7khz, KBear KS2's not as fatiguing and just as musical, but these are fantastic.

Very Accurate (Game approved)