Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions

Which V-Shaped IEM to get in the 400-800$ range

more_vert
I'm currently on the lookout for a good V-shaped IEM that I'd like to use as my daily driver when commuting to work, while at my desk etc. While I listen to a wide variety of music which includes classical, rock, jazz etc. when at home, I love listening to mostly electronic music like liquid D&B, Hip-Hop or some Metal when on the go and generally bass heavy music. In light of that, I'm thinking that I'm willing to sacrifice detail retrieval, soundstage and overall fluidity of sound in place of some shattering bass and sparkly treble. In short, just a fun IEM that will not be so picky on the recording quality but just slam me with silky deep bass and fun treble peaks. I would not say that I am very treble sensitive but if the treble is a bit recessed compared to the bass, I think I'd prefer that. So, the choice of evidently v-shaped monitors not being that big, I thought I'd list the top three I am fixed on - Empire Ears Bravado, Campfire Audio Polaris V2, Noble Audio Dulce Bass. Unfortunately, I have never had the chance of trying any of them and finding a store that does offer them in my country has proven impossible as well. I live in the EU and the closest stores that sell those are either in Germany, Poland or Netherlands which are quite a ways off from where I live. In short, I have to rely on reviews and graphs. Out of all I've read, the most bass heavy of the three seems to be the Bravado but it also seems to have the most recessed mids which will obviously be a little bit of a blow when listening to bass heavy tracks with vocals but at the same time reviewers say that the tuning is so specific and intriguing that even though the vocals are more laid back it still makes an interesting combo with the sparkly highs and contributes to a joyful experience. Second place seems to be the Polaris in terms of bass but with a more forward mid-range compared to the Bravado and the most balanced out of them seems to be the Dulce Bass. Being honest, I'm more inclined towards the Bravado or the Polaris in terms of build and cable quality. In terms of pricing, the Polaris seems to be the cheapest followed by the Bravado and the Dulce being the most expensive out of the three. However, I wanted to make an educated choice which necessitates weighing in different reviews and feedback from the community. So, in light of the above, if anyone has any feedback on the above IEMs or has another v-shaped IEM that they think is worth considering, please feel free to make the suggestion. It's not going to be a cheap purchase per say so I definitely would like to see what people say before buying anything.
Vote
4
remove_red_eye
428
pgrozev
32

search
close
Klash
5
Mar 3, 2020
Since these are beater IEMs, you should also probably consider the cheaper Chi-Fi stuff. I have the CA Solaris and I enjoy them a lot. But for more rugged activities, I use the KZ ZS10 Pro. This may not be near as good as the ones you're looking to get, but they're absurd in terms of value! I don't know if they'd be categorized as V-shaped, but the bass on these things are very good. The successor to these are also very highly praised, the KZ ZSX Terminator. Check 'em out.
Klash
5
Mar 3, 2020
LOL. I have the T3s and the T4s too and I barely use either of them. The T4s are really hard to drive. I need to pump my Q5s on high gain to about 60-70% to get to the volume level I enjoy. For some time I have been looking into buying the Legend X, but I just can't justify owning both the Solaris and the Legend X, even if they have different sound signatures. Hope you find what you're looking for!
pgrozev
32
Mar 6, 2020
KlashThanks @Klash ! Buddy of mine introduced me to Thieaudio's new flagship. We ended up talking about what I was looking for and he suggested he just got an IEM that has only BA drivers but manages to pull out a ton of bass and can have different signatures when tinkering with treble/bass switches so that it could accommodate a wide variety of preferences. Obviously, I was intrigued. Moments later, I was listening to the Voyager 14 and was deeply impressed. It literally had a rumble when we bumped the lows via EQ and did not stagger or distort because of it. True, this is a 1000$ IEM but I think it got to me too much and I made a purchase. I've never heard something with as wide a soundstage as this and the amount of bass is just outstanding. In the end, price to quality ratio is won over by Chi-Fi. True, you will probably find better sounding monitors in 64 Audio's lineup or JH audio's high tier models, but they are a few thousand bucks apart and unless I hit Rockefeller salary levels, I don't see myself buying a pair from them.
Related Posts
Trending Posts in Audiophile