English | Español
Also available on YouTube in Spanish: Acho Reviews YouTube
Happy 2023!!
I thought I would start off this year with something that I have planned on doing for quite some time and have never actually gotten around to doing, taking a look at the IEMs that I most use for pleasure.
I have mentioned in the past that I have a case that holds 6 sets of IEMs that live on my desk and it is where I store the IEMs that I grab when I want to listen to music and am not focused on testing whatever it is that I am planning on reviewing at the time. A lot of these IEMs (all?) were mentioned in my 2022 round up but are not necessarily those that ranked the highest. They are sets that match different moods and genres that I may feel like listening to on the day.
There is also one bonus set that doesn’t live in the case (although it used to) and is permanently in my bag, connected to the MW200. These are the IEMs that I use for travelling (through airports etc.) or whenever I need TWS (although they aren’t really TWS, it is a set up that I actually prefer to TWS for the commodity).
It would have been great if I had done this at the beginning of 2022 as we could compare what has changed over the year (I remember that there was a bigger presence of Moondrop at the start of 2022). There have been quite a few that have found a space in the case over the year and have left again at a later date due to me finding I grab a different set more often.
So, without further ado, let’s get on with this first post of 2023!
6+1 IEMs that I choose for pleasure…
I am actually going to start with the bonus set, the one that doesn’t live in the case but in my bag for wireless use…
Moondrop Blessing 2: Dusk
These were in the case for a very long time and I found that I wasn’t actually using them much, they sort of took a back seat to other things. I then decided to remove them from the case yet, just as I was going to do so, I decided to take them with me on a trip (as the only IEMs I had with me).
This trip reminded me of just how much I enjoy the Dusk. For easy listening, especially with modern pop etc., they are an excellent set of IEMs. They also work very well with the MW200 and paired with the CP155 tips, they have literally become a very comfortable and great sounding set of IEMs for being out and about.
The thing that I like about paring them with the MW200 is that I can just remove them and dangle them around my neck when I need to pay attention to my surroundings, without having to worry about storing the in a case (TWS) or having a cable to deal with (Go Blu + IEMs). They may not be the best isolating IEMs in the world (although the isolation measurement on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation can’t be trusted due to the bad seal of the CP155 on the measurement rig) but they isolate plenty for places like airports and the bass is present enough to not have to worry about missing out.
Letshuoer S12
So, moving on to the ones in the case, in no particular order (i.e: not better to worse or anything similar), we have the Letshuoer S12.
These were my main choice for a daily driver for many many months and still get a lot of use. They basically compete with the Talos (also in the case) for the ones that I grab when I want to just listen to music. I find the S12 are a little more relaxed than the Talos, with slightly less detail but excellent for things like rock and other genres that have a good presence of electric guitars, basses, etc.
Dunu Vulkan
Although these IEMs are not my first choice, they have a bit of a unique sound signature that is different enough to stand out but at the same time not be totally bizarre. There is a little bit of extra hotness in the 3kHz mark which I find (along with a bit of extra “sizzle” in the upper ranges) brings some “light” to some of the darker recordings. I find myself choosing these now and again for a lot of the older “underground” recordings from my youth, where the bass is already elevated enough but can be a little dull in the higher regions, the Vulkan help bring some life to vocals etc. in these recordings.
I also have to say that they are still the best looking IEMs that I have had in my possession and are a set that I love having on hand as a “showpiece”.
Dunu Talos
As I already mentioned, these compete with the S12 for general listening purposes, although I find that I gravitate more towards the Talos when I want to focus more on the music than just have BGM. I find these have better detail presence than the Letshuoer option and I really enjoy them for live recordings where I can appreciate everything that is happening around, and not just in, the music.
These usually are one of my first picks when grabbing a set of IEMs to sit down and specifically listen to music in a situation that is away from my main home set up (where I much prefer over ear alternatives).
Letshuoer D13
This set of IEMs has great bass that is not exaggerated. While the CCA CRA had a spot in my case for a while and were my go to set for EDM and other “physically activating” music, I find that the bass on the D13 is actually more to my taste. It is very present and performs great, yet it doesn’t overdo it in the lower regions.
These are a set that I find myself grabbing on Friday afternoons when I need to make it through the last 4 or 5 hours of my work week.
Sennheiser IE600
As I mentioned in my “favourites of 2022” list (which you can find here), these are the set of IEMs that I have most liked in 2022. While there is far more bass in the tuning than I would ever choose, the cleanliness and detail of these IEMs takes away any sensation of things being bloated or too elevated in those lower ranges.
I find they have great timbre and the performance of the single dynamic driver is excellent. They are also the most comfortable IEMs I have had the pleasure of wearing and they are something I would choose without a doubt for long listening sessions, even when in front of my main system at home.
During the hot months of the year (which is most of them where I live), I find wearing over ear headphones to be very uncomfortable and I have absolutely no problems sitting down and just enjoying the IE600.
When connected to my main set up, I do find myself dropping the lows and tweaking the upper mids just a little with EQ, which makes them sound absolutely amazing, yet even without EQ, these are still a very very good set of IEMs.
Dunu Kima
This has been the last set to take up a space in the case, replacing the Airship in that spot. While these are not the “most” anything in any category, they are a very solid all rounder that I found I wanted to spend more time with than my usual 1 week of listening and testing. This was enough to grab them a spot, at least for now.
These are probably the ones that least have a spot guaranteed long term, in fact, there are a couple of other models I have that could maybe replace them but, for now, they are getting some play time and I do enjoy them.
Conclusion…
This is by no means a “the best IEMs I have” collection, it is just those that get the most use, at present. Looking at this, it seems that I am a declared fan of Dunu (3 out of 6 spots) and Letshuoer (2 out of 6 spots), leaving only Sennheiser to grab a place out of the 6 (although there is no doubt that it is the main spot).
It will be interesting to see how things evolve so I thought it would be fun to share this and maybe even mention when a set of IEMs steals a place from the current selection.
For now, I am going to keep it short.
Thank you all for the time you have spent reading or watching my reviews throughout 2022 and I sincerely wish you all the very best for 2023!
And as things progress throughout this year, please remember the most important part in all of this, it is about enjoying the music. Just because something new and shiny comes along and people (such as me) praise it, it doesn’t make what you already have sound any worse. Good sound is good sound, sit back and enjoy it!!
Happy New Year!!
All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link
All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation
To comment or contact, visit any of the following social media platforms:
