[RTodd]

I feel a sense of hope and compassion from it. No idea if that's what you were feeling at the time, but that's what I get from it.

A mirror for you then my friend.

I was curious what others would get from it, anything is valid. I held back on any words to explain. Very simple composition. What I was thinking about is the isolation of the mind, while the thoughts reflect the external world, becoming brighter in the head. The shadow surrounding the middle represents the interface of the senses while the border is the real world.

 

[theveterans]

Best VFM for me is Storm. Not budget friendly but worth every penny to my ears and have zero desire to look for anything else in the IEM space for music replay. Guess it's a different kind of value there.

For a more regular VFM, MUB1. Swiss army knife of the dongly type world, love it! Context, I prefer Z1r out if MUB1 vs MAX, so in that case it's great bang for buck! That combo also gets some serious playtime in the couple of weeks I'm away with work. Wouldn't be wittout it

I could say the same for the Susvara for an endgame VFM headphone. Must be heard with the best amp and DAC combo to realize why it still stands as a timeless piece of a headphone

 

[tjzurlaaa]

HE1000 Stealth/V2 as well

Basically, any he1000 Headphone is priced completely insane right now lmao

 

[aaf evo]

the apple dongle for $9 is pretty damn epic

 

[tfenton02]

Definitely seems that way! I'd like to briefly chime in on the very positive side. I've visited e-earphone in Tokyo easily 10+ times over the last couple of years, demoing many top IEMs mentioned here, both before and after I bought my pair of U12t. For me and the music I most often listen to they are the best (and not by a small margin), real exciting, absolutely musical and full o' soul. They just sound "right" to me, like if you're experimenting with different prescriptions of glasses or contacts and all seem a little off, and then one just clicks. When everything is in proportion and balanced for me that's exciting, as opposed to one part of the sound consistently jumping out. (Though I can see with certain genres that that might be preferred, and also get that other people may hear the U12t differently of course...) Eventually I settled on a 634 ears set as a second pair as they are excellent and provide a perfect contrast.

U12t was my first expensive audiophile purchase. At the time, I loved it so much I got a CIEM that everyone now and then I pull out and the tonality is just oh so right. I don't listen to it much, but it's a delight when I do. Technology has changed so much from when this IEM was launched but I think it still holds up

 

[Scubadevils]

Naming only one, which piece of head-fi gear represents the very best value for money for you?

drftr

Hiby R3 II - my go-to DAP for out and about and hardly a day goes by without using… I think I paid around €170, absolutely fantastic value.

 

[thaslaya]

A mirror for you then my friend.

I was curious what others would get from it, anything is valid. I held back on any words to explain. Very simple composition. What I was thinking about is the isolation of the mind, while the thoughts reflect the external world, becoming brighter in the head. The shadow surrounding the middle represents the interface of the senses while the border is the real world.

Other than that let the brush strokes show and trust in the tension that my subconscious does without adjusting anything.

It makes me think of life growing in the womb.

 

[tfenton02]

Naming only one, which piece of head-fi gear represents the very best value for money for you?

drftr

Dita Project M

 

[wolfstar76]

the apple dongle for $9 is pretty damn epic

If you consider phone as sunk cost, then LG V series is the best, since it is free.

BTW, nobody mentioned Elysian Pilgrim?

 

[fejnomit]

RU-7 is a great deal.

But the CCA Trio has got to be the deal of the century. No, it does not dethrone the Trifectas or the Monachaas. But how could it? Still, its 3 DDs are very well-tuned as a Harmon-ish/generalist set only lacking flagship-level technicals. Close, but those last bits of depth and layering and musical timbre are missing. Still they would make the ultimate travel set - heck you could travel with 3 pairs for under $100... Pair with RU7 or DC-Elite and you could be quite happy for under $500....

 

[Leonarfd]

Naming only one, which piece of head-fi gear represents the very best value for money for you?

drftr

Most likely the Koss Porta Pro or the Koss KPH40 that I find slightly better.
Porta Pro launched in 1984 and is still selling.

 

[stacey]

My answer until yesterday haha

DC-Elite baybeeee

Same here. It’s a toss up between LCD i4 and the DC- Elite.

 

[theintention]

If you consider phone as sunk cost, then LG V series is the best, since it is free.

BTW, nobody mentioned Elysian Pilgrim?

i mean, it launched like 2 days ago, i doubt many even have one lol

Same here. It’s a toss up between LCD i4 and the DC- Elite.

would love to hear the Audeze iems, i've heard a lot of differing views on those though. What do you like about them?

 

[Rockwell75]

Value is such a subjective judgment. This setup is easily the best $$ I've ever spent in this hobby if for no other reason than it's muted my desire for anything else, even after so many months. I could write a sonnet about the WM1Z I love it so much. I listen to this combo every morning and each time I pick it up is a renewed joy. My sincere wish for everyone in this hobby is that they find a similar love.

In other news, Watercooler Spring Survey 2024 is live:

https://forms.gle/EdcWumWffFy9wC6b9

Do your part and vote! 111 votes in the last one let's see if we can top it

 

[vaporsynthwave]

My answer until yesterday haha

DC-Elite baybeeee

I just picked up the DC-Elite and it's excellent. Haven't been able to remove the Z1R from it but I imagine the Szalayi has some wonderful synergy as well?