Tier lists, demo set-up, caveats

The first post is always awkward but necessary. Below summarizes what I usually use for IEM demos and also what my music preferences lean towards. This should give a better idea, or more specifically, realistic reference since the gear is easily accessible.

Affiliation

None. You can expect me to be honest in my reviews. If I get review units sent by companies, I will mention it. If I purchased a unit for myself, I will mention it. Basically, nothing to conceal since I am not tied down to any brand.

Demo set-up

FiiO BTR3K to phone (LG V60 ThinQ)

LDAC 990kbps

Azla Silicon Long/Short OR Spiraldots if stock tips do not provide a good seal

3.5mm termination where possible

IEM stock cable

Music preferences

Jpop, jrock, instrumentals, orchestrals, acapellas, country, electronic, choral, and the occasional jazz. As you can tell, I steer away from rap and metal as they're not what I enjoy.

Tuning preferences

In between IEF-neutral and harman, and particular about steep subbass tucks due to many lower frequencies sounding thin despite some clarity improvements. I am a sucker for midrange, and do not require steep pinna gains to enjoy my music. Treble should be extended, but not boosted to oblivion due to being sensitive to 6khz and anything above 15khz. That said, even if an IEM is tuned differently, I try my best to appreciate the quirks and not shut it down just because it isn't my preference. However, if it truly does sound broken, I will be honest.

Tier list

It's a love-hate relationship with tier lists. Tuning preferences can change, which also means tiers or entries can get shuffled around. Updating the tier list is an extremely painstaking process due to nuances considered when trying to rank an IEM relative to others. I seek your understanding if the tier list is not constantly updated when new products enter the market (I have to buy and try, and that's money spent right there). Link to tier list here.

Squiggly lines

This is an ongoing process as well, each review/first impressions may or may not have a frequency response curve attached. In which case, there are many other reviewers doing the good work of graphing IEMs.

Comments

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