I get that IEMs are a great option under a 150 bucks and also convenient for traveling, I own two pairs myself and they are decent. But I’ve tried two open back headphones now and they both eclipse the IEMs in a way that can definitely not be replicated by IEMs. The sound is really “outside your head” and airy, whereas IEMs sound exactly like you’d expect them to sound. Often they can’t even get omnidirectional imaging right and have blobs, and soundstage is very constrained.

So, why are there people spending tons of money on ©hifi IEMs when they only listen to them at home anyways?

  • cujobob@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Headphones, earbuds, and IEMs have very different presentations. IMO, none match that of a great two channel or multi channel audio system. IEMs give you excellent detail and coherency and have the ability to control more factors in reproduction than do headphones which have reflection inside the earcup to deal with. Headphones do present better in a spatial sense in some ways. Earbuds are sort of a mix of the two.

    I would definitely not say that headphones are superior, they’re moreso different. Also, they mess up your hair and put weight on your head the whole time.