Power to Drive IEMs
I’ve been a/b listening to some IEMs while I work, to see which I prefer and what tips work best on each.
On my desk right now I have:
- Aful Explorer
- Juzear Defiant
- CrinEar Daybreak
- Truthear Pure
The source is an iPhone, and I had been using both a JCALLY JM20 Pro and a CrinEar Protocol Max.
I bought the explorer and defiant after reading some reviews I trusted. But listening to both, I was underwhelmed. The Explorer seemed flat; both high end and low end sounded a bit rolled off. The Defiant sounded better, but also seemed a bit unbalanced, with the bass overwhelming the mix.
On a lark, I bought a JCALLY JM20MAX just to have it for things that are harder to drive.
But when I plugged it in today and listened to the Explorers, they sounded completely different. Much better low end, sparkling treble. Likewise, the Defiants sounded noticeably better. Even the Daybreaks seemed to improve a bit through the Max. I was stunned by the difference in the Explorers. I sat and listened to 10 or so tracks, absolutely loving the IEMs that were previously meh.
Then I flipped the switch on the Protocol Max from “Eco” to “Boost” and the Explorers and Defiant sounded similarly better.
Initially looking at the specs, I didn’t think any of these needed a particularly powerful source.
Am I crazy here? I don’t think this was just loudness.
I should note that my favorite cheap IEMs, the Moondrop Chu II, sounded fine through the JM20 Pro. The Daybreaks are still my favorite of the bunch, but the Explorers are really a strong alternative.