u/WingsInPlatinum

This will be a long life story-ish post, but I think it is for the better. I honestly don't know if I should have the flair as purchasing advice or general, but I'll leave it as purchase advice (that aged well, surprise flair change to review), because it is the core of this post despite its length.

I joined the world of IEMs with a SGOR Luna + Jcally jm6 pro, then followed by a Letshuoer S12 + a Qudelix 5k that would stay probably forever with me. After listening a LOT with the S12, and using it as reference against itself, I started to learn on my own about the driver's sound and my preferences. I listen to a lot of Jmetal, primarily Futakuchi Mana and Alba Sera, but it is not limited to that, I value deliberate female vocals that have emotion, so also Mika Kobayashi or 9Lana at times. After spending time learning about the S12 by listening extensively, I noticed the drawbacks of planar drivers, and wanted to get something better, because I started to notice how 2d the sound was, and how it lacked bass with weight/warmth, and the highs/treble was borderline metallic even with PEQ.

So I got the Simgot EA1000, and at first, I thought it was a bit sibilant, hissy, but it had great foundation, bass/sub bass, and most importantly of all, forward vocals that are not buried by the instrumental. With time, I actually liked it so much, and didn't even consider it sibilant or hissy at all, bright sure, but also has good bass, warm electric guitars and vocal forwardness. My only "nitpick" was that the treble extension was not that much, the sound felt confined within the shell of the IEM when soaring highs came, and that sometimes broke my immersion and distracted me from how much I am enjoying the IEM.

Then came the Tea Pro SE, first of all, the stock Tea Pro SE tips seal much better than the EA1000, and the passive noise isolation is great. When I first I used it I would look around because I'd think that there was someone else in the room when audio is playing. The sound is much more 3d, it actually feels like it wraps around my head, and the instruments sound clean and separated well, there is no harshness in the treble or sibilance, and everything sounds natural. Most importantly, the treble extension does not peak early, and feels extended without being confined. But as I listened to my favorite songs more and more over the last few days (all using the Qudelix 5k bluetooth DAC, both bluetooth and wired), I noticed that there was something not quite as good as the EA1000.

It was the vocals, the thing I'd say I value the most. More specifically, the female vocals weren't forward, at least not like the EA1000, the cymbals and electric guitars sounded louder than the vocals, on top of the vocals, so I cannot really lock on to the vocals. And I also noticed that I sometimes raise the volume on my favorite songs, mainly jmetal and sometimes more orchestral arrangements, but that only made it louder, not more energetic. It sounded safe, too safe perhaps in that regard. Apart from those two things, I would have loved to use them, but unfortunately they do not fit my preference. That is a bit of the summary so far. Will give it a day without using it before trying it again, though I'm thinking of returning them once I'm back from this short vacation.

...

Tldr: Guy tries IEMs starting with planar drivers (Letshuoer S12), upgrades to Simgot EA1000 Fermat and is slightly annoyed initially at the sibilance/hissy s sounds, listens MORE, likes the EA1000 GREATLY. Then wonders what highs could sound like on a more treble extended set, gets the Tea Pro SE, is amazed by the technicality of it, then realizes that the female vocals are not forward anymore, and that the energy is drained out of songs, and goes back to the EA1000. Moral of the story, impressive technicality is one thing, preference is another, and make sure to listen to what you enjoy.

So yeah, now I know my preferences better, and that is the most important thing I'd say. I'll keep using my EA1000 and enjoy my favorite songs that way without coping or gaslighting myself into liking a more expensive, technical set of IEMs that do not give me as much enjoyment. I have searched for hours on similar IEMs, and to no avail, I found nothing conclusive. I will continue to enjoy my EA1000 and stop thinking about such things for a while.

Thank you for reading my life story, and have a great time.

Edit: Thank you mods for the flair change lmao.

Edit 2: Returned the Tea Pro SE to try the Yu9 Que

I tried apple music for the first time and holy... the difference is so stark that I instantly subscribed to their plan, I nearly dropped my jaw when listening to the actual details instead of compression slop. There's no going back lmao. The difference is really apparent when listening to tracks with lots of detail, especially OSTs like from Fromsoftware (not looking at you Dark Souls III on youtube with that horrendous compression)