Aria 2 IEM

For a while, Aria 2 was my favorite IEM, the best sound I've heard in a long time. But well, recently I've started having problems with its mids, I feel like they're a bit too much for me. Plus, I miss the bass, even though I'm not a basshead. I listen to many musical styles, I like a balanced sound, not too low, not too high. And the most important thing for me, NATURALITY and TECHNICALITIES, which is something that Aria 2 didn't leave me wanting for, if it weren't for its mid-range, I would certainly stick with it. That said, what are your favorite IEMs in the $50 to $150 range? I'd love to read some reviews to guide my next purchase.

At first, I wanted a 3.5mm like the Moondrop Aria 2 to use with my new RedMagic. But since I’ve been staying home a lot lately because I’m addicted to Where Winds Meet, I decided to go with the Moondrop Rays instead, since I’d mainly be using them for gaming. I got them for $60 with a discount on Shopee. I’ve been using it for two days now and it’s been really good. I’ll probably end up getting another one soon anyway. Maybe the Meteor or the Blessing 3?

Finally got the red lions, and I can say I'm decently impressed, I use my aria 2 as my daily, so I think I can compare them pretty well. I mainly bought the Red Lion for the accessories but dang do they sound decent for the price, I also get a way more comfortable fit with them, they don't fit as deep as the aria 2, which is nice for me. Bass: Clearly the red lion has more *BASS*, it's decent, but lacks a bit of something, I'm not an expert so I can't say what exactly. Mids: Honestly pretty much the same, but I don't really get as much separation from the highs with the Red Lion, overall the mids sound pretty much the same. Highs: The Red Lion's highs are a bit too much, I'll probably play with eq to lower them, but I think I'm just sensitive to highs as the aria 2 is just like the limit for me. Gaming: Can't say much as I'm a casual gamer, but as in most iems I can hear where footsteps are coming from very clearly, in rhythm games/osu they perform very well, I can hear all necessary details in the song that I need to get good accuracy. Comfort: Clear win for the Red Lion, same shape as the waner 2, which I still remember (my first iems), can wear them for hours on end, the aria 2 hurts my ears after a while or when I'm talking for too long. I'm taking the cable from the red lion any day, the ear hooks are like made for my ears, very lightweight. Rhythm Games: RoughSketch - Kingdom Come: Decent outcome, shoutier on the red lion, but I can feel the rhythm same as on my aria 2. Shiki - Pure Ruby: I lose the highs on the red lion somehow, the bass eats them up, clear win for the aria 2. Streetlight Manifesto - Everything Went Numb: Didn't even have to play this one, just by clicking on the song I immediately noticed the hi-hats are there but in the background, in osu the map has a lot of keypresses on them, so not the best for rhythm, again clear win for the aria 2. Kafu - Lethal Weapon-chan: A slight win for the red lion, I can feel the rhythm on ougi's Ultra difficulty better than on my aria 2, relies a lot on vocals/bass for the rhythm. II-L - Sputnik-3: A shit ton of rhythm changes, this one is a tie as it uses all frequencies for the rhythm as far as I can tell, some parts are better on the aria 2 and some on the red lion, tie. t+pazolite - Gumbarlzo: Extremely fun song to listen to on both, rhythm is the same on both too, the aria 2 just has a bit more clarity, I'll say a tie. Overall I can say the red lion is a ultimate starter honestly, for 15-20$ I haven't heard better sounding ones for this price, also a very safe universal fit, even my small-eared gf can wear them with no issues, with two full sets of eartips to play around with, amazing for beginners, they probably won't replace my aria 2, but they do sound better in songs that are tamer. Ask me anything if you want to know more, I'll also update on the noise cancelling as I'm gonna take them out on the bus today.

Well, recently I've been saving up money to get a new IEM in the $100 range. So far, I have tested: Aria 2 and Simgot EA500. I'm seriously torn between Truthear Pure and Truthear Hexa. I look for good technicalities (that's what I consider most), without sounding shrill or tiring and one that fits well in various musical genres. What do you think? Which one should I choose? I'm also open to other suggestions within the $100 range.

The Aria 2 and Chu 2 still gets mentioned from time to time, but aside from that they just got outdone by the competition. I like their house sound but it's not the "meta" anymore.