So I have to admit while the law of diminishing returns exist for higher cost IEM I think it’s less effective the cheaper they are. I thought things might have changed but I guess it hasn’t. IEM AT $599 actually has a clear difference in resolutions, power, and other things. My Dunu sa6 Mk2 still sounds very distinct in its sound VS the $129 Nova. I’m not going to lie, I was starting to wonder if this unit really could be the cheaper miracle for all things IEMs. But once I put my Dunu’s back in I was reminded why I got rid of all my other $1000-$2000 IEM’s. This thing took everything from the Nova and added more treble extension, power, and soundstaging. It was easily a jump in sound, as well as it should be at the cost difference. As I remember it, this thing could stand against any killobuck IEM and caused me to question the need for them. While the other $1000+ may have beat them by small margins, overall none of them justified their cost over the $500 King.
But… One thing I did gather from this was just how on point the Nova was. It once again sounded like a smaller brother of the Sa6 Mk2. So now it’s like you can take the Thieaudio Monarch, Variations, and this Sa6 Mk2 and find DNA from all of them in the Truthears Nova for $129(are you kidding me). So yes, while it wasn’t hard to hear that the Sa6 Mk2 was the better IEM, the Nova still took on its identity and characteristics. And the craziest thing is that I still ended up with the Nova on my ears right after the test, appreciating its results even more at the cost of it with the sound abilities it displays.
Basically, just the absolute knowledge that this, while not better, took so many things that make the top IEMs out there great and yet charged less is something that makes me more excited about using it for some reason. I don’t even miss the superior sound, fit, or superior looks of my Dunu, which is strange. Not saying that there is a change of guard. But the fact that I find so much of all that I’ve loved in IEM in this one IEM for $129 is just so exciting to me. I’m also not scared of damaging them or losing them, so I’m likely to use them more and carry them more. Beyond that when I use them, all I hear of great sound. I don’t ever get a sense of absence in the sound like I’m missing something that should be there like it is with others.
At the end of the day I don’t recommend these to anyone who already has one of the three great Kings of Audio…. The Variation, Thieaudio Monarch Mk2, or Dunu sa6 Mk2 unless you are just looking for a similar sound product but cheaper to carry like me. These don’t match or beat any of these IEMs. It only mimics their profiles very closely without the price tag. But if you don’t have any of these Kings of Audio, then yes I highly suggest you get this, if by no other reason to save money on great sound. You also could use this as a spring board for higher quality IEMs later if you feel the need for such. But what this will do is give you a great IEM sound that typically belongs to way more expensive IEMs in an affordable IEM and from there you could call it and never buy another one and know that what you are hearing is at least within the same DNA as the greatest of all time without having to spend $1000+ to accomplish this. You could call that a flat out boss move WIN.
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