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Headfonics 2020

Top Reader Voted Earphones

The following Top Reader Voted IEM & Earphone scores are assigned by the readers, (Score) and apply only to all reviews before this calendar year and where a slider voting system exists. This list includes the top 30 universal type monitors only.

Please note the list will change dynamically as readers continue to vote. Higher-scoring IEMs will automatically replace lower-scoring IEMs. They will also continue to change as we progressively work our way through historical reviews and add a voting system.

These lists are not to be confused with our Award Scores which are the top gear as reviewed and scored by our review team in the calendar year. Those scores will form the basis of our Awards at the end of the year. Once the year is completed the Award scores will be deleted and the ‘annual awards race’ will start over again.

Top 30 universal IEMs as voted on by our readers

Vision Ears Phönix
The Vision Ears Phönix is a pricey but beautifully designed high-end monitor built for blissful and stress-free listening. Its coherent timbre has an inviting and intoxicating blend of smooth-sounding mids and gorgeously rich vocals backed up by a punchy low-end performance when called upon.
9.2
Reader's Score
PLUSSOUND Allegro Review
The PLUSSOUND Allegro looks beautiful on the outside but more importantly, it has the chops sonically to appeal to a wide range of audiophile listening tastes.
9.1
Reader's Score
$3499.99
FiR Audio Radon 6 Review featured image
The FIR Audio Radon 6 is the most complete and natural-sounding monitor I have heard from the company to date. It works wonderfully well with almost everything, especially if you want an open midrange with excellent levels of detail.
9.1
Reader's Score
Noble Audio Viking Ragnar Review
The Noble Audio Viking Ragnar is probably the company's most high-fidelity in-ear monitor to date. It is also unique from the competition in its spatial grandeur but no less of a technical performer with impressive levels of precise imaging and detail.
9.1
Reader's Score
Noble Audio Ronin Review featured image
The Noble Audio Ronin is the company's most balanced and detailed-sounding monitor to date. It is also one of their most accessible tunings with a natural tuning that makes it a non-fatiguing pleasure to listen to.
9.1
Reader's Score
Vision Ears EXT
I can still see vocal lovers cling dearly to their Elysium but for those who wanted bombastic lows and a much bigger soundstage whilst still retaining the magic of a dynamic driver timbre for the mids then the EXT should answer that and then some. 
9.1
Reader's Score
64 Audio Volur Review featured image
The 64 Audio Volür has some of the 'tastiest' lows to date in the company's universal monitor line-up and provides a clear upgrade path for Nio fans who crave a bump in tonal clarity and technical proficiency. 
9
Reader's Score
Campfire Audio Trifecta Review featured image
The Campfire Audio Trifecta is one of the most unique-looking and sounding high-end in-ear monitors I have reviewed to date. With the right genre and a clean-sounding source, it conveys a very powerful and emotive quality from its triple dynamic driver setup.
9
Reader's Score
Lime Ears Anima
The Lime Ears Anima is a balanced yet joyful tuning with a deep resonating bass performance and almost ethereal highs with plenty of headroom from those e-stat drivers. It competes well with other hybrid electrostatic standard-bearers such as the Odin and the EXT but is unique enough to set it apart as a viable alternative on your shopping list.
9
Reader's Score
€3400
Nostalgia Audio Tesseract Review featured image
The Nostalgia Audio Tesseract is a top-tier competitor with an ambitious internal design and a unique external aesthetic. More importantly, it has the 'audible chops' with a beautiful analog sound backed by a huge soundstage and wonderful imaging.
9
Reader's Score
Empire Ears Odin
The Odin is a technical beast bar none with masterful levels of control from the dual subwoofer configuration right up to that nuanced treble tuning. Nothing is overdone, even those forward upper mids are beautifully tempered by a coherent treble tuning.
9
Reader's Score
Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar-Horizon Review featured image
The Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon is the most mature offering I have heard to date from the company with a more balanced tuning, improved resolution, and an excellent and very open soundstage.
8.9
Reader's Score
64 Audio U18s
The U18s is one of the most balanced offerings I have heard to date from 64 Audio. Nothing feels out of whack with a tuning that is effortlessly smooth, non-fatiguing yet every bit as resolving as the original A18t. 
8.9
Reader's Score
Kinera Imperial LOKI Review featured image

The Kinera Imperial LOKI is a sonically exquisite masterpiece and one that produces a euphoric and captivating listening experience.

The company's first shot at a multi-kilo-buck flagship level IEM delivers a lush and hyper-detailed mid-range and excellent bone conduction implementation.

8.9
Reader's Score
Empire Ears Legend EVO
The Empire Ears Legend EVO is a bass monster, but a monster with refined taste and also one that brings some sort of A-game to the mids and treble table in terms of resolution and timbral balance. 
8.9
Reader's Score
Campfire Audio Solaris SE
The sound is smoother, more coherent with a better mids presence. The timbre is more natural to my ear and sweeter sounding for vocals and instrumental notes. This is a clever tuning with less of an apparent traditional hybrid driver separation from the lows to the highs.
8.9
Reader's Score
Final A8000
The A8000 has excellent clarity, works well with different genres of music and sounds very upbeat and uncolored. While boosting treble performance to the max extent it doesn’t compromise musicality. The vocal performance and the low-end are engaging with good weight.
8.9
Reader's Score
Noble Audio Kadence Review
The Noble Audio Kadence is a delicate presentation, one with excellent micro-detail but one that does not forget the pleasurable listening side of things either.
8.9
Reader's Score
Noble Audio Sultan
I honestly cannot pick any holes in the Sultan's performance, at least from a personal perspective. It is a vivid and exciting blend of different driver timbres that tease out some excellent power, clarity, and above-average headroom. If you are sitting on the Savant II wondering where to go to next then this is it.
8.9
Reader's Score
HIFIMAN Svanar Review
The HIFIMAN Svanar might lack an upgraded accessory package, but they certainly don’t lack sound quality. Their overall sound is addictive, intimate, and inviting, and it will be a hard task if you embark on a search for a better-sounding IEM.
8.9
Reader's Score
$1999
Oriolus Szalayi Review
Make no mistake, the Oriolus Szalayi is an impressive IEM. For bass heads, this is pure delight as it is capable of delivering a thunderous bass response with a clean and crisp mid-range.
8.8
Reader's Score
Empire Ears ESR MKII
The Empire Ears ESR MKII has a flexible sound signature, excellent on the detail with a subtle but attractive lightweight snug-fitting design. In today's market, the ESR MKII might just prove to be Empire Ear's best value to performance offering to date.
8.8
Reader's Score
Noble Audio Kublai Khan Review
The Noble Audio Kublai Khan is more than just a 'lick of paint' on the original Khan from 2019.  It still retains the hallmarks of the first gen with its peppy highs and above-neutral sub-bass response. However, this time around it sounds more mature, refined, and dynamic in its delivery and generally a much more agreeable high-end tuning. 
8.8
Reader's Score
Effect Audio Gaea Review
I consider the Effect Audio Gaea a very successful collaboration. One that offers a mature tuning with great synergy between the cable and the IEM. You get an outstanding performance on smaller outputs and decent distortion control also.
8.8
Reader's Score
Softears Twilight Review
The Softears Twilight is an impressive interpretation of a single dynamic driver IEM tuning that up until this point I felt had been done to death.
8.8
Reader's Score
Vision Ears EVE20
The EVE20 is a faithful and beautiful interpretation of the classic Vision Ears house sound. This time they have gone for a clever mix of low-end body and a more ethereal treble with excellent headroom to combine for a sweet-sounding midrange with just the right balance between instrumental and vocal positioning.
8.8
Reader's Score
€1300
Noble Audio Khan
For those who want something more neutral to natural with a nice sub-bass weighting, good vocal presence and a very coherent and articulate treble performance then the Khan does a fantastic job.
8.8
Reader's Score
Noble Audio Katana Wizard Edition
As a cleaner more neutral and balanced flagship sound the Katana Wizard Edition is going to be very hard to beat in our universal IEM reviews this year. It ticks plenty of boxes with a sound that's close to neutral with a little boost at the low end, vocals, and treble to give it a very engaging but detailed sound.
8.8
Reader's Score
Noble Audio Jade Review
The Noble Audio Jade, like the previous TUX 5, is tuned for an enjoyable listening experience. It is not a reference-style monitor but neither is it all bass and treble in its presentation. This is a balanced but lively performance, great for rock and pop and for anyone looking for a stronger vocal focus. 
8.8
Reader's Score
Westone Audio MACH 80 Review
The Westone Audio MACH 80 has superseded the previous generation products with superior visual appeals and stronger technicalities, especially the delicate control in the treble that scales with stronger outputs.
8.8
Reader's Score

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