No Neutral CIEM besides Viento?
I’ve tried many iems. Like different Shure’s (terrible tuning imo), KZ’s, Truthear Hexas, Crinear Daybreak, 64 Audio A3e / A6t / U12t, a custom Aclair…For reference, I mainly use iems on stage, for playing various instruments, as well as for some audio mixing. The Hexas are the most neutral set of iems that I’ve heard, hence why I choose to use them over all the other iems. I want my in ear monitoring on stage and in the studio to sound as “neutral” as possible so I have an accurate representation of the mix, so I can make informed eq / processing moves. The 64 Audio U12t’s sounds INSANE and suuuper immersive with its enveloping bass, smooth highs, and insane detail retrieval. But in the end, when I switch to a relatively flat studio monitoring setup (with sub), the U12t sounds overly bassy, and lacks high mids, which makes vocals a bit more buried in the mix. The other custom 64s I’ve used sound even more bloated with even less high mids / treble.
I really like how the Hexas sound, but would prefer to have a custom fit for better isolation. The only other qualm I have with the Hexa is a smallish/intimate soundstage, at least compared to the U12t, which sounded massive.
After countless iem reviews and scouring the internet, it seems like the only custom iem that exists, that is tuned close to the Hexa (which imo sounds very neutral/natural), is the Hidition Viento B custom. I live in the USA and went through the process of a long email thread with the CEO of Hidition (Sung) to place an order. Wasn’t too bad honestly…just have to use plain and simple english.
Can anyone that has the Viento B custom attest that it sounds neutral? And how is the perceived technical performance like resolution and soundstage?
I find it frustrating that all the big ciem companies, like 64 Audio, JH, Aclair, Empire, etc…have sound signatures that generally lack top end/high mids, and usually have a bit too much bass / low mids. I wonder if it’s because most musicians haven’t experimented much outside of Shure 215s / KZ’s and are used to a bloated sound signature? Not sure, but I wish I didn’t have to resort to ordering from a smaller Korean brand to get a neutral tuned ciem
Posted Aug 31, 2025, 12:15 AM UTC