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Capture of the IKKO OH5 with stock cables

IEM Song Comparison: Ranking the Best Earphones for “Downgrade Desert” by Igorrr

Outdoors capture of the IKKO Asgard OH5
Capture of the IKKO OH5 with stock cables

Intro:

If you’re a music enthusiast, you know how important it is to have the right headphones to enjoy your favourite tracks. But finding the perfect pair of in-ear monitors (IEMs) can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to music with a complex sound structure like “Downgrade Desert” by Igorrr. In this post, we’ll take you through a comprehensive comparison of the best IEMs for this song and help you find the perfect pair to enjoy it.

Song:

Downgrade Desert” by Igorrr is a unique blend of metal, electronic, and classical music, making it a challenging piece to listen to with a standard pair of headphones. The song is full of intricate layers of sound, from heavy drums to chanting and screaming vocals, which require high-quality IEMs to capture all the details.

Genre:

The genre of “Downgrade Desert” is a fusion of metal, electronic, and classical music, which makes it a complex piece to listen to with standard headphones. The song demands IEMs that can deliver a balanced sound and capture all the layers of sound.

The Challenges in This Song: The challenges in “Downgrade Desert” are mainly the complex layers of sound, the heavy drums, and the screaming and chanting vocals. These elements require IEMs that can deliver a balanced sound and capture all the details without compromising the quality of the sound.

Source Chain:

To ensure that the IEMs deliver the best sound quality for “Downgrade Desert” I used a MacBook Air M1 with Apple Music Lossless and an SMSL M300 MKIII DAC as the source chain. This setup provides high-quality lossless audio, allowing the IEMs to perform at their best.

Comparison:

In this section, II’ll compare the four best IEMs for “Downgrade Desert” starting from first place to the last.

1st Place: IKKO Asgard OH5

The IKKO Asgard OH5 creates a very interesting room with the instruments and layers, producing very thick drums that fill the whole room. The low impact, well-separated layers, and great room impression make it a must-have for drum heads. The female voice is in front above the head, and the sounds are like being in a chant, with more and more layers opening up. With a male voice, the room is audible, sounds well-defined, and is medium-sized.

2nd Place: AudioSense DT600

The AudioSense DT600 produces a low rumble in the beginning that is very present and builds a lot of tension. The guitar is very clear to hear, building layers of sound, while the drums take over with less impact than the OH5. The female vocals are more inside the head, in the centre, and very intimate sounding. The drum is present, but it does not have the same impact, and the room size is hard to determine.

3rd Place: 7 Hz Timeless

The low frequencies at the beginning built up nicely together with the guitar, creating a lot of tension. The effect of electricity was even more present than with the IKKO Obsidian OH10. The bass drum did not have as much impact, but showed very good separation, building a great room impression. The room was huge, but the instruments were close by. Singing voices built great layers and a huge stage, with the female voice in front and above. It sounded different than the AudioSense DT600 but very close to each other from a subjective impression. With a male voice, the room size sounded smaller again, but overall the experience was very intense.

4th Place: IKKO Obsidian OH10

The beginning of the song is more open with a lower impact and more high frequencies, but the sound is very spacious and electrifying. The drum has more cymbals and less deep bass drum. The room sounds bigger but a little thinner than the DT600. The chanting could be within a forest, and it sounds like too much is going on at the same time. The separation is less than the OH5, and the sound is a little bit chaotic.

Conclusion

In conclusion, each of the IEMs I tested offered a unique listening experience for “Downgrade Desert” by Igorrr. Depending on the individual’s preferences, any of these IEMs could be a great choice. However, the IKKO Asgard OH5 offered the best overall experience with its excellent room impression, thick drums, and great separation of sounds.

If you’d like to check more songs where I did A-B tests with these IEMs, you can find details here or you can check my “My Ultimate Guide to Affordable In-Ear Monitors in 2023“.

Try it by yourself, you can find my current heavy stress test for headphones and IEMs here (@ Apple music).

If you have any suggestions or would like to share your own experiences, please feel free to reach out to me on Instagram.

Frederic Konkel

My name is Frederic B. Konkel and to capture landscapes and cityscapes is a big passion of mine. I'm currently back in Berlin, Germany. I love to explore new places and I'm using my cameras to document these moments. On F.B.K. Photography I showcase a few impressions of my captured moments from around the world.