KopiOkaya, I just wanted to say that you did a brilliant job of tuning the BA5. You made a good compromise between BA and DD tuning, and made a superior IEM to what TRN may have envisioned.

It has all the strengths of a BA IEM, but the tuning is more neutral and even musical than a lot of the BA hybrid-types that are out there.

I think you have shown that it can be very helpful to harmonize BA drivers together in a more pleasant and mature tuning than is typical. The BA5 is one of the cleanest sounds I have ever heard, but with the speed and soundstage of an all-BA set. It is absolutely amazing for techno-styled music that doesn’t rely on bass too much.

I’d be interested in a ‘super-BA5’ that is similar configuration and your tuning but with higher-quality BA drivers.

Any brand in mind?

Max €50

How much do you want to spend?

I tuned both IM2 and Ash. They are basically the same thing except Ash has better treble extension after 6Khz.

KopiOkaya, I see you’ve been in contact with both Yinyoo and TRN. From your experience, how do the IM2 and Ash differ?

For stage monitoring, noise isolation is crucial. If you want me to choose between V90 and BA5, I will choose BA5. But if you want me to choose I ideal IEM for stage monitoring, I will go for either TRN IM1 Pro, IM2 or Yinyoo Ash.

Thanks! Since my PL50s still work, maybe having something with the DD can help to compliment my headphone portfolio! Beyond the V90, any other recommendations you might give as well?

I prefer the TRN V90 because of their more natural timbre. The TRN BA5 are technically better (resolution etc.) but less musical imo. I tested the V90 on a flight from western Canada to Ireland and back, and they worked very well for in-flight movies.