Awesome service, very helpful with question, product is 10/10
TL:DR
Unimaginable low end (duh), other sets come close, niche
I’ll begin with some context; Currently I daily use (6-8 hours) ThieAudio Hype2’s, my “home set” was Hype 4’s. I’ve been in the IEM game since 2008 and have had a plethora of different sets from UE10s to Shure 535SELTD.
Scarlet Mini; The last 10%
I’m a bass head, I almost exclusively listen to hard dubstep and early 2000s trance. For the last 3 years the ThieAudio Hype4s have been my benchmark for deep, nasty bass (especially when EQd), but there was always that other set looming over me; the Scarlet Mini. I would read about it and watch reviews but couldn’t bring myself to drop the $. After a particularly good paycheck and tax return I decided to pull the trigger and it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. I’ve always known the Hype 4 was a bass cannon but I never could have imagined the difference 10% more “boom” could make. The scarlet minis bring a level of bass that seems impossible, especially when you consider the shell size is smaller than the Hype. When I first tried them I involuntarily burst out laughing at the bass. I’m not exaggerating when I say they will make your eyeballs rattle.
Why “The last 10%”?
Because they’re not THAT much better than the Hype 4s (or Hype 2) all around. They are definitely for a very specific clientele that value low end over anything else. These are for the people that lean on the speakers at raves, people who want bass so hard it’s almost hurts.
Conclusion;
You want aggressive, nasty, unrelenting bass? These are the set for you.
You want deep low end while maintaining over all performance and resolution? Look elsewhere
I have the Westone UM3 Pro, and the sound stage and separation is incredible, along with great mids and highs. However, I always missed the lows, since I love bass. I got the Cany skullcrusher evo, and those were good, but I like IEM's better. These finally scratch that itch! They sound as good (different) as my Westone UM3 Pro's, albiet with a more intimiate sound stage, and the bass is clear and responsive. It's no crusher evo haptic, but it has enough bass for my everyday listening, and they're comfortable for me to wear. I thought I would end up switching back and forth depending on the music I was listening to, but as of yet, I just haven't found the need. These are great IEM's!
I like the signature sound, but the sound is to low, i would like more sensitive dbs on sound
An interesting IEM for the niche audience of folks who want the most bass regardless of basically anything else. (As opposed to those who want the most bass while still getting excellent performance in all other regards, for whom I think the Punch Martilo will easily win out.)
It's very similar in many ways to the original Empire Ears Bravado, which was my daily driver for a long time. Compared to the Bravado, the Scarlet Mini has much less driver flex, a treble tuning that is not _as_ wonky, although still not ideal without EQ, and a smaller form factor that is quite comfortable, almost to the point of making them good for sleep sleeping. In terms of the bass performance, the Scarlet Mini has slightly more bass quantity than the Bravado (and, obviously, vastly more than almost all other IEMs), and even for us confirmed bassheads, the amount of bass may present a problem on some genres of music. (For example, acoustic bass on some jazz tracks gets weird.) In terms of bass quality, I still slightly prefer the Empire Ears drivers for the perception of texture. Bass performance on the Scarlet Mini is very tip sensitive, because too good a seal will interfere with the dynamic driver. I've had the best luck so far with sancai tips that have a sort of greebled textured on the exterior to provide just enough pressure relief.



