Truthear Gate

Good sound quality from the IEM itself, I purchased it with the JCally JM6 Pro Portable DAC. I would love to say thank you to Axel and his colleague for assisting me for my first pair of IEM

I bought these as an add on for another purchase just because I was curious.

I also own the Moondrop Chu 2 DSP's, so that was my point of comparison in this price range.

These are super fun! The bass knocks much harder than you'd expect, which makes them an engaging choice for rap and electronic music. They aren't as articulate or as balanced as basically all of my other IEMs and headphones but none of them are $20 either. To my ears the treble in general feels pretty understated. I would say my Chu 2 DSPs are more on the neutral side relative to the Gates, but they're also generally less fun, especially with the foam tips I've paired the Chu 2's with.

The Gates have become my go to carry around and travel IEMs. Cheap enough that I'm not really worried about damaging or losing them. I often pair these with a Moondrop Dawn Pro either through my laptop or my steamdeck. Easy recommendation.

My first budget IEM and it sounds good

These are pretty good for 20$. I wanted some IEM and didn't know were to start and when I seen these and the price there wasn't much to lose. Gave it a try and I like them. So now its about going down a rabbit hole with IEM then headphones now. Really enjoy them.

On a whim I ordered the Moondrop Chu 2, the Truthear Gate, and the Tangzu Wan'er to compare all three, since they're all about $20.

Honestly they're all great for the price, but the Gate comes out ahead for me, if only slightly. The Wan'er was the one I liked the least (although it's still very good for how cheap it is), so I focused mainly on comparing the Chu 2 and Gate.

The Gate honestly, at least IMO, has better technicality: better imaging, better details, clearer vocals. But it's fairly restrained in the bass, and that's where the Chu 2 might be a better choice for you if you're looking for bass emphasis. The Chu 2 sounds warmer and fuller, more "fun." The Gate comes across as a little "thin" by comparison, but it also just has more "clarity," if that makes sense.

Honestly it's a tough call, because they're both excellent IEMs for the price, but I say get the Gate. The more "neutral" tuning, the clarity of the vocals, and the technical details and imaging are all just a tiny bit better than the Chu 2, enough to put the Gate firmly in first place for me.

Hope that helps anybody trying to choose between those three!