Just got my Earstudio's today. Doing this comparison on a pair of Shure SE846.
Using the regular 3.5mm jack, they sound very similar to the Get's, in that they both sound very good for unbalanced output. The Get has abit of boosted bass, while the Earstudio's have abit boosted high's. The AK XB10 sound the most balanced to my ears, but please keep in mind, with the exception of the Get's (whose bass-boost is absolutely noticeable from the get-go), these emphases are not huge, and should not dictate which one of these you should go for.
But just like the Get's and the unbalanced XB10 output, once you compare it to the balanced output on the earstudios and XB10's, the soundstage definitely opens up, instrument separation is increased, and possibly as a consequence of this, clarity appears to be improved abit.
Comparing 2.5mm earstudio to 2.5mm XB10, the XB10 still has a wider soundstage, and I can pick out the microdetails just better, but since the high's aren't as boosted as the earstudio's, some may think the earstudio's have better clarity.
The earstudio's give you far more technical control, like how fast the decay is, jitter filtering, etc. And the ability for firmware updates, such as the recent one that allows us to change the volume on system sounds (i.e. sound of it when it powers on and powers off), is absolutely fantastic. Before I updated the firmware, the sound of it turning on was genuinely deafening, it was awful. Also, the earstudio's have an option for EQ as well, so you can customize this to give you the exact sound signature you're looking for. Very nice for people who like that.
This level of customization is rarely seen in these bluetooth receivers, so it's very nice.
Also the noise floor (hiss) is barely audible, and most won't notice it at all even with high sensitivity IEMs like the SE846 and Noble K10, so that's a plus. It's definitely the lowest of the 3.
There's merits for all 3:
AK XB10 subjectively sound the best to me, and despite costing more than the rest, I am happy I purchased them and would do it again if an IEM warranted it (currently using it between SE846 and Noble K10, both balanced). Really wish the build was nicer though... Feels crazy cheap...
The Earstudio's are a far cheaper, excellent alternative to the AK XB10, provided you can use them balanced. They sound great, level of customization is great, I haven't used them enough to test battery life but they claim it's longer, and really, even if it's the same as the rest, this still wins by many standards (provided you can use balanced).
The Get is excellent for unbalanced sources with higher impedances than typical IEMs, as many of us have found the noise floor on the Get's to be unbearable on high sensitivity IEMs. The Get really sounds very similar to the other 2 if you're using unbalanced, which many people are, so there's not many benefits for going for the rest in that case, but that noise floor with high-sensitivity IEMs...
P.S. Bonus round, I also received the Aqua+ from kickstarter.
Since it costs 2x as much as the earstudio's and the Get's, with only an unbalanced output, it's by far the least worth it of all 4, but it's build is the nicest, and comes with a leather case. BUT, the leather case adds some bulk, and you have to take it off every time you want to charge the thing....... And it charges wirelessly via Qi charging, so having to litter your home or workplace with qi chargers, or bringing the (very small) qi charging pad with you is definitely a con...
Sound wise, they sound similar to all 3 unbalanced. They have a button on it that you push, which supposedly upsamples all music to 32bits, which is ridiculous because you can't add detail that wasn't there to begin with. Instead, what you will notice is a VERY intense DSP filter being applied. Have to admit, it does widen the soundstage abit, but it boosts the highs and low frequencies so much, and pushes the mids back, as to try to give you "greater clarity" and "better bass", while "widening" the soundstage simply by pushing the mids back. It makes the music more "fun" for most people, but the fact that they try to pass off upsampling as this magical thing that will make your 128kbps MP3 sound like lossless feels insulting.
In any case, don't go for this one. It doesn't sound bad by any means, but I feel they justify the increased cost because of that stupid button.
When you can get the Get or the earstudio's for half as much, or even the AK XB10 for slightly more, they beat this any day of the week. It's just too overpriced when you compare it to the competition. Now if the get's and earstudio's weren't half the price, then we'd be having a different conversation...
Oh and a little background note, before I tried balanced, I genuinely believed that going balanced would do nothing more than just give you more power and a slightly cleaner sound due to the way that it's wired. Definitely depends on what you're hooking it up to, but in the case of the earstudio's and the XB10's, there's definitely an audible difference.