Super.fi 3 Studio, D-Jays, or Shure SE210?

[RoadHazard]

First of all I want to say hello, since I'm new to the boards!

Anyway, I'm looking to get a pair of decent IEMs, and I think I've narrowed it down to these three:

Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio
Shure SE210
D-Jays

I can get the Super.fi 3s and the SE210s for about the same price, while the D-Jays are a bit cheaper. I don't want to spend much more than these cost, so Super.fi 5s, Q-Jays, or any of the more expensive Shure IEMs are out of the question.

I've read as much as I've been able to find (including searching on these boards) about all of these, and all of them seem to have gotten very mixed reviews. For example, the Shure SE210s are sometimes praised as the best you can get at this price range, while others seem to think they are pretty worthless, with a complete lack of bass.

Therefore, I now turn to you, since you seem to know a lot about this! Which of these are the best IEMs? A solid bass is somewhat important to me (I want it to have some punch, but it shouldn't overpower the rest of the frequencies), but sound clarity perhaps moreso.

I should add that I mostly listen to progressive rock (Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Kansas, IQ, etc).

I appreciate any help I can get!

[Zigosity]

Haha, spock's beard's a cool band xD.

From what I've heard the UE's are going to be your best bet for solid bass and that type of music. I've tried the shures and I can say that I didn't like them much at all. I haven't tried the UE's but people say good things about them, so ;D.

[RoadHazard]

Originally Posted by Zigosity

Haha, spock's beard's a cool band xD.

From what I've heard the UE's are going to be your best bet for solid bass and that type of music. I've tried the shures and I can say that I didn't like them much at all. I haven't tried the UE's but people say good things about them, so ;D.

Yeah, maybe you're right. But I seem to recall reading that the Super.fi 3s don't have nearly the same amount of bass as the Super.fi 5s (well, that's to be expected I guess), and perhaps even less than the SE210s?

I'm gonna have to await a few more comments, but thanks for your help!

[jmageshazam]

The super.fi 3's are anemic in the bass department but clear with good mids and highs. THe bass problem can be helped but not completely remedied by a good bass boost (i us the sony a816's bass boost).
jon

[exe163]

I am deciding between se210 and superfi 3 also, where do you find se210 at the same price range as SF3? se210 cost nearly 2 times as much as SF3 from online stores (not ebay).

[navmau]

SE210 - too overpriced!
SF3 - lacking in "strong" bass
d-JAYS - best value for money in terms of your requirements.

[RoadHazard]

Originally Posted by exe163

I am deciding between se210 and superfi 3 also, where do you find se210 at the same price range as SF3? se210 cost nearly 2 times as much as SF3 from online stores (not ebay).

Well, first of all I'm in Sweden, and I guess the prices differ a bit. But you're right, normally the SE210s cost a bit more than the superfi3s (though not nearly twice as much here in Sweden). The thing is that I can get a pretty nice student discount on the SE210s, which brings them down to being just a tad more expensive than the Superfi3s.

Originally Posted by navmau

SE210 - too overpriced!
SF3 - lacking in "strong" bass
d-JAYS - best value for money in terms of your requirements.

So you'd say that the D-Jays are my best bet? Are they actually better than the SE210s (which, as I said, I can get for about the same price as the Superfi3s), or do you just think they give more value for my money? That's not really important right now (considering the discount I can get on the SE210s), so I really only need to know which of these 3 will sound best!

[Anacondastan]

When I first got the SF3 I too felt they are almost absent of bass energy then what I quickly discovered is the following: too many earphones are bass exaggerated, your brain/taste needs time to for you to appreciate their bass response and that the Shure Black Olives take these phones to another level especially when mated with a Clip or Gen 1 Shuffle they communicate an excellent bass response not thick, floaty, or bloated.

[JimSmiley]

x2 on Anacondastan's comment. Some of the insufficent bass comments, it seems to be, can be attributed to a poor fitting. When properly sealed I find the SF3 to have accurate bass response. (at least for a 70.00 iem). That said, I listen to Jazz and Rock--if you're into bass driven genres these may not be for you. YMMV

[RoadHazard]

Originally Posted by JimSmiley

x2 on Anacondastan's comment. Some of the insufficent bass comments, it seems to be, can be attributed to a poor fitting. When properly sealed I find the SF3 to have accurate bass response. (at least for a 70.00 iem). That said, I listen to Jazz and Rock--if you're into bass driven genres these may not be for you. YMMV

Ok, thanks. So, would you (and Anacondastan) say that the Superfi3s are better than the SE210s and the D-Jays? As I wrote in my initial post, I listen mostly to progressive rock/metal (no hip-hip, techno, or anything like that), so really heavy bass isn't my no 1 priority, though I would like it to have some punch, of course.

[JimSmiley]

Originally Posted by RoadHazard

Ok, thanks. So, would you (and Anacondastan) say that the Superfi3s are better than the SE210s and the D-Jays? As I wrote in my initial post, I listen mostly to progressive rock/metal (no hip-hip, techno, or anything like that), so really heavy bass isn't my no 1 priority, though I would like it to have some punch, of course.

I really can't say. I've never heard the SE210s or the D-Jays. I can say that the Superfi3s are, to me, worth more than their modest price tag of 70.00. Also, I recommend Soundearphones as a dealer. Bought them on Tuesday-got them on Wednesday.

[Pianist]

I would suggest some Denon AH-C551s - I believe that they should have better SQ than entry level IEMs, but less expensive than dual-drivers + and a better fit due to shallower insertion. So if comfort is important to you, the Denons may be the sweet spot. Also, the Altec Lansing im616/im716 should a killer IEMs with unmatched level of detail and clarity for the price, but the Ety sound is not for everyone, so you might want to do some research on those before considering them.

[RoadHazard]

Originally Posted by Pianist

I would suggest some Denon AH-C551s - I believe that they should have better SQ than entry level IEMs, but less expensive than dual-drivers + and a better fit due to shallower insertion. So if comfort is important to you, the Denons may be the sweet spot. Also, the Altec Lansing im616/im716 should a killer IEMs with unmatched level of detail and clarity for the price, but the Ety sound is not for everyone, so you might want to do some research on those before considering them.

Thanks for the tips. I looked into the Denons, and they seem really nice. Perhaps just a tiny bit to pricey for me, but I guess it may be worth it.

[RoadHazard]

So, I went to a hi-fi store to try out the Denon C551s and 351s. I listened to the C551s for quite a while, and found the sound really impressive. Then I tried the C351s, and needless to say (they are about half the price, after all) they lacked very much of the crispness of the C551s. I thought for a while, and then decided that the C551s had to be worth it. So now they're mine.

At first, when I came home to try them out again, I was really disappointed with the bass response; it just felt weak. However, that all changed after I switched the rubber tips from medium to small (guess my ear canals are pretty thin!). Now I suddenly got a tight bass response with loads of punch, using completely flat equalizing. I wouldn't say that the bass is extraordinarily heavy, but it definitely has some punch. As I've written, I don't listen to very bass-heavy stuff (techno, etc), but rather mostly prog rock and metal, and the bass response feels great for that music. It has some punch, but it doesn't take over completely.

I've read in some review that the C551s are lacking in the very high-end frequencies, but I haven't really noticed. They sound very clear and nice to my ears. Then again, I have never listened to any REALLY expensive IEMs, so I guess I don't have anything better to compare with.

My only possible complaint so far is that they are somewhat bulky. Compared to my previous IEMs (the cheap pair that came with my SonyEricsson Walkman phone - imagine that jump in quality!) they are pretty huge, but I can't really say that it bothers me. They feel very lightweight, even though they are made out of aluminum (which by the way gives them a really solid, high-quality feel) rather than plastic. The fact that they are very visible in your ears isn't a problem for me, since my hair usually covers my ears anyway (and besides, why would I want to hide them?).

I'll have to put them through some serious usage before I can make a final judgement, but so far I feel very happy with them!