Greetings!

First post here after lingering for a couple weeks or so, soaking up everything I can on the $150 and under IEM market. I'm looking for advice on which would be the best first pick primarily between the SCL4 and new Apple In-Ear buds. SCL4 seems to have passed the test of time but early reports on the Apple seem promising once good foam tips are applied. Correct me if I'm wrong here.

I mostly listen to a hip-hop (not angst gangsta rap), trance, ambient, and mainstream rock. Since all of those are pretty bass-heavy I have also considered the NE-7M but they seem a little "faddish" at the moment so I'm a bit apprehensive. The other interesting option would be the UM1 since I do like to fall asleep listening to the ambient stuff and I hear they're the comfortable pick there, but would the rest suck?

iPod Touch (2nd gen) will be the primary source. Budget is a hard $150 and ideally < $100.

Any guidance for a new guy is hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!

scl4 and bass do not go hand in hand from what I have been told

if its scl4 vs apple iem, the clear winner should be scl4..and yeah these dont have much bass
um1 might be a good choice tho

Geez! Thanks for the quick replies, guys.

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Can anyone corroborate this? Perhaps someone out there owns both and would be so kind as to weigh in.

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Anyone know if the others would suck to fall asleep with?

I should have the SCL4 by tomorrow or Monday, and I already have the Nuforce NE-7M and the new Apple In-Ears.

As far as I'm concerned, if you really want bass in that price range, go with ZAGG Z.Buds. I have those as well and they have the best bass I've heard (so far) in the $50-$100 range. They run for $65 and come in black or red.


Review: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/z...9/#post5196275

ZAGG Website: ZAGG | Z.buds | iPhone Earbuds, In-ear Headphones, Earphones

Thanks Taikero. I definitely wouldn't consider myself a basshead. It's just that most of the stuff I like has strong bass tracks and I would hate for them to seem empty if it is too hard to find. fwiw I never boost the bass equalizer on anything.

I'd be interested in your comparison between the apples and scl4 when they arrive.

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I'm planning a full-blown comparison between the NE-7M, Z.Buds, and Apple In-Ears as soon as I have enough time with all three. I'll also be posting my thoughts on the SCL4 when they arrive. I wouldn't mind comparing the Apple vs. the SCL4, although I'm quite confident the SCL4 is going to come out being the better of the two. The SCL4 is described as rather neutral while the Apple In-Ear comes off as somewhat dark in the highs with some forward mids that feel tweaked, and although I have to admit the bass isn't horrible at all on them, the NE-7M and Z.Buds just do bass better (although they have their own faults, which I'll get into in my review/comparison).

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sorry about that..i actually did not mean bass heavy..was tired when i wrote that i corrected it in my post tho

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I'd be interested in a comparison between the SCL4 and the NE-7M if you have the time.

for hip pop , rock ........... you should go for super fi 5 pro.

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Have you heard the SCL4's? If so - do you think the super.fi 5 pro is likely to be twice as good for my listening preferences than the SCL4 at half the price on the current deals?

i loved the super fi 5 pro, definately 10 times better for hip hop.

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Diminishing returns, one of the main rules on Head-fi lol. The Head-Direct RE0 is $160 right now, and the RE1 is $140. Both of them I have pretty excellent reviews and aren't described as bass-light. The Westone UM1s are considered by many to be extremely comfortable, and have excellent cables, so they should be blissful to fall asleep to. The Super.fi 5s (not pro), seem decent as well, but perhaps through high expectations from another review, many people sounded disappointed with them.

you cannot say one is better than the other. One is good for one type of music, and the other is good for other type of music.

For the type of music you listen, hip-pop and rock, super fi 5 pro performs very good due to the bass.

scl4 is favor for its high and mid. its female vocal is the best i would say.



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Just to be clear, the RE1s require an amp, based on the reviews. The RE0s, not so much. But both are excellent phones, based on some reviews by knowledegable Head-Fi'ers, especially at those prices.