Another ~$100 IEM question.
Mar 11, 2010 at 2:44 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 6

cjp87

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Sorry for making my first post here so similar to so many others, but I think I've done enough searching and reading to warrant it as I've narrowed the search down pretty far, and I'm more interested in which is better for my specific listening preferences. So here's where I'm at:

In the past I've had a few different Sony IEMs, such as the EX55 and the EX75, both great headphones, but I always had trouble getting them to seal consistently, and of course, I recognize that there are much higher-fidelity phones out there. Well, my EX75's were tragically lost in a freak washing-machine accident (girlfriend randomly washed my jeans without checking the pockets, of course who's to blame her when I left them near the dirty clothes, but I digress...), and now I'm looking at upgrading to something quite a bit more substantial.

My main goals here are balance (no deficiencies in the various frequencies), fidelity, and comfort. The type of music I will most often be listening to is kindof a strange combination, but classical, symphonic, jazz, blues, classic rock, some modern or progressive rock, a little bit of pop and rap (much less of those), and the odds and ends here or there that I decide to try. The instrumental and classic rock stuff is probably the bulk of my media.

After reading about the forums for a few days, I've (hopefully) narrowed my search to the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5's ($116 on Google shopping) and the Westone UM1 ($110 everywhere). This is already a stretch on my budget, as I was wanting to stay under $100, but I kindof feel like I'll be much happier pushing the envelope just that little bit further.

So, between those two, or any others I suppose you may recommend, for that listening choice (classical, symphonic, jazz, classic rock) what do you guys say?
 
Mar 11, 2010 at 3:22 PM Post #2 of 6
Consider the RE0 and those Panasonic IEMs that are popular now, there's a review of them here. I don't remember the exact model name, but it starts with HJE and it has 900 in it. Those are both better than your choices, and both could work for you.
EDIT: It's the RP-HJE900. Close :p
 
Mar 11, 2010 at 5:01 PM Post #3 of 6
See, this is the benefit of posting instead of just going off the search function, because I didn't ever see those Panasonics showing up in the $100 threads, and from what I just read around here, they sound like an absolute steal at $110 (J&R Electronics, whereas they still sell for $250 elsewhere).

So is it safe to say that all the threads recommending the Westone UM1's are just older than those recommending the RE0's/RP-HJE900's, and that the Panasonics (which seem to be a better fit for me) would clearly be superior to either model I mentioned in the OP?
 
Mar 11, 2010 at 6:05 PM Post #4 of 6
Klipsch image S4, Cresyn C750 and EX500.........
 
Mar 11, 2010 at 7:43 PM Post #5 of 6
I can't tell you whether they are superior or not, but my HJE900 are great and are not lacking in any part of the spectrum. Treble might seem harsh at first, but it settles down, especially if you foam mod them, use complies, or to a lesser extent, use Sony hybrids.
 
Mar 12, 2010 at 2:32 AM Post #6 of 6
Quote:

Originally Posted by cjp87 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
See, this is the benefit of posting instead of just going off the search function, because I didn't ever see those Panasonics showing up in the $100 threads, and from what I just read around here, they sound like an absolute steal at $110 (J&R Electronics, whereas they still sell for $250 elsewhere).

So is it safe to say that all the threads recommending the Westone UM1's are just older than those recommending the RE0's/RP-HJE900's, and that the Panasonics (which seem to be a better fit for me) would clearly be superior to either model I mentioned in the OP?



Yeah most of the threads you read were probably older, as there are better value IEMs for the price nowadays as technology gets better and cheaper.
 

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