Quote:

dnullify said:

Well, the PFE comes with small tips. some of the best tips ever made, and the actual earphones are tiny, lightweight, and ergonomically shaped.
 
Let me put it this way: they didn't name it the "Perfect Fit Earphone" for nothing.

Click to expand...

I went and checked his review, and they only got a 3 on isolation. That's the same as the M9s, which I would constantly jam as far into my head as I could go to block out the sound. I don't know if a 3.5 is enough either, hmm...
 
 
Quote:

Isolation is middling

Click to expand...

How good is middling? I've only owned one IEM before (which I then instantly gave up on because of the horrible comfort issues), so I don't know how good that isolation is.

Ah,
 
Hmm, well i think you're in a bit of a pinch. Short of foam - which does apply pressure to your inner ear, i can't think of anything that both has a loose-comfortable fit AND isolation in your price range.
 
Only thing i can think of is customs.... you can actually get silicone custom molded IEMs for ~$100.

Quote:

dnullify said:

Ah,
 
Hmm, well i think you're in a bit of a pinch. Short of foam - which does apply pressure to your inner ear, i can't think of anything that both has a loose-comfortable fit AND isolation in your price range.
 
Only thing i can think of is customs.... you can actually get silicone custom molded IEMs for ~$100.

Click to expand...

Well, its also that with the IEMs I had, I only had one tip, and it was gigantic for my small ear canals (normally they come with more but the carrying case with all of them in it disappeared the day I bought it o.O).

Ah, well I'd suggest you either give something else a shot, or pick up some comply tips and see if you're satisfied with the isolation those have on your current IEMs.

At the very least that will give you a good picture as to what you should look for in your next pair

Quote:

dnullify said:

Ah, well I'd suggest you either give something else a shot, or pick up some comply tips and see if you're satisfied with the isolation those have on your current IEMs.

Click to expand...

I don't have the IEMs anymore, sadly.
 
I am seriously considering the AM-90s, though.

For those interested VSonic GR07 and GR07 BE measurements, as well as a fresh review, are now available at InnerFidelity here.
 
Quote:

daleb said:

The MH1Cs are sadly not available anymore.

Noisy environments should not be a problem, because the isolation should be at least -30, -40 db. I want to spend the day with this just on me, at all times, keeping every bit of sound out. Plus comfort >> sound. If the Etymotics can provide that, then that's my choice. No idea if they do that, though.

Click to expand...

 
I still see some MH1s on ebay. Etymotics have the isolation but the generally deep insertion is not comfortable for some people. Also, they don't have warm sound.
 
 If getting Etys, would get a cheaper model (like the Etykids mentioned above) and leave room in your budget for foam tips. The Etykids only come with the glider tips and some triple-flanges. 
 
Quote:

jekostas said:

 
Thanks for the info.  The Solar's aren't particularly bass-heavy earphones, especially with the stock tips.  They have less bass quantity than something like the SE215, for example.  What about a Phonak Perfect Bass with black filters?

Click to expand...

 
Yeah, the Perfect Bass should work. I would start out with the Green filters (the ones that come with the Perfect Bass) and move to the Black ones once you feel you want to sacrifice some more bass for clarity.
 
Quote:

vocalist said:

never tried the Ety's but the PFE's are ridiculously comfortable as I have the PFE 232 and was planning to sell them but due to the openness of the soundstage and comfort, I'm really having a hard time letting them go.
 
That brings me to a question: I was originally planning to trade the 232 for the Westone 4 but because of some sonic differences, I can't bring myself to do it.  I'm wondering if there's another universal that might give me what I'm looking for?   I love the 4 for the rich mids/vocals, cable, fit and overall sound though I wish they were a bit more open and a little more bass.  I love the PFE for the soundstage, fit and energy but sometimes the vocals are just a little thinner than I'd like - especially when talking about Adele, Amy Lee and other female vocals. I love both for classical though I'll admit that the 232 can be a tad fatiguing at times which is a problem I've never come across or even close to with the 4.  Should I just hold onto the 232 as being discontinued, there's no guarantee of getting them back?  Curious to get some thoughts - really don't have anywhere to audition iem's without driving about 2-ish hours but it is possible.  Main genres are Rock, Classical/Opera, Jazz and acoustic. 

Click to expand...

 
I would go for the W4 - it seems to suit your preferences a little better. It does have very nice mids and is less fatiguing than the PFE232. I also don't mind its soundstage - it might not have the airiness of the PFE but it's still quite versatile. It sounds like you've already tried them and got the same impressions, anyway. If you end up missing the Phonaks you could later on pick up a GR07, which has like 95% of the sound at 1/3 the price, later on. 
 
Quote:

daleb said:

I'm also considering the Astrotec Am-90s. They are $40 on amazon, and they do have a 10/10 value on here... They have a 3.5 isolation rating, which should, under normal conditions, give me the isolation I need. Plus, it has a 4.5/5 rating on comfort. It seems to come with a ton of tips, so that's also nice.

Click to expand...

 
The AM-90 are good but I doubt they will solve your hypersensitivity problem. I would almost recommend the Soundmagic PL50 (do they still make those?) and some modified Shure Olives instead for the combination of lighter weight + less pressure from the tips. 

Wall of fame... Submitted by ljokerl on July 8, 2013 - 1:02am.

[size=14.44444465637207px] While I am a long-time fan of the GR07s, I think they are a little too close in signature and performance to the Philips Fidelios that are on the Wall of Fame already. Usability-wise the GR07 wins, hands-down, and I slightly prefer its sound as well, but I have plans to put a different VSonic product on the WoF in the future.
[/size]

Click to expand...

 
Awesome - I knew that the VSD1's would make it! 
 
Just kidding - I don't have a clue which ones you are referring to of course (although I think the VSD1's are rather amazing for the price!).
 
p.s. I hope it was OK to quote your comment here. If not, my apologies (and I will edit them out).

Concerning the GR07's usability, I've never had great fit/comfort with them. The best result has been with some DIY tips out of earplug foam, which isn't ideal in terms of longevity... Also, the cable (MK I) only really behaves with the ear guides, though they're at least pleasantly small  and thin. 

The SoundMagic PL50s are still available on Amazon! I don't know how I'd deal with stuff laying on the top of my ear, though (I wear IEMs cord down). So the AM90s don't come with any small tips? That's saddening...

They come with 3 sizes of tips. I'm not sure what you mean by small.
 
honestly the only way you're going to get the level of comfort and isolation you want is either with foam (shure olives, comply, ect), or with silicone customs.
 
those black things on the pl50s are just ear hooks, which can be removed.

I'm more then willing to buy foam tips.
 
 
According to the innerfidelity measurements, the AM90s have more then enough isolation for what I need. Are the numbers about right for your experience with them?

Quote:

daleb said:

I'm more then willing to buy foam tips.
 
 
According to the innerfidelity measurements, the AM90s have more then enough isolation for what I need. Are the numbers about right for your experience with them?

Click to expand...

That all depends on the tips you use.  The tips that come with AM90 are very average and none of them fit my small ear canals very well.

Hmm, how much will lime ears score in sound quality? Do you see them as step between 1964 v3 and high end models like miracle? I got interested when you described them as jh13-lite, which is something I'm looking for.

Quote:

waynes world said:

 
Awesome - I knew that the VSD1's would make it! 

 
Just kidding - I don't have a clue which ones you are referring to of course (although I think the VSD1's are rather amazing for the price!).
 
p.s. I hope it was OK to quote your comment here. If not, my apologies (and I will edit them out).

Click to expand...

 
I do think that the VSD1 is fantastic and deserving of recommendation, unless the VSD1S (is that the other version?) is somehow better. 
 
Quote:

quartertone said:

Concerning the GR07's usability, I've never had great fit/comfort with them. The best result has been with some DIY tips out of earplug foam, which isn't ideal in terms of longevity... Also, the cable (MK I) only really behaves with the ear guides, though they're at least pleasantly small  and thin. 

Click to expand...

 
The MKII cable is more pliable. The mkI works for me without ear guides only by tightening the cinch.
 
Quote:

daleb said:

I'm more then willing to buy foam tips.
 
 
According to the innerfidelity measurements, the AM90s have more then enough isolation for what I need. Are the numbers about right for your experience with them?

Click to expand...

 
The isolation is above average but beyond that it will depend on the fit/tips. Can't really say what it comes to out to in db.
 
Quote:

bina said:

Hmm, how much will lime ears score in sound quality? Do you see them as step between 1964 v3 and high end models like miracle? I got interested when you described them as jh13-lite, which is something I'm looking for.

Click to expand...

I'm not settled on a score for the LE3 yet but it will probably be in the AKG K3003-FitEar MH334 range. It's a very neutral earphone, more so than the JH13 and 1964-V3 for sure. 

Hmm after 300 hrs of burn with gr07 what will it sound like compared to the original out of the box sound???@