After about 20 universals, I'm thinking about going customs myself. Deciding between the UM group buy and 1964ears, hmmmm.

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dannybai said:

After purchasing nearly 40 iems, I think going custom might be the answer.  The Unique Melody group buy seems very interesting.  Hint…hint.

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But, it's restricted to Americas. Otherwise, I was ready for it
 
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i2ehan said:

Precisely! Though I must admit, the ES5 does look rather tasty... mmm, like candy for my ears...

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Stop tempting me . I have a few under consideration, but unlike universals, I want to take sometime to decide on one. Can't afford to end up with too many customs.

Wow, I thought you had given up on the Teknines joker!  I know I did.    Glad to see you were able to plow through them eventually.  
 
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inks said:

Bah, my universal journey is coming to an end as well. It will between the FAD A1, FXT90, GR07(giving it a second chance) for an isolating IEM and then will probably pull the trigger on either the EX1000s or MDR7550s for lower isolation. FX500s I may keep as well. Don't think I'll go custom anytime soon, if I end up making more money in the future, then perhaps. Couple of things here and there are interesting, but there's very few and I'm probably not going to spend like before. 
 
edit: nice shure215 review. The rating mirrors what I think of them. 

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I'd vote FAD A1 and EX1000 for you knowing your preferences.  I'd choose the same.  Maybe FXT90 since you don't do vocals but then you've got the FX500 too so you're going to have to figure out your JVC's.  
 
Good luck w/ the GR07.    I'm guessing you're going to throw every tip you have at them.
 

Well, with everyone quitting the IEM game I fear for the future of this thread . I certainly won't be auditioning everyone's customs.
 
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rroseperry said:

More detailed, less warm?

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There's a fundamental balance difference - emphasis on sub-bass instead of mid-bass, more laid-back midrange, more treble sparkle and better top-end extension. Yes, the Miracle is a bit less warm though it is still warm to my ears. The detail level is excellent.
 


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inks said:

edit: nice shure215 review. The rating mirrors what I think of them. 

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Thanks
 


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esanthosh said:

Hmmm....Interesting. I've considered ending my universal IEM journey as well. For sometime now, I've lost my enthusiasm when trying new IEMs.

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This does happen, and I think it is often reflected in the order I review stuff, though not so much lately as it's mostly been dictated by deadlines . Something I'm enthusiastic about will get a lot of listening time. To listen to something like the Teknine, on the other hand, I'll need a lot of prior motivation.


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anaxilus said:

Wow, I thought you had given up on the Teknines joker!  I know I did.  

  Glad to see you were able to plow through them eventually.  

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I posted a separate review for them a long time ago, at the peak of their popularity. I still can't believe there were impressions comparing them positively to the TF10 and DBA-02 . Amazing insight into the head-fi hype machine at work.

thanks for adding the shure se215 , but the se215 and the se535 are the EXACT same build except for housing color and what not you can e-mail them too, the cable issue is only so common because more people buy the se215 and they don't review it when it's good nearly as much as they review it when it breaks. 

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wakidabeast said:

thanks for adding the shure se215 , but the se215 and the se535 are the EXACT same build except for housing color and what not you can e-mail them too, the cable issue is only so common because more people buy the se215 and they don't review it when it's good nearly as much as they review it when it breaks. 

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The housings on the SE215 are different than the SE535's. Even the SE315 is slightly different than the 215.

May as well chime in, I haven't tried a new IEM in a couple months since I haven't been able to find the "perfect" one, and the GR07 is good enough for the price. Towards the end of my IEM buying binge I started to realize I found a flaw in almost every IEM I listened to - treble was a little sibilant, mids slightly recessed, wasn't lively enough, midbass hump, etc etc etc. It was at that point I thought about trying higher-end customs. Well, fast forward to today, I'm getting impressions done on Tuesday and am working with my builder regarding details... this should be fun

 
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wakidabeast said:

thanks for adding the shure se215 , but the se215 and the se535 are the EXACT same build except for housing color and what not you can e-mail them too, the cable issue is only so common because more people buy the se215 and they don't review it when it's good nearly as much as they review it when it breaks. 

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The SE535 and SE215 housings differ is size and shape. Back when I reviewed the SE535 fewer people owned the new Shure models and I wasn't aware of the reliability issues. I've received a number of PMs from SE215 owners since I started listening to them, all asking for replacement recommendations, which led me to investigate their durability. If the SE535 has the same issues I'll drop its score down to match the 215's.
 

In the price range of $30-100 which IEMs would you put money on last you more than a year? Maybe even the $100-150 bracket as well. Did any IEMs really stick out to you in that aspect of long term durability with daily use? 

 
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izeekio said:

In the price range of $30-100 which IEMs would you put money on last you more than a year? Maybe even the $100-150 bracket as well. Did any IEMs really stick out to you in that aspect of long term durability with daily use? 

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If it were my money - Beyer DTX 101 iE, Ety MC5, ATH-CKM99, or Senn IE6.
 

On day 2 of owning the W4`s. Your review is pretty much spot on and mainly how I hear them. The slightly warm mids and excellent bass make these an easy choice over the 535`s imho.
 
Love them to bits.
Dare I say fun?

Jokerk thanks for all the help I actually bought the IE7 now! I will try to wear this bad boys cable down with Left and Right turned around, or just over the ear if it doesn't looks too weird. The IE6 on play.com somehow couldn't get shipped to Holland(I knew it actually after I bought a prepaid CC...)

Hi Joker,
  I received the Hifiman RE262 today and now I can listen to the two sets of earphone "side by side".  I would be interested if your reactions to the two IEMs are similar to mine:
 
Westone UM3X - Larger soundstage, less intimate than RE262, more of an "accurate sound".  Great for Jazz and Classical, but with Rock or Rap I use Audio Hijack and reduce the bass.  With Rock and Rap the sound is too muddy with bass for me.  Amazing how the sound can project forward with an IEM. Impressive how "big" the sound can be from an IEM.
 
Hifiman RE262 - Large sound stage (not as big as UM3X), less "out of head" soundstage.  More of a "focused" soundstage, less enveloping than UM3X.  Warmer sounding than UM3X, I find it more engaging than UM3X.  Instruments more intimate, I become more involved with the music.  I find myself listening to individual instruments more than the overall music.
 
Because of the impedance difference between the two IEMs I adjusted the volume between the two listenings.
 
It seems to come down to; a big, "sitting on the stage experience" (UM3X) or a "sitting next to the saxophone in a smokey bar experience" (RE262).  In the end, if I was only going to keep one of the two, I would keep the UM3X, but I am still on the fence.
 
Thanks!

 
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musicalchillies said:

On day 2 of owning the W4`s. Your review is pretty much spot on and mainly how I hear them. The slightly warm mids and excellent bass make these an easy choice over the 535`s imho.
 
Love them to bits.
Dare I say fun?

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Thanks, good to hear. Calling the W4 fun would leave the W3 in a weird place in the lineup.
 
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spacecake said:

Joker thanks for all the help I actually bought the IE7 now! I will try to wear this bad boys cable down with Left and Right turned around, or just over the ear if it doesn't looks too weird. The IE6 on play.com somehow couldn't get shipped to Holland(I knew it actually after I bought a prepaid CC...)

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It's harder to wear the IE7 cable-down than the IE6 but maybe it'll work for you.

Anybody knows whether there is there fake ath ckm9 yet?