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kristianflindt said:

I'm willing to spend up to $350, if i can get a good deal in the US. 
I just read the amazing reviews about the EPH-100, and thought they would be a good idea and the same with the Copper's, they seem easy to use, and i guess they can be used for a bit of running aswell with the things that goes around your ears.
I mostly listen to music like Mumford & Sons, Johnny Cash, Otis Redding, Al Green, some oldschool R&B and hiphop, but sometimes some house and trance too. So they need to sound great with male voices, and if there's some quality bass, it will be nice too! 
 
Do you know of any special shops that sell headphones, when i search, i mainly find internet shops, and that's not really gonna work

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Many online vendors will deliver to a hotel and most hotels will hold mail for their patrons. I am not familiar with the area but I am sure DC has all of our standard electronics stores (Best Buy, etc). Best Buy can do ship to store, too, if you buy online. 
 
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shotgunshane said:

 
Wow, thanks for the review!  The comparisons to the K3003 are intriguing.

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james444 said:

 
X2, and agreed. The comparisons to the HFI-780 however, ...

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Thanks . I don't like drawing parallels between IEM and full-size but I thought this was a special case with the IQ being their first IEM and all 
 
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dleblanc343 said:

Can we expect to get a IE800 review soon? 

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Probably not for a while.
 
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forceofnature said:

I have the Ultrasone IQ's and have been searching for something better since and just cant do it without going custom. I agree with the review on ensuring a good seal. For me the comply tips work well as long as they stay sealed well.  The silicone tips for me were horrible in sibilance so I threw them out. Seeing the comments on the triple flange I will have to try those and see if the fit and sound works for me.
 
I use mine on the go and working out.  One issue i have encountered is that the connector type to the IEMs which is same as the Shure SE series is prone to intermittent disconnection while jogging.  This is frustrating to me having to adjust the cables while running on treadmill. 
 
The bass is generally very good however sub bass performance is not strong as expected for IEM. The detail in the mids and for me the highs more than makes up for the sub bass performance. Maybe the Triple flange tips will fix the sub frequencies.

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One of the things I like about them most is that the bass isn't extremely overpowering. The bass is not linear but it still extends pretty well - easily audible at 25-30Hz with my setup. It's similar to what I'm hearing out of the IE 800 so far (i.e. gentle roll-off below 70 Hz or so) and more severe than the roll-off of the K3003.
 
 
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orel said:

Forgot to post here, but I got those CW31 you recommended me a while back, if you happen to remember lol. I'm a tad dissappointed, but I guess that for their price it's still an amazing value. The thing is that they're not very good with heavy metal, it sounds too.. Raw? Dirty maybe? I don't know quite how to explain it. When I put the iPod on bass booster it feels a little more tamed on some of the songs. On more classical, accoustic pieces and such it sounds great though

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A lot of metal isn't recorded all the well, which could be part of what you're hearing. IIRC the iPod bass booster just cuts down on the other frequencies, which may make the deficiencies harder to hear.

B&H, adorama, newegg, amazon, and tiger direct would all be places (websites) to look. They all have regular sales. Then, just have it shipped to your hotel a few days before you arrive and have them hold it.
 
Alternatively, Fry's electronics has an amazing selection, there's probably a Fry's near DC. 

Hi joker! 
Massive, massive thread and extremely helpful!
I have the Philips SHE3580 and I generally love their sound for hip hop, r'n'b, electronic music... they do seem to get a little muddled in faster more noisier music
What models would be a significant upgrade over them but still retaining the same sound signature?
Also what's your preferred tips with SHE3580?

scootsit said:

Alternatively, Fry's electronics has an amazing selection, there's probably a Fry's near DC. 

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Nah, I wish there was... Fry's generally more of a west coast/south chain (outside of the two locations in Illinois and Indiana). There's Microcenters near DC, but I don't think they have quite as much variety when it comes to things outside of the PC space.

There should be some high end audio stores somewhere in DC tho, no? I'd actually love to find out too since I travel there every once in a while (there or Baltimore).

Darn should have bought the IQ for 500 when I had the chance
Thanks for the review. 

The UE900 has slightly nicer (though smaller) mids and better treble sparkle than my Shure SE535. However, the UE900 doesn't isolate well enough for the truck and doesn't have enough bass energy (at low volume) to overcome the noise. I was concerned that the UE900's treble would eventually be fatiguing for me. I'm returning the UE900 later today.
 
Having stated that, unfortunately, it appears that I've contracted upgraditis. At $500, I wouldn't even hesitate to get the IQ. At over $900 however, I have concerns.
 
@ ljokerl
 
Is the IQ vented and does that effect isolation?
 
Shure tips should fit the IQ, right? (If so, that's a definite plus)
 
I want a similar treble sparkle as the UE900. Is treble sparkle present with the IQ using the Etymotic triple-flange tips? Are the Ety tips of similar thickness as the Shures?
 
You mentioned sub-bass roll-off being similar to your preliminary assessment of the IE800. I assume the IE800 has heavier bass presence? How would you briefly compare the IE800 and IQ in midrange clarity and soundstage?

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truckdriver said:

 
@ ljokerl
 
Is the IQ vented and does that effect isolation?
 
Shure tips should fit the IQ, right? (If so, that's a definite plus)
 
I want a similar treble sparkle as the UE900. Is treble sparkle present with the IQ using the Etymotic triple-flange tips? Are the Ety tips of similar thickness as the Shures?
 
You mentioned sub-bass roll-off being similar to your preliminary assessment of the IE800. I assume the IE800 has heavier bass presence? How would you briefly compare the IE800 and IQ in midrange clarity and soundstage?

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I can help with this.
 
IQs are vented and I think isolation is affected but only slightly.(It may be impacted by the metal housing and not the venting.)
 
Treble sparkle to me is superior to the SE530s that I can compare.  Sparkle is a little much with silicon tips but for the triple flange I have not tried it.  The tips are same as the Shures and are interchangable.
 
As for Bass presence it is powerful and fast but to me the very low frequency bass is rolled off.  I will have to use a tone generator to tell you exactly the turning point for my ears.
 
I cant compare the IE800s but the IQ mid clarity and soundstage is fantastic compared to the Shures, at least to my ears.

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impulse said:

There should be some high end audio stores somewhere in DC tho, no? I'd actually love to find out too since I travel there every once in a while (there or Baltimore).

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I live in Baltimore, I have not been to any high end audio shops around here not sure there are any left. Most are now Home Theater install shops that are more office space and will do special orders.
 
I will keep an eye out.

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forceofnature said:

I can help with this.
 
IQs are vented and I think isolation is affected but only slightly.(It may be impacted by the metal housing and not the venting.)
 
Treble sparkle to me is superior to the SE530s that I can compare.  Sparkle is a little much with silicon tips but for the triple flange I have not tried it.  The tips are same as the Shures and are interchangable.
 
As for Bass presence it is powerful and fast but to me the very low frequency bass is rolled off.  I will have to use a tone generator to tell you exactly the turning point for my ears.
 
I cant compare the IE800s but the IQ mid clarity and soundstage is fantastic compared to the Shures, at least to my ears.

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Thanks forceofnature!
 
So, venting with isolation effects and bass roll-offs are strikes against the IQ.
 
I chuckled when I read the last line of your post as I was thinking to myself that this would be THE worst upgrade EVER if the IQ was not superior to the Shures.
 
I'd still like to know ljokerl's take on the IE800 and IQ.

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ljokerl said:

With the stock tips the treble response of the IQ peaks heavily right in the sibilance region, making many tracks sibilant and some - downright uncomfortable. The silicone tips are the worst offenders, followed closely by the Complys.  

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Hmm interesting.
From my experience, the stock tips and silicone ones have plenty of sibilance but are still listenable for me. It's the Complys that sounds horrendous in the treble region to my ears!!
Complys are well known for dampening a good a mount of highs, which makes them sibilance free most of the time, but it shocked me when I try Complys with the IQs, the treble is even brighter than other tips, they sound extremely harsh and unbearable to me!
 
Though I found the IQ don't really sound terrible, but they are overpriced and don't sound good to me, the bass and treble are too much for my taste, which is fine but in these regards, I prefer the IE800 overall.
I tried both of them with ZuneHD and iTouch gen 3 + iQube v2 btw.
 
Anyway, I actually like the Ultrasone Tio, they don't have the treble and bass emphasis, they sound much more balance and coherent, though extensions at both ends are not as good as the IQ.

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truckdriver said:

Thanks forceofnature!
 
So, venting with isolation effects and bass roll-offs are strikes against the IQ.
 
I chuckled when I read the last line of your post as I was thinking to myself that this would be THE worst upgrade EVER if the IQ was not superior to the Shures.

 
I'd still like to know ljokerl's take on the IE800 and IQ.

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Yes if you are listening in noisy environments most of the time, IQs are not worth it in my opinion.  It would have to be pretty noisy though,
 
I would like to compare the IE800 myself but I know of no one near me that remotely cares about audio quality other than my son and I still seem to fund his ears as well.
 
I would like to heare ljoker's take on isolation as well as the comparison to the IE800s.  
 
For now I am really enjoying the IQs and haven't found something better for me.

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nhat_thanh said:

Hmm interesting.
From my experience, the stock tips and silicone ones have plenty of sibilance but are still listenable for me. It's the Complys that sounds horrendous in the treble region to my ears!!
Complys are well known for dampening a good a mount of highs, which makes them sibilance free most of the time, but it shocked me when I try Complys with the IQs, the treble is even brighter than other tips, they sound extremely harsh and unbearable to me!
 
Anyway, I actually like the Ultrasone Tio, they don't have the treble and bass emphasis, they sound much more balance and coherent, though extensions at both ends are not as good as the IQ.

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I just cant get those silicones to seal up right or something because the sound is just all treble to me without the complys.
 
I was thinking of the Tio but wanted to drivers in the IQs.

Coming from the HiFiMAN RE-272 (analytical, not bright), -which is the better upgrade: the Alclair reference, or the CTM-200 ?
 
my preferences:
i don't like too bright IEMs (such as: ER-4s)
and i also don't like too dark a tone (Westone 4)
 
thanks!

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nehcrow said:

Hi joker! 
Massive, massive thread and extremely helpful!
I have the Philips SHE3580 and I generally love their sound for hip hop, r'n'b, electronic music... they do seem to get a little muddled in faster more noisier music
What models would be a significant upgrade over them but still retaining the same sound signature?
Also what's your preferred tips with SHE3580?

Click to expand...

 
I would go for the JVC FXT90 but it really depends on what you're willing to spend and where you want to see improvement. 
 
I am using some Meelec M6 bi-flanges on my 3580 but it's pretty forgiving of different tips and sounds good to me even with the stock ones. 
 
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truckdriver said:

The UE900 has slightly nicer (though smaller) mids and better treble sparkle than my Shure SE535. However, the UE900 doesn't isolate well enough for the truck and doesn't have enough bass energy (at low volume) to overcome the noise. I was concerned that the UE900's treble would eventually be fatiguing for me. I'm returning the UE900 later today.
 
Having stated that, unfortunately, it appears that I've contracted upgraditis. At $500, I wouldn't even hesitate to get the IQ. At over $900 however, I have concerns.
 
@ ljokerl
 
Is the IQ vented and does that effect isolation?
 
Shure tips should fit the IQ, right? (If so, that's a definite plus)
 
I want a similar treble sparkle as the UE900. Is treble sparkle present with the IQ using the Etymotic triple-flange tips? Are the Ety tips of similar thickness as the Shures?
 
You mentioned sub-bass roll-off being similar to your preliminary assessment of the IE800. I assume the IE800 has heavier bass presence? How would you briefly compare the IE800 and IQ in midrange clarity and soundstage?

Click to expand...

 
I'm not sure if that's a vent on the IQ but the isolation is average for a high-end monitor. It's better than with the K3003 or IE800, though. The IE 800 isolates pretty poorly. 
 
Shure tips fit but my Shure gray flex sleeves (which I normally like) sounded pretty bad. The IQ has way more treble than the UE 900 with the stock tips or with the shure flex sleeves. I found some other tips that work decently well but most just sound bad.
 
The IE 800 has some strange ringing in the treble, there's a lot of treble energy and slow decay. The treble actually sounds brighter and more splashy than that of my IQ. The bass is heavier with the Sennheiser, but not by much. Soundstaging and clarity are very good - I would say the IE 800 beats the IQ in soundstaging and keeps up with it in clarity. 
 
Quote:

nhat_thanh said:

Hmm interesting.
From my experience, the stock tips and silicone ones have plenty of sibilance but are still listenable for me. It's the Complys that sounds horrendous in the treble region to my ears!!
Complys are well known for dampening a good a mount of highs, which makes them sibilance free most of the time, but it shocked me when I try Complys with the IQs, the treble is even brighter than other tips, they sound extremely harsh and unbearable to me!
 
Though I found the IQ don't really sound terrible, but they are overpriced and don't sound good to me, the bass and treble are too much for my taste, which is fine but in these regards, I prefer the IE800 overall.
I tried both of them with ZuneHD and iTouch gen 3 + iQube v2 btw.
 
Anyway, I actually like the Ultrasone Tio, they don't have the treble and bass emphasis, they sound much more balance and coherent, though extensions at both ends are not as good as the IQ.

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For me the Complys don't work and the silicone tips don't work either. With added impedance and a deep insertion the IQ can sound much darker but they are still a somewhat v-shaped IEM with enhanced bass. 
 
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eyal1983 said:

Coming from the HiFiMAN RE-272 (analytical, not bright), -which is the better upgrade: the Alclair reference, or the CTM-200 ?
 
my preferences:
i don't like too bright IEMs (such as: ER-4s)
and i also don't like too dark a tone (Westone 4)
 
thanks!

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Depends on what you want to see improved over the RE272. If it's the midrange and/or treble, none of the mid-level customs I've heard will do it, really. 
 
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ysyung said:

IQ sounds extremely harsh and unbearable (high freq.) to me....

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...
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ljokerl said:

With the stock tips the treble response of the IQ peaks heavily right in the sibilance region, making many tracks sibilant and some - downright uncomfortable. 

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