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Looking for a better set of IEMs

post #1 of 8
5/23/10 at 8:25am
Thread Starter 

Hi All,

 

I have been a long time (years) reader of these forums, and honestly the amount of information available here has kept me from feeling the need to ask questions until now, but here goes.

 

I am fairly new to IEMs, having been a long time user of Koss KSC35 / KSC75 phones.  I moved to IEMs mainly for the isolation and I got tired of looking like a Star Wars character at work.  I started with the UE metro.fi 170s which I was quite happy with until the cable failed.  I decided to move up to the Maximo IM-590 after reading several reviews here, but I am completely underwhelmed by them to this point (about six weeks of ownership).  The 590s sound good, but they are missing something that I can't quite put my finger on.  The amount of bass is fine, especially with Sony tips, but the mids and highs are a bit too understated for my tastes.  I guess the best way to describe them is that they sound good, but not exciting.  I also find them to be horribly uncomfortable compared to my old metro.fi 170s, although I have to admit that the UEs sound very muddy by comparison after having used the Maximos.

 

My music selection is generally on the harder side: death metal, progressive metal, rock, etc.  What I am looking for is a comfortable set of IEMs with a little more punch / clarity in the mids and highs as compared to the IM-590s.  I don't need huge bass, but quick bass response is important.  Silicon tips are much preferred as I find foam tips to be rather disgusting after a few day's use.  Good cable construction is a must as well, as I would rather avoid another cable failure like I had with the metro.fis.  After much research here my list is as follows:

 

Head-Direct RE-0

Etymotic HF5

Panasonic HJE900

Soundmagic PL50

Altec Lansing iM716

 

Any guidance would be much appreciated!  I would prefer to stay below the $150 mark.

 

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post #2 of 8
5/23/10 at 9:21am

It sounds to me like the Etys would be an excellent candidate for your needs.  They're VERY responsive, have excellent low bass (Though not TONS of it), and their mids and highs just can't be beat, at least in my humble opinion.  I haven't listened to the HF5, but if you're in the States, I'd check out some of the deal sites as apparently you can get the ER-4P, their flagship model for about 150.  If you're unsure about comitting to the Ety sound, I would consider grabbing a set of their ER-6.  They have 80% of the performance of the ER-4P for about half the price.

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post #3 of 8
5/23/10 at 10:48am

I would consider the Thinksound Rain. It competes well with the iM-590 on clarity/detail but is significantly less analytical than the Maximos tend to be. Also seems to fit snugly in your price range. If you found the iM-590 boring I really doubt Etys/RE0/Lansings will suffice and the HJE900 may not be forward enough for you in the midrange (though it's definitely the opposite of boring).

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post #4 of 8
5/23/10 at 1:41pm

i suspect you want a more V shaped aggressive sound so id suggest the HJE900

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post #5 of 8
5/23/10 at 2:51pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for all of the suggestions. 

 

By "V" sound I am assuming that the HJE900's have neutral mids but emphasized lows and highs? 

 

The HJE900 is appealing to me because it has a replaceable cable which would be nice.  I also prefer wearing my IEMs cord down which seems to be the way those would be worn.  The Thinksound Rains are an interesting suggestion, and I hadn't actually seen them before reading joker's review of them.  At that price they sound like a pretty decent option.  I wish there was a way to try some of them first, but my options are pretty limited around here.

 

I did spend a good part of the day trying different tips on my Maximos, and perhaps I was using the wrong ones this entire time.  I could rarely get a decent fit with any of the supplied tips, and once I did even the slightest movement of my head would cause them to slide out just enough to ruin the sound.  I purchased some comply tips which are decent but gross.  I put the second smallest set of hybrid tips on them today and the entire experience was much more pleasing.  I can see why people like them with the right kind of music (lighter stuff such as Porcupine Tree or Coheed and Cambria actually sound quite good on them).


Edited by DaveSt - 5/23/10 at 2:53pm
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post #6 of 8
5/23/10 at 9:48pm

What is your budget?

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post #7 of 8
5/23/10 at 10:57pm

The Thinksound Rain IEM's would be a good choice (I really like mine, especially for anything rock and electronic related), the highs are a little rolled off though. If you're looking for more clarity in the highs, I wouldn't bother. The bass and mids are glorious, but the highs are recessed a bit. I came from Ety ER4s though, and I think everything has recessed highs compared to them. :D

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post #8 of 8
5/24/10 at 12:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mvw2 View Post

What is your budget?


I would like to stay under $150.

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