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Best earphones for listening to metal...

post #1 of 16
9/22/10 at 6:47pm
Thread Starter 

Hey guys, this is my first post here, so don't be too harsh 

 

I really need some help with this. I'm looking for some earphones in the price range of $70-130. 

What I'm looking for are some earphones that sound good and have really good noise isolation that are great for listening to metal. Specifically metal. 

 

It seems that whenever I listen to metal on most earphones that have great reviews, all I get is a really harsh sound thats really hard on my ears. (keep in mind that I have a Zune, which has no EQ)

Surprisingly, the earphones that have sounded the best to me for metal are the Zune Premium V2 earphones that came with my Zune.  The are pretty damn good for listening to metal, but at times it seems like all of the frequencies are being mushed together and I cant hear anything clearly. Im looking for something better now.

 

 

I've read good things about these:
 
 
 
And these, just because they are number one on this site:
 
 
 
 
Thanks guys.
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post #2 of 16
9/22/10 at 8:18pm

metal sounds good on my Klipsch S4's. metal also sounded good on my CX300II's before they died.

 

Opeth, Dream Theater, Katatonia, Fear Factory, older Metallica are some examples of the metal i listen to if that helps.


Edited by jasonb - 9/22/10 at 8:21pm
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post #3 of 16
9/22/10 at 8:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonb View Post

metal sounds good on my Klipsch S4's. metal also sounded good on my CX300II's before they died.

 

Opeth, Dream Theater, Katatonia, Fear Factory, older Metallica are some examples of the metal i listen to if that helps.


Good to know. Would you mind elaborating a bit though? Were they harsh? did they lack bass at all? 

 

Thanks

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post #4 of 16
9/22/10 at 8:48pm

I would stay very far away from the TS01 and especially the S4 if you fear harsh treble.

 

If you like the idea of Thinksound, the new TS02 will be more up your alley as they've smoothed out the treble somewhat. I've had the Zune Premium V2 and they are very smooth-sounding phones but not the most detailed or resolving. The RE0 has a hair less bass presence than the Zune Premium buds but other than that should work well for metal as well. Same with the newer RE-ZERO. If you want to really steer clear of harsh treble there's the Radius DDM, which can reportedly be had for around $120 but has mediocre isolation, the ViSang R03 (aka Brainwavz M2), and the Xears TD100-II.

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post #5 of 16
9/22/10 at 9:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljokerl View Post

I would stay very far away from the TS01 and especially the S4 if you fear harsh treble.

 

If you like the idea of Thinksound, the new TS02 will be more up your alley as they've smoothed out the treble somewhat. I've had the Zune Premium V2 and they are very smooth-sounding phones but not the most detailed or resolving. The RE0 has a hair less bass presence than the Zune Premium buds but other than that should work well for metal as well. Same with the newer RE-ZERO. If you want to really steer clear of harsh treble there's the Radius DDM, which can reportedly be had for around $120 but has mediocre isolation, the ViSang R03 (aka Brainwavz M2), and the Xears TD100-II.


Do you think the TS02's would be a good replacement for the Zune Premiums V2's? I'm pretty new to all of this, but I know when I hear a great sounding set of earphones. I'm looking for really good noise isolation because I have pretty large ear canals, so the Radius DDM's might not work for me. Not sure about the other two. I'd like to know more about the Brainwavz M2's also.

 

Thanks for the response. 

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post #6 of 16
9/22/10 at 10:41pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rotatous View Post

Do you think the TS02's would be a good replacement for the Zune Premiums V2's? I'm pretty new to all of this, but I know when I hear a great sounding set of earphones. I'm looking for really good noise isolation because I have pretty large ear canals, so the Radius DDM's might not work for me. Not sure about the other two. I'd like to know more about the Brainwavz M2's also.


I guess that depends what direction you want to go in from the ZPV2... The TS02 is quite warm, has plenty of bass (but not excessive amounts), smooth mids, and slightly hyped-up treble without the harshness of the TS01. Isolation is slightly above average - probably pretty close to the ZPV2. The M2/R03 is also warm but more forward in the midrange than the TS02 and quite a bit smoother. It's one of the least offensive earphones I've heard without sounding completely rolled-off up top. It doesn't really 'wow' at first listen (much like the ZPV2) but never gets fatiguing or boring... IMO of course.

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post #7 of 16
9/22/10 at 11:32pm
Thread Starter 

Do you know of a place I could order the M2/R03's from (in the U.S.)?

 

I think what I'll do is buy the m2's and if I don't like them, send them back and try the TS02's.

 

Thanks for the help!

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post #8 of 16
9/23/10 at 12:26am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotatous View Post

Do you know of a place I could order the M2/R03's from (in the U.S.)?


If you're hoping for a store that will ship from the US, I'm afraid it doesn't exist. They are manufactured in and shipped from China. You can get the OEM version (ViSang R03) on Ebay ($58 from this seller) and the Mp4nation Brainwavz M2 rebrand from mp4nation.net (currently $49.50). Both sellers are reliable but in my experience buying off ebay is 1-2 weeks faster on average. The mp4nation version comes with a slightly different set of accessories and the earphones have a 45-degree plug rather than a straight I-plug. 

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post #9 of 16
9/23/10 at 2:37am

+1 for the RE0/Zero.  Less bass than ideal for metal but I don't think anything can beat their speed at that price range.

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post #10 of 16
9/23/10 at 5:24am

Here's my choice, since you don't need an iPod/iPhone style in-line controller:

 

Etymotic Research mc5

 

265x265px-LS-711ea1e9_1484596686_mc5-1kpc-640.jpg

I just got the related Etymotic mc3 headset (essentially an mc5 with in-line iPod/iPhone controls) and love them for their flat, neutral response.

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post #11 of 16
9/23/10 at 6:52am

+2 for Re-zero, would be perfect for metal if it had a bit more bass

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post #12 of 16
9/23/10 at 8:14am

the S4's were a bit harsh and sibilant right out of the box, but after a little over 100 hours now i find myself wanting more on the top end. so i wouldn't say they are harsh or sibilant after a good break in. of course this has already been stated over and over and over here in this forum.

 

i do have the Brainwavz M2's on order and should be seeing them any day now. i'll do a little comparison after i get some listening time on them.

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post #13 of 16
9/23/10 at 10:45am

If he's scared of harshness or sibilance he should get the RE1 instead of the RE0,  I heard one of the best assets of the RE1 is it's good at removing harshness and sibilance, making overly harsh music, or just bad recordings, more pleasant and less fatiguing.  Also it's nicknamed "dragon" which would appeal to a metalhead.

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post #14 of 16
9/23/10 at 2:23pm

 

Hello, I have created a new thread with a metal track for testing IEM's, I am focusing the test on speed and instrument-seperation only, if these are important to you, you should find a lot

of help in my new thread (if people participate) =) *wink*

 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/514102/testing-for-speed-in-iem-s-sharing-my-audio-test-track-w-link-speed-metal-visual-kei-symphonic-metal-instrumental-electric-guitar-shredding

 

 

 

 

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post #15 of 16
9/23/10 at 8:37pm
Thread Starter 

I'm pretty undecided between the TS02's, the RE1's, and the R03's.

 

I'd like to try the RE1's or the TS02's just because they seem to be easier to obtain. 

 

I think I'll order the TS02's first. That is, unless you guys have some more info on these you think I could use. 

 

Thanks for the help guys! I'll definitely be back again for more help when picking out some full size headphones. 

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