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I'm thinking of dropping a GRAND on some custom's

post #1 of 34
12/23/11 at 8:13pm
Thread Starter 

That's right. I finally have the money to get a serious upgrade. But before I do, I need to make sure it's the right choice (I really don't want to drop a grand+ in cash making a blind purchase.)

You think you guys n gals can help me out ?

 

OK, awesome.

 

 

So, I guess i'll  make a very brief outline of my listening habits.

 

The music genres I mostly listen to are, Electronica, Ambient, Trip-hop and Classical ( Soundtracks ), Experimental noise/minimalist music (try figuring that out ... think Ben Frost) and sometimes some Hip- hop.

 

And the Headphones that I enjoy to listen with are the Grado RS1i (because of there "colorful" and forward sound) and DT990 (600ohm) (because of the power!!), I also own a Triple Fi 10 iem (which I find lacking lately due to the sound feeling more cold and "boringish" it feels like i've gotten use to the TF10's sound in someway and I want/need to move onto something "more", not sure what though.)

 

So I guess the sound signature I enjoy might be one with strong treble, strong bass and a good sense of soundstage (depth).

 

And YES, I have read average_joes custom iem reviews and many other reviews on headfi, BUT, the fact that there is just SOO many to choose from and also, the fact that I'm spending $1000+ , I would really like a second or third, (several) opinions before I purchase something.

 

I'd seriously appreciate it.

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post #2 of 34
12/25/11 at 4:26pm

First you need a good portable amp such as the RSA SR-71B and than maybe some Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors.

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post #3 of 34
12/25/11 at 4:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cifani090 View Post

First you need a good portable amp such as the RSA SR-71B and than maybe some Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors.


Wouldn't the UERM's be too neutral for his liking? After all, he's looking for bass quantity and quality, a need when it comes to Dubstep.

I think you should look into the UM Merlins or Miracles, ES5, and the JH-16's.
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post #4 of 34
12/25/11 at 4:47pm

The Merlins will definitely give you the bass you want, but they are so much more than that. Of course, the JH16 will be one of the best options too but it is quite a bit more expensive. There is a 10% discount still at JH until the end of this year though. Another option that's come up as of late is Heir Audio's 8.A, which also uses 8 drivers.

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post #5 of 34
12/25/11 at 4:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenwith View Post

Wouldn't the UERM's be too neutral for his liking? After all, he's looking for bass quantity and quality, a need when it comes to Dubstep.
I think you should look into the UM Merlins or Miracles, ES5, and the JH-16's.


Nope, hes looking at "Electronica, Ambient, Trip-hop and Classical." He's wanting neutrality, not bass.

 

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post #6 of 34
12/25/11 at 4:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cifani090 View Post

First you need a good portable amp such as the RSA SR-71B and than maybe some Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors.


Make sure you don't follow this advice, at least the first part.

 

 

 

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post #7 of 34
12/25/11 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OrcaMarinha View Post


Make sure you don't follow this advice, at least the first part.


So your pretty much saying, buy a pair of Stax 0009's and run them with your iPod with a connector to a 1/8?

 

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post #8 of 34
12/25/11 at 5:11pm

Not referring to any pair of customs in specific, but I also agree that they will definitely benefit from a nice portable amp. 

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post #9 of 34
12/25/11 at 5:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cifani090 View Post


So your pretty much saying, buy a pair of Stax 0009's and run them with your iPod with a connector to a 1/8?

 

 

What does a power angry electrostatic stax 009 has anything to do with a portable custom UE  monitor ?

 


Edited by OrcaMarinha - 12/25/11 at 5:52pm
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post #10 of 34
12/25/11 at 10:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OrcaMarinha View Post

What does a power angry electrostatic stax 009 has anything to do with a portable custom UE  monitor ?


As stated above, a high end headphones doesn't do nothing without an amp. Another analogy is like buying a $1,000,000 house but not having a Bently or BMW or furniture to furnish the house. Instead you have your bike from when you were a kid and a nice marble flooring to sleep on. @AllasWell, if your going to get a good neutral pair of headphones like this, not Beats or Bose, i strongly recommend an amp.

 

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post #11 of 34
12/25/11 at 11:09pm

UM miracles ;)

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post #12 of 34
12/25/11 at 11:44pm

JH13.  If you need the extra bass get the 16.  Jerry Harvey makes some great IEM's and you can't go wrong with them (assuming you steer clear of the endless nightmare that has been the genesis of the JH3A.)  Can't recommend the other TOTL customs as I haven't owned them.  The analogy that Cifani is trying to propogate is a false one and I can't stress enough that people shouldn't just recommend gear they haven't heard.  Customs were designed with impedance/sensitivity so that musicians could use them on stage plugged straight into a normal jack.  Using the "009 out of an iPod" argument is a fallacious line of reasoning and is either trolling or immense obtuseness on the part of the reasoner.  

 

OP, If there's any way you can listen to universal versions of some of these models (JH sets up universal at meets- not sure about Westone or UE) that's a great way to tell if the sound is for you. 

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post #13 of 34
12/26/11 at 12:55am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for all the reply's guys.

 

Right now I'm looking at these custom's as an option: Rooth LS8, Earsonics EM4, JH16.

 

Though I'm still undecided. Oh and that part about a portable amp might be a problem, I can't have the best of both worlds unfortunately, so I don't have one for the time being. My main source would be an Ipod Touch 4G (as scary as that may seem... or not).

 

Here, I'll outline some other things that might help in determining what custom iem would best suit me (such as what I like and don't like about the headphones I own and most frequently use) if you guys don't mind.

 

What I like and don't like about my headphones;

 

Grado RS1i;

Likes:

- Forward in your face sound

- Rich and colorful sound

- Depth

- Power (punch) especially the more volume you add

- Tight bass

- Treble

 

Don't Like:

- Nothing

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

DT990(600ohm):

Likes:

- Power and punch

- Great lows

- Terrific Highs

- Bass is not as tight as RS1i but more bloomy, which I do enjoy.

 

Don't Like:

- Wish it had a little more depth.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

TF10 (with an aftermarket silver cable)

Likes:

- Tight and punchy bass

- Soundstaging ( space/depth )

 

Dont Like:

- Wish they were more colorful like the RS1i

- Wish they were more clear sounding ( they sound a bit muffled )

- Soundstage could be better.

- Mids are not very good.

- Silver cable has an immense amount of microphonics and is very stiff ( but it sounds better than the stock cable)

*Im wary of something that sounds "analytical" , it reminds me of my TF10's and how they sound a bit "muffled", they don't have the clarity of my RS1i or DT990.*

 

 

Your help is much appreciated !

 

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post #14 of 34
12/26/11 at 1:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cifani090 View Post


As stated above, a high end headphones doesn't do nothing without an amp. Another analogy is like buying a $1,000,000 house but not having a Bently or BMW or furniture to furnish the house. Instead you have your bike from when you were a kid and a nice marble flooring to sleep on. @AllasWell, if your going to get a good neutral pair of headphones like this, not Beats or Bose, i strongly recommend an amp.

 


You are just talking nonsense, I'm sure you have no experience with those to make such statements and this seem to be a recurrent problem on head.fi.

 

Custom iems are not Hi.End headphones they don't need 1k amp/dac to sound awesome and a amplifier/dac would give you small improvement because the level of performance just right from the mp3 player is already stellar.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radio_head View Post
 

The analogy that Cifani is trying to propogate is a false one and I can't stress enough that people shouldn't just recommend gear they haven't heard.

Customs were designed with impedance/sensitivity so that musicians could use them on stage plugged straight into a normal jack.  Using the "009 out of an iPod" argument is a fallacious line of reasoning and is either trolling or immense obtuseness on the part of the reasoner.  

Well, this.

 

@OP trust me you don't need more than an ipod/iphone to have steller sound from the custom iems and that's why this is actually the bargain for true hi.end headphones.

 

 


Edited by OrcaMarinha - 12/26/11 at 1:46pm
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post #15 of 34
12/26/11 at 1:44pm

Just get either the JH13 or 16 and call it a day.

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