Help on getting new IEMs (Classical Music) - Page 3

One more that I just remembered as I was listening to them, great for the office or when you need to hear the family at home.  A wonderful dynamic for classical, the Phiaton PS210. 

Between the following, which is better?  I've seen reviews raving about each individual one's treble and clarity, however never as a comparison of all for classical music or which one is best for classical music

Etymotic Hf5

Westone 1

Westone UM1

Shure SE215

HiFiMan Re-ZERO 

HiFiMan Re-0

**Note: I mostly listen to violin/piano solos and string symphonies (Romantic Era)

Any input with supportive reasoning is greatly appreciated! 

In my experience, and based on your listening preference, I would stay away from the Westone 1.  I don't know the technical terminology but they do something very weird with the mids that makes strings sound very hollow and lifeless.  It's a shame too--I liked their up market IEMs a lot.  

I think the Hf5 is really nice for strings and piano, but only if paired with a warm and pretty powerful source.  Otherwise they tend to lose some of the warmth, particularly with cellos.  

I don't have any experience with the Shure SE215, but have extensive experience with the SE535 and 315.  I was told that the 215 are less neutral than the 315, adding more bass and maybe less clarity overall.  Again, this is not from personal experience.  If what I heard was anywhere near true, I could image that the 215 would be a great choice in the 100-150 price range.  Having said that, with the right source, I would pick the Etymotics.  

I don't know if this helps at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by miken726 

Between the following, which is better?  I've seen reviews raving about each individual one's treble and clarity, however never as a comparison of all for classical music or which one is best for classical music

 

Etymotic Hf5

Westone 1

Westone UM1

Shure SE215

HiFiMan Re-ZERO 

HiFiMan Re-0

 

**Note: I mostly listen to violin/piano solos and string symphonies (Romantic Era)

 

Any input with supportive reasoning is greatly appreciated! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinnievidi 

In my experience, and based on your listening preference, I would stay away from the Westone 1.  I don't know the technical terminology but they do something very weird with the mids that makes strings sound very hollow and lifeless.  It's a shame too--I liked their up market IEMs a lot.  

 

I think the Hf5 is really nice for strings and piano, but only if paired with a warm and pretty powerful source.  Otherwise they tend to lose some of the warmth, particularly with cellos.  

 

I don't have any experience with the Shure SE215, but have extensive experience with the SE535 and 315.  I was told that the 215 are less neutral than the 315, adding more bass and maybe less clarity overall.  Again, this is not from personal experience.  If what I heard was anywhere near true, I could image that the 215 would be a great choice in the 100-150 price range.  Having said that, with the right source, I would pick the Etymotics.  

 

I don't know if this helps at all.

 

I would stay away from the SE215 for classical, the treble is not prominent, without the details needed for classical.  The HF5 is the only Etymotic I don't own, however etymotic is always a good choice for classical especially if you are listening to chamber, soloists, some say that they don't provide enough soundstage for orchestra.  I don't mind as I can hear every detail of the orchestra with my ety's.

I found the yamaha eph-100 pretty airy and unfatiguing,  and I thought this work well with classical.

Thank you vinnievidi and dziendobry for the thorough and detailed advice!!  I definitely think I will go with the Ety's 

Just curious though: I read joker's 200+ review and he seemed to recommend the Hifiman Re-ZERO's and Re0 for their highs.  Have you had any experience or heard anything about those two for classical music listening?

I have not heard either one, I have read plenty about both.  From what I have read the RE0 would be better for classical however it is harder to drive, most say it benefits from an amp.  I can imagine that either of the two would be pleasing for classical, they are dynamic vs. the HF5 Balanced armature driver.  I tend to prefer a dynamic to a BA occasionally myself. 

You might want to pass on the TF10 for mostly classical use. I own one and it's good all-rounder great for rock and pop, but I'd rather grab the ER4P or IE80 for classical. Definitely my go to for portability, it isolates well and matches well with a Clip Zip. 

I just got my repurchased ER4P today, but I did own one for over a year in the past. is great for high quality recordings, but can sound a bit thin on mainstream tracks. Amazing detail and good instrument separation, but the soundstage is smaller than the IE80 or TF10. It also has a higher amplification requirement, so it will probably be spending most of it's time hooked up to an XM6 on my desk. Comfort is YMMV, I find that the inability to wear than over the ear is a con for people with shallow ears as the extra length of the barrel hanging out of your ear can put stress on your ear canals. Both the foams and tri-flanges are too long for me, I ended up using Klipsch gel biflanges which work fairly well.

If you can spare a few extra bucks, give the IE80 a try. It's the best of the three for soundstage and also the best for use with poor quality recordings. Sounds quite similar to the HD 650 to me. I find it the most comfortable of the three due to the light weight, shallow insertion, and over the ear fit. However, isolation is below average even with foam tips and it trades detail and speed for warmth and weight.

I agree; pass on the TF10 for classical listening.  They are great for rock, but they don't have the right mids for classical.  I, personally, didn't like the IE8 for string ensembles at all.  For large, bombastic orchestral works they were pretty nice, albeit slightly slow sounding.  I don't know if the IE80 are the same as the IE8 or if they're improved at all.  All-in-all, I still advocate for any of the Grado IEMs (the GR8 and 10)--you get the clarity of an Etymotic with a much wider soundstage and more weight in the low-mids and bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve2151 

You might want to pass on the TF10 for mostly classical use. I own one and it's good all-rounder great for rock and pop, but I'd rather grab the ER4P or IE80 for classical. Definitely my go to for portability, it isolates well and matches well with a Clip Zip. 

 

I just got my repurchased ER4P today, but I did own one for over a year in the past. is great for high quality recordings, but can sound a bit thin on mainstream tracks. Amazing detail and good instrument separation, but the soundstage is smaller than the IE80 or TF10. It also has a higher amplification requirement, so it will probably be spending most of it's time hooked up to an XM6 on my desk. Comfort is YMMV, I find that the inability to wear than over the ear is a con for people with shallow ears as the extra length of the barrel hanging out of your ear can put stress on your ear canals. Both the foams and tri-flanges are too long for me, I ended up using Klipsch gel biflanges which work fairly well.

 

If you can spare a few extra bucks, give the IE80 a try. It's the best of the three for soundstage and also the best for use with poor quality recordings. Sounds quite similar to the HD 650 to me. I find it the most comfortable of the three due to the light weight, shallow insertion, and over the ear fit. However, isolation is below average even with foam tips and it trades detail and speed for warmth and weight.

You want something cheap and good for classical music?  Try the Teclast X19+ or X19HD with Vsonic R04 updated or or Vsonic R04 flagship version IEM's.

Enable 40Hz SRS TruBass.  It sounds very realistic and nice especially for the price.  I listen to solo violin etc. with this setup sometimes.