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Help me pick my next budget IEM amongst a selection?

post #1 of 14
6/18/12 at 5:13pm
Thread Starter 

Long story short, I had 2 IEMs; a Sony MDR-something something; they were great, but now discontinued. I gave these to a friend who really needed some IEMs as he had no decent ones and he was a piano player and used his iPod heavily; dude needed em.

 

I also had Senheiser CX250s, which got destroyed; and when I went to go buy more, I found out they were discontinued. So now I'm IEM-less.

 

I've been IEM-less for months now, and I've just been lugging around my Sony MDR-V6's around my neck happily; but now it's too much. They're too big and cumbersome; at home or when I'm not walking places or need mobilitiy; they're a joy to listen to! But as an on-the-go highschool student, this doesnt suit me perfectly. So I need new IEMs.

 

Here's my shortlist of what I've chosen to be my next IEM:

 

Sound Magic E10

Meelectronics M9

 

I enjoy the sound signature of my Sony MDR-V6s GREATLY and would appreciate an IEM that emulates this. The IEM MUST be durable, comfortable, and the chord must be a usable length; not too short, but not too long. I'm not extremely opinionative on looks; they just cant look bad, and as far as microphonics go, I don't mind a little bit, but nothing to the point where it becomes annoying or unlistenable.

 

My budget is under 40$. 

 

So which would you choose if you were me? :) Thank you!


Edited by elemein - 6/18/12 at 8:55pm
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post #2 of 14
6/18/12 at 5:22pm
Brainwavz Beta

On sale on Amazon for 13 bucks.

Jim
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post #3 of 14
6/18/12 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AstroTurf View Post

Brainwavz Beta
On sale on Amazon for 13 bucks.
Jim

Forgot to mention that I'm in Canada. Amazon.com does not ship electronics to Canada :(

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post #4 of 14
6/18/12 at 5:29pm
Bummer...
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post #5 of 14
6/18/12 at 5:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AstroTurf View Post

Bummer...

I know :( Got any other suggestions from my selection?

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post #6 of 14
6/18/12 at 6:07pm

SoundMagic E10

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post #7 of 14
6/18/12 at 6:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by H20Fidelity View Post

SoundMagic E10

 

Any particular reason it's better than the others?
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post #8 of 14
6/18/12 at 6:12pm

I suggest you look at the Panasonic RP-HJE355. It is around $20.

 

The Sony MDR-E818LP is not an IEM, it is traditional style earbuds. I have the E828 which is similar. It has plenty of bass for traditional earbuds, but has some audible distortion at higher volumes.

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post #9 of 14
6/18/12 at 6:29pm
Thread Starter 

Quote:

Originally Posted by JK1 View Post

I suggest you look at the Panasonic RP-HJE355. It is around $20.

 

The Sony MDR-E818LP is not an IEM, it is traditional style earbuds. I have the E828 which is similar. It has plenty of bass for traditional earbuds, but has some audible distortion at higher volumes.

 

 

Will look at those Panasonics :) 

 

And yikes, you're right,and I am not a fan of earbuds in general due to their comfort to me being bad. Thanks for the heads up!

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post #10 of 14
6/18/12 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elemein View Post

 

Any particular reason it's better than the others?


Yup, E10 has won best for budget buy at what-hifi. they were my first purchase into budget IEM's sounding better than anything you get from bestbuy for $80. I had a pair of Sony MDR-EX310, SoundMAGIC has better, deeper bass, plus the forward mid range suits their overall signature. the highs aren't recessed either. They best anything I've tried in the $30 - $60 and if I hadn't of moved up to $150 - $200 IEM's I would of happily stopped there. I spent stupid amounts of money trying everything from JB Hifi (Australian equivalent  bestbuy kind of) some up to $120 and I never found anything I was happy with. Then, I found this site, spent $35 on SoundMAGIC E10 and was amazed at what I'd been missing. If you want real bang for buck at $10 try the Phillips SHE3580 which are amazing for the price. But in all honesty, SoundMAGIC E10 are your man. Do some searching on all the reviews compared to reviews on the others options you thought about.

There's more than several reviews on them...

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whathifi.com%2Freview%2Fsoundmagic-e10&ei=hdbfT4iBCcmSiAfhtuCZCg&usg=AFQjCNHA2Cm9E7JrpXrsj2-3fqK6mbn8dg&sig2=-hspB7olFPnjIVDFovlzOw



http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CEwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.expertreviews.co.uk%2Fheadphones%2F1287814%2Fsoundmagic-e10&ei=49TfT5XsEISRiQf4-s2dCg&usg=AFQjCNFAOfysxIHji3RQAZL0toPczyC5uA&sig2=ZVuz_qzaDHxZU4AMtO_SxQ


http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CFEQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trustedreviews.com%2Fsoundmagic-e10_Headphones_review&ei=49TfT5XsEISRiQf4-s2dCg&usg=AFQjCNGM8sy1cjc8UYVekMTNCqDFKxLXwA&sig2=uzZOePD2-aKHJFyY-3-Bqw


Edited by H20Fidelity - 6/18/12 at 6:36pm
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post #11 of 14
6/18/12 at 8:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by H20Fidelity View Post


Yup, E10 has won best for budget buy at what-hifi. they were my first purchase into budget IEM's sounding better than anything you get from bestbuy for $80. I had a pair of Sony MDR-EX310, SoundMAGIC has better, deeper bass, plus the forward mid range suits their overall signature. the highs aren't recessed either. They best anything I've tried in the $30 - $60 and if I hadn't of moved up to $150 - $200 IEM's I would of happily stopped there. I spent stupid amounts of money trying everything from JB Hifi (Australian equivalent  bestbuy kind of) some up to $120 and I never found anything I was happy with. Then, I found this site, spent $35 on SoundMAGIC E10 and was amazed at what I'd been missing. If you want real bang for buck at $10 try the Phillips SHE3580 which are amazing for the price. But in all honesty, SoundMAGIC E10 are your man. Do some searching on all the reviews compared to reviews on the others options you thought about.

There's more than several reviews on them...

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whathifi.com%2Freview%2Fsoundmagic-e10&ei=hdbfT4iBCcmSiAfhtuCZCg&usg=AFQjCNHA2Cm9E7JrpXrsj2-3fqK6mbn8dg&sig2=-hspB7olFPnjIVDFovlzOw



http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CEwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.expertreviews.co.uk%2Fheadphones%2F1287814%2Fsoundmagic-e10&ei=49TfT5XsEISRiQf4-s2dCg&usg=AFQjCNFAOfysxIHji3RQAZL0toPczyC5uA&sig2=ZVuz_qzaDHxZU4AMtO_SxQ


http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CFEQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trustedreviews.com%2Fsoundmagic-e10_Headphones_review&ei=49TfT5XsEISRiQf4-s2dCg&usg=AFQjCNGM8sy1cjc8UYVekMTNCqDFKxLXwA&sig2=uzZOePD2-aKHJFyY-3-Bqw

After reading the reviews, everyone concludes that they are very bass-driven; whilst my MDR-V6s are not. I would not like a warm feeling; but a semi-bright signature with a good strong bass. 

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post #12 of 14
6/18/12 at 8:46pm

I would call the bass well balanced. I wouldn't call them bass driven, treble sparkles, and the vocals are clear and nuanced.

Exactly like they said in the whathifi review.

Goodluck in your search. wink.gif

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post #13 of 14
6/18/12 at 8:49pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks! My list is now narrowed down to the Meelec M9, SM E10, and the Monoprice 8320. 

Quote:
Originally Posted by H20Fidelity View Post

I would call the bass well balanced. I wouldn't call them bass driven, treble sparkles, and the vocals are clear and nuanced.

Exactly like they said in the whathifi review.

Goodluck in your search. wink.gif

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post #14 of 14
6/19/12 at 8:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by elemein View Post

After reading the reviews, everyone concludes that they are very bass-driven; whilst my MDR-V6s are not. I would not like a warm feeling; but a semi-bright signature with a good strong bass. 

The Panasonic RP-HJE355 is slightly warm sounding, while the JVC HA-FX40 is very bright sounding. I have both of these. They cost me around $20 each. They both have plenty of detail. I have a slight preference for the HJE355 since the highs on the FX40 are at times too much. The FX40 also needed many hours of burn in to sound decent. The HJE355 is very ergonomically shaped and very comfortable.

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