Help me choose (sub-75 USD earphones)

please check out the Sony MH1C , they are absolutely superb IEMs for the price and probably the best under a 100 ..

Quote:

Originally Posted by facilitator 

please check out the Sony MH1C , they are absolutely superb IEMs for the price and probably the best under a 100 ..

NOT!!!   Most hyped yeah, but FAR from best under 100.   OP, the GR06 are the best out of your list, Myself prefer the GR02 BE, or the Less talked about GR99...  All miles ahead of those Sony IEMS...But it really depends on your music taste etc? The GR06 is a mid forward set, the BE is V-shaped as well as the 99, The 99 having the biggest Bass while mids and highs are 99% of the 02 BE.

It's just like the Bass Head lovers always recommending these cheap JVC's etc...They are really bad, you get what you pay for!!

If you want Massive bass look into Hisoundaudio products..Yeah they are in the mid $60 range, but rememeber you get what you pay for in the long run!!

I've also been trying to figure out what to buy - at a slightly lower price-point - to improve on the stock 'phones for my Galaxy S-III. I've already got a pair of Monoprice 8320's on its way to me, but I'm thinking of getting one additional set just in case.

From perusing a bunch of reviews on this site (and a few elsewhere, I'll admit), I have the following list of what seem like good choices:

1) Brainwavz R1.

2) Astrotec AM-90.

3) VSonic GR02 Bass Edition.

(I've left the Sony MH1C's off the list, mostly because I dislike J-cords and microphonics - and I've got a pair of old EX-088's that I've never been happy with.)

My musical preferences are eclectic: everything from Renaissance (the period, not the group) to jazz to Philip Glass, with some Indian Classical and all kinds of other stuff thrown in. No heavy metal, techno, or suchlike, but a few things that might vaguely qualify as rock. I've got fairly large ears; and a lot of my 'phone use is on buses, so good isolation is a fairly major factor.

Given that the three choices I've identified are all similarly priced, which makes the most sense given my needs? Or is there something else that I should be looking at instead?

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed, O Experts!

-DonR

Quote:

Originally Posted by yonyz 

I am looking for neutral sounding 'phones.

I decided to raise the budget to 100 USD, and am considering Shure SE215 (got good reviews) and the HIFIMAN RE-400 (new, no reviews). Both are exactly 100 USD.

I will also watch movies with the 'phones.

Yeah the most Neutral out of your list would be the Astrotec, But at $100 you have A Lot more options..I've never heard the Shure or Hifiman.  Some people say the Shure is close to the GR06 but a slightly better mid, Which still be more mid forward.  But they are Bass/High Neutral/ With a slighty above Neutral Mid.  Others might have better idea's as I've not used to many IEMS over the $65 range.

Magicman, what do you think about the options I listed, in the $35-$45 range?
 

The Sunrise Xcited or the Xcape IE if you want a warmer sound than the Xcited. Not very hyped but very good iem with a good soundstage, a slightly "V-shaped" or balanced (beetween the two, it's hard to be precise).

im sorry to remind you this but there is a reason that the MH1c was hyped in the first place ... 

if you are looking for such earphones with a lesser emphasis through out the sound spectrum ..

the RE-400 might be way better than the SE-215.. the 215 are mid-forward and also have a bass emphasis, their treble is rolled off and they dont resolve very much .. and besides HIFIman makes the best dynamic Iems I've heard so far which are technically proficient and flat

all the best 

Quote:

Originally Posted by yonyz 

I am looking for neutral sounding 'phones.

...100 USD...

- Shure SE215 is not neutral sounding.

- Any Etymotic or HiFiMan product around that price range should be close to neutral-sounding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by facilitator 

 

 

im sorry to remind you this but there is a reason that the MH1c was hyped in the first place ... 

 

 

 

 

if you are looking for such earphones with a lesser emphasis through out the sound spectrum ..

 

the RE-400 might be way better than the SE-215.. the 215 are mid-forward and also have a bass emphasis, their treble is rolled off and they dont resolve very much .. and besides HIFIman makes the best dynamic Iems I've heard so far which are technically proficient and flat

 

all the best 

It's great you like the Sony, If you like a cheaply made J-cord and noise running up the cord.  At $20 they are good, But they still under perform the V-sonics.  If you had to pay retail for the Sony $65 they get left behind by A LOT of IEM's.  The GR04 Flagship just creams them at everything ($50), At $20 good, but best under $100 far from it..Best under $20 maybe if you find a legit pair in a bulk buy. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magicman74 

It's great you like the Sony, If you like a cheaply made J-cord and noise running up the cord.  At $20 they are good, But they still under perform the V-sonics.  If you had to pay retail for the Sony $65 they get left behind by A LOT of IEM's.  The GR04 Flagship just creams them at everything ($50), At $20 good, but best under $100 far from it..Best under $20 maybe if you find a legit pair in a bulk buy. 

not heard any of those, but I like the sonys and they are as good as the hype allows it to be,

creaming is a cycle > the gr 04 flagship is creamed by the likes of cheap TWFK sets like UE-700 or GH-ERC-DMS .. which might be even better value .. the fxd 80 micro drivers are also praised and hold good value .. but now its like arguing from an abstract spot.. 

so my recommendation is still the MH1c ... as that is something I've heard and pretty good sound too, it also does farely well with an amp ..

The RE0 are neutral, detailed and improve well with AMPs help, it's still easy to drive even from iPods with loud volume. Other IEMs like HF5, Sony EX600, JVC FXT90, FXD80, Yamaha EPH100 and Creative Aurvana 3 are pretty good sounding IEMs.