Hello guys,
 
I have a rather limited choice of headgear where I live, so while I appreciate any additional suggestions, it might be hard for me to find them in my country.
 
I've intended to buy a pair of Shure SE215s, but it seems like they're out of stock everywhere and I have no idea if they'll be available in the near future.
 
For alternatives, I can find a pair of AKG K376 or Audio-Technica ATH-CKX9iS. From what I've seen about them, they are very different, and the AT ones have a lot of bass, and many say they can get muddy, while the AKG have a very clear sound to them, but some describe it as tinny, which is something I very much dislike. I do tend to like warmer headphones, and I've been using Sennheiser CX 300 II earphones so far. They do break easily on me and I have to repair them every second week or so, and even though I like bass, these do sound too muddy and unrefined.
 
I find choosing between them that much more problematic because I don't have a clear preference to my music, I listen to everything from bass-heavy EDM to classical rock and classical outright, as well as movie scores. If I had to choose, I'd say I listen to more 70s and 80s stuff than recent "hot" mixes.
 
Which ones would you recommend out of these two (should you have any experience with either), are they worse/better than the SE215 I could possibly wait to get in stock to buy? Of course, do suggest alternatives and I will, uh, try to track them down over here.
 
Thanks a lot in advance guys!

defiantly wait to get the se215. They were my first pair of IEMs and are still one of the best compared to even more expensive IEMs. They have detachable cables for a £100 headphone which, in my opinion , is a great feature that same priced ear-buds don't have. Their crisp sounding with a fairly flat response with a amazing sound stage ( at least for IEMs). For travel they're great! OK so the see through/clear look one will draw looks but its noise isolation with the foam tips blocks out all outside nose when just under half volume which is great.  The actual cable quality is amazing. In fact this whole product has a very steardy build and comes with a great case.
For: 1)great sound isolation
      2)great crisp and clean sound with just the right amount of kick from the bass
      3) detachable cables
      4) amazing sound-stage 
Against: 1) clear version is very flash and looks odd on your daily commute ( I personal think the clear look is awesome as you can see all the inside parts but for some its just to bold)
             2) not much treble
 
My only alternative is the Sennheiser Momentum in-ear or the amazing value RHA T10i which are some of my favourite ear buds amazing build quality and sound. Mine were only £99

Thank you very much for your response. I can also get the Sennheiser Momentum in-ears, though they are a bit expensive here at about 120 euros. I doubt they're worth that asking price.
I do intend to wait for the Shures, though a lot of people report these breaking because of a design flaw, I am also worried about that. I think I'll wait for a week or two and then buy an alternative if the Shures still aren't available.

The se 215 come with warranty and if your looking for the best sound and build quality the RHA T10i are the best. They come with a 3 year warranty plus there mostly a metal design. They come with tuning filters for different sound preferences yet I haven't used these in detail. So if you want amazing sound and isolation get the se215. If you want outstanding build quality and sound get the RHA T10i 
UPDATE: I have just seen the RHA MA750i go on sale. In my opinion their just as good if not better plus their cheaper. Worth a look trust me

Thanks for the RHA suggestion but I cannot find any RHA products here.

So I'm looking into the Sennheiser Momentum in-ear, and a lot of people actually recommend them. They look like a fashion accessory to me which throws me off, but I do like the bass people report to be great from them. I do like how people describe the vocals on the SE215s, but I don't mind a bit of a V-shaped sound either, as long as the soundstage is there. Did you have experience with the momentum? How's the soundstage compared to the Shures?

I have not had long enough with the momentums to be able to comment on the sound-stage sorry but i do know their comfy bassy and sound clean and crisp. The shures have a good sound-stage, of course not open back good but its amazing for an IEM especially for on the go movies and games. The momentums just go in your ears which is another thing to consider. The shures go over and in the ear which is better for walking and working out. Also the Sennheiser only come with 1 type of ear tips so maybe not always getting the right fit for you. On the other hand the shures come with lots to fit everyone's preferences, I highly recommend this video to truly answer all your questions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRfcuSjurvo 

I've seen the hardwarecanucks video but they really only told me things I could pick up with reviews on the first page of google search. I know momentums are V-shaped with great bass and sharp treble and SE215 have great mids with rolled off highs, but a looot of people report SE215 breaking and I can't get them locally, I have to order off the internet so sending these on RMA every month and waiting a month to get them back is not a great option for me. Soundstage is something I'm looking for as well, since I listen to works with a lot of layering like movie scores or progressive rock or such things. I'm okay with the normal drop-down fitting on the momentums, I've never had my cx 300 II fall out of my ears, and I'm pretty okay with the fittings on those. The bad thing is that Sennheiser doesn't send you at least a pair of foam fittings, which for 100E they really should...Audio-technica does which is why I'm still considering the ATH-CKX9iS. I'm not mad about the inline microphones or controls so that's not a factor for me at all, but they say that model has a very secure fit with really decent isolation and a great clear bass sound. My concern is that it's advertised as a sports iem and focused on bass primarily. While I love bass, I want it to be defined and controlled, not bloated like on these CX 300 II...I'm not sure if the audio-technica ones will deliver.

What's your budget? have you looked into the full size headphones? they are better sounding for the same price the the akg k550. they have 50mm drivers and were original £200 now they are £99. They have tons of reviews here on head fi. 
And i've never heard of the ATH-CKX9iS before sorry

 

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If you search on "ilounge" and "ckx9is review," you'll find a review of the Audio Technica CKX9iS from December, 2013. You may find it helpful in your search. I do agree with a previous poster that looking to over-ear cans will yield higher performance in your price range. For what it's worth. Good luck.

Thanks for the full size suggestions dudes, but I have Sennheiser HD 518 and I'm pretty satisfied with them for my PC. I also like that they're open compared to the AKG model you've suggested. I'm looking for something to use on-the-go. I will check out the review but I was looking for someone with a bit of experience since mostly I can find review copy reviews and not much on durability. Experiences with AKG K37x earphones would also help.

Oh and also, like in the title, the budget is 100 euros. The Audiotechnicas will set me back about 85 euros, while the momentum in-ears have an outrageous price of around 112 euros here. Shure SE215 are about 100 euros, but not available.
 
I'm willing to go to about 130 euros or so, but do recommend brands like AKG, Sennheiser, Audiotechnica, since that's the majority of what I can get here. I can't find etymotic, velodyne, klipsch, whatever really, it's a really poor supply of brands over here. I can also find Bose perhaps, Shure SE112 is available, though I'm not sure how they compare to the 215s, no RHA, a few beyedynamic things, not too much really. The test at golden-ears does praise the audio-technicas, are they a good source to base an opinion on? This is the article I've found on these
 
http://en.goldenears.net/40595
 
Thanks for the help in either case. This is a great forum so far for me!

smrdcompany said:

Oh and also, like in the title, the budget is 100 euros. The Audiotechnicas will set me back about 85 euros, while the momentum in-ears have an outrageous price of around 112 euros here. Shure SE215 are about 100 euros, but not available.

I'm willing to go to about 130 euros or so, but do recommend brands like AKG, Sennheiser, Audiotechnica, since that's the majority of what I can get here. I can't find etymotic, velodyne, klipsch, whatever really, it's a really poor supply of brands over here. I can also find Bose perhaps, Shure SE112 is available, though I'm not sure how they compare to the 215s, no RHA, a few beyedynamic things, not too much really. The test at golden-ears does praise the audio-technicas, are they a good source to base an opinion on? This is the article I've found on these

http://en.goldenears.net/40595

Thanks for the help in either case. This is a great forum so far for me!

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I think you're underestimating the Momentum In Ears quite a bit. I've had the Shures for a few years and have had the Momentums for a couple of weeks. I prefer the Momentums by quite a bit. They have more bass, more present but also more refined treble and the soundstage is also noticeably larger thanks to that slight v shape response. See if you can find a Yamaha EPH-100, if not the Momentum are a fine choice IMO

Thanks a lot. Couldn't find the exact Yamaha model, but thanks for the suggestion. I am seriously considering the Sennheiser ones, but if I should find them too expensive I think I will go with the audio-technica. Though AKG is usually a top brand, K376 reviews are too mixed for my taste. How's the build quality on the momentums, do they feel sturdy enough? I haven't heard of them breaking much but they do strike me as a fashion accessory.

I've had the Klipsch Image S4, AKG K340(the IEMs), B&W C5, I've tried several other SONY and Philips IEMs, but nothing had the sound quality of the HiFiMan RE-400.
 
I'd describe the RE-400 as neutral sounding IEM's with plenty of detail and a 'normal' soundstage for IEM's. They don't have a powerful bass and that might be a bit of a problem for your EDM. I am listening to EDM right now and it lacks the punch I'd like to hear in the tracks, but I don't think it would be much different with the SE215. The B&W C5 might have had the punch, but it's bass is too overwhelming for most genres imo and it bleeds too much into the mids.
 
About HiFiMan being available: I'm quite sure they will ship to most places. Some reviews state these are the best IEMs under $200. That seems like a bold statement to me, but sound-wise they would certainly be worth that much to me. So I think it's amazing that they are available at just $79.