[modusmortis]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for an accurate/neutral IEM in the $200 range. Closer to $200 would be better, but higher is okay if the performance increase is large enough to justify it.

I don't plan on using an EQ, DSP, etc. I will probably use it 30% of the time with a mobile player and 70% of the time with a fixed source. I'm not too concerned if quality decreases when I'm using it with a mobile player.

From searching these forums, I've seen the Ety ER-4S/P and q-Jays mentioned several times as being neutral, so I have mainly focused on these two, but I am open to suggestions.

I've read that common complaints with the Etys are not enough bass, and that the q-Jay is almost as good as the Ety at highs/mids with more bass. I'm not looking for more or less bass relative to the mids/highs. It should be balanced. How do the Etys and q-jays compare in this regard?

Also, are there other IEMs I should consider?

Thanks,
MM.

 

[intoflatlines]

ER4 would get my vote.

 

[Leroy Jenkems]

q-jays definitely

 

[tstarn06]

ER4Ps seem to be what you want. For $50 more you can get custom in-ears, via Livewires.

 

[Bobby2131]

I ordered a pair of q-JAYS

They looks so nice

 

[AnGeLiCbOrIs]

As soon as I saw the title of your post I thought ER4 or qJays.

 

[louwen]

wow, this is so even!
2 votes ety
2 votes q-jay
and one vote for both ^^

 

[yxmees]

I vote for iM716, almost as good as ER4 but quarter of a price.

 

[outbreak123]

Sleek audio SA6 for 250$.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

The ER4S, hands down. It sounds nearly identical to a studio monitor.

 

[2deadeyes]

IM716 or ETY ER4 if their sound signatures are the same. I'm listening to the IM716 at this moment and it sounds surprisingly close to the UE10.

 

[shigzeo]

ety sounds good but neutral? i have never heard a studio monitor have such small bass response. i loved the illusion of quick response it had but really, as for nuetral, it must be beyond neutral, and exist in a element of ultra neutral where there is no bass.

if you go to a concert and record from the soundboard and hear from speakers and get pounded in the chest by bass then listen at home from the ety, you will get a completely different sound. they are very aimed toward fast reponse that is shaped by an overly excited treble.

i love them for it but i would call them anything but neutral.

 

[milkpowder]

I heard the q-Jays, Er6i and Er4P today.

The ER6i sounds slightly thin and lacked detail compared to the q-Jays. The Er4P, on the other hand, trounced the two of them in terms of not only detail, but overall clarity, refinement and accuracy. The q-Jays do sound slightly warmer though still neutral compared to numerous other IEMs I've heard. I must say I was very impressed with the q-Jays. It is so compact, sounds so good and priced so reasonably that I very, very nearly bought a pair on the spot.

I would also throw in the Westone UM-1, which I also had the pleasure of auditioning. These single driver wonders perform at around the same level as the Er6i. I personally found them slightly bassier but not as detailed. It isn't as neutral as the three aforementioned IEMs, but it is compared to its more bass-orientated, rich-sounding brother the UM-2.


Although I haven't heard the im716, I have owned the very similar im616. I haven't compared it directly with any other IEM, but if my memory serves me correctly, it sounded pretty much like a pair of Etymotics. (as expected!)

 

[syed786]

how Futuresonics Atrio m5/m8 would sound compared to all these phones mentioned above. any one had any experience with them
thanks...

 

[KUNFUCHOPSTICKS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder /img/forum/go_quote.gif I heard the q-Jays, Er6i and Er4P today. The ER6i sounds slightly thin and lacked detail compared to the q-Jays. The Er4P, on the other hand, trounced the two of them in terms of not only detail, but overall clarity, refinement and accuracy. The q-Jays do sound slightly warmer though still neutral compared to numerous other IEMs I've heard. I must say I was very impressed with the q-Jays. It is so compact, sounds so good and priced so reasonably that I very, very nearly bought a pair on the spot. I would also throw in the Westone UM-1, which I also had the pleasure of auditioning. These single driver wonders perform at around the same level as the Er6i. I personally found them slightly bassier but not as detailed. It isn't as neutral as the three aforementioned IEMs, but it is compared to its more bass-orientated, rich-sounding brother the UM-2. Although I haven't heard the im716, I have owned the very similar im616. I haven't compared it directly with any other IEM, but if my memory serves me correctly, it sounded pretty much like a pair of Etymotics. (as expected!)

Good comparison of the 3! thanks!