Best mid price IEMs
Dec 30, 2014 at 11:36 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 76
ZSamuels28

ZSamuels28

100+ Head-Fier
Joined
Dec 3, 2010
Posts
165
Likes
14
Hi audiophiles, I'm looking for a pair of in ear headphones and my budget is around $100-$300 with a little wiggle room if necessary. I mostly listen to rock, jazz and top 40 mp3s at 256 or 320 on an iPhone or MacBook Pro. What's your opinion? Right now I'm looking at:
Etymotics ER4PT
RE600
JVC FX850
Shure SE425
 
Dec 30, 2014 at 2:13 PM Post #2 of 76
Those are great options, but you may want to try the Brainwavz M1 if you have a chance.  They are really fun sounding, easy to insert, and remain my mid-fi of choice.
 
Dec 30, 2014 at 2:42 PM Post #3 of 76
zsamuels28 said:
Hi audiophiles, I'm looking for a pair of in ear headphones and my budget is around $100-$300 with a little wiggle room if necessary. I mostly listen to rock, jazz and top 40 mp3s at 256 or 320 on an iPhone or MacBook Pro. What's your opinion? Right now I'm looking at:
Etymotics ER4PT
RE600
JVC FX850
Shure SE425
Click to expand...

Audio Technica CKR9 and CKR10 also belong on that list. 
 
Dec 31, 2014 at 8:46 AM Post #6 of 76
I'd suggest checking out Joker's compilation at http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-330-iems-compared-rock-jaw-alfa-genus-added-12-25-14-p-1021. The sortable version at http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-list/ is quite helpful.
 
One thing to remember is that the IEMs in your price range are likely to highlight the limitations of your MP3 source material (even at 256 and 320 kbit/s). You may find that updating your music library to a lossless format (e.g. CD --> FLAC) and putting some of the money into a portable DAC will give you the best bang for your buck.
 
Cheers... Brian
 
Dec 31, 2014 at 10:38 AM Post #7 of 76
bms44974 said:
  I'd suggest checking out Joker's compilation at http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-330-iems-compared-rock-jaw-alfa-genus-added-12-25-14-p-1021. The sortable version at http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-list/ is quite helpful.
 
One thing to remember is that the IEMs in your price range are likely to highlight the limitations of your MP3 source material (even at 256 and 320 kbit/s). You may find that updating your music library to a lossless format (e.g. CD --> FLAC) and putting some of the money into a portable DAC will give you the best bang for your buck.
 
Cheers... Brian
Click to expand...

 
 
I completely disagree. You'll get the worst bang for your buck trying to upgrade source components. 
 
MP3 320/256 also retains most/all information.
 
Money is best spent on headphones if you want the biggest upgrade. That's been my personal experience. 
 
Dec 31, 2014 at 11:30 AM Post #8 of 76
What kind of sound signature are you looking for?
 
Dec 31, 2014 at 11:33 AM Post #9 of 76
eke2k6 said:
   
 
I completely disagree. You'll get the worst bang for your buck trying to upgrade source components. 
 
MP3 320/256 also retains most/all information.
 
Money is best spent on headphones if you want the biggest upgrade. That's been my personal experience. 
Click to expand...


I was only trying to point out that, with better headphones, the shortcomings in the source (format, DAC, and original recording quality) may be more apparent. The first upgrade (headphones) often leads to others. It's a slippery slope
wink.gif
 
 
Dec 31, 2014 at 11:37 AM Post #10 of 76
Dec 31, 2014 at 11:40 AM Post #11 of 76
bms44974 said:
 
I was only trying to point out that, with better headphones, the shortcomings in the source (format, DAC, and original recording quality) may be more apparent. The first upgrade (headphones) often leads to others. It's a slippery slope
wink.gif
 
Click to expand...

 
 
Honestly, I find the Sansa Clip+ to be easily as good as any top tier DAP/portable DAC when it comes to driving normal impedance IEMs.
 
I did a pretty extensive write-up here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/709479/multi-review-hifiman-hm901-fiio-x5-sony-zx1-hisound-studio-3rd-anv-iphone-4
 
Dec 31, 2014 at 11:44 PM Post #15 of 76
Altone 200. I hear it's the closest thing to true™ neutral out there. Use the rest of the money you saved on a $300 data cable to ensure that the digital signals are all transferred intact to your DAP of choice. Wireworld is good. Jitter will otherwise diminish the resolution of your files
 
amidoingitrite?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top