[WithBadIntent]

Dear Head-Fiers.

After discovering the fun sound of the Sennheiser IE8, I have decided to also move into the Balanced Armature side of headphones and would like some ideas for where to start.

In terms of music, I'm looking for a headphone with a more neutral and/or analytical approach to sound reproduction. I mostly listen to film scores, but I also want a IEM that works well with rock and pop and also maybe classical.. It also has to be fairly rugged as I commute a lot and I can be quite hard on headphones.

At the moment I'm working on a budget from £75 - £150.

Thank You In Advance.

 

[ljokerl]

Er-4p/s. Simple as that.

 

[ibis99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljokerl /img/forum/go_quote.gif Er-4p/s. Simple as that.

X2

the ER4P or S (needs amp for portable use) are still the most precise, analytical IEM's around.

 

[ibis99]

Yes.

 

[kostalex]

ER-4S.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Detrex /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's more precise than the triple driver offerings from UE, Shure, Westone and Audio Technica?

It is more precise than Shures, I did not heard the rest. I think it is more precise by nature, since it does not has crossovers.

 

[ZARIM]

SE420(good for all genres), Klipsch Custom 3(amazing with Rock, POP)..........

 

[WithBadIntent]

Eymotic is good, but has too much isolation.

 

[mvw2]

More armatures really just help with frequency response. A single BA earphone will more typically be limited on one or both ends of the spectrum. A dual or triple armature earphone will cover the full spectrum well.

The ER4 IEM is a good option when you want something that sounds very balanced, very correct, and you want great stage location, separation, and space. It actually isn't ultra clean, ultra precise, but it's very balanced and even in presentation of information, and that makes it very good. Frequency response is hit or miss for various folks, but it is effectively geared to be quite accurate to the original source.

Something like the Phonak Audio PFE actually offers a cleaner and more precise note, and it is a more fun to listen to earphone (more bass, more energy). I haven't really heard a more reveling earphone in terms of presenting every minute detail of information in the audio. It has effortless dynamics and range and is very clean and to the point. Frequency response isn't as accurate as the ER4 though and stage presentation is less accurate too. You don't get nearly as good a sense of location, space, and separate of instruments and singers as you do with the ER4.

Now you do have a bit of money to work with, so options are decently wide. I'm not really sure what's readily available there and what kind of hit on shipping you'd get ordering from various places. Something like the ER4 and PFE are relatively cheap and are good examples of well designed, single BA IEMs. They are geared similarly but at the same time prevent entirely different presentations of the same audio.

You can start spending more money and get into a wider range of products. I am curious however if you will find something you will really like at that price point coming from the IE8 which is a very good earphone. With the dynamic versus BA debate asside, I do wonder if you will actually like something else well enough to keep it. I think you will find products that do certain things amazingly well. I don't doubt that. However, I think you will start to have a hard time finding something that holistically as well as the IE8 at 1/2 to 2/3 the price. That does become the challenge. I think you will find yourself only looking at the high level BA options as the only good competitors to the IE8, and you will be back at the IE8 price level.

 

[peli_kan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif X2 the ER4P or S (needs amp for portable use) are still the most precise, analytical IEM's around.

X3

Also consider the ER-4B, it has more treble energy next its close sibling the ER-4S. As a bonus, cabling is thick, durable, and replaceable.

 

[mark2410]

as a starter id say PL-50

see what you make of it and then better educate you where to go after

or just jump right to the er4 but be prepared for waaaay less bass than the IE8

 

[WithBadIntent]

Thank you mark. I'll take a look at the PL50 as a starter.

 

[Judge Buff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif as a starter id say PL-50 see what you make of it and then better educate you where to go after or just jump right to the er4 but be prepared for waaaay less bass than the IE8

X2 definitely!

 

[zb0430]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif X2 the ER4P or S (needs amp for portable use) are still the most precise, analytical IEM's around.

I'd say that's an incorrect statement. But hey, that's coming from someone who never understood the desirability of the ER-4 in the first place...

They're far from precise, and are rather colored. They're enhanced in an un-natural way in the upper mids, and they lack too much bass and low mid response to be considered "neutral" or "analytical" in my book. I attribute those terms to things that have balance and even distribution throughout the spectrum. While a popular phone, the ER-4 certainly doesn't fit those attributes.

 

[kostalex]

As mvw2 said

ER4 "Frequency response is hit or miss for various folks"

This is far more correct than

"they are rather colored. They're enhanced in an un-natural way in the upper mids, and they lack too much bass and low mid response to be considered "neutral" or "analytical" in my book."

 

[kostalex]

So, luckily OP may hear ER4 differently from zb0430.
Or, unfortunately, the same.