Jazzkammer
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
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I did not see a Recomendations thread, so I started this one.
My story:
Used Etymotics ER6 and then HF5 for years...really love their sound, except that I find the bass lacking. So when the cord on my HF5 starts fraying, what do I do? I buy the Future Sonics Atrio MG7, because supposedly these IEMs have amazing bass. And I need bass - I dj as a hobby, and I listen to alot of electronic and rap.
Well, I cannot stand the Atrios. The bass sounds bloated to me, and overpowers the sound signature. Compared to my Etymotics, the Atrios sound muddy completely lacking in midrange, with barely any treble. I don't even think I like the bass - it sounds sloppy compared to the Etymotics.
Obviously, these differences can be chalked up to BA IEM (Etymotic) vs Dynamic driver IEM (Atrio)
So now I am fed up and am going all out - CIEM route.
I thought that a hybrid CIEM would make me happy (maybe Aurisonics AS-2 or Unique Melody Merlin), but I am worried that hybrid CIEMs are more of a preference for some people, rather than being a clearly superior sound. After all, Unique Melody's flagship is not a hybrid, and JH Audio and Heir Audio have not even dabbled in hybrids. So it makes me suspect of hybrid CIEMs in general. If it so great, after all, why wouldn't every CIEM do them?? If Aurisonics or Merlin sounds anything like the Atrio, I am not interested.
So unless you guys can make a compelling case for why hybrid CIEMs are superior, I am tempted to limit my choices to strictly BA type CIEMS.
I see that 1964 Ears has their V6 on right now for an introductory price of $649 - this is very tempting. Does anyone have an idea for how much the price will jump after its over? Or how long this promotion is on for?
If I settle for a 6 driver CIEM like 1964 Ears or UM Miracle, will I really be missing that much over 8 driver options like JH16 or Heir 8.A? At any rate, any CIEM with dedicated BAs for the lows will have much stronger bass than my single BA Etymotics, right? I sure hope so.
Why are the 8.A $150 more than their only 8 driver competitor, JH16? Is 1300 dollars really worth it, or can I get 90% of that sound with the 1964 V6s?
If I don't want to spend over $1k, what about the Heir Audio 4.a? But why would I buy them when I could get the 6 driver CIEM from 1964 Ears for 50 dollars less!!?? Are the 4.a so good that they are better than 6 driver CIEMs from competitors?
How about JH Audio's new Freqphase thing? Does this not render all other CIEMs now technically inferior? If all the hype is to be believed, getting JH Audio CIEMS should be a no-brainer, not just for me, but for everyone. But not everyone is buying JH Audio CIEMS over other brands, so it makes me wonder if the Freqphase technology is really minor and not even noticeable.
EDIT: My budget is 1300 dollars, but I am trying to be thrifty here. I don't want to throw away money on overhyped products. That is why I am looking at the 1964 V6 as possibly the best bang for my buck.
tl;dr: hybrid or BA CIEM? Any specific CIEM recs for the Etymotic sound but with stronger bass?