[meiaen]

First off I have a westone 4R although i love the mids and the soundstage i felt that the high is kinda boring and the low is a bit slow so i decided to ditch it and sold it today now I dont know what to do im looking for a custom IEM or Univesal IEM but my budget is around 600-1000 and there is still the custom , shipping , tax that i need to worry about here in toronto i felt so heartbroken ditching it so fast without thinking about it thoroughly and to top things off my girlfriend is avoiding me since i started this hobby about a month ago telling me im wasting so much time and money on just an earphone that why i need to patch things up while waiting for the CIEM.
 
I tried AKG K3003i and its quite uncomfortable for me even Headphones doesnt work so something like the fit of W4R is what im looking for 
 
So to anyone from canada with experience buying Custom IEM i would gladly appreciate your help im also open to universal 
my source is Rocoo BA , Ipod Classic 7G and Arrow 4G 
 
my music choices  are Female Vocal , Acoustic , a bit of techno , classical , jazz and RnB i want something that can bring out more emotion than W4R since i really find it lacking on that part my artist choices are Supercell , Kokia , Haruka Shimotsuki and IU.
 
 
Currently on my list of possible candidate 
 
RDB + v1 or v2
UM Merlin 
Westone ES5
if i can buy used for reshelling 
Heir 8.A
UM Miracle
JH -13 or 16
Tralucent 1plus2
 
 
Thank you
Cheers

 

[whoever]

I heard only good from um miracle! Don't have them though, but nothing but good comments!

 

[meiaen]

Quote:

I heard only good from um miracle! Don't have them though, but nothing but good comments!

Yup i read all the reviews about it but its kinda out of my price range unless i can buy a used one to reshell and im still not sure how much tax and custom i need to pay to get them here

 

[meiaen]

i want to hear people response on this before i make my final decision 

 

[meiaen]

Update i can now increase my budget because of the tax refund im getting in the next few weeks so now i can go as high as 2000$
I only need one IEM that suit all the genre im listening too source would be a ipod classic 7th and arrow G4 I will be using it for portable use headphones are welcome now and you can also recommend a better source for me

 

[ariesq]

Hey

I was in a similar situation as you a few months ago. I'm also from Canada (Toronto)

I was looking for a CIEM or Universal IEM that would be well suited to a wide variety of genres.

The main reason I decided against CIEM is bc of the risk. First there's a risk that the impressions may not be good and also you run the risk of not having a perfect fit. Shipping back and forth from Canada to US/Asia is not cheap and can add up quickly. Also we get hit pretty hard by customs/taxes.

I ended up going with the 1plus2. Ordered from Musicaaccoustics in Japan. Best part is shipping is included (trackable) and was received in 3 business days. Absolutely no tax or duties to Canada.

Fitear TG334 would be another good option for universals.

 

[meiaen]

Hi thanks for the reply I actually emailed alot of company regarding this and decided to go universal even charles from headfoneshop told not to go for custom just because I want unless I needed to. I do want to order fit ear 334 but decided to go for rdb+ v1 and spend the rest of my fund to upgrade my source for example rwak100 which I really want to try

 

[serious7]

Quote:

Hi thanks for the reply I actually emailed alot of company regarding this and decided to go universal even charles from headfoneshop told not to go for custom just because I want unless I needed to. I do want to order fit ear 334 but decided to go for rdb+ v1 and spend the rest of my fund to upgrade my source for example rwak100 which I really want to try

Toronto kid here. I picked Heir Audio 4A. I think it'll fit your needs as well but you seem to have placed 8A on that list.  I got my impressions done by Dr. Marshall Chasin. He's the best I could find in Toronto and really knows his stuff. 

 

[meiaen]

Quote:

Toronto kid here. I picked Heir Audio 4A. I think it'll fit your needs as well but you seem to have placed 8A on that list.  I got my impressions done by Dr. Marshall Chasin. He's the best I could find in Toronto and really knows his stuff. 

I actually have the Heir 4.ai+ right now and im not really liking the Sound Signature and might let it go but im just gonna give it more time until my RDB+ arrive 

 

[xaddictionx]

I actually have the Heir 4.ai+ right now and im not really liking the Sound Signature and might let it go but im just gonna give it more time until my RDB+ arrive 

How do you find the sound signature of the 4ai against the W4? I'm on the W4 now and thinking of trying out the 4ai too.

 

[tm.chen]

Looks like we have similar taste. I have the W4R and listen to Supercell, IU etc.
 
The fitear TG334 might be a good choice for you. I tried the MH335DW without a good fit and until I find its SQ to be great. More clarity, bass quality but not heavy and overpowering. Highs might be just a bit more then the W4 but I didn't try songs that would push it that far. Since TG334 is basically a universal MH334, it should not be far off from the 335DW
 
8.A might seem to have too much bass from what I have read and Unique Melody's miracle a tad analytic.
 
See if you can try the Tranlucent 1+2, seems like a good alternative as well.
 

 

[meiaen]

Quote:

Looks like we have similar taste. I have the W4R and listen to Supercell, IU etc.
 
The fitear TG334 might be a good choice for you. I tried the MH335DW without a good fit and until I find its SQ to be great. More clarity, bass quality but not heavy and overpowering. Highs might be just a bit more then the W4 but I didn't try songs that would push it that far. Since TG334 is basically a universal MH334, it should not be far off from the 335DW
 
8.A might seem to have too much bass from what I have read and Unique Melody's miracle a tad analytic.
 
See if you can try the Tranlucent 1+2, seems like a good alternative as well.
 

 
Charles of Rhapsodio is actually setting me up with my RDB+ V1 since we both have the same preference in music mainly JPOP and i cant wait for it. I actually want to try the 1plus2 but decided to give the RDB+ V1 a try first and focus on looking for a better source after. I think going TG334 would be not a good choice for me right now since im looking for a fun IEM  but i would never know until i try it hoping i could demo one soon 
Quote:

How do you find the sound signature of the 4ai against the W4? I'm on the W4 now and thinking of trying out the 4ai too.

i would describe the W4r as pretty laid back while the 4.ai has a better bass (not to much) and a decent high although the mid is kinda recessed (for me) if you compare them , but overall the W4R is still the best for different music genre while the 4.ai is a bit choosy 

 

[xaddictionx]

Charles of Rhapsodio is actually setting me up with my RDB+ V1 since we both have the same preference in music mainly JPOP and i cant wait for it. I actually want to try the 1plus2 but decided to give the RDB+ V1 a try first and focus on looking for a better source after. I think going TG334 would be not a good choice for me right now since im looking for a fun IEM  but i would never know until i try it hoping i could demo one soon 
i would describe the W4r as pretty laid back while the 4.ai has a better bass (not to much) and a decent high although the mid is kinda recessed (for me) if you compare them , but overall the W4R is still the best for different music genre while the 4.ai is a bit choosy 

Thanks for your inputs! I'm actually looking for something that has better clarity than the W4 and slightly deeper bass and wide soundstage. I was thinking if the 4ai is something that I'm looking for.

 

[blueangel2323]

I don't think a set of earphones will be sufficient to replace your girlfriend, but I'm sure many will disagree as this is Head-fi after all

 
In all seriousness I'm in Toronto as well and I just sent my ear impressions to Cosmic Ears in Sweden for my first custom IEMs. If cost is a consideration (and it should be, if you want female attention again!) they have the best prices on the planet for customs. The low prices make the risk of buying custom IEMs very small. If you really want to spend over a grand though, the UM Miracle is as close to technical perfection as you can get.

 

[NA Blur]

I tested a ton of CIEMs and ended up with the JH Audio 10 x3 Pro.  I love and highly recommend a truly 3-way crossover.  All of the 2-ways I tried has some serious blurring issues that ultimately made me feel that they were inferior in every way to my Denon AH-D2000 headphones.
 
The JH 10 x3 Pro is great sounding out of a portable, but amped it is even better.
 
I describe them as extremely neutral, a touch of kind downward tilting in the treble, with some serious bass extension and no bass boost.