xMisterVx
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 15, 2012
- Posts
- 25
- Likes
- 3
The RE-400 were a good match for a while, but their build quality overall is disappointing. Or maybe I'm not used to these things, but now, less than 3 years after buying them and using them sparingly (i.e. not even daily commute), both cables broke under the earbud itself (those little black sleeves protecting them have detached themselves from the earbud long ago). Not to mention those foam inserts start falling apart after a short while.
So I need something better, to plug into my phone or laptop on the go, that sounds decent without amp.
I like clarity and a wide stage. Bass is not unimportant, since I like to have fun when I listen to metal and electronic on occasion, - but clarity is more important, especially for my beloved piano tracks (with that certain pealing of the keys), and (especially female) vocals. Instrument separation - well, I'm not sure how much I can ask of IEMs at this price level.
Build quality turns out to be important as well. I don't exactly do obstacle races in the mud with them, but I expect them not to break.
For comparison, at home when I really want to listen to music, I have a pair of Neumann KH120 monitors, playing through JRiver and a simple DAC. Not going above that level for now, they already deliver a lot, for me.
Help much appreciated, since the IEM comparison thread seems to not have been updated since 2013. The fact that this is not really an extreme budget IEM case makes it a bit harder to see which ones really stand out in this price range.
To be clear, I'm looking at some Sennheiser IE80 now. Possible to get for about 200 on ebay.
EDIT: Also, because I've never done this, - how safe is it to buy them used off ebay? And is it possible to do some sort of test after receiving them, to see whether they work well? (i.e. without doing something stupid like cranking up the volume and blowing out my eardrums for example)
So I need something better, to plug into my phone or laptop on the go, that sounds decent without amp.
I like clarity and a wide stage. Bass is not unimportant, since I like to have fun when I listen to metal and electronic on occasion, - but clarity is more important, especially for my beloved piano tracks (with that certain pealing of the keys), and (especially female) vocals. Instrument separation - well, I'm not sure how much I can ask of IEMs at this price level.
Build quality turns out to be important as well. I don't exactly do obstacle races in the mud with them, but I expect them not to break.
For comparison, at home when I really want to listen to music, I have a pair of Neumann KH120 monitors, playing through JRiver and a simple DAC. Not going above that level for now, they already deliver a lot, for me.
Help much appreciated, since the IEM comparison thread seems to not have been updated since 2013. The fact that this is not really an extreme budget IEM case makes it a bit harder to see which ones really stand out in this price range.
To be clear, I'm looking at some Sennheiser IE80 now. Possible to get for about 200 on ebay.
EDIT: Also, because I've never done this, - how safe is it to buy them used off ebay? And is it possible to do some sort of test after receiving them, to see whether they work well? (i.e. without doing something stupid like cranking up the volume and blowing out my eardrums for example)
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