[Redmetal1897]

Hey guys, I want to get a pair of IEM's for my mom as a gift. She listens to Indian and western classical mainly and alot of vocally driven music. My budget is around $200 or a little more if I get great bang for my buck. I just got the HJE 900's which I absolutely love but I don't know if the recessed mids will lend themselves to vocal driven music.  Any advice or guidance as to where to look will be much appreciated! She uses an ipod
 
Thanks in advance

 

[manutd]

i prefer my westone 2's to the hje900's for classical, also very light/comfy and durable cord (but not as beefy as the hje900). with a coupon you should be able to get w2's for ~215.

 

[stevenswall]

My Etymotic Mc5 excels at vocal realism. It's quite durable, and had more isolation than any other brand of earphone. The frequency response is actually tuned to how the human ear hears, using equal loudness contours, to make it exceptionally natural sounding.

 

[Kunlun]

Quote:

Hey guys, I want to get a pair of IEM's for my mom as a gift. She listens to Indian and western classical mainly and alot of vocally driven music. My budget is around $200 or a little more if I get great bang for my buck. I just got the HJE 900's which I absolutely love but I don't know if the recessed mids will lend themselves to vocal driven music.  Any advice or guidance as to where to look will be much appreciated! She uses an ipod
 
Thanks in advance

I listen to mainly Indian and western classical music, too!
 
The new Future Sonics Atrios with the mg7 driver that I've been listening to are great for both and cost $200. I was just thinking today, "these are great for classical". The timbre of cellos and sarods and sarangis and violins are reproduced very nicely--accurate and beautiful without anything being overstated. Male and female voices are very well done as well. The soundstage is big and the driver can handle fast tabla playing with ease.
 
Also, these are easily driven by an ipod.
 
You can contact Future Sonics to see who has the new  driver Atrios (most places will have the old driver as the new ones literally just became available).
 

 

[Redmetal1897]

Thanks guys this is a good list will be looking into these for sure
Quote:

i prefer my westone 2's to the hje900's for classical, also very light/comfy and durable cord (but not as beefy as the hje900). with a coupon you should be able to get w2's for ~215.

What did you make of the game today 

 We sure left it let eh!? Thank God for Park!

 
Quote:

My Etymotic Mc5 excels at vocal realism. It's quite durable, and had more isolation than any other brand of earphone. The frequency response is actually tuned to how the human ear hears, using equal loudness contours, to make it exceptionally natural sounding.

The er4's seem to be a name that get mentioned alot when it comes to classical, have you by any chance used those? How would they compare?

 
Quote:

I listen to mainly Indian and western classical music, too!
 
The new Future Sonics Atrios with the mg7 driver that I've been listening to are great for both and cost $200. I was just thinking today, "these are great for classical". The timbre of cellos and sarods and sarangis and violins are reproduced very nicely--accurate and beautiful without anything being overstated. Male and female voices are very well done as well. The soundstage is big and the driver can handle fast tabla playing with ease.
 
Also, these are easily driven by an ipod.
 
You can contact Future Sonics to see who has the new  driver Atrios (most places will have the old driver as the new ones literally just became available).
 

Perfect! I've not really ever looked at the atrios but will be sure to look them up! 

 

[yello131]

For classical music Radius DDM  works quite well. Strings sound amazing with this phones..
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p4712.m570.l1313&_nkw=HP-TWF11R&_sacat=See-All-Categories

 

[Redmetal1897]

Hey everyone, 
 
So I have managed to narrow it down to a couple of key contenders, thanks to everyone in this thread and james444 for helping me narrow it down, as well as to all the reviews on this website that do such a fantastic job detailing the comparisons and sounds that they hear. Here goes, ranked in no particular order
 
1) Earsonics SM3
2) Westone UMX3
3) Ortofon EQ7
4) Radius DDM
5) Shure 535
6) Seinheisser IE8
7) Future Sonics mg7
 
I'd appreciate some feedback from those who have experience using these IEM's. I had originally limited myself $200 but I'd rather spend more and get the quality so that my mom can enjoy the music she listens to. I'll list my criteria again
 
1) Good detailed soundstage with good instrument separation (not at the expense of midrange, which is why I'm 50/50 about the IE8's)
2) Vibrant midrange to emphasize vocals, bass doesn't have to be over the top and treble should be bright without sibilance
3) Musicality above being analytical
4) Warm, lush sound
5) Good fit for smaller ears (I like what i've read about the Ortofon but I also read that it has issues with fit)
6) Good isolation
7) Good bang for buck (a $500 IEM should sound like a $500 IEM, not like a $250)
 
For reference purpose, I have the Panasonic HJE900's which I absolutely love, but for the kind of music my mother listens to, something with more upfront midrange and slightly wider soundstage with less of the sibilance would be ideal. The instrument details are excellent on the Pana's.
 
Thanks everyone and if you have any other suggestions please feel free to chip in but God knows I'll have a tough time picking one from these 

 

[bisayaboi]

Quote:

Hey everyone, 
 
So I have managed to narrow it down to a couple of key contenders, thanks to everyone in this thread and james444 for helping me narrow it down, as well as to all the reviews on this website that do such a fantastic job detailing the comparisons and sounds that they hear. Here goes, ranked in no particular order
 
1) Earsonics SM3
2) Westone UMX3
3) Ortofon EQ7
4) Radius DDM
5) Shure 535
6) Seinheisser IE8
7) Future Sonics mg7
 
I'd appreciate some feedback from those who have experience using these IEM's. I had originally limited myself $200 but I'd rather spend more and get the quality so that my mom can enjoy the music she listens to. I'll list my criteria again
 
1) Good detailed soundstage with good instrument separation (not at the expense of midrange, which is why I'm 50/50 about the IE8's)
2) Vibrant midrange to emphasize vocals, bass doesn't have to be over the top and treble should be bright without sibilance
3) Musicality above being analytical
4) Warm sound
5) Good fit for smaller ears (I like what i've read about the Ortofon but I also read that it has issues with fit)
6) Good isolation
7) Good bang for buck (a $500 IEM should sound like a $500 IEM, not like a $250)
 
For reference purpose, I have the Panasonic HJE900's which I absolutely love, but for the kind of music my mother listens to, something with more upfront midrange and slightly wider soundstage with less of the sibilance would be ideal. The instrument details are excellent on the Pana's.
 
Thanks everyone and if you have any other suggestions please feel free to chip in but God knows I'll have a tough time picking one from these 

Well that rank of top IEM's is highly subjective mind you. Not necessarily better than each other but just different. 
You're also missing some other very good IEM's.
 
Any way for classical I cannot think of anything better than the DBA-02. It's a balanced and treble-focused IEM perfect for classical. 
It fits all your requirements except the warm sound part. These are slightly bright and somewhat upfront/engaging. Great soundstage too and highly detailed.
They are very comfortable and the isolation is very good with the right tips.
It's a high-value IEM that can definitely compete with those IEM's you mentioned in terms of balance and especially treble.
They cost $150.
 
Also you want to look at the similar sounding CK10 for it's fantastic build.
 
Make sure you look at joker's IEM thread. In fact everyone who visits this forum should make sure they saw it already.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-115-iems-compared-monster-miles-davis-tribute-added-10-17#post_6492044
 

 

[james444]

2) I love the IE8, but their midrange is rather laid back than vibrant and bass is a bit overdone.
6) DDM are great for classical, but drop out for lack of isolation.
 
Only five left...

 

[Redmetal1897]

Hi bisayobi thanks for your comment. You are right sound is entirely subjective and what I think is gold might seem like garbage to someone else. I did go through the 115 reviews and it was one of my main sources of research. The reason I didnt consider the DBA-02 and the CK10 is that from my research, I get the impression that they are very analytical and aggressive, whereas the sound I am looking for is more musical and lush. Since it is Indian classical, the best example I think of in terms of western music is opera, the vocals have to be the main focus and they have to sound detailed, rich and the tone, timbre and emotions carried by the voice really have to be felt, which is why I went with the choices that I did, from my research they seem to have what I am looking for. So what I am trying to get now is verification or for someone to correct me if I am wrong, and hopefully some impressions from those who have used the listed phones so that I can narrow my choice and pick one! And I know more money doesnt equal more quality, my HJE's are <$100 and I absolutely love them and will probably not buy any further IEM's (unless I win the lottery of course or somehow end up making alot of money 

 
Quote:

Well that rank of top IEM's is highly subjective mind you. Not necessarily better than each other but just different. 
You're also missing some other very good IEM's.
 
Any way for classical I cannot think of anything better than the DBA-02. It's a balanced and treble-focused IEM perfect for classical. 
It fits all your requirements except the warm sound part. These are slightly bright and somewhat upfront/engaging. Great soundstage too and highly detailed.
They are very comfortable and the isolation is very good with the right tips.
It's a high-value IEM that can definitely compete with those IEM's you mentioned in terms of balance and especially treble.
They cost $150.
 
Also you want to look at the similar sounding CK10 for it's fantastic build.
 
Make sure you look at joker's IEM thread. In fact everyone who visits this forum should make sure they saw it already.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-115-iems-compared-monster-miles-davis-tribute-added-10-17#post_6492044
 

 

[Redmetal1897]

Quote:

2) I love the IE8, but their midrange is rather laid back than vibrant and bass is a bit overdone.
6) DDM are great for classical, but drop out for lack of isolation.
 
Only five left...

Yup that makes it much easier to decide! I'm definitely going to enjoy the testing process, I know you dont usually give a gift open  box but hey, I gotta test to make sure she likes it right 

 

[james444]

Quote:

 
Any way for classical I cannot think of anything better than the DBA-02. It's a balanced and treble-focused IEM perfect for classical. 
It fits all your requirements except the warm sound part. These are slightly bright and somewhat upfront/engaging. Great soundstage too and highly detailed.
They are very comfortable and the isolation is very good with the right tips.
It's a high-value IEM that can definitely compete with those IEM's you mentioned in terms of balance and especially treble.
They cost $150.
 
Also you want to look at the similar sounding CK10 for it's fantastic build.

I haven't heard the DBA-02, but IMO the CK10 are out for 2 (sibilance) and 4 (not warm).

 

[Redmetal1897]

Quote:

I haven't heard the DBA-02, but IMO the CK10 are out for 2 (sibilance) and 4 (not warm).

Yup this is the impression I got as well, and it may seem like I am overemphasizing this, but Indian classical is all about the emotion so the listening experience has to be pristine and feel like you are there, most performances are fairly intimate and the best reaction to the music is when it feels like the vocals have really hit you, which is why I wanted the focus on the mids and not recessed mids.

 

[EraserXIV]

I feel the e-Q7s are the most musically adept for handling the type of music you are describing. I haven't tried a couple of the others on your list, but from what I've read the e-Q7 should best them easily. As usual, YMMV, but I have no reservations recommending the e-Q7 for your mother.

 

[Redmetal1897]

Quote:

I feel the e-Q7s are the most musically adept for handling the type of music you are describing. I haven't tried a couple of the others on your list, but from what I've read the e-Q7 should best them easily. As usual, YMMV, but I have no reservations recommending the e-Q7 for your mother.

Cheers Eraser! TBH I am leaning heavily towards them too in terms of sound, my only concern is the fit as she has fairly small ears, would that be something that can be alleviated with different tips?