[DannyBai]

Lots of good recommendations here but for me, the RE272's are hard to beat. 

 

[texanater]

Thanks for the replies.  It looks like the GR07 is the favorite.  I hadn't considered the FX700 but it really looks like a great option.  Its pretty hard for me to imagine spending over $300 for it though.  Thats definitely beyond what I had in mind but still in the realm of possible.  I like that its not very good at noise isolation but gets really high marks for sound quality.  Thats really what I need.  Is it really $300 good though?  That better be really friggin good!  If I'm going to consider a $300+ iem, is the FX700 really competitive not considering the noise isolation issue?
 
Again thanks all, this is really helpful.
 
Nate

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Thanks for the replies.  It looks like the GR07 is the favorite.  I hadn't considered the FX700 but it really looks like a great option.  Its pretty hard for me to imagine spending over $300 for it though.  Thats definitely beyond what I had in mind but still in the realm of possible.  I like that its not very good at noise isolation but gets really high marks for sound quality.  Thats really what I need.  Is it really $300 good though?  That better be really friggin good!  If I'm going to consider a $300+ iem, is the FX700 really competitive not considering the noise isolation issue?
 
Again thanks all, this is really helpful.
 
Nate

 
You decide. It has a lot of treble, and just as much (if not more) bass. The mids seem like an afterthought. That may be a problem for you coming from the slightly prominent mids of the HF2. Otherwise, it's worth the price. However, if we discuss price then the GR07 would be the better value. It delivers almost tit-for-tat technical performance with a more balanced signature, for almost half the price of the FX700.

 

[hkppl]

Since in HK we don't have any armies, I am just curious: US armies allow wearing IEM during military operations? 

 

[tzjin]

Nobody fights 24/7. I'm sure OP has some leisure time where music and good headphones would be appreciated.

 

[morethansense]

I've had Shure SE215's for over a year now, and have been relegated to jogging/gym duty for the past 6 months.
I still love them and their sound.
They don't even show any signs of wear or structural fatigue despite all my significant abuse.
They also have the best isolation in comparison to the others you have been considering.
At $100 they're not extremely cheap but they're nowhere near top-end stuff that you need to worry about damaging them.
 
If you don't mind considering a higher price point, though, the SE425's are exactly the same build as the SE215's, they just have double balanced armatures instead of a single dynamic driver.