[Change is Good]

For gaming, BA IEMs are better suited because of the multiple drivers being used.

 

[Napalmhardcore]

For gaming, BA IEMs are better suited because of the multiple drivers being used.

I'd like to check out the Shure BA IEMs one day but they're pretty expensive and I'm not a rich man.

 

[Change is Good]

 
I'd like to check out the Shure BA IEMs one day but they're pretty expensive and I'm not a rich man.

 
Not all are ridiculously priced like the 846. Plenty in the mid tier range to choose from.

 

[shuto77]

I tried a pair of cheap in ears a couple of days ago. With the Mixamp, I found the directional cues were very good. I'm just not a fan of these particular earphones (Panasonic RP-TCM125).

I was looking for something cheap and some site had reviewed them as their best budget in ear. The Amazon (UK) reviews seemed to be unanimously positive (at the time) regarding the sound quality (a couple of complaints about the durability/build quality though) so I took the plunge. I don't know if mine are defective (though I'm thinking not as the sound is the same in both ears) but I find the bass to be atrociously bad. Not the amount of bass, but it completely lacks any definition. For example, a bass line that you'd describe vocally as bom bom bom just becomes mmm mmm mmm. The only other set of in ears I've tried were the Skullcandy Jibs that I picked up at an airport for about £7 (as I don't own any on ears and the ear buds I got with my PSP were garbage). Despite not being as nice in the mids, the bass was so much better. Kind of wish I'd not given them to my brother.

I'd like to try in ears again but I don't know what to go for. Amazon UK reviews seem to completely contradict the majority of sources dedicated to headphone reviews. In fact, the one brand that gets consistently (very) good reviews is Betron. I can find no info about them from any reputable sources and a post I made here on Head-Fi got no replies when I asked if anyone had heard of them/tried them. Seems weird that a company that appears to be dominating in the amount and the positivity of their reviews is not acknowledged in the slightest by any sites dedicated to audio (even if just to debunk the notion that they are any good). Personally, I'm not keen on the idea of purchasing something from a brand that I've never heard of with no information about them from a respectable source.

A few people around here use iems for gaming. One of the better bets would be the Fiio Ex1, a re-badged DUNU Titan 1. These companies may seem unfamiliar; if so, check out reviews from ljokerl, @twister6 and clieos, all of whom are well-regarded reviewers on HeadFi, who check out a lot of great stuff. Good luck!

 

[shuto77]

Okay thanks, one more thing how do you wear your pistons, wrapped around your ear or normal?

I usually prefer to wear iems over ear, but with the Pistons, I wear them straight-down, due to the shape and because they don't insert deeply into my ear canals. Some designs work better for around-the-ear vs straight-down, and I think the Pistons were designed to be worn straight-down.

 

[Napalmhardcore]

A few people around here use iems for gaming. One of the better bets would be the Fiio Ex1, a re-badged DUNU Titan 1. These companies may seem unfamiliar; if so, check out reviews from ljokerl, @twister6 and clieos, all of whom are well-regarded reviewers on HeadFi, who check out a lot of great stuff. Good luck!

I was researching the EX1s a few days ago and funnily enough they're at the top of my list currently. Thing is, with IEMs I'm really looking for an end game solution (whereas with headphones I'm a little more interested in experimenting), so I don't know whether it would be better to make the jump straight to BAs. If I did get the EX1s, knowing what I'm like I'd be left wondering how much of a difference there is between BAs and dynamics.
 
While my experience thus far doesn't fairly represent dynamics (as I've been using cheap ones), BA is really where most people eventually end up when they want to know how good IEMs can sound. So it may be wiser for me to resist the temptation of the EX1s and wait until I can afford something that will satisfy me long term.

 

[Change is Good]

I was researching the EX1s a few days ago and funnily enough they're at the top of my list currently. Thing is, with IEMs I'm really looking for an end game solution (whereas with headphones I'm a little more interested in experimenting), so I don't know whether it would be better to make the jump straight to BAs. If I did get the EX1s, knowing what I'm like I'd be left wondering how much of a difference there is between BAs and dynamics.

While my experience thus far doesn't fairly represent dynamics (as I've been using cheap ones), BA is really where most people eventually end up when they want to know how good IEMs can sound. So it may be wiser for me to resist the temptation of the EX1s and wait until I can afford something that will satisfy me long term.

I would recommend getting hybrids like the Sony XBA-H3/A3 (my choice) or JVC FX-850. They come with 2 BA drivers and one dynamic, keeping that bass decay that makes dynamics so lovely. They can be found for under $200 these days.

Full blown BA drivers have a fast tuning sound similar to full size planars. Ones with 3-4 drivers are reasonably priced. It's when you get to 5+ that things get a bit too expensive.

 

[Napalmhardcore]

I would recommend getting hybrids like the Sony XBA-H3/A3 (my choice) or JVC FX-850. They come with 2 BA drivers and one dynamic, keeping that bass decay that makes dynamics so lovely. They can be found for under $200 these days.

Full blown BA drivers have a fast tuning sound similar to full size planars. Ones with 3-4 drivers are reasonably priced. It's when you get to 5+ that things get a bit too expensive.

My experience with headphones in general is pretty limited. I've not tried planars (though I'd like to one day) so I cannot relate. One of the bad things about starting out with audio gear (and not having a lot of money) is that I don't know what I like yet and don't know how what I'm listening to measures up in the grand scheme of things.
 
I see reviews from people on places like Amazon where they say "this is my first pair of decent headphones" and then proceed to give a review like they are Tyll Hertsens. I personally have the good sense to realise that what I know is that I know very little. While statements like I said earlier about directional cues being good don't require me to have experience (it sounded like the enemy was coming from a particular direction and that's where they appeared) my ability to judge other factors can only be done in relation to what I've already tried, which currently isn't a lot.

 

[Change is Good]

 
My experience with headphones in general is pretty limited. I've not tried planars (though I'd like to one day) so I cannot relate. One of the bad things about starting out with audio gear (and not having a lot of money) is that I don't know what I like yet and don't know how what I'm listening to measures up in the grand scheme of things.

 
Start where you feel comfortable, and gradually work from there. I started my headphone journey with the AD700 and M50. The SE215 was my first pair of IEMs that weren't 'cheap earbuds.'

 

[Change is Good]

I guess waiting a year for the PS4 version wasn't so bad, after all...
 
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-ps4-release-date-confirmed/1100-6441935/

 

[Evshrug]

Shweet!

Also, I have the UFO-saucer looking FiiO EX1. Sounds pretty decent, but I can't get used to them because my ears are picky and I can't stand any of the silicone eartip sizes. I should just get some Comply Foamies or something. Only silicone tips I've liked so far, for context, are the 3-flange Etymotics... Which is odd, because I usually get better comfort from the smallest olive-shaped silicone tips.

 

[mrkingdomhearts]

What was everyone's setup for games prior to discovering head fi?
For me I used to have a turtle beach px21 then a steelseries Siberia V2 after that one broke.

 

[Change is Good]

What was everyone's setup for games prior to discovering head fi?
For me I used to have a turtle beach px21 then a steelseries Siberia V2 after that one broke.

 
My TV speakers. I discovered head-fi when I returned a PS3 headset that didn't work.

 

[Napalmhardcore]

What was everyone's setup for games prior to discovering head fi?
For me I used to have a turtle beach px21 then a steelseries Siberia V2 after that one broke.

In the old days I used (CRT) TV speakers (my interest in quality audio didn't develop until my late 20s). Later I used some old PC speakers my brother got in the late 90s with our first PC (not counting the Amiga). Then I got a small Logitech 2.1 system, then got the PX21 headset and DSS2, then I got the AKG K240 Mkiis, a Modmic and a Mixamp. I got a Yamaha Receiver that I first paired up with a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 10.0s. Recently I got a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze 2s and last week I got the Cloud ii headset (I go into my reasons a page or two back).
 
Edit: I discovered Head Fi around the time I got my AKGs I think.

 

[Evshrug]

What was everyone's setup for games prior to discovering head fi?
For me I used to have a turtle beach px21 then a steelseries Siberia V2 after that one broke.

This would probably be a fun thread to create.

Personally, I used a really badly set up Stereo system in my mom's basement. I have no idea what speakers they were, but they were about the size of those used in the Bose demos "look how huge!" One of them was sideways and right under the TV, the other was about 15 feet off to the right in a tunnel-like room.

In college, I just played at friend's dorms or played on my laptop with a pair of Sony desktop speakers, which also had a headphone jack that I used with the original earbuds that came with the 2nd an 5th gen iPods. When I looked for well-reviewed headphones, the places I looked for reviews was at Macworld and Headroom.com. Eventually I got a pair of Sennheiser PX-100 (I think 2008?). When I got my 360, I was looking up speaker-like headphones (most soundstage and comfort) and how to connect the 360 to headphones, searching around helped me discover Head-Fi, this thread, AD700, an RCA to 3.5mm adapter, and a FiiO E5.