[tomscy2000]

Quote:

  Do you know where to get them?

 
I actually haven't been following Cosmic Ears on here; however, you can probably send them an e-mail and ask about its availability. Parts are probably back-ordered at the moment.

 

[sheldonkreger]

Quote:

The R-50 is a great choice, its got all the detail of the HF5 and the R-50 has a larger soundstage better imaging and instrument separation, for $120 they're hard to beat and are still one of my favorites after going through about 50 IEM this past year.
 
Also the TDK BA200 is another dual balanced armature under $150 that's very good.  Now it has a warmer sound but still has the detail you want and it to has a spacious sound with great separation and the imaging on the BA200 is a bit better than the R-50.  I'd rank both equal as far as sound quality and what it comes down to is do you want a brighter more analytical sound (the R-50) or a warmer smoother sound (the BA200).

 
BA200 is now on the list, thanks!
 
One option I'm considering is using the $400 budget on two pairs, one more analytical (like the R-50) and one that's more balanced/warm/smooth (like the BA200). Since I'm still relatively new to the IEM world, I think this is actually a really good idea.
 
If I go this route, does anybody have any other thoughts/suggestions?
 
-sheldon

 

[sheldonkreger]

Quote:

Have you looked into the Vsonic GR07 at all? Or the Heir Audio 4.Ai?

 
Ya'll are making this REALLY hard hahaha, so much fun
 
I'm going to rule out the Heir 4.Ai simply due to price. I'm finding WAY too many good options under $200 and have decided to get TWO pair (crazy, I know).
 
The GR07's are now on my list, too. Thanks for the advice. How would you compare them to the Hf5's or the Sennheiser IE60? Would you describe them as more analytical/reference pieces or better for general purpose listening?
 
Thanks!
 
-sheldon

 

[ZARIM]

If you likes HF5 soundsignature then ER4P/S are highly recomended and they are more detailed than HF5 and if add AMPs in chain like JDS Labs C421(very clean and crisp clear sounding AMPs) then they will improve further. If you want to buy two IEMs under this budget then GR01, RE272, GR07, RE0, Klipsch Image X5 are highly recommended.

 

[sheldonkreger]

Alright, here's the latest development.
 
With $400 budget, I'm finding LOTS of great options, many of which are under $200. Since I'm relatively inexperienced (I've only used the Hf5's and iGi's), I could benefit from owning more headphones. So . . . 
 
I'm going to get two pair with my $400 budget. I would like one pair to err on the analytical/reference side, and another for general purpose listening.
 
Here are my new lists (in no particular order):
 
Analytical/Reference:
 
ER4
Rockit R-50
GR07
GR01
 
General Purpose:
 
BA200
IE60
Image X5
 
All thoughts appreciated!
 
-sheldon

 

[ZARIM]

The GR07 are fun to listen warm, balanced sounding IEMs(not reference) with good punchy bass and fairly wide soundstage, GR01 are stepup in reference side, so i will recommend the GR01, DBA_02, CK10, ER4P/S, RE272 for reference and general use GR07, UE TF10Pro, X5, XBA4, Yamah EPH100 and JVC FXD80.

 

[bhima]

Quote:

I know someone who had a problem with their R-50 and it was past 90 days, they sent them back and got a new pair so I don't know about and just parts warranty.

 
Did he have to pay for labor? If not, they must have liked your friend because on their site it says this:
"

Limited warranty: 90 days labor, 1 year parts

"
 
Another suggestion as a general purpose, extremely fun IEM: Yamaha EPH-100. I've been listening to it for a few days now and am completely in love with its ability to separate instruments, is very warm without ever sounding veiled, sounds good off of any source (something I can most certainly not say about the RE-262) and they look fantastic.