giorgio_lantos
New Head-Fier
Hi,
tldr: Are the Spiral Ear 5-Way Ultimates really the very best I can get, if I plan on listening to 320kb mp3s from my iPhone X without any external devices such as amps/DACs/DAPs?
To be clear, I'm not looking for someone to do any work for me looking for information. I'm perhaps looking for owners of the SE5-Way Ults and owners of the UE18+ Pro to tell me what they think about the source matching qualities of both CIEMs, in order to try to make a more educated decision on which to ruin my wallet with. I don't intend to buy CIEMs ever again unless there is a huge technological improvement that somehow revolutionizes the sound, so even if there is only a minute difference between the two, I would consider it worth it to get the better one.
--- If you're looking to kill time and want a more detailed explanation of the situation ---
I've always loved IEMs/audio but have always struggled because the wires break so easily. So I've always wanted a CIEM with a detachable MMCX cable, and just became able to take the plunge.
1. I'm looking for something portable, that I can just plug into my iPhone or computer. iPhone uses thunderbolt, computer uses standard 3.5mm. I was thinking to use an adapter, but that might ruin the quality, so perhaps two separate cables?
2. I don't want to use an amp or a DAC or a DAP or any of that stuff. I just want to plug it into my phone and listen. That said, would it be a stupid idea to get top of the line CIEMs? It is unclear to me how much of an impact these external devices have when used with CIEMs. I suppose it would depend on the source matching qualities of each individual CIEM. But also, I don't know how great of a source an iPhone X or a Macbook Pro is.
3. I like all music, but I suppose Daft Punk and Capsule are favorites (Techno, probably heavily synthetic)
4. The more noise isolation the better
As such, CIEMs I've been looking at are:
Ultimate Ears 18+ Pro
Spiral Ears 5-Way Ultimate
I'm on the fence, because the Ultimate Ears have the advantage of using a digital scanner instead of a physical mold, and their office is extremely close to me, so it would be very convenient and fit issues would be very very unlikely. That on top of being a big, reputable company with very high-ranked CIEMs is what stood out to me.
However, it seems like Spiral Ears have the best CIEMs, hands down, in addition to having the best isolation of any CIEM (which is important to me). At least, according to average_joe from theheadphoneslist. Yet, Spiral Ears is based in Poland, and it will cost a few hundred more to purchase these. And they still use physical molds, which might have fit issues. But I figured, if I go with physical molds, might as well go with the best. Also worried about reputability, because the only thing I have to go off of is forums and basically three reviewers from the same website because no one else can afford multiple CIEMs. Could just be some random company that will steal my money, though I doubt it.
So the question here is, are the Spiral Ear 5-Way Ultimates really the very best I can get, if I plan on listening to 320kb mp3s from my iPhone X without any external devices such as amps/DACs/DAPs?
Here are some rankings for anyone who is interested:
http://theheadphonelist.com/ranking-the-stars-flinkenicks-2017-iem-flagship-shootout/
http://theheadphonelist.com/ciem_review/fit-bat-flagship-iems-shootout/
http://theheadphonelist.com/custom-in-ear-monitors-reviews-list/
http://theheadphonelist.com/rank-8-ultimate-ears-ue18-pro/
http://theheadphonelist.com/rank-1-spiral-ear-5-way-ultimate/
http://theheadphonelist.com/ciem_review/spiral-ear-se-5-way-ultimate-transparency-redefined/
As you can see, the UE products and SE5-Way Ultimate are close, but at least on theheadphoneslist, the SE5-Way Ultimates are always on top.
I'd really appreciate any thoughts.
tldr: Are the Spiral Ear 5-Way Ultimates really the very best I can get, if I plan on listening to 320kb mp3s from my iPhone X without any external devices such as amps/DACs/DAPs?
To be clear, I'm not looking for someone to do any work for me looking for information. I'm perhaps looking for owners of the SE5-Way Ults and owners of the UE18+ Pro to tell me what they think about the source matching qualities of both CIEMs, in order to try to make a more educated decision on which to ruin my wallet with. I don't intend to buy CIEMs ever again unless there is a huge technological improvement that somehow revolutionizes the sound, so even if there is only a minute difference between the two, I would consider it worth it to get the better one.
--- If you're looking to kill time and want a more detailed explanation of the situation ---
I've always loved IEMs/audio but have always struggled because the wires break so easily. So I've always wanted a CIEM with a detachable MMCX cable, and just became able to take the plunge.
1. I'm looking for something portable, that I can just plug into my iPhone or computer. iPhone uses thunderbolt, computer uses standard 3.5mm. I was thinking to use an adapter, but that might ruin the quality, so perhaps two separate cables?
2. I don't want to use an amp or a DAC or a DAP or any of that stuff. I just want to plug it into my phone and listen. That said, would it be a stupid idea to get top of the line CIEMs? It is unclear to me how much of an impact these external devices have when used with CIEMs. I suppose it would depend on the source matching qualities of each individual CIEM. But also, I don't know how great of a source an iPhone X or a Macbook Pro is.
3. I like all music, but I suppose Daft Punk and Capsule are favorites (Techno, probably heavily synthetic)
4. The more noise isolation the better
As such, CIEMs I've been looking at are:
Ultimate Ears 18+ Pro
Spiral Ears 5-Way Ultimate
I'm on the fence, because the Ultimate Ears have the advantage of using a digital scanner instead of a physical mold, and their office is extremely close to me, so it would be very convenient and fit issues would be very very unlikely. That on top of being a big, reputable company with very high-ranked CIEMs is what stood out to me.
However, it seems like Spiral Ears have the best CIEMs, hands down, in addition to having the best isolation of any CIEM (which is important to me). At least, according to average_joe from theheadphoneslist. Yet, Spiral Ears is based in Poland, and it will cost a few hundred more to purchase these. And they still use physical molds, which might have fit issues. But I figured, if I go with physical molds, might as well go with the best. Also worried about reputability, because the only thing I have to go off of is forums and basically three reviewers from the same website because no one else can afford multiple CIEMs. Could just be some random company that will steal my money, though I doubt it.
So the question here is, are the Spiral Ear 5-Way Ultimates really the very best I can get, if I plan on listening to 320kb mp3s from my iPhone X without any external devices such as amps/DACs/DAPs?
Here are some rankings for anyone who is interested:
http://theheadphonelist.com/ranking-the-stars-flinkenicks-2017-iem-flagship-shootout/
http://theheadphonelist.com/ciem_review/fit-bat-flagship-iems-shootout/
http://theheadphonelist.com/custom-in-ear-monitors-reviews-list/
http://theheadphonelist.com/rank-8-ultimate-ears-ue18-pro/
http://theheadphonelist.com/rank-1-spiral-ear-5-way-ultimate/
http://theheadphonelist.com/ciem_review/spiral-ear-se-5-way-ultimate-transparency-redefined/
As you can see, the UE products and SE5-Way Ultimate are close, but at least on theheadphoneslist, the SE5-Way Ultimates are always on top.
I'd really appreciate any thoughts.