[becca]

Hello, 
 
I'm looking for a decent pair of IEM's for under £250. I'll be using them with my iPhone 7 for general listening use on public transport  and for exercise therefore good isolation is a must. I'm not an audiophile but I do appreciate the difference in sound quality between a good pair of earphones and a cheaper pair. I do listen to a wide range of music genres from rock to acoustic hence, I'm not looking for a pair of IEM's that are only suited to one specific genre. I'm currently leaning towards the Shure SE425's due to the good reviews and 5 stars from What Hi-FI but I'm a little hesitant due to many claiming they lack in bass. I'm not a "bass head" so I don't know whether this should be something to worry about? The Westone UM Pro 20 are another pair I'd looked at but I'm not sure how these fair against the Shure's. The new Fender FXA5's also look good but i can't find many reviews so again, I'm not sure. I'm open to any recommendations people may have. I would like a pair with replaceable cables just incase as I don't want to have to pull out another £250. Also, what difference would an amp make? I don't really have a clue with this sort of stuff but I'd had a brief look at the the Audioquest Dragonfly Black and seen that also had good reviews. 
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Beyakusenn]

Wait... iPhone 7? I know Shure has a lightning cable, but it does cost an additional $100.
If you are going to use the standard adapter from Apple, my recommendation would be the Custom Art Music One. I have had both the silicone and the acrylic versions. The silicone version isolates better and has less microphonics, but the acrylic version is good on both fronts as well, looks better and is more durable. The products from Custom Art are of great quality for their price.
 
The dragonfly is a DAC/amp combination. A DAC is a Digital to Analog Converter. The adapter cable from lightning to 3.5mm also has a tiny built-in DAC. I think the Dragonfly would improve the sound, but I haven't heard the standard adapter yet, so I can't make a clear judgement.

 

[sonyfan501]

Hello,

I'm looking for a decent pair of IEM's for under £250. I'll be using them with my iPhone 7 for general listening use on public transport and for exercise therefore good isolation is a must. I'm not an audiophile but I do appreciate the difference in sound quality between a good pair of earphones and a cheaper pair. I do listen to a wide range of music genres from rock to acoustic hence, I'm not looking for a pair of IEM's that are only suited to one specific genre. I'm currently leaning towards the Shure SE425's due to the good reviews and 5 stars from What Hi-FI but I'm a little hesitant due to many claiming they lack in bass. I'm not a "bass head" so I don't know whether this should be something to worry about? The Westone UM Pro 20 are another pair I'd looked at but I'm not sure how these fair against the Shure's. The new Fender FXA5's also look good but i can't find many reviews so again, I'm not sure. I'm open to any recommendations people may have. I would like a pair with replaceable cables just incase as I don't want to have to pull out another £250. Also, what difference would an amp make? I don't really have a clue with this sort of stuff but I'd had a brief look at the the Audioquest Dragonfly Black and seen that also had good reviews.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

If you are going to use an iPhone 7 to, then you should really look elsewhere for in ears. From what I have heard, the iPhone 7's adapter has worst sound quality when compared to the iPhone 6/6s(which is decent in terms of audio quality, don't get me wrong). Westone does make a bluetooth cable, but it comes with a hefty price tag of around $150. Overall, I wouldn't recommend the Shure se425 or the Westone UM Pro 20's if you want IEMs for casual use. They both have an analytical sound.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

I personally really like the SE425, they offer a very balanced sound but to some will sound bass light (not in my opinon).

A new model that you should take a look at is the Oriveti New Primacy, again a balanced sound with excellent comfort.

Where are you in the UK, as a few places allow you to demo some models.

 

[sonyfan501]

I personally really like the SE425, they offer a very balanced sound but to some will sound bass light (not in my opinon).

A new model that you should take a look at is the Oriveti New Primacy, again a balanced sound with excellent comfort.

Where are you in the UK, as a few places allow you to demo some models.

I too enjoy the Shure SE425. I love how balanced they sound, and it has just the right amount of bass for the type of iem they are.

 

[serman005]

I would add the RHA T20 to your list. Maybe an IE80, too.

 

[matan124]

You can also get the noble x from massdrop, it's 250$ and another 40$ for lightning cable.

 

[ahmadfaizadnan]

westone 30 is a great iem for its price but might need to wait for another drop.