[izver]

Hi
 
Okay so I'm going to buy headphones for commuting, riding my bike, riding my moped. So sort of noisy enviroments. I am not anywhere near being an audiophile. I dont appreciate pure and clean sound. For example when I put the on a pair of Beats I was incredibly impressed by the sound. I love strong bass and loud sound. I listen to rock, dnb metal... Fast music. Not classical. Music that doesn't require finesse.
 
So I've been considering buying the senn hd25-1 ii's but I'd still prefer having smaller IEM's if I can without sacrifising too much SQ. So my question to you is can I get some IEM and still have nice loud booming music?
 
I've been looking at the v-moda vibratos (http://v-moda.com/vibrato/) , and even though some people complaing about lacking in sound quality others say that the bass is stunning and they are very good looking IMO. But the problem is I can not find any atm. Opinions?
 
Cheers

 

[Orkboy]

Are you implying that metal doesn't require finesse? I am hurt.

Have you considered IE8? I own a pair and they're plenty bassy, definitely what I would describe as fun IEMs.

 

[izver]

Holy ****snacks the IE8's cost 300€. Shelling out that kind of money, I'd expect the headphones to really be something special.  And most importantly not break after 3 months.
 
On a related note, I may have phrased my sentance wrong. I would have done better to say that metal requires much less finesse than classical music, and musics like jazz rock etc. I'm sure you agree with that. Even though I highly appreceate the sennheiser brand and quality, I am not sure  if the IE8's aren't designed with more precise music in mind and for more audiophilic people in mind. I dont even think I could identify and pinpoint the quality difference between my samsung OEM in-ears and some other aside from the bass kick. I might be completely wrong however, since I've never had a taste of in-ears that cost over 30€.

 

[cravenz]

Quote:

Holy ****snacks the IE8's cost 300€. Shelling out that kind of money, I'd expect the headphones to really be something special.  And most importantly not break after 3 months.
 
On a related note, I may have phrased my sentance wrong. I would have done better to say that metal requires much less finesse than classical music, and musics like jazz rock etc. I'm sure you agree with that. Even though I highly appreceate the sennheiser brand and quality, I am not sure  if the IE8's aren't designed with more precise music in mind and for more audiophilic people in mind. I dont even think I could identify and pinpoint the quality difference between my samsung OEM in-ears and some other aside from the bass kick. I might be completely wrong however, since I've never had a taste of in-ears that cost over 30€.

 
On the topic of IE8s, they sound pretty expensive where you are. Quite sure if you hunt around, you might be able to find them cheaper. 
 
The IE8s are really durable though. Their cable has no microphonics whatsoever i.e. if you are commuting, riding a bike etc, you really won't hear anything if you accidentally tug on the wire or it brushes against something. Some other IEM cables are extremely microphonic i.e. it transfers the sound from anything touching or brushing against the cable. 
 
In terms of sound quality of the IE8s, they aren't tailored for reference type of music. They are fun and engaging IEMs. And the good thing about them is that you can configure them in various ways e.g. the bass tuning or by doing the tape mod. And then being able to EQ them to suit your tastes as well. That said, for the price, and if your budget is tight, I wouldn't recommend them. 
 
As a person who just enjoys his music, you may not appreciate all the nuances. But not everyone does either. But you know when you hear good music. The question is, what exactly do you want from the IEMs, and how much are you willing to spend for it as well. 

 

[izver]

Ok so, at first look the IE8's have been discontinued and can't be found in official stores anymore. At the senn site they have apparently been replaced by IE80's which let's just say aren't cheaper. Resorting to not official buying is a bit of a lottery though, because you can easely get screwed over and buy a fake, right? So unless I can find a pair, which sounds unlikely, whats a fair alternative? And I shound mention that the vmoda vibrato is currently also not availabe. I've checked  this thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-278-iems-compared-astrotec-am-800-dx-60-added-03-31-13-p-659#post_6492044 but it hasn't helped one bit. That just threw 500 different headphones into my face, without telling me what to get....
 
Oh btw, in case you are wondering, I live in slovenia, which is in EU and near italy, germany austria...

 

[Orkboy]

Holy ****snacks the IE8's cost 300€. Shelling out that kind of money, I'd expect the headphones to really be something special.  And most importantly not break after 3 months.

On a related note, I may have phrased my sentance wrong. I would have done better to say that metal requires much less finesse than classical music, and musics like jazz rock etc. I'm sure you agree with that. Even though I highly appreceate the sennheiser brand and quality, I am not sure  if the IE8's aren't designed with more precise music in mind and for more audiophilic people in mind. I dont even think I could identify and pinpoint the quality difference between my samsung OEM in-ears and some other aside from the bass kick. I might be completely wrong however, since I've never had a taste of in-ears that cost over 30€.

No I have to disagree. It's not easy to get notes out clean and smooth on an amplified instrument with distortion. Of course metal is a very wide genre, and you may be thinking lamb of god whereas I'm thinking Steve Vai. Anyway, that's a discussion for a different forum.

I really enjoy listening to metal with my SE535s so there you go.

 

[izver]

Yeah when listening to old Heavy metal bands like maiden or sabbath than you are right, a precise headset would be good, but if you take more faster, trashier sound, like maybe slayer or lamb of god than precision isn't exactly mandatory. Of course you want to clearly hear and distinguish guitar riffs, baselines and drums and the bass mustn't drown out the music, but beyond that, from a non expert point of view, I don't see much advantage. 

 

[Orkboy]

Yeah when listening to old Heavy metal bands like maiden or sabbath than you are right, a precise headset would be good, but if you take more faster, trashier sound, like maybe slayer or lamb of god than precision isn't exactly mandatory. Of course you want to clearly hear and distinguish guitar riffs, baselines and drums and the bass mustn't drown out the music, but beyond that, from a non expert point of view, I don't see much advantage. 

Faster and more intricate music benefits from accurate IEMs. Think more modern and complex metal, Meshuggah, Gojira, Angra, Dream Theater and so on. Accurate, precision IEMs let you hear the minutiae and intricacies that you risk missing with muddier sets.

 

[izver]

Damn I've never thought of it that way. But what you say makes insanely good sense. I guess I'm residing in a prison of a lifetime of bad headphones. We do have a killer audiophile stereo set, but my dad would kill me if I blasted metal on them so I was stuck with 30€ headphones, gaming headsets, and an 100€ stereo that i own.
 
Okay so here's what I did find!
the new IE80's for 220€
http://www.amazon.de/Sennheiser-504771-IE-80-In-Ear-Kopfh%C3%B6rer/dp/B005N8W27I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366309826&sr=8-1&keywords=ie8#productDescription
Also I can get the older IE8 for similar price.
 
Sadly, shure se535 is way out of my price range, considering i'll be coming from nothing I dont want to spend that much just now. But I've noticed that the monster turbine pro coppers have very good opinions. Should I look at those?
 
I really value your opinion as you listen to the same genre, and thus have most relevant experiences, so please do suggest more.
 
 
On a side note, focusing purely on metal might not be the best as I listen to a fair bit of funk and rock too.
 
EDIT:
oh i've been looking at another user here did, he got a pair of custom earplugs
http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=117

 

[EveTan]

Just as a side note. v moda told me that their vibratos won't be in stock until after summer. That's what their support told me.

 

[Orkboy]

There's also the SE215. They're a lot cheaper and they're also a little bass heavy. I bought a set two days ago and I'm really enjoying them. Good, smooth sound with plenty of bass without bring too over powered.

 

[Fernito]

You could consider the JVC FXT90 too. They sound terrific with metal IMHO.

 

[izver]

Quote:

You could consider the JVC FXT90 too. They sound terrific with metal IMHO.

Okay, but the FXT90's are only like 80€. Would the sound be much much worse than on IE80's? 

 

[Orkboy]

By the way are the IE80s you bought sold by Amazon or an individual seller? IE80s are notorious for the amount of counterfeits floating around. There are loads of comparison threads, and the fake ones are scarily close to the real ones in appearance

 

[Fernito]

Quote:

Okay, but the FXT90's are only like 80€. Would the sound be much much worse than on IE80's? 

 
I think they are about on pair in terms of sound quality, obviously with some differences in sound signature (IMHO, Sennheiser products -with just a few exceptions- are kind of too expensive for the sound they offer). But then again, the Senns have removable cable, are sleeker looking, etc.