Thank you for your responses, they have been really helpful/informative   I'm still not sold on the R-50... I think I'll start with one of the interesting cheaper options that were recommended, and see where it goes from there   nihontoman was right in pointing out that I'm scared of...

Thanks for the warning   I hope I can find myself satisfied before I end up with an empty wallet!

Hey! So I'm looking for  earphones with 'engaging' sound but in a realistic manner (?) that also have good build quality. My only experience is with JVC Marshmallows, which honestly sound muddled, not detailed at all, and 'compressed' to me. I think I would really enjoy a 'dynamic' sound...

Thank you for the suggestion   I'm currently reading the thread, seems interesting/promising

Thanks for your answer   I'm intrigued by how you found the Sony's bass preferable   Maybe it's because I'm used to what seem to be bassy earphones, I can only imagine the CC51 as sounding 'distant', or 'incomplete', hehe   I fear ending up with anemic sound, though I don't know if...

Quote: Thank you for the quick answer, I've been reading your reviews for those sets-   Unfortunately I'm not very experienced with IEMs, so what worries me is: is it possible for the more analytical sets to sound boring to me? I'm not necessarily looking for very revealing 'studio...

Hello joker, you seem extremely knowledgeable (and laborious!), so here's me asking for a recommendation (I made a thread):     thread is http://www.head-fi.org/t/636185/kid-looking-for-veterans-experience-using-cowon-starting-audiophilia Thanks!

I've been lurking this place for a while, it has been very informing/entertaining... but I think I could certainly use your experience   So I need IEMs for listening to FLACs/LAME MP3s w/ my old Cowon D2 in the subway   I'm pretty much an audio noob, I've only used some JVC Marshmallows...