[dunny8588]

I joined here under a lost username a few years ago and received some great advice so thanks!

I ended up getting a pair of Shure E3C's and really liked the way they sounded, but the wires gave up on me a while back. I now have a bit of spare cash before I head back to uni so came back here to get some advice on what's best for me. I'll separate my requirements/desirable specs here:


Sounds similar to E3c (not that important basically any good sounding quite bass heavy phones)

Has durable or ideally replaceable wires, as I prefer to wrap the headphones round my player rather than carry round a case.

Costs less than £100 but could stretch to £150ish mark if really worth it.



So what are the perfect (because we all know perfect exists

) IEM's for me?

If it makes a difference I'll probably be getting a Samsung P2 to replace my creative zen v plus which the screen has died on.

Thanks for any help!
Dunny

 

[G-man]

well an obvious choice would be the super.fi 5 EB.
bass heavy
replaceable cable
99 pounds at currys i think. but you better not buy it from there. they are way over priced, you could probably get it much cheaper elsewhere.

 

[BloodSugar00]

If you can push it to 150, the SA6 are a great set of IEM's! They are available at hi-fiheadphones.com for about that price or just under. They are a single, balanced armature deign, customisable via their VQ system (a system of exchangeable bass ports and treble tubes), are very small in size, have replaceable cables and a wireless adaptor is due to be released for them next month also. Sonically, they are great performers, even despite only being a single driver design. They are pretty neutral overall, but exhibit enough colur and sparkle to make them lively and musical. They have a decent bass reponse, which is defined, extensive, detailed and punchy. Its not the greatest in quanity- though its by no means weak- but there are ways to increase this (bass port mods, EQ, use of shure olive foamie tips, use of a resistor adaptor). The highs are very present and detailed and if not the most extensive are still very well extended and not too rolled off or recessed. The mids are arguably the strongest part of this IEM's sound signature being more forward than the rest of the frequency distribution, lush, smooth, vocals excellent. They have a very respectable soundstage (for IEM's) and exhibit no sibilance nor microphonics (when over-the-ear style). Overall, a great sound presentation! The VQ system works well also, making subtle- significant modifications/changes to the sound signature as you interchange bass ports and/or treble tubes. Their only real weakness for me when compared to the SE530's and UE Triplefi Pro 10's I own (both multiple driver iem's) is a slight lack of detail, resolution and instrument separation. Oh and the Sleek Audio customer service is second to none!

 

[dunny8588]

Ok cheers for the replies.

I'm liking the sound of the Super.fi ones at the moment. The Sleek Audio's sound good too but I don't think I'd appreciate the benefit of tuning them manually for the extra money.

Do you know how much Ultimate Ears tend to charge for cable replacement when they're out of warranty? Is it simple enough to buy the components and do it yourself?

 

[user1029]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunny8588 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you know how much Ultimate Ears tend to charge for cable replacement when they're out of warranty? Is it simple enough to buy the components and do it yourself?

The UE replacement cable costs $20; just unplug old cable and plug in new cable.

 

[BloodSugar00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunny8588 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm liking the sound of the Super.fi ones at the moment. The Sleek Audio's sound good too but I don't think I'd appreciate the benefit of tuning them manually for the extra money.

In reality, its not that complicated. Its given to you on a plate really. Want more or less treble? Just pull out treble tube and pop in another one? Want more or less bass? Do the same with the bass ports. You'll find you'll soon settle on a combination anyway and won't really mess with the VQ system except on the odd occasion. But its up to you

 

[Cipher7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BloodSugar00 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you can push it to 150, the SA6 are a great set of IEM's! They are available at hi-fiheadphones.com for about that price or just under. They are a single, balanced armature deign, customisable via their VQ system (a system of exchangeable bass ports and treble tubes), are very small in size, have replaceable cables and a wireless adaptor is due to be released for them next month also. Sonically, they are great performers, even despite only being a single driver design. They are pretty neutral overall, but exhibit enough colur and sparkle to make them lively and musical. They have a decent bass reponse, which is defined, extensive, detailed and punchy. Its not the greatest in quanity- though its by no means weak- but there are ways to increase this (bass port mods, EQ, use of shure olive foamie tips, use of a resistor adaptor). The highs are very present and detailed and if not the most extensive are still very well extended and not too rolled off or recessed. The mids are arguably the strongest part of this IEM's sound signature being more forward than the rest of the frequency distribution, lush, smooth, vocals excellent. They have a very respectable soundstage (for IEM's) and exhibit no sibilance nor microphonics (when over-the-ear style). Overall, a great sound presentation! The VQ system works well also, making subtle- significant modifications/changes to the sound signature as you interchange bass ports and/or treble tubes. Their only real weakness for me when compared to the SE530's and UE Triplefi Pro 10's I own (both multiple driver iem's) is a slight lack of detail, resolution and instrument separation. Oh and the Sleek Audio customer service is second to none!

Where is the site for SA6's at 150?? I tried your link and it doesn't work!! I wanna get this deal, please post the website! We're talking USA dollars right??

 

[dunny8588]

I think the site BloodSugar00 means is Headphones & Earphones | HiFi Headphones Store - iPod earphones, wireless headphones, in ear headphones, Sennheiser headphones plus Grado, Audio Technica & Skullcandy - HiFi Headphones but i hate to break it to you that its in GBP. If it was dollars I'd be snapping them up too.

Right well I have all I need to know now. Now the hard part is making the decision!

Thanks again for all the help again and hopefully soon I'll be

 

[xiaoipower]

Just a quick note, its worth calling that company up if your a student. I got a 10% discount on my triple.fis bringing them down to 170 which included p+p so if can stretch a little futher... ^^

PS if you're set on the Sleeks they had an offer that ended Aug, where they would match the price of imports from the USA so maybe if you asked nicely...

 

[paddy567]

Just a quick one do not get the super fi's if you are expecting the fit/comfort or sound that is similar to e3c.

I went down exactly the same road, and regretted it bitterly.

Now, the super fi's may be great phones - however the isolation is nowhere in the ballpark of the e3's. If you are using these for train etc, unless you have ear canals the size of corner pockets, you will hear _everything_ in comparison to e3's.

I am not alone in having fit issues with these phones.

Also, you may like the sound sig, but be aware it is radically different to Shure, particularly the e3. You may like it, but it's very different, and I strongly recommend trying before you buy.

Have you considered the newer SE series? The atrio also sounds good after e3's, albeit weak on the isolation also. Westones may be another, cheaper option. You shoudl be able to get um1 for <100 quid.

 

[BloodSugar00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cipher7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Where is the site for SA6's at 150?? I tried your link and it doesn't work!! I wanna get this deal, please post the website! We're talking USA dollars right??

Aye, dunny has the right site and I was talking GBP (OP referenced budgits in GBP so I was lazy and didn't put a pound sign in Lol).

 

[MetalGeek]

Another recommendation for the Sleek SA6.

Not only can you fine tune the sound, but a wide range of eartips fit them for even more customization. Once you find the setup you prefer, they're really hard to beat.

Plus the cables unplug easily from the monitors, so no worries if you mess the cable up.

I was originally looking at the Super.fi 5 Pro or EB, but settled on the SA6 and absolutely have not regretted it.