Hello fellow Headfiers ! Not really new around here but I forgot the creds of my old account
I am looking for advice regarding a new pair of IEMs and because tech tends to evolve quite fast, and new brands pop around all the time, I couldn't really find convincing information about what I am looking for.
A bit about myself : My first real pair of IEMs were Westone 3s, which were great at the time. They where mostly inline what I listened to (Pop, TripHop, Variety, Hip hop and classic in that order), were robust (Snowboarded and cycled a lot with them) and had a great fit. Unfortunately I lost them a while ago.
Ensued a lonnnng and distressful period where I couldn't afford a great pair and was mostly using crappy headphones.
As things improved I thought about getting another good pair, and because I was close to startups, I went for a pair of Advanced Model 3. A pretty good bang for the buck at first sight. But It turned out Bluetooth wasn't my thing; sound while being okay was not blowing me away and quality was subpar (got two pairs, the two eventually broke within a couple months of office use).
So, I am now in the market for something better. That blows my socks off in a 400-500$ range, could be more or less.
What I am looking for :
- Warm & smooth IEMS with great sound stage and good detail. I own a VIFA Oslo speaker and that kind of sound signature is really what I am after.
- Durability : My advanced Model 3 had MMCX connectors. I found the connector to be weak and difficult to remove without bending it. Might only be with my model 3 though. Sweat is also a concern, as I don't want to buy sporty stuff.
- Good sound isolation & low profile.
- 3 drivers (not sure how important this is).
How I listen to Music :
I mostly listen to music on my android phone or on my mac. Only part of my library is lossless, for the rest, I use Spotify, so 320kbps...
I don't use an external DAC and don't have any plans to use one yet.
What I considered :
- Earsonics : I had a look at them first, because at the time my dream earphones were SM3. But then they got discontinued.
According to testers ES3 are rather on the cold side, better for monitoring. Apparently the SM64, would fit, but they've been around for so long, and I am not sure whether they got an upgrade. Velvets are also a good choice but too expensive especially with regards to my needs.
- Cambridge Audio : They seem bulky and heavy
- Westone : MMCX + They get mixed reviews.
- Dunu : MMCX + Dont really know about them.
- Hifiman : Too high profile.
- Noble : I had a look at the Sage, looks a bit bulky and has only two drivers, but people seem to be raving about it.
Is the way I listen to music worth spending so much on IEMs ? What would you recommend on this basis ?
Thank you for your help.
Stasik
I am looking for advice regarding a new pair of IEMs and because tech tends to evolve quite fast, and new brands pop around all the time, I couldn't really find convincing information about what I am looking for.
A bit about myself : My first real pair of IEMs were Westone 3s, which were great at the time. They where mostly inline what I listened to (Pop, TripHop, Variety, Hip hop and classic in that order), were robust (Snowboarded and cycled a lot with them) and had a great fit. Unfortunately I lost them a while ago.
Ensued a lonnnng and distressful period where I couldn't afford a great pair and was mostly using crappy headphones.
As things improved I thought about getting another good pair, and because I was close to startups, I went for a pair of Advanced Model 3. A pretty good bang for the buck at first sight. But It turned out Bluetooth wasn't my thing; sound while being okay was not blowing me away and quality was subpar (got two pairs, the two eventually broke within a couple months of office use).
So, I am now in the market for something better. That blows my socks off in a 400-500$ range, could be more or less.
What I am looking for :
- Warm & smooth IEMS with great sound stage and good detail. I own a VIFA Oslo speaker and that kind of sound signature is really what I am after.
- Durability : My advanced Model 3 had MMCX connectors. I found the connector to be weak and difficult to remove without bending it. Might only be with my model 3 though. Sweat is also a concern, as I don't want to buy sporty stuff.
- Good sound isolation & low profile.
- 3 drivers (not sure how important this is).
How I listen to Music :
I mostly listen to music on my android phone or on my mac. Only part of my library is lossless, for the rest, I use Spotify, so 320kbps...
I don't use an external DAC and don't have any plans to use one yet.
What I considered :
- Earsonics : I had a look at them first, because at the time my dream earphones were SM3. But then they got discontinued.
According to testers ES3 are rather on the cold side, better for monitoring. Apparently the SM64, would fit, but they've been around for so long, and I am not sure whether they got an upgrade. Velvets are also a good choice but too expensive especially with regards to my needs.
- Cambridge Audio : They seem bulky and heavy
- Westone : MMCX + They get mixed reviews.
- Dunu : MMCX + Dont really know about them.
- Hifiman : Too high profile.
- Noble : I had a look at the Sage, looks a bit bulky and has only two drivers, but people seem to be raving about it.
Is the way I listen to music worth spending so much on IEMs ? What would you recommend on this basis ?
Thank you for your help.
Stasik