[PL4Y3R 0N3]

So after struggling with it for 2 weeks, I am seriously considering returning the RHA ma750i that I bought. As much as I love the detail, instrument seperation, soundstage, mids, and low end, the highs are just too fatiguing. I find that I cannot listen to some songs without wincing due to my treble sensitive ears. And it isn't even especially bright songs, songs like Higher by creed are hard to listen to as well.
So now I'm thinking of just returning them, saving up, and getting something I will like and use for years to come. At $300 it needs to have:
Decent soundstage
Decent, full bodied bass
Good detail and clarity
Non fatiguing highs (most important)

I'd like to also have removable cables and possibly a nice warranty like the RHA's have. Durability is important to me as I tend to beat up my headphones, and especially IEMs (can't seem to walk past a door without having them snag on something.) also, if possible I'd like a cable that's is shorter than the ma750, I'm 6 foot tall and the cable stretched from my head to below my knees.
I am not a bass head by any means, so I don't want anything that has overpowered bass, if I just wanted bass I'd stick to beats and get the urbeats.
Until I've saved up and can get them, I have to fall back on my beats studio wireless. Although the sound is decent, I miss the clarity and soundstage of the RHA's when using them. (Yes, the in ear RHA ma750 has a larger sound stage than the over ear beats studio wireless.)
Oh, and before I forget, I may be willing to spend up to $100 on an amp, but I'd prefer not to.

 

[k4rstar]

Check out the Campfire Audio Orion, $350 but no amp required.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Check out the Campfire Audio Orion, $350 but no amp required.

I looked on their website and it seems like a nice product. Do you own it personally? If so there are a few songs I'd love for you to test it with.

 

[k4rstar]

I looked on their website and it seems like a nice product. Do you own it personally? If so there are a few songs I'd love for you to test it with.

 
Unfortunately I've sold it off in favor of it's big brother the Andromeda. I wrote a full review on here in the time that I had it though. Feel free to post a few tracks, it may help others with recommendations to see what type of music you like.
 
Also consider the FLC8S, also ~350USD but I frequently see it on the classifieds for less and it can be tuned to your preference, I believe the stock tuning has smoothed highs as well as your other requirements.
 
Hope this helps.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Unfortunately I've sold it off in favor of it's big brother the Andromeda. I wrote a full review on here in the time that I had it though. Feel free to post a few tracks, it may help others with recommendations to see what type of music you like.

Also consider the FLC8S, also ~350USD but I frequently see it on the classifieds for less and it can be tuned to your preference, I believe the stock tuning has smoothed highs as well as your other requirements.

Hope this helps.

Ah, ok. Thanks for the suggestion.
A few test tracks:
Collapsing - Demon Hunter (very bright, have trouble listening to it even with my studio wireless.)
Higher - Creed (the song where I realized that the ma750 wouldn't work for me)
I could find more songs if needed. Those are just two that have highs that are noticeably fatiguing.

 

[k4rstar]

Ah, ok. Thanks for the suggestion.
A few test tracks:
Collapsing - Demon Hunter (very bright, have trouble listening to it even with my studio wireless.)
Higher - Creed (the song where I realized that the ma750 wouldn't work for me)
I could find more songs if needed. Those are just two that have highs that are noticeably fatiguing.

 
The Orion shouldn't exhibit fatigue on those tracks, but due to its single armature design would become congested on fast-paced/busy music like that. Looking into the FLC8s is my recommendation after all.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

The Orion shouldn't exhibit fatigue on those tracks, but due to its single armature design would become congested on fast-paced/busy music like that. Looking into the FLC8s is my recommendation after all.

Ah, probably should have mentioned in the original post I listen to fast paced metal.
I looked at the FLC8s and they look interesting. I've always been interested in multi-driver hybrids. I was also looking at the trinity phantom master 6, does anyone have experience with those? I've read through a few threads but I had trouble finding reveiws for the master 6.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

What about the sennheiser ie80?

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Can anyone compare the ma750 to the flc8s, the ie80, or the trinity phantom master 6? The main thing I'm concerned about is the highs being relaxed, but I'm worried about reading reviews as most people describe the ma750 as warm overall but my ears must be very treble sensitive as I find the highs to be more fatiguing than others seem to.

 

[tz0531]

Can anyone compare the ma750 to the flc8s, the ie80, or the trinity phantom master 6? The main thing I'm concerned about is the highs being relaxed, but I'm worried about reading reviews as most people describe the ma750 as warm overall but my ears must be very treble sensitive as I find the highs to be more fatiguing than others seem to.

 
Keep in mind that the MA750 has an emphasis on subbass and doesn't have much mid-treble, which is why many people describe them as warm. That's only part of the story, because in reality the MA750 is V-Shaped, with subbass boosted a bit more than its lower treble plateau. Based on what you've said, you probably associate warmth with mid and upper bass. It would be helpful to pinpoint what exactly bothers you about the MA750's treble: if electric guitars have too much crunch/brightness and what I call "background hash" in  the rhythm guitar section, then the problem is lower treble; if the vocals are too sibilant (with "sss" sounds and plosives) and cymbals have too much initial "crash", then the problem is mid-treble (which I find unlikely, since the MA750 doesn't have much mid-treble); if the "sss" and clash of cymbals after the initial hit is too much for you, then there's a problem with upper treble. I once tried out the DQSM K3003, which has a very similar signature to the MA750, and it was too bright for me due to the lower treble peak, causing songs with a crunchy rhythm guitar backing track to be overwhelmed by "hash".

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Keep in mind that the MA750 has an emphasis on subbass and doesn't have much mid-treble, which is why many people describe them as warm. That's only part of the story, because in reality the MA750 is V-Shaped, with subbass boosted a bit more than its lower treble plateau. Based on what you've said, you probably associate warmth with mid and upper bass. It would be helpful to pinpoint what exactly bothers you about the MA750's treble: if electric guitars have too much crunch/brightness and what I call "background hash" in  the rhythm guitar section, then the problem is lower treble; if the vocals are too sibilant (with "sss" sounds and plosives) and cymbals have too much initial "crash", then the problem is mid-treble (which I find unlikely, since the MA750 doesn't have much mid-treble); if the "sss" and clash of cymbals after the initial hit is too much for you, then there's a problem with upper treble. I once tried out the DQSM K3003, which has a very similar signature to the MA750, and it was too bright for me due to the lower treble peak, causing songs with a crunchy rhythm guitar backing track to be overwhelmed by "hash".

For me it is every s, t, and sometimes the cymbals after the initial hit. So by your description that would be upper treble, and it's killing me. I keep using them and trying to talk myself out of sending them back, but I just can't keep them when I have so much trouble listening for any length of time.
At first it really didn't bother me. I never noticed the upper treble being harsh or sibilant, but now I notice it every time I use them. I haven't seen anyone else with this problem, so something tells me that I have a sensitivity to upper treble, which is good because I reccomend them to a lot of people. I only reccomend things that I really like too, and the ma750s count as something I really like. Everything but the highs is great.

 

[zanox]

It is the upper treble that is bothering you.  If there is a peak in the lower treble(brightness), the cymbals would sound a bit too bright( not necessarily harsh)  . If there is a peak in the upper treble(air) - the letters T and S would be emphasized .Instruments and vocals would make a sound like ssss after every T and S and that can sound sharp and harsh to ears that are sensitive to sibilance.
Look for iems that have warm and smooth signature. if you can up your budget to $350, you can get Dunu dn-2002. Excellent IEM.

 

[tz0531]

  It is the upper treble that is bothering you.  If there is a peak in the lower treble(brightness), the cymbals would sound a bit too bright( not necessarily harsh)  . If there is a peak in the upper treble(air) - the letters T and S would be emphasized .Instruments and vocals would make a sound like ssss after every T and S and that can sound sharp and harsh to ears that are sensitive to sibilance.
Look for iems that have warm and smooth signature. if you can up your budget to $350, you can get Dunu dn-2002. Excellent IEM.

 
Agreed that your description of what is bothering you sounds like an issue with upper treble; that makes sense because the MA750 has two big upper treble spikes after 10 kHz, according to the measurements on Innerfidelity. Also, ljokerl describes them as getting "tizzy" at higher volumes, referring most likely to the upper treble causing cymbals and other metallic instruments to have overemphasized decay. Since you're sensitive to upper treble, you should look for IEMs with rolled off highs, although airiness of the soundstage won't be that great with these types of IEMs. I would cross the FLC 8 off your list because they have significant energy after 10 kHz that doesn't really go away even when changing filters. The Aurisonics Rockets would be a safe choice in terms of rolled off highs and great durability, but they might be hard to find since they're out of production. The Philips Fidelio S2 has a frequency response that might just be what you're looking for, with a bump in bass, a small peak at 5kHz for electric guitar crunch, and relatively rolled off upper treble, with a good soundstage and durability. The only issue you might have is that they have low isolation due to the semi-open back design.

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Agreed that your description of what is bothering you sounds like an issue with upper treble; that makes sense because the MA750 has two big upper treble spikes after 10 kHz, according to the measurements on Innerfidelity. Also, ljokerl describes them as getting "tizzy" at higher volumes, referring most likely to the upper treble causing cymbals and other metallic instruments to have overemphasized decay. Since you're sensitive to upper treble, you should look for IEMs with rolled off highs, although airiness of the soundstage won't be that great with these types of IEMs. I would cross the FLC 8 off your list because they have significant energy after 10 kHz that doesn't really go away even when changing filters. The Aurisonics Rockets would be a safe choice in terms of rolled off highs and great durability, but they might be hard to find since they're out of production. The Philips Fidelio S2 has a frequency response that might just be what you're looking for, with a bump in bass, a small peak at 5kHz for electric guitar crunch, and relatively rolled off upper treble, with a good soundstage and durability. The only issue you might have is that they have low isolation due to the semi-open back design.

How bad would the isolation be on the s2? I'm going to be in a dorm so I need a bit of isolation to ensure the only thing I hear is music when I'm listening to music. Would being semi open widen the soundstage?

 

[tz0531]

How bad would the isolation be on the s2? I'm going to be in a dorm so I need a bit of isolation to ensure the only thing I hear is music when I'm listening to music. Would being semi open widen the soundstage?

 
According to the measurements on Innerfidelity, the S2 has broadband isolation of -19 dB, which is a little below average. For comparison, the MA750 has broadband isolation of -32 dB, which is above average, and Apple Earpods have a broadband isolation of -1 dB (lol).
 
I used to own the Philips Fidelio S1, which is extremely similar to the S2. I could use it on a busy street with the volume up a notch to block out all outside sound. It had a pretty spacious soundstage for an IEM, and from my experience, semi-open IEMs tend to have larger soundstages than closed ones. Keep in mind that in general, the worse the isolation of an IEM, the more it leaks sound. I once used my Fidelio S1 at a library with the volume up pretty high, and my friend sitting next to me could hear my music faintly. In most situations this wasn't a problem, though.