snip3r77
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- May 13, 2010
- Posts
- 2,705
- Likes
- 732
Any headphones( more portable ones ) that are value for money that is better than those $5xx IEMs?
As from someone who began with an iPhone/iPod and IEMs and then moving on to a full size desktop rig, you can't exactly compare IEMs and headphones because most good headphones will need decent amplification to sound their best.
After going through multiple top end IEMs, and most recently the UE900, it was hard for me to appreciate them for what they were simply because I prefered the sound of my desktop setup far far more. I've never tried customs, but if I had a choice between spending 1000 dollars on a CIEM or a headphone for home use, I would pick the headphone without a doubt.
As from someone who began with an iPhone/iPod and IEMs and then moving on to a full size desktop rig, you can't exactly compare IEMs and headphones because most good headphones will need decent amplification to sound their best.
Stay updated on Noble Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
|
There really is little competition. I own several custom IEM's and heard/own many of the highly regarded universals. In fact, all told, I've spent more than 5k on building a portable setup. In retrospect this was a mistake and I'd gladly exchange all of it for a 009 setup. Sure, customs are awesome and provide a substantial improvement on universals, but even attached to nearly 2k worth of equipment they just pale in comparison.
My HD650, properly amped, is superior to any of my customs. There may be an aspect here and there that I prefer with IEM's. but the experience is handicapped comparatively. With something like the HE6, HD800 and Stax 007 there simply isn't any basis for comparison.
I agree with you for the most part. And several months ago I would have whole-heartedly agreed with you. But I thinks it's customs where you are going wrong. All of my customs sound inarticulate, congested, and lacking in detail when compared to my high-end headphones, AND ALSO my high-end universals. You should give the Final Audio Design FI-BA-SS and Piano Forte a listen. My FI-BA-SS has the most natural and accurate detail and timbre, not to mention delicacy and transparency of anything I own.
Some say the Piano Forte X is a 009 level experience.
But then again, these are rare, extremely expensive, hard-to-get, esoteric Japanese products. It's a totally different ballgame than the mass-produced chunks of acrylic that JH and Westone produce. While I love my ES5 for many reasons, it just can't touch a supremely engineered single armature, connected to something like Analog Squared Paper's tube amps (in the process of obtaining). But that is a very expensive road.