Anything with same signature but better than phonak 232?
Jan 28, 2014 at 12:29 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16

minhquancanon7d

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I'm looking for an upgrade that has the same signature as the 232 but a little bit thicker in the mids. I dont want a totally dark sounding iem, like the earsonics sm64 or boring like westone 4. I listen to mainly metals (Night wish and Linkin Park only), Pop, some Dance and Vocals. Considering IE800(maybe too dark), Shure 846 or K3003. Anything else (not ciem) would be welcome too.
 
Jan 28, 2014 at 12:52 AM Post #2 of 16
The phonak`s have a bass emphasis so you might enjoy the ie800`s and shures more, I would probabaly recommend the shures if price is no deterent since they have the best isolation of all of them and are more balanced than the ie800`s, if you want portability then the ie800`s, the k3003 iem`s are also interesting but might not suit those genres, maybe its worth looking into fi-ba-ss or 334`s?, they are similarly priced depending where you get them and i`d consider them around the level of these iem`s but with better ergonomics, k3003 is too uncomfortable. 
 
Jan 28, 2014 at 1:08 AM Post #3 of 16
Well, 1 more thing to consider is build quality (mainly cable). In my country, I can get the 846 for 1000$ 2nd hand which I could afford a set of new iE800. The best thing about the 232 is the treble. I want to keep at least 80% of quanity and quality of the treble on my upgrade. One more nominee is the 1plus2
 
Jan 28, 2014 at 1:23 AM Post #4 of 16
They`ve all got pretty good treble, fi-ba-ss is equally or greater detailed and less harsh than the 232, ie800 has thinner highs but less recessed mids, maybe the ie800 is most similar i`m guessing but it has fit issues and the cable is pretty messed up, microphonics are also a problem. Not sure you need to upgrade anyway, I had the 232`s and they sounded great, I needed more isolation for travel but they sounded nice at home and in relatively quiet areas, do you amp them?, maybe you should invest in a good $100 amp such as the fiio e11, it brings much better bass, slightly less recessed mids and more detail, highs are a bit less fatiguing. 
 
Jan 28, 2014 at 1:50 AM Post #5 of 16
I got an apex glacier which is a really good amp/dac! Ok so might go and try the ie800 cause portability is really important to me
 
Feb 6, 2014 at 3:23 PM Post #10 of 16
  I'd be interested with a PFE232 replacement with better mid frequency and a tighter bass while retaining the amazing highs

ie800 and shure se846 are good upgrades to the PFE232`s (k3003 and fi-ba-ss are more neutral, bass is lighter but more accurate), both have a hearty amount of bass and their mids are not recessed at all, highs remain sparkly and detailed, worth a look if you have the budget. 
 
Feb 6, 2014 at 10:13 PM Post #12 of 16
I recommend the TDK IE800.  It's a dual dynamic IEM that punches way above it's weight class.
 
I'd find something that specifically suits your tastes instead of using $$ as the answer. 
 
Feb 6, 2014 at 10:21 PM Post #13 of 16
How about ocharaku flat4sui?
 
Feb 6, 2014 at 11:27 PM Post #14 of 16
I haven't heard the ocharaku flat4sui before but I must say I'm pretty impressed with JH Audio's JH13 Pro but it's quite pricey. Anyway I'd like to check out the Shure SE846, fi-ba-ss, ocharaku flat4sui and 1964 Ears V6 before making the final decision to burn a hole in my wallet.
 

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