[bodyguard465]

While I was looking for in-Ears this website appeared a lot. By reading many threads I realized that you guys could be the best way helping me to choose the right earphones! You are great!

All the time I was using the “normal” earphones of the IpodNano (4th).
I am satisfied by the way they sound, even though it could be a lot more detailed, but they just do not stick to my ears.
First I bought some Sennheiser CX300 which were very bad. Though I am still not sure if they were not faked I did not like the bass. It was too much. It was less detailed and less clear then the earphones I had before.
Looking for clear vocals and clear mid and highs I found the Apple in-Ears/Shure SE 210 (I think the SE110 has too much bass).

The question is:
Is it really worth paying 30 dollars more for the SE 210 because of the quality (no comfort, just sound!)?
Are the Shures better in the mid and highs, clearer, neutral and more detailed than the Apple?
In some threads I read that some users criticized that SE 210 was not “musical”, too much “analytical”. Is this something I should be worried about?
I listen to Coldplay, Radiohead, BritPop, Alternative, David Garrett, Scores, Songwriter, Soundtracks and a bit House - anything but HipHop, RnB. So bass is not really important to me.
I just want to be impressed by listening to my own music

Greetings from Germany!

 

[bodyguard465]

I am also wondering, the Etymotic hf5 High-Fidelity may be the best solution for me, what do you think?

 

[sebhuber]

apple in ears are the best value out of these three suggestions. I wouldn't go for shure because of the build quality issues and their lack of bass. the apple in ears on the other hand are quite good. they deliver good sq for a relative small amount of money (if you can find them on ebay)
I wouldn't suggest the hf5s for you. They are very analytical. On the other hand they might have more attributes of what you are looking for, if comparing them to an unamped RE0. IMO, the RE0 can be quite fun if you paired, but if not, I'd suggest HF5.
Actually people tend not to advise the HF5s for genres such as hip hop and rnb. Maybe just the right thing then.

 

[big_sound]

i would buy the shures for sound isolation, and that is a huge plus in IEM. However, the post above me is true, they would be a very good value.

 

[mark2410]

depending on costs where you are id probably say the 110 ovor the 210, the 110 is a better introduction to things and everything will sound bass light compared to your cx300 regardless.

you may want lo look into the RE-0 and PL-50, both are great bargains

 

[zeromacro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif depending on costs where you are id probably say the 110 ovor the 210, the 110 is a better introduction to things and everything will sound bass light compared to your cx300 regardless. you may want lo look into the RE-0 and PL-50, both are great bargains

Seconded. If you're wanting pure balance and detail go for the RE-0's though.

 

[bodyguard465]

Thank you so far!

One reason I decided to choose between Shure 210, Apple and Etymotics was the review on ilounge:

Quote:

In an effort to figure out where the new In-Ears excelled versus obvious competitors, we tested the new In-Ears against Apple’s predecessors, Shure’s SE210s, JAYS’ q-JAYS, a leading, aggressively-priced pair of double-driver canalphones, and Etymotic’s hf5, a detail-focused headset. Without boring you to tears, our findings can be neatly summarized as follows: at a $79 price tag, the new In-Ears are a good but not great option. The double-driver q-JAYS are better tuned, offering a more exciting, sonically interesting presentation with richer bass and more dynamic-sounding highs. They also sell for $100 more. Similarly, the SE210s produce bigger, more compelling staging and deeper bass, but they’re less comfortable, sell for at least $40 more than the In-Ears, and aren’t fantastic in sound, either. Despite the In-Ears’ dedicated treble driver, Etymotic’s hf5 surprisingly delivered more high-end detail and crisper overall sound. And finally, the In-Ears are more balanced and detailed in the midrange than Apple’s past in-ears and pack-ins, and considerably better at isolation, but they’re comparatively weak in bass. All of this adds up to a simple conclusion on the new In-Ears as headphones: if you’re upgrading from Apple’s pack-ins, don’t expect these to be a complete improvement over what you’re already listening to, or other available options. These are strong on isolation, solid on fit, and may well enable you to hear details that you’ve previously missed, but they also reduce the presence of bass, and don’t deliver as much sonic improvement as their double-driver design might suggest. Their rating is therefore based primarily on aggregate value for the dollar rather than raw audio appeal.

A friend of mine is coming back from the USA in the End of March. Apple- USA: 50 Euro, Germany: 70 Euro
Shure is about 75 Euro in the USA. In Germany: 100. The Etymotics are cheaper in Germany: 80 Euro.

Referring to the fact that I got used to the Apple earphones I am pretty sure that I would like the In-Ears. Ilounge makes me feel unsure about the Shure SE 210. On the other hand many Users suggest the Shure, though I would not prefer the 110 because of the bass.
Nevertheless the Etymotics got quite good reviews. Many of them say it is well-balanced, clearer/crisper. It sounds like sth. I was looking for!
Anyway, they could still be too analytical.

Definitely, I would pay more money than the 70 Bucks for the Apple In-Ear if it is worth.

 

[mark2410]

oh

for that sort of money you really should take a look at the PL-50 and RE-0

 

[Young Spade]

Yea those IEMs are pretty good but the RE0s are getting a lot of renown right now for being such a detailed phone for it's price.

But the ER-4Ps have amazing detail and clarity; very precise although many say that they are bass light. Since you aren't really into bass heavy genres (hip hop/rnb) they might not be too bad for you.

 

[bodyguard465]

Way to expensive

I am focused on Etymotics (and Shure) because I did not even know that Head Direct RE-0 exist. They seem to be quite unknown in Germany.
Nevertheless they are cheaper than the Shure 210 and Etymotics hf5 which is positive but would you prefer them?
I do not know anything about them. The Etymotics seem to be a good choice.

 

[bbryann]

+1 on the RE-0.

But it seems like you really want to get Etys.

 

[bodyguard465]

No, I was just happy having finally decided which IEM to buy.

I cannot buy them in Germany. That is an advantage for the Etymotics but I could still wait some weeks. That is not so important to me right now.
Last try: on another thread I found a list which is very helpful for me because of the language:

Tonality: warm, neutral, bright?
Level of detail: smoothed over, natural, ultra crisp?
Any preferential emphasis: punchy bass, sharp highs, strong vocals?

I prefer neutral, bright is better than warm. Natural is quite good, better: bit crisper. Mid and Highs are as important as vocals! I will not miss bass!

You would still buy the RE0, or the HF5? You decide

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodyguard465 /img/forum/go_quote.gif You would still buy the RE0, or the HF5? You decide

well RE-0 if you dont want tons of isolation, hf5 if you do

 

[Michiyo-Fir]

In the 3 that you mentioned I had the SE210s for 3 years. I just broke them actually. I use them everywhere, on the plane, in the bus the sound isolation is great! Sound quality is pretty good as well but the bass is pretty lacking. It's quite detailed in my ears.

I thought it was pretty durable since mine went into the automatic vacuum twice and got chewed by 3 different dogs and finally broke on the bus when I was pulling on them. I love them but not everyone does.

I would definitely choose it over the SE110s or apple in-ears.

 

[ethan961]

Get the RE0, for the price you will not be disappointed!