[pavan]

After reading so many posts ,i am stuck here..

I have RE2 and Sansa Fuze and i am very happy with the amount of bass in RE2.

Tell me if any of the below one's are an upgrade or atleast do they compare to RE2.

Which has the best soundstage?

im616
shure e3c
ADDIEM (APPLE IEMS)
anything else below 60$

 

[Sinocelt]

While the ADDIEM have more bass quantity, the overall SQ is inferior. That doesn't tell the whole story, though. Recently, I had a friend of mine choose between the RE2 and the ADDIEM (of which I had an additional pair each). She first chose the RE2, because to her ear as to mine (and I hadn't told her anything), the RE2's SQ is clearly superior. I told her to try them in the street, though, and she did, and finally, she left with the ADDIEM.

The RE2 are marvelous if you don't move, but the cable is stiff and awfully microphonic -- even worse, in both respects, than my HF5. Well, you own the RE2, so you know that already. What I can tell you is that if you buy the ADDIEM, you will not get better SQ, on the contrary; but you will be able to walk around and actually hear the music, rather than the rattling noise born from anything that grazes the cable.

 

[chews89]

By spending that amount of money, I don't think you will be able to "upgrade" but more likely "side-grade" and get different sounds. If you want an upgrade, increase your budget and look into the RE1, SF5, PFE and the such. But why bother? RE2s are Awesome as they are!

 

[Sinocelt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chews89 /img/forum/go_quote.gif By spending that amount of money, I don't think you will be able to "upgrade" but more likely "side-grade" and get different sounds. If you want an upgrade, increase your budget and look into the RE1, SF5, PFE and the such. But why bother? RE2s are Awesome as they are!

The HF5 are step above the RE2, SQ-wise, but yeah, they're also $99 even at their current $50-off sale price.

 

[pavan]

This is my first post and did not expect your this soon..

As ches789 said RE2's are awesome.
But upgrade is not a major concern, what i basically want is to try different ear phones

.

what about E3c and im616. How do they compare ?

I do not know, i might end up trying all these one after the other.But i need to pick one now.

Pavan.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinocelt /img/forum/go_quote.gif While the ADDIEM have more bass quantity, the overall SQ is inferior. That doesn't tell the whole story, though. Recently, I had a friend of mine choose between the RE2 and the ADDIEM (of which I had an additional pair each). She first chose the RE2, because to her ear as to mine (and I hadn't told her anything), the RE2's SQ is clearly superior. I told her to try them in the street, though, and she did, and finally, she left with the ADDIEM. The RE2 are marvelous if you don't move, but the cable is stiff and awfully microphonic -- even worse, in both respects, than my HF5. Well, you own the RE2, so you know that already. What I can tell you is that if you buy the ADDIEM, you will not get better SQ, on the contrary; but you will be able to walk around and actually hear the music, rather than the rattling noise born from anything that grazes the cable.

I guess you mean the RE2 offers better SQ in your opinion, right? Because you state it as fact. Well, I have an opposite opinion. I own the RE2 and the ADDIEM, and I believe the Apple phone offers much cleaner, clearer sound, and is more balanced (because there is a decent bottom end, no amp required).

I am listening to four comparable phones right now, including the Senn CX95, the ADDIEM, the RE2 and the VSonic R02 Pro II (I am going to review the last one), and both the VSonic and the ADDIEMs outperform the RE2 in my view. The CX95s are somewhat too bassy for my tastes. Also, I really don't see how anyone could prefer the RE2 unamped, because with the T4, they do sound much better (if you want to carry around an amp). But without an amp, no tip can make them sound anything but thin to me.

Anyway, seems my ears don't agree with yours (or your friend's). That doesn't mean I dislike the RE2s, not the case. But the ADDIEM sound is different, and preferable, to me. Plus, you can get the ADDIEMs for $35 on ebay, which is a complete steal. Just wanted the OP to know that the SQ issue between RE2 and ADDIEM is not open and shut.

Oh, to the OP, I also owned the im616, and they are nice phones, but require filters to be replaced (an added costs), plus they are discontinued. I can also recommend the Vsonics (at Head-Direct.com), but they need 2-3 days burn-in time before they reach their best sound (and the Sony Hybrid tips, which I also use with the ADDIEM). The VSonics are $69, a little over your budget.

I've owned 12-16 pair of IEMs over the past few years, and SQ really is dependent on tips/fit. I wasn't very impressed with the VSonics out of the box with the standard tips, but when I tried them with the Sony Hybrid large tips, they sounded excellent. Same with the ADDIEMs. The stock tips are not great, but find one that matches up well, and the Apple phone really sounds great.

 

[Sinocelt]

Sure, everyone is entitled to his/her own opinions. Here's another post in which I mention the ADDIEM, and here's yet another.

For $35 shipping included, the ADDIEM are indeed a steal. I've bought three pairs already!

 

[tstarn06]

Just didn't want the OP to take it as fact that the RE2 is a hands-down better phone SQ-wise than the ADDIEM, which your first couple of graphs say. It's always good to qualify a "this phone is better than that phone" statement with an "in my view," because even though it seems a given, some newer folks might take it as fact.

I might be buying another pair of ADDIEM as well, as backup. So you really think the RE2 SQ is superior to the ADDIEMs? Must be a personal preference thing, of course. But when I A/B them last night, even amped, the Apples just sounded better to me. Oh well.

 

[chris_ah1]

it all depends on what you count as SQ - do you want overall balance in the sound?
Do you want detail?
Do you want timbre?
Do you want fun?

etc.
Addiem might add timbre and balance with the extra bass, but if you want detail then RE2 by all accounts seem to be there.
The again, perhaps the bass-shy RE2 is more balanced and ADDIEM is actually towards fun and we just expect there to be more bass than there actually is because of the way sounds are reproduced to us - enhanced.

To put it more amusingly:
Just go to an opera in Prague and it the live performance on standard day will sound far worse than a stock apple bud and 128kbps mp3....highs scratchy, bass missing and a loss of clarity in sound.
Go to the MET or La Fenice on a good day and it will sound like ALAC with perfectly balanced sound and presentation and detail.

Go the the royal opera house for a live performance and sit too close to the right side stalls and you'll get a buzzing as the wood panel resonates like a broken earbud. Sit anywhere else and you will wonder why you paid £200 when a £30 IEM would sound just as good...ahem I mean ticket.

 

[tstarn06]

Oddly enough, there are those who have posted that the ADDIEM is bass-shy. Not sure what that makes the RE2. Certainly, SQ is subjective, if that's what you are saying. No argument with that. Just no absolute when it comes to SQ, other than something like...the Sansa OEM ear buds are not as good as a pair of Westone UM3X. That's not going to cause any debates over SQ subjectivity. Other than those extremes, it's always a question of personal taste when it comes to SQ.

My original point is that when a new member asks about a phone, it's always a good idea to qualify any SQ comparison statements.

 

[asrphani]

Is it only 35$,Then i am getting one for sure.

One more IEM which i missed is Nuforce 7M , It looks like the obvious favorite here.

Is Nuforce more bass baised than the ADDIEM.

I mean ,how do call it compared to ADDIEM , more fun sounding or is it more balanced.I found the bass on CX300 intolerable and gave it to my brother

What about NUforce,especially how is the soundstage compared to RE2.

Pavan

 

[tstarn06]

I had the NuForce and found it too bassy, but it is a Head-Fi favorite. Again, it all comes down to the tips. Some folks swear by the E2C tips for the NuForce phones. I never tried them. The ADDIEM is $35 if you can find it on ebay (US version). Not sure if any are left.

 

[chris_ah1]

tips make a ton of difference on every IEM I've tried.
It's just a question of physics in terms of the amount of energy the material absorbs or reflects as well as how much air the tip puts between the driver and your eardrum. Then different tips also change the angle of the iem in the ear which will change sound a bit.
even the same tip inserted properly *can* sound massively different from when it is inserted properly, or at a different angle even if the seal is good.


You can doubt burn-in for armaturers or cables etc, but you cannot deny the physics of tips. Whether one's ear is sensitive enough to it is another matter. I end up enjoying the music too much to really care nowadays - all IEMs leave me unhappy but there is nothing quite so compact.

 

[Sinocelt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oddly enough, there are those who have posted that the ADDIEM is bass-shy. Not sure what that makes the RE2. Certainly, SQ is subjective, if that's what you are saying. No argument with that. Just no absolute when it comes to SQ, other than something like...the Sansa OEM ear buds are not as good as a pair of Westone UM3X. That's not going to cause any debates over SQ subjectivity. Other than those extremes, it's always a question of personal taste when it comes to SQ. My original point is that when a new member asks about a phone, it's always a good idea to qualify any SQ comparison statements.

*sigh* This is getting tiring. It is because SQ is always subjective that it isn't necessary to add "in my opinion" all the time. It is understood that every poster, when it comes to SQ, gives his or her opinion, not a "universal truth" that doesn't exist. If such universal truth existed, then there wouldn't be so many earphones to begin with; there would be only one at a given price range.

 

[tstarn06]

Yes, it is getting tiring. The OP has two posts and just joined. So you post "While the ADDIEM have more bass quantity, the overall SQ is inferior" right off the bat. So he/she reads that and presumes it to be true. The OP also didn't have any links to other comments you made about the ADDIEMs until I posted. Your initial comment wasn't presented as an opinion, it was presented as fact. That's all I meant by my comments. You are missing my point. Of course there are no universal truths when it comes to opinions on phones/SQ. But your comment right up front was presented as one.

Let's move on.

For me, I ordered a backup pair of ADDIEMs today. Want to buy my RE2s as a backup?