[jnorris]

RHA is low-mid tier at best. And I disagree with the Japanese statement, they ostensibly produce the most well-regarded hifi components in the world. From loudspeakers to turntables they have as much r&d and innovation the US and Germany.

I would place the US at the end of the list. Nothing personal.

I disagree with everything you on every point.  Outside of the vintage crowd, most Japanese components are not well-regarded at all (especially their current lines of equipment), and their loudspeakers are a joke.  In 45 years of being around this field I can think of NO Japanese loudspeaker of any consequence.  Are they innovative?  Yes and no - their innovations tend to magnify and mimic the work of US and European engineers, but my guess is that the best work by Japanese engineers never makes it out the door due to manufacturing cost restraints.    
 
Again, nothing personal.

 

[seanwee]

I disagree with everything you on every point.  Outside of the vintage crowd, most Japanese components are not well-regarded at all (especially their current lines of equipment), and their loudspeakers are a joke.  In 45 years of being around this field I can think of NO Japanese loudspeaker of any consequence.  Are they innovative?  Yes and no - their innovations tend to magnify and mimic the work of US and European engineers, but my guess is that the best work by Japanese engineers never makes it out the door due to manufacturing cost restraints.    
 
Again, nothing personal.

 


Well, Sony products do offer little value for money.......

 

[cuiter23]

 

  I disagree with everything you on every point.  Outside of the vintage crowd, most Japanese components are not well-regarded at all (especially their current lines of equipment), and their loudspeakers are a joke.  In 45 years of being around this field I can think of NO Japanese loudspeaker of any consequence.  Are they innovative?  Yes and no - their innovations tend to magnify and mimic the work of US and European engineers, but my guess is that the best work by Japanese engineers never makes it out the door due to manufacturing cost restraints.    
 
Again, nothing personal.

 


Well, Sony products do offer little value for money.......

 
Sorry, but this comment is a complete fail. 
 
Anyone who's been in this hobby for a minute (and I'm not only talking about portable audio) will tell you that what you said is preposterous and ignorant. You should definitely look up some facts and read some reviews before brazenly making false claims.

 

[jnorris]

Hmmm.  I see a lot of Sony gear in your signature...  I'm not saying it isn't good, I'm just saying it's not particularly "well-regarded" by anyone truly into audio gear.  Did you notice the specs on your thousand dollar Sony HAP-S1?  The literature says "32 watts x 2 into 4 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 10% THD".  That's some damn fine specs there...
 
Oh, and I absolutely stand 100% behind my statement about Japanese speakers, and yes, I have been into all phases of audio, listening, designing, building and selling, for the last 45 years.  Somewhat longer than a minute.

 

[cuiter23]

Hmmm.  I see a lot of Sony gear in your signature...  I'm not saying it isn't good, I'm just saying it's not particularly "well-regarded" by anyone truly into audio gear.  Did you notice the specs on your thousand dollar Sony HAP-S1?  The literature says "32 watts x 2 into 4 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 10% THD".  That's some damn fine specs there...

Oh, and I absolutely stand 100% behind my statement about Japanese speakers, and yes, I have been into all phases of audio, listening, designing, building and selling, for the last 45 years.  Somewhat longer than a minute.

I work in pro audio and Sony products have always delivered for me.

If you've been around for as long as you claim, I'm sure you know that specs only tell a portion of the story.

 

[seanwee]

I work in pro audio and Sony products have always delivered for me.

If you've been around for as long as you claim, I'm sure you know that specs only tell a portion of the story.

1. Sony products will ALWAYS deliver, just at a PREMIUM price and not everyone has that amount to burn or even wants to.
 
2.Yes, you are VERY CORRECT!!!!  Specs dont tell you **** about how it sounds , only the amount of power it outputs.

 

[jnorris]

I work in pro audio and Sony products have always delivered for me.

If you've been around for as long as you claim, I'm sure you know that specs only tell a portion of the story.

Sony products are well built and sound decent.  They should sound better than they do for the money, however.  I've owned some Sony in my time - it's just that it's nothing to write home about.
 
Specs absolutely only tell a portion of the story.  But when they are as bad as on the HAP-S1 they speak volumes.  Sony would have been better off keeping some dignity and quoting the specs at 20 watts for a much lower distortion number than 32 watts at 10%.  That shows 2 things - the device is cheaply made, and Sony doesn't care.

 

[seanwee]

  Sony products are well built and sound decent.  They should sound better than they do for the money, however.  I've owned some Sony in my time - it's just that it's nothing to write home about.
 
Specs absolutely only tell a portion of the story.  But when they are as bad as on the HAP-S1 they speak volumes.  Sony would have been better off keeping some dignity and quoting the specs at 20 watts for a much lower distortion number than 32 watts at 10%.  That shows 2 things - the device is cheaply made, and Sony doesn't care.

Either that or they are trying to show off that their device has only 10% distortion even at 32 watts which is a ****load of power..........
It could have 0.00000001% distortion at 400mw.
 
but the 10% distortion still looks ugly on the specs.

 

[SoundTown]

Because I have nothing better to do, I think I'll add my 2 cents on what I think on this thread's topic. Also I need my 5th post on Head-Fi to start actually doing stuff but that has no bearing on why I'm making posts... *wink*
I own the IM70 and SE215 Special Edition and have demoed the GR07 Bass Edition. Personally, my preference between the three regarding sound is:
IM70 > SE215 SpE > GR07 Bass Edition
I know people on this site are going to collectively hound me for my opinion, but my reason for liking the GR07 the least is due to the sibilance. I might have to give it another try, but I just couldn't stand the sibilance, especially with vocals in the 'S' regions. While I'm very sensitive to this region of high frequency, I know I'm also not crazy. My friend who was with me, who's totally not an audio enthusiast in any sense of the word, told me the same and that he found the sharp 'S' sounds very unattractive. That said, I'll say that the GR07 does indeed have the most detail, just presented in a fashion that isn't to my taste.
Also, note that though I said I don't like the GR07, I didn't say you wouldn't. If you can, be sure to give it a try, though that may be difficult to do due to scarce availability at physical retail.
On to the IM70 and the SE215 SpE, I find the IM70, by far, is the better value for money. That said, I don't think the SE215 SpE isn't without its merits and the IM70 isn't without critical flaws.
First, the IM70 can be challenging to get a good fit on. The nozzles are thick, the ear piece itself is chunky and angular in shape, both these factors making it very difficult sometimes to get the IM70 to fit in my ears properly. Therefore, comfort isn't the best, especially if you have smaller ears.
That said, the IM70 sounds better than the SE215 SpE on a technical level. There is much more treble detail and the bass digs deeper and is tighter. Sound stage on the IM70 is also significantly more spacious and 3-dimensional though make no mistake, it's not going to blow your mind like good full-size open headphones would. Still, imo the IM70 has enough clarity for most peoples' tastes and has a generally rich, lush sound that is easy on the ears. Vocals in particular sound great, though the IM70 is also excellent with electronic music.
The SE215 SpE (not the regular SE215), I think has a sound signature that is excellent for travelling and general outdoor use. It's much more comfortable than the IM70 and is easier for me to get a good seal on. The SE215 SpE has rolled-off treble, which is why people don't like its technical performance, since it reduces perceived detail and clarity. Additionally, the SE215 SpE has bass that is considerably loose, especially when compared to the IM70 and GR07. However, this also means that you don't have to turn it as loud to get bass kicking around and the rolled-off treble ensures it is very unlikely the high frequencies would be damaging your hearing when you turn up the volume.
The lazy treble and the thick fat bass are the reasons why I think the SE215 SpE works very well when traveling or taking public transport. You don't have to turn it up too loud to get bass since isolation is good and the bass, particularly mid-bass, is very pronounced. The treble also means you aren't likely to pierce your ears with treble when playing at louder volumes, something that might happen with the IM70 and something which almost certainly would happen with the GR07.
Regarding the normal SE215, the most noticeable difference between the SpE and the standard edition is the Special Edition has significantly more bass. I didn't like the normal SE215 when I tried it at the store, thinking that for the price, the IM70 has a similarly mid-centric sound but with more detail and a tighter, deeper bass.
I also have a full written review of the SE215 SpE on Head-Fi, so feel free to read that if you want a better idea of the SE215 SpE:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/shure-se215/reviews/15650
 
TLDR:
1) If you want the best value for money out of the three, the GR07 or the IM70 are much better technically than the SE215.
2) If you're sensitive to sibilance like me, avoid the GR07.
3) Despite the above, my recommendation if you want a good travel IEM at this rough price would be the SE215 SpE. I think it's sound signature lends itself to preserving your hearing, not to mention I think it has the best noise isolation of the three earphones.
 
Hope this has been helpful. Finally I can get around to posting pictures, editing my profile and doing all that other fun stuff on Head-Fi. :3

 

[seanwee]

  Because I have nothing better to do, I think I'll add my 2 cents on what I think on this thread's topic. Also I need my 5th post on Head-Fi to start actually doing stuff but that has no bearing on why I'm making posts... *wink*
I own the IM70 and SE215 Special Edition and have demoed the GR07 Bass Edition. Personally, my preference between the three regarding sound is:
IM70 > SE215 SpE > GR07 Bass Edition
I know people on this site are going to collectively hound me for my opinion, but my reason for liking the GR07 the least is due to the sibilance. I might have to give it another try, but I just couldn't stand the sibilance, especially with vocals in the 'S' regions. While I'm very sensitive to this region of high frequency, I know I'm also not crazy. My friend who was with me, who's totally not an audio enthusiast in any sense of the word, told me the same and that he found the sharp 'S' sounds very unattractive. That said, I'll say that the GR07 does indeed have the most detail, just presented in a fashion that isn't to my taste.
Also, note that though I said I don't like the GR07, I didn't say you wouldn't. If you can, be sure to give it a try, though that may be difficult to do due to scarce availability at physical retail.
On to the IM70 and the SE215 SpE, I find the IM70, by far, is the better value for money. That said, I don't think the SE215 SpE isn't without its merits and the IM70 isn't without critical flaws.
First, the IM70 can be challenging to get a good fit on. The nozzles are thick, the ear piece itself is chunky and angular in shape, both these factors making it very difficult sometimes to get the IM70 to fit in my ears properly. Therefore, comfort isn't the best, especially if you have smaller ears.
That said, the IM70 sounds better than the SE215 SpE on a technical level. There is much more treble detail and the bass digs deeper and is tighter. Sound stage on the IM70 is also significantly more spacious and 3-dimensional though make no mistake, it's not going to blow your mind like good full-size open headphones would. Still, imo the IM70 has enough clarity for most peoples' tastes and has a generally rich, lush sound that is easy on the ears. Vocals in particular sound great, though the IM70 is also excellent with electronic music.
The SE215 SpE (not the regular SE215), I think has a sound signature that is excellent for travelling and general outdoor use. It's much more comfortable than the IM70 and is easier for me to get a good seal on. The SE215 SpE has rolled-off treble, which is why people don't like its technical performance, since it reduces perceived detail and clarity. Additionally, the SE215 SpE has bass that is considerably loose, especially when compared to the IM70 and GR07. However, this also means that you don't have to turn it as loud to get bass kicking around and the rolled-off treble ensures it is very unlikely the high frequencies would be damaging your hearing when you turn up the volume.
The lazy treble and the thick fat bass are the reasons why I think the SE215 SpE works very well when traveling or taking public transport. You don't have to turn it up too loud to get bass since isolation is good and the bass, particularly mid-bass, is very pronounced. The treble also means you aren't likely to pierce your ears with treble when playing at louder volumes, something that might happen with the IM70 and something which almost certainly would happen with the GR07.
Regarding the normal SE215, the most noticeable difference between the SpE and the standard edition is the Special Edition has significantly more bass. I didn't like the normal SE215 when I tried it at the store, thinking that for the price, the IM70 has a similarly mid-centric sound but with more detail and a tighter, deeper bass.
I also have a full written review of the SE215 SpE on Head-Fi, so feel free to read that if you want a better idea of the SE215 SpE:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/shure-se215/reviews/15650
 
TLDR:
1) If you want the best value for money out of the three, the GR07 or the IM70 are much better technically than the SE215.
2) If you're sensitive to sibilance like me, avoid the GR07.
3) Despite the above, my recommendation if you want a good travel IEM at this rough price would be the SE215 SpE. I think it's sound signature lends itself to preserving your hearing, not to mention I think it has the best noise isolation of the three earphones.
 
Hope this has been helpful. Finally I can get around to posting pictures, editing my profile and doing all that other fun stuff on Head-Fi. :3

I agree that the Se215 sucks monkey balls.
 
Anyways, Audio techica has released a sucessor to the Im70 which is the E40.
 
It beats the **** out of all three of these IEMs at only $99.

 

[ChinoLi]

So has anyone reviewed the new e40.I am pretty excited to know bt it since its launch,i heard its soundstage is going to be really good with emphasis on the bass.

 

[Aevum]

As someone who tried some of Vsonics products, I have a pair of VSD5 i dont use becuase they sound vailed, sibilant and slightly out of control on the base. worst 65 euros i´ve spent. 
 
My Advice ? try out the new Audio Technica E40´s or go cheap and get some Zero Audio tenores. 
 
When i got my VSD5 at first i was happy and then the sibilance started eating away at my ears making them unusable for more then 20-30 minutes at a time, and worst when i went out and used them in public... either my ears are incompatible with them or they provide NO isolation what so ever.
 
But to add insult to injury i ordered a pair of Zero Audio tenores as a backup... they basicaly rip anything under 100 bucks a new *******. 
And the Vsonic´s ? i think we have a case of the emperors new cloths here, no one wants to admit they just spent 60-120 bucks on something that sounds like it came from the dollar store. 

 

[seanwee]

  As someone who tried some of Vsonics products, I have a pair of VSD5 i dont use becuase they sound vailed, sibilant and slightly out of control on the base. worst 65 euros i´ve spent. 
 
My Advice ? try out the new Audio Technica E40´s or go cheap and get some Zero Audio tenores. 
 
When i got my VSD5 at first i was happy and then the sibilance started eating away at my ears making them unusable for more then 20-30 minutes at a time, and worst when i went out and used them in public... either my ears are incompatible with them or they provide NO isolation what so ever.
 
But to add insult to injury i ordered a pair of Zero Audio tenores as a backup... they basicaly rip anything under 100 bucks a new *******. 
And the Vsonic´s ? i think we have a case of the emperors new cloths here, no one wants to admit they just spent 60-120 bucks on something that sounds like it came from the dollar store. 

LOL

 

[SoundTown]

  I agree that the Se215 sucks monkey balls.
 
Anyways, Audio techica has released a sucessor to the Im70 which is the E40.
 
It beats the **** out of all three of these IEMs at only $99.

Yeah I didn't much like the standard SE215, didn't think it was comfortable either. It sealed too tight for me. The SpE is much more comfortable for me personally and I think it sounds less technical but more fun than the standard SE215.
Regarding the E40, just wow. Have you tried the E40? If so, what's it like?
That's exciting but disheartening for me to hear the IM70 has a successor now cos I just got my IM70... Such is life when buying tech.
That said, if the E40 is significantly more comfortable and sounds better to boot, then my life recommending IEMs to friends just got a hell of a lot easier. Very exciting news to hear.

 

[SoundTown]

So has anyone reviewed the new e40.I am pretty excited to know bt it since its launch,i heard its soundstage is going to be really good with emphasis on the bass.

Haven't heard the E40 but very very keen on trying it. If what you say is true, I'm excited for the sound stage increase but would be slightly worried about having stronger bass. The IM70 already has solid bass that doesn't overpower the rest of the spectrum and I like the bass the way it is.
My biggest possible complaint with the IM70 personally is that it could do with more treble energy. But that's just me, I'm sure they want to keep people who like leaner sounds buying the BA IM0x series.
Regardless of my opinions, I'm hoping the E40 would be a good one.