ATH-M50 achieved, time for good IEM's

[Danchou]

Hey guys,
 
I got my ATH-M50 a week ago, upgraded from 20 € Phillips IEM. I love them, but i would rather like something more portable for the bus drive, so I was thinking on switching back to IEM or get a pair besides the M50. The ATH-M50 also drain my Galaxy S i9000 way too fast.
I don't want to miss the High quality of the M50, but i think I prefer the sound(stage) of IEM over Headphones. Important for me is, that they have a good isolation, because i will mainly listen to them in the bus. Also they should not be too analytic/sharp(RE0?) since i just wanna enjoy my music on the go. My favorite is the M3 atm, because I heard they sound really enjoyable and i LOVE the design. Also I get them easily in EU. If the other IEM's outperform the M3 by far I would rather take them though. (I listen to all kinds of music)
 
I thought about getting one of these:
 
| Brainwavz M3 | Brainwavz M2 | Head-Direct RE0 | Sunrise SW-Xcape |
 
Now i got two Questions:
1. Are these IEM's enough quality wise to actually replace the ATH-M50? In this case i would sell them and buy 2 IEM's or a open headphone and one IEM.
2. Which IEM's should I take for unamped Galaxy S i9000?
 
Thank you in advance

 

[marko93101]

I'll stick to what I know and suggest the Shure SE215s.. I have them, and I absolutly love them, I happily switch between them and the M50s!
 
Hope that's of some help. Unfourtantly I know nothing of your other options!

 

[Danchou]

 
Quote:

I'll stick to what I know and suggest the Shure SE215s.. I have them, and I absolutly love them, I happily switch between them and the M50s!
 
Hope that's of some help. Unfourtantly I know nothing of your other options!

Thank you for the replie, but style is important to me too, and i don't like the shure headphones.
I especially wanna know if any of these IEM can replace the ATH-M50 for me...

 

[koolkat]

I don't know.. for me, the IEMs and full-sized headphones sound different. I don't think any expensive iems can replace that headphone sound. 

 

[Danchou]

Quote:

I don't know.. for me, the IEMs and full-sized headphones sound different. I don't think any expensive iems can replace that headphone sound.
 

that is no problem! I know they sound different, and i actually like the IEM a bit more, though the HP sound heavier and rich. I dont want the Headphone sound to be emulated or replaced, i just want to know if these IEM's sound quality is on on par with the ATH-M50, or if i need a Headphone for SQ and a IEM for traveling. Do you actually read my questions?^^
 

 

[mrAdrian]

What's your budget? What's your sound signature preference? Or what genre of music do you listen mostly?
 
^^

 

[koolkat]

I did read your question and I felt that you can't compare an iem to a headphone since they give different sounds.
I mean, you can't compare the sound quality of headphones to loudspeakers right? :O

 

[Danchou]

My budget is around 100 € max. The listed IEM's are fitting, i actually pretty much have no clue which one i should take... As i said i like the m3 most for the design and the relaxed fun sound signature described in reviews.
 
I listen to all kinds of music: all kinds of Rock, Hip-hop, Pop, R'n'B, Dubstep, Soundtracks (Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, Yann Tiersen, etc) Blues.
I don't listen to: Metal, hardrock, house, electronic, reggea, and everything where someone is shouting at me too loud except for System of a Down
 
since i have a accurate and analytic sound signature with the M50's, i thought about getting something relaxing maybe a warm sound signature for bus traveling.
the question is if i should keep the m50, or sell them for even better IEM's or more of them. I could just send the M50 back for 150 €...
 
hope that helped

 

[zowki]

All the IEMS you listed in your first post are excellent. You wouldn't go wrong with any of them! Of course, none of them would replace the M50 in terms of bass extension, impact and soundstage. If I were you I would get the Brainwavz M2 for commuting and keep the M50 for indoor use.

 

[Danchou]

Why the M2 and not the M3 or RE0? I guess you know how it is with design... So unimportant, jet so persuading I just love the M3 and they are newer, so why would you recommend the M2 over it?
 
You convinced me to keep the M50! Thanky you, but my wallet is angry now xD

 

[mrAdrian]

Keep the M50 of course! Sell it later in the FS forum in here when you really dislike it or you are going to upgrade. Its such a popular headphone so it should be quite easy to sell.
 
And with both the IEM and HP you can experience more different sound signatures. STuff like soundstage would really appeal from comparison

 

[zowki]

Why the M2 and not the M3 or RE0? I guess you know how it is with design... So unimportant, jet so persuading I just love the M3 and they are newer, so why would you recommend the M2 over it?
 
You convinced me to keep the M50! Thanky you, but my wallet is angry now xD

The M3 is more analytical sounding while the M2 is more fun sounding. Its a sound signature that I prefer. M2 is also cheaper.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Why the M2 and not the M3 or RE0? I guess you know how it is with design... So unimportant, jet so persuading I just love the M3 and they are newer, so why would you recommend the M2 over it?
 
You convinced me to keep the M50! Thanky you, but my wallet is angry now xD

Like Zowki said, one needs to take consideration of what the gear will be used at. The IEMs will be used during commute, and thus most miniscule nuances that show up better with higher-tier IEMs like M3 will never be heard due to noise and attentional distractions; also a more musical and fun sound signature of mid-tier IEMs like M2 will likely sound better than cold analytic sound sigs that high-end IEMs all carry when you are out walking and riding.
 
More critical and focused music listening should be done at home, with big cans of course.

 

[Danchou]

I am now also considering getting Koss porta pro or KSC75 for portable use...
the reviews are really good and the price is so tempting cheap.
 
Can these compete with the IEM's listed above?

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I am now also considering getting Koss porta pro or KSC75 for portable use...
the reviews are really good and the price is so tempting cheap.
 
Can these compete with the IEM's listed above?

Not in detail levels, no (especially porta pro). As a reference, the M50's sound quality is leagues ahead of those two justifiably.