[Spyro]

This hobby may not be for you if you can't hear or cant appreciate differences in upgrade.  May want to just stick with the Bose.
 
If none of them sound as good as the HD598, why bother right?  For me, my active listening doesn't allow for headphones so, to me, comparisons to them are pointless.

 

[Mooses9]

  This hobby may not be for you if you can't hear or cant appreciate differences in upgrade.  May want to just stick with the Bose.
 
If none of them sound as good as the HD598, why bother right?  For me, my active listening doesn't allow for headphones so, to me, comparisons to them are pointless.

agreed 

 

[Gilly87]

Based on your impressions, I'd recommend you try out the Shure SE215 if you do want to have something for active/outdoor listening; they really aren't leagues behind top-tier IEMs the way some would let you believe, but they are a definite step up in overall clarity and cohesiveness from the Bose IEMs, with tighter bass to boot. They have the same fit as the 535s which you seem to like; give them a shot You can even get them with a mic/controls for your iPhone for about $150. I love mine; IEMs come and go through my hands, at least 7 or 8 pairs a year, and SE215 is the only one that's stayed, and it's been here from day 1 of my headphone journey. I have a TF10, which most folks here would say is much better than the SE215, but to my ears it is only a bit better, mostly in terms of treble and soundstage. IMO the SE215 has nothing to be ashamed of, especially at its price. If you like the sound of the Bose and want something a bit better, and you liked the SE535's fit, it might be the last one you ever buy
 
Quote:

  Maybe this is preliminary, maybe I am rushing, ... these headphones are not worth it for me.
 
Comparing them to $120 Bose IEMs ..... Shure 535, Westone W4 and HiFi RE600 are not 4 times better than Bose IEM .... nor are they 3 or 2 times better. 
 
Westone sounds too weak. Reminds me of Grados SR225 .... lots of treble, little bass, I tried to get used to the sound but ... those are not made for smooth jazz or classic .... seems like they are more for rock, heavy music ...
 
Shure 535 ... nice, nice fit, nice sound, not $400 nice, at least for me.
 
HiFiMan RE600 ... some things better than the other two and some other music Shure is better.
 
Bottom line .... not worth for me to spend 3-4 times as much as my current Bose IEMs cost.
 
 
I also compared these to my Open HD598 over ear headphones .... with no surprise those beat all of the IEMs for me.  Much, much bigger sound-stage, just enough bass .... no $400 IEMs for me.
 
 
 
 
P.S.
One guy on this forum once said that once you upgrade from those cheap $20 headbuds to something like even Iphones $30 IEMs, that's where you'll see the biggest sound difference. Difference between a $100 and $400 IEMs .... not that big compared to the price.

 

[proedros]

you seem like a guy with too much money to spent - and i don't say it in a bad way

what kind of files do you listen to ? if you are using 192 kbps mp3 , buying a 400$ iem is ,imho, worthless - so try to use FLAC or at least 320 mp3

also you have to listen to those iems some hours before making any final judgements. your ears/mind get used to their sound signature.

also what kind of sound do you like/aim for ? bassy ? fun ? neutral ?

just buying expensive random iems won't really help you. it will only make the vendors happier and more wealthy.
 
good luck with finding the ideal iem - what i have learned here in the last 3 years is this

read and educate about what kind of sound/iem you think you will like - this is more than half the job , imo.

after 200-250$ the differences aren't really big - i have the 250$ RE-272 and the 150$ RE-262 , and i know that i must go for customs in the 700-1000$ if i want to hear really major improvement in my sonic experience.

 

[Scootersinger]

I bought the Hifiman RE-600 to replace some Earsonics SM3 V2 and couldn't be happier.  I also own some older sure IEMs and in my opinion, the Hifiman blow them both out of the water.  I love the accuracy and musicality of the Hifiman.  I think sure might have a very slight edge in the mid range, but overall I am thrilled with my purchase.  One thing to remember is the the Hifiman are an extremely small iem, and therefore comfortable with almost no fatigue factor.  I don't think you can say that for the others.

 

[viet1357911]

  I bought the Hifiman RE-600 to replace some Earsonics SM3 V2 and couldn't be happier.  I also own some older sure IEMs and in my opinion, the Hifiman blow them both out of the water.  I love the accuracy and musicality of the Hifiman.  I think sure might have a very slight edge in the mid range, but overall I am thrilled with my purchase.  One thing to remember is the the Hifiman are an extremely small iem, and therefore comfortable with almost no fatigue factor.  I don't think you can say that for the others.

Cant agree more. Re600 is my best IEM ever. I really wanna try something new like IM-03 or Shure535 but i afraid it cant be equal with RE600...

 

[sofastreamer]

except in detail and separation

 

[viet1357911]

except in detail and separation

i think Re600's detail and separation really good

 

[sofastreamer]

it is for sure. but some ba-based iem are even better in this regards

 

[viet1357911]

  it is for sure. but some ba-based iem are even better in this regards

i found some Ba based IEM give me harsh treble. and i cant feel detail with harsh treble ....

 

[kernel8888]

a/bing iems can be a tough excersize. I've had days where i can't hear much difference at all between my jh5 and jh13, and other days where it's quite apparent with the same songs through the same source. Also, brand new iem's and headphones can be especially tough to compare because of the time it takes to get accostomed to the sound signature and characteristics. I find i need to spend at least a good week with a hp/iem to become familiar with it enough to make a realistic comparison to another iem that i am familiar with.

Also, expectations can skew our listening results. You have to remember that you are listening to the same thing through each iem, its not like you're going to hear the same song sound completely different through diff iems. When i first got my first jh16 freqphase, i was very dissappointed, but the more i listened and heard other iem's to compare to , the more i understood what made the iem so great, and also had a much better understanding of what the law of diminishing returns looked like.

 

[Gilly87]

Agreed totally re: A/Bing IEMs, its totally different than comparing headphones and much harder to really tell differences. Dynamic vs BA is usually obvious, but two BA IEMs side by side can be tough. I remember having X10 and W3 at the same time and hearing so much difference, and then being confused as hell when A/Bing and getting what felt like the same sound.

 

[Tympan]

  if you are using 192 kbps mp3 , buying a 400$ iem is ,imho, worthless - so try to use FLAC or at least 320 mp3

also you have to listen to those iems some hours before making any final judgements. your ears/mind get used to their sound signature.

also what kind of sound do you like/aim for ? bassy ? fun ? neutral ?

just buying expensive random iems won't really help you. it will only make the vendors happier and more wealthy.
 
good luck with finding the ideal iem - what i have learned here in the last 3 years is this

read and educate about what kind of sound/iem you think you will like - this is more than half the job , imo.

*** after 200-250$ the differences aren't really big - i have the 250$ RE-272 and the 150$ RE-262 , and i know that i must go for customs in the 700-1000$ if i want to hear really major improvement in my sonic experience.

 
DEFINITELY. 
Plus IEMs can also sound different depending on the tips used (size, material, depth, and amount of pressure in the ear canal...) Once my RE600 are inserted at the right depth, I always have to pinch the tips to release the air pressure and fiddle with them to find the optimal angle... Failing to find the proper fit/tip can be as disappointing as listening to 128 bits mp3 files versus a lossless .flac or .wav...

 

[viet1357911]

   
DEFINITELY. 
Plus IEMs can also sound different depending on the tips used (size, material, depth, and amount of pressure in the ear canal...) Once my RE600 are inserted at the right depth, I always have to pinch the tips to release the air pressure and fiddle with them to find the optimal angle... Failing to find the proper fit/tip can be as disappointing as listening to 128 bits mp3 files versus a lossless .flac or .wav...

Same to me. I think custom tip can help us

 

[Tympan]

Last time I was looking into custom tips, it was $79 for the tips + shipping + $150 for impressions... roughly $250!!! Well, I'm still depressurizing manually ; )