Best All-Around Setup for the Money

[toasterz12]

Hi! This is my first post on Head-Fi. I'm very new to the premium sound quality scene. My only experience with sound is the Apple earbuds that come with Apple phones and a pair of Skullcandy headphones which broke a few years ago. I only have $150 for my first purchase/set of purchases. If I decide I enjoy better-sounding products as much as I hope I do, I will probably put more money in. I mostly listen to country music, but that's far from the only thing I listen to. I enjoy bass that you can feel. I'm looking for (hopefully) a pair of IEM's or earbuds for sport applications and a pair of headphones for casual but more comfortable and better sounding listening. As previously stated, I only have $150 to work with. I'm not entirely set on having a pair of each but would prefer going that route. I'd like an in-line mic on at least the IEM's but, again, not a deciding factor. For the IEM's, I was considering the MEE M6 Pro's (Single Driver). If anyone has any experience with them, I'd love to hear it. From my research, it sounds like it's perfect for my budget. If I go that direction, I also plan on picking up a package of the Comply Comfort Tips. As far as the headphones go, I'm an open book. I really don't have much of an opinion on anything. The only criteria other than price is that they have to be close-back. Thanks for your time! I'm sorry if this has already been addressed or if any of this comes across too newbie. I'm glad to be here!

 

[serman005]

You have some options. If you want an IEM and a closed-back can, one option would be to go with the Mee and add the very, very good SoundMAGIC HP151. That would be a very nice combo. Now, it you said you wanted to spend slightly more money on your IEM and a bit less on your closed-back, I would recommend that you go with a SoundMAGIC E10 and an ATH-M40X. Personally, I think either one of those pairings would do a nice job for you. There are other options out there, but I think these are some very good pairings. Lastly, if you were to want just an IEM or just a closed-back, I would recommend the 1More Triple Driver or the HP151 (I personally think it is probably the best closed-back under $150). Some thoughts for you. YMMV, of course.

 

[Malfunkt]

You can get very very good sound for that money. See if you can get a Vsonic GR-07 Bass Edition perhaps used or for a deal.

 

[IkSak]

Hi.

For the $150 budget you have to get the iem and the closed back, is choose:

the Hifiman RE400 which is 49. This is a great iem with a very neutral sound, slightly warm but not too much. Great mids for the price.

As closed back, the Sennheiser HD 471 which is about 80 is a good choice. You'll have some extra for the tips

 

[toasterz12]

Thanks for all of the input! It looks like I have a couple of good options. Would anyone recommend or not recommend amps for any of the headphones? It looks like all of them have a low enough impedance that they wouldn’t need one, but would anyone of them be better suited with one? Thanks again!

 

[IkSak]

Hi.

In this moment, you should not need an amp. Later when you acquire other gear, an amp may provide tangible improvements