Best custom iem available money no object

[Singhisking2011]

Hello people of head fi

I'm the proud owner of the ie80s however as my dad has found love for them I am interested in looking at new possibilities and maybe going down the custom route for a new pair of in ears. I use my iphone 5 64gb for music all the time without any amp and my music taste is varied but I do like bass like the ie80s but I want to take it to the next level something much better clearer louder wider soundstage, better mids, better highs etc. Haven't got a budget so all help welcome but I don't want to be wasting my money for something which 1k and is outperformed by something £500 or less. My music taste is mainly hip-hop, r&b, Indian etc. I've been looking at heir audio, jh audio, ue, um etc. please can you help people and help me make my decision and what you think as I'm quiet new to the custom field

Thanks ! Much appreciated

 

[Loquah]

Hey Sing,
 
I've just finished doing the same research myself and the consensus opinion seemed to be that all the top end CIEMs are great and it's splitting hairs to choose a "best".
 
For me, the decision came down to ease of access (i.e. who I could deal with the most easily) and a little bit on price, but only after ease of access. That meant Unique Melody (Miracles) because they have an office here in Melbourne.
 
I'm only just having my impressions taken later today so I can't yet comment on the sound.
 
Having done lots of reading, it's definitely worth considering what type of sound you like because they're also all quite different in terms of sound signature. What music styles, sound styles (i.e. warm, analytical, etc.) and other earphones/headphones do you enjoy?

 

[Singhisking2011]

Hey Sing,

I've just finished doing the same research myself and the consensus opinion seemed to be that all the top end CIEMs are great and it's splitting hairs to choose a "best".

For me, the decision came down to ease of access (i.e. who I could deal with the most easily) and a little bit on price, but only after ease of access. That meant Unique Melody (Miracles) because they have an office here in Melbourne.

I'm only just having my impressions taken later today so I can't yet comment on the sound.

Having done lots of reading, it's definitely worth considering what type of sound you like because they're also all quite different in terms of sound signature. What music styles, sound styles (i.e. warm, analytical, etc.) and other earphones/headphones do you enjoy?

Hello mate!

Thanks for the reply well I just want the very best to be honest my music taste is varied I want something with bass, clarity etc hence why I got ie80s but I want to take it further and I have been told and narrow it down to merlins, jh16, heir audio 8.a. However I'm interested to know people's thought on um miracle and ue 18. I want something similar to the ie80 but much much better in every department if you know what I mean big soundstage, bass, great all round sort of headphones

Thanks

 

[Loquah]

Based on the research I've done, the JH16s and Merlins are more bassy options which should make them similar but better than the Senns. The hardest thing here though is finding people who've heard multiple CIEMs for comparison.

I think it'll be a while before I can offer an opinion on the Miracles, but I don't think they'll have the strong bass that it seems you're after.

Maybe try searching the forums for "merlin vs jh16" and vs 8.a - that's how I came to a decision and it came down to 8.a or Miracles for me so not sure if 8.a will be as solid in the bass as the others you're considering, but don't take my word for it.