[BRSxIgnition]

 
I recently purchased the TMA-1 Headphones by AIAIAI, the main reasons being they are very portable, and have great sound quality. I'm enjoying them quite a bit, and it was money well spent, I happen to love their deep bass punch and clarity. However, being an on-ear headphone, they are not as comfortable as an over-ear headphone or earphone (as far as I have heard) So~..

 

Here is my question. What are the best $150 - $250, IEM's or Earphones, which are good with Techno, Dance, Rock, Orchestral, and a smaller mix of other genres? I would like them to be equal-to or better than my TMA-1's when it comes to bass punch and overal clarity, as those are the things I notice most.

 

Are there any comparable or better Earphones/IEM's for the price? Are any a significant jump up in overall quality?

 

I would love to find out the thoughts of those with more experience in this field. I have only owned over-ear and on-ear headphones in the past, so I would love to see what in-ear phones are all about.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Bump.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Bump.

 

[yello131]

Ortofon e-Q5 is highly recommended. Dimitri from Musica acoustics offering this for discounted cost ($249) to heafi members.
There are few reviews so you can have an idea how this sound.
Another Option is DBA--02
Radius DDM W1 or the new W2 model coming in about 2 weeks or so according to Dimitri.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

VERY interested in the Ortofon eQ-5. Just not the price.
 
How do they stack up against the Monster Turbine Pro's? And the DB-02's look good, but they seem like a step down from both.
 
How do all of the earphones above compare to say.. the SRH-840's or M50's? I need something I can compare them to, as I have never heard extremely high end earphones.

 

[Color Theory]

This is under your budget, but I really like the Klipsch Image S4i. The bass is "enhanced" but smooth, and the highs are crisp. The only problem for me is that the bass bump makes me turn them up louder than I normally would to hear the midrange instruments, but I'm really careful about controlling the volume.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

I'd like the get the best earphones I can for my price limit, without necessarily rubbing against it. (A la Ortofon eQ-5) Are they that good? Because that amount of money is over what I spent on my on-ear AIAIAI TMA-1's. I won't spend that kind of money unless its sure to be better.. 
 
For comparison, the TMA-1's are comparable to HD-25's, M50's, or SRH-840's. Do the Ortofon eQ-5's surpass any of these?

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Bump.

 

[dweaver]

I have a pair of Radius DDM and have owned the Monster Turbine Pro Gold and Copper. The DDM has more bass quality in terms of texture and detail than those two but they have more bass slam. The mid-range is about equal with all three. The copper has the brightest signature which can border on too energetic at times. The DBA-02 will give you the most detail but may be bass light for your music choices. I am currently waiting for a pair of Denon AH-C560R to come in as I hope they will have a similar signature to their full-size big big big brothers the D7000. If they seem nice I'll mention them here.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Quote:

I have a pair of Radius DDM and have owned the Monster Turbine Pro Gold and Copper. The DDM has more bass quality in terms of texture and detail than those two but they have more bass slam. The mid-range is about equal with all three. The copper has the brightest signature which can border on too energetic at times. The DBA-02 will give you the most detail but may be bass light for your music choices. I am currently waiting for a pair of Denon AH-C560R to come in as I hope they will have a similar signature to their full-size big big big brothers the D7000. If they seem nice I'll mention them here.

I thought that there was a normal Monster Turbine Pro and then there was a gold version, but I see now its the same. Anyway, are the Turbines worth the price? Or even higher up, are the Ortofon e-Q5's worth the price? I have never tried more expensive earphones, so I don't know what to expect when it comes to SQ per Dollar compared to over and on-ear headphones.
 
So far I'm looking at:
 
Ortofon e-Q5
Denon AH-C710
Monster Turbine Pro Gold
DBA-02
 
What full size pair of headphones would be closes SQ-wise to these? It will help me get the picture as I have tried far more full-size headphones than I have tried headphones.

 

[ValSic]

I have the Ortofon EQ-5 and I gotta say the it is one of the most detailed IEMs I've ever heard (note that I've only experienced a few from TF10s , MT, MTPC , RE0) and they're almost good at any genre. I'm not a bass head but I do feel that the EQ-5 is lacking in bass quantity ...but definitely not QUALITY.
 
I've made an amateur review of these a couple of weeks ago so you might wanna check it out ---> http://www.head-fi.org/products/ortofon-e-q5/reviews#4546
Too bad I have to let go of these and trade them for the HD600 but they're definitely a bang for the buck!

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Quote:

I have the Ortofon EQ-5 and I gotta say the it is one of the most detailed IEMs I've ever heard (note that I've only experienced a few from TF10s , MT, MTPC , RE0) and they're almost good at any genre. I'm not a bass head but I do feel that the EQ-5 is lacking in bass quantity ...but definitely not QUALITY.
 
I've made an amateur review of these a couple of weeks ago so you might wanna check it out ---> http://www.head-fi.org/products/ortofon-e-q5/reviews#4546
Too bad I have to let go of these and trade them for the HD600 but they're definitely a bang for the buck!

I really like deep, controlled, bass, with a nice kick. So those are probably out.
 
What about Etymotic? Are they good? Apparently they are from what I've read..

 

[buffalowings]

Quote:

Quote:

I have the Ortofon EQ-5 and I gotta say the it is one of the most detailed IEMs I've ever heard (note that I've only experienced a few from TF10s , MT, MTPC , RE0) and they're almost good at any genre. I'm not a bass head but I do feel that the EQ-5 is lacking in bass quantity ...but definitely not QUALITY.
 
I've made an amateur review of these a couple of weeks ago so you might wanna check it out ---> http://www.head-fi.org/products/ortofon-e-q5/reviews#4546
Too bad I have to let go of these and trade them for the HD600 but they're definitely a bang for the buck!

I really like deep, controlled, bass, with a nice kick. So those are probably out.
 
What about Etymotic? Are they good? Apparently they are from what I've read..

sounds like you're looking at the MPTC/miles davis tributes

 

[dweaver]

Etymotic are mainly known as bass light IEM's as well. The Monster Turbine Gold has a nice sound to it and is worth getting so long as you don't pay full retail.They are also well built and have an unbeatable warranty if you buy new. There is another thread discussing the Denon AH-C710 located here and a review here. One of the deciding factors for me about going with the AH-C560R aside from having the iPhone Mic and controls and being at a price point I was comfortable with, was this comment made in another thread, it's only one comment but I thought I would see if I liked them anyway. I am not sure why the Denon brand has such little following here but thought I would find out. They will either be nice or I'll understand their lack of use. Personally though, the D7000 is the nicest headphone I have heard and that's going up against HD800, Beyer Dynamic T1, LCD-2, HE-6 and other top end gear. Most of the models I mentioned are technically better than the D7000 but none have such an organic sound to my ears, and yet that headphone is barely recognized as a top tier headphone by many people here, enough so I never bothered listening to them or giving them much heed until I was lucky enough to hear them at a Head-fi meet. So I am hoping Denon's IEM's have some of that same charm, if so I don't care what is popular, only what sounds good to my ears. Stay tuned as I should have these next week sometime.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

I have many likes when it comes to music, as I listen to anything but country and rap. I just want something that has a deep bass kick when it needs to. I want clarity and balance overall as well, just a good deep bass with kick is a must.

How are the Denon's I listed when it comes to these kinds of songs? Are they good? Any other suggestions?
 
Right now it's between the:
 
 
Denon AH-C710

DBA-02

 

And if I want to spend a bit more:

 

Ortofon e-Q5 (Are they worth the extra cost?)