[Kylemcg]

Well, I've been researching a high end portable set of headphones, I'm too young for customs to be an option, so universals it will be. A couple that I've looked at are:
Sennheiser ie800
Heir IEM 8.0
Shure se846
Fitear Togo334
Akg k3003

I am interested in any and all opinions and comparisons between these, as well as other similar products.

 

[elnero]

You should also have Tralucent's 1Plus2's and Ref 1's on your list.

 

[Kylemcg]

thanks guys, what do you guys think is better, BA or dynamic, i know the ideas of both, but I've only heard dynamic drivers before.

 

[Ivabign]

You need to try a GOOD BA headphone with a clean source - only your ears can decide if BA's are your taste...
 
Personally, I like `em both! 

 
 
...also the Universal V8 from 1964 Ears might be an option....
 

 

[ZombieZebra]

  AKG K3003, IE800 are great if you are wearing them downward like earbuds but if you need proper tight seal and wearing over the ear then Shure SE846, Heir 8.0 and Fit ear to go 334 are better.

 
I got myself SE535s earlier this week and they were extremely uncomfortable to me, so I'm thinking regular downwards-earbuds are best for me. Are the IE800 and K3003 really the only ones in the top-tier? I haven't really found any others that are reviewed as well as those, but I'd like to know if I have any other options I might want to consider.

 

[Jackson 6]

The ie 800 are very comfortable, have an ear wax guard, and are a step above the H3, which is high praise. Once you reach this strata, the type of driver is a mute point.

 

[EarArtworks]

Add the EX1000.
IMO for the universal type I think I will only pay about 700 usd price bracket, more than that I will go custom.

 

[Gagarin]

Campfire Lyra - ceramic housing with dynamic driver: I like it more than the IE800

UM Maverick - 4BA + 1 Dynamic driver- sounds like the hd700 and hd800 combined in an IEM. It's quite bright.

JH Roxanne universal - tuneable bass and just amazing sound overall. 12 drivers per side.

DITA audio Answer - quite a boring sounding earphone, but the longer you listen the more you appreciate it. Very good detail, soundstage and most of all, coherence. Everything out of it sounds natural and as intended. There is NO artificial sound at all, which is a great achievement.

Shure SE846: the most practical size, shape and build quality, with sound quality that's amazing. It matches up to the JH Roxannes, exceeding it in bass quality, but it's slightly worse in treble. Can be slightly sibilant. Tuneable sound without the knob on the cable. Much smaller than the universal custom iems. Super low impedance means for the best sound, you need a good audio player. My iPhone seems to reduce the highs a significant amount.

Noble Audio Kaiser 10 universal: simply the best and my favourite iem I have ever heard. Slightly warm sound, fits every single genre of music, balanced frequency response, very smooth and coherent sound and a jack of all trades. It's also the master of all trades. It's also very comfortable and a small size, making it wearable for long hours.

 

[baax]

There are so many choices out there so my best advice is to demo as many as possible, everyone's going to have their own (usually biased) opinion.. 
For me I went with the custom Heir 8a since most of my listening is to enjoy the music and not to pick it apart and analyze every plucking string. Best I have heard for that purpose is UM's Mentor, it is the closest to the top end over-ears overall. Unfortunately you'll need to pick up a decent dac/amp to get the most out of them.. or any of the other CIEMs mentioned above.  

 

[baax]

Also:
good choice going with Universals..
1: your ear canals will likely change (slightly)
2: it's easier to resell Universals if your tastes change (which they probably will)
3: You'd be surprised at how much more comfortable some universals can be for lengthy listening sessions (if your commute is say over 1.5 hours)

 

[Gagarin]

Also:
good choice going with Universals..
1: your ear canals will likely change (slightly)
2: it's easier to resell Universals if your tastes change (which they probably will)
3: You'd be surprised at how much more comfortable some universals can be for lengthy listening sessions (if your commute is say over 1.5 hours)

In my experience, if you wear your customs constantly, every day, your ear canals just won't change, it's like a set of braces! I've been using the same one for 4.5 years now. Of course, everyone is different!

My ear canals are very bent and strange, so getting a proper fit in any universal is extremely difficult. It's gotta be customs for me, unfortunately for my wallet.

 

[Army-Firedawg]

I've heard a great deal of elite tier IEM (especially where I work) and by FAR the Shure SE846 are the best things I've ever put in my ear. They're amazingly comfortable (easily can sleep with them [I do sometime]), and the sound is pure brilliance (the only thing that's beaten it was the Oppo PM-1). The HK 3003s are alright in their price point but I feel they should be around the 800 range then they'd be great, fantastic even but at 1100-1300 no sir. I haven't heard the Sennheiser (yet 

) but have heard they're traditional clean sound with a hint of warmth to make them a really good pair to relax and enjoy your music with. But if I could really recommend one to you the Shure SE846 all the way!