[big_lou]

Tried searching but could not find specific recommendations for good IEM's for classical music and opera. I try to use FLAC and 320kbps MP3 files only and listen to symphonies, concertos, piano solos, and italian (mostly) operas.

Have tried Sony's EX51's and I don't mind the fit (upside down) but the sound is ..., well, let's just say that I think the music I listen to needs something better.

I would be listening mostly indoors and while walking/jogging 3 or 4 times a week in fairly quiet areas and I would like to spend less than $200. Using iRiver T30 now but will upgrade to Cowon D2 or a large HDD-based DAP with high SQ.

Are there any IEM's that would excell with these types of music (currently using DT990's)?

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

Lou

 

[eruditass]

ER-4P
IM716

/thread

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoomzDayz /img/forum/go_quote.gif ER-4P IM716 /thread

Add to that list the E4c despite somewhat lacking in refinement compared to a pair of decent dynamic headphones such as the K701, HD600/650/580, etc.

Note that I don't really recommend the E500 simply because their sound signature and tonal balance doesn't quite do classical music the way it's supposed to sound. I'm constantly fighting with myself over whether I'd still take the E500 over the E4c for classical music. I've owned them twice in the past due to sellers remorse, only to discover that the sound really isn't what I like. Now I'm feeling that urge to listen to them again, knowing very well that I won't fully appreciate them. For most other genres, the E500 completely outclasses the E4c, ER-4P and iM716. Also, there's no doubt whatsoever that the E500 is technically better.

 

[patalp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoomzDayz /img/forum/go_quote.gif ER-4P IM716 /thread

I don't know about other IEMs but IM716 + even walking slowly =

you can hear your footsteps and the cable has lots of microphonics

 

[dissembled]

Why don't you wait for the QJAYs. At least they have some semblance of soundstage.

 

[gates_2]

er4s+amp, if possible

 

[feh1325]

since you're walking or jogging in a quiet area, why not consider small headphones?

something like the sennheiser px100 might be an upgrade
or maybe its lifelong rival, the koss portapro

 

[big_lou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feh1325 /img/forum/go_quote.gif since you're walking or jogging in a quiet area, why not consider small headphones?

Thought about that but I would still prefer to keep a low profile and to be free of cans which might fall off or have to be readjusted when jogging. I just hope I can find great sounding IEM's.

BTW, my preference is classical music but I haven't listened to enough "live" classical music to know what it "should" sound like. Basically I am just relying on pre-recorded classical music.

My point is that I am not sure what to look for in IEM's, or DAP's for that matter, for good reproduction of classical music or opera. It seems that some of the IEM's that have been recommended do not have extended bass or high frequency response but may have very good midrange characteristics.

Is this what works for this type of music?

I do like the low frequency impact of bass drums, pipe organs, tubas, contrabass, etc, etc, and also enjoy the high frequency sounds of cymbals, triangles, tympanies, etc, etc, and everything in between.

I seems to me that classical music may be one of the most demanding in terms of extreme frequency response, dynamic range, sound stage, imaging, etc, ,etc, and that it might be very difficult to find a synergistic combination of IEM + DAP that would yield satisfactory sound quality.

Yet, when I select the clasiical music EQ setting of most DAP's it seems like the bass and the high frequencies are de-emphasized. Is this because this type of music has too much energy at these frequency extremes that it might cause some DAP amps to start clipping or some transducers to distort?

Again, thanks in advance for any replies and IEM recommendations.

Lou

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by patalp /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know about other IEMs but IM716 + even walking slowly = you can hear your footsteps and the cable has lots of microphonics

You can hear your footsteps with all isolating headphones. I can with with the HD 280 Pro, which isolates better than IEMs. The cable microphonics go away if you route the cables over you're ears. It's pretty unbearable with the cables just going straight down.

 

[Henry Flower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by big_lou /img/forum/go_quote.gif It seems to me that classical music may be one of the most demanding in terms of extreme frequency response, dynamic range, sound stage, imaging, etc, ,etc, and that it might be very difficult to find a synergistic combination of IEM + DAP that would yield satisfactory sound quality.

Quite. The whole idea of phones being 'good for classical' seems to me misguided: classical is an extremely broad sonic church within individual works, even before we get on to the different kinds of classical music.

FWIW, I'm moderately happy with my shure e4cs for classical, subject to the rather huge qualification that I think IEMs in general are not great at reproducing the textures of the notes that characterise acoustic instruments (one of the few common threads in most 'classical' music). Wherever possible, I'd prefer even cheap dynamic phones to IEMs for this.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henry Flower /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quite. The whole idea of phones being 'good for classical' seems to me misguided: classical is an extremely broad sonic church within individual works, even before we get on to the different kinds of classical music. FWIW, I'm moderately happy with my shure e4cs for classical, subject to the rather huge qualification that I think IEMs in general are not great at reproducing the textures of the notes that characterise acoustic instruments (one of the few common threads in most 'classical' music). Wherever possible, I'd prefer even cheap dynamic phones to IEMs for this.

I don't know about the OP, but I only use IEMs when I need isolation. When on an underground DC Metro train, the average background noise is 95dB. Since I'm not doing critical listening anyway, IEMs work fine. My iPod is on shuffle by album and my collection is about 40% classical, so I end up listening to a lot of classical though my IEMs.

 

[tnmike1]

er4p coupled with either Supermacro IV LE or maxxed out Portaphile. Musical interests very similar to yours. Pavarotti and those guys never sounded better. Ditto with either Rachmaninov or Lizst and their piano pieces. But ya gotta dropthe bucks on the amp for truly amazing results