[TheMaestro335]

Hello all,
I am looking for the best $200.00 IEM that has great mids and highs, and also has a nice tight bass (not to boomy)? Any suggestions?

 

[Trysaeder]

TF10, W2, W3?

 

[TheMaestro335]

These IEMs are all 350.00 and up? I guess what you are saying is that there is no such IEM for 200.00?

 

[addsfsds]

What about Phonak PFE? I was looking for something like you described in your post and today i ordered them after a week of research on internet. They seems to be a very good deal for the price. Nice, precise bass, clear voice and very nice mids. I will get them in 10 days but what i already read from reviews made me buy them

 
Here some links:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/406323/phonak-audeo-pfe-vs-sennheiser-ie8
http://www.headfonia.com/detail-experts-etymotics-er4-phonak-pfe122-and-hifiman-re-0/3/
http://anythingbutipod.com/2008/11/phonak-audeo-pfe-perfect-fit-earphone-review/
 
Or maybe this one:
 
http://anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56274
 
I ordered Phonaks as they seems to be very comfortable too

 

[TheMaestro335]

Thanks for the reply,
actually I have these phones. I just rediscovered them. They are very good connected to an I Phone directly with out an amp. I just ordered the bass filters. Should be an interesting listen.

 

[mvw2]

Ety-like ==> Westone
 
Something like the UM2 might be a good choice.  It does use the same driver as the ER4 but will an added bass driver.  I'm a fan of the UM3X, but that's out of your price range.  The UM2 isn't really isn't cheap either, but you might have better luck with finding a used one that's within your price range.
 
The PFE is an excellent bang for the buck earphone.  The frequency response with the gray filter is nearly the same as the ER4 earphone.  Using the black filter lowers the mids and treble some and does make it more bassy.  It certainly isn't a bass monster though.  There really aren't any single BA earphones that are.  While I may call the PFE more fun than the ER4, it isn't as good as the ER4.
 
I will note that the ER4P and S versions are available for under $200.
 
One of the only other earphones I've used that offer a note like the ER4 is the Klipsch Custom 3.  The Custom 1 and Custom 2 were apparently terrible sounding earphones, but the Custom 3 is very good.  Alone with the UM3X, the Custom 3 is basically the only other earphone I've used with the same kind of note that the ER4 presents.  The dual driver Custom 3 offers a well balanced frequency response and good bass and treble range.  For it's going rate of $99 to $120, it's quite remarkable, only about a half step down from the best universal IEMs out there.  For the price, it's tough to beat.  Heck, if it was double the price it'd be tough to beat.

 

[Trysaeder]

Quote:

These IEMs are all 350.00 and up? I guess what you are saying is that there is no such IEM for 200.00?

W3 is the only one over 200.

 

[RedSky0]

Just EQ them. This is what I do, and am perfectly happy with the result.

 

[MonkeyBusiness]

Heres my vote on a few headphones that might fit your describition:
 
Panasonic HJE900 have excellent clarity, speed and detail. Also with snappy solid bottom end. J&R have a special atm.
For more bass DDM Radius are amazing. But might not be analyitcal enough in the mid and highs for you.
Maybe you should consider 2nd hand ie8 or tributes.
If you wana spend alot less and willing to eq alil the playaz n3 with complies are a really good bargain imo.

 

[TheMaestro335]

Thanks for all your replies,
It looks like mvw2 is a big ER4 fan. I have a pair of Phonaks, and have tried all the filters. The grays are definitely the nicest sounding but not enough bottom end. I tried the green filters, and that just cuts out the mids and highs way to much. The blacks are ok, but you loose the great highs that the gray filter gives you.
Is the ER4P's bass punchier and tighter than the Phonack black filters? I also have a pair of MC5s and I love there highs, but not enough bottom. Is the bass on the ER4s more pronounced than the MC5s. Keep in mind I do not want IEMs that give you a bloated bass, I like a nice tight pop.

 

[Danz03]

That depends on the size of your ear canals. For me, who has very small ear canals, I could barely get the ER4s halfway in and I get hardly any bass response at all. But if yours are big and manage to get them all the way in, the bass is supposed to be nice and punchy.
 
Quote:

Is the ER4P's bass punchier and tighter than the Phonack black filters? I also have a pair of MC5s and I love there highs, but not enough bottom. Is the bass on the ER4s more pronounced than the MC5s. Keep in mind I do not want IEMs that give you a bloated bass, I like a nice tight pop.

 

[mvw2]

The bass on the ER4 just doesn't go deep.  It doesn't really have anything below 60Hz and fullness and visceral sense is lost.  Midbass is actually good, but without the extension it just doesn't fill out like it should.  The PFE goes a little deeper, but it's still not a bass monster and the midbass/lower mids are more pronounced on the ER4.
 
Bloated can be a couple things.  Mainly it's an uneven response.  It could also be a loose and sloppy low end too that turns into more noise than music.
 
You have the option to stick with dynamic earphones that are well known to have good bass.  Or you specifically step away from single driver BA earphones and look exclusively at dual or triple armature sets running a good bass driver or dual bass driver.  The BA based earphones simply need that dedicated bass driver to extend well.  While dynamics could stand to become dual driver devices too, the BA sets need it since the drivers themselves just don't cover as much of the frequency response spectrum as dynamic drivers can.  This isn't to say that dynamics don't suffer from the same shortcomings.  Many times there is some compromise on the low or high end due to design.  It's just that the inherent design allows dynamics to just cover a little more range per driver.
 

 

[jleewach]

Quote:

The bass on the ER4 just doesn't go deep.  It doesn't really have anything below 60Hz and fullness and visceral sense is lost.

 
Nonsense. The bass on the ER4 goes just as deep as most all high-end iems. Have you ever looked at a frequency response graph of the ER4's? There no drop off to be seen. It's just much more in line w/ the midbass & treble, and not artifically boosted like in most other iems. I can clearly hear notes from 50Hz down to about 30Hz w/ my etys. 
 
Unfortunately, it's just a very common misconception that the er4p's lack bass, and likely occurs from those who cant fit them correctly... If you're not getting a seal, they'll sound horribly tinny & bass-lacking. If the proper seal is achieved, they're musical perfection. 

 

[mvw2]

Yes, I've seen the graphs.  When I discuss bass extension, I mean the earphone needs to be able to present a discernable note.  The ER4S below 60Hz doesn't.  You can throw 20dB EQing on the bottom end and get a 30Hz tone from them.  On the other hand, I can use a variety of other earphones and get a 30Hz tone more readily, sometimes without work.  The CK90Pro is a good example.  It's a simple 2 BA driver IEM, but the bass extends all the way down without needing EQing.  The notes are just there.  They aren't robust like the UM3X, but even light in body, the notes are there, with zero EQing.  Stepping back to the ER4S, the notes are not there.  Bass is well represented down to around 60Hz, then very little after that.  One could say the same about the frequency response for the SE530.  There's another earphone with a graph that shows a flat, extended bass line.  However upon listening it just isn't there.  The SE530 rolls off early and rolls off a lot.  It can't produce a 30Hz tone to save its life.  It just can't.  It can barely produce a 40Hz tone with a ton of EQing.  Yet, the graph shows it's flat and extended.  I've seen graphs showing the Triple.Fi 10 has the same kind of low end response, but the sound is entirely different, a lot more midbass and better bass extension than either the ER4 or SE530.
 
Sometimes it's not always about sound but also the ability to articulate and fill out a note.  Sometimes it just takes a good driver to do this.  The Custom 3 is a good example of a good bass driver.  Low frequency notes are well defined, articulate, and dynamic.  It rolls off a little on the bottom but responds great to EQing.  You may even experience better results with your remolded pair..  Just because you can hear something played doesn't mean it's good.  The ER4S is one that is like that.  Yes, you can hear notes, but they are not well represented.  You'll hear something there being played, but it's not a good representation.  I'd prefer to have a good representation.