Best IEMs for around £60...

[lamboman]

Hi guys,
As you can tell, I am a newbie. I am looking at buying some IEMs at around £60. I mainly listen to hip-hop, rap, but also some pop and dance. If you like Timbaland's music, you can get the idea of what I would like. I want something that isn't overdone on bass, but isn't exactly lacking either. I also would like plenty of detail. I was considering the Ety ER-6is, but most have said that the bass is simply not enough for my type of music. What would you suggest? Source is going to be my 2nd Gen Shuffle.

Cheers!

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pros should suit your taste in music and source reasonably well.

 

[Jaska]

I think your instinct on the ER-6i is a good one. More bass, in my opinion, will mean an overly bassy IEM.

For what it's worth, my musical taste is extremely different than yours, so definitely keep this in mind.

 

[dazzer1975]

er6i's deffo, ok the bass isn't a deep slam, and is less than is on the er4's but with a good seal it is there and it is acurate and detailed.

fwiw the er6i is the very first musical hardware upgrade purchase I ever made at the start of this year and it is what showed me that I had been missing out on so much all the while I had been using stock equipment.

Go for it, I am sure you would thoroughly enjoy and appreciate them.

 

[synaesthetic]

ER-6i is a great IEM for the price you pay to get one. Huge value there.

 

[lamboman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrederikS|TPU /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pros should suit your taste in music and source reasonably well.

I would, but they are WAY out of my budget.

Thanks for the extremely fast replies guys. The ER-6is are great, I know. But, is all this talk of inadequate bass, most likely to do with incorrect fitting? Is the bass REALLY lacking?

I know about all the other choices, but I haven't actually heard them myself. I am simply looking at some first hand opinions of them all.

 

[synaesthetic]

I don't find ER-6i to lack bass. It's there, it's just very tight and controlled, it doesn't exactly thump in your head.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

You could also consider the D-JAYS, Audio Technica CK7, Denon C551 and C700.

 

[lamboman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mansize_tissue /img/forum/go_quote.gif You could also consider the D-JAYS, Audio Technica CK7, Denon C551 and C700.

I was considering the first three. Everyone seems to take the Etys over the others though. Could anybody enlighten me on how they all compare (reading reviews gets me nowhere generally, every ear is different).

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamboman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Everyone seems to take the Etys over the others

While trying to avoid being a fanboy of any kind, I do think it's rather significant to note that the ER-4 has been on the market without (any?) changes for something close to 20 years, and they're still considered to be among the very best non-custom IEMs. The ER-6i aims to be a less expensive alternative to these, with a bit more bass and increased sensitivity for better compatibility with portable players. I have both, and don't hesitate to say that the sound is almost the same. I really don't see how you could do better for the money.

 

[RoadHazard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mansize_tissue /img/forum/go_quote.gif You could also consider the D-JAYS, Audio Technica CK7, Denon C551 and C700.

Yeah, if it's not essential that they are true IEMs, you should check out the Denons. I have the C551s, and I love them. They are canalphones, so they won't go as far into your ears (and as a result won't give quite as good isolation, but definitely enough when music is playing if you can get a good seal - which is critical for getting good sound anyway). As far as I can tell the main difference between the C551s and the C700s is that the C700s have slightly brighter/clearer highs, but somewhat weaker bass than the C551s. To me the C551s sound fantastic. I really love the strong bass response (just the right amount with completely flat EQ on my Sony NWZ-A818 - "Clear bass" +1 adds extra punch, any more and the bass gets almost too strong), and the highs seem present enough. They are definitely not muddy in any way, to my ears they are very clear. They are also really comfortable.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamboman /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was considering the first three.

Not the C700s?

 

[lamboman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mansize_tissue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not the C700s?

The C700s are more than double the budget.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamboman /img/forum/go_quote.gif The C700s are more than double the budget.

Are you sure?

 

[lamboman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mansize_tissue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you sure?

Yeah, I'm sure

Thanks for the link! I am still looking around though...