Best iems for under 450$ ?

[Saint Henrik]

Hello all
so i'm planning to buy some iems that can be driven unamped from my Sony Walkman Z
Price range: under 450$
I mostly listen to rock , alternative, classical, soul , indie and sometimes country and pop. I don't listen that much electronic , techno , trance, dubstep or metal. I listen at 320kbps 
I have heard that Heiraudio 4.Ai is very good iem at this price range , but if you have some better suggestions let me know

 

[ZARIM]

Sony own EX1000, Westone 4, UM3x, PFE232, CK100Pro, Heir Audio 4Ai are great buy under this price and they all are very detailed with great soundquality, soundstage, imaging and bass response.

 

[Seekky]

Sony EX1000 + Sony Walkman = Perfection
 
***CAUTION: A WILD SONY FANBOY APPEARS***
 
 
EDIT: forgot to put Sony PHA-1 in the chain..

 

[Cotnijoe]

Can definitely vouch for te 4.Ais. They sound good with most genres. I listen to a wide tange of music and i dont find te 4.Ai to be particularly lacking with any type of music. You can also look into the UE900 if u want a more consumer friendly sound signature but from what others have said, the quality control seems to be awful.

 

[tinyman392]

I would say the Westone W4(R) should suite the majority of your needs.  If you can find them for price (on sale), the PFE232 will suite all your genres except classical.  HiFiMan also has the RE-600 coming out at the 400 price tag.  It's unknown how they'll sound.  The 4.Ai should be able to cover everything you listen to well except classical.  
 
I would hold off with the on the UE 900 unless you buy from Logitech directly.  Their older batch really needs to be phased out.  They can turn out to be a good headphone like the W4 or Phonak PFE 1xx, but only if they can get around the poor batch.  After full break in, they may not handle pop the way you may want it too, some rock as well.  

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Can definitely vouch for te 4.Ais. They sound good with most genres. I listen to a wide tange of music and i dont find te 4.Ai to be particularly lacking with any type of music. You can also look into the UE900 if u want a more consumer friendly sound signature but from what others have said, the quality control seems to be awful.

 
I get that you don't like the UE 900 for whatever reason, but many of the best IEMs on Head-Fi have thad these "quality control" issues.  They will be unavoidable.  From great brands too, like Westone and Phonak.  

 

[Cotnijoe]

I get that you don't like the UE 900 for whatever reason, but many of the best IEMs on Head-Fi have thad these "quality control" issues.  They will be unavoidable.  From great brands too, like Westone and Phonak.  

Ive personally enjoyed my time listening to the UE900. I wasnt one of the people with the problem but i think its definitely something to take note ofz

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Ive personally enjoyed my time listening to the UE900. I wasnt one of the people with the problem but i think its definitely something to take note ofz

 
It definitely is something to take note of.  The issue has been addressed though, we just have to wait for the bad batch(es) to be phased out.  It's a bummer to see it happen, but it has.  

 

[imackler]

+1 W4

 

[TheKillerPiglet]

The best IEM's I've heard are the Sony EX1000's, if isolation is not a factor.
 
KP
 

 

[fuzzyash]

check out the jvc fxz100/200 thread under iems
there have been a couple reviews putting them up their with the heavyweights despite their price

 

[Saint Henrik]

I forgot to mention that i want iems to be durable because i'm planning to use them as long as possible.
I'm still kinda worried do i need to buy some kind of amplifier because my walkman z has the european volume cap on it and i don't know anything about amplifiers so its going to be another hassle if i need to buy it.
I have thinked should i buy iems that has fun sound signature since i have very small experience in iems. Only quality iems i've had were the logitech ue 700 which i liked pretty much except there would have been just a little more bass but not too much. I dropped them only once in the floor when i was walking and stepped on the cables, and then volume dropped half on the right earpiece 

  I don't want that to happen this time so detachable cables would be nice. 
What do you think about the heiraudio 3.ai ? I have heard that it has fun sound on them and the price is 100$ lower than the 4.ai. 
 

 

[imackler]

It's not totally your sound signature, but Shure's are really good as far as combo of sound quality/warranty. Plus, when they finally break/wear out, after the warranty period, their out of warranty prices are really good. I had a friend who used the same pair of Shures for years and when he called them for a replacement he got a new version for a great deal. If quality/repair were a major consideration, I'd pick up a Shure, or maybe a Sennheiser. 

 

[ZARIM]

If you are looking for fun soundsignature, durability, detailed soundquality, little bassy but not much then GR07 are highly recommended and it doesn't have removable cable but everything is built sturdy and they will last long. Also JVC FX700 are great sounding IEMs they offers deep reverbing bass, crisp clear mids and extended highs with large soundstage. If removable cable is must then Sony EX1000, SE535, Sennheiser IE80, UE900, UE TF10Pro are great buy.

 

[GreenStreak]

I'm surprised only one mention of the Sennheiser IE80, I find them to be a wonderful IEM, you can even get a new pair for $349($100 under MSRP)