[Chiron43]

Hello all !
 
Sorry it's long to read... i like to write details

 
Intro :
So this is my first post here and i am also kind of a (total) newbie about IEM.

The thing is that these days i really spend a good amount of time per day to listen to music with some random IEM provided with my old BlackBerry Bold 9000 (2 to 3 hours per day).
I have not been particularly gentle with the in-ear set through the past months and now it's dying (starting to see the naked cables at 2 different places on the cable).
 
So, considering that i had to replace it and that it was time to move to something of better quality i have been reading a lot of reviews and forums about what would be a good IEM around 100 USD for a beginner like me.
Just discovering the immensity of the head-fi world !

 
Of course i also spend some time to look for what would be an affordable and good quality mp3 player.
I will probably go for a Sandisk (either the Clip Plus or the Fuze).
 
 
Main point :
Recently based in Hong Kong i went today to one of the Kingsound Audio's shops.
Thought that the one between Prince Edward and Mongkok subway stations (very touristic and high density shopping area) would assure me to have someone who could speak english in the shop, but the seller could barely speak a few words.
 
I managed to explain that i was looking for something from 500 up to 700 HKD (90 USD).
The shop has quite a lot of choice for any kind of wallet but only a few models are available for testing. For my budget the guy took out of the testing box 3 models :
Westone UM1 : 750 HKD (96 USD)
Westone (can't remember the PN) : 850 HKD (110 USD)
Shure SE-315 : 1350 HKD (173 USD) so clearly out of my budget
 
Despite all the readings i have done before going to the shop i couldn't come with a clear idea about a specific model or even of a few good choices. So i was expecting to talk to the seller and get information from him but as said, the communication was not that.
 
The sound from the UM1 was of course, no need to say, better than my random set, but i couldn't find so much difference with the model that was 15 USD more expensive.
I just found that the UM1 was better to play Indie, Folk music (for example) than Electro music (lack of bass probably ?). I am quite eclectic in my listening (the previous plus jazz, blues, hip hop, rock, raggae)
 
 
Now i am back home and a bit surprised to find out that the UM1 is :
- quite an old model (I can find reviews/comments from 5 years ago)
- still being on sale at around 100 USD (so at least i don't feel having been totally screwed)
 
But it also makes me feel that the guy could have come up with a more recent selection and maybe "better" choice than this one (but he might have thought i would accept only something i could test which wouldn't have been possible with newer models as they were not among the testing samples)
 
 
Anyway, final word after this looooong blablabla... i was hoping that some of you would share with me their comments about this and eventually suggest what they would consider as a better choice

(i haven't open the box yet, it's still unsealed so i hope to be able to change of product in the same shop even if i need to put a few more $ on the table)
 
Thanks for reading...
 
 
EDIT :
- In any case : Kingsound Audio website http://www.headphonehk.com/ (but the english icon just brings the translated page from Google)
- Ok i had bookmarked the "Multi-IEM Review - 193 IEMs compared" thread but didn't check it before... and now exploring the Tier 2C ($60-100) so i guess i can find my answer there by myself lol
 

 

[eke2k6]

I recently had the Shure SE215 iems. They're a beautiful set of earphones that cost less than 100 USD and they're readily available. Apart from that, they perform well on almost any genre you throw at them. It's not the best you can buy but at the price you gave, I think it's the way to go. The only thing is that they'll require about 50-100hrs of burn in before they really start to shine. Give 'em a try

 

[Chiron43]

Thanks for your comment eke !
 
I have been reading a few comments about the SE215 in different threads of the forum and it seems to me that there are more bad ones than good ones (but that could be because of so many parameters such as comparing it to higher range IEM or even haven't burn them, etc.)
 
Anyway i will take in consideration
 
 
TO THE MODS :
 
1) Sorry that i started a new thread for my request of advice !
I just discover the thread trying to group such demands : http://www.head-fi.org/t/557996/iems-portables-advice-don-t-start-a-new-thread-ask-for-help-here
Feel free to move my thread into the main one if that's possible. Otherwise i can copy/paste everything there and you can delete this one.
 
2) I guess that it has already been discussed and that it might not be possible to do it, but some major threads would deserve to be "sticked" at the top of the first page to ensure the best visibility and to reinforce the clarity of the section (the one mentioned above, the multi-IEM reviews, the deal alerts, etc.)