[ThibWay]

Hello,
 
(Not necessary to read the spoiler)
 
 

Spoiler

I've had my Shure SE420 for something like 8 months now. I bought a Cowon J3 a month ago, the quality is breathtaking but.... My Shure SE420 are way too neutral... There is not enough basses and when there is basses it seems like it's middle-basses. I think I need something more energic, with more punch. Someone said it sounds "nasal" too, it's another feeling I have about this model, so I think the sound could be more "spacial" too, I don't know how to describe this... 
 
I had a Koss Porta Pro once, there were enough basses and good ones, deep just how I like it, if I could just have the same basses in the ear I would be sooo happy. My mother has Sennheiser HD595 I tried it, it's too neutral too, the basses are richer and deeper than the SE420 but it's still not enough ... I can't try in ears like this in stores and I don't know anybody who can let me try a model. Maybe you could tell me some particular songs I can listen too to tell you how it sounds IMO with my Shure SE420. At least I love the mediums on the SE420.
 
 
 Some tests I made on popular songs : 
 
Michael Jackson : Beat It            /// Could have more punch, and more "spacial" would be better. 
Lady Gaga : Alejandro                /// Nice to listen, basses could be stronger and deeper. 
Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away            /// Boring... Won't you just wake up ??? 
Coldplay - Yes                          /// More basses and punch could be cool during first part, second part is boring...

 
 
I was thinking of Shure SE535 though the price is absolutely exagerated and doesn't seem to go down, or Shure SE530 at a fair price : I can have it at 270 euros... Maybe if I give you some examples you'll be able to help me better. I have no idea apart from the SE535, I used to trust Sennheiser but it seems like IE8 have too many cons like isolation... I'd like a 3 drivers model I believe it makes music "alive" and brings accuracy when it's well-managed. I think I could also go for UE, Westone... Oh, and I'm pretty sure about the choice between headphones and in ears I think it's as effective as when it's directly in the ear somehow, the clarity is breathtaking, you can almost touch the instruments and same for the basses, it impresses me. Well, maybe I'm completely mistaken also .
 
Actually I LOVE the signature of COWON J3 + my old SENNHEISER CX550 Style 2, the basses are wonderful with this combo. But the mediums are not as good as what I remembered and it doesn't seem to have much spatialisation and accuracy... If you could find top in-ears with this signature that would be perfect !
 
Info : I listen at low volume : Cowon J3 + SE420 at 01 up to 04 maximum (meaning 12 with headphones max), FLAC always. I listen to Trance (50%) and almost everything (Rock, OST etc...). I have Harman/Kardon Soundsticks 2 which give a lovely sound together with Cowon J3. With Trance the basses can't "hump", it absolutely needs to be deep else it sucks, for instance you can listen to this : http://www.junodownload.com/products/2099/1545165-02/ .
 
Thank you for your help 

 ...

 

[lucozade]

Tf10, se530 , westone 3 ,SM3 are all significant improvements over SE420 in every way and all of them have 3 drivers

 

[ThibWay]

Thank you for your reply 

According to my tastes and the reviews I should go for IE8, indeed I just got to that page : http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15243  I'm affraid I might not like Shure at all in the end. It's sad because it's so well-built, IE8 has a stupid style, the cables aren't as good as well as the isolation...
Triplefi 10 doesn't seem to have enough basses too as I read... As for Westone 3 I don't know;..
 
As I said I listen to Trance and basses musn't be always humps like with Shure SE420 there must be plenty of basses and deep too. Mids are also very important that's for sure because it's kind of out the most chill out part of the spectrum so it musn't be overwhelmed by basses and has to be pretty clear. I'd like my next pair of in ears to be the last before at least four years so I want to make sure of what I'm buying....
 
EDIT :
 
Ok, so if I'm not mistaken :
 
Sennheiser IE8 :    the basses I love, the signature I love, but no incredible mediums from what I read. Bad Isolation. Medium cable (replacable ?). Fit ? (there are foam sleeves at least). And I won't talk about the design lol.
Shure SE530/535 : not enough basses, but mids even better than SE420... Excellent isolation. Excellent cable. Good fit. Insane design especially for SE535 clear O_o.
And what about Future Sonics m8 ? Single driver again and pretty ugly but maybe it shouldn't be underestimated ^^. It seems there are a lot of basses in this model...
 
It's so sad to have to make such a compromise 

. 

 

[stevenswall]

The Shure 535 is the most plain headphone I have ever heard. If you have a J3 and like clear highs, very realistic mids, and extended bass, try an Etymotic Mc5. The EQ on your Cowon will be able to tailor the sound to your liking, as it is already a natural sounding earphone and doesn't have any audible weaknesses from my listening with a Cowon S9... X-Bass is great for getting more impact, and the rest of the spectrum still sounds highly articulate, there is no bloat and no boominess, just clean precise bass, and overall realistic frequency response.