[duffany1]

New guy here, owner of lousy Logitech UE 350 (audio quality not horrendous, but they just broke on me). I'm looking to climb another rung or two up the ladder of audiophilia. I would like some IEMs in the $150-200 range with better sound and build quality. I listen to dubstep (Knife Party, Dodge & Fuski, etc), house, classical (huge fan of Bach), film (various OSTs, Two Steps from Hell, etc), and a bit of metal here and there.
 
I hear the GR07 and the BA200 are great in this price range, but I'm looking for a fresh new opinion (those threads I've been looking at are a bit old). Perhaps there is something totally different than those that would be even better? If not, which of those two is the better pick?

 

[warrenpchi]

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How long on average will they work before being broken?

 
LOL.  Wait, really? 

 
Also, the concept of breakage is foreign to me.  I've never had any cans/IEMs break or fail on me... knock on melamine.

 

[TwinQY]

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Ok, so now I'm looking at the Vsonic Gr02 and the Brainwavz M2, does the m2 justify it's higher price? How long on average will they work before being broken?

Can't really quote an average lifespan as that's EXTREMELY variable. There is simply no consistent way of tracking that unless you personally ask Brainwavz for their RMA/warranty stats (though I doubt they'd reply).
 
I've had these M2s for a bit over two years but I've hardly ever used them during the latter year (I tend to not put things on my gear list whenever it hasn't been used for that long - it gets to a point where you can't really qualify it being something you're extremely intimate with unlike something in your everyday rig). I also tend to coddle my gear to rather ridiculous degrees.
 
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I felt so bad when he said it was getting buried in the sticky...

 
Yup!  Hope so!
 
YGPM
 
Hahaha, you know you'd never sell. 

Yep, it's why I quote-&-post something before replying beforehand, and put a disclaimer in on the top so people wouldn't think they'd get left out.
 
Gosh this is going to do wonders for my spare internet time.
 
Phew, it's not crabs.
 
Nah. I've sold almost everything I've come across apart from a few. The key is to keep everything in ridiculously good condition (not unwrapping the cables from their original wrap, other ridiculous measures) so resale value is as high as possible.
Dear lord, added up the numbers and....I really can't believe I've spent that much.

 

[warrenpchi]

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New guy here, owner of lousy Logitech UE 350 (audio quality not horrendous, but they just broke on me). I'm looking to climb another rung or two up the ladder of audiophilia. I would like some IEMs in the $150-200 range with better sound and build quality. I listen to dubstep (Knife Party, Dodge & Fuski, etc), house, classical (huge fan of Bach), film (various OSTs, Two Steps from Hell, etc), and a bit of metal here and there.
 
I hear the GR07 and the BA200 are great in this price range, but I'm looking for a fresh new opinion (those threads I've been looking at are a bit old). Perhaps there is something totally different than those that would be even better? If not, which of those two is the better pick?

 
I'm going to assume that you are mildly or somewhat sensitive to treble and say Dunu Tai Chi.  If you can break that, damn you strong! 

 

[TwinQY]

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New guy here, owner of lousy Logitech UE 350 (audio quality not horrendous, but they just broke on me). I'm looking to climb another rung or two up the ladder of audiophilia. I would like some IEMs in the $150-200 range with better sound and build quality. I listen to dubstep (Knife Party, Dodge & Fuski, etc), house, classical (huge fan of Bach), film (various OSTs, Two Steps from Hell, etc), and a bit of metal here and there.
 
I hear the GR07 and the BA200 are great in this price range, but I'm looking for a fresh new opinion (those threads I've been looking at are a bit old). Perhaps there is something totally different than those that would be even better? If not, which of those two is the better pick?

All I remember from the UE350s was awful and slow. So still not certain in regards to having a reference point, etc. The genres are helpful, but (and I've been overstating this way too much) - preference in terms of how we enjoy those genres, individual aspects/characteristics that we look for regarding said genres, varies quite a bit so you might get some more specific recs (sounds like we'd be holding out on you otherwise, but definitely not my intent - it'd just be more helpful for either of us) if you specified sound preferences, signature preferences as well. Any criteria regarding fit would also help narrow things down as well.

 

[duffany1]

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I'm going to assume that you are mildly or somewhat sensitive to treble and say Dunu Tai Chi.  If you can break that, damn you strong! 

Dang, those look really nice...  but what do you mean by "sensitive" to treble? and what makes you assume that?

 

[johnnyb0y99]

Hi I'm looking for a pair of earphones/headphones that have a neutral response,look good,comfortable, and can hold up to being thrown in the backpack. I would like noise isolation since I ride the bus. My music preference goes from classic rock that would benefit from a neutral response and wide sound stage to hard rock and occasional hip hop. My price range goes up to $200 but I would prefer it to be under $100. I also wear glasses. HELP ME!

 

[duffany1]

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All I remember from the UE350s was awful and slow. So still not certain in regards to having a reference point, etc. The genres are helpful, but (and I've been overstating this way too much) - preference in terms of how we enjoy those genres, individual aspects/characteristics that we look for regarding said genres, varies quite a bit so you might get some more specific recs (sounds like we'd be holding out on you otherwise, but definitely not my intent - it'd just be more helpful for either of us) if you specified sound preferences, signature preferences as well. Any criteria regarding fit would also help narrow things down as well.

I'm not to keen on a lot of the audiophile jargon, but I'll try my best to describe what I'm looking for.
 
I like the highs airy and wide, yet tight/crisp. (I'm a big fan of the reverb effect.) More or less the same for mids, except not quite as airy. As for the lows, I like them powerful and well-defined, but certainly not overemphasized.

 

[TwinQY]

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Dang, those look really nice...  but what do you mean by "sensitive" to treble? and what makes you assume that?

I'm guessing it's because of the genres you stated, though only warren would be privy to tell. 
 
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Hi I'm looking for a pair of earphones/headphones that have a neutral response,look good,comfortable, and can hold up to being thrown in the backpack. I would like noise isolation since I ride the bus. My music preference goes from classic rock that would benefit from a neutral response and wide sound stage to hard rock and occasional hip hop. My price range goes up to $200 but I would prefer it to be under $100. I also wear glasses. HELP ME!

Neutrality and durable under $200, wide stage? - oh boy the BA200s are just begging for you. Very linear, stage accentuates the width - one of the integral parts of the presentation. It's plastic but very nice plastic, can't see any weaknesses to the design and they feel solid to the touch. The R-50s might also work sound-wise but the stiff cable is a worry. Either would isolate just fine, a slight advantage to the BA200s due to the ergonomics of the shell aiding in isolation though.
 
And of course the classic ER4Ps if you can find them at a good price - very linear, many an arguments have been started due to their claim for neutrality, build is jaw-droppingly good, isolation is among, if not the best out of IEMs in general. 

 

[warrenpchi]

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I'm going to assume that you are mildly or somewhat sensitive to treble and say Dunu Tai Chi.  If you can break that, damn you strong! 

 
Dang, those look really nice...

 
Super tough cables, the most comfortable ear hook I've ever used (which also puts zero cable strain on the housings), and the thing is tunable via bass ports that you can plug/unplug.  Very cool piece of kit.
 
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but what do you mean by "sensitive" to treble?

 
You know, that highs like hurt and stuff.
 
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and what makes you assume that?

 
Laziness.

 

[TwinQY]

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I'm not to keen on a lot of the audiophile jargon, but I'll try my best to describe what I'm looking for.
 
I like the highs airy and wide, yet tight/crisp. (I'm a big fan of the reverb effect.) More or less the same for mids, except not quite as airy. As for the lows, I like them powerful and well-defined, but certainly not overemphasized.

Airy, crisp, powerful and well-definite - sounds like the GR07s more than the BA200s to me, the TDKs have air but factoring in the relative smoothness and the fact that the VSonics simply have more air, well...
 
The information you got definitely isn't outdated though - these are definitely top-notch choices. Can't really think of many other alternatives - perhaps the UE700s (these keep on coming to mind ever since Warren came in and mentioned them, reminded me of how much I liked them)

 

[AristoNYC]

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It's tough... especially since it seems that you are describing a lot of the benefits of an open can's soundstage Aristo... which won't be in a closed can of course.  Well maybe a little, but not in the way that you're used to.  Oh wait, maybe a K271/K272 would do.  It has "enough" of AKG staging, yet is closed.  But then again, not quite portable is it?  And it's more than $100 at that.
 
Oh wait a tick!  Aristo, how sensitive are you to treble, specifically sibilance?

Yeah, Open air is ideal to me but since I am commuting I want to be able to drown out a bit of outside noise whilst also respect those sitting next to me. I was looking at the Sennheiser PX200 as an option. To reiterate, I don't mind spending more than that though to get improved quality. I haven't used an "on ear" as opposed to "over ear" headphone so I'm not sure what to expect. 
In regards to treble/sibilance sensitivity, I'm not really sure to be completely honest. Sharp high pitched tones tend to bother me, but I'm not sure if thats what your'e asking.
 
Thanks again for your response.

 

[warrenpchi]

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Hi I'm looking for a pair of earphones/headphones that have a neutral response, look good ,comfortable, and can hold up to being thrown in the backpack. I would like noise isolation since I ride the bus. My music preference goes from classic rock that would benefit from a neutral response and wide sound stage to hard rock and occasional hip hop. My price range goes up to $200 but I would prefer it to be under $100. I also wear glasses. HELP ME!

 
RE-400.  Thank you so much for not being complicated! 

 
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Dang, those look really nice...  but what do you mean by "sensitive" to treble? and what makes you assume that?

 
I'm guessing it's because of the genres you stated, though only warren would be privy to tell. 

 
Yeah, that too.  Just because you tend to listen to stuff without a lot of treble, on IEMs without pronounced highs... ergo, dude prob doesn't rock out with his treble out.

 

[warrenpchi]

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Oh wait a tick!  Aristo, how sensitive are you to treble, specifically sibilance?

 
In regards to treble/sibilance sensitivity, I'm not really sure to be completely honest. Sharp high pitched tones tend to bother me, but I'm not sure if thats what your'e asking.

 
Yup, pretty much exactly what I was asking.  Okay then, nevermind,  I had something in mind for you that fits your other criteria, but it's got a pretty strong high frequency response.

 

[duffany1]

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Yeah, that too.  Just because you tend to listen to stuff without a lot of treble, on IEMs without pronounced highs... ergo, dude prob doesn't rock out with his treble out.

I'm into the slightly more distorted area of dubstep though, rather than the bass-focused dubstep. Sort of like this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWbaHcILGJ8 Would you say that those sorts of songs have more treble?