Hey guys, I'm looking for a new pair of IEMs $50 or less and I am totally stuck in analysis paralysis. For the last year or so I have used Klipsch S2s and I thought these were really the best things since sliced bread. However, I noticed that vocals would get lost a lot of the time, and the reviews citing these IEMs as confused is correct. When it comes to music, I listen to absolutely everything, so me telling you what I like won't work. What I can say is that number one, I am hard on my IEMs so the build quality has to be very good. The reason I am looking for new phones is because one side of my S2s is dead and this is the way my headphones usually die.
Number two, I do not like sibilance at all. It is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Clear treble, absolutely, but when it starts to get harsh I have to stop listening. If I look at how I adjust my EQ settings, It is a mix of warm and bass. The sound I want is hard to get at my price point, I want bass, but not boomy bass. Is it possible to have tight, punchy bass that might extend into sub bass? I don't like muddy sounding anything. I will also be using these for my laptop so that includes gaming and watching Youtube videos. So a clear, detailed mid is also important. I know I am asking for the stars here, but I am hoping there's a compromise somewhere.
I am currently wavering between the VSonic VC02 and the Astrotec AM-50, but I am open to suggestions. I love the idea of the VC02s because of the detachable cable and the idea that they are detailed. I'm really wondering about the bass response on them. The song "Diamond" by Klint is a real great example of how I want my sound to work together.
http://www.last.fm/music/Klint/_/Diamond The bass is strong, with resonance, but it is also very detailed. There's highs that have the potential to be sibilant, and the mids around the 3:00 mark add another layer that can complicate things. I want to be able to listen to this track, really experience the low bass without it being muddy but not have it overshadow everything else.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. What are your recommendations? I don't mind that I won't find the perfect IEM in this price bracket, I just want something good that is going to be an overall performer because of being mostly used on my laptop without having to sacrifice too much low end. Thanks so much for any insights!