Cheap IEM's never sound good

[Me x3]

I really don't have much experience with IEMs but from the only experience I've had I got this idea about them:
There are no cheap IEM's that sounds good.
I'm sure that is not correct, but then I never get to those cheap and great sounding IEMs.

I mean when talking about full sized headphones you can get plesant sound out of probably Takstars, PortaPros or other stuff that cost no more than 40 dollars.
But talking about IEMs...

I have Yamaha's EPH-100 and they are really really good but they cost about 150 dollars.
Then I also have Yamaha's EPH-50 and I've tried some Sony and Panasonic IEM's (range 10-30 dollars), also Yamaha's EPH 20 and none of them are truly plesant to hear. Unnaturally highs and boomy bass, or completely muddy bass, sibilance, etc...

My question is: Are there any cheap IEM that sounds good?

And when I say good I mean, good haha, they don't have to sound as good as Yamaha's EPH-100 but you know: plesant, natural.
And when I say cheap I probably mean -lets say- under 60 or 50 dollars.

Thanks! And Greetings.

 

[seekadds]

Of course any generalization can be criticized for being overly simple, but my personal experiences tend to agree with yours. Since moving into ~$150+ IEM's, most cheaper IEM's now sound unacceptable to me. Even "bang-for-the-buck" budget kings that are well-reviewed on head-fi I have ended up selling or abandoning. e.g. Hippo-VB, Meelec M6, Brainwavs Beta, etc. The "best" under $100 IEM for me was the DUNU Trident, but even that one I sold. Even in joker's huge IEM compendium, in my experience there is a dividing line right around his 8.5-9 score on sound.
 
For some reason, apparently the total range of the spectrum is wider with IEM's than other types of headphones. Again, don't get me wrong, not all expensive IEM's will sound good, and there are always exceptions to any rule. 

 

[Wasatchsummits]

I've just started dabbling into IEM's, after having used the same old Sony IEM's for years. After scouring online reviews and getting an idea of what to expect, it's slowly coming along in the quest for a good sounding IEM.
 
The first set I got based on a review was the NS400, by Nocs. They retail around $79 to $99 on some sites, though I found a used set on ebay for $55.00. After listening to these once they arrived I was pretty impressed by them, they really sound pretty good. Great sub-bass response, great mids and great sounding treble. They sound better after cooking for at least 60+ hours. The soundstage on the NS400 is higher than average, with great separation and imaging. I've checked out Joker's comparison thread and didn't see them there.
 
The review I checked out for the NS400 is here: http://www.digitaltrends.com/headphone-reviews/nocs-ns400-review/
 
I also have the EPH-100, which I really like as well. The NS400 and the EPH-100 sound similar, though the EPH-100 has the upper hand slightly with the mids. The lower end on the NS400 is slightly more forward than the EPH-100. Treble is more forward on the NS400 as well. Both sets sound really good IMO.
 

 

[Deviltooth]

A lot of it relates to personal experience.  As you go up the audio food chain it's often the case your ear becomes more 'educated' and what used to suffice no longer will.
 
When I consider IEM quality I try to do so relative to the price and direct competitors.