[DaddyMojo]

I am fairly new at posting to Head.fi, but I have been reading reviews on the site for a little over a year.  I have some health issues and am not always able to do the physical things I used to be able to do with my 16 year old son, so I began to look for things we could enjoy together. One day he bought some Beats with his Christmas money and wanted to compare them to my Bose IE2's.   To make a long story much shorter, the Beats are gone, but he and I now collect various headphones and IEM's and I am about to make another purchase and I need some help.  I currently still have the IE2's and Ath-M50's (because they were so highly rated by so many at head.fi), while he has V-Moda LP2's, Klipsch x10's, Klipsch x7i's and he even bought his sisters V-Moda and Klipsh IEM's this past Christmas. 
 
My son will often walk around with his V-Moda's wrapped around his neck and looks cool doing so, while  his father would walk around with Ath-M50's around his neck and look like a total creeper.  I think IEM's wold be a much safer bet.
 
I really want to get some more exciting IEM's, next month and I had narrowed it down to three:
 
Westone 2 (or 3)
Vsonic Gr07
HiFiMan Re262
 
I listen to a lot of different music including Vintage Rock (Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan), Mowtown/R&B (Stevie Wonder, Flo Rida) Acoustic/Soft Rock (Ed Sheeran, The Script, The Fray), Rock/Pop/Country (Coldplay, O.A.R., The Band Perry). Christian (Lecrae, TobyMac, Needtobreath)  and since my 16 year old is my oldest, I also listen with my younger girls to New Direction (Ugg), Justin Bieber (Double Ugg) and Taylor Swift and my son is into Dubbstep (Deadmau5, Skrillex).
 
Besides a really broad sound stage, it is really important to get comfortable IEM's as I spend time in the hospital for tests fairly frequently.  Now I really enjoy the Audio Technica sound stage as it is well suited for the music I listen to, but I find that they get uncomfortable after lengthy wearing (I did order DT770 replacement pads, which are on back order.) I also like some base, not overpowering like my son enjoys, but enough base so the music is fun. (Have you ever listened to Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by Sly and the Family Stone with no bass?  Not pretty.)  So after lengthy review of the very detailed views from some of the more l IEM comparison posts I whittled my choices down to the 3 I listed above. I think each of them would cover the type of music I enjoy, so I think any one who has expeirence with these maybe could coach me along. 
 
Lord, I hope I am posting this to the right place.

 

[ztreb185]

I never looked at the Westone 2 or 3, but I did consider the re262 before eventually buying the gr07 mk2.  Both are very respectable and highly regarded iems here.  However the re262 is 150 ohms which means they do need an amp to sound their best.  They emphasize mids so vocals are forward and intimate.  The gr07s are easy to drive so you can just plug and play into ipod or whatever.  They are rather neutral and a jack of all trades doing all genres decently well.  gr07 mk2 is the newer version of the gr07 with very minor differences.  Really comfortable iem with a movable nozzle.

 

[thegamer36]

I see 2 versions at lendmeurears website:
GR07 Bass Edition
GR07 MK 2
 
Is one better than the other?

 

[Zalithian]

Quote:

I see 2 versions at lendmeurears website:
GR07 Bass Edition
GR07 MK 2
 
Is one better than the other?

If you want more bass, the bass edition is better

 

[Techno Kid]

Well I've had all 3 and of the 3 I think the RE262 is the best sounding and it was a comfortable IEM that you could wear down or over the ears.  The mids are just fantastic, smooth, lush and detailed, they're one of my favorite mids out of all the IEM's I've heard.  Bass is a bit light but either with an EQ or bass boost from an amp you can get the bass to have a fair amount of punch and depth.  Highs are also smooth and laid back but you still get all the detail and the soundstage is very spacious along with good imaging and separation.
 
So that's what I'd suggest but the GR07 is also a very good IEM and both the RE262 and GR07 are better than the W2 imo.

 

[Zalithian]

Quote:

Well I've had all 3 and of the 3 I think the RE262 is the best sounding and it was a comfortable IEM that you could wear down or over the ears.  The mids are just fantastic, smooth, lush and detailed, they're one of my favorite mids out of all the IEM's I've heard.  Bass is a bit light but either with an EQ or bass boost from an amp you can get the bass to have a fair amount of punch and depth.  Highs are also smooth and laid back but you still get all the detail and the soundstage is very spacious along with good imaging and separation.
 
So that's what I'd suggest but the GR07 is also a very good IEM and both the RE262 and GR07 are better than the W2 imo.

The RE262 is very good for people who love vocals, but they are extremely hard to drive. 150 ohms for IEMS is no joke. OP would need an amp or a really good source to get them at their best. I returned them because I don't want to buy an amp for them. If I had a good one already, I definitely would have kept the 262's. They sounded so good I almost want to re-order them, but I can't feed them properly.

 

[eke2k6]

I wouldn't necessarily say that the RE262 is tha hard to drive. My iphone 4 powered them to satisfaction.
 
What I will say is that I almost guarantee that the RE262 will not have enough bass for the type of music you listen to. If you predominantly listened to acoustic genres, then it would be great.
 
The GR07 will be a lot more versatile. Other options to consider are the Sony EX600, Logitech UE700, Yamaha EPH-100, and the Sony XBA-3. All are well within your price range.

 

[Zalithian]

To me, it wasn't about power in terms of volume, but I personally felt that the RE262 sounded lifeless out of my clip+, compared to my laptop. Now, maybe with a Cowon or something that isn't a problem - but still something to consider.
 

 

[DaddyMojo]

Quote:

I never looked at the Westone 2 or 3, but I did consider the re262 before eventually buying the gr07 mk2.  Both are very respectable and highly regarded iems here.  However the re262 is 150 ohms which means they do need an amp to sound their best.  They emphasize mids so vocals are forward and intimate.  The gr07s are easy to drive so you can just plug and play into ipod or whatever.  They are rather neutral and a jack of all trades doing all genres decently well.  gr07 mk2 is the newer version of the gr07 with very minor differences.  Really comfortable iem with a movable nozzle.

 
 
Well that is something I really did not consider and shows that I am a true neophyte.  I do have an amp, a PA2V2, which I enjoy, but I want thesis iems for travel and sitting in clinic waiting and would not want an amp.  Automatically that rules the R262 out.
 
Thank you for the explanation.

 

[DaddyMojo]

thank you for the information and for reading my OP.  I would prefer an iem that is easily driven, so I think the Gr06 would be better for me.  I guess I expected to hear that the Westone sound was vastly superior, so I was surprised to see that was not the case.  
 
If you could indulge one more question.  Is the Westobne 3 or 3UMX a big jump up in quality (and price, gulp)?  Or is the Gr07 just plane better than the entire Westone line?  I know I am grasping at straws here, and the group iem reviews pretty much mirror all the comments posted.
 
Thank you all for your assistance

 

[Techno Kid]

The UM3X is a really good IEM and I think it sounds better than the GR07.  I've only listen to it briefly but it sounds a lot like my SM3 V2 and if your  thinking of getting the UM3X you should look into the SM3 V2 as well and both sound quite a bit better than the GR07 imo.  The GR07 doesn't portray depth very well at all and that's the one big drawback they have where's the SM3 has a awesome soundstage that's spacious with good width and depth and the best 3D imaging I've heard.  The SM3 V2 is hard to find now but the UM3X is much easier to get a hold of and its about $50 cheaper than the SM3 V2.

 

[Zalithian]

UM3X is good, and it has nice imaging, but soundstage is not their specialty. The W3 is good too. Nice soundstage, very comfortable, good noise isolation. They might be bass heavy for you though. If you do intend to try them out, I have a mint condition pair for sale for about $40 more than you can get the GR07 for. Then again, I have the GR07 for sale too since I <3 the SM3v2.
 

 

[HeroicPenguin]

Quote:

thank you for the information and for reading my OP.  I would prefer an iem that is easily driven, so I think the Gr06 would be better for me.  I guess I expected to hear that the Westone sound was vastly superior, so I was surprised to see that was not the case.  
 
If you could indulge one more question.  Is the Westobne 3 or 3UMX a big jump up in quality (and price, gulp)?  Or is the Gr07 just plane better than the entire Westone line?  I know I am grasping at straws here, and the group iem reviews pretty much mirror all the comments posted.
 
Thank you all for your assistance

 
I love the UM3X, but it is not nearly as good of a deal as the RE262. I also don't believe the RE262 is that difficult to drive; it still sounds great out of my phone. I think that they're a great deal at $150.
 
I wrote a bit about the RE262, UM3X and the SM3 (which was mentioned earlier here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/638690/review-a-brief-comparison-of-6-mid-centric-iems-um3x-re262-sm3-and-more/
 
I'm not a huge SM3 fan, but I believe that Techno Kid likes them a lot. I find them not so good for guitar-based rock/pop and a bit worse than the UM3X. Both aren't really great bang-for-buck IEMs though.

 

[DaddyMojo]

Okay, all of this has been extremely helpful.  Thank you for your comments!

 

[DaddyMojo]

I love the UM3X, but it is not nearly as good of a deal as the RE262. I also don't believe the RE262 is that difficult to drive; it still sounds great out of my phone. I think that they're a great deal at $150.

I wrote a bit about the RE262, UM3X and the SM3 (which was mentioned earlier here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/638690/review-a-brief-comparison-of-6-mid-centric-iems-um3x-re262-sm3-and-more/

I'm not a huge SM3 fan, but I believe that Techno Kid likes them a lot. I find them not so good for guitar-based rock/pop and a bit worse than the UM3X. Both aren't really great bang-for-buck IEMs though.

After all that discussion, I ended up taking your advice and that of Zalithian and bought the Westone UM3X and they arrived earlier this week. Since this was for my son (at least until the V-Moda Vibrato's are in stock) I have only gotten a few listens, but it was fantastic advice! Thank you again.