[Ant92]

Hi all!
 
Now, at the moment i'm having a real struggle to decide weather i'm going down the 'amazing sound for little money' route or go down the premium route with the either the ie8's or Klipsch image X10's 
 
Now let's say theoretically i do go down the budget route (which i'm swaying towards), i'm very confused between these three earphones:
 
- Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass 012/022
- Klipsch Image S4
- Shure SE215
 
After alot of forum reading, i initially decided that the Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass 012/022 was the best of the three (great clarity, good bass, good soundstage for in ears) . But today, i went on the cnet website and coincidently they did a 'Best earbuds under $100' and the Klipsch Image S4 got 4.5 /5 stars whereas the Phonaks only got 3.5 stars, but from what i read elsewhere the Phonaks were much better than the S4, some people even said they beat the X10's (theres even a Phonak vs IE8 thread). As i'll use them with my phone sometimes, I discounted the Shure because of no mic option (sound comes first but i couldn't decide between them so was deciding factor) But their still there haunting my mind.
 
I'm going to use these just as much for Movies as i am for Music, and as for music genres: no rap, metal or crazy people shouting pretty much sums it up  
 
So, what do you guys think?
 
 

 

[ocswing]

Hmm, the sound signatures are different among the three so that's an important factor. While the PBs are bass oriented the Shures and Klipsch still have even more bass. If you're not sure what kind of sound you like I'd recommend going for something cheap to start off with. Spending more does get you better sound, but it can be surprising how much you don't like certain presentations.
 
With IEMs in particular there is also the other factors of fit, comfort, and isolation. That could be something that's counted in the CNET ratings as well. I'd say look at either the Shure for a really fun sound, or the Phonak if you want something with a little more clarity though not quite as engaging. Both are known for being pretty comfortable and have great reviews. The Shures will isolate more than the Phonak, and I think the Shures are better on the accessories included. Phonak took most of them out for the Perfect Bass, but if you go up to the Perfect Fit then the accessories are quite good. I mainly leave out the Klipsch cause I think the clarity and control are lacking compared to the other two. It has a lot of bass, but it's uncontrolled to me. People tend to like it cause it's their first earphone purchase and it has a lively sound.
 
 

 

[dbdynsty25]

The good thing about the PFEs is that if you decide there is too much bass, you can always buy the "other" filters (grey or black) directly from Audeo and you can change the sound signature quite a bit.  Most people prefer them with the grey or black it seems (I prefer green).

 

[Confispect]

^ Agreed,
 
Cancel the S4 they suck and so do the people that made them.
 
Also in that price range theirs Fischer Audio Silver Bullet, Hippo VB, Fischer Audio Eterna, Panasonic HJE900.
 
More options. 

 

[Ant92]

Quote:

^ Agreed,
 
Cancel the S4 they suck and so do the people that made them.
 
Also in that price range theirs Fischer Audio Silver Bullet, Hippo VB, Fischer Audio Eterna, Panasonic HJE900.
 
More options. 

 
[size=medium]

lol it's typical head-fi :
 
'I've definitely narrowed it down to these, which ones best' 
'There good but what about this, or this and that and this or that or even this'
'oh crap'
 
But yes, i'm definitely ganna stick to those, there the ones have always come up when it comes to great sound for little price (i think)
 
 
​

[/size]

 
 

 

[Ant92]

Quote:

Hmm, the sound signatures are different among the three so that's an important factor. While the PBs are bass oriented the Shures and Klipsch still have even more bass. If you're not sure what kind of sound you like I'd recommend going for something cheap to start off with. Spending more does get you better sound, but it can be surprising how much you don't like certain presentations.
 
With IEMs in particular there is also the other factors of fit, comfort, and isolation. That could be something that's counted in the CNET ratings as well. I'd say look at either the Shure for a really fun sound, or the Phonak if you want something with a little more clarity though not quite as engaging. Both are known for being pretty comfortable and have great reviews. The Shures will isolate more than the Phonak, and I think the Shures are better on the accessories included. Phonak took most of them out for the Perfect Bass, but if you go up to the Perfect Fit then the accessories are quite good. I mainly leave out the Klipsch cause I think the clarity and control are lacking compared to the other two. It has a lot of bass, but it's uncontrolled to me. People tend to like it cause it's their first earphone purchase and it has a lively sound.
 
 

thanks for this, i think i'm going to discount the s4's then, because SE215 has the engaging (lively sound) that the S4's have but without loosing clarity and control. 
 

 

[Ant92]

Quote:

The good thing about the PFEs is that if you decide there is too much bass, you can always buy the "other" filters (grey or black) directly from Audeo and you can change the sound signature quite a bit.  Most people prefer them with the grey or black it seems (I prefer green).

Yeh, i think i'm going to prefer green because i like a bit of bass. One thing i was wondering, how often do you need to change the filters? Also, assuming you've herd these, i've herd the soundstage is good on this, is this true? If soundstage is what i think it is, thats probably quite important when watching movies.
 
Whoops, should have done multi quote, just discovered it now. Oh well.  
 

 

[fsuguy92]

definitely go with the Phonaks! much more analytical

 

[xfls]

I'm looking for almost the same thing as Ant92 so I'll use this topic. The price range is 80-120$ and I need IEMs with mic that are suitable for metal/rock music and are good for receiving calls. Most of the IEMs in that price range seem to be bass oriented and with recessed mids which isn't the sound I'm looking for at all. Something as close as possible to the "Grado sound" would be the best option. From what I've read the Phonaks (plus grey/black filters) seem to be pretty decent way to go regarding sound quality but I cannot find anything about the mic quality? It is really important for me because I would use them for calls ~1h a day at work.