[Groomsy]

I'll look into the Cyclone PR1 Pros, I just looked at a thread on them; they're totally unknown to me otherwise though, haha.

After doing some more digging around, I think I've safely decided to mark out the Ety's and UE's from my list, leaving just the RE0s; plus I've looked at some info on Head-Direct which establishes a greater credibility for their company, so I feel a little more secure with purchasing from them now. (I feel so schizophrenic in these situations...

)

The Klipsch Image S4s keep popping up when the RE0s are mentioned. From what I'm reading, the S4s have a more bass-focused sound but roll off in the treble, so there's a sacrifice of thump for clarity (not something I'm willing to do); there's also the fact that they're less analytical and more "fun". I'm okay with that, but I don't want anything in these new phones of mine to detract from how the music was meant to be heard by the artist.

I guess my main struggle at this point is finding the middle ground between a phone that's both musically engaging but not too colored for its own good. Like I said, bass is important, but it's not the deal breaker for me here; I'd much rather have clarity and breadth than a subwoofer in my ear.

As for my source, my mp3 player is a first-gen Zune. Lately I've found myself not using the equalizer, but sometimes I'll adjust for the specified genre (electronic, acoustic, rock, etc.). I also do most of my listening from my laptop.

The above leads me to my next point: I would really like a solid headphone amp/DAC combo (which will be staying on my desk, for the most part). Because of my budget, I really don't want to go over $150-$180 for the DAC/amp combo. That being said, my three choices are: NuForce Icon Mobile, HeadRoom Bithead, and the iBasso D2 Boa. I've been reading around and the responses for all have been positive. But I'm thinking that if the RE0s are a fairly neutral sounding phone, they would probably benefit from the iBasso which tend to add some warmth to the sound (or so I've read); not so much with the Icon Mobile, though. The consensus seems to be that the NuForce amp is better suited for phones with a darker sound signature (i.e., Klipsch Image S4). I still have some research to do on the Bithead, so I'll post about that when I get the chance.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_recording /img/forum/go_quote.gif *EDIT: I say they are fun not in the sense that they aren't balanced, but that they have a lot of the qualities of the RE0 like detail and speed, and that kind of high end sparkle, yet they have a really solid bassline as well. So they are the best of a lot of worlds *

Ah, that's the caveat I was looking for. Indeed, the signature is not "fun" in a conventional sense but rather in the way they manage to get everything across without sounding analytical.

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groomsy /img/forum/go_quote.gif As for my source, my mp3 player is a first-gen Zune. Lately I've found myself not using the equalizer, but sometimes I'll adjust for the specified genre (electronic, acoustic, rock, etc.). I also do most of my listening from my laptop.

The reason I mention source is that the RE0 has bass there to EQ if you just want to bring up the bass response, but some players (like the iPods) have particularly bad EQ settings or preset ones that distort the music. The RE0's will sound good with almost everything you throw at them, and if you can bring up the bass without harming the treble/detail then all the better

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljokerl /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ah, that's the caveat I was looking for. Indeed, the signature is not "fun" in a conventional sense but rather in the way they manage to get everything across without sounding analytical.

Haha yeah, sorry, I should have been more careful in my choice of words. I completely agree with you, the PR1's are really quite unique at their price range

 

[yipcanjo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groomsy /img/forum/go_quote.gif After doing some more digging around, I think I've safely decided to mark out the Ety's and UE's from my list, leaving just the RE0s;

If it's of any help to you, I received a pair of the Klipsch S4s for Christmas. I also purchased a pair of the Etymotic HF5s to compare. Very different IEMs. The S4s, as you'll read on these forums, have a much more pronounced low-end. It really ended up sounding "muddy" to me (even after burn-in) and I ended up returning them.

The HF5s are really wonderful IEMs -- albeit not "bass-centric" in any way. Very natural. I also love how they look, how well they isolate (wow!), and their $106 price tag on Amazon. The rubbery cable can be obnoxious, and microphonics are definitely present unless you wear them over-the-ear. I think you'd enjoy them.

I also have a pair of the Panasonic HJE900s, which are more similar to the S4s in sound presentation -- more low-end -- but better, if you ask me. Really fun to listen to, but a much different sound compared with the Etys.

Anyhow, I'm not sure if you should remove the HF5s from your list of "possibles" just yet. Slightly more expensive than the RE0s, but with better isolation, slightly more low-end, and probably a better unamped solution. The HF5s + Shure Olives are a great IEM / ear tip combo.

Hope that helps.

Yip

 

[Groomsy]

Ahh man, now I'm torn between the two. I'm now leaning toward the HF5 for the sake that I think it would be a better long term investment. I would like the potential of using whatever I'm buying as my IEMs for Sunday mornings at my church. We're all hooked into Aviom personal mixers and I'm behind the drum shield, so I need good isolation as well as enough power efficiency to run the IEM straight from a headphone extension cord into the Aviom.

It's come down to a battle between the HF5 and the RE0s; seems like a lot of people on these forums are in the same position, haha.

Can any of you vouch for the HF5s would run with the iBasso D2+ Boa? (For desktop applications, running from my laptop.)

 

[semisight]

If you need the isolation, go with the HF5. It will serve you better.

 

[Groomsy]

Okay, I've deciding to stick to my guns and go for the HF5s. I won't be buying them for a while, I just wanted to scope out my purchase in advance.

Now... to the portable amp forum!

 

[a_recording]

Lol.. if you aren't buying them for a while, in that time the MC5 will be available and you'll have to do this all over again.

 

[googleli]

Just go directly for JH16 Pro or JH13 Pro.

Over the years I spent a lot on high-end universal phones including er4p, TF10Pro, Westone 3, SE530, ATH CK100, but in the end I listen to only one pair (CK100) but the others are also kept in my possession. Some of them do not get listened for months. I thought I would be very satisfied after I found CK100 and could end my search. Well I am still satisfied but the search goes on.

Finally, I ordered my UE18 Pro yesterday and I am going to get one of JH13 Pro and JH16 Pro after reviews of the JH16 come out. The curiosity and the hunger for the better never ends. You will save a lot of money by starting up high, the only downside is that you've got nothing to compare to (except maybe your iphone earbud) and comparison may make you appreciate your high-end IEMs more.