[zeroryu]

Hi guys, I'm completely confused what to choose over these 4 IEMs. Would you mind recommending me what would be the best in term of SQ?

I heard that RE0 is the best of them but i personally a bit worried about how it looked.

Denon, Philips and PL-50 are quite the cheaper side of them with a little bit lower on the SQ

Please send me your recommendation.

Thank you!

Listening to:
Electronics
Trance
Ambience
Jazz
Blues
Acoustics
Instrumental

Device:
iPod Classic 120gb

Current Headphone:
Sennheiser HD280 Pro

 

[mark2410]

erm can i ask why your picking those 4?

what sort of sound signature are you looking for?

(otherwise id say C751 due to it being easily the most bassy of the 3 that ive heard and probably what your wanting)

 

[zeroryu]

I'm not quite sure about the sound signature, but perhaps i need a clear treble, not really bassy since IMHO it will ruin the acoustics, and sound stage is not really a big deal.

I'm picking those 4 since it is on my budget which is under $100.

If you have better solution for me, please!! do suggest one, i'm open to your suggestion.

I have tried Shure SCL3 before, and i love it to some point where the treble is lacking for me. I tried Sony MDR-EX700, but still unsure whether it's a good choice or not. I tried Shure SE530 also, but it's just too expensive for me right now.

If you have a suggestion on headphone amp, i'm also interested.

Thanks

 

[mvw2]

Without an amp, I'd lean towards the Denon mostly. The only downsides with the Denon is they are really geared for quiet listening (not capable of much SPL), and they are geared for a quiet listening environment (lets in a lot of outside sound). Basically, the Denon is geared strongly for critical listening. When used appropriately, it's great. It's one of the most realistic and transparent earphones I've listened to and is very dynamic in presentation as long as you don't ask for it to play loud.

I've used the RE0 but neither of the others. If the RE0 is a consideration, you would really need to consider the idea of carrying an amp with you.

 

[zeroryu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Without an amp, I'd lean towards the Denon mostly. The only downsides with the Denon is they are really geared for quiet listening (not capable of much SPL), and they are geared for a quiet listening environment (lets in a lot of outside sound). Basically, the Denon is geared strongly for critical listening. When used appropriately, it's great. It's one of the most realistic and transparent earphones I've listened to and is very dynamic in presentation as long as you don't ask for it to play loud. I've used the RE0 but neither of the others. If the RE0 is a consideration, you would really need to consider the idea of carrying an amp with you.

So, Denon is out then. Since i personally needs to have a good isolation to hear the music.

What kind of amp would you be recommending?

Does Fiio E5 good enough?

 

[mvw2]

The FiiO is cheap and functional. It doesn't really do anything wrong, so sure the FiiO E5. It really depends on how much you want to spend. Want to spend $20 or $200? That's sort of what it comes down to. Stepping up from the E5 to a much better amp will yield noticeable but slight gains. Variation in sound is MUCH more significant with speaker choice then it is with amp choice. The amp is mainly just there to provide wattage and hopefully not add noise or coloration to the signal. The FiiO E5 does this fine and is a good little amp that's quite affordable.

Headphone choice is all a matter of personal preference. There's a good number of headphones around the $100 price point, so your hands are full, more so then just the 4 you were looking at. As well, don't expect your first choice to be the correct one. Chances are, you will end up buying and selling a number of headphones until you find something you really do like a lot. Unfortunately, this is not the end. It is merely the beginning.

 

[zeroryu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The FiiO is cheap and functional. It doesn't really do anything wrong, so sure the FiiO E5. It really depends on how much you want to spend. Want to spend $20 or $200? That's sort of what it comes down to. Stepping up from the E5 to a much better amp will yield noticeable but slight gains. Variation in sound is MUCH more significant with speaker choice then it is with amp choice. The amp is mainly just there to provide wattage and hopefully not add noise or coloration to the signal. The FiiO E5 does this fine and is a good little amp that's quite affordable. Headphone choice is all a matter of personal preference. There's a good number of headphones around the $100 price point, so your hands are full, more so then just the 4 you were looking at. As well, don't expect your first choice to be the correct one. Chances are, you will end up buying and selling a number of headphones until you find something you really do like a lot. Unfortunately, this is not the end. It is merely the beginning.

Thanks for the help, i'll venture some more in my quest of finding the best IEM. Out of Shure SE310 and Head Direct RE0 which one will be better or is it incomparable?

 

[mvw2]

Never listened to the Shure, so I can't say. Just dig through the forum and on Google and find as many reviews and comments on both as you can. From the sum of data you find, you should at least be able to build a generalized idea of how each sound/perform. It'll be a rough approximiation that should at least give you an idea of one options sounds more appropriate to your personal tastes and goals. As well, many comments and reviews tend to compare one option to another, so you may find some new options to be looking at as well. Just spend time researching. If you find something that sounds attractive to you, buy it and try it out. If it's not quite what you wanted, sell and repeat with something else that seems fitting. To keep this trial and error cost effective, try and buy used if you can.

 

[mark2410]

if your wanting treble then id say shure will not be the one for you, shures are all about the mids and the treble is deliberately tapered away to make tem easy to listen to. id rule out the philips too based on it sounding very shure like too.

the PL-50 has surprisingly good treble for a BA but its still quite midcentric.

the C751 has lots of highs but lots of bass too and is more about fun than critical listening. its isolation is so so.

for treble id would think the RE-0 should be good as would the ety hf5, both i think may suit you well if your fussed about treble and both get much praise. the etys would be super isolating too. (if they still going for 100, otherwise look at er6i) but ive not heard either the RE-0 or etys

 

[FYJX]

If you like Treble, if you can get your hands on a pair of Im616 and Im716, that would be great. But so far, seems although the Re0, Etymotics, and Ultimate Ears sound like what you want. But sine UE doesn't offer anything that pops out at you at the $100 price range, i would say go Re0 (IMHO). As they're on sale right now for $99

 

[zeroryu]

@mark2410 thanks for the info

@MaoDi thanks also. How good is IM716? In term of isolation and stuff?

I'll definitely look into RE0 more. I think they are still $99

Thanks, send me more suggestions if you have.

Thanks again!

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif for treble id would think the RE-0 should be good as would the ety hf5, both i think may suit you well if your fussed about treble and both get much praise. the etys would be super isolating too. (if they still going for 100, otherwise look at er6i) but ive not heard either the RE-0 or etys

Owning both the Ety Er6i and the RE0's, I can say that the Ety's are treble-focused (and may even over-emphasize it to an unnatural length) while the RE0's are more balanced. It's a toss-up for me as I quite like both for different moods. For critical listening, Etys can reveal a lot about the music. Strangely, I find them more comfortable and less microphonic as well (using Shure olives).

The RE0's are better built and have the mids to match the Ety's treble. I wouldn't call either a bass monster, but the Etys with Shure olive tips and an E5 with Bass Boost on can rival unamped RE0's IMO.

 

[zeroryu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljokerl /img/forum/go_quote.gif Owning both the Ety Er6i and the RE0's, I can say that the Ety's are treble-focused (and may even over-emphasize it to an unnatural length) while the RE0's are more balanced. It's a toss-up for me as I quite like both for different moods. For critical listening, Etys can reveal a lot about the music. Strangely, I find them more comfortable and less microphonic as well (using Shure olives). The RE0's are better built and have the mids to match the Ety's treble. I wouldn't call either a bass monster, but the Etys with Shure olive tips and an E5 with Bass Boost on can rival unamped RE0's IMO.

Have you tried amping RE0 with E5 ? Will it sound better or no difference?

Thanks

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeroryu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you tried amping RE0 with E5 ? Will it sound better or no difference? Thanks

The purpose of amping the Etys was to get more bass using the bass boost feature on the E5. Since I am no basshead, I don't need to add boost to the RE0. It does make a difference, though, to be sure. The Fiio adds some warmth to the sound (both my D2 and the RE0's are cold by nature), but is not necessary IMO because the D2 is powerful enough to drive the RE0 on its own and I prefer the analytical coldness of the unamped player to begin with. I believe some of the treble extension/upper-end clarity is lost by adding an E3/E5 in the mix as well.

Edit: the E5 adds hiss as well if you intend to use it as a current supplier to preserve player battery life. I can hear hiss past the 3 or 4 lowest volume settings on the E5.

 

[zeroryu]

Looks like RE0 unamped is the winner i guess.

I thank you guys for the suggestions and all. I will order the RE0 soon, and i'll give a review on it.

My friend just got his E500 replaced with SE530 for $145 since his IEM broken. Dang!! that's a steal there! I wish i could buy a broken 500 series Shure then get it replaced with the new one half the price.