[theKraken11]

Based on what I had been hearing about treble-centric phones, I thought that the RE0, ER4 and so on were more up my alley, but after a little experimenting I've realized that recessed mids really bother me. I'm not too sure I want to go the route of treble-centric now.

I can't fault those kinds of phones for their detail. (Detail is something that I still very much want in an earphone.) But since I listen to so many vocal tracks, the mids need to have a bit more detail and clarity than the bass or treble, and a bit more forward for tracks that rely on the vocals, so I can focus on them. In other words, the mids should never be overpowered by the bass or treble. This isn't to say that I want the mids to drown out the bass or treble, or for the low or high end to be rolled off too much, just willing to sacrifice a bit more on those ends. I also want an above average soundstage with good decay, that can realistically reproduce any echoes in a good recording. I particularly want the reverb of guitars to last just long enough for it to have that echo or that psychedelic feel when it needs to. Something that's good with texture would be great. Imaging and separation in the mids should be very good. I don't mind if the phones are unforgiving, but I want them to sound basically accurate across genres.

Isolation has to be average or better (~25dB). However, this is more of an issue with nozzle size and housing than with tips since I can always replace the stock tips on IEMs/canalphones. I'm open to IEMs/canalphones or circumaural headphones. I'm open to studio grade quality (I might actually prefer this) as long as they fit the criteria I described.

I feel like I might be asking too much at my budget, but the most I can spend is $200. I'll be listening on a laptop 95% of the time, and the rest of the time on a DAP, both unamped. I listen to a lot of songs with quiet parts so it would be a plus if the details were preserved at low volumes. Comfort and build quality aren't really a concern. My first concern is sound quality and my second is isolation.

 

[Napilopez]

I don't know anything particular around 200 dollars, but on a budgetty 60 dollars, your described sound seems almost exactly like what I've read about the Thinksound Rain. Good 3D soundstage with a natural tonality(the wood, perhaps), that's good for acoustic music, with good bass and treble that rolls off slightly on both ends. More than anything, the Rain(and the other Thinksound, the Thunder), seem to be veryyy mid centric phones from all I've read. However I'm willing to bet theres something more high-end you can get that describes your desired sound.

 

[semisight]

Yeah, you should read reviews of the Rain. If you can find a Shure SE530 for under $200, it's also known for great mids, but they usually run for a tad more than that. Then there's that CK10 which I've been hearing so much about, everybody is saying it's fantastic anyway, so that might be worth researching.

 

[sk3383]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Napilopez /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know anything particular around 200 dollars, but on a budgetty 60 dollars, your described sound seems almost exactly like what I've read about the Thinksound Rain. Good 3D soundstage with a natural tonality(the wood, perhaps), that's good for acoustic music, with good bass and treble that rolls off slightly on both ends. More than anything, the Rain(and the other Thinksound, the Thunder), seem to be veryyy mid centric phones from all I've read. However I'm willing to bet theres something more high-end you can get that describes your desired sound.

I completely agree. I think you should go for the Thinksound Rain. I prefer its mid centric sound over many other phones I have heard including the RE0.

 

[theKraken11]

The Rains have been high on my list, for sure, but I don't want to end up feeling like I should upgrade later. I've also read they're not accurate for all types of music... and I'd be using these for critical listening across genres.

 

[ZARIM]

Klipsch Custom 3 has rich detailed mids(same level of SE530) with great bass extention and quality highs. They are very good if you want to listen your music on low volume and they isolate very well. Sennheiser IE7 are highely recommended because they has forward detailed mids and large soundstage with good bass extention and clear highs. Some other IEMs are recommmended too like SE530, SE420 and SF5Pro.

 

[ericp10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theKraken11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Rains have been high on my list, for sure, but I don't want to end up feeling like I should upgrade later. I've also read they're not accurate for all types of music... and I'd be using these for critical listening across genres.

The Rains won't make you feel like you need to upgrade later; you just might want to buy something new to try out a different sound signature. The Rains are definitely one of the best phones you're going to fine on the market today based on you requiring a mid-centric earphone. Don't let price confuse you with quality. Now, I also agree that you can't go wrong with the IE7, but the sound is more colored and veiled than the Rain, but it's a nice mid-range earphone too with good bass and generous treble. Happy hunting.

 

[Hentai11]

I would urge you to gather your nickels and stretch your budget out to the $225-$250 range, the rough street price for Shure SE530s. Studio-quality, mid-centric, right up your alley.

 

[dweaver]

Dynamics based it sounds like the IE7 would fit your bill quite well.