[nabeelkhan]

I've come to realise I love the visceral experience of DD bass but most DD IEMs lack isolation. The majority of my listening is on the tube/train/subway or travelling on a plane, so it needs to be good enough to block out those types of noise without the need for me to wack up the sound (thereby damaging my hearing).

The one DD IEM I found which have excellent isolation are the Shure 215s. I had these several years back but obviously IEMs have moved on in terms of price to performance.

Which other i have similar levels (under $600). Or are there BA alternatives that give almost the same sort of DD bass experience? I have tried custom tips but found them an expensive waste.

Past IEMs

1. IE80- avg. isolation, sound sig not great
2. Etymotic ER4XR- excellent isolation, didn't have DD bass but amazing detail, annoying cable noise
3. Nuforce HEM6- very good isolation, but wasn't great in terms of tuning
4. Periodic Audio Be- average isolation, very much my sound signature
5. Music Maker Shockwave III- average isolation, my sound signature but sometimes sibilant
6. Oriveti New Primacy- good isolation, great sound signature
7. iBasso ITO1- average isolation, good sound signature
8. RHA T20- average isolation, good sound signature

 

[nabeelkhan]

anyone?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I've come to realise I love the visceral experience of DD bass but most DD IEMs lack isolation. The majority of my listening is on the tube/train/subway or travelling on a plane, so it needs to be good enough to block out those types of noise without the need for me to wack up the sound (thereby damaging my hearing).

The one DD IEM I found which have excellent isolation are the Shure 215s. I had these several years back but obviously IEMs have moved on in terms of price to performance.

Which other i have similar levels (under $600). Or are there BA alternatives that give almost the same sort of DD bass experience? I have tried custom tips but found them an expensive waste.

Past IEMs

1. IE80- avg. isolation, sound sig not great

Isolation depends on the fit, and if there's anything that would make DD IEMs in general have a problem, it's that they drivers require a lot of space for its physical size plus necessary airspace inside, resulting in a larger shell that can cause fit issues in your ear. I have the Aurisonics ASG-1.3 and I put in a low shelf EQ to trim the bass, and I'm virtually deaf wearing it. Apart from that some even have vents (like the ports on speaker cabinets or subwoofer boxes) but this isn't a widely done trend since it can compromise isolation. Also the IE8 isn't exactly known for isolation due to the fit and I think it has a bass port, it just happens to be adjustable so it boosts the low end when you open it up (but give it enough noise and it's a downward spiral from there).

You can try whatever the current Fender is that replaced the Aurisonics Kicker; the first was the FXA2 so if you can still find that somewhere that goes for less money than whatever the hell the current iteration is (Earsonic Premium Wired or something like that). Again though there's the shell size and fit so make sure you either try a demo unit or buy it from where you can return it and get your money back if it doesn't fit properly.

---

EDIT : It's Fender Puresonic, but don't get that. I took a closer look at the shell and it's the Aurisonics Eva. Still bassy but I kind of loose down low and bright up top vs the Kicker/FXA2. FXA2 is still available on Amazon.

 

[serman005]

iBasso IT01 has tremendous bass, really good fit and isolation, a very pliable, flexible cable that makes it easy to maneuver the earpiece into one's ear just so. As @ProtegeManiac has said, I am virtually deaf with these on. Single DD, obviously. It would save you some money as well. Quite high performance to price ratio. Might be worth reading about.

 

[nabeelkhan]

iBasso IT01 has tremendous bass, really good fit and isolation, a very pliable, flexible cable that makes it easy to maneuver the earpiece into one's ear just so. As @ProtegeManiac has said, I am virtually deaf with these on. Single DD, obviously. It would save you some money as well. Quite high performance to price ratio. Might be worth reading about.

Hi had these, very good sound, but against isolation for me wasn't great. Maybe I have weird ears

 

[Toastybob]

Mee Pinnacle PX is the most isolating I have tried.

 

[thebrieze]

I"m interested in this as well. So far I've only found Shure's and Etymotics have the isolation I like with their triple flange tips. Would be nice to find an alternative to these

 

[pmpmpm]

I'm interested too. Any other suggestions?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'm interested too. Any other suggestions?

Fender IEMs but the reason why some people erroneously equate DD with bad fit is because they're larger and need more air to work with, and that makes for a larger earpiece, which then has a higher likelihood (in general) of having fit issues on the conch of the ear.

Meaning the larger the DD in the IEM the more likely they can't sit in the conch of your ear or come in a different kind of shelll that might have other penalties on fit.

 

[baskingshark]

I'm interested too. Any other suggestions?

I agree in general that DD IEMs have poorer isolation due to the bigger earpiece/fit.
I have about 20+ IEMs in my collection and this I found to be the general case.

My most isolating IEM I have is the Audiosense T800, 8 knowles BA, gives about -30 dB isolation. I use it for stage monitoring and it is very good for hearing protection as I'm next to a fullset drum and subwoofer amp. Retails ~$298 USD. Some folks in the Audiosense thread say the T800 can hit 80 - 90% sound quality of a Campfire Andromeda. Can't say for sure, as I haven't heard the latter, but the T800 does blow my multi driver Westones out of the water, and at a cheaper pricing to boot.

The T800 has great instrument separation, clarity, details, soundstage and isolation. U shaped, subbass extends very low and of good quantity (for a pure BA bass it almost sounds like a DD bass). It is a bit bright, so not the best option for treble sensitive folks, but the treble can be tamed with knowles filters, eartip changes or even cable change.

It's my endgame all BA set and now I'm only in the market for DD IEMs since getting the T800.