[Johnsy11]

I am looking for a good set of earphones around the $200 mark. I am thinking of a pair with clear highs and warm mid--low end. Sound isolation and ruggedness is not necessary, but would be nice to have. Will be used on a bus. Thinking of Sennheiser IE80's, the gold-black ones. Will not be getting them immediately, but would like to know what's out there. It would also probably accelerate me buying new earphones. I have a decent DAC+AMP combo, but efficient earphones are preferred. Any recommendations will be considered, unless they are stupid. Also, any decent portable MP3 players that support thinks like wav or flac files would be cool. 

 

[anikalsi]

The Sennheisers are great but didn't isolate very well the last time I tried them. I'd say that you should consider the RHA MA750s as well. V shaped IEMs with a very clear sound. May I ask what kind of music you listen to though? If I know that I would know what would suit you well!

 

[Johnsy11]

The type of music I enjoy varies, though smooth bass and clear mid/treble is what I like. I'm not a big fan of bright sounding earphones, a more subtle earphone is what I like, for example something more like a studio monitor. That said, the music I listen to is (and please don't consider these genres ones not to be taken seriously) electronic, with drum kicks and basslines, but not the announced ones, the ones with smooth bass of a single tone that lasts a longer time than one beat. Drum and bass, drumstep, house somewhat, trap, electro, and more sub-genres I can't specify, as they are their own genre. I suppose I would like the earphones to have a similar sound to my HD600s, though have a bit more in-your-face bass, as I like to have something to fall back onto if my HD600s just can't bring the bass to that particular mood. I suppose I would like them also to mirror my Beats Tour knock-offs, which are literally beats earphones rebranded for $35, and I honestly can't tell a difference between them and actual beats earphones. That said, I would like to hear the bass a bit tighter, less muddy, and have highs that aren't painful, as if you turn up my current earphones, you stop once the treble becomes painful. Just loud white noise, with the mids and bass of the music in the background. I hope this is a good enough representation of my likes, and you can make sense of this and recommend the perfect pair. Cheers!

 

[anikalsi]

I see. Well, the good news is that the IE80s are pretty much exactly what you're looking for in terms of sound, but the lowest I've seen them go is $250. If you can save that much, then great! You might want to pair a set of Sony Hybrid tips with them as well to increase isolation to an acceptable level. Alternatively, if you want to go cheap and cheerful, have a look at the ATH-IM50/70. The IM70s might be more on the lines of what you're looking for with stronger bass than the IM50s, but the IM50s are still worth recommending with their balanced sound with some bass boost, a warm midrange and smooth treble which isn't extremely rolled off like the SE215s. The IM50s are basically less refined IE80s for 1/5th the price, which makes them incredible value for money. Hope I helped!

 

[Johnsy11]

I have checked out the IE80s before, and although they are over my budget, I may try to squeeze it some more, because I am aware they are what I am looking for. That said, I have also looked at the IE60s, which , I have heard, have the same driver as the IE80s, though in a different earphone, and that has appeared to make a large difference. I have looked at the Shure SE315s, and they also look cool. The 315s are in my budget from what I have seen. I checked out the ATH-IM70s, which appear to have a good frequency response and low impedance, though the website I use to check the frequency response graph does not have them, so more investigation will be necessary. Lastly I checked out the SE215s, which appear to have a lower THD, but a less flat frequency response than the 315s, which actually may be a good thing, as I am looking for a more fun sounding earphone. Thanks for the suggestions though, they have been heeded.

 

[anikalsi]

I've heard that the IE60s are quite awful for the money...everyone I know who has tried them thinks that much cheaper IEMs are better than them. I'd suggest avoiding them and going for the more expensive route. 315s are good but I wouldn't really call them fun sounding, and I quite like the IM70s. I prefer the IM50s with the balanced sound of the two with lesser bass but they're still great regardless. I wouldn't pay more than $100 for the 70s though. The 215s sounded dark and veiled to me. I didn't like those-too bassy and quite frankly, one of the worst treble I've ever heard in an IEM. For fun sounding, I'd go IM70 or IE80, but that's just me. Hope you find something that you like!

 

[cuiter23]

For $200, I would skip the 215s or 315s.
 
At this price I could recommend you the
 
XBA-40s or the IE80s (someone already mentioned). Both sound by a margin better than the 215s or 315s to my ears (I own/owned all of them)

 

[smy1]

Take a look at the dunu dn 1000

 

[Feilong4]

I'd recommend the Audio Technica ATH-CKR10. They sound very realistic in the vocals especially for the male vocals. 
 
The bass is definitely there as it does ramp up a lot of energy but it's not going to distract you from the whole spectrum of the music; I've noticed that the bass seems to have a bit of "air" or space like the bass does not sound compressed and is just pounding in your ears. 
 
The treble to me is perfect. Cymbal clashes sound realistic and not tinny, while not becoming harsh and sibilant.
 
Though I love them, I can't say that you will. I don't listen to much of the genres that you do, but the CKR10 in my opinion excel in J-rock, rock, and hip-hop.
 
Right now these go for about $200 USD on Amazon (Non-import version) <- which I think Amazon has just added because I searched these many times on Amazon and only the imported versions came up before just a few days ago.