Rhydonia
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 20, 2016
- Posts
- 136
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- 19
Hi everyone,
I’m having a hard time deciding on which IEM to buy, so I thought I’d ask for some advice. My budget is $400, although that is not set in stone and I’d be willing to spend up to $500 for a really special pair. I do not have a lot of previous experience with high-end audio, but based on what I do know I think I’m looking for a fairly balanced sound signature that has emphasized bass (extended sub-bass especially) but still manages to keep some amount of clarity and is not too dark. I am not interested in an extremely v-shaped sound as I don’t care for the recessed mids and emphasized treble it brings. Soundstage and noise isolation are not particularly important to be, though both would be nice to have. I am a bit concerned about comfort and fit, however, as pretty much no (admittedly low-end) IEMs I've tried have stayed in my ears without falling out. The only brand I’ve found that fits me is Bose (I know, I know). However, I’ve never tried Comply foam tips as some others with hard-to-fits ears have suggested; do you think I’d have good luck with those? Also, I currently do not have any sort of amp, and will be powering these out of my MacBook Pro and iPhone 5s. I am planning on getting an amp in the future, but for now I’d rather splurge on a high-quality IEM and let the rest of the equipment catch up later. So I’m looking for an IEM that will sound fairly good without amplification.
So far, my research had led me to narrow down my choices to this list:
Earsonics SM64
Westone W30
Sennheiser IE80
Dunu DN-2000J
Flare R2Pro
The SM64's are my leading candidate right now, but I'd love any input on any of the above IEMs or any others that might fit my needs. Thank you so much!