[davey48]

Hello,
 
I'm looking for a pair of new IEMs and need some advise again. I've narrowed it down to these three alternatives. I will use them mainly on a OnePlus One listening to Spotify, so I'm not sure what I can expect in terms of sound quality. I will also mainly use them while on the move so isolation is very important to me. I sometimes like to insert IEMs without any music just to block out sound from noisy trains and other commutes.
 
Etymotic ER4PT
 
Pro:
Sound isolation
Neutral sound
 
Con:
A bit boring (for me) since my last pair were Etymotic HF2
 
 
Fidue A83
 
Pro:
Great sound for the price?
Look nice
Cable seems great
 
Con:
Sound isolation lacking?
 
Shure SE425

Pro:
Cheapest of the bunch
Great sound isolation from what I've heard
Can buy these in a store nearby without having to order
 
Con:
Doesn't sound as good as the two other alternatives?
Exaggerated bass compared to the two other?
 
 
So what would you guys recommend? I live in Sweden so a pair of Fidues would have to be ordered from Spain in my case, which in itself is a bit of a hassle. It would complicate things if I would run into a warranty issue. The Etymotics seem to have nice reviews and I know for a fact what to expect. I do enjoy the neutral sound and I'm not really looking for a "fun" sound with the low frequencies boosted. There is also a price difference of about 500 SEK (~$50) between the Shures and the other two.
 
I could step up to a pair of Shure SE535 but I'm not sure how much it will be worth it seeing as I'll only listen from a phone and from Spotify. That would mean that they are the most expensive of the bunch though.
 
Is the sound isolation difference very noticable between the Fidues and a pair of Etymotics? How do Shure compare?
 
I'm no audiophile by any means. Is the difference in sound quality very big between them?
 
Thanks for any replies!

 

[kimvictor]

Hmm I say none of those really. I would normally recommend that ER4, as it is the best in the list, but you might find them boring. They are quite similar to the HF series.
 
And yes. Fidues are quite lacking in isolation. Have you read my review? It mentions two vents that causes lack of isolation. 
 
Etys really excel in isolation, and beats the shures by a tiny bit. Although Shure does have exceptional isolation, etys take it a bit further.
 
Honestly, etys are perfect if you are looking for flat response and isolation. Nothing beats ety in terms of those two. In terms of sound, Shures are meh. Behind the HF series imo. It doesn't have treble, which really sucks.

 

[davey48]

Hmm I say none of those really. I would normally recommend that ER4, as it is the best in the list, but you might find them boring. They are quite similar to the HF series.

And yes. Fidues are quite lacking in isolation. Have you read my review? It mentions two vents that causes lack of isolation. 

Etys really excel in isolation, and beats the shures by a tiny bit. Although Shure does have exceptional isolation, etys take it a bit further.

Honestly, etys are perfect if you are looking for flat response and isolation. Nothing beats ety in terms of those two. In terms of sound, Shures are meh. Behind the HF series imo. It doesn't have treble, which really sucks.

Thanks for the reply. What yould you recommend instead? Also, would stepping up to the SE535 be less "meh"?

 

[kimvictor]

Thanks for the reply. What yould you recommend instead? Also, would stepping up to the SE535 be less "meh"?

Not really. The treble never got fixed on the SE lines. It did improve with 846, but it's still meh. Maybe something like the Rocket would be good for you. It's comfortable, and decent isolation, and is fairly neutral. It's around the same price range too, I believe.

 

[davey48]

  Not really. The treble never got fixed on the SE lines. It did improve with 846, but it's still meh. Maybe something like the Rocket would be good for you. It's comfortable, and decent isolation, and is fairly neutral. It's around the same price range too, I believe.

Thanks, very interesting alternative. Price with shipping and tracking to door here in Sweden is still $120 cheaper than getting a pair of SE535 in a store here. However I kind of miss all the excessively good consumer rights by purchasing a product from America. I'll see if I can find some more reviews on them.
 
Just a question in case you know, are the cables replaceable on them? I've never ever succeeded in not breaking the cables at the plug on a pair of IEMs so I'm very, very reluctant getting a pair of IEMs where I might need to ship them to the US regularly to get a cable replacement at cost.

 

[kimvictor]

  Thanks, very interesting alternative. Price with shipping and tracking to door here in Sweden is still $120 cheaper than getting a pair of SE535 in a store here. However I kind of miss all the excessively good consumer rights by purchasing a product from America. I'll see if I can find some more reviews on them.
 
Just a question in case you know, are the cables replaceable on them? I've never ever succeeded in not breaking the cables at the plug on a pair of IEMs so I'm very, very reluctant getting a pair of IEMs where I might need to ship them to the US regularly to get a cable replacement at cost.

They're not, but they're also "quad braided" kevlar(they said aramid, and kevlar is a kind of aramid), which should be stronger than "kevlar reinforced" hf2. Here is a review(you can read a review on the A83 on the same website too).
 
Nonetheless, if cable is a main concern, ER4 might be the best choice after all. No main stream IEMs like Westones or Shures have a neutral tuning like Etys. ATH IM02 is also pretty neutral, and IM03 are warmer. Both have great isolation(again, not ety level, but pretty damn good).

 

[davey48]

  They're not, but they're also "quad braided" kevlar(they said aramid, and kevlar is a kind of aramid), which should be stronger than "kevlar reinforced" hf2. Here is a review(you can read a review on the A83 on the same website too).
 
Nonetheless, if cable is a main concern, ER4 might be the best choice after all. No main stream IEMs like Westones or Shures have a neutral tuning like Etys. ATH IM02 is also pretty neutral, and IM03 are warmer. Both have great isolation(again, not ety level, but pretty damn good).

Thanks for all the input. I'll try to figure this out by tomorrow. The Etys will probably be a really nice choice but I won't get that "new and exciting" feel from them as I've had two pairs prior to this (ER6i and HF2). I've also read the difference isn't that big to the HF5 and even if that's down to the HF5 being very good (contrary to the ER4 not being good enough) it still feels a bit weird shelling out more than twice the cost for them. I really, really want to get the rockets but I just can't bare the thought of the connector plug wearing and needing replacement which surely means paying like $100 to ship them to and from the US (as well as the wait time). I mean, I know it's probably down to it being a bad idea to have a big phone in your front pocket with the cable connected to it, but that's just a habit I won't be able to rid myself of. Being able to buy a replacement cable in a store nearby is just such a comfort in that aspect.
 
Though, I must say I'm getting less worried about the Shures if you feel the 846:es are also a bit "meh" because in my ears they sound absolutely spectacular I'll try to find a store to compare the Etys and 535s side by side and see how I feel about them.
 
EDIT: Have you tried the ASG-1.5 and are able to comment on them in comparison to the rockets? Build quality, sound, isolation? I mean it's only $100 or so extra and they do have replaceable cables as far as I can see?

 

[kimvictor]

 
Thanks for all the input. I'll try to figure this out by tomorrow. The Etys will probably be a really nice choice but I won't get that "new and exciting" feel from them as I've had two pairs prior to this (ER6i and HF2). I've also read the difference isn't that big to the HF5 and even if that's down to the HF5 being very good (contrary to the ER4 not being good enough) it still feels a bit weird shelling out more than twice the cost for them. I really, really want to get the rockets but I just can't bare the thought of the connector plug wearing and needing replacement which surely means paying like $100 to ship them to and from the US (as well as the wait time). I mean, I know it's probably down to it being a bad idea to have a big phone in your front pocket with the cable connected to it, but that's just a habit I won't be able to rid myself of. Being able to buy a replacement cable in a store nearby is just such a comfort in that aspect.
 
Though, I must say I'm getting less worried about the Shures if you feel the 846:es are also a bit "meh" because in my ears they sound absolutely spectacular I'll try to find a store to compare the Etys and 535s side by side and see how I feel about them.
 
EDIT: Have you tried the ASG-1.5 and are able to comment on them in comparison to the rockets? Build quality, sound, isolation? I mean it's only $100 or so extra and they do have replaceable cables as far as I can see?

Haven't had a chance to try them actually. 846s have spectacular bass and mids. I wrote a review on them too, but the treble is still bit lacking. 
 
What about Westone 4? I find the W4R or W40 superior to the SE535, as it has better extension from top to bottom and is more neutral than SE535. Look in to that if you want to look into SE535. 4R and 40s are pretty much the same.

 

[davey48]

What about Westone 4? I find the W4R or W40 superior to the SE535, as it has better extension from top to bottom and is more neutral than SE535. Look in to that if you want to look into SE535. 4R and 40s are pretty much the same.

Looks very interesting, but the W40 are above my price range (can't find them in Sweden and from Amazon it would end up at $600 after shipping and import fees) and I can't seem to find a reseller for the 4R. The review for 4R here on head-fi has an amazon link that sends me here http://www.amazon.com/Westone-W20-Universal-Isolating-Earphones/dp/B00GB2QG0E/ref=dp_ob_title_ce but that doesn't seem right at all..
 
I'll do some more digging and see if I can find them and how much they would be.

Again, thanks for all the input, very valuable.