[brainiak]

I'm planning to buy my first IEMs and I need your help and recommendations.
 
First of all comfort is very important for me. I might even get a nap sometimes while wearing them.
SQ is (of course!) important as well, I'm looking for balanced sound. As I might live with a bit too much highs, too much bass is just a fun breaker.
I'm using Sansa Fuze, no amp.
There's a lot of different music on my player, I think rock/metal dominates, but there's also jazz, folk, classical, electronic and rap.
 
Budget ~100$. I might consider spending more if there will be something really worth the money, but as these will be my first IEMs I don't want to invest too much.
 
So far Etymotic ER6i seems to be the best choice, but some reviewers say that they lack sound stage, might not be the best choice for rock and microphonic is a big issue with them.

 

[slaters70]

er6i is a decent enough IEM, but not for sleeping, and some might say with the deep Ety insertion, comfort is also an issue. I owned them, and would not get them if napping with them in your ears is in your plans. I would do some research here, especially read Joker's multi-IEM review thread, in the $50-$100 category.

 

[rawrster]

For your first iem they might be a risk unless you know what kind of sound you want. Neutrality is not a very popular sound signature esp among those just starting out and coming from stock buds imo.
 
Their isolation is top notch if you can get used to triple flanges and if you can't there are other tips such as shure olives which give just as good isolation. I have yet to hear another earphone that matches their isolation in any budget but I have not heard any other Etymotic which is said to have more isolation.
 
The cables from the Y split and up can be a problem. It is quite thin and the part where the cable meets the housing is another issue. The housings are so small that just about all of it goes into your ear so it's hard not to pull it out by the cable which is not good for them lasting very long. I would also not sleep with them on.
 
They are quite analytical. Bass is tight and can be considered bass light. Their clarity is good as well.
 
IMO the ER6i is good but not as good as it used to be because of all the increased competition. I would get the RE0 if I was you if you do not mind average isolation.

 

[brainiak]

Quote:

I would do some research here, especially read Joker's multi-IEM review thread, in the $50-$100 category.

 
Wow, this is a great thread, what a shame it's not sticked. 
The biggest problem I'm facing right now is availability of IEMs in Poland. It's incredible, but there's virtually no market for mid-range IEMs.
RE0 was my favorite, but summing  all costs (import from USA) I can get Phonak Audeo for 20$ more (there's ONE shop that sells them here). So much likely I’ll buy PA. They're light, very comfortable and have great sound (probably even better that what I need for my V0 mp3), but my biggest concern is player - does anyone tried Phonak Audeo 's on Sansa Fuze with-out amp? Isn’t Fuze too weak for PA?

 

[slaters70]

You might have problems powering the PFEs. I had them and they did seem to not get much volume from my players at the time (Sony esp). So you might be right. The PFEs do need power.

 

[violinvirtuoso]

The PFEs need power, and so do the Head-Direct RE-0s.
 
The Etymotic ER-6is will probably sound better directly from the Headphone Out.

 

[rawrster]

I disagree about the RE0. The RE0 may like power but that does not mean they output crappy sound under less than optimal setups. With the RE0 unamped I would say it is still better than the ER6i even from your regular headphone out.

 

[leveller1642]

Quote:

The cables from the Y split and up can be a problem. It is quite thin and the part where the cable meets the housing is another issue. The housings are so small that just about all of it goes into your ear so it's hard not to pull it out by the cable which is not good for them lasting very long.

 
I have to disagree with the above. I have had at least ten pairs of er-6i over the years and I have never had a problem with the earpiece connection. They invariably fail at the jack, despite me pulling them by the wire from ears. My latest pair seem to be lasting longer than average, so I suspect Etymotic may have changed the jack connection. 
 
If you do go Er-6i, the black pairs have a right angled plug and the white ones a straight plug. 
 

 

[brainiak]

I've got answer on the other forum - it seems that PFEs sounds just fine with fuze.
 
On the other hand I'll try to listen to Soundmagic PL50, as they're 2 times cheaper, very comfortable and some shops sell them here (not in my area tho). But I'm affarid the're too warm for Fuze.