[WalkGood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif My budget is: cheaper than triple.fi 10s. Around $200. And I find the Sleek Audio SA6 to be extremely uncomfortable.

I don't recommend the sleek, although they do sound nice ... I just can't see mess'in with the tuning ports ... in that price range why not add a little and look at the cusom freq's ... they sound very good.

Edit: btw, your right ... they didn't feel that well in my ears either

 

[synaesthetic]

I am seriously considering the FreQs.

 

[WalkGood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am seriously considering the FreQs.

I auditioned the universals at canjam, they're great! If I didn't own what I have now, I'd go for them

 

[synaesthetic]

Do you know if the Music Lovers line have the over the ear style user-replaceable cable? That's kind of a big sticking point for me, but I don't want the Makers line since I have no desire to use an amp portably.

 

[BIG POPPA]

Start her off with some KSC-75's they will fit and they sound great for the price. If you want to go fancy, ship them to Alex at APS. for around 125.00 bucks for the headphone and recable you have a decent set of headphones. And with these you won't worry if they fit right in your GF's ear. I know they are not IEM's but they are relatively small in size, Sound great, and will save you a few bucks. And if she don't like them, just take her shopping, they always like that!

 

[WalkGood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you know if the Music Lovers line have the over the ear style user-replaceable cable? That's kind of a big sticking point for me, but I don't want the Makers line since I have no desire to use an amp portably.

Don't know, I don't own a pair ... check FreQ or email todd boring for info.

Edit: looks to me that the music makers are the only ones that have the user replaceable cable.

 

[dgbiker1]

If you're set on IEMs and want to wow, I wouldn't go for the 530s. My initial quick impression at a recent meet was pretty disappointing, and one other that tried my atrios was more wowed (not "better", just wowed) by them than the shures because of the bass. The 530s were well balanced and I can see them being a good, neutral, reference quality iem (ie they grow on you), but that means losing the initial wow factor. They just don't have anything that jumps out and grabs your attention.

If you're looking to get her interested in the hobby, I would recommend something a little more convenient (as others mentioned) and with more obvious strengths- maybe an iGrado or a modded KSC75. That'll probably be more impressionable and leave you money to buy something you KNOW she likes

 

[dgbiker1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG POPPA /img/forum/go_quote.gif Start her off with some KSC-75's they will fit and they sound great for the price. If you want to go fancy, ship them to Alex at APS. for around 125.00 bucks for the headphone and recable you have a decent set of headphones. And with these you won't worry if they fit right in your GF's ear. I know they are not IEM's but they are relatively small in size, Sound great, and will save you a few bucks. And if she don't like them, just take her shopping, they always like that!

Aww, you beat me to it while I was typing! I had your pair in mind from the meet earlier this summer

 

[boomana]

iems aren't for everyone. If she hasn't expressed a desire for them, I'd stay away from buying an expensive set first. If you're not set on iems, what about the ATH-ESW9s? Really nice sound, absolutely beautiful, comfy, plus sound good without an amp, and even better with one. You can pick up a hard-case for them as well for a nice package deal.

But, and as others have said, has she expressed an interest in audio, or is this more about you and what you'd like for her like? Since it's a present, you might want to think about that.

 

[BIG POPPA]

dgbiker we will be meeting soon again, it is in the works. My KSC-75's have been poached by one of my buddies, also he took the Portaphile. Wish my wife got into this stuff!

 

[Squirsier]

If you want to go for the wow factor, especially if all your girlfriend used so far are iBuds, consider the Yuins earbuds. I had my PK1 commented by a friend, who only use cheap earbuds, like so : "holy crap, you can hear everything in details...".

If she doesn't really need the convenience of sound muting from IEMs, those earbuds are the next best thing. Easy to put on, easy to remove

Btw, I do also own the Triple Fi and the Sleek Audio SA6 and these days, all I use are the PK1s.

And boomana is right. I'd say go for the practical!

 

[ajai_dev]

For WOW give her pair of Grado's if she really really likes music...

From my experiences chicks hate IEM's period...!!

 

[geekchic]

I read this thread and thought that a woman's perspective might be helpful to the OP

1) You have not mentioned what DAP she has. My interest in this hobby started with my first great source - because the music I love sounded great on it. Plus, a great looking (and sounding) DAP is a nice gift to get someone interested in the hobby. And since you have a large budget, you'll also have money left over to get her a nice pair of 'phones to go with it.

2) What kind of music does she listen to? Don't mean to generalise but most women would prefer a more detailed sound to a bass heavy one. Choose the 'phones accordingly

3) IEMs are a good choice. They are light, comfortable and low-profile, and easy for me to carry around even in my purse! Try to get a smaller pair like the Q Jays because the larger ones like the Triples or even the Shures tend to be more difficult to fit/ get a seal.

4) This may seem a frivolous piece of advice but a color co-ordinated DAP and 'phones would be a nice gift

I saw some of the set-ups in the pix thread and I was like wow! (eg. white q-jays and white Cowon D2 - neat!)

 

[Tomikans]

i got my girlfriend pk3's..

 

[MrBigglesworth]

I've never met a girl who cares much about stuff like this: "you paid HOW MUCH for some dumb headphones??"

Get her a good handbag. She'll appreciate it a lot more.