Girlfriends and IEMS ... and the trouble they cause

[pdupiano]

Hey everybody,

My gf's birthday is coming up and I wanted to grab her a pair of iem's (I would go for full blown headphones like the akg's or senn's but I doubt she'd ever use them....but I would

). Anyway I'm thinking of getting her a pair of Se530's. I love my pair to death, but I think I also enjoy them because I've taken the time to really grow with them and appreciate the refinement I get from the iem's. I was wondering if anyone has lent their se530's to a friend, who isn't really an audiophile, and said WOW. I know if I get her the triple. Fi's she will say WOW immediately (they're very surprising and mind blowing). I'm also considering the RA1's and other iem's with big wow factors. The problem is, she says I get wrapped up into my music a lot and I sort of loose track of her every once in a while. I figure if we both share the love for audio it might help smooth things out. But I also know that for people to really get invested and understand the feelings of why a lot of us dedicate our time and resources to music,they have to be wowed in the first place. While I'm willing to recommend the se530's I still say that they lack the wow effect that other iem's have that can and will "convert" some people and bring them to the dark side...er.. yeah.

So if anyone has any other recommendations, please let me know I have a few days before I go and buy them. In the mean time, I'll be scouring through the forums for reviews but I'll gladly take any help I can get.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[screamb]

wow, SE 530's for your other half...
i think the SE 530's are okay, in all honesty great buy but if you want to save some $$. get the UM2's instead sounds rather similar to the 530's except the seperation isn't as good as the 530's. the FI 10's are very fun sounding unlike the 530 and UM2 which are a little on the darker side.. why not just get her personalized customs?

 

[pdupiano]

hmm personalized, not a bad idea. It might take away from the surprise. I mean, I can trick her and all but, I'm afraid I dont have the skill to trick her into getting ear impressions. I'll check out the UM2's, I'll check out people's impressions on the UM2's, but if they sound like the shures, I'm not too sure heh since they'll also lack the wow factor. but I'll do some more reading, to be honest I've sort of left those in the back of my mind since people seem to rave more about its comfort rather than its sq. but thanks mate.

 

[sambo60]

hey pdupiano,
I totally understand the frustration people feel at not being able to get your attention without touching you or stomping their feet

My mom hates my se530s about as much as I love them! I imagine it must be even harder with a girlfriend. Good luck getting her into it. That could cause more trouble as she will then expect you to buy her new IEMs instead of new clothes. LOL

 

[synaesthetic]

Dude, designer women's clothing can make audio gear look like small potatoes. My wardrobe comes from the mall, outlet stores, Fashion Bug and Target, but a good friend of mine has a handbag that cost her more than my entire home and portable setup combined.

 

[sambo60]

hahahaha
I guess you're right. Super duper high end clothes MIGHT be able to outmatch super duper high end audio. But it would be a good race. I'd pay to watch it! I'm sure you can tell by my post that I'm a guy, so it's hard for me to relate. But I do have 3 sisters, so I can relate a little bit

 

[synaesthetic]

I know what you mean. I get annoyed whenever I have to spend more than $10 on a blouse or tee.

 

[Random Access]

This might sound sexist but it is based on experience. Most girls I know don't really get wowed by IEMs. For portable use they prefer something practical. Easy to take on and off, preferably not needed insertion into the brain, etc... Sure my SO likes my AKG 701 and she uses them to play WoW. She also likes the HD600 and uses them for music and she likes the DT770 for movies. I set up a listening corner for myself but with her in mind so that both of us can listen to music at the same time. She loves the corner and sits there once a day. I put a shiatsu thing on the chair there so you can get a massage at the same time.

As for presents... the last one I got her was an iPOD classic, before that a Gucci purse, before that a Roberto Cavalli dress, some boots, another purse, another Gucci purse... you see where this is going. Get her something that she wants but that she can't afford or that she wouldn't allow herself. SE530 is a compromise between hassle and comfort. I love my SE530 to death. All my friends except one liked them. My SO has tried them a few times and she just doesn't like anything that goes into her ears that way. She's more than happy with the cheap philips canalphones I got her a year ago.

Depends on how much money you have... what she likes, how much you like her...

 

[Nuwidol]

My GF hasn't liked wearing any of the IEMs had (quite a lot) because they 'feel funny' in her ears.

She also doesn't give a damn about the sound quality of her music. I managed to get her to buy a pair of the Air Cushioned JVC canal phones after the pair of EX71 I gave her broke & she said they sounded the same.

Don't buy her IEMs unless she has expressed real interest in them (not just said 'thats nice dear' when you couldn't shut up about yours

)

 

[Fort_Worth_Keith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Random Access /img/forum/go_quote.gif This might sound sexist but it is based on experience. Most girls I know don't really get wowed by IEMs. For portable use they prefer something practical. Easy to take on and off, preferably not needed insertion into the brain, etc... Sure my SO likes my AKG 701 and she uses them to play WoW. She also likes the HD600 and uses them for music and she likes the DT770 for movies. I set up a listening corner for myself but with her in mind so that both of us can listen to music at the same time. She loves the corner and sits there once a day. I put a shiatsu thing on the chair there so you can get a massage at the same time. As for presents... the last one I got her was an iPOD classic, before that a Gucci purse, before that a Roberto Cavalli dress, some boots, another purse, another Gucci purse... you see where this is going. Get her something that she wants but that she can't afford or that she wouldn't allow herself. SE530 is a compromise between hassle and comfort. I love my SE530 to death. All my friends axcept one She has tried them a few times and she just doesn't like anything that goes into her ears that way. She's more than happy with the cheap philips canalphones I got her a year ago. Depends on how much money you have... what she likes, how much you like her...

I bought some Shure IEM's for an ex gf and she didn't want them and I had to return them to Headroom.

She really wanted something like the Koss headphones that lay on the ears.

 

[pdupiano]

ahhh man this is tough. Don't forget my main goal isn't to impress her with gifts (like clothes etcc I've done that). The idea is to get her interested in higher quality audio so that we'd have something more in common. Then again I might just be an ass trying to change her in which case I'd be a huge jack ass. I think I'll take her to my local audiophile store to see if she likes grados or akgs or if she'd prefer over the ears headphones. You guys might be right about the whole "sticking something in your ears" thing. But at this point if I do buy her akg701's or hd650's..... its gonna be a challenge for me not to open the box to take a quick listen until her birthday or be tempted to burn them in.

 

[Bertelsen]

I'm in the same sitation as you, christmas is coming up.

It would be useless to buy expensive phones for my girlfriend, she can't simply understand why we love nice sound, or the fact we are using lots of money on it.

I'm thinking to buy some UE Super fi 5, or some cheaper.

The biggest problem with IEMs in my case is that her ears are really tight, so it may not fit as well, but taking her to the store to try them makes the surprise really die.

Hell, girlfriends can't make it easy for us!

 

[synaesthetic]

Most of my female friends are bothered by IEMs; it's both the thought and the feeling of something pushing inside their ear seems to bother them.

I never had this problem except when I bought the first pair of IEMs I ever owned (Shure e2c), out of frustration with earbuds and their typical low sound quality and how easy they fall out of my ears. The e2c's clear silicone sleeves hurt so much I swore off IEMs for a long while and went back to my Sony MDR-E888LP.

I didn't try IEMs again until I later got a chance to wear a friend's e5c with the grey silicone sleeves, and ended up buying them from him.

Now I'm wondering if there really is an IEM that provides the sound I want without the associated logistical problems of the ER-4P. The Etys sound great to me but the cable is SUCH a pain it's making me sell them. I really want something that has similar clarity to the Etys, but not so much emphasis on the highs and a little more substantial low-end.

 

[WalkGood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... ... I really want something that has similar clarity to the Etys, but not so much emphasis on the highs and a little more substantial low-end.

Do you have a budget in mind

 

[synaesthetic]

My budget is: cheaper than triple.fi 10s. Around $200. And I find the Sleek Audio SA6 to be extremely uncomfortable.