[nielyee]

Hey guys,
 
I am looking into buying a pair of IEMs as a spare to supplement my ES3x. I don't wish to spend much, so i was thinking of anything below USD150. 
 
I had the chance to listen to a pair of burnt in SE215's, and I do not really like the lack of fidelity and clarity of the 215. I was wondering if the UM1 is any better. As I am used to the ES3x, I was hoping to get something close to it.
 
How does the UM1 compare to the Se215? And compared to the PL50's? I had a pair, which I broke shortly after receiving the customs. I liked the PL50s for the time I had it with me.
 
If there are any other recommendations, I would gladly look at it too.
 
Thanks!

 

[alv4426]

can you go up to $175 thats what W2s are going for?

 

[Zalithian]

I don't know why nobody recommends the PFE's anymore. They offer great clarity at a reasonable price. Maybe they're outclassed by recent offerings though.

 

[ZARIM]

The GR07, EX600, HF5, TF10Pro, DBA-02, RE0.

 

[seaskimmer]

I would say UM1, Se215 and PL50 all fall into the "low end" class. If you are budgeting yourself 150, you could get much better stuff.

PFE's are nice as mentioned above but they kinda received extra hype when they were fotm. I believe you can get TF10's on Amazon for ~140/150 which is a good deal. I have never heard the GR07 but consensus is that is is better than the SE215. The HF5 offer the good etymotic isolation and are quite detailed, but not as much as the ER4. Never heard the DBA02 or Re0 though.

If you are willing to buy used IEM's, the possibilities are much greater though.

 

[nielyee]

Thanks guys so much for that good input. Tf10's are really tempting, but amazon goes for $220. There's one for 180, which I can consider. Does it compare well to the um3x or es3x?

Just wondering, how good are the pfe's in comparison to the 215's? Are they BA?

 

[alv4426]

How long can you wait? The annual TF10 sale on amazon is coming up on Thanksgiving, that where I got mine for under $100 new. It comes up as a Gold Box deal at like 6am. The thing you have to know is that although the TF10 sound awesome they are ginormous, will probably be uncomfortable, and the cable kinda sucks. The only Westone I had was the W2 and I think they were easily better than the W2 in every way sound-wise. Ive read that the TF10 sounds similar to the W3 but maybe a little better cause the W3's bass is supposedly a little bloated.

 

[nielyee]

back to PFE's and UM1's, how do they sound in general? I wouldn't mind if the UM1 sounded similar to the pl50's, considering i actually liked that sound.
 
Hmm... This is interesting. TF10 for under $100 is a steal. I guess I could wait a little while.
 
The UM3x just went back to it's original price of almost $400. I should have grabbed it when it was $289 on amazon.

 

[alv4426]

what what what, $289? Hmmm will wait for those too

, poor wallet.
Quote:

 
The UM3x just went back to it's original price of almost $400. I should have grabbed it when it was $289 on amazon.

 

 

[imackler]

I'd consider the Westone 2 (I know I'm selling one but don't let that discredit the advice; i went with the Westone 4 over the W2, which you obviously don't need if you have the ES3X) or the Audeo PFE...but really, I'd pick the W2. Since you like the Westone sound, I don't think you'd go wrong with the W2, but I've heard that the Westone 1 was kind of a misstep for the company. Westone is selling the Fiio E6 now with the Westone 2 which might convince you to stretch you're budget a little bit. It's quite a good little amp! If I could have one under $200 iem, it would be the Westone 2 because it handles all genres respectfully.
 
Haven't heard the UM1, but having had the UM3X and W4, I think either would be overkill with the ES3X.
 
If you want a dynamic driver, you might like the GR07 or the Sony EX600.

 

[mark2410]

not sure what you want but what out HiFiMAN stuff? crazy good for their prices, cant soy more as you dont really indicate what you want sound sig wise or in terms of isalation

 

[Zalithian]

The PFE's have a decent sized soundstage, and a fairly neutral/balanced sound all around. They have good clarity. Most usual complaint is bass, which they don't have a ton of with grey filters. You can change the filters though, which can make them warmer/more bassy.

 

[imackler]

I always had a tough time getting a quality seal with the PFE, more so than any other iems I've owned. But that may just be my ears. Their arm was a little "delicate" to get the insertion that their soft, but extremely comfortable, tips demand. But there was a time I was in love with them!
 
Quote:

The PFE's have a decent sized soundstage, and a fairly neutral/balanced sound all around. They have good clarity. Most usual complaint is bass, which they don't have a ton of with grey filters. You can change the filters though, which can make them warmer/more bassy.

 

 

[snakeeater69]

+1 dba-02/b2. Just got mine and it is quite good.

 

[Zalithian]

Quote:

I always had a tough time getting a quality seal with the PFE, more so than any other iems I've owned. But that may just be my ears. Their arm was a little "delicate" to get the insertion that their soft, but extremely comfortable, tips demand. But there was a time I was in love with them!
 


 

I loved them until I got UM3X/W3/IE8