[joeybutts]

Hey gang!  Been a bit of a lurker on the board and used it previously for my first dabble into more quality IEM's (they were Senn CX300 II's

).  Well, I enjoyed them very much but the cable frayed on one channel inside the jacket at the plug

. Oh well.  I always look at equipment dying/failing/terminating as a justifiable reason to upgrade

. 
 
I still don't know enough about IEM's and don't have the funds to just toss on a pair and guess and check for a while as I am a big HT and 12V guy and have enough of those projects at the moment.  So I was hoping you guys could develop a hypothesis on what would be a good pair to dump some coin on.
 
I don't mind spending $50, but am willing to spend up to about $200.  
 
Some things I would like from them -
 
Replaceable cables.
Not a J format cable.
A warm low end.
slightly sparkly top end.
Clean balanced mid range.
 
Let me know if you need any more info to help me out with a decision!  Thanks again!

 

[joeybutts]

Did I not post enough info for proper guidance?  Let me know!  Thanks!

 

[Marcus_C]

Sounds like you're a prime candidate for the FOTM crew to throw the hje900 at you, they'll be along at some point, not having heard it myself I can't suggest them, although $50-$200 is quite a wide budget range.

 

[joeybutts]

Thanks Marcus!  So you are suggesting what you think others will suggest? 

 
 
Are those the Panasonics?
 
My budget is capped at $200, but if there is something comparable at a lower price I'll pick them up (just saying I don't NEED to buy a name....long as they perform that's all that matters....)

 

[ljokerl]

Repleaceable cables really narrow down the field (to the Panasonics...). Plus your other requirements are a match.

 

[Marcus_C]

Yeah, pretty much, i've used quite a few iem's in that range although i wouldn't recommend a lot of them. If you want some direct recommendations, etymotic hf5 is good if you don't mind bass-lite earphones, beyerdynamic dtx100 is my favourite under $200, they are a bit more balanced than the hf5, Sleek sa1 is built like a tank and looks good but if you aren't bothered about looks then look elsewhere, if you want waterproof (odd i know but makes so much sense in practise) then h2o surge mini pro are quite good. Most of the others i've used have been cheaper so are not as good.

 

[jasonb]

yup, that price range with replaceable cables pretty much narrows it down to the panasonics.
 
btw, my first decent pair of IEM's were also the CX300II's. i now use a pair of Brainwavz M2's which i am really REALLY enjoying.

 

[joeybutts]

Looks like I'll give the HJE900's a go! 
 
As far as tips go, are there any you guys recommend with the HJE900's?  The Senn's tips I was right between the small and medium size and neither were very solid in my ear.