[David317]

First post and headphone noob... please be kind. Been searching and reading for a week or two, but now need to make a decision on what to buy on a forthcoming trip to the US. Being in the UK means that I don't have access to a wide range of phones to test, so I'm looking to your collective experience for help.

Background - I have a Sony NW-HD5 and Ipod Classic that I listen to through Sony EX71s with the standard silicon rubber tips. My taste in music is pretty wide-ranging - blues, blues rock, classic rock, female vocalists, but also some pop, classic and recordings of stage shows. I like listening to live recordings ("Unplugged" series) and being able to pick out details - fingers on guitar strings, bum notes, etc. I like IEMs/canal phones, and have only limited experience with (cheap) on-ear phones. I do not have small ears. I spend the majority of my listening time either commuting (train) or at work.

Criteria - I'm after better phones with:

1. Improved clarity/soundstage over EX71 (shouldn't be difficult...?)
2. Comfort and isolation as good as EX71 (I'm not unhappy with EX71 in this respect)

I definitely need new IEMs but, having read comments here, I'm taken with the idea of getting a pair of Grado's... My question is, should I spend my budget on one pair of IEMs, or go with less expensive IEMs and get some on-ear phones for at home (which I won't use often...). Will I get better staging with reasonable 'full' phones (say Grado SR125) over good IEMs??

I think that my options are (having read reviews and comments):

1. Grado SR125 and UE SF3 or Ety ER-6i or Westone UM1
2. SF5 (with ES1 cable upgrade) or Ety ER-4 or Shure SE310

Sorry for the waffle - trying to get my thoughts out. Appreciate any thoughts and guidance.

 

[465]

Haven't heard of IEM, ever, unfortunately. I thought about getting one, but my research said that open headphone gives the best sound quality. I'd say definitely get 1 great can.

 

[earfanatic]

Forget cheap IEMs! You don't know how fantastic can sound a good IEM. I still prefer my q-Jays over my headphone even at home!

I like the same music You like, and i can recommend You the q-Jays!
It's small (UE-s are huge compared this), and has dual armature, and it's sounds beautiful with Blues and Jazz, even with Rock and Metal.

It fit's your budget (189$) too.
I think UE's sf3 sounds very flat compared the q-Jays! I Wouldn't buy those You listed.

So, the sound is amaizing! It's very small, has dual armatures, and with 39ohm impedance it don't even hiss on DAPs.

 

[intoflatlines]

Get SF5 Pro without Westone cable and upgrade the cable later. Use the money to get a used SR60. Now you have IEMs and cans that both sound great. I use SF5 Pro when I go to class/public transportation and the SR225 for home use.

 

[zombieDave]

I'm with intoflatlines. Before I'd scrolled down to his post, I was going to recommend SR60's & a pair of Ety ER4P's (if you can find 'em on sale). The diff between SR60's and SR125's isn't enough to justify twice the cost, so if you're looking to buy 2 pairs of cans the SR60's for $60 are where it's at (for you). Now all you need to do is pick out which IEM. I'm recommending the Ety's because I got mine on sale for ~ $140 brand-new on Amazon.com. I loved how they sounded w/all types of music and only sold them because I don't really like IEM's (I have very small ear canals). Good luck in deciding, and have fun.

 

[tjumper78]

dont forget to include shipping costs in your budget.

 

[facelvega]

there are two main reasons to have multiple headphones:
1. different listening environments (sitting still/portable, home/work/subway, etc.)
2. different types of listening (classical and rock, music and movies, etc.)

If you're thinking of setting up a different work rig from your on-the-go IEMs (and don't need isolation at work, it seems), then I think trying to keep a little aside to try an SR-60 or at least a KSC-35/75, PortaPro, or PX100 makes sense. Otherwise, just focus on your IEMs, I'd say. If you really want to venture out and get a rig going that can handle parts of your music better than you portable rig can, then you probably should wait and plan to do it when you can dedicate a little more cash to the matter.

 

[David317]

Thanks for the input guys.

A little more background... I used to own a reasonable audio system at home: Rotel, Mission Cyrus and Mission floorstanding speakers with good interconnect and cable. Not high end, but a few $k invested in good sound. Along came kids and a smaller house, and the need for a home cinema system, so the hifi went. I'm now just getting back into music, but it needs to be 'personalised'!

My plan isn't to have different rigs for different music, but rather one pretty good set-up that works well on the move - I spend quite a bit of time on the road and in the air - and at home. My plan is to get an amp soon - I'm veering towards the Graham Slee Voyager (readily available in the UK and good reviews), which I'll pair with the Ipod Classic. Along with this I could end up with a collection of headphones. The question about the 2 sets of earphones was really whether I would get something extra in soundstaging from on-ear compared with in-ear.

Earfanatic - I have looked at the q-Jays, and they definitely have appeal, but I've noticed that Headroom just dropped the price of SF5 Pros, and this means I have enough $ for the SR60 or 80 at the same time. The good thing is that the price of Grados in the UK mean that I can sell them on for what they cost in the US if they give me nothing over the IEMs

 

[intoflatlines]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David317 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've noticed that Headroom just dropped the price of SF5 Pros, and this means I have enough $ for the SR60 or 80 at the same time.

Perfect.

 

[David317]

Thanks for the support fellas. Chatting helped me get my head around my quandary. I've gone with the SF5 Pros from Headroom ($155) and Grado SR60s ($62 with voucher) and I think that I'm gonna be happy. The really great thing is that these would set me back a total of around around $400 at UK prices - the Grados alone are about $150+ over here

Looking forward to getting to the hotel next week and picking these up

 

[santiclaws]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David317 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the support fellas. Chatting helped me get my head around my quandary. I've gone with the SF5 Pros from Headroom ($155) and Grado SR60s ($62 with voucher) and I think that I'm gonna be happy. The really great thing is that these would set me back a total of around around $400 at UK prices - the Grados alone are about $150+ over here Looking forward to getting to the hotel next week and picking these up

With the exchange rate being what it is these days, this is all gonna cost you what, like seven quid?

 

[Zunefan1]

I'd get Ultimate Ears Superfi 5s- around $150. Grado and Sennheiser over the earphones are also great. Trash your iPod buds.

 

[David317]

Santiclaws - yeah, the exchange rate makes shopping in the US pretty darned attractive!! When you add this to the mark-up we always seem to get in the UK a lot of stuff becomes affordable. In the UK I could have scraped together enough for the SF5, but in the US I can get the '5s, SR60s and a pack of black olives for the same amount

Can't wait to pick these up. I'm looking at amps now, and have my eye on the Graham Slee Voyager - this is one item that I know will relatively well priced in the UK. Have to decide to get this or an RSA Hornet on my next trip to the States.