[DanielG12327]

hey, in general for the same price what are better - headphones or IEM's?

im thinking of selling my denon ah-d1001's and getting IEM's insted, purely because its such a pain to be carrying them around all day. i dont however want to sacrifice sound quality.

also, how would these stack up against my currect denon ah-d1001's

Ultimate Ears Super.Fi - Universal Fit Earphones - 5: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro EB

p.s. would i need any kind of amp for those IEM's?^^

Cheers.

 

[Antony6555]

The best iems will sound better than portable phones. It's hard to generalize but I'd quality iems are a better deal than quality portable phones at most price points. Iems have a couple advantages when it comes to sq. First, they're super easy to drive to full potential. Secondly, they block out ambient noise which makes a HUGE difference.

For 120 pounds (close to 200 dollars), I think you could find better iems. But we have to know what type of sound you're looking for, though from what I see I'm guessing you like a bass-heavy sound?

 

[Steely Dan]

Even if my IEMs didn't sound as good as my on ear or over ear headphones they would still be my first choice on the bus or train just because they block so much outside noise and allow me to listen at relatively low volume levels while hearing everything.

At home I tend to use open backed earpad headphones because they're more comfortable and I actually want to be able to hear things going on around me.

 

[DanielG12327]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antony6555 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The best iems will sound better than portable phones. It's hard to generalize but I'd quality iems are a better deal than quality portable phones at most price points. Iems have a couple advantages when it comes to sq. First, they're super easy to drive to full potential. Secondly, they block out ambient noise which makes a HUGE difference. For 120 pounds (close to 200 dollars), I think you could find better iems. But we have to know what type of sound you're looking for, though from what I see I'm guessing you like a bass-heavy sound?

yeah i like bass heavy music (drum and bass/hip hop), any suggestions for my price range? £120/$200
also, comfort is a big factor too.

Cheers.

 

[derek8555]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielG12327 /img/forum/go_quote.gif yeah i like bass heavy music (drum and bass/hip hop), any suggestions for my price range? £120/$200 also, comfort is a big factor too. Cheers.

Westone's have best ergonomics among universal IEMs. So maybe you can consider their UM2 (used go for $150~160, not sure if you can find new within $200); loads of bass, and very engaging.

P.S. UM2 > SF5 EB all the way... quality wise there is no comparison.

 

[geralt_ll]

Alternatively you can consider Atrios. Bass heads love them, and they don't sound muddy.

 

[DanielG12327]

^^just had a quick look for westone um2's on amazon/ebay and the cheapest i can find them for is £160, too far out of my price range.

anymore suggestions for my price range?

p.s. do you think im doing the right thing, selling my denon ah-d1001's for some IEM's?

Cheers.

EDIT: yeah, i was looking at Atrios but from the reviews i've been reading it sounds like

Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro EB > Atrios ?

 

[oakleyguy89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielG12327 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^^just had a quick look for westone um2's on amazon/ebay and the cheapest i can find them for is £160, too far out of my price range. anymore suggestions for my price range? p.s. do you think im doing the right thing, selling my denon ah-d1001's for some IEM's? Cheers. EDIT: yeah, i was looking at Atrios but from the reviews i've been reading it sounds like Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Pro EB > Atrios ?

IEMs are much more portable. They block out noise better thant the d1001s and they dont leak as much sound as the d1001s as well.

 

[abellaw]

Honestly i think i would rather listen to headphones when i have perfect listening ideals. I also prefer my Pk1s as they are much more comfortable to me. But when i am on the go i am finding out how much my music experience is improved by the isolation and easy to drive nature of IEMs.

So if your planning on using them on the go then maybe IEMs are the way to go

 

[bcasey25raptor]

i find iems are better value. i can find iems for $20 that outperform some of my circumaural headphones that cost me $80. but i prefer circumaural because i don't kill my ears so easily.

 

[bocur]

I think headphones sounds more natural  than iems

 

[average_joe]

The sound is different...in the lower price range headphones sound more like speakers outside my ears whereas IEMs have a better coherence across my head, but are more in my  head.  There is also some adjustment time for both to get used to the differences IMO, but your brain will usually adjust after a few weeks of listening.  

 

[mvw2]

I see headphones as simply different options.  I think headphone manufacturers have an easier time working at a larger format, but gains and losses really aren't that vast between the packages.  I see the choice between them more an idea of increasing the selection pool.
 
I wrote this a little while back comparing just a few earphones.  It wasn't a big group, just some earphones I and my brother own.  It was done more to show the difference/similarity in format.  Does size actually get you anything?
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/497731/a-tale-of-three-headphones-does-size-matter-yuin-ok1-yuin-g1a-and-akg-k702

 

[yliu]

I think you get a better sounding headphone than an IEM at the same price.

 

[CantScareMe]

headphones vs iem's.
 
As many have said in the past they are separate. But even though i've read many of the headphone vs iem threads, I haven't come across a mention of my next point, so I thought i'd say it.
 
I think there is a greater level of variation in sound with headphones, than compared to iem's.
 
Of course Iem's do vary, but out of the top tier universals, sound signitures can be quite similar, like the re zero, re0, ck10, dba, ety, phonak pfe. Or quite different- like the IE8 vs ety er4. Or gr8 vs ck10. If we step down from the top tier, similar differences/similarities exist. 
But in the headphone world, there are bigger differences allround. You have can have an open, airy and bass light top tier phone or a closed, small soundstaged but hugely bassy one. Radically different. And differences are big lower down the league too. To me it feels as if as the headphone world has more energy, more sound to play with than the iem's; purely because of the form factor, allowing for larger drivers, more air, etc.  
 
You might be thinking why I find this important?
For me, it makes the world of cans a bit more tougher than iem's. Errm, more interesting maybe...