Help me choose (sub-75 USD earphones)
Jan 19, 2013 at 3:52 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13

yonyz

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Hi,
 
I made a list of "generally favored" IEMs that are listed on the "Multi-IEM reviews" thread.
I wonder which of the following I should buy:
 
Vsonic GR06 - 65 USD
Maximo IM-590 - 59 USD
Astrotec AM-90 - 42 USD
Brainwavz M2 - 73 USD
Dunu DN-12 Trident - 34 USD
 
Of course, if you have a totally different recommendation for under 75, I'm all ears. :)
 
Thank you.
 
P.S.
I recently sold my ATH M50 headphones. I liked their sound (best I've heard; not that I've heard many) but they were big and I decided I no longer want to use anything buy in ear headphones, because the closed or open headphones are not comfortable with my glasses which I wear during all my waking hours.
Also, I recently found myself using the Apple EarBuds with my iPhone on my way to work, so yeah, it's gotta be in-ear.
 
Jan 19, 2013 at 2:32 PM Post #2 of 13
please check out the Sony MH1C , they are absolutely superb IEMs for the price and probably the best under a 100 ..
 
Jan 19, 2013 at 2:44 PM Post #3 of 13
Quote:
please check out the Sony MH1C , they are absolutely superb IEMs for the price and probably the best under a 100 ..


NOT!!!   Most hyped yeah, but FAR from best under 100.   OP, the GR06 are the best out of your list, Myself prefer the GR02 BE, or the Less talked about GR99...  All miles ahead of those Sony IEMS...But it really depends on your music taste etc? The GR06 is a mid forward set, the BE is V-shaped as well as the 99, The 99 having the biggest Bass while mids and highs are 99% of the 02 BE.
 
It's just like the Bass Head lovers always recommending these cheap JVC's etc...They are really bad, you get what you pay for!!
 
If you want Massive bass look into Hisoundaudio products..Yeah they are in the mid $60 range, but rememeber you get what you pay for in the long run!!
 
Jan 19, 2013 at 2:49 PM Post #4 of 13
I've also been trying to figure out what to buy - at a slightly lower price-point - to improve on the stock 'phones for my Galaxy S-III. I've already got a pair of Monoprice 8320's on its way to me, but I'm thinking of getting one additional set just in case.
 
From perusing a bunch of reviews on this site (and a few elsewhere, I'll admit), I have the following list of what seem like good choices:
 
1) Brainwavz R1.
 
2) Astrotec AM-90.
 
3) VSonic GR02 Bass Edition.
 
(I've left the Sony MH1C's off the list, mostly because I dislike J-cords and microphonics - and I've got a pair of old EX-088's that I've never been happy with.)
 
My musical preferences are eclectic: everything from Renaissance (the period, not the group) to jazz to Philip Glass, with some Indian Classical and all kinds of other stuff thrown in. No heavy metal, techno, or suchlike, but a few things that might vaguely qualify as rock. I've got fairly large ears; and a lot of my 'phone use is on buses, so good isolation is a fairly major factor.
 
Given that the three choices I've identified are all similarly priced, which makes the most sense given my needs? Or is there something else that I should be looking at instead?
 
Thanks in advance for any light you can shed, O Experts!
 
 
-DonR
 
Jan 19, 2013 at 2:58 PM Post #5 of 13
I am looking for neutral sounding 'phones.
I decided to raise the budget to 100 USD, and am considering Shure SE215 (got good reviews) and the HIFIMAN RE-400 (new, no reviews). Both are exactly 100 USD.
I will also watch movies with the 'phones.
 
Jan 19, 2013 at 3:10 PM Post #6 of 13
Quote:
I am looking for neutral sounding 'phones.
I decided to raise the budget to 100 USD, and am considering Shure SE215 (got good reviews) and the HIFIMAN RE-400 (new, no reviews). Both are exactly 100 USD.
I will also watch movies with the 'phones.


Yeah the most Neutral out of your list would be the Astrotec, But at $100 you have A Lot more options..I've never heard the Shure or Hifiman.  Some people say the Shure is close to the GR06 but a slightly better mid, Which still be more mid forward.  But they are Bass/High Neutral/ With a slighty above Neutral Mid.  Others might have better idea's as I've not used to many IEMS over the $65 range.
 
Jan 19, 2013 at 5:07 PM Post #8 of 13
The Sunrise Xcited or the Xcape IE if you want a warmer sound than the Xcited. Not very hyped but very good iem with a good soundstage, a slightly "V-shaped" or balanced (beetween the two, it's hard to be precise).
 
Jan 20, 2013 at 3:27 AM Post #9 of 13
NOT!!!   Most hyped yeah, but FAR from best under 100.   OP, the GR06 are the best out of your list, Myself prefer the GR02 BE, or the Less talked about GR99...  All miles ahead of those Sony IEMS...But it really depends on your music taste etc? The GR06 is a mid forward set, the BE is V-shaped as well as the 99, The 99 having the biggest Bass while mids and highs are 99% of the 02 BE.
 
It's just like the Bass Head lovers always recommending these cheap JVC's etc...They are really bad, you get what you pay for!!
 
If you want Massive bass look into Hisoundaudio products..Yeah they are in the mid $60 range, but rememeber you get what you pay for in the long run!!

 
 
im sorry to remind you this but there is a reason that the MH1c was hyped in the first place 
rolleyes.gif
... 
 
 
 
I am looking for neutral sounding 'phones.
I decided to raise the budget to 100 USD, and am considering Shure SE215 (got good reviews) and the HIFIMAN RE-400 (new, no reviews). Both are exactly 100 USD.
I will also watch movies with the 'phones.

 
if you are looking for such earphones with a lesser emphasis through out the sound spectrum ..
 
the RE-400 might be way better than the SE-215.. the 215 are mid-forward and also have a bass emphasis, their treble is rolled off and they dont resolve very much .. and besides HIFIman makes the best dynamic Iems I've heard so far which are technically proficient and flat
 
all the best 
 
Jan 20, 2013 at 10:24 AM Post #11 of 13
Quote:
 
 
im sorry to remind you this but there is a reason that the MH1c was hyped in the first place 
rolleyes.gif
... 
 
 
 
 
if you are looking for such earphones with a lesser emphasis through out the sound spectrum ..
 
the RE-400 might be way better than the SE-215.. the 215 are mid-forward and also have a bass emphasis, their treble is rolled off and they dont resolve very much .. and besides HIFIman makes the best dynamic Iems I've heard so far which are technically proficient and flat
 
all the best 


It's great you like the Sony, If you like a cheaply made J-cord and noise running up the cord.  At $20 they are good, But they still under perform the V-sonics.  If you had to pay retail for the Sony $65 they get left behind by A LOT of IEM's.  The GR04 Flagship just creams them at everything ($50), At $20 good, but best under $100 far from it..Best under $20 maybe if you find a legit pair in a bulk buy. 
 
Jan 20, 2013 at 12:41 PM Post #12 of 13
Quote:
It's great you like the Sony, If you like a cheaply made J-cord and noise running up the cord.  At $20 they are good, But they still under perform the V-sonics.  If you had to pay retail for the Sony $65 they get left behind by A LOT of IEM's.  The GR04 Flagship just creams them at everything ($50), At $20 good, but best under $100 far from it..Best under $20 maybe if you find a legit pair in a bulk buy. 

 
not heard any of those, but I like the sonys and they are as good as the hype allows it to be,
 
creaming is a cycle > the gr 04 flagship is creamed by the likes of cheap TWFK sets like UE-700 or GH-ERC-DMS .. which might be even better value .. the fxd 80 micro drivers are also praised and hold good value .. but now its like arguing from an abstract spot.. 
 
so my recommendation is still the MH1c ... as that is something I've heard and pretty good sound too, it also does farely well with an amp ..
 
Jan 20, 2013 at 1:35 PM Post #13 of 13
The RE0 are neutral, detailed and improve well with AMPs help, it's still easy to drive even from iPods with loud volume. Other IEMs like HF5, Sony EX600, JVC FXT90, FXD80, Yamaha EPH100 and Creative Aurvana 3 are pretty good sounding IEMs.
 

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