Help. What to buy for my first audiophile earphone (for under 300€) ? -unsolved-
Feb 21, 2016 at 3:33 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 4

EarFun

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Hi,
I decided to buy my first great pair o earphone, but I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of information out there + I don't have any experience with audiophile grade headphones.
 
What I want:
I appreciate clear high resolution sounds and a dynamic listening experience. A wet noticeable base would be preferable. I really like a wide open soundstage, where the music isn't just coming from my earphones but from the space around me. A clear seperation o the different sounds and a distinct location of each would also really tickle my fancy. All in all I want to pop in my headphones and be taken to a new wide world of clear vivid lively sound thats is layerd on an engaging base. An experience where I am rather in the music than just with it, while being surpised by all the details in the soundscape. An exciting and immersive experience. I guess a warm or v shaped sound signature would be best?
I mainly listen to electronic music, but want to be able to listen to every genre, as I am lfexible in my taste of music.
 
I need my earphones to be robust, with detachable cable or with a good warranty, as I am planning on using them in everyday life, while being active (maybe even in sport)
 
So after my research I came up with this candidates and what i read about them:
 
Sennheiser IE80
Great soundsstage, but a bit muddy in the mids (from overpowering base)
Not so great isolation (Can possibly be ixed with different eartips)
 
RHA t20
Overall great product, but smaller soundsatage.
No detechable cable (but 3 year warranty)
 
Ultimate Ears 900s
Good soundstage good resolution,
but had some problem in the UE900 Version, I am not quite sure wether they fixed that.
 
Sony XBA-40
Great soundstage,
but unique sound, I am not sure about those.....
 
Sony XBA-H3
Good sound, especially in treble
Great soundstage
 
Sony MDR-7550
Good sound, nice product,
but Isolation problems
 
Fidue A83
Great detail, good base
ok soundstage
 
What to buy?
Any posted suggestions or experience with any fitting models is greatly appreciated.
 
Feb 21, 2016 at 10:17 PM Post #2 of 4
I'll throw in two more for your consideration.

Audio Technica ATH-IM03: Slightly warm and bass-y, with open airy quality. Wide soundstage. Lovely, realistic timbre. (I personally own these and love them.)
Fidue A83: Slightly bright and extremely detailed. Good soundstage and bass. (I have not auditioned these myself, but have read a lot about them. So take my description with a pinch of salt.)
 
Feb 22, 2016 at 2:24 PM Post #3 of 4
The Fidue A83 look really promising.
From what I read the Sennheiser IE80 still is the best fitting iem for my taste (minus the isolation).
Its weird, cause they only use one dynamic driver and other models use many drivers, like e.g 2 balanced armature + 1 dynamic driver in the Fidue A83. Shouldn't that impact the sound dramatically?
Thanks for the suggestions, I just added the Fidue A83 to the list of possible candidates.
 
Feb 22, 2016 at 3:45 PM Post #4 of 4
It impacts the sound in a good way. Dynamics are great for bass. The Balanced Armatures are wonderful for everything else.

From what I've read, the IE80 can sound muffled and muddy. The Bass just bleeds into all the other frequencies. You don't get that will multi-driver setups. When they're done well, they can be amazing.
 

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