brentiful
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2011
- Posts
- 9
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Hi guys, I'm new to the world of audiophilia and need some help from someone with a more developed ear palette than myself.
I've been looking for the perfect pair of IEM's for some time now and have wasted hour upon hour looking at reviews, comparing prices, and otherwise salivating over various headphones. Recently, I decided that it was time to simply pull the trigger on getting some from behind my computer monitor and into my ears. So, I ordered several pairs with the intent of returning all but one. Here's what I got:
Brainwavz m1's (~$50)
Logitech UE 350's (~$50)
Sennheiser IE6's (~$120)
At this point, I might end up returning them all and starting over, but I'm really indecisive and need your help.
Now, I like all these pairs, but I'm not in love with any one of them. The UE350s, are incredibly comfortable, but are slightly too bass heavy for my taste, the brainwavz are not bad but there's something about them that just doesn't get me fired up, and with the senn's I just can't decide how I feel about them. They seem somewhat sibilant at times and at $120 (the tippy top of my budget), I'm just not sure if they're worth it. Also based on a number of reviews and a dissatisfaction with the included tips, I picked up a pair of comply t-400s, which seem to have improved the sound, but now I've spent $136 on them, which is probably more than I should be spending at this juncture in time. Lastly, I haven't given the senn's the recommended 100 hours of burn in yet. At this point, its probably only been 25.
So question 1: how much does burn in impact the senn's? Should I be patient and give them their time or should I not expect to see much of an improvement here.
Question 2: What do you guys think about the pairs that I picked up? (I know ultimately everyone has different tastes and preferences, but I'd still like to know what you guys think; it'll help me feel better about my eventual choice here)
Question 3: What are the higher end UE 500's like. Again, I love the comfort of the 350's, so I'm curious about their big brother.
And question 4: What do you guys think are the best IEM's out there given my price range (about sub/around $100) and set up (iphone, no amp, V0 and V2 quality mp3s)?
As far as what sound I'm looking for: a nice rich, full sound, with detail. Also, I'm not sure if accuracy is necessarily the biggest requirement (though again, I'm coming from a perspective of newness to audiophilia, so maybe it is). Basically I don't want anything 'boring' and definitely nothing overly tinny. Perhaps a relatively flat spectrum with a bit of emphasis on the mid and low end. Oh, and a decent sound stage.
And as far as what I listen to: EVERYTHING. From bluegrass, to electronica, indie rock, hip hop, 80's, folk, etc etc etc.
Granted, I'm only using my iphone, sans-amp to power all of these headphones and my price range restricts me to the "budget IEMs", so i realize that I can't expect to hear sonic perfection every time I plug in. However, I'd still like to get the best listening experience possible given my means (obviously).
Thanks y'all!
I've been looking for the perfect pair of IEM's for some time now and have wasted hour upon hour looking at reviews, comparing prices, and otherwise salivating over various headphones. Recently, I decided that it was time to simply pull the trigger on getting some from behind my computer monitor and into my ears. So, I ordered several pairs with the intent of returning all but one. Here's what I got:
Brainwavz m1's (~$50)
Logitech UE 350's (~$50)
Sennheiser IE6's (~$120)
At this point, I might end up returning them all and starting over, but I'm really indecisive and need your help.
Now, I like all these pairs, but I'm not in love with any one of them. The UE350s, are incredibly comfortable, but are slightly too bass heavy for my taste, the brainwavz are not bad but there's something about them that just doesn't get me fired up, and with the senn's I just can't decide how I feel about them. They seem somewhat sibilant at times and at $120 (the tippy top of my budget), I'm just not sure if they're worth it. Also based on a number of reviews and a dissatisfaction with the included tips, I picked up a pair of comply t-400s, which seem to have improved the sound, but now I've spent $136 on them, which is probably more than I should be spending at this juncture in time. Lastly, I haven't given the senn's the recommended 100 hours of burn in yet. At this point, its probably only been 25.
So question 1: how much does burn in impact the senn's? Should I be patient and give them their time or should I not expect to see much of an improvement here.
Question 2: What do you guys think about the pairs that I picked up? (I know ultimately everyone has different tastes and preferences, but I'd still like to know what you guys think; it'll help me feel better about my eventual choice here)
Question 3: What are the higher end UE 500's like. Again, I love the comfort of the 350's, so I'm curious about their big brother.
And question 4: What do you guys think are the best IEM's out there given my price range (about sub/around $100) and set up (iphone, no amp, V0 and V2 quality mp3s)?
As far as what sound I'm looking for: a nice rich, full sound, with detail. Also, I'm not sure if accuracy is necessarily the biggest requirement (though again, I'm coming from a perspective of newness to audiophilia, so maybe it is). Basically I don't want anything 'boring' and definitely nothing overly tinny. Perhaps a relatively flat spectrum with a bit of emphasis on the mid and low end. Oh, and a decent sound stage.
And as far as what I listen to: EVERYTHING. From bluegrass, to electronica, indie rock, hip hop, 80's, folk, etc etc etc.
Granted, I'm only using my iphone, sans-amp to power all of these headphones and my price range restricts me to the "budget IEMs", so i realize that I can't expect to hear sonic perfection every time I plug in. However, I'd still like to get the best listening experience possible given my means (obviously).
Thanks y'all!
