I want a soundstage that sounds "epic". Everything I've tried is distant, hollow, muffled, etc...
May 24, 2012 at 3:03 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 22

onthefence

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I have tried a few IEMs that were said to have decent soundstages, but when I listened to them in crowded areas (in a casino, specifically) they sounded distant or muffled and made me feel as if I was not "in" the music.

Songs sounded better on my stock CAR stereo because they seemed to put me right in the middle of the sounds, making them feel highly immersive.

It is hard for me to describe sound, so I'll use the terms defined in this guide:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/220770/describing-sound-a-glossary

I want:
Direct clarity
Airy
Open
Lush, Rich, Full
3-dimensional (I think I want this, but I'm not completely sure of its definition...)

I do not want:
Closed
Distant
Hollow
Muffled

Help me find what I'm looking for! I've been told of the Senn IE8s but their below average isolation and boomy bass turn me off...
 
May 24, 2012 at 3:28 AM Post #2 of 22
Yamaha EPH-100.

It has a wonderful soundstage, it may not be tremendously wide but it makes up for that in depth giving you a 3D style environment. by all means it's a good width but not "huge" the depth however sounds like it comes from the back of your head, together they both work very well as one.  The separation combined with rich clarity these IEM's provide shatter most of anything else I have tried to date. The mid range just blooms richness, you hear the tiniest little shrills and tonal changes in female vocals. You don't want muffled? EPH-100 is clear as the nights sky. You can honestly sit and play the instrument placement game with these for hours, Pick one instrument out, follow it while everything else goes on around you. They handle very complicated music excellently, when tracks become super busy (ie trance) they don't become congested. You would be "in the music" 

Read more up on them here.

 http://www.head-fi.org/t/577712/yamaha-eph-100
 
May 24, 2012 at 10:09 AM Post #3 of 22
GR07 has a wide soundstage... but average depth, whereas FXT90 has pretty good depth, but more intimate soundstage
 
May 24, 2012 at 10:35 AM Post #5 of 22
Epic is probably going to mislead a little, since it implies a grand scale, i.e. distant, which you say you don't want. You may also have a problem getting "airy" and "lush, rich, full."
 
Anyway, in addition to the EPH-100 and the ASG-1, I'd say also look into the Earsonics SM3 and the TDK BA200.
 
May 24, 2012 at 12:55 PM Post #7 of 22
I'm not sure that "Epic soundstage" and IEM belong in a sentence together.  
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   Grand, maybe.. Expansive, perhaps.. but not epic.  That's asking a lot from a small enclosure that sits in your ear canal, so close to your eardrum.  Vented dynamic IEM's seem to do a better job, but most still fall short of EPIC.  The IE8's were expansive but ultimately flawed to me.  The Westone 3 was grand, but it's not for everyone.  The Westone 4 and the PFE 232 are definitely above average, but not epic.  The GR07 does well, but I wouldn't call their soundstage grand or expansive.  If anything, you might just need an IEM with better isolation.  If you spend a lot of time in areas with a high level of background noise, you can rule out most vented dynamics.  I'd focus on better isolation for now, that'll help retain the overall signature when bombarded by background noise.  Then look into full size, open backed, headphones for home use.  That's where you're more likely to find an "Epic soundstage"
 
May 24, 2012 at 1:05 PM Post #8 of 22
Sony EX-1000
 
incredibly 'airy' and huuuuge concert like soundstage
 
May 24, 2012 at 1:19 PM Post #10 of 22
The UM3x, SM3, ATH-CK100Pro, Sony EX1000 has wide open airy soundstage and they shows great details in mids, highs with tight punchy bass.
 
May 24, 2012 at 6:23 PM Post #13 of 22
JH-16 or Miracle
 
May 24, 2012 at 6:27 PM Post #14 of 22
A speaker system in a well set up room.
 
I have the custom IEMs   UE-10pro, and they have anything but muffled sound.  Very clear and precise.  Sound stage is clearly right between your ears.  My head is big, but I don't think its epic.
 
I think you can get better soundstage with open headphones, but they will never sound great in a busy, noisy room.
 
May 24, 2012 at 6:35 PM Post #15 of 22

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