[DCofficehack]

I've been reading lots of threads, and as usual, my head is spinning. Too many options, but with little clarity as to where to go next.  I have a good idea of what to buy below $100 and what to buy if I could go above $150 (the ER-4 seems to get high marks for classical).  But what's in between? The Fischer DBA-2? Or do I opt for a value buy like the RE0?
 
I listen to all types of music, but at the end of the day, what counts most is if I can get the most out of classical.  I want every nuance of a cello solo.  I want to hear Beethoven late string quartets like I've never heard them before. I want phones that can handle Mahler. I want the best tickets in the house for Beethoven's 9th.
 
I think that means that bass has to be strong but not boosted in any way. Soundstage is important. Strong mids. Great detailing.
 
Recommendations?

 

[DCofficehack]

So far what I've found recommended here are:
 
Sub $100 = RE-0/RE-zero (can't for the life of me figure out which of the two to get)
$150ish = DBA-02
 
If I push the budget to $200, the choices are ER-4s or ER-4p.
 
It seems that RE-0/zero is so good for my purposes that it's hard to imagine buying anything between it and the DBA-02, which wipes the floor with anything comparably priced and gives the ER-4 and comparably priced IEMs a serious run for the money.
 
Am I missing anything?
 
 

 

[dziendobry]

Nope you have it, if you are going to amp then go with the RE0 if you are not going to amp then the re-zero.  I love my UE700's for classical, which are $112 right now on logitechs site.  I love analytical phones for classical, Altec Lansing IM616, and the Harmon Kardon EP730 in my arsenal, which are both balance armature.  The dynamic phone I like is the JVC HA-FXC80.  I haven't heard it but if you can swing it I would go with the ER4P. 

 

[DCofficehack]

Thanks. Now I have some more models to check out. The UE700 certainly looks like a strong option.

 

[mvw2]

The Etymotic HF5 is better budgeted for you, geared as a slightly more cost effective version of the ER4.  The HF5 uses the same balanced armature as the ER4, although the driver pairs aren't matched like they do with the ER4 line.  It's a good way to get that driver in a cheaper package and worth a look into.
 
With a $150 budget, I think you could also find a used ER4 pair if you really wanted the ER4.
 
There really are LOTS of earphones out there though.  More and more budget level gems are popping up which really makes choosing something quite hard. 

 

[DCofficehack]

 
Quote:

The Etymotic HF5 is better budgeted for you, geared as a slightly more cost effective version of the ER4.  The HF5 uses the same balanced armature as the ER4, although the driver pairs aren't matched like they do with the ER4 line.  It's a good way to get that driver in a cheaper package and worth a look into.
 
With a $150 budget, I think you could also find a used ER4 pair if you really wanted the ER4.
 
There really are LOTS of earphones out there though.  More and more budget level gems are popping up which really makes choosing something quite hard. 

Thanks for the tip about the ER5. I'll check that out. Yeah, there are LOTS of headphones, which is the problem. Researching them all requires time I don't have. And there's no way for me to audition any of them, so all I have to go by are on-line reviews.
 
I wandered into Best Buy today, which is near my work, to see if they had anything of interest. I couldn't find the headphones so asked where I could find "IEMs." The sales guy had no idea what they were.  They did, it turned out, have a few. Some sub-$100 Klipsch, Sonys and Skull Candy stuff. Not interested.
 

 

[mvw2]

Yeah, Best Buy has a few low end models from some various brands like Sennheiser or Shure, but they just don't try to carry any of the better ones.  Even if they would, you'd be paying full retail for them anyways.
 
Hobbies take time.  That's sort of what they're there for.  You may not want to spend the time researching, but that's how you build up your own knowledge base.  The more you know, the more you don't have to rely on others, and I feel competency makes most hobbies more enjoyable.
 
The hard part from our end is that we can not read your mind.  We don't know your "ideal" perception of sound.  Basically, we don't know exactly what you're looking for.  I can suggest basic things that may benefit classical music and point you to a few options ,but that only takes you so far.  You still need to read more in-depth and really understand what the suggested options offer.  At the same time, what I suggest isn't everything.  There are a lot of products that I have never used nor really researched.  My breadth of suggestions would do a disservice to the range of products actually available.  To suggest that broader range requires me to do the same research that you would be doing, work that I have little personal interest in.
 
I will offer you some basic hints.  I personally see earphones with an above average level of texture and detail to show you more information within the audio.  For classical, you will what that thicker, textured note to show you the little details of the instrument like the cello you described.  To convey the vibration of the strings, the resonance of the wood body, and the presence of the sound, you need an earphone that can convey a hearty, detailed note.  When looking at reviews you should zero in on details involving texture and decay.  This will not only help things like the cello but also the drums which can be pretty thunderous in classical pieces.  Asking an earphone to reproduce a kettle drum isn't really an easy task, and an earphone with too lean or light of a presence may leave you wanting for more.  At times, you can be safer with warmer, bassier earphones just as long as they don't end up too thick and sluggish to convey good clarity and detail. 
 
You just sort of have to work through the core requirements that are needed to make the classical pieces work well.  What does an earphone have to do to make this music sound good in the ways you seek?  Then it's just a matter of reading reviews to find the products that offer those aspects.

 

[DCofficehack]

Thank you.
 
It's a difficult hobby since it's often hard to even know what one wants without sampling many options. I learned to appreciate fine beer and, more recently, fine bourbons by being able to taste many varieties and comparing and contrasting.  Then one learns a vocabulary for expressing what one's tasting. Oh, so that's what "peaty" means!  That's what hops taste like!  That rye sure adds spice!  But with audio equipment, it's hard to find words to describe contrasts that one can really only imagine.
 
Still, I spent a LOT of time last year searching for headphones and ended up with Sennheiser 448s, which did then and still make good sense for my budget at the time.  I know now that I'd like a better sound...more detail, more soundstage, a bit more punch.  Something I can't describe gets lost with the larger symphonic pieces, even though they do sound very good and way better than the crap $30 Sony headphones I was using before.
 
Can you explain what you mean by "decay"?  Texture is obvious.

 

[vinnievidi]

If I can add my 2¢, try the Wesone 1.  It has the bass warmth that's missing from the Etymotics, but all the detail.  I listen to classical 90% of the time and find the Westone 1 to be the most pleasing in your price range.  

 

[DCofficehack]

Quote:

If I can add my 2¢, try the Wesone 1.  It has the bass warmth that's missing from the Etymotics, but all the detail.  I listen to classical 90% of the time and find the Westone 1 to be the most pleasing in your price range.  

Your 2 cents are very welcome.  Have you compared it to the HF5? And how does it compare with the RE-0/zero?
 

 

[dweaver]

Bestbuy in Canada also sells the new Shure SE215 which is sound very nice with my classical music. So you might want to consider them as well, check out the SE215 impressions thread for me detail.

 

[DCofficehack]

Can I expect these IEMs to sound better than my Sennheiser HD 448s or just different? Perhaps another way of asking that is, for any given price point, are IEMs likely to sound better, worse, or just different than closed headphones at the same price point?

 

[vinnievidi]

I've never listened to the RE-0, but can comment on the HF5.  To me, the HF5 has the same characteristics as all other Etymotics--I never noticed any added warmth, which some people seem to hear.  To me, they sounded very much like the ER4P.  
 
I'm not hating on Etymotic (I owned all of their models and used the ER6i as my main IEM for 4 years); I just never understood why—when unamped—people recommend them for classical.  Sure they're highly detailed, but I found so much of the music's emotion and realistic representation to be missing.  
 
When the Etymotics are amped using a high voltage amp, the bass and low mids starts to come out and the tones start to become richer.  If you're going to use the IEMs without an amp, I'd go with something different.  
 

 
Quote:

Your 2 cents are very welcome.  Have you compared it to the HF5? And how does it compare with the RE-0/zero?
 

 

 

[DCofficehack]

The reviews of the Westone 1 suggest that its sound signature might be an acquired taste: it does some things quite well, and other things less so.  So perhaps for some, it's a great fit. Since I can't try them out to see if the Westone 1 sound is "my" sound, I think I might be better off going for something that's reputed to be less...for lack of a better word...idiosyncratic?  The write-up in the long muti-comparison thread also suggests to me that there's little reason for me to spend extra $$$ on the Westone compared to the RE-0/zero.
 
I sure wish I could spend some time trying them and a set of, say, Ety HF5s, so I can get a sense of the different sounds.

 

[vinnievidi]

That's fair.  It took me a while to get used to the Westone 1 without an EQ setting.  Also, having owned the W3 and UMX3, I can see the argument for spending more for Westones.  
 
Some retailers (B&H, Amazon, Apple Store) have no questions asked return policies.  It might be in your interest to buy from one of them and test run a couple pairs before you settle on the perfect pair within your price range.
 
Quote:

The reviews of the Westone 1 suggest that its sound signature might be an acquired taste: it does some things quite well, and other things less so.  So perhaps for some, it's a great fit. Since I can't try them out to see if the Westone 1 sound is "my" sound, I think I might be better off going for something that's reputed to be less...for lack of a better word...idiosyncratic?  The write-up in the long muti-comparison thread also suggests to me that there's little reason for me to spend extra $$$ on the Westone compared to the RE-0/zero.
 
I sure wish I could spend some time trying them and a set of, say, Ety HF5s, so I can get a sense of the different sounds.