[kyriezolo]

I'm going to buy the LG V30 soon, and I need IEMs to listen to Rock/Metal. I've read less-than-good reviews regarding the ones that ship with the phone (B&O H3 I believe), so I want some opinions in case I do not like them.

Audio source: LG V30, mostly CD-quality FLAC(hopefully with good DR!), maybe vinyl rips as well
Budget: Up to £400 preferred, would go higher if something is worth it.

I would prefer the IEMs to sound flat, or a tiny bit on the warm side, but I have no issue having flat response and adjusting via EQ later on. I like them to have high isolation, and preferably to be compatible with Comply tips, as I'm used to them.

I'm thinking of Shure se425. A forum post I've read somewhere says the se535 have a larger soundstage, but they are more expensive. I've read stuff about Sennheiser IE80 not able to keep up with the speed of the genre, but I have never actually ever heard any of them, so I have no clue what to get. I do not have a brand preference, mainly because I don't own any other high-end IEMs.

Your feedback is appreciated.

EDIT:
I have made a list of possible IEMs:

• Shure se535 - Some sources say they aren't worth the money as much as the ones below
  
• FLC 8S - Sound adjustment is a plus, but comfort seems like an issue
• Earsonics SM64 - General consensus is they're better than all the others here, but might lack in build quality
• Westone W40/W30 - Online reviews are mostly positive.

EDIT 2:
Due to some good luck, I can now increase my budget. These are the more expensive IEMs I've been looking at(actually just higher tiers of the above)

• Shure se846
• Earsonics Velvet
• Westone W60

Thanks for any advice.

 

[SteroidEars]

Flc 8s is within your budget. It's a chinese iem though. A dual balance armature and single dynamic hybrid config.

 

[kyriezolo]

EDIT:
I have made a list of possible IEMs:

• Shure se535 - Some sources say they aren't worth the money as much as the ones below
  
• FLC 8S - Sound adjustment is a plus, but comfort seems like an issue
• Earsonics SM64 - General consensus is they're better than all the others here, but might lack in build quality
• Westone W40/W30 - Online reviews are mostly positive.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[SteroidEars]

Flc fits me very well. All the iem i have tried like dunu 2k, alpha and delta ad01, fidue a83 and the fidue sirius have fitting issue for me. But is non-existent for other user i have seen. But the flc 8s fits like glove. And letting those around me try it, they have perfect fit as well

As for se535, i have tried it once . It is full sounding to me. I don't know if thats the word for the experience as i am no expert but i very much prefer flc 8s. The price difference is tjere as well

 

[bencherian]

Don't forget Soundmagic E80C . I am using it on Lg G6 quad dac version. Being 64ohm it triggers high impedance mode of quad dac. The sound signature is bright with tight bass. Energetic sound.

 

[agnarr]

QDC Neptune

 

[kyriezolo]

Edited to add more IEMs and increased budget. But that is only if it is worth spending that much for the specific audio source.

 

[WailingBanshee]

Edited to add more IEMs and increased budget. But that is only if it is worth spending that much for the specific audio source.

I don't have the lg V30 yet, so I can't comment on how well it pairs with IEMs, but I do have the Shure se535. As an avid fan of metal/rock I can assure you that they work really well with your preferred genres. However, their value for money could depend on how much you paid for them. Some people say they are not worth the retail price. I bought mine in Hong Kong for $340 CAD, which retailed for $699. I would say that they are not worth the original price, but definitely worth (and more) the amount I paid for.

If you have extra money to throw around, I would highly suggest you save up for the Campfire Lyra II. They are without doubt my favorite IEMs for metal. They have the lush mids of the Shure se535, but with a much better tonality with the low end (given the dynamic drivers) and a well extended but smooth high-end. What makes them work really well with metal music is that they make virtually all recordings sound decent and nothing sounds overly harsh to my ears. If you see these on sale, I would say definitely give them a try!

 

[yfei]

EDIT:
I have made a list of possible IEMs:

• Shure se535 - Some sources say they aren't worth the money as much as the ones below
  
• FLC 8S - Sound adjustment is a plus, but comfort seems like an issue
• Earsonics SM64 - General consensus is they're better than all the others here, but might lack in build quality
• Westone W40/W30 - Online reviews are mostly positive.

Thanks for any advice.

My current favorite is Westone Pro 50.

FLC 8S - I have it, love it, great IEM. This IEM's highs and mids are really high-end sounding, top notch. It is clearer, more fun than Westone Pro 50.
Bass - compare to <$500 phones, it is good enough.
But the bass is not perfect if compared to more expensive IEMs like Westone Pro 50, I can hear the disconnection between armature drivers and the dynamic driver, if listen very carefully.

Westone W40 - Tried my friend's W40. Good enough. But not good as Westone Pro 50, if you can find used Pro 50 below $350, grab a pair.

ATH E70 - I never tried it, but read a lot of good reviews about it.

 

[Choy Wei De]

Actually I would prefer Se535 over se846.
You can consider fender FXA7 and FXA9.

 

[Choy Wei De]

Most iems are not able to make v30 kick in the quad dac. You need at least 50ohm. You can Google how to hack and cheat v30 to activate quad dac.


I tried it at one of the LG G6 display set at retail store and it work.

 

[Fake Amethyst]

While it's way below your budget, the mee pinnacle p1 can activate the high impedance mode on the v30 and it has a pretty balanced sound signature (slightly v shaped), it also comes with complys so you don't have to buy them and the detail retrieval is great for the price

 

[Dulalala]

Most iems are not able to make v30 kick in the quad dac. You need at least 50ohm

Ok to clarify, putting in a headphone/IEM with more than 50 Ohm does NOT activate the quad DAC. What that does is activate the high impedance mode, which supplies more power. You turn on the quad DAC in the settings.

 

[Choy Wei De]

Ok to clarify, putting in a headphone/IEM with more than 50 Ohm does NOT activate the quad DAC. What that does is activate the high impedance mode, which supplies more power. You turn on the quad DAC in the settings.

Sorry for my misinformation, you do need to switch it on. But you do need a earphone that has more than 50ohm to activate high impedance mode, which activate all quad dac. If you just plug in normal earphone, it just activate 1 dac.


Why not always activate all 4 dac? Because to save battery.


I did try one of the hack, and I do find there’s a different between single dac and quad dac.

 

[Dulalala]

Sorry for my misinformation, you do need to switch it on. But you do need a earphone that has more than 50ohm to activate high impedance mode, which activate all quad dac. If you just plug in normal earphone, it just activate 1 dac.


Why not always activate all 4 dac? Because to save battery.


I did try one of the hack, and I do find there’s a different between single dac and quad dac.

No that's not true either. The quad DAC turns on regardless of whether you have more or less than 50 ohms. What turns on after 50 ohms is ONLY the high impedance mode (which I assume is just an amplifier gain switch or something of the sort). This high impedance mode is what makes it sound "louder/different/whatever you wanna call it".