[hypermaniac]

Hi guys!

I'm fairly new to iems so i'm hoping you guys can help me with suggestions on what iems to get. I may be possibly be upgrading my pl30s to something a little bit more, nicer, possibly max around $90?, but i'd like to save money if i can. I have a few in my mind already, re0, xscape, superfi5, mc5, and pl50s, and whatever you guys can also recommend.

Now i mostly listen to hip-hop/rap (currently some lupe, kanye, a tribe called quest, and kid cudi to give you guys an idea), but sometimes also acoustic too. I haven't had much experiences with iems, only with my pl30s and 30 minutes with my friends superfi5s. The pl30s are great, but the superfis were just, i guess much clearer, brighter? its the best i can so far describe it.

After hearing that, i've noticed the pl30s sound quality is good, but just lacking compared to the superfi5. It feels like i'm missing out on some of the songs. I've tried adjusting to bring out more of the vocals and bass, with some effect but maybe a new iem will be better.

So what do you guys think? Pl50s are fairly cheap, and apparently great price/value ratio, but i'm willing to bump up the price and go for something a bit more expensive if its that much better.

Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[Kadano]

M2 are, altogether, a better buy than pl50 imho. If you want to spend your whole budget, I say go for M3. The warm Brainwavz earphones (especially ProAlpha, M2 and M3) are afaik extremely good if you simply want to enjoy your music and don't need extreme detail, separation etc. (not saying that they are "bad" on Brainwavz, esp. M3, though). Brainwavz/ViSang build quality is very good, except minor issues like stress reliefs being loose (you can easily fix this by yourself).
You can also wait a few weeks, I guess there will be another M3 presale when the current sock is sold. Their presale-price is 80$, 70 if you have a coupon (that you get by having bought M1 or M2, of course it's also possible to use the coupon f someone else, if he gives it to you).
I have M2 (60$ currently), and while I enjoy them a lot, I do think that their highs aren't close to perfect. They are good though, and if you mostly listen to hip-hop/rap, they will easily suffice.
 
I don't know too much about most others, but I guess Xcape is more neutral and accurate than M3, on the other hand reducing the "fun" (it's so easy to get lost in my M2s).

 

[Napilopez]

The Panasonic HJE900 should be a top contender, as they are right within your price range, available for 89.99 from jr.com, assuming you live in the US. They should provide you with plenty of bass for Hip Hop/Rap, and sound nice with acoustic as well, imo. The main complaints about their sound are usually related to harsh highs or slightly recessed mids, both of which can be alleviated with tip changes or a simple mod, though the latter is a bit more difficult to solve if you really like your mids upfront. Still, they aren't that recessed, and I'm convinced that their sound balances out with lots of burn in. Even with these issues taken into account, these are some of the best sub-100 headphones you can find, especially once you take their rockin' durability into account.
 
I'd also recommend you check out the Thinksound TS02 for the genres mentioned. I haven't heard those, but they have a good reputation for just being easy to enjoy headphones, the main complaint about them being a bit of a lack of speed, which shouldn't really be an issue for either of those genres.
 
Quote:

Hi guys!

I'm fairly new to iems so i'm hoping you guys can help me with suggestions on what iems to get. I may be possibly be upgrading my pl30s to something a little bit more, nicer, possibly max around $90?, but i'd like to save money if i can. I have a few in my mind already, re0, xscape, superfi5, mc5, and pl50s, and whatever you guys can also recommend.

Now i mostly listen to hip-hop/rap (currently some lupe, kanye, a tribe called quest, and kid cudi to give you guys an idea), but sometimes also acoustic too. I haven't had much experiences with iems, only with my pl30s and 30 minutes with my friends superfi5s. The pl30s are great, but the superfis were just, i guess much clearer, brighter? its the best i can so far describe it.

After hearing that, i've noticed the pl30s sound quality is good, but just lacking compared to the superfi5. It feels like i'm missing out on some of the songs. I've tried adjusting to bring out more of the vocals and bass, with some effect but maybe a new iem will be better.

So what do you guys think? Pl50s are fairly cheap, and apparently great price/value ratio, but i'm willing to bump up the price and go for something a bit more expensive if its that much better.

Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[nicknyhk]

If u really like the superfi 5vi, the mic version is on amazon at 67 now i think...I would like to recommend the hje 900 as well but you might want to do the foam mod as the treble feels a little high at times.. I never tried the superfi 5vi so i cant say much about them but I have friends who like em...

 

[hypermaniac]

so far i'm recommended the brainwavz and hje900, but what about the re0 and re-zero? i see some of them in the forsale thread selling pretty cheap, would you guys still recommend the hje900 or m2?

 

[nicknyhk]

Well the re0 is very neutral. The hje900 is a more v-shaped curve. Most people find the bass to be severely lacking in the re0. Personally I think the bass on the re0 is alright but slightly lacking. I have both the hje900 and re0. Usually if I want to listen to more relaxed music with more vocals I grab my re0 whereas if i want a fun loving earphone I use my hje900 which i now use for gym as I need the bassy beats to keep me running! As you seemed to listen to more bassy music the hje900 seemed to suit you better. 
 
As for the rezero i have not heard them personally. Most people claim that the re-zero is not technically an upgrade of the re0 as such but more of a slightly different flavour. It supposedly has more bass than the re0 but how much bass I don't know. 
 
If you like you music more neutral and honest than at $90 the re0 would be a good choice. If you prefer slightly your music to be slightly more bassy and fun loving the hje900 is a contender!

 

[hypermaniac]

mmm yes i would like some more bass, how are the vocals? not drowned out by the bass are they? as you mentioned the hje900 has more like a vshape. Also i presume it would sound amazingly much more clearer then my pl30s?

 

[nicknyhk]

Well the hje-900 is not like oozing out bass but i think has a nice propotion of bass not to sound muddled or muffled...the vocals are pretty decent but compared to my re0 not as good...personally i found the trebles rather harsh on the hje-900 but like i have mentioned the foam mods fixed this... anyways i found this link very helpful...it is a batch review by joker and crew with numbers that make deciding that much easier....
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-118-iems-compared-westone-1-2-3-added-11-15/1200#post_7064780

 

[hypermaniac]

do you guys think there will be black friday/cyber monday sales for j&r, or wait till christmass? so far the lowest for hje900 is 90 bucks. OR i can get some other comparable iems since there are some black friday/ cyber monday deals coming up. i've seen the audeo phonek 012 and 112 with a 20% discount on earphonesolutions, how about these compared to the hje900? other recommendations?

 

[hypermaniac]

also what do you guys think of the audeo phonak 012?

 

[Starsky5000]

Quote:

also what do you guys think of the audeo phonak 012?

I have the Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass & love 'em. I find no faults with them. Clarity across the spectrum with the bass standing out. It's what i've been looking for.
 

 

[hypermaniac]

hows the durability? anytime seeing the audeo phonak breaking anytime soon or at all? which would sound better for hiphop? and is it worth the extra for the durability of hje900?

 

[hypermaniac]

just ordered audeo phonak 012 for 71 bucks at earphonesolutions with coupon cyber2010. hope i'll be blown away with these!

 

[hypermaniac]

so i've received the new audeo phonaks, they're great and all, but lacking the bass quantity. It sounds great and all, but for me its lacking the thump that i'd like for hip-hop. Eq'ing it helps a little, but not a lot. any recommendations i should do now? return, sell, or something else?

 

[xXFallenAngelXx]

I would suggest the Re-Zero as they are supposed to make up for some of the missing bass that the Reos lack..but based on the type of music you listen to..I think the hje900 will give you some more thump