IEM or Portable Source?
May 28, 2015 at 4:11 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 6
zerogun

zerogun

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Hi guys,
 
Been on this forum for quite sometime now, and have gone through the typical phase of an audio enthusiast, but right now I'm at a bit of a crossroad in terms of finding something new. I'm not sure if at this point, I want a dedicated portable player now or just pick up a new set of IEM's.
 
Currently my daily usage and set up:
 
Portable:
Shure 215
iPhone 6 Accudio (listening to music from various sources - Soundcloud, Spotify, Podcasts, iTunes music, some FLAC)
 
At work:
Shure 215
Aune T1 DAC
MBP iTunes + Bitperfect (listening again to similar music sources as portable minus the FLAC)
 
I mostly listen to EDM.
 
Now, I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile by any means, but I do aim for a better sound experience lets say than people who are content with Apple earbuds :) SO I do have some expectation out of the sound. My problem lies of course where I get my music from, as lately I've really enjoyed listening to live sets, and most recordings are at 128kb / 44.1 kHz.
 
If I use where I get my music from as my starting point, what makes more sense as a purchase? A portable player? Or another pair of IEM's?
 
As far as I've figured out, obviously another pair of IEM's provide me the flexibility to plug it into my current set ups with no need to concern myself with transferring music over to a separate player. But as I've not had a dedicated player to the tune of a FiiO X3 or Sony NWZ-A17 (the two I'm looking at currently), I've no way to really make a sonic comparison.
 
I have a feeling I'm comparing apples to oranges, but hope i'm not comparing apples to cars haha. I hope I've provided enough information. Any input would be really appreciated! 
 
Jun 5, 2015 at 9:22 AM Post #5 of 6
Well, the iphone 6 should be decent.
 
I can't comment on sound quality on shures as i've never owned a pair. 
 
 
IEM history:
Creative ep630, Head direct Re2, RE0, Etymotic MC5 and etymotic ER4PT (current)
 
Oppo PM-3
 
 
I just got a dx90 of a member here... Man every single IEM I own screams with the dx90, so much so, my music now feels "alive" versus just "lame" out of my LG G3... Don't get me wrong, the G3 is good for "oops" I can't bring my dap or as backup, but the clarity it lacks vs the dx90 is so unexpected it until you hear it. Hence why, IMO anyway, you will benefit more from a better source.
 
My DAP history:
 
Creative zen vision:m  
iPhone 3Gs
Creative Zen Xfi2 (Stolen)
iPhone 4 
Samsung Galaxy S4
Lg G3.
And now iBasso DX90.
 
The LG g3 is almost on par frequency response wise with the iphone 6 and same for output levels.  So based in my experience, you will notice a difference providing you have good file source, However I can't really say if your live recordings are "benchmarkable" except to your ears, so I can't really say if a better player will play your songs any better, though IMO live set recordings are pretty horrible when it comes to EDM, basically no instrument separation, crowd noises (which can add sometimes...) and artists usually over-exagerate bass in concerts.
 
 
 
I too listen to EDM, Calvin Harris, Alesso, David guetta and some lesser known as well.
 
 
Edit: my two threads based on the above
 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/766261/portable-amp-for-lg-g3-usb-out-suggestion-and-a-couple-of-questions
http://www.head-fi.org/t/766487/looking-for-a-dap-to-replace-smartphone
 
Aug 13, 2015 at 5:29 AM Post #6 of 6
Woo! Thanks guys for the response, I didn't end up getting anything in the meantime. Seems like the response I got was to go look for new IEM's...however Guppy's experience was something that I was afraid of TBH. I have this gut feeling that IEM's will only take me so far, which is why I was contemplating on a new source...the A&K Jr. looks pretty dope :)
 
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