[Zweiguys]

I’m in the process of re-ripping my classical music collection to flac. Using a 2008 MacBook and xld. So far so good.
I recently purchased a fiio X3ii and E11 amp from a member, fatcat28037. Excellent transaction btw. What I would like is a recommendation for a sub $100 USD iem that would go well with this setup and genre. Due to my oddly shaped ears I require these to be an over the ear design.
Thanks in advance.

 

[JK1]

Balanced armature IEMs are great for classical music as they give great midrange detail. I have the Sony XBA-1 which is great for classical music. The XBA-1 is discontinued. There are now many choices of balanced armature IEMs under $100. The Sony XBA-100 looks interesting. I haven't heard it though.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi Zweiguys,

If you can, get the Meze 12 Classics, should fit your budget if you mean $100 USD, if not, still worth the slight stretch.

Hope this helps.

 

[Zweiguys]

@PaganDL yes, US$ I looked at both your recommendation and the one from @JK1 and they may not work for me. I’ve been blessed with oddly shaped ear canal openings and I’ve never been able to get a pair of buds to stay put. Always need the help of an over the ear design. I edit my original post to reflect this requirement/oddity.

 

[JK1]

If you want an over the ear IEM, the new Fiio F9 looks very interesting. I haven't heard it though. I personally will avoid it, as I hate over the ear IEMs. If you plan to use it with an amp though, you may need to buy an adapter or the cable with a three conductor plug which Fiio sells separately. The F9 comes with two cables, a 2.5mm balanced one, and one with a mic and remote that has a 4 conductor plug.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi Zweiguys,

No problem, understand your dilemma, have a similar problem as one ear doesn't always fit my comply foam earbuds which is why my daily IEM is an over ear.

One over ear IEM I can recommend which should more than fit in your budget, I believe the base version is on sale is the Shure 215, this is a very good over ear which is rated as basic pro grade & was my daily IEM before my current.
If you can, find the Shure 215 SE (Blue), I'm sure someone will have it, more than likely a pro audio place should.

The difference between the base version & the SE is with the SE, there's basically more natural mid & hi range with a finished bass response, the base version basically has no base & almost sounds thin if your source isn't great, so in other words, accuracy with a touch of forgiveness but if your source is at least CD quality, then no problems soundwise.

Regardless of what you choose, make sure you get a good fit, Comply foam have better isolation especially if its the right size, sometimes one size smaller is better or if you prefer silicone, Spinfit is good but deep insertion in the ear canal is required for a good isolation seal, usually with smaller tips & some people don't like the deep insertion.

Hope this helps.

 

[JK1]

I haven't heard the Shure SE215, however I read enough about it to know that many who listen to classical music hate the Se215, as they claim it has too much bass.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi JK1,

I believe Zweiguys should decide this for themselves which is why I always recommend gear demos if possible before purchase.

Last thing, my daily music intake includes classical, there is no problem bass wise. It's hard to say & subjective but if there's too much bass, could be either a source problem or maybe those complainers aren't listening to enough classical with bass.

Hope this helps.

 

[JK1]

Hi JK1,

I believe Zweiguys should decide this for themselves which is why I always recommend gear demos if possible before purchase.

Last thing, my daily music intake includes classical, there is no problem bass wise. It's hard to say & subjective but if there's too much bass, could be either a source problem or maybe those complainers aren't listening to enough classical with bass.

Hope this helps.

It is very hard to get IEM demos. I wouldn't even want one, unless I could get new tips to use with it, and the IEM is sterilized first.

"It's hard to say & subjective but if there's too much bass, could be either a source problem or maybe those complainers aren't listening to enough classical with bass."

Many earphones do provide too much upper bass, as so many people listen to rock music, and want exaggerated bass. This extra bass masks the midrange detail. I have some IEMs that are like that. They aren't even called extra bass. They are okay to use with rock music, but are annoying with classical music, as the midrange is lacking in detail. Some may say the midrange detail is there, however the boosted upper bass masks the midrange detail. A balanced armature IEM, which bassheads describe as lacking in bass, has a suitable amount of bass for me, and even sounds great with organ music that has deep bass. The bass is there, but in natural proportions, and not exaggerated.

 

[buke9]

You say earbuds and to me they are different than in ears that do not have the cable go over your ear. Some use this term for a lot of different in ears and to me earbuds do not require tips. Two that I like one being over ear cable and the other has a down cable design is the Havi B3 Pro 1 and the 1More Triple Drivers. The Havi is a dual ba and over ear cable and the 1More is a hybrid with 2 ba drivers and also a dynamic driver. I don’t listen to a lot of classical but if it sounds good for music it should be fine as they can’t tell what type of music you are feeding them they just reproduce the frequencies sent to them. The Havi is more neutral and the 1More is a bit warmer with a bit more bass to them but still both are very good for the price.

 

[Zweiguys]

I think I’ll give the F9 a go. @JK1 I don’t think the 4 ringed tip will be an issue. I currently use a wired set of beats with inline controls and they work fine with the E11. Other than the possible issue with the tip they seem to offer everything that has been suggested I look for in an iem.
Thanks, Keith

 

[JK1]

Apparently there are a few versions of the F9. One version, the Se, has a fixed cable. The normal versions have detachable cables. It seems like there are separate versions for Android and for Apple. I guess the difference is how the 3.5mm cable is wired. There will also be an F9 pro with better drivers.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi Zweiguys,

Looks like I'm not needed here, hope you find what you need which works, remember, it's all subjective & personal, no one can tell you what you should like or need, just know what YOU LIKE, have a good music source & if you can, do demos, lots of demos...

JK1, as said before many times or & will say again in the future with much certainty, sound is all subjective & depends on personal tastes, it's among the strongest reason or even excuse why this hobby exists...
What you say about bass & a lot of earphones is true to a certain extent, another reason why different audio gear exists as some change the sound for different reasons which is why it's important to your source material very well so it's possible to make comparisons...
I also agree Balanced Amatures in general have suitable bass personally though once again is all subjective.

In general, earphones...inears...even over ears, whatever the term, few people know the correct terms anyway, which is not anyone's fault but I digress...
Personal & subjective I find just in ears to be the easiest to describe the modern little thing one sticks in the ear...sure, there are different variations & the like but it helps avoid overall confusion for newcomers...
Then different variations can be explained from the basic just stick in your ear earphone, over ear or even iem...

Hope this helps

 

[Zweiguys]

@PaganDL, you and anyone else that has experience in this field is needed. I’ll give the F9 a go. There is a 30 day return policy and if they aren’t what I’m looking for they’ll go back and I’ll try again.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi Zweiguys,

No problem, see how it works for you, if not refer to my original list if you need to go back to the drawing board or PM me.

Hope this helps.