[Monosodium]

I'm looking for some IEMs to use instead of the Sennheiser HD 280 Pros I currently have. Any recommendations on what to buy?

Some information:

Most of my music is LAME VBR mp3s.

Current portable audio player is an iAudio X5L; I don't have an amp. Headphones that work well with other audio players would be good, in case I decide to get something else.

I listen mostly to rock, but also electronic music, and some classical, among other things. A pair of IEMs that works well for several genres would be nice, as I branch out in musical tastes.

I got the Senns as a gift, I'm not necessarily looking for something with a similar sound signature.

Right now, I'm leaning towards the Shure E4Cs, but I'm also considering ER-4 phones, and the new SE310s. If there's anything else out there worth mentioning (i.e. the Westone IEMs, don't know much about them), I'd like to know more about those as well.

Last: Is there a difference between the E4Cs, E4Gs, and E4C-ns, besides simple cosmetics?

 

[The Rino]

I have the Shure E500's although they are a little pricey at about 350$ online but they sound very natural, there focus is in mids and the voice frequencies. There are also the e4's which I have never heard however. By the way, welcome to headfi, I'm sure your journey here will not be in vain.

 

[IEMaddict]

If you like the hd-280 then you will like the Etymotic ER-6i. I have them both and once you adjust to ety's, they sound about on par(maybe even a little better) than the 280's. And if you want something even better, the ER-4P sound great and are my favorite iems besides my Triple.fi's.

 

[undo]

if bass performance is not prominent -> etymotic er-4p
if bass performance is some criteria -> amped etymotic er-4s
if bass performance is a must -> westone um2

 

[Monosodium]

Sorry, I forgot to add this to the first post: I don't think I have the money to get an amp, and probably won't be getting one for quite some time.

 

[LaBreaHead]

With LAME encoded MP3s playing on an iAudio player, I can see why you don't bother with letting an amp affect portability (or your wallet).

Etymotics are known for conveying classical well. And the others mentioned already would probably sound nice. For example, the E4s are said to be very good all-rounders.

You didn't mention a price range -- that should help people zero in on a couple of recommendations for you. Also, is isolation an expectation?

 

[Monosodium]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaBreaHead /img/forum/go_quote.gif You didn't mention a price range -- that should help people zero in on a couple of recommendations for you. Also, is isolation an expectation?

I'd say around $250 is the upper limit, maybe even $300, but that's really pushing it. I'm a high school student, my wallet isn't exactly stuffed with cash

As for isolation, yes, one of the reasons why I'm looking for some IEMs is isolation, but I think any of these will do the trick.

 

[D_4_Dog]

how about altec lansing iM716s? they're about 90% of etys in terms of quality, quite cheap in comparison ($105.97 on amazon) and you'll DEFINATELY have money left to get yourself an amp afterwards (GV6 etc). IMHO iM716 DEFINATELY isolates well, has nearly as nice highs and a tad more bass. The in-line volume control is a love/hate thing though... it is a bit bulky and most likely degrades the suond quite a bit but i kept it because of its built-in bass-boost switch which is handy to have now and then. Furthermore, the cord is a bit more microphonic comapred to that of the Etys as well, but gets better if you find a way to replace the stock shirt clip w/ something else.. maybe a clip from those cell phone headsets etc.

 

[sachu]

My vote goes for the ALiM716s too.

The microphonics is however a bother at times.

 

[Monosodium]

OK, I think I'm pretty close to deciding what to get. This is my current line of thinking:

I think it's pretty much between the E4Cs and the ER-4Ps, as they probably have the best reputation, and are available for a good price. I've already read so many E4C vs. ER-4P threads that my head is starting to spin, so I think I have plenty to go on.

The E4Cs are more comfortable than the ER-4Ps, this might be a big issue as I've never really listened to any IEMs for an extended amount of time, and I hear that some people find them extremely uncomfortable. However, I have tried a pair of Shure E500PTHs in a store before, and they seemed to feel just fine.

Microphonics: Microphonics are somewhat irritating with my HD280s, even though they're full size and not IEMs... specifically, when I'm laying in my bed with them on, and they scrape against my pillow and such. There's occasionally issues at other times as well, with the long cord moving against other things. There's less of a problem with the E4Cs than the Etys there. I guess this also rules out the iM716s...

Finally, from what I'm gathering, the E4Cs are more neutral than the Etys, which I think will mean that it should, overall, sound better with more genres and with more audio players... Is this flawed logic?

I'm really loving this site right now; I can't get very good info from anywhere else on the internet

 

[mastercheif]

"Finally, from what I'm gathering, the E4Cs are more neutral than the Etys, which I think will mean that it should, overall, sound better with more genres and with more audio players... Is this flawed logic?"

No way! The Etys are the most nutral IEMs avalable.

I would recomend the Shure SE-310. It sits right inside your budget and is a step up from the E4

http://www.headphone.com/products/he...hure-se310.php

 

[glac1er]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monosodium /img/forum/go_quote.gif Finally, from what I'm gathering, the E4Cs are more neutral than the Etys, which I think will mean that it should, overall, sound better with more genres and with more audio players... Is this flawed logic?

I 'm not sure if we define 'neutral' sound the same way. Many people here think neutral when the music is presented in an analytical way, that means little or no exaggeration on lows, mids or highs. In that sense, I think ER4P sounds more neutral than E4C; though some people may not agree

I think the Etys (ER4Ps) will do fine with most audio players as long as the recording is a fairly good quality (>192kbps to me). The Etys will reveal the imperfection of bad recordings.

All in all if I'm listening to rock, electronica, or anything that requires bass i would rather not use these two IEMs. The bass in these two are tight but I would like more impact. That being said, the E4C will sound better for most contemporary music, but for vocal, classical, and jazz, I like the Etys better because of its clarity.

 

[Monosodium]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glac1er /img/forum/go_quote.gif I 'm not sure if we define 'neutral' sound the same way. Many people here think neutral when the music is presented in an analytical way, that means little or no exaggeration on lows, mids or highs. In that sense, I think ER4P sounds more neutral than E4C; though some people may not agree

OK, I'll definitely take that into consideration.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mastercheif /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would recomend the Shure SE-310. It sits right inside your budget and is a step up from the E4

What's the difference in sound between the E4Cs and the SE310s? Do the SE310s give more detail than the E4s? How's the build quality on the newer model?

 

[yuletide]

As you're looking at the SE310's, this review suggests you should look at the Ultimate Ears Super.fi Pro. Here's a bit from the review:
Quote:

I did extensive back to back testing with the SE310s and the Ultimate Ears, and there’s no doubt that the latter offers a more powerful sound with stronger bass response, which isn’t surprising considering the dual driver setup. Does that mean that the Ultimate Ears produce better sound? Well that’s all a bit subjective, as is always the case when listening to earphones. In isolation, the SE310s sound superb in almost every instance, but there’s no getting away from the fact that the dual driver Ultimate Ears Super.fi Pros are more flexible across a wide range of music, while also being cheaper than the Shures. If your budget can stretch to the excellent Shure SE420 dual driver earphones, don’t think twice, just buy them. But if you really can only spend around £160, you’re going to have to make a tough choice. I’d say that the Ultimate Ears Super.fi Pros have the Shure SE310s beaten in the sound quality stakes, but I also know that some listeners may find the extra bass a little overpowering and prefer the slightly dialled back sound of the Shures. Also, the Shures feel far more robust than the Ultimate Ears, so if you’re rough with your earphones, that’s worth considering.

I've heard great things about the UE cables too, they're very light and have the right amount of flexibility (the shure cables can be a bit stiff for wrapping around one's ear).
Good luck!