[jezza.risky]

Sorry to be a newb, having not been here a while I could not find a thread solidly for IEMs and what they are best for (granted opinionated, but i figure there are a few out there who know enough to put together some sort of list) since many of the threads I've seen only skim over them. Anyways someone can either point me in the right direction or this thread could be used to kind of be a question ground or list the better buds out there.

I'm mainly just using this because I can't find much in the ways of Denon or Bose IEMs and right now they are the two ones that I have my eye on. I'm not particularly the most avid sound/headphone junkie out there (seeing as I own two pairs of Skullcandys and don't find either of them of extreme poor quality) and anyways I was wondering if anyone could kind of point me in a direction of a good pair of IEMs to lead me away from my sinful ways of Skullcandys. As it is, I'm looking at a pair of Denon AH-C551s for $80 or a pair of Bose In Ear's for $95. Both look great, and I've seen a fair bit of praise for the Denons, but nothing on the Bose, and excuse my ignorance, but I've always been under the impression that Bose was one of the better companies of audio.

Obviously there are others out there in this basic price range and I'm open to them, I am mainly searching for a pair that can play a variety of music, mainly, within the rock genre, from punk and pop punk, to ska, ska punk and reggae, to swing, to rockabilly and psychobilly, to hard rock and grunge, to acoustic, to post-hardcore(ei. "emo") to indie and new wave, to pop, and a little inkling into rap. It would be nice if it had some strong bass, and my ears tend to be a little more sensitive to higher frequencies, but I can handle them. I'm mainly looking for a strong mid range, controlled highs, and noticeable bass but better if it's controlled especially to handle bass guitar and the bass drum.

If anyone can help me out I'd appreciate it. btw I'm looking for a pair that can take on situations w/o an amp, but if it can be benefited from it down the road thats great too I realize that IEMs main not be as great as full head cans, but I can only buy one thing right now, and IEMs are more convenient, and I'm pretty sure im getting the SR80s as far as full ones are concerned.

 

[flame]

Bose is best in marketing and customer service.

You will not see a lot of people complementing on the Bose in here.

Maybe this is going to help you out.
Ear Canal Headphones - HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears
I have heard a lot of kind words on Etymotic, maybe other IEM owners will be able to help you out here, because i only have minimal experience with it.

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

I think that the Head-Direct RE2 and the cheap Denons are the best in that price range. The Denons have more bass while the RE2s offer better midrange.

 

[ClieOS]

Second Frederik's comment on RE2 and Denon. They are very solid choice for sub-100 IEM.

 

[norymeoreason41]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS /img/forum/go_quote.gif Second Frederik's comment on RE2 and Denon. They are very solid choice for sub-100 IEM.

Same boat here as well. I'll tell you, between the two - if you're looking for the best overall sound, go with the RE2. If you prefer more present bass to a smoother upper/midrange (which I don't not), go with the Denon. I've owned both, and I much prefer the RE2.

 

[fdhfdy]

In my opinion, If you want apuresound, go full-size cans, otherwise try IEMs for good isolation and portability.
I am not comfortable with UE's IEMS
Shure ones are good wearing but have cable problem.
Westone UM1 is good at both for me.
Probally it also suits you. the price is around US$ 100
If I had to take one between dennon and bose, I would take the latter.
Also, improvement after run-in on bose IEMs is non-trivial.

 

[The_X]

OK, I haven't heard many competitors in the $100 range but I had an ER-6i paired with a cheap PA2V2 amp and it was AMAZING even for heavy bassy music! You could get the combo for around $100 if you find a used PA2V2.

 

[jezza.risky]

well I appreciate the imput from y'all and I wished I had the patience to actually wait for some more, I decided to go with the Etymotic ER-6i's because they seemed to be my best bet, but I had forgotten about the RE2's would y'all say the RE2's are a better IEM for rock, or the Ety's? anyways I'll do my best to keep y'all posted on my impressions of the ety's as I get accustomed to them. And yes I do realize full cans would give a more full sound, but I needed some versatility this time around, and next time I plan on picking up some Grado SR80's.

 

[ClieOS]

RE2 is better than ER6i on almost everything. Since you are getting the 6i, do try and find some Shure Black Foam sleeves (known as olive here at Head-fi) to fit on them.

 

[graben]

What about ultimate ears? They have some lower priced IEMs as well

 

[silverknit3]

I was going to second the UM1's the UM2's are amazing and if the UM1's are a step down, you are sure to be shocked as a first time IEM owner.