colfax
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 26, 2015
- Posts
- 12
- Likes
- 11
I've finally decided to take the plunge into higher quality IEMs. Since my tastes tend to far surpass my budget, i have been looking through the For Sale forum to try to find a decent price for a higher quality set. Unfortunately i don't have much experience and none of my local stores seem to have much that is worth trying out. As such it is difficult for me to make a decision on what IEMs available on the For Sale forum would be best. I wonder if folks here could help with some recommendations?
What i am looking for:
Budget: i started out at $150 and would love to stay there, however research of what is available has started to creep me up towards the $250 range
Sound: i tend to favor a natural sound, as little deviation from the source as possible. if i had to lean towards a certain color, it would be a warmer sound. that said, i listen for the enjoyment of the music and don't need to dissect every last nuance from the track. Clean, clear, balanced sound is ideal. I do like a bit of base but certainly don't want to be over powered by it.
Music: pretty much everything, though i do find that my tastes lean towards the darker sounds of rock, experimental, hip hop, dance, classical, jazz...
Source: at this point it is mostly an iPhone 4s (which will be upgraded when the new model comes out) or a laptop. I don't plan to get an amp at this point so sounding good on the phone is a priority.
Environment: a noisy office, the gym (with whatever bubblegum pop in the background that the kids at the desk are playing), some commuting. So isolation is fairly important. Use at the gym will require that they stay in place while moving around. I won't be doing anything foolish like jogging, but don't want them falling out when i lay back for a bench press or bend over to pick something up.
Some options i have found on the For Sale forum:
-Shure SE425, $165
-Shure SE535, $275 (wondering if these are worth the extra $110?)
-Westone UM Pro 30, $250 (read these might be a bit analytical, over separation of the music)
-Etymotic ER4S, $189 (seems like the 'S' version might need an amp?)
-Etymotic ER4P, $120, in "good" condition, don't seem to come with any accessories
Any recommendations amongst these? Are there any other IEM up for sale that look like they would be appropriate? If there was a compelling price/performance rationale for buying a new pair of anything i am open to that as well. Not in an extreme rush but all of this searching has me excited.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thanks
What i am looking for:
Budget: i started out at $150 and would love to stay there, however research of what is available has started to creep me up towards the $250 range
Sound: i tend to favor a natural sound, as little deviation from the source as possible. if i had to lean towards a certain color, it would be a warmer sound. that said, i listen for the enjoyment of the music and don't need to dissect every last nuance from the track. Clean, clear, balanced sound is ideal. I do like a bit of base but certainly don't want to be over powered by it.
Music: pretty much everything, though i do find that my tastes lean towards the darker sounds of rock, experimental, hip hop, dance, classical, jazz...
Source: at this point it is mostly an iPhone 4s (which will be upgraded when the new model comes out) or a laptop. I don't plan to get an amp at this point so sounding good on the phone is a priority.
Environment: a noisy office, the gym (with whatever bubblegum pop in the background that the kids at the desk are playing), some commuting. So isolation is fairly important. Use at the gym will require that they stay in place while moving around. I won't be doing anything foolish like jogging, but don't want them falling out when i lay back for a bench press or bend over to pick something up.
Some options i have found on the For Sale forum:
-Shure SE425, $165
-Shure SE535, $275 (wondering if these are worth the extra $110?)
-Westone UM Pro 30, $250 (read these might be a bit analytical, over separation of the music)
-Etymotic ER4S, $189 (seems like the 'S' version might need an amp?)
-Etymotic ER4P, $120, in "good" condition, don't seem to come with any accessories
Any recommendations amongst these? Are there any other IEM up for sale that look like they would be appropriate? If there was a compelling price/performance rationale for buying a new pair of anything i am open to that as well. Not in an extreme rush but all of this searching has me excited.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thanks
