chopstxxx
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2003
- Posts
- 302
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Hey Everyone,
I recently got a pair of IE8's (refurbs from adgtron on Amazon) and am very happy with them for most music. In particular the things I like about them are:
- Laid back sound signature, never harsh or sibilant
- Very full, lush, and musical while still having a good amount of detail. I'm not really into analytical sounding IEMs.
- Shallow insertion. I have fit issues with a lot of deeper insertion IEMs so the shallow fit works well for me. Lack of isolation isn't much of a factor since these are used at home or in a relatively quiet office.
- Flexible cable with no microphonics.
So if I'm so happy with my IE8s why am I looking for something else?
Good question. I'm looking to compliment them with something with more foward vocals and a more intimate soundstage. A lot of my favorite music is acoustic, singer-songwriter type music where the IE8's can sometimes feel too distant and spread out. I love the warmth the IE8 has with acoustic guitars and pianos but sometimes feel the singer is too far away.
Right now it seems like the Westone UM3X fit what I'm looking for the best but I wanted to see if there was another (better) option that I was overlooking. My budget is around $350 and my sources are an iPhone 4 or an iPhone 3GS->ALO Rx amp.
Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.
EDIT
A few more things that are important:
- I like to fall asleep with my IEMs in so nothing that sticks out too far.
- I prefer to wear them over my ear. Its more secure for me and reduces microphonics
- I'm not really looking for the frequency response to be similar to the IE8s, but I do want them to be laid-back/warm like the IE8s if that make sense. I want something full and lush sounding but with more mid emphasis than the IE8 (and slightly less bass emphasis, but just slightly
)
I recently got a pair of IE8's (refurbs from adgtron on Amazon) and am very happy with them for most music. In particular the things I like about them are:
- Laid back sound signature, never harsh or sibilant
- Very full, lush, and musical while still having a good amount of detail. I'm not really into analytical sounding IEMs.
- Shallow insertion. I have fit issues with a lot of deeper insertion IEMs so the shallow fit works well for me. Lack of isolation isn't much of a factor since these are used at home or in a relatively quiet office.
- Flexible cable with no microphonics.
So if I'm so happy with my IE8s why am I looking for something else?
Good question. I'm looking to compliment them with something with more foward vocals and a more intimate soundstage. A lot of my favorite music is acoustic, singer-songwriter type music where the IE8's can sometimes feel too distant and spread out. I love the warmth the IE8 has with acoustic guitars and pianos but sometimes feel the singer is too far away.
Right now it seems like the Westone UM3X fit what I'm looking for the best but I wanted to see if there was another (better) option that I was overlooking. My budget is around $350 and my sources are an iPhone 4 or an iPhone 3GS->ALO Rx amp.
Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.
EDIT
A few more things that are important:
- I like to fall asleep with my IEMs in so nothing that sticks out too far.
- I prefer to wear them over my ear. Its more secure for me and reduces microphonics
- I'm not really looking for the frequency response to be similar to the IE8s, but I do want them to be laid-back/warm like the IE8s if that make sense. I want something full and lush sounding but with more mid emphasis than the IE8 (and slightly less bass emphasis, but just slightly