IEM suggestions $150ish spending limit
Mar 11, 2007 at 9:23 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 12

danz24

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Just last week was my first time ever listening to IEM earbuds and my interest is strong enough that I have decided to purchase my own. I sampled the e2c and find that the bass sounded distorted at high volumes. I tried the e3c and it sounded much cleaner and undistorted, bass has also improved. The highs seemed piercing, but it could have just been the song.
My previous experience with earbuds is that they keep breaking on me especially when I crank the volume on songs with lots of bass, so reliability is very important to me.

requirements
- must have strong decent bass and can play low frequencis at high volumes w/o breaking
-e xtremely clear and detailed
- as true to music as possible with just a bit of extra bass I can feel (or have a very flat response curve)
- very comfortable (must not fall off while jogging)
- played out of ipod nano 2gig
- no amp will be used
- put me in music euphoria

from my week of research I have considered the e4c, as it seems to have the best value for its price. Unless someone else more knowledgeable can suggest something else. I am curious about the SE series as well. I remember seeing/trying them at the store but found almost nothing of them here and at ebay.
 
Mar 11, 2007 at 9:28 PM Post #2 of 12
Bass - V-Moda Vibe =] (and they will not fall out while jogging, they are made with exercise in mind)
 
Mar 11, 2007 at 10:22 PM Post #4 of 12
The vibes were always said to be colored meaning it did not have a true representation of the music, so I cancelled that out.

I did consider the EB series but it was said the bass was too exaggerated and the mids and highs were sloppy.

I want strong bass but not that it ruins the song

- I listen to mostly adult contemporary and slow songs, and some dance, rarely rock
 
Mar 12, 2007 at 3:48 AM Post #5 of 12
Well, for your price range, I believe your main options are the ER-4's, E4's, and 5pro's. I know the ER-4's don't have the bass you're looking for. I'm not sure about the E4's, but the 5pro's do have strong bass, but they don't extend as low as I'd like. They don't have a flat curve, either. And they have a wider nozzle than the other two, reducing comfort.

Can't say much about the other two.
 
Mar 12, 2007 at 3:56 AM Post #6 of 12
Well I just purchased the e4g. should arrive this week, if im not satisfied with the sound sig, theres always the for sale forum or ebay. I think I need 50+ posts to post in for sale tho..


Hope headphones are not that addicting. I caught the audio addiction in car audio and man did it get expensive quick.
 
Mar 12, 2007 at 4:40 AM Post #7 of 12
extremely clear and detailed, true to the music as possible, and deep bass extension is er-4p. strong bass, bass u can feel is (boosted mid bass) is superfi 5 pro/eb. your call. one thing though - it won't put u music euphoria unless u have a killer setup.
 
Mar 12, 2007 at 4:45 AM Post #8 of 12
Quote:

Originally Posted by danz24 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hope headphones are not that addicting. I caught the audio addiction in car audio and man did it get expensive quick.


Haha welcome to Head-fi.
 
Mar 12, 2007 at 5:16 AM Post #10 of 12
i have the vibes and their bass is 'tight' but that's my opinion

at first i didnt like it but after a while, i noticed that tighter/sharper bass is better for overall sound of the music. since i listen to lots of hip hop and rap, the vibes have all the bass i need.
 
Mar 12, 2007 at 7:10 PM Post #11 of 12
I use E4's and while the bass is certainly adequate with a good seal I wouldn't say it has the "extra" bass you might be looking for. I don't need anymore bass that the E4 provides but I'm not a "bass-head" either.

I would classify the sound as quite neutral with a slight lack of high frequency extension and air. With a little more extended upper frequency response I think I could call the E4 a truly GREAT IEM. I just haven't heard an IEM yet that really puts me in audio heaven. Hopefully that won't be the case for you.

Good luck and above all enjoy the music!!!

Rich
 
Mar 12, 2007 at 8:13 PM Post #12 of 12
The term "colored" is not used to describe the misrepresentation of music, as you have stated above. Rather, it denotes a certain frequency or frequency range as being louder or more prevalent than the surrounding frequencies. It's likely that you will fall in love with a certain type of sound, and even more likely that this sound will be colored to some extent. So while the Vibes may not be your first choice, its unfair to pass them by simply because someone says they're "colored."
 

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