[Malakei]

Hi there guys, Currently ill give you my used opinions and maybe someone can suggest an IEM from there.

AKG Sextetts/Studios - Great balance and neutrality across the freq range, not lacking in any area but not particularly shining in any area. Very comfortable
Sennheiser 5xx Series - Bassy, reasonably good mids and highs but from the cans ive used often harsh when pushed. Descent comfort
Grado SR60/80 - Very good mids/highs, lacking a little low end [moreso in the 60s not so much in the 80s] relatively comfortable.
Allesandro MS2i - Basically SR80 on steroids, does everything the 80s do a bit better, however at the cost of comfort, relatively unfortable/heavy

Havent really tried a whole ton of headphoens out as you can see, i heard some ATH cans as well locally but they sounded terrible so i dont have much opinion on the good ones there.

Anyways that being said, im not a basshead so, huge bass is not an issue however it needs to be present especially for mid bass areas like kick drums/bass guitars. Highs need not be sparkly but should have reasonable detail somewhere in the area of the AKG. I would say of the cans i own I like the AKGs best overall.

Looking to spend up to about 150 for a used pair of IEMS so dont go recommending UE11s or anythign liek that because its not worth it.

Amplification if necessary is ok, i use a LittleDotMicroII+ attached to a Qables LOD for my Cowon X5. SO that being said, hopefully there is enough info to spark some ideas. Oh and i dont care how ugly they are all i care about is how good they sound and how comfortable they are.

Thanks

 

[Malakei]

Did i post in the wrong category or something??
Posted this earlier today and there has been 1000 posts and replies since and nobody has any suggestions? Id love to just go out and audition them all myself but thats a pretty far fetched task as almost nobody carries a wide range of high end IEMS since they are a pretty narrow market for the money and even those who do often dont allow auditions since they are IEMS for sanitary reasons im sure.
Anyways im just looking for something descent and ive heard about alot of different iems/buds from the yuins, to the e4, to the er-4, to the v moda to the jays to the UE line i just am not sure where the real value and comparison to my current listening habits lies. any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[EnderX]

Etymotics or some Altec Lansing IM716s sound like they would be up your alley. AKGs are known for a lot of detail and emphasis on the mids, especially in the higher end models.

Both Etymotics like the ER4S and ER4P are good choices, for a lot less but nearly as good as the ER4P are the IM716s. Tons of detail though not a lot in the bass department. Thing is, these IEMs come with that pod that some find annoying that can be switched Bass and HD settings if you want to infuse them with a lot of bass.

Though I prefer the HD setting for clear analytic sound, these cans at least provide you with an option. Since you don't want to amp necessarily, you may consider the Etymotic ER4P became of its low impedance. The IM716 is much cheaper but I tend to have to listen at near max volume out of my iPod and max out of my Sansa clip to get the right sound.

 

[Fixcinater]

I have lots of experience listening to my Sextetts, and I got a pair of ER4s that I've been demoing for the last week or so.


With enough bass boost, they are almost similar in presentation (no veil like HD650s), no outstandingly bright/annoying treble range, and the bass is solid and quick.

Soundstage isn't super wide on either, but quite precise on the K240s, not quite so much on the ER4 from what I've heard thus far. More detail is apparent in the ER4, low quality mp3 files make themselves much more apparent on the ER4 than the Sextett.


I find them both very pleasing to listen to, the ER4 just needs quite a bit of bass EQ bump to get them in the next class up from the slightly harsh/thin phones they start off being (before EQ).

I have not run the ER4 off my main amp rig, just off my 5G iPod and iBook headphone out.

 

[antonyfirst]

Etymotic ER4P.

 

[Malakei]

Ok sounds pretty common that er4p will do me well in most cases, have had an eye on them for a bit, so with that said i will try and take a look for a pair with the s cable prehaps so i can use my LDMII+

thanks for the input guys, much appreciated.

 

[ZephyrSapphire]

Definitely Etys er4. S or P is up to you.

 

[aaron313]

I have the ER6i. It's detailed and isn't bass-heavy at all.