IEM under 100€ (Fidelio S1?)
Aug 9, 2014 at 2:30 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 4

SSSN

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I already owned the Soundmagic E10 before but they broke and I got a refund. The only real issue I had was the slightly dull treble and it sounding kinda "uneven" and "scratchy".
Now I saw that Tyll of innerfidelity really likes the Fidelio S1 and I trust Tyll, his impressions virtually always mirror mine.
 
As far as my experience with full-sized headphones go, I use ATH-M50 and really, really like them. I used to own DT 990s as well, but they lacked bass impact (being open and all) and the treble was too harsh. I also once had the Onkyo ES-FC300 and really loved their sound, they were just too bulky for portable use unfortunately. JVC HA-S400 are lying around here too, I gave in to hype and was gravely disappointed: muddy and veiled.
 
Anyway, in short:
 
IEM under 100€ (Germany)
Domestic shopping HIGHLY preferred (warranty, delivery time, import fees)
Priority is strong, punchy bass without sounding muddy, overly dark or dull. So a little treble sparkle would be nice too. No sibilance please.
Soundstage is not that important to me
No loop-style wear IEMs please. I have severe fitting/seal problems with those.
Music is mostly fast, modern Metal, instrumental and vocal (think video game, anime, movie soundtracks)
Will be used on the go (train/bus) with a Motorola Droid Razr smartphone
Strongest contenders are Soundmagic E10 (again) and Philips Fidelio S1
 
Aug 9, 2014 at 2:56 PM Post #3 of 4
Forgot to mention, already tried those. I absolutely did not get them to fit comfortably. The smaller tips did not isolate enough and made the RHA sound like crap. The larger ones simply did not go into my ears. Only the large double flange kinda fit, but it was still uncomfortable and required lots of adjustment. Simply too much of a hassle for me. With regular IEMs (no around ear loops), I can simply take the smallest, single-flange tip and it will always fit.
 
Aug 10, 2014 at 1:24 PM Post #4 of 4
Alright, I ordered three pairs now to compare. I got them pretty cheap and live in Germany, so I can send back the ones I prefer the least
biggrin.gif

 
Philips Fidelio S1 for around $75:
These got good reviews, especially the pretty hype-y one from innerfidelity sparked my interest.
 
Onkyo IE-FC300 for around $70
Reviews are also pretty favorable. I know the Onkyo ES-FC300 on ear phones and really liked their sound. If the IE-FC300 can reproduce it, perfect.
 
Beyerdynamic DTX 71iE for around $40
I really respect Beyerdynamic and its reviews are nice too. Their price was just too good to pass up. They also seem to be the most conservative of the three in terms of design/fit, so comfort/isolation should be fine for sure.
 
Let me know if you know any of them. If you could compare any of them to the Soundmagic E10, even better!
 

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