[eat2na]

I also listen to my fair amount of metal and my best experience so far have been with dynamic earphones that are able to hit the sub-bass without much eq. I was only able to get the bass I wanted out of the Triple-fi out of my iPhone 4 but only after downloading the Equ app. My favorite iem for metal have been the Pro-Coppers but they break quite easily. Right now I am waiting on my Atrio's MG7 to see how they sound for Metal. I love the kick drums on the Monsters.

 

[vwinter]

Quote:

All 3 (HJE-900/GR07/FXT90) are the obvious choices for the OP requests.
 
FX700 are excellent as well BUT don't isolate enough to be used in traffic, even with Ts-500 Comply foams, so I didn't mention them.
I personnaly don't like TF10s, mids are disappointing for a triple BA, they're ugly and oversized. Not saying they're bad, but there's a real chance that the OP won't like the sound signature and that fit could be an issue.
 

 

Quote:

To me, for metal and hard rock to sound its best, you need really great grit and bite on distortion guitars.  The 3 best for metal distortion guitar crunch and bite are: Panasonic HJE900, Vsonic GR07 and JVC FXT90.  If you choose another IEM you will be giving something up on guitars.  Not a big deal if other aspects may be more important to you.  If you want to move up the price chain a bit, you can add the JVC FX700 to the list but isolation takes a bigger hit with it.

Quote:

Tis true. I can't speak for the HJE900, but the GR07s handle rock / metal drums better than anything I've heard. In turn, the FXT90s handle guitar crunch better than anything I've heard. You can't go wrong with either. 
 
As stated, the FX700s also fit the bill, though what you gain in treble and bass quantity / quality, you lose in overall usability.
 

These people know what's up.

 

[varyV]

 
Quote: lepermessiah

I'm not too good at describing sound- I'm still a noob. I think I'd said something about what I like on the low, mids and highs of sound in my original post. I like aggressive and energetic sounding 'phones- it should make me enjoy my music. Is that of any help for you to recommend me a good pair? If not, I'll try to elaborate.. My apologies for being so laymanish..

 
That should help more towards making a decision. Both the UE 700 and TF10 are pretty sprightly and energetic. Also, Shure 215 (I thought they were good, just not for metal) would not be suitable for such genre (unless you exclusively listen to slower subgenres like death/doom metal, in which case, I think, they would be good). Haven't tried the RE0s, but I believe they have a similar signature to the RE-272s, which are one of my favorite iems. Would also like to repeat that there is mention of the build quality of those being a little suspect around these forums. You should consider them if you can have access to warranty replacement. I would also not bother with the lower end UEs. Always seemed like lower quality logitech earphones being given the UE branding.
 
Also, this may be a very personal opinion, but the main reason why I prefer the UE 700 over the TF10 (apart from their extremely comfortable form) is their treble. It may not be as detailed as the TF10, but these have a certain energy in the upper register that I found drowned out in the TF10.
 
Quote: shotgunshane

 
To me, for metal and hard rock to sound its best, you need really great grit and bite on distortion guitars.  The 3 best for metal distortion guitar crunch and bite are: Panasonic HJE900, Vsonic GR07 and JVC FXT90.  If you choose another IEM you will be giving something up on guitars.  Not a big deal if other aspects may be more important to you.  If you want to move up the price chain a bit, you can add the JVC FX700 to the list but isolation takes a bigger hit with it.

 Do agree with the idea in general. However, I haven't heard the Vsonics or the other two as of yet, so cannot comment. Also, price and availability/warranty may be an issue to OP. I have my sights on the fx700 for my next iem purchase, but they are almost 3x the price of the UEs and others mentioned. Also, I believe the OP wants to use them on his commute, so isolation would be something of a problem.
 
Quote: eat2na

 
I also listen to my fair amount of metal and my best experience so far have been with dynamic earphones that are able to hit the sub-bass without much eq. I was only able to get the bass I wanted out of the Triple-fi out of my iPhone 4 but only after downloading the Equ app. My favorite iem for metal have been the Pro-Coppers but they break quite easily. Right now I am waiting on my Atrio's MG7 to see how they sound for Metal. I love the kick drums on the Monsters.

Coppers are great phones. But again, price would be really high for the OP, and build quality is hit or miss. Add to that the number of fakes circulating and the fact that warranty replacement takes a fair amount of time (they seem to run out of stock every now and then) even for U.S. customers, Buying these would not be a good idea for the OP. Also, better recommendations could be made at the coppers' price point.

 

[lepermessiah]

Hey folks,
 
A deal came up on ebay.in for a pair of used TF10-s. The price asked is about half of what I'd have to pay for a brand new one on the Indian market. Please do take a look at them and it would be great if you could give me your opinion about the deal. Should I go for it?
 
Here's the link- http://www.ebay.in/itm/Ultimate-Ears-TripleFi-10-Noise-Isolating-Earphones-/270918971309?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item3f14076fad#ht_500wt_1156
 
The price asked- Rs.6600= $134. A new one would cost between $215-284 (Rs.10,500- 14000) here.
 
If this deal isn't gonna work out, I'm inclined towards buying either the JVC FXT90 or the Pana HJE900. The FXT90-s more so- cause there are so many people on its appreciation thread saying that it's great with distortion guitars.

 

[lepermessiah]

*Bump* Anyone? I don't think that deal's gonna stay there for long.. should I pull the trigger or give it a miss?

 

[lepermessiah]

I think that the thread maybe closed... got a Westone 4 instead.

 

[FatManWithAC2]

I usually listen to metal through a pair of Klipsch Reference S4s. I recently purchased a pair of Brainwavz R1s at their sale price of 34.95 and now I can't deal with the Klipsch lack of bass compared to the R1s. Recently I listened to Overkills album Wrecking Your Neck and using R1s, I did.
 

 

[Berkovajazz]

100$ = Sunrise Xcape IE
150$ = Sony EX600
170$ = Vsonic GR07 (the best for metal music)
250$ = Etymotic ER4p
200-300$ = used Shure 530
370$ = Westone UM3x.

 

[vik1980]

dude i just read your entire thread. im really interested. im trying to buy the weston 4 for about 20g. think its good? reason i ask is because i m into the same music. metal but not only. rock, grunge, nuage etc. al. throw in some 60-70's soul and blues like james brown, bb king, nina simone etc al. and thats me. about 80 %. the rest is all general. 
 
did you know you can get shure's in delhi through authorized dealers. same for sennheiser. both expensive but with warranty. i thought a lot about ie80's and shure 535's but have settled on westone 4s and am reading your review but would like a first hand report. 
 
do you have any firsthand experience with shure 215's. they seem cheap and are supposed to offer some good sound for the price. 

 

[Berkovajazz]

IE80 are not good for metal. Westone 4 are great, but not on all sources. For example they are super (with metal) on Zune HD, but crazy (in a bad sense) with Teclast T51.

 

[vik1980]

thanks. ill be using an ipod. think itll make a difference?
also, what about sould and blues like james brown, nina simone and bb king? which iems for that?

 

[Berkovajazz]

Yes, W4 will be very good with iPod (i was using them mostly with Touch4G).
With funk music W4 will be great, but IE80 will be better. Sennheiser IE are not good with Hard Metal music, bet very good with all another genres. Even from mainstream players.

 

[vik1980]

thanks

 

[lepermessiah]

Quote:

dude i just read your entire thread. im really interested. im trying to buy the weston 4 for about 20g. think its good? reason i ask is because i m into the same music. metal but not only. rock, grunge, nuage etc. al. throw in some 60-70's soul and blues like james brown, bb king, nina simone etc al. and thats me. about 80 %. the rest is all general. 
 
did you know you can get shure's in delhi through authorized dealers. same for sennheiser. both expensive but with warranty. i thought a lot about ie80's and shure 535's but have settled on westone 4s and am reading your review but would like a first hand report. 
 
do you have any firsthand experience with shure 215's. they seem cheap and are supposed to offer some good sound for the price. 

Hey man, looks like it's a good deal for 20 grand (Are you buying them new? If so, great! If not, at least make sure that they have some warranty left. Westone has exemplary customer service and they'll take care of you in case any issues arise.)
 
My friend had got a pair of IE80-s as a gift and I had a chance to audition them. I didn't like the way they sounded with metal but felt that they would be suited for more mellower genres. The soundstage was something, though. In the end, I got the feeling that they wouldn't suit me and it certainly wasn't worth the asking price of 20K plus. I haven't listened to the Shure SE535 nor the 215 and can't comment on them.
 
Looks like you have somewhat wide tastes in music. I think that the W4-s would be great for the job as they are great all rounders. For more details, do check out my review of the W4: http://www.head-fi.org/products/westone-4-true-fit-earphones/reviews/7051.
Ultimately, what determines the sound of the W4 is the selection of the tip and its fit, the source (the W4 can be revealing and is quite sensitive) and lastly, the material itself (best to use good quality flac files instead of the usual mp3 stuff).
 
My personal take on the W4-s: Excellent (if not the best) detail retrieval, quality detailed bass, smooth creamy lush mids, very pleasing highs. Methinks that the lush mids are conducive to jazz and soul- correct me if I'm mistaken. Great ergonomics- very comfortable, well made strain reliefs, good cabling, sturdy 3.5mm jack.
Cons? It's expensive. In case of any defects or replacement under warranty, you'll have to send it to Colorado Springs, USA. The shipping isn't exactly cheap for that either.
 
Bottomline: If your wallet can take the beating and if you're sure that your sound preferences match with the W4-s signature I'd been talking about in my review, go right ahead and purchase a W4. Else, if you're conscious about value or if you prefer a different sound signature, there are a lot of options available. But if you're asking me which is the best all rounder iem, I would point towards the W4 without any hesitation.
 
P.S: I bought a Sandisk Clip Zip yesterday and when teamed up with the W4, the resulting sound is sheer bliss. No audible hiss (the W4 hisses with my SE W8 phone), good volume headroom, flac support, rockbox support (I RB-d it yesterday itself) plus loads of tiny details in the music I hadn't heard with other sources including my laptop. If you are getting a W4, I would strongly recommend getting a Clip Zip- Rs.3300 for the Zip+ Rs.1050 for a 32 gb card. Total vfm- can't go wrong with it.