[variazion]

Hi there. I'm looking for an upgrade from my super.fi 3. However, I do have a budget of ~$350, the cheaper the better.

My super.fi3 is less than a year old but the cable at the jack is almost spoilt, so sound from my right earphone gets cut off inconsistently.

I find the sf3 lacking in bass and more so in treble. IMO, the treble is extremely laid-back. Even my 4 year-old Sony EX-82 (which by the way is still working perfectly fine, shame on you logitech) does treble better than the sf3. Mids sound veiled, though i find that the sf3 does vocals pretty well, especially female vocals. Am I contradicting myself?

I find bass on the EX82 to be uncontrolled and the upper-mids have a piercing sound which are painful to my ears at times.

Things I put in high regard:
- SQ, of course
- Cables, having experienced 2 terrible and kinky cables, I'd like to have better cables on my new earphones.
- Comfort - being able to lie down on my side with them would be really nice, though it would not be a deal-breaker.

I listen to a wide variety of songs:
Leona Lewis, Lady Antebellum (country), Within Temptation, The Killers, Orianthi, Linkin Park, Michael Jackson and Simple Plan to name a few.

P.S. I'm skeptical about UE/Logitech's build quality so I'm not in favour of getting the TF10.

Thank you in advance.

 

[torptube]

Monster Turbine Pro Copper seems to fit the bill for you. 
 
Also, if you're into bass quality over quantity, then the ortofon e-q7 would be really nice to, treble and bass might be weaker than the phone are capable of depending on your source. Mine don't work well straight out of my ipod, needs an amp to sound best.
 
The coppers, though, are good everywhere and like $100 cheaper.

 

[mark2410]

IE8

 

[Young Spade]

Westone UM3X/Westone 3 for the comfort that you want. 

 

[Sonic 748i]

Earsonics SM3
 
/thread.

 

[Young Spade]

^x2 but aren't they out of his budget? Those are the first phones that came into my mind but aren't they round 400?

 

[variazion]

Thank you for all of your replies.
 
@torptube: from what I have read, the monster does seem like a good choice. However there are 3 products from them which creates unnecessary dilemma. I also read that isolation on the copper is pretty good, which is a plus since I didn't really like how EX82 failed to isolate in comparison to my sf3. How is the cables on the copper?
 
I've also read about the e-q7's great sound. However, I heard that the cables produce a lot of microphonics. Also, I'll be using the IEMs straight out of my 3GS, I do not have a budget for an amp now. From what you've said, I'm guessing the ortofon wouldn't be working at it's full capacity or somewhere near?
 
@mark: the IE8 also does seem like a good choice, but I'm worried about the bass interfering with mids. My computer subwoofer interferes with the mids when it's volume is too high and I do not like it. Also, with many comparing the IE8 to the above mentioned copper, it makes the decision a little harder. Nevertheless, the IE8 has good cables and build quality which I will keep in mind.
 
@Young spade: I was afraid that the Westone UM3x would not fit the genre of music I listen to. Someone on the Appreciation thread even said something about being 35 and over to appreciate its sound. Well, I do not completely believe that, but I don't usually listen to the genres that people have praised the UM3x for. A friend of mine who once owned the W3 told me that the treble is inconsistent and not smooth till the end. This is weird and certainly not good news, nevertheless these 2 IEMs do indeed look comfortable.
 
@Sonic: the SM3 sounds like a really good choice too, especially with all the praises it's receiving right now. However, while there have been many respected members of the forums who reviewed the SM3, I still feel that there is not enough general consensus on its strengths and flaws, if any. Also, it's price including shipping would be bothering on my maximum budget or exceeding it already. On top of that, I am concerned about the short cable length from the Y split up as I do not wear the cables down my back. That said, if the earphones are really that good, I wouldn't mind exceeding my budget, especially since the exchange rate is good now.
 
By the way, I've had the chance to audition the CK10 before and I feel that the treble is extremely sparkly. You know, jumping from sf3 to the ck10 is like hearing nothing to hearing more than everything. I feel that it does not have enough bass impact though bass guitars are present and nice sounding on them.

 

[torptube]

Haha. I totally forgot that with the falling euro, the SM3's are like $370. Close enough to ~$350? I actually just picked up a pair myself. You'll have to wait longer to get them. 
 
Spending more money, waiting longer, with (most likely) better sound 
 
or
 
Less money, arriving sooner, and slightly inferior sound?
 
Either way, those super.fi 3's would be put to shame.

 

[koonhua90]

SM3 with shipping included is not even close to $350. More like a $400 I'd say.

 

[crowley]

ie8 for the bass

 

[chinesekiwi]

Always save up the extra few dollars if it's that close tbh.

 

[cravenz]

well, the hype at the moment is to go with the SM3; in my humble opinion, though I haven't experienced much other than my own IE8s, they are a really fun pair of earphones, music is non-fatiguing and I basically don't ever get bored of listening to my music anymore. That's my take and you should obviously consider all other avenues, but judging from the genre of music that you listen to, I do that with the IE8s when I go around, and absolutely enjoy every second they are in my ears.
 
Cheers and all the best in your search.

 

[chinesekiwi]

Quote:

ie8 for the bass

yucky mid-bass hump FTL. The FX500 has better bass and it's cheaper.

 

[koonhua90]

Monster MD/FX-700 easily beat IE8 in terms of bass quality. I can only comment on those that I have heard before. It takes effort to coax the deep bass from IE8. As someone have mentioned before, without the mid bass, on min bass knob IE8 don't have much bass at all.

 

[variazion]

I'm sorry for taking so long to reply. Apparently I'm new to the forums and every post needs to go through a mod first.
 
As koonhua mentioned, there's the MDs and FX-700s to add on to the dilemma. It seems that many jumped from their IE8s to these monsters and JVCs and are satisfied.
 
Will the DBA-02 fit the bill for me? This IEM is also getting much hype right now, but I wonder how it'd compare to the other top-of-the-line IEMs since I can afford them too.