[emosavagerabbit]

Well, coming from a Cowon Q5W and a pair of skullcandy's (hold your fire!), I thought it was time for an upgrade. I'm going to invest in a Cowon X7 when I gather the funds, and some quality listening hardware. Reading reviews on here didn't really put me anywhere, but I heard that it's easiest to make a choice depending on the type of music you listen to, so I'm gonna write out a mess of bands... Hopefully someone is patient enough to review them.
 
Not in order of importance, just a quick list. I'll * the ones I listen to the most.
 
A perfect circle, Alice in chains*, Anthrax, Covenant, Everclear, Deftones*, Fear Factory*, God is an Astronaut*, Gojira*, High on Fire, Incubus, Johnny Cash, Korn, Manson, Modest Mouse, Morphine, Nine Inch Nails, Oasis, Opeth*, Quo Vadis*, Rob Zombie, Snot, Slayer*, Tiamat*, Tool*, Zeromancer.
 
So, as you can see, it's mostly heavier rock/metal. But I do tend to stray to some other genres once in a while. 
 
As I listen to music way too much (as I am likely among friends here), I think it's in my best interest to buy a good set of IEM's. Preferably something that isn't going to require an amp, but I could use a set that would require one if it would be a hell of a match. 
 
Sort of on a budget, not really looking to spend more than $150 bucks, and would rather buy them new, but, if I can get them used from someone on here, actually giving me the ones I want versus selling what they have, That'd be even sexier. 
 
So, Hopefully someone can help me out, Thanks in advance!

 

[smokey616]

For what it's worth, I really enjoy rock/metal on my Cowon J3 with my Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass.

 

[mp3]

X7 on BBE Headphone setting with ATH CK10 sounds pretty good to me

 

[emosavagerabbit]

Quote:

X7 on BBE Headphone setting with ATH CK10 sounds pretty good to me

 


Seems this would be the IEM to beat. Haven't found a bad review yet. 

• http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/441422/my-review-of-audio-technica-ath-ck9-and-ath-ck10
• http://www.amazon.com/review/R1LP8VOLAVXXHT/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0028X6BGO&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode=
• http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/467576/audio-technica-ath-ck10
• http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/465776/comparison-ath-ck10-vs-ue-tf10-lots-of-pics-56k-warning

 
Quote:

For what it's worth, I really enjoy rock/metal on my Cowon J3 with my Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass.

 


Ehh, the name of that set really scares me off, as I really am looking for a more well rounded, professional product. At least, in this case, I would want a more of a jack-of-all-trades. Thanks for your input though.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/519356/review-phonak-aud-o-pfe-022-perfect-bass
 
 
Anyone else got any other ideas? Or how about a different model version for the ATH's?

 

[Redmetal1897]

The CK-10's are great but they may be a teensy bit out of your budget at $250

 
I listen to alot of the same bands you do, High on Fire and Gojira are two of my favourite bands. Mars to Sirius in particular is a fantastically mastered album. I have the Pana HJE900, Fischer Audio Silver Bullet and The Ortofon eq-5. Of those, the first two are within you price range and are great for that kind of music, the Silver Bullets more because they are more balanced and have a wide sound stage. The problem is the cable is fairly shoddy, but the the new version of these that are comign out are supposed to have much better cables. I would strongly recommend those, they are one of the best bang/buck phones out there, at only $81.50. I also recommend the DBA-02, very balanced, great soundstage and clarity for a little over $150

 

[ZARIM]

Radius DDM, Klipsch Custom 3, HJE900, Q-Jays, SF5Pro and SM2......

 

[emosavagerabbit]

Yeah, 250 is a bit out of budget, But I figure if i get them used from a member on here, They would be pretty close to my budget. I really love the way those Bullets looks. I'll have to read more about the other suggestions when I get home. Thanks for the input guys.
 
Random side note, anyone selling a pair of the CK-10's?

 

[mp3]

Sorry, didn't notice the budget. I was going to sell my CK10's, but now that I hooked them up with the X7, no way am I ever letting them go 

 
 
Sorry for off topic, just need a quick yes or no, does the X7 and J3 sound the same?

 

[emosavagerabbit]

Well, I ended up getting the X7, and now I'm still stuck on exactly which IEM I want. I wanted something higher end since I have this high end player and all. But, I'm really not trying to go above $150 for the price of the IEM.
 
I was thinking i want something that is, or can easily be turned into custom, but i doubt there's anything that cheap that offers customs. I'm still sort of lingering around hoping a member wants to come off of a higher end pair relatively cheap . I was hoping for something with at least two drivers. Also, comfort is important, as I plan to be wearing these for extended periods of time (say 3-4 hours at least). I guess you can't really find a pair to sleep in, but... alas, any links would be awesome.

 

[hello im sean]

How do you like the x7? I'm considering buying one. Is it too clunky to really be portable? And how's the screen look/function? Oh and btw I listen to very similar genres as you. I have the hje900 and the TF10 all I can say is since TF10s are going for around $150 here now. Get a pair and flip the cables to wear them comfortably. You'll love it.

 

[emosavagerabbit]

Quote:

How do you like the x7? I'm considering buying one. Is it too clunky to really be portable? And how's the screen look/function? Oh and btw I listen to very similar genres as you. I have the hje900 and the TF10 all I can say is since TF10s are going for around $150 here now. Get a pair and flip the cables to wear them comfortably. You'll love it.

Coming from a Q5W (yes, I carried that behemoth around for music,) a 10 pound brick wouldn't be clunky for me. Although, the X7 is MUCH smaller than i anticipated. It's certainly not something you'd want to take jogging, but it fits perfectly fine in a pants pocket. It's more weighty than its size presents as well, but it's all within reason. I imagine it's the nuclear reactor that gives it the 103 hours of battery life . The screen isn't as bad as the reputation would make it out to be, although it's sort of a buzz kill to have your album covers be stretched out so that you'd have to scroll to see them all. Haven't tested out video just yet, just got her. At any rate, the UI has a learning curve, it's not the most friendly I've seen, but not the worst by far. Touchscreen seems to be inaccurate with fingertips at times. At least, that's how I'm chalking it up, having always used a stylus for touch devices, this is most likely a user issue.
 
Back to topic though, How much were your TF10's, and would you ever consider getting them remoulded?