[papomaster]

Hey all!
 
My etymotic er4ps have just died on me, and I'd like to try something new. They would be used mainly for commuting so isolation is a huge plus, but what I'm also aiming for is great midrange, clarity and transparency. My budget is between 200-300$ and should be buyable in canada for that price (I know some are way cheaper in the us but can't be shipped to canada like amazon.com). Which models should I consider? It would be driven straight out of a sony 816 dap.

 

[DKaz]

I absolutely love the mids of the Fischer Audio DBA 02.  Sold my Phonaks and TF10 after getting them.  They are very hard to come by though.

 

[Nuwidol]

Have a look at the Earsonics SM2 & SM3 (www.soundearphones.com for purchasing in Canada. They normally have codes going to reduce the price too)
 
Great mids & seperation. Coming from the ER4P you're going to lose some isolation. Thats pretty much true on any other IEM though.

 

[Rip N' Burn]

The SE530 and UM3X have excellent midrange presentations. You should be able to get them used in Canada for that price range. If you want to purchase a new iem, you can get the UM2 for $299 CAD from marcopolo.ca (authorized Canadian dealer). For clarity and transparency, the UM3X and DBA-02 would fit the bill. You can get the DBA-02 new for $159 CAD from bugden audio (authorized Canadian dealer). They are usually out of stock.

 

[Shirukii]

Seconding the SM2/3 recommendation, I just got a pair from soundearphones, loving every second with them.

 

[beeman458]

papomaster wrote:
 
They would be used mainly for commuting so isolation is a huge plus, but what I'm also aiming for is great midrange, clarity and transparency.
 
Don't know what they cost in Canada but I just received a set of refurbished Senn IE8's from Amazon for $186.00 USD, delivered and IIRC, I think they're suppose to have a -26dB drop.  When these are in my ears on a walk, I'm "totally" separated from ambient sounds (expressway and light rail on my right when walking) to the point, all I can hear is my inner Darth Vader breathing.
 
It's a bit disturbing as you can't hear pootie with these IEM's on except that why you're listening to.  I find they're so isolating that I occasionally have to take them off while on an evening walk, just to maintain contact with reality.
 
As to their sound qualities, I have about twenty hours burn-in time on them.  At twenty hours I find them engaging, clear and with a "very" wide sound stage.  But, the highs are a bit crowded or untamed if you will.  Now that could be either the fault of my ripping choice as they're ripped at the minimum file size (191Kbps) and they're activated by a two year old 2Gb, Sansa Clip.  I have a refurbished Sansa View on order and am considering stepping up to a Nationite S:Flo2 16GB DAP.  I'll rework the ripping downloads when I have the upgraded DAP that takes 16Gb SDHC cards and can handle fully ripped, 1.41Mbps WAV sound files, without chewing up all the available bits and bytes.
 
So right now, I can't say how much of the trouble with the highs is on the IE8 itself, the rate of the music rip, the choice of DAP or a combination of all three.  When the IE8's are finished being burned in, I have a FiiO E-7 that I'll hook the Sansa Clip up to and see what happens.  Personally, I think things will mature when I start using decent bit rates.
 
Until then, the above is all I gots.  Hope it helps.
 

 

[stevenswall]

Get another Etymotic. Keep the better isolation, keep the natural sound, clarity, and excellent midrange. Etymotic headphones are 85% accurate to how the ear hears, and alteration to this FR would ruin the realism of human voices, one of the best parts of the midrange in my opinion. I have never heard onother earphone or headphone for that matter with any number of dynamic or balanced armature drivers sound more realistic with vocals than the Etymotic Hf5 or Mc5, and doubtless, the ER4P sounds nearly identical, if not better.

 

[germanturkey]

ck100

 

[Bennyboy71]

100% spot on. I can vouch for both the ER4P and the HF5 and prefer the latter for price, build and sound, but you can't go wrong with either.

 
Quote:

Get another Etymotic. Keep the better isolation, keep the natural sound, clarity, and excellent midrange. Etymotic headphones are 85% accurate to how the ear hears, and alteration to this FR would ruin the realism of human voices, one of the best parts of the midrange in my opinion. I have never heard onother earphone or headphone for that matter with any number of dynamic or balanced armature drivers sound more realistic with vocals than the Etymotic Hf5 or Mc5, and doubtless, the ER4P sounds nearly identical, if not better.

 

[mark2410]

best mid range?  SE530

 

[Pianist]

++ on the SE530, but ER4 also has great midrange I must say.

 

[a_recording]

I would actually, if you are in no rush, wait for the E-Q5's and see how they turn out.

The midrange on those should be pretty special.

 

[Pianist]

^ Well, if the mids on the e-Q5s will be in the same ballpark as the e-Q7, I would still go with SE530. Shure really got the mids spot on - it beats e-Q7 in smoothness and detail.

 

[Inks]

Well, the se535 will be an even better choice than the SE530 if you like that sound. For dynamics, the MD tributes and Radius DDMs will be good choices. With a nod toward the MDs for giving more impact to the notes with a better timbre than the DDMs. 

 

[jaqueh]

dude get the sony mdrex57, i loved those headphones and theyre only $30 in most places