muad
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2010
- Posts
- 810
- Likes
- 22
Hey Guys,
I have been researching a ton for a few months now and all of it leads back to the Aurisonic Rockets and ATH IM02. I have tried many headphones over the years and to me I have fallen in love with the HD650 sound and seem to keep coming back to it. I love the bass to mid balance, and the smooth treble. I think it has a perfect natural imaging and sound stage. So what I am after is something similar for travelling. This is where my issue comes in, as very few IEMS offer that sound signature and have more than 30db of isolation. The TDK BA200 comes close, but has a sibilant 10k peak and slightly not enough isolation, not to mention my pair are coming close to the end of their life. So below is a summary of my situation, any help is appreciated:
Source - ipod touch 5g
Requirements for Isolation - high isolation
Preferred tonal balance - I like a balanced signature with smooth highs. I LOVE the HD650 sound signature!
Past headphones:
LCD2F - treble not smooth enough (noticable peakiness), closed sounding
HE500 - beautiful sound, smooth but a sibilant 10k peak
TDK BA200 - Almost perfect but again 10k sibilant peak and not enough isolation but close
SE215 - Peaky grainy treble, too much bass, not very smooth
K701, K702, K712, Q701 - slightly thin sounding, a little too bright, weird peak at around 5-6k and a 10k peak
HD558/598 - grainy and not enough bass
GR07 - Peaky treble
Preferred Music - I listen to a lot of indie rock/pop. Production quality is highly variable
So here is what I want... I absolutely love the HD650 sound signature and quality. I think they have a perfect sound sig, music just sounds natural and open. Instruments sound realistic. The closest thing I have experienced are the TDK BA200 iems. They are slightly lacking in body compared to the HD650, and a sibilant 10k peak that I have found bothersome over the years. Also, the TDKs don't isolate well enough.
What I want is something that sounds similar in tone, body, soundstage and imaging to the HD650s. Decent sub-bass, a warm mid bass, realistic beautiful mids and a smooth upper mid to treble. I realize I cannot achieve the same exact thing with a closed IEM, even more so one that is below $200.
I currently have two contenders, the aurisonic rockets and the ATH IM02 and am trying to decide between them. I am not really looking for other recommendations as these are two IEMS that have excellent build quality and isolation, if something does spring to mind don't hesitate!
My concerns with either choice involve the treble and overall tone of the IEMS. I am worried that the Rockets with be too dark and not have enough treble and therefore lack air and be tonally darker than the HD650s. With the IM02 I am worried that the treble will give me a slightly thin tonal quality, more similar to AKG K70Xs.
Anyone that has the HD650 and either of the aforementioned IEMS, I would love to hear your thoughts!
I have been researching a ton for a few months now and all of it leads back to the Aurisonic Rockets and ATH IM02. I have tried many headphones over the years and to me I have fallen in love with the HD650 sound and seem to keep coming back to it. I love the bass to mid balance, and the smooth treble. I think it has a perfect natural imaging and sound stage. So what I am after is something similar for travelling. This is where my issue comes in, as very few IEMS offer that sound signature and have more than 30db of isolation. The TDK BA200 comes close, but has a sibilant 10k peak and slightly not enough isolation, not to mention my pair are coming close to the end of their life. So below is a summary of my situation, any help is appreciated:
Source - ipod touch 5g
Requirements for Isolation - high isolation
Preferred tonal balance - I like a balanced signature with smooth highs. I LOVE the HD650 sound signature!
Past headphones:
LCD2F - treble not smooth enough (noticable peakiness), closed sounding
HE500 - beautiful sound, smooth but a sibilant 10k peak
TDK BA200 - Almost perfect but again 10k sibilant peak and not enough isolation but close
SE215 - Peaky grainy treble, too much bass, not very smooth
K701, K702, K712, Q701 - slightly thin sounding, a little too bright, weird peak at around 5-6k and a 10k peak
HD558/598 - grainy and not enough bass
GR07 - Peaky treble
Preferred Music - I listen to a lot of indie rock/pop. Production quality is highly variable
So here is what I want... I absolutely love the HD650 sound signature and quality. I think they have a perfect sound sig, music just sounds natural and open. Instruments sound realistic. The closest thing I have experienced are the TDK BA200 iems. They are slightly lacking in body compared to the HD650, and a sibilant 10k peak that I have found bothersome over the years. Also, the TDKs don't isolate well enough.
What I want is something that sounds similar in tone, body, soundstage and imaging to the HD650s. Decent sub-bass, a warm mid bass, realistic beautiful mids and a smooth upper mid to treble. I realize I cannot achieve the same exact thing with a closed IEM, even more so one that is below $200.
I currently have two contenders, the aurisonic rockets and the ATH IM02 and am trying to decide between them. I am not really looking for other recommendations as these are two IEMS that have excellent build quality and isolation, if something does spring to mind don't hesitate!
My concerns with either choice involve the treble and overall tone of the IEMS. I am worried that the Rockets with be too dark and not have enough treble and therefore lack air and be tonally darker than the HD650s. With the IM02 I am worried that the treble will give me a slightly thin tonal quality, more similar to AKG K70Xs.
Anyone that has the HD650 and either of the aforementioned IEMS, I would love to hear your thoughts!
