[bigandfloppy]

hey, i have a full size closed headphone; beyerdynamic DT770 pro. I literally loved them to death.........ive tried to repair them except i think the left speaker became weaker than the right...so they are pretty much garbage.

now that i need something new, i feel like a more portable device will suit me better. i don't know the first thing about IEMs besides that they are small and fit into ur ear. i am a little concerned because the cheap earphones that come with ipods and stuff hurt my ears. are IEM's different?

what mainly draws me towards a portable solution is that the ear pads from the beyers leave circle imprints in my hair that doesnt look good. also ive recently started to run frequently and would love to be able to listen to music.

i like my music to be loud and bassy. i listen to everything but tend to get more of a vibe from hip-hop/club music and techno/dance, but i also dont want rock to sound like garbage - rock doesnt sound great on my beyers. i try to keep the quality limited to 320kbps/flawless. i could really tell the difference between 320 and 128 on my beyers.

I am looking to get a pair of IEMs in the $100-150 range, that dont need an amp. they will be mainly driven out of my laptop or a mp3 player which i also need to get. i love bass, im not sure how it works with iems though, im worried of the greater potential to damage my ear drums because of where they rest.

 

[mark2410]

C751

 

[krismusic]

I never got on with earbuds but love my IEM's.
I would suggest that you do what I did.
Get a cheap pair of half decent IEM's and see if they are for you before commiting a lot of money to find out what they can really do.
I bought a pair of Sennheiser CX300's from Richer Sounds for about £25.00.
Not peanuts I know.
I mention where I got them as beware, there are a lot of fakes around.
It took a bit of perseverance to get used to the feel of an IEM.
The CX300's sounded good enough to make me want to persever.
I got Comply foam tips for them which I found quite comfortable.
With an expensive IEM, a custom tip is always an option for ultimate comfort.
HTH.

Oh, and no, they can't damage your ears. In fact they should protect your hearing as they cut out sound from outside, so you will prolly end up playing your music quieter.

 

[wantmyf1]

I don't have any specific recommendations in your price range so I'll leave that to others. Though I will say that you can sometimes find the Shure SE530's used here for about $200 which is not much more than your range and they are an excellent option for that price.

IEM's are different from earbuds (the type that comes with Ipod and most other players). Where earbuds just sit on the ridge of your ear towards the canal, IEM's are actually inserted inside the canal. Some have a shallow insertion (IE8) while others can be inserted quite deeply (my aforementioned SE530's). IEM's usually come with a supply of multiple tips that you can apply, they just slip on, to the IEM. Two of the more common materials of the tips are silicone and foam. One doesn't necessarily work better than the other, just depends on which you prefer.

One of the main advantages of IEM's is the isolation they provide, particularly when inserted deeper into the ear canal. With my 530's, even without music playing, I can't hear much of what's going on around me. With music on even at very low volume, I can't hear a thing. However if you are running in a place with traffic this type of isolation might be dangerous! In that case you can either use an IEM with a shallow insertion or you might have to try buds or portable headphone.

Another concern if you plan on running with them is microphonics. This is when movement and impact noise gets transported up the cable to your ears. Again this may be a problem with running depending on the IEM you use. You can wear them such that the cable goes up over the ears and that will help a lot. You can also clip the cable to your shirt and that will help as well. These effects are more pronounced with the more isolation you attain. I've heard people report that they can hear their heart beating through the cable! That's probably rare though. But if microphonics are bad and that cable is bouncing around when you are running, it will drive you nuts.

Also with IEM's the sound is very dependant on the type of seal you attain. Some aren't too picky (again IE8), some are very picky (again SE530). Because they are so small they can't move a lot of air. So if pressure is escaping behind the IEM, there's less pressure to hit your eardrum which mutes the sound and particularly kills the bass since those frequencies have to move the most air. However once you have a good seal the sound is fantastic (depending on the IEM of course). Also you don't need the volume as high to make it seem as loud because you're not getting (as much) back-ground noise.

a few of the advantages of IEM's are that they are highly portable. Also, if you are in a public place not only can you not hear the outside but they also can't hear your music. So you can crank the volume if you want without disturbing anyone else. And if you have a good fit you can practically forget they are there. And with a good fit you can do or move however you want and they won't fall out.

As always, try before you buy if possible. And don't just listen to music, play with the cord as well and check out the microphonics.

So that's what I can add on IEM's. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. However regarding which brand you should buy, I can tell you what I like about the SE530's but that's all the help I'll be.

 

[ljokerl]

I second trying a low-end set of IEMs first to see if you like in-ears in general. That or buying used so you don't lose much on re-sale. The Turbines offer some of the best bass I've heard, work well with all your genres, and run just fine unamped.

Damaging your ears is as easy with large headphones as it is with IEMs - it just comes down to sound pressure level. However, you may not feel the need to turn in-ears up as high due to the isolation.

 

[krismusic]

Yep. I did think after posting that I had maybe been a bit flip about possible hearing damage. I was assuming that the OP would be aware enough to listen at sensible levels.