[pHEnomIC]

I really hated IEMs after using ipod headphones and some low end ones I bought from radio shack, however I seem to see lots of good things about higher end ones.

I want to get something good for working out/portability.

I have some denon ah-d 1001s and fell in love with em, would like something that would compete with these or better. I am looking to get them for a bday present and can't spend over 200$.

What do you recommend?

I am a big klipsch fan and am Interested in their custom-3's but is there anything that will blow these out of the water for under 200$? I don't want to have to use an amp with these.

Listen to mostly techno, rock, rap. But a little bit of everything.
Source will be a rockboxed ipod or Macbook pro.

I am a big basshead and want lots of it. Want crisp quality all around as well.

 

[Hung0702]

Future Sonics Atrio M5 are more bass-heavy (not exaggerated) and are usually cheaper than Custom 3s. I've seen Custom 3s as low as $150 (Klipsch's annual 50% deal in December) and Atrios as low as $100 (I heard about a 2 for $200 deal).

Haven't auditioned the M5s, but they review well among bassheads and trance fans.

 

[mark2410]

as i happen to have the custom 3 in my ears just now, for under us$200 i dont think you will find anything that beats it overall. only possible alternatives i might suggest would be the C751 or IE7 but they both give waaaay less isolation.

however at that level its more becoming a matter of taste and opinion as the what you would like best, there (in my opinion) isnt any IEM that can blow them out of the water, yes there are ones that are better but coming from ibuds the custom 3's will astound you

 

[pHEnomIC]

How are the custom 3's bass response and how do they sound with techno?

 

[mark2410]

erm well i dont listen to techno so no idea, bass wise they have rather a lot, verging on the bit much if you ask me but then im not a lover of lots of bass and they certainly have more than i was expecting from them. which i guess if your wanting quite a lot then that might suit you very well.

clarity wise they are very very clear and still have the very nice mids that the other custom's have too. the highs are good but a bit recessed, hidden behind those mids and that very forward bass.

if i had to guess id think they would work quite well with techno stuff.

 

[DobsOnly]

Listening to some BucketHead through my Custom-3's right now. They have really become my go to headphone since I got them in December.

Pros:

1. Deep Bass
2. Very Nice Soundstage and instrument separation for IEM
3. Great detail for the amount of Bass getting pumped through them.
4. Very Comfortable
5. Non-fatiguing sound, even after extended listening sessions.

Cons:

1. Crappy Cable - stiff, gets tangled to easy and feels like it's going to get a bad kink in it if you’re not careful.
2. Took me a while to get them to fit properly. YMMV

Might be the last IEM I buy...

 

[pHEnomIC]

Can it get loud enough w/o an amp?

 

[mark2410]

yes, certainly easily more than loud enough from my ipod

edit:btw fit issues i find are solved instantly if you stick on some shure olives, instant super comfy fit and perfect seal

 

[pHEnomIC]

Thanks for the info, I notice you have all three customs, how do you say the custom 1 and 2 compare with the custom 3?

 

[mark2410]

the 1 is very screamy and in your face, very forward mids not great at dealing with the highs and not a lot of bass, but i really like it, very very fun sound. 2 much more balanced still got quite forward mids, better highs but still not great, much improved lows but still not a bass monster. 3 better highs, not terribly forward. same mids as the other 2 but dont stand out the same. the lows are much more abundant and i feel hides the mids slightly.

the mids on all 3 are very good though and each very clear. the 1 your will either really like them or really not, the 2's are fine but you will if you look find highs it just cant do. the 3 fills in some of those highs and adds a lot of bass

 

[pHEnomIC]

Custom-3 it is, thanks bro!