[En_R]

Hello, I took a break from head-fi and the high end audio world awhile back- my wallet needed a break, but now I'm back

My budget cap is at 500 dollars. - I listen mostly to jazz, rock, classical, and abit of pop. I am especially interested in clarity, soundstage, and the IEM's ability to reproduce vocals (mainly female). My source will be a Kenwood HD30GB9 with lossless formatting. I have extremely sensitive ears and I wish to keep the "hiss" to a minimum, as is with sibilance.

So any recommendations? I don't know what the current market has to offer but I am sure the old classics- Shure E500/Westone UM series/UEx/ Etymotic are still strong choices. How do today's IEMs compare? Would appreciate input.

 

[mark2410]

se530

does vocals like nothing else

 

[ZARIM]

Audio Technica ATH-CK100 are triple drivers IEMs and they are described here as best for female vocals and overall better for these genres( jazz, rock, classical, pop). They have one of the best midrange available on IEMs with great bass extention and clean, clear highs. The other are UM3x with outstanding midrange and clear highs with great bass. Then there are few others high end IEMs like TF10Pro, SE530, and Westone 3........

 

[Hsiu]

UM3X is nice. I have hard time trying to pull it off even if someone is trying to talk to me. but probably not the best in terms of sound stage. my musics are mainly female vocal (j-pop) so vocal is important. use olive or silicon tips with UM3x. Comply tend to dull the brightness of female vocal taking the power away.

 

[LeeMark]

I have compared the UE Triple fi 10 to the SE530, and liked the former much more. Better articulation and bass, especially with the comply foam tips.

 

[A_Dying_Wren]

For 500 customs should be a serious idea. In terms of universals, I'd recommend the UM3X. Its delightfully neutral. Essentially you gotta ask yourself if you want to her vocals at the expense of other instruments or whether you want to hear the whole song holistically. For the latter, I'd go with the UM3X and the former perhaps the SE530 (which I haven't heard)

 

[MacedonianHero]

I would personally go with the Westone 3s, but you can't go wrong with the SE530s.

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

The TF10 really performs in both classical and jazz, I feel much more so than the se530 and the westone 3. It performs well in rock and techno aswell, but maybe is out performed in rock by other IEMs. the TF10 can be had for maybe 200 bucks used on the FS forums. Pretty good deal.

 

[ancol]

Haven't listened to Westone 3 yet, but I find that UE Triple Fi to be clearer and fuller than Shure SE530.