FutureBard
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2017
- Posts
- 4
- Likes
- 10
Hello! First time poster here. My set of decent IEMs recently died, and I'm looking to upgrade to something a bit better. I've been doing a bunch of reading, but haven't been able to settle on anything. The primary use case will be commuting (subway or walking), so excellent isolation and good durability are at a premium. I listen to a mix of mostly prog, melodic styles of metal, and jazz. My budget is about $150 CAD + Tax, but I'm willing to push it a little bit.
Important factors:
1) Durability. I take good care of my gear, but these are going to be going in and out of a carrying case, and used on rush hour subways and the like. They need to be reasonably robust.
2) Noise isolation. Again, rush hour subways. The best sound in the world isn't any good to me if I can't hear it over the train.
3) Sound quality. I tend to lean towards a flatter headphone, I think. Instrument isolation is very important; I play bass, and there's nothing worse than not being able to pick the bass out of the mix.
Based on everything I've read, these are the options that are on my radar:
Shure SE215 - Seem to consistently get top marks for durability and isolation, but sound quality is fairly hit or miss.
RHA MA750 - Good reviews for durability (though I'm rather concerned by the presense of a straight plug) and sound. How does isolation stack up?
Audio Tehcnia ATH-E40 - These looks really promising, but I've had trouble finding comparisons between them and other options. I've enjoyed other AT stuff in the past.
Etymotic HF5 - Top marks for isolation and sound quality (and I'm not worried about the tips; I've used triple flange earplugs with no issues). I'm a little concerned about durability on these ones.
MEE Audio M6 Pro - Some people seem to swear by them as being much better than the SE215s. Others criticize them for being less durable, isolating less, or having an excessive harsh character in the trebles.
Which of these would you suggest for my needs? Is there anything I haven't considered that I should? Thanks in advance for any help.
Important factors:
1) Durability. I take good care of my gear, but these are going to be going in and out of a carrying case, and used on rush hour subways and the like. They need to be reasonably robust.
2) Noise isolation. Again, rush hour subways. The best sound in the world isn't any good to me if I can't hear it over the train.
3) Sound quality. I tend to lean towards a flatter headphone, I think. Instrument isolation is very important; I play bass, and there's nothing worse than not being able to pick the bass out of the mix.
Based on everything I've read, these are the options that are on my radar:
Shure SE215 - Seem to consistently get top marks for durability and isolation, but sound quality is fairly hit or miss.
RHA MA750 - Good reviews for durability (though I'm rather concerned by the presense of a straight plug) and sound. How does isolation stack up?
Audio Tehcnia ATH-E40 - These looks really promising, but I've had trouble finding comparisons between them and other options. I've enjoyed other AT stuff in the past.
Etymotic HF5 - Top marks for isolation and sound quality (and I'm not worried about the tips; I've used triple flange earplugs with no issues). I'm a little concerned about durability on these ones.
MEE Audio M6 Pro - Some people seem to swear by them as being much better than the SE215s. Others criticize them for being less durable, isolating less, or having an excessive harsh character in the trebles.
Which of these would you suggest for my needs? Is there anything I haven't considered that I should? Thanks in advance for any help.
