[yj000]

Hello! I'm pretty new to the world of high-end music and I've been exploring these forums for a while now. However, I'm finally in a position to be able to spend about 500USD for my first pair of relatively expensive IEMs. I'm super stoked but now the available options are overwhelming so I thought I would consult you guys for some help as my first post.

I'm looking for an in-ear monitor with solid noise isolation and a comfortable fit over long periods of use. I listen to music more for enjoyment than as a musician. Through some searching, I've come across the Shure SE535s a lot but I've also been seeing a lot of people saying that they've been beaten by Chi-fi earphones at cheaper prices. I've also seen the W40 recommended. Additionally, I've seen some people mention the UE 5 Pro, but I haven't found many reviews so I'm a little apprehensive. In terms of my music preference, I listen to a really wide spectrum of music so it would be great if the IEMs could handle most genres but I understand that that's a tall order so I would love it if they handled rock (including J-Rock) really well! I also don't love overwhelming bass, if that's pertinent information. I tend to listen to music at fairly low volumes.

Thank you for your help in advance!

 

[WhatToChoose]

You sound like the perfect candidate for the ER4SR/ER4XR IEMs..

Excellent sound quality (most marginal improvements would be in headphones above $1k), excellent durability (only one driver, and metal casing), unrivaled universal IEM isolation, and excellent comfort due to small form factor and weight.

Just a note about sound quality: due to the form of these IEMs, sound quality is very dependent on fit. The right tips go a long way, and making sure the pressure in your ear canals is normalized after insertion makes a world of difference.

Check out the Etymotic thread in portables for more info, lotsa people can help you there if you are interested (sound impressions and more there)

 

[cocolinho]

Or you can go custom as well. Custom art Fibae 2 would be a very good choise in your budget

 

[surfgeorge]

You sound like the perfect candidate for the ER4SR/ER4XR IEMs..

Excellent sound quality (most marginal improvements would be in headphones above $1k), excellent durability (only one driver, and metal casing), unrivaled universal IEM isolation, and excellent comfort due to small form factor and weight.

Just a note about sound quality: due to the form of these IEMs, sound quality is very dependent on fit. The right tips go a long way, and making sure the pressure in your ear canals is normalized after insertion makes a world of difference.

Check out the Etymotic thread in portables for more info, lotsa people can help you there if you are interested (sound impressions and more there)

Just be careful about your ear canal size and shape.
https://wdh.azureedge.net/-/media/e...hash=AC5B6A6524BB8660532D1CD8E40464741DF09035
My canals have a shape like shown above the "Mode 2" text, much higher than wide, and I could not wear an Etymotic IEM, which ahve to be inserted deep into the canal.

 

[yj000]

@WhatToChoose @cocolinho @surfgeorge

This is really helpful, thank you very much!

 

[surfgeorge]

BTW, I am a big fan of the JVC FD02, it is a phenomenal dynamic driver IEM at a very good price ($200 on Amazon Japan)
But in stock form it is quite bright, with a strong upper midrange, and the cable is not great.
After a simple mod to tame the high frequency energy and a cable change it is really excellent, very good resolution, natural timbre and good soundstage. The bass is balanced-strong, not bass-head, and not as fast as the Sony EX800ST bass but still very good. More info here if you have interest: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/jvc-ha-fd01-class-s-solidege.868414/page-13#post-14870966

 

[NovaFlyer]

The Shure 535 offers great sound isolation with foam tips, my longtime staple for traveling on a plane. But my standard now for traveling is the FiiO FA7, with foam tips. They offer great sound isolation, I think the same as the SE535, and sound just as good, if not better. The only thing with the FA7 is that I can't sleep on my side with them on long haul flights. But for domestic travel and for US$300, they are very good. I think they actually hit above their price point, and I've heard the same from others on Head-Fi.

 

[boomhaur]

My experience is mostly drawn from ear plugs for sound isolation at work due to being around heavy machinery just a heads up. So ear plugs all day 5x a week.

When it comes to sound isolation for in ear solutions it’s hard to beat customs. The key is it being made by someone who knows what their doing. Which means going past the second bend so you don’t have the occlusion effect, using a bite block if appropriate for use, etc. It will have everything beat for comfort and isolation. If you use Comply foamies the price of a custom will eventually come out ahead if you use the device a lot as I found Comply tends to break down fast throughout the work week.

Foamies when properly used tend to be comfortable and provide good isolation IF you use them properly. Read up on how to and get your technique down, it pains me seeing improperly inserted ear plugs, the same technique crosses over to IEMs.

Single/dual/tri flange and other universal IEM tips. Truth be told they kind of suck in comparison to the two other options above for isolation, they just don’t isolate as well as the other options for most people. The person who did my custom ear plug mold roughly phrased it as this, universal tips universally suck for MOST people.

This is something I learned from buying and trying somewhere between 10-20 different types of ear protection before going the custom route. My IEMs follow the same pattern, I just don’t want that level of isolation so I never went custom with them.

To sum it up nicely, custom is the route you want for comfort and isolation as they have it in spades. I can wear my custom earplugs for hours on end without discomfort, but even the best foamies I have will start to get uncomfortable long before the customs and won’t isolate as much noise for me. You can also go the custom tip route with Shures which is a cool option as well.