[ohcrapgorillas]

Hi all,

I'm looking for an IEM for under $300 that will have or come as close to possible as having:

* powerful bass, with good resolution and texture and controlled enough that won't bleed into the midrange. Think KSC75 bass, even a little bit more would be fun.
* natural, clear, balanced mids... if there's one thing I HATE it's a recessed midrange, but mid forward doesn't do it for me either. I really just like it to sound natural and realistic
* clean, smooth, well extended treble. a hint of recession is okay, but I do prefer highs to be balanced

Currently, my IEMs are:

* TDK ie800. I really enjoy the sound of these, it does sound very natural. bass and mids are balanced and clean, fairly natural and realistic sounding, treble is smooth and gorgeous
* Westone 2. heavily cited as "neutral as s#!t" but I find them to be notably mid forward. still, these have some really spectacular mids.
* Hifiman Waterlines (RE-400). I have no major complaints about these, I like the sound even if it is slightly warm, but they don't really wow me either which is why I keep them around for listening at work.
* KSC75. love these things, in a way I kinda want this sound signature but less warmth in the lower mids

some other notes:

* I generally prefer the sound of dynamic drivers to balanced armature, but my ideal IEMs would be dynamic down low and BA up top (unfortuantely most of them tend to be v-shaped, a sound signature I'm very against)
* neutral and natural/realistic sound are not always
* have I mentioned I hate v-shaped sound signatures? I'm really not a fan of a recessed midrange. not at all.

tl;dr balanced, natural sounding IEMs that bring the bass for under $300

so far i'm looking at the JVC HA-FX850 or the RHA T10i. people in the JVC thread froth at the bit to describe how wonderful those sound, and the reviews of the RHA T10i cite it as being very natural and realistic sounding plus I like the filter swapping option.

Thoughts or suggestions? Thanks for reading my wall of text!

sample music:

OM - Thebes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM22W_stXG4
True Widow - Bleeder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoS15S2YrZc
The Knife - Silent Shout https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uI1KXHJVO8
Pallbearer - Given to the Grave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6dUW7nlEDI

 

[ThickT]

I am currently seeking the same type of IEM. I recently bought the t10i. While it does deliver on one of your requirements: bring the bass, it does not deliver on the other requirement: sound natural. On their own, they dont sound too bad, but if you start A-B'ing them, they really start to show their weaknesses. The treble is rolled off even using the treble filter, and the overall sound is dark. I have had them for about a week now. I reallu wish these were less bassy and more natural sounding. Its not easy "turning my back" on them. They are such a beautiful set.

 

[ZapX629]

I'd throw in the ATH CKR10 in addition to the JVC. 

 

[ThickT]

Ive got the jvc in my sights after i return these t10i's

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

I've also added the RHA MA750 to the list. From what I've read, it sounds up my alley.

I'd throw in the ATH CKR10 in addition to the JVC. 

 


I'm sure they're wonderful but even $300 is a bit much for me to be spending on a pair of headphones tbh, so that's too expensive for me.