[Muzyka]

Hello!

New here, looking to hopefully build my knowledge of audio. Most threads with metal listeners seem to be mostly from 2013 which I imagine, there are now more options of IEMS at around 100-300USD.

I enjoy listening to music a lot and I think it's appropriate I begin finding more premium gear than the standard gear that comes with a phone. I like listening to music when I commute and travel, and so I figure it would make most sense to get IEMs that aren't too expensive for travel and to get me started, and then eventually begin looking at a DAC/AMP along with open headphones for at home use.

My current source for music is my phone, a Galaxy s8+ with 320kbps mp3 files. I figured IEMs would be best because they don't require an amp and offer good isolation for commuting, tho correct me if I'm wrong and should get cans instead. Budget is around 160USD tho I can go up to like 340 if it's worth it. I listen to mostly heavy metal, metalcore and rock. Band examples would be like Slayer, Metallica, Lamb of God, Judas Priest, The Word Alive, Parkway Drive, Van Halen, Tool, Meshuggah, etc....

My choices:
1More Triple
Shure SE-125
SHA Ma750
Bose QC35(i can get these for like ~280).
ATH m50
CampFire Orion's.

Figured the ma750s would be best for my taste from a few posts here and around the internet though I understand they're warm, which I think is a good thing? I'm not sure what qualities to look for specifically with headphones, but people have said the ma750s sounded good with metal because of the mids and bass. The qc35s are a tempting offer since I can get them cheaper but I didn't find the audio quality to be great, maybe someone else had a different experience. The orions seem to be a valid choice, but not be the best price/quality ratio =/

tl;dr :My question is, what would you recommend for traveling and listening to metal/rock within the allotted budget of ~100-300USD? I feel the ma750s would be good, but perhaps you have a better idea from experience and your personal knowledge?

Thanks for reading!

 

[Monsterzero]

I dont use IEMs,otherwise I'd assist you,but try asking in the metal thread...lots of the members use them
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/headphones-for-metal-music-ultimate-solution.715478/page-532

 

[serman005]

IEMs do generally isolate better, it is true--as a broad generalization. I would highly recommend the Orion which is at a fantastic price-performance ratio, despite its steeper price. Totally worth it, IMO. You should check it out and see what you think. It could work for you.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Figured the ma750s would be best for my taste from a few posts here and around the internet though I understand they're warm, which I think is a good thing? I'm not sure what qualities to look for specifically with headphones, but people have said the ma750s sounded good with metal because of the mids and bass. The qc35s are a tempting offer since I can get them cheaper but I didn't find the audio quality to be great, maybe someone else had a different experience. The orions seem to be a valid choice, but not be the best price/quality ratio =/

tl;dr :My question is, what would you recommend for traveling and listening to metal/rock within the allotted budget of ~100-300USD? I feel the ma750s would be good, but perhaps you have a better idea from experience and your personal knowledge?

First thing I would look for would be a comfortable fit. If an IEM doesn't fit you well you won't use it enough regardless of the sound. Second thing to look for is whether your phone can drive it with no problems, ie, sensitivity/efficiency must be very high but if you're not using a DAP with a dedicated amp output stage on the circuit, try not to go below 32ohms; at worst, not below 16ohms. I went with the Aurisonics ASG-1.3 - fits me properly and the shell spreads friction out around the outer ear rather than concentrating it on the eartip, 125dB sensitivity, 32ohm impedance. Closest thing to it right now is the Fender FXA2, which AFAIK is basically the Aurisonics Kicker (Fender acquired Aurisonics last year).

It sounds too warm out of the box but the thing is, while it's a lot stronger below 1200hz, the curve on either side is relatively smooth. When using locally stored files I just use a Low Shelf EQ which applies a flat cut to everything below a certain freq (not exactly the center freq you put in) to reduce the lower range bias vs the upper midrange to treble. When using Spotify I just use Samsung's Adapt Sound auto calibration. It does the reverse and boosts the treble, but it doesn't distort so it works just fine for me.

No telling if these will fit your ears right or if you'll like them with Adapt Sound though but overall the sound is as balanced as it can get with current technology. I could just get an Etymotic, but the fit on those is just horrible. Sure the eartips go in right and are reasonably comfy, but after a while they feel like they're dragging the earpieces downward, my ear canals get irritated faster, anything faster than walking either moves them or dislodges them, etc.

------

When I get home I have an HD600. I also use an EQ profile to flatten the 3500hz peak and boost everything below 50hz. Tonally, both are nearly identical due to the EQ corrections.

 

[Trojacked]

Check out the SportBud Silver by Perfect Seal, it's a very detailed warm sounding ciem. I would highly recommend you to get them.

 

[ostewart]

If you don't mind spending your whole budget, you can't go wrong with the Oriveti New Primacy.

If you want to keep to the lower end of the budget, the new Final E3000's or even the E2000's work very well with rock and metal.

 

[gazzington]

I am very interested in replies to this thread also. Would grado gr10 be any good for metal?

 

[Muzyka]

IEMs do generally isolate better, it is true--as a broad generalization. I would highly recommend the Orion which is at a fantastic price-performance ratio, despite its steeper price. Totally worth it, IMO. You should check it out and see what you think. It could work for you.

Is there anywhere I could try them? I feel thats hard with IEMS because hygiene...lol

 

[Muzyka]

First thing I would look for would be a comfortable fit. If an IEM doesn't fit you well you won't use it enough regardless of the sound. Second thing to look for is whether your phone can drive it with no problems, ie, sensitivity/efficiency must be very high but if you're not using a DAP with a dedicated amp output stage on the circuit, try not to go below 32ohms; at worst, not below 16ohms. I went with the Aurisonics ASG-1.3 - fits me properly and the shell spreads friction out around the outer ear rather than concentrating it on the eartip, 125dB sensitivity, 32ohm impedance. Closest thing to it right now is the Fender FXA2, which AFAIK is basically the Aurisonics Kicker (Fender acquired Aurisonics last year).

It sounds too warm out of the box but the thing is, while it's a lot stronger below 1200hz, the curve on either side is relatively smooth. When using locally stored files I just use a Low Shelf EQ which applies a flat cut to everything below a certain freq (not exactly the center freq you put in) to reduce the lower range bias vs the upper midrange to treble. When using Spotify I just use Samsung's Adapt Sound auto calibration. It does the reverse and boosts the treble, but it doesn't distort so it works just fine for me.



No telling if these will fit your ears right or if you'll like them with Adapt Sound though but overall the sound is as balanced as it can get with current technology. I could just get an Etymotic, but the fit on those is just horrible. Sure the eartips go in right and are reasonably comfy, but after a while they feel like they're dragging the earpieces downward, my ear canals get irritated faster, anything faster than walking either moves them or dislodges them, etc.

------

When I get home I have an HD600. I also use an EQ profile to flatten the 3500hz peak and boost everything below 50hz. Tonally, both are nearly identical due to the EQ corrections.

Isn't music supposed to be flat tho? I have poweramp on my s8+, and it has an EQ but i never used it or adaptive sound because I've always read and been told flat is the most "pure" but then I read headphones aren't really flat and have their own "EQ" so to speak but the actual audio source should remain flat for best quality.

The ASG-1.3 is a little expensive, and I gotta think about the choices available. For commuting it makes sense to use my phone rather than DAP, idk if I wanna carry too much and I'm not sure if good headphones will really compliment my S8 that much.

 

[Monsterzero]

Is there anywhere I could try them? I feel thats hard with IEMS because hygiene...lol

Try calling Audio46 In NYC.

 

[serman005]

Is there anywhere I could try them? I feel thats hard with IEMS because hygiene...lol

I would contact Campfire and ask who their dealers are in Manhattan (I assume you are in the city??)--they should be able to hook you up.

 

[Muzyka]

IEMs do generally isolate better, it is true--as a broad generalization. I would highly recommend the Orion which is at a fantastic price-performance ratio, despite its steeper price. Totally worth it, IMO. You should check it out and see what you think. It could work for you.

How do they compare against the Oriveti New Primacy?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Isn't music supposed to be flat tho? I have poweramp on my s8+, and it has an EQ but i never used it or adaptive sound because I've always read and been told flat is the most "pure" but then I read headphones aren't really flat and have their own "EQ" so to speak but the actual audio source should remain flat for best quality.

OK. First off, music isn't "flat." If it was then every instrument will be at the same volume, in other words, you just quashed the dynamic range. This is like the Deathmagnetic controversy where it sounds better on Guitar Hero than on the CDs that people bought.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war
https://www.wired.com/2008/09/does-metallicas/
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/me...-on-death-magnetic-sound-quality-controversy/

If you're referring to the source signal being kept flat, well, that's a different story. Yes, preferably, the source signal needs to be flat, and the amplifier needs to amp that without adding distortion and noise. But the thing is, no headphone nor speaker has a perfectly flat response either. On a reference system at home it's fine if you just trim peaks or boost the very bottom end on headphones, especially since you should probably use Crossfeed anyway to simulate hearing both drivers like you do with speakers.

On the particular example for this thread, ie, the IEMs, like I said the priority is fit. And again, my point there was, it's hard enough to find the perfect sound, but even when you do find it, what if you really dislike the fit? Your ears will hurt or they'll keep popping out. What's the point in having that IEM then? It's like having the best sounding speaker system at home when you're never home. Or blowing money on a Nikon D850 and Nikkor 12-24 only to leave it at home because it's heavy, and then when you do bring it hiking, you hate having to lug a heavy camera in a heavy padded camera bag along with a tripod instead of just lugging water and a shirt and towel in a foldable backpck. Or imagine buying a Ferrari, but you get it configured by someone else either used or in the dealership, only to realize you hate looking at the interior color or you're too fat and short for the seat that would otherwise be custom fit if you ordered it and got in line instead of just getting whatever was in the showroom floor at the time, either way, you won't enjoy driving the thing - which is like buying a Ducati based on reviews only to find out that you can barely stand on it at stoplights due to the very high seat, which is also curved forward so after a few miles you're thinking more about your chiropractor than taking on corners in that bike.

Again, bottom line is, get the best response you like or one that you can more easily fix with EQ even if not completely flatten (because remember that EQ curves aren't exactly going to match the curves on those peaks and dips), but prioritize the fit.

The ASG-1.3 is a little expensive, and I gotta think about the choices available. For commuting it makes sense to use my phone rather than DAP, idk if I wanna carry too much and I'm not sure if good headphones will really compliment my S8 that much.

Ad like I said on the original post, Aurisonics was bought by Fender and they've killed off the ASG line. Whatever you can find ballooned in price. Your best bet is the Kicker, now rebadged as the Fender FXA-2, but again prioritize fit. I can't guarantee these will go into your ears well but if you can try these out then they're worth looking into. Not even ordering from Amazon and returning them - since these are Fender local pro audio stores might have them along with Shure. If they have demo items you can try them on.

 

[Muzyka]

Also this article says I have a 32bit DAC. I take this is good correct?

Recognizing the importance of audio technology, Samsung equipped the Galaxy S8 with Ultra High Quality (UHQ) Audio Playback capabilities with UHQ 32-bit and DSD support*.



This, along with support for digital recordings up to 32 bit/384kHz, ensures that the smartphone can reproduce the full range of sound from recordings that have been mastered from better than CD quality music sources. In other words, the Galaxy S8 does not downsample (or compress) audio files, so the user can experience music and sound much closer to the original recording. Recording quality, too, has also been improved thanks to the High Acoustic Overload Point (AOP) Mic that minimizes distortion in noisy environments.

 

[Muzyka]

OK. First off, music isn't "flat." If it was then every instrument will be at the same volume, in other words, you just quashed the dynamic range. This is like the Deathmagnetic controversy where it sounds better on Guitar Hero than on the CDs that people bought.

...

Ad like I said on the original post, Aurisonics was bought by Fender and they've killed off the ASG line. Whatever you can find ballooned in price. Your best bet is the Kicker, now rebadged as the Fender FXA-2, but again prioritize fit. I can't guarantee these will go into your ears well but if you can try these out then they're worth looking into. Not even ordering from Amazon and returning them - since these are Fender local pro audio stores might have them along with Shure. If they have demo items you can try them on.

Yes thank you for the response. I meant the source signal being flat, eg. the mp3 file lol.

It's a little overwhelming and intimidating since I never spent more than 40$ on IEMS LOL. Idk if I should save or flirt with CIEMS.

I feel I shouldn't go crazy on IEMS because I tend to break the cables in my pocket, or they could get stolen or misplaced(never happened before tho).

I like that the Orions and New Primacy have replaceable cables tho, one of the reasons why I flirted with the idea of cans.