Looking to replace IEM, budget up to around £700

[Fatsosixsixsix]

Bought a pair of Sennheiser IE7 back in 2011 and they're still faithfully serving me to this day. I've been quite impressed they've lasted this long, but I've since upgraded my home audio equipment to a Woo Audio 6 + HD600 so I'm looking to bring my IEMs up to speed as well now.
 
I like the clarity on the HD600 and the clear vocals, but my only complaint would have to be that the bass is a bit weak. I tend to listen to a mix of EDM, Trance, JPop and Rock so I like good bass but I'm not a massive basshead as it usually drowns out all the detail in the other instruments.
 
I prefer IEM over CIEM as I can't be bothered to get custom earbuds made or having to regularly replace them , and I'd be using them in the office or on long-haul transport where it'd be better if they could be easily put in and removed. As such I'm currently leaning towards Shure SE846 as  I'm travelling later this year so I'd have the opportunity to buy a pair for £700 duty-free at the airport, which is significantly cheaper than the £850-£900 on other websites currently (although I did hear some places were selling them for £650 after Christmas).
 
I've been looking around to see if there's anything comparable within that price range, which is also readily available to buy within Europe (I've read a lot about other IEMs, but a lot of them are more difficult to buy or more expensive in Europe than America) and the only other ones I've seen are the Sennheiser IE800 and maybe the AKG K3003i, but there's probably a lot more options I've missed
Edit: Just found this website that offers quite a lot of IEMs in the UK, gives some good idea of the pricing and availability in the UK. http://www.custom-inearmonitors.co.uk/ Seems like Westoen might be worth considering

 

[Dulalala]

The SE846 seems like a good contender for your needs. I'd recommend you also look into some of Campfire Audio offering.

 

[jazzwave]

Currently, I'm using HD 600 for home set up.
 
Last year I bought Etymotic ER4-SR (or XR if you like bass more), I considered this IEM has same SQ with HD600.
The midrange sound absolutely beautiful...if you like to listen vocal, this IEM give you what you want.
 
The cost < £350, you save your money.
But if you want to expend £700, I suggested to consider CIEM.There some good CIEM within your budget
Found some user happy with Custom Art CIEM  http://www.thecustomart.com/ 
 
 
 
 
~ron~

 

[Fatsosixsixsix]

The SE846 seems like a good contender for your needs. I'd recommend you also look into some of Campfire Audio offering.

Campfire did come up a lot in my searches as another contender, but the main restriction is that being an American brand it's virtually non existent in Europe/UK, and would cost around $300 in tax if I was importing.

However looking at the prices in Japan they are rather reasonable and only a bit more than America, costing £930/$1190 for the Andromeda or £608/$778 for the Jupiter, which still works out to be cheaper than importing straight from US

Not sure whether the Andromeda upgrade is worth paying 50% more than the Jupiter however.

 

[ranfan]

IE800, and the 846 are both good. Empire Ears Cerberus and Spartan are also very good. More sensitive though, so you'll need a good source.

 

[Fatsosixsixsix]

  IE800, and the 846 are both good. Empire Ears Cerberus and Spartan are also very good. More sensitive though, so you'll need a good source.

I'd be primarily using my Z5 phone as my source, so it's unlikely to pair well with the EE sadly.
 
I had a bit of a deeper look into the Campfire IEMs and it seems that the Andromeda offers a wider soundstage than the 846 along with better performance in other areas, so I'm leaning towards those over the 846 now (even though they're massively expensive).

 

[Aeneas]

Just out of interest, which airports are you referring to as selling SE846? I've never really looked, but I assumed airport stores didn't sell high-end IEMs, and topped out at something like Bose QC35 in terms of price point.

Custom IEM Company is excellent in my experience. They have some demo models if you can get to their office in Hertfordshire, or on their regular visits to Dalston. Obviously they can't supply all CIEMs, but they could be great just for impressions.

I'm not sure about the IE800 for those genres. It's been a couple of years since I had it though.

 

[Fatsosixsixsix]

Just out of interest, which airports are you referring to as selling SE846? I've never really looked, but I assumed airport stores didn't sell high-end IEMs, and topped out at something like Bose QC35 in terms of price point.

Custom IEM Company is excellent in my experience. They have some demo models if you can get to their office in Hertfordshire, or on their regular visits to Dalston. Obviously they can't supply all CIEMs, but they could be great just for impressions.

I'm not sure about the IE800 for those genres. It's been a couple of years since I had it though.

This would be Heathrow airport, it's currently not in stock but given what they say on the page I imagine you can phone them up and ask them to order one for you to collect
 
http://boutique.heathrow.com/technology/shure-se846-detail
 
Someone did point out in the 846 thread that it might not be counted as an authorised dealer so I dropped Shure an e-mail to check.
 
Custom IEM Company looks like a good company, and if I did want to go down the CIEM route that would probably be my port of call. However my current sentiment is that I'd probably prefer a universal IEM over a CIEM as I'm using it in an office or public environment, and so I don't need such a tight seal and would prefer to be able to remove them easily.
 
If I wanted to go down the CIEM route I could probably start with making some custom tips for the Andromeda to begin with to get a feel of what they're like, before moving onto full blown CIEMs

 

[ranfan]

 
This would be Heathrow airport, it's currently not in stock but given what they say on the page I imagine you can phone them up and ask them to order one for you to collect
 
http://boutique.heathrow.com/technology/shure-se846-detail
 
Someone did point out in the 846 thread that it might not be counted as an authorised dealer so I dropped Shure an e-mail to check.
 
Custom IEM Company looks like a good company, and if I did want to go down the CIEM route that would probably be my port of call. However my current sentiment is that I'd probably prefer a universal IEM over a CIEM as I'm using it in an office or public environment, and so I don't need such a tight seal and would prefer to be able to remove them easily.
 
If I wanted to go down the CIEM route I could probably start with making some custom tips for the Andromeda to begin with to get a feel of what they're like, before moving onto full blown CIEMs

Custom tips for me, reduces the resolution of the mids. Making sound a bit muffled. I prefer to use Spinfits, they fit and seal well. Andromeda is a very good selection. I like it too Very wide, good attack in bass and mids. Slightly warm, but not leaving sparkle and clarity behind. I prefer it to the Vega.