[Tweener]

Hi guys, I'm looking for mobile earphones or iem's to wear on the street/transit with iRiver AK100,
I know it can be a bit tricky as the player has 22 ohm on the way out. I picked a few iem's below, maybe someone tested some of them with ak100 and finds it working quite well with no sound damping etc.? any recommendation would be appreciated. Price: up to ~1000$
 
- Heir Tzar 90 Ohm/350 Ohm
- HiFiMAN RE-262 150 Ohm
- Earsonic SM64 112 Ohm (thx zenpunk)
- Denon AH-C250 87 Ohm
- Westone um3x 56 Ohm
- Klipsch X10i  50 Ohm
- Sleek Audio 6  50 Ohm
- Phonak Audéo PFE 232 47 Ohm
- Shure SE535 36 Ohm
- Westone 4r 32 Ohm
- Grado GR10 32 Ohm
- B&W C5 32 Ohm
- Sony MDR-EX1000 32 Ohm
 
(an interesting thing is that iriver on their site recommends shure se425 (22 ohm) to work with ak100)

I guess I can get the full potential of that player with proper iem's with high impedancy, without modding it.
I will be listening to various music genres (dnb,dubstep,pop,electro,ambient,classic,metal,audiobooks..).
Bass doesn't have to be extremely powerfull and also the sound isolation from the outside doesn't need to be very good.
 
 
//  nvm.  bought IE800 =]

 

[Tweener]

not a single reply/pm  ?   surely someone tried his iem's with it already

 

[uelover]

Why not spend $250 to modify the output impedance and use the rest to get an IEM? =)

 

[Tweener]

Don't want to void warranty

 

[zenpunk]

You can add the new Earsonic SM64 (120Ohm I believe) to your list. 

 

[Tweener]

few weeks passed, maybe now there's someone who tried his non moded ak100 with some iem's ?
 
I think I will buy IE800, but would love to read a comparison between RWAK100 with Sennheisers IE800 and AK100 with Sennheisers IE800, is there a noticeable difference worthy of warranty void

 

[CraftyClown]

I would love to know this as well. I'm picking up an AK100 and was considering the Tzar 350s but wondered if anyone had had good results with anything else?

 

[elbombastico]

Some of the head-fi'ers seem to think that the Senn IE800s and the Westone 4Rs are a great pairing with the AK100. 
 
Check out this post from the AK100 thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/630288/the-new-iriver-ak100-a-high-end-dap/2805#post_9205499

 

[elbombastico]

Also the JHAudio JH13 and the FitEar ToGo334s are also great, but very pricey.

 

[charlie0904]

i tested ak100 yesterday with um3x yesterday. sounds fine. nothing unusual through my usual tracks. good.

i find the sound abit digital though, significant improvement w amp. it died before i could try it w flat4 sui.

 

[Swimsonny]

Very good choice will bet the myST Nail 2 V2. It has a 120 ohm driver and also is a single armature so no crossover which can be messed up by a load of impedance.

 

[kahldog]

I have just completed the journey you are contemplating. I can tell you that the mod offered by Red Wine Audio is without a doubt worth the price and the voided warranty. It felt like the AK100 had unlimited drive capability and the full frequency range expanded greatly with more bass slam, great midrange and shimmering and clear highs. The clarity is unbelievable. I have compared it with my 60K plus home stereo. I used the SM64 with the AK100 and found it  gave me those stomach butterflies which does not happen often with musical reproduction equipment. Unfortunately one side went dead and I had to send them back to France for repair. Still waiting for them to return. I now use it with the DT1350 from Beyer. While not quite up to the SM64 they are still great for street use and very enjoyable. Most of all they are very durable. Often compared to the Senn's HD 25. I tried them with the Senn's IE80 but could not get the fit right in my ears. Very tough to fit. I think any headphone in the 16 to 125 ohm range would be fine. The modded AK100 can drive any headphone I am sure. The unfortunate part of this hobby is that you have to experiment until you find the combination that suits your tastes. Go for the mod. You won't be disappointed and Vinnie is awesome to deal with.