[casperia]

I recently bought a fake set of ADDIEM's.  I also recently bought a fake 32GB microSD, and got that money back too.  Plus, my birthday is in late November, so I have that money too.  All in all, my budget has extended just a little bit, from $15 to $110.  Right now, I am looking at Westone 1 for $85, RE0 for $80, A151 for $50, Brainwavz M1 for $40, and Etymotic HF2 for $108.  I want something that has a large soundstage, extreme clarity, but also with a "lush" midrange; something I'll enjoy. If I don't enjoy it, what's the point?  I would appreciate some help with this, now that I have an adequately respectable budget.  Musical interests now consist of almost entirely Queen; not sure why.  I guess I just like them.  I want, specifically, something that will make Made in Heaven and Innuendo sound full, but also something that makes A Night at the Opera and Queen II sound as detailed as I know they should be.  Quiet Riot also needs to sound okay, as well as SOME Pendulum, once in a while.  If it doesn't work for that, no big deal.  It seems like the Westone 1 should give me the midrange I want, but sacrificing possibly too much clarity.  HF2 sounds perfect, but I'm worried about soundstage and bass.  I usually don't care, but some things require it, and if it isn't there it bothers me.  I like the RE0's clarity, but I don't think I'll like the "thin" sound, as my V6 can be somewhat boring.  The A151 sounds okay, other than maybe soundstage, but if I can get something better, I absolutely will.  I want something like my MDR-V6, but maybe fuller, larger soundstage, and more detail, if that isn't too much to ask.  I would also be open to suggestions, but I'd prefer it to be from somewhere like Amazon, where I know I can return it for no charge.  I'm picky, and if I don't feel like I'm getting a good enough product it's going back.  It's still going to be used out of an unamped Captivate, as I don't intend to have an amp larger and more expensive than the phone.  That defeats the purpose.  I hope this should be enough information, if not too much.  If you need anything else, just ask.  Joker's reviews are somewhat limited in my price range, having only ten in the top end, and waaaaay too many in the bottom.  The A151 gets a 7.5 ish, and the Westone 1 gets a 7.4, so I'd definitely prefer not to go lower than that.  I may also consider the Fischer Silver Bullet.  Out of all of these choices, which do you think would suit me the best?  Feel free to comment anything at any time.

 

[miow]

Xears Supreme Reference XSR330PRO or Giant Force XGF500PRO. Talk with the guy at the websites Live Chat (www.xears.com) and ask for a discount, They can go lower than 50 EUR.

 

[casperia]

The Captivate has Voodoo Control Plus and Rockbox playing FLAC at at least 650kbps.  I would like the earphones to pair well with the Wolfson, as well as be EQable.  They have to be comfortable, because that is HUGE for me.  To be more specific on soundstage, I want something that will make The March of the Black Queen and Bohemian Rhapsody seem like everything is almost swirling around my head, as I can almost achieve with the V6.  It just doesn't quite get there though.  I seem to prefer the sound of IEM's for some reason, and the isolation wouldn't hurt either.  Nothing that's too vented, because isolation is the main intention of any iem, other than size.  I have been looking around here for at least 6 months, then got an account.  So it's been quite a while.  

 

[casperia]

Quote:

Xears Supreme Reference XSR330PRO. Talk with the guy at the websites Live Chat (www.xears.com) and ask for a discount, They can go lower than 50 EUR.

I appreciate it, but I am mostly restricted to buying in the states.  I will look into it, but I need to consider more options first.

 

[casperia]

Anyone? A151, Westone 1, Etymotic HF2, RE0, UE600, Brainwavz M1, Silver Bullet, or Sony MDR-EX300.  Listening mainly to Queen, with very little techno, mainly piano and rock songs.  Mid and treble are my priorities, along with comfort and price.  Unamped Samsung Captivate.  Voodoo and Rockbox.

 

[PacoTaco9001]

Quote:

Anyone? A151, Westone 1, Etymotic HF2, RE0, UE600, Brainwavz M1, Silver Bullet, or Sony MDR-EX300.  Listening mainly to Queen, with very little techno, mainly piano and rock songs.  Mid and treble are my priorities, along with comfort and price.  Unamped Samsung Captivate.  Voodoo and Rockbox.

I personally have the A151 and I love them. I listen to Queen often while using them and I just adore it, except that I do feel that bass is lacking on songs like Dont Stop Me Now, but then again that song IS very bass light to begin with. TBH I was stuck between the A151 and Westone 1, but I chose the a151 because i could get it for half the price of the westone 1s and i don't really think the westone's sound would be worth double the price of the a151. I recommend the A151s

 

[casperia]

I think I recognize your profile picture from a thread I looked at, actually.  What a coincidence that I was also listening to that very song moments ago on my V6 running from my Audigy 2 NX and Lenovo G560.  To be honest, I think that the only strength the Audigy has over the Captivate is the amp.  I don't listen to these through the phone often, but I just did, and there's NO difference on that song, other than volume.  Anyway, rambling aside, I think I'll just get the A151.  I'm hoping they'll be a close match for my V6, or as much as possible for $47.  

 

[Pianist]

RE0 sounds superb with reference quality tonal balance, detail, clarity, extension and precision. The soundstage is accurate - if the recording you listen to has the right locational cues recorded properly and if your source allows these cues to be reproduced properly, then the RE0 can provide a wonderful sense of space. But either way, it always sounds airy and open thanks to excellent treble extension and clean acoustics of the metal housing. There really isn't any emphasized bass - RE0 just reproduces what's there in your music ans source. Although there may be just a touch of emphasis added in the mid bass vs. the sub bass. The mids are pretty much flat, but with a nice hint of warmth to them. The treble is extremely well extended and extremely detailed, but not overly present or harsh. It is always clean and very refined. RE0 sounds to me almost like an IEM version of Beyerdynamic DT880 or a Denon AH-D2000 with less bass. RE0 hardly gives up anything in comparison to these two cans, except for some soundstage, dynamics and bass weight perhaps. RE0 is one beast of an IEM and for the price of $79 is it a steal, pure and simple. It's like having DT880 or D2000 for $79.

 
That being said, the build quality on RE0 is not very good. I can't tell yet just how bad it is, but the quality control for this IEM seems to have gone downhill recently. I used to own RE0 before, about 2 years ago, for 6 months and had zero issues with them. However, I bought another pair 4-5 months ago and it died on me after 3 weeks - the left channel just stopped working suddenly for no apparent reason. So I sent my pair back for replacement and the replacement pair started having a similar issue a week after I got it, but with the right channel. The right side went quiet during one of my listening sessions, but after I listened to the RE0 again the next time, the sound came back and hasn't disappeared since. It has now been 3 weeks since the incident and it hasn't happened again since. I have no idea what's going on.

May be a weak connection of wire with the driver inside the housing. What matters is that it still works fine and the issue seems pretty minor and something you could fix on your own - just recable them and be all will be fine. I just received a 4th pair of RE0s and I am really interested in how this one will hold up though.
 
So overall - if you are looking for the best sound quality for $79 in an IEM and don't mind taking a gamble with the build quality, then the RE0 can't be beat at that price. Personally, I will still continue to own this IEM even if the build quality issues persist, because I just totally love the sound and comparing to my other IEMs and cans that cost 3-4 times as much (D2000, DT880/600, FX700, RE272), RE0 is perfectly competent and even outperforms them in certain areas for my tastes, while not losing much, if anything in other areas. It's a true hi-fi bargain!

 

[casperia]

Also a very good explanation.  That's exactly what I was asking.  The RE0 sound nice, but build quality does concern me, because I don't like to have to send things away.  But regardless, still sounds like what I want.  Although, at half the price, the A151 sounds promising too.  Still somewhat torn...

 

[casperia]

How do you think the sound signature of the Westone 1 would compare to the RE0? I mean, loss of detail or soundstage in exchange for bass and build quality.  At Amazon, the Westone's are $85, so not much more than the RE0.

 

[Raguvian]

Quote:

How do you think the sound signature of the Westone 1 would compare to the RE0? I mean, loss of detail or soundstage in exchange for bass and build quality.  At Amazon, the Westone's are $85, so not much more than the RE0.

The W1's sold on Amazon.com is actually sold by Crawford's Superstore which is on Westone's unauthorized dealer list, so you won't get a warranty from Westone should you need to send the W1's in.
 
Earphonesolutions.com is an authorized dealer for Westone, and they have a 20% off deal right now with coupon code CHILL11, which brings the W1's to $95 before shipping (free shipping on orders over $98 so I don't know if the discounted W1 would still apply).

 

[miow]

RE0 has 0 bass.

 

[proedros]

re-zero.
 
bettter than re-0.
 
no amp needed to shine (unlke re-0) and for 99$ sounds really good.
 
my IEM entrance point , and i remember it fondly.

 

[casperia]

The RE-ZERO sounds more like it.  I don't want too much, just not too little.  Since I could get the HF2 for $108, I would probably rather do that than get the Westone's, which get quite a few negative reviews.  Then again, I'm somewhat worried about the RE-ZERO's isolation, and the soundstage of both.  A151, in my experience, gets next to 0 negative feedback, and they are BY FAR the cheapest of my new options.  Still debating among these 3, but I have until November, so I'll think on it some more.  Any more recommendations would still be greatly appreciated.

 

[miow]

Consider the Vsonic GR07 as well. They've got a 9.1 by |Joker| and reviews in general are very positive.