[Greg32]

Woah thanks for all the feedback guys!! As far as the sound, I know what I said sounded a bit hypocritical, but what I meant is since the music genres I listen to are bass heavy, I don't want the bass to be overbearing.  I guess what I'm looking for is what some people define as a "punching bass"? Strong, definitive, but not so much where it just blurs everything over.  For the purpose of these IEMs, higher build quality is going to take precedence over sound quality, but by no means do I want just some trashy sounding indestructible buds. 

 

[eke2k6]

The best you can get IMO is the Shure SE215. It has replaceable cables (the first batch had problems, but it's fixed now), and it's built like a tank. I also LOVED the way they sounded. I think the're an amazing value, much better than the overly bassy S4.
 
EDIT: I forgot to mention Shure's amazing warranty service

 

[Greg32]

What do you guys think about the ClarityOnes?

 

[Greg32]

Quote:

The best you can get IMO is the Shure SE215. It has replaceable cables (the first batch had problems, but it's fixed now), and it's built like a tank. I also LOVED the way they sounded. I think the're an amazing value, much better than the overly bassy S4.
 
EDIT: I forgot to mention Shure's amazing warranty service

If I'm not mistaken, isn't it only a 2 year limited warranty?
 

 

[eke2k6]

Yeah, but if it breaks due to manufacturing faults they'll replace it. No questions asked.

 

[Greg32]

That's the warranty, or a lifetime policy on the product

 

[Jeremypsp]

I personally feel the Shure SE215s are overrated. There is too much bass for me and the highs are anemic. The only thing it has to boast is the mids. I personally do not feel it's better than the Klipsch S4, maybe on par, with the S4 cheaper in some countries. The HF5 is a lot better than the SE215s IMO. And many people do have cable problems with the Shures and replacing the cheaper 215's cables isn't such a great idea. 

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

I personally feel the Shure SE215s are overrated. There is too much bass for me and the highs are anemic. The only thing it has to boast is the mids. I personally do not feel it's better than the Klipsch S4, maybe on par, with the S4 cheaper in some countries. The HF5 is a lot better than the SE215s IMO. And many people do have cable problems with the Shures and replacing the cheaper 215's cables isn't such a great idea. 

If you're a fan of thinner sounding phones, sure. His genres (hip-hop, R&B, and reggae,etc.) would benefit more from the signature of the 215 than the hf5. I wasn't talking about buying cables. I meant if the cables fail within 2 years, Shure will replace it free of charge.

 

[Jeremypsp]

Quote:

If you're a fan of thinner sounding phones, sure. His genres (hip-hop, R&B, and reggae,etc.) would benefit more from the signature of the 215 than the hf5. I wasn't talking about buying cables. I meant if the cables fail within 2 years, Shure will replace it free of charge.

Yes, but the SE215s are lacking bass impact which isn't too great for those genres too. The HF5 does provide that impact though. And yes, Shure will replace them, but it's troublesome, isn't it?

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Yes, but the SE215s are lacking bass impact which isn't too great for those genres too. The HF5 does provide that impact though. And yes, Shure will replace them, but it's troublesome, isn't it?

Whoa! The 215 lacks bass impact?? Have you listened to them? Didn't you just say that they have too much bass?
 
 

I personally feel the Shure SE215s are overrated. There is too much bass for me and the highs are anemic. The only thing it has to boast is the mids. I personally do not feel it's better than the Klipsch S4, maybe on par, with the S4 cheaper in some countries. The HF5 is a lot better than the SE215s IMO. And many people do have cable problems with the Shures and replacing the cheaper 215's cables isn't such a great idea. 
 

 

 

[Jeremypsp]

Quote:

Whoa! The 215 lacks bass impact?? Have you listened to them? Didn't you just say that they have too much bass?
 
 
 

Yes, I listened to them before. Bass impact and bass are 2 completely different things. At first I thought they were the same (the UE700 for example), until I listened to it and knew it was 2 different things. 

 

[tomscy2000]

i agree with jeremypsp... the SE215 are overrated. For <$90, it's not bad, but if OP can stretch his budget a little, he can get other, much better options. The bass on the SE215, to me, is splashy and uncontrolled, while not really giving satisfactory impact, which is why I'd like to go back to one of my original suggestions --- the Future Sonics atrio m5 with MG7 transducer!
 
I can say with absolute certainty that the bass is top-tier, bar none, and its mids and highs are very good as well; it's just that it's tuned with a bit of a V-shaped response. OP isn't going to mind that. So you get top-tier SQ, coupled with a very robust plastic housing, and thick, comfortable cables. The only caveat, really, is that the design looks like a blast from the past to the early 90s. It's affordable, too. Even though the MSRP is $200, it regularly sells for under $160, and you can even find retailers that sell for $140 pretty often. Just a few weeks ago, there was a 50% off sale for them!

 

[djvkool]

Hippo VB - bassy (excellent sub bass) and clear - $79 from Jaben

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

i agree with jeremypsp... the SE215 are overrated. For <$90, it's not bad, but if OP can stretch his budget a little, he can get other, much better options. The bass on the SE215, to me, is splashy and uncontrolled, while not really giving satisfactory impact, which is why I'd like to go back to one of my original suggestions --- the Future Sonics atrio m5 with MG7 transducer!
 
 

It appears that I stand corrected. Maybe I'm remembering the 215 too fondly.

 

[bravo4588]

what about the sony's XB series for punchy bass?