[ljokerl]

   
Fantastic mate - completely agree, the superb DN1K is an absolute killer of an IEM
 
Hopefully now with your stamp of approval, more and more people will buy it

 
Thanks, I’m definitely not surprised that the DN-1000 has found numerous supporters! I haven’t heard some of the other mid-range hybrid IEMs out there but for me Dunu has raised the bar with these.
 

  Thank you joker, I will look into the DN-1000 more now. The wide selection of earpieces also appeals to me. Another problem with IEMs I've had in the past was that I always had a hard time finding one that fit.

 
Yeah, Dunu always does a good job with this sort of thing. There’s only so many ways you can wear an earphone with this design but lack of silicone tips won’t be an issue.
 

Thanks for the response! Which of those three has the smoothest sound signature with the least piercing treble that's perfect for dnb with good bass lines(least important), rock, and vocals? I definitely want to give westone or earsonics a try since they have such positive feedback.

 
They’re all pretty smooth. The SM3 probably has the least treble emphasis but also tends to sound a bit thick and “creamy” for my taste. The SM64 is better in that regard but also doesn’t really make me think of the LCD-2 when I listen to it. I suppose if I had to pick just one IEM between EarSonics and Westone per your requirements I’d go for the UM Pro 30 / UM3X.
 

  I'm looking for a $100-200 IEM for only rap/hip-hop

- I own a DT 770 PRO 32 ohm, but I don't want to use it for portable reasons anymore
- Want something more bassy and fun
- Past headphones include ATH-M50, V-Moda M100. Bass level should be around the same as the M100
- I have a portable amp but I prefer to drive them directly from my iPod Classic
- I ordered the Monoprice 8320 for the timebeing, should get em sometime this week


Basically I'm looking for an IEM with the closest sound signature to the V-Moda M100, any help?

 
I haven’t tried the M100 but for IEMs with plentiful bass in that price range I would recommend:
Yamaha EPH-100 – solid, deep bass, strong and warm mids, mostly smooth treble with a rise pretty high up
RHA MA750 – similarly solid bass but with a slightly more v-shaped signature – less mids and more emphasis in the lower treble – compared to the Yamaha
Dunu DN1000 – a bit less “bassy” in the conventional sense than the two sets above but still pretty powerful. Has a v-shaped signature but with on another level in terms of clarity thanks to the hybrid design.
 
The EPH-100 is what I’ve recommended in the past for V-Moda M-80 owners and everyone who’s gotten back to me has been happy with it.
 

Thanks for the excellent Dunu DN-1000 review ljokerl. I'm now very tempted to get one however being an owner of the Phonak PFE232 which is pretty much V shaped, I'm wondering how does the DN-1000 compare. Is the mid frequency of the DN-1000 as recessed as the PFE232 which was the only drawback to the otherwise excellent PFE232. I'm sure the bass of the DN-1000 is deeper than the PFE232, but is the treble region as pesky occasionally? Will the DN-1000 be a good upgrade to the PFE232? I'm anxiously awaiting your opinion before taking the plunge. Thanks in advance.

 
The DN-1000 is not as mid-recessed as the PFE232. Bass is not necessarily deeper (the PFE232 already extends pretty far down) but more impactful and full-bodied. The DN-1000 does not have perfectly smooth treble but its peaks occur in a different area of the treble compared to the Phonaks, so it may work better for you in that regard, too. 

 

[acud1985]

Hi...i'm searching for a iem for jazz,vocal jazz and a little bit of rock 70/80 and pop..my budget is around 250/320$.. I saw Heir 4ai..is it a Good choice? Any help please?

 

[thug behram]

Thanks, I’m definitely not surprised that the DN-1000 has found numerous supporters! I haven’t heard some of the other mid-range hybrid IEMs out there but for me Dunu has raised the bar with these.


Yeah, Dunu always does a good job with this sort of thing. There’s only so many ways you can wear an earphone with this design but lack of silicone tips won’t be an issue.


[COLOR=454545]They’re all pretty smooth. The SM3 probably has the least treble emphasis but also tends to sound a bit thick and “creamy” for my taste. The SM64 is better in that regard but also doesn’t really make me think of the LCD-2 when I listen to it. I suppose if I had to pick just one IEM between EarSonics and Westone per your requirements I’d go for the UM Pro 30 / UM3X.[/COLOR]

 


[COLOR=000000]I haven’t tried the M100 but for IEMs with plentiful bass in that price range I would recommend:[/color]


[COLOR=000000]Yamaha EPH-100 – solid, deep bass, strong and warm mids, mostly smooth treble with a rise pretty high up[/color]


[COLOR=000000]RHA MA750 – similarly solid bass but with a slightly more v-shaped signature – less mids and more emphasis in the lower treble – compared to the Yamaha[/color]


[COLOR=000000]Dunu DN1000 – a bit less “bassy” in the conventional sense than the two sets above but still pretty powerful. Has a v-shaped signature but with on another level in terms of clarity thanks to the hybrid design.[/color]


[COLOR=000000] [/color]


[COLOR=000000]The EPH-100 is what I’ve recommended in the past for V-Moda M-80 owners and everyone who’s gotten back to me has been happy with it.[/color]




The DN-1000 is not as mid-recessed as the PFE232. Bass is not necessarily deeper (the PFE232 already extends pretty far down) but more impactful and full-bodied. The DN-1000 does not have perfectly smooth treble but its peaks occur in a different area of the treble compared to the Phonaks, so it may work better for you in that regard, too. 

Thanks a lot for the reply Joker.

Yeah atm I am leaning towards the yamaha. How would the following compare to the ones you listed: shure se215, wooduo 2, gr07 bass edition, nuforce 700m/x.

Also do you glasses wearers should stay away from around the ear designs and stick to straight down?

 

[chubristic]

So the availability of the DN-1000's are pretty limited where I'm currently at, I'll definitely try to get them once I am back in the states. For now, I got the RHA MA750i. Was really debating that with the EPH-100. Hopefully I made the right choice. The 3-year warranty is nice. The build quality looks strong, and knowing how I am, I can use sturdy IEMs. Though I really wanted to experience the isolation on both of them, based on joker's review, the eph-100 had better isolation. But I'm sure I'll be happy with what I ordered. It actually will arrive tomorrow, I'm excited
 
Also, question... IEMs don't really need to be "burned in" do they? Sorry, first IEM. And if I do need to, is there a certain technique? Play pink noise and white noise through it?

 

[Francisk]

Thanks for your reply joker, I might just take the plunge based on your comparison with the Phonak PFE232.

 

[suman134]

  Also, question... IEMs don't really need to be "burned in" do they? Sorry, first IEM. And if I do need to, is there a certain technique? Play pink noise and white noise through it?

 
    just play your music , there has not been a particular method to burn in IEMs but you can do any thing , white noise is said to be the best , and i personally use white noise with frequencies , 20hz , 30hz and so on with frequency sweeps , like a 30 sec sweep of 20hz to 30khz .

 

[steelglam]

  Thanks, ljokerl.
 
I actually don't think I have a problem with IEMs that have thicker note presentation.  In fact, I think a big part of the reason that the HiFiMAN Re-0 spent the least time in my possession out of all the IEMs that I've tried is because of the lean presentation (also they were too bright for my taste).  The note thickness was actually one of the things that I most liked about the Vsonic GR99's; what I didn't like about them was that things seemed too veiled (not sure if that was due to too much of a bass bump or the speed of the driver).
 
I think the problems that I had with the CC51's were the presentation of the mids (too far back) and the lack of air.  The SHE3580's got the presentation of the mids and the tonal balance correct for my taste, but they just didn't resolve enough and were a bit lean.  This is where the JVC HA-FXT90's came in: they delivered a thicker note presentation (same goes for the GR99's) and got the clarity, resolution, airiness, speed, imaging, and expansiveness aspects correct for my taste.  When I first got the JVC's, it was eye opening what I had been missing with the less expensive models that I've tried.  But the tonal balance and forwardness of the JVC's is just off for my tastes; they make me fatigued. 
 
If there was some way to combine the SHE3580's tonal balance and presentation of the mids with the above qualities that I like about JVC's, I think it would be pretty close to what I was after.    

 
Hi ljokerl,
 
So, I was able to get a hold of a pair of EPH-100's and have listened to them for the past several weeks, and your prediction was definitely correct that these would not be for me.  I actually find myself having a fairly strong aversion to them.  I don't think I've ever had a pair of earphones where I felt a strong need to simultaneously decrease both the bass and treble.  I also found the imaging/presentation confusing, the speed too slow, and the dynamics lacking.  And instruments sound two-dimensional to my ears (like there is some detail in the instruments that is not being transferred).  All of this added up to a very unnatural sound to my ears.  I never thought that I would say this, but I actually prefer the Vsonic GR99's to the EPH-100's even though the veiled quality of the GR99's bothers me.  In other words, at least the GR99's present a coherent soundspace, convey the energy and dynamics better, and do not cause almost instantaneous fatigue.
 
I find myself pining for the clarity, speed, detail, imaging, dynamics, airiness, and naturalness (in terms of the timbre and realism/three-dimensionality) of the JVC HA-FXT90's.  Are there any IEM's that have all of these qualities of the JVC's but with a little more bass presence (it always seemed to me that there was some missing information in the bass region of the JVC's) and a little less aggressiveness in the upper mids/lower treble region?  I think that would get very close to what I am looking for.  Budget is $200 or below (preferably $150 and below, but I might be able to stretch it).

 

[ljokerl]

Hi...i'm searching for a iem for jazz,vocal jazz and a little bit of rock 70/80 and pop..my budget is around 250/320$.. I saw Heir 4ai..is it a Good choice? Any help please?

 
Never tried the 4ai. What type of sound are you looking for? If you’re not sure, my go-to recommendation is the VSonic GR07 or GR07 Bass Edition, or the HiFiMan RE-400. I feel that these are a good place to start while not spending very much money.
 

Thanks a lot for the reply Joker.

Yeah atm I am leaning towards the yamaha. How would the following compare to the ones you listed: shure se215, wooduo 2, gr07 bass edition, nuforce 700m/x.

Also do you glasses wearers should stay away from around the ear designs and stick to straight down?

 
The SE215 lacks some of the dynamics and much of the treble reach of the Yamahas. The Wooduo2 sounds quite a bit more harsh. The GR07 BE is clearer and more balanced and accurate overall, but doesn’t have as much deep bass or warmth, and tends to be a little more sibilant. The NE700X has very intrusive bass in comparison.
 

  So the availability of the DN-1000's are pretty limited where I'm currently at, I'll definitely try to get them once I am back in the states. For now, I got the RHA MA750i. Was really debating that with the EPH-100. Hopefully I made the right choice. The 3-year warranty is nice. The build quality looks strong, and knowing how I am, I can use sturdy IEMs. Though I really wanted to experience the isolation on both of them, based on joker's review, the eph-100 had better isolation. But I'm sure I'll be happy with what I ordered. It actually will arrive tomorrow, I'm excited
 
Also, question... IEMs don't really need to be "burned in" do they? Sorry, first IEM. And if I do need to, is there a certain technique? Play pink noise and white noise through it?

 
Opinions on burn-in vary pretty widely. I don't want to make any claims as to whether it makes a difference but I don't think it's necessary to dedicate any exclusive time to it - just use and enjoy. 
 

Ooh, you bitch! Bit harsh there Jokerman - 'toy' and 'cell phone' both used in the derogatory is a bit much, I feel. Have you been spoilt by your hoard?

 
That's so old I don't even remember posting it. Back then I was probably using a 1^st-gen Android phone that had the sound quality and output power of a tin can.
 

   
Hi ljokerl,
 
So, I was able to get a hold of a pair of EPH-100's and have listened to them for the past several weeks, and your prediction was definitely correct that these would not be for me.  I actually find myself having a fairly strong aversion to them.  I don't think I've ever had a pair of earphones where I felt a strong need to simultaneously decrease both the bass and treble.  I also found the imaging/presentation confusing, the speed too slow, and the dynamics lacking.  And instruments sound two-dimensional to my ears (like there is some detail in the instruments that is not being transferred).  All of this added up to a very unnatural sound to my ears.  I never thought that I would say this, but I actually prefer the Vsonic GR99's to the EPH-100's even though the veiled quality of the GR99's bothers me.  In other words, at least the GR99's present a coherent soundspace, convey the energy and dynamics better, and do not cause almost instantaneous fatigue.
 
I find myself pining for the clarity, speed, detail, imaging, dynamics, airiness, and naturalness (in terms of the timbre and realism/three-dimensionality) of the JVC HA-FXT90's.  Are there any IEM's that have all of these qualities of the JVC's but with a little more bass presence (it always seemed to me that there was some missing information in the bass region of the JVC's) and a little less aggressiveness in the upper mids/lower treble region?  I think that would get very close to what I am looking for.  Budget is $200 or below (preferably $150 and below, but I might be able to stretch it).

 
The JVC triples that are based on the FXT90? I think I mentioned them before. There are two models and I’m not sure what the differences are between them but those who have asked me to review them always say that they are a smoother version of the FXT90 with more deep bass. Not sure to what degree that’s true but they do share 2 of 3 drivers with the FXT90.

 

[thug behram]

 
The SE215 lacks some of the dynamics and much of the treble reach of the Yamahas. The Wooduo2 sounds quite a bit more harsh. The GR07 BE is clearer and more balanced and accurate overall, but doesn’t have as much deep bass or warmth, and tends to be a little more sibilant. The NE700X has very intrusive bass in comparison.
 

The reasons I'm wary about the eph-m100 is because they don't look/seem that durable. I want them to last a good 3-4 years. They also cost around $200 in Canada, unless I buy from accessory jack or ebay sellers which aren't authorized. I'm not sure if they are worth it at that price point. Especially when the SE-215 costs only $99 and seems much more durable. Ah, decisions decisions.

 

[steelglam]

  The JVC triples that are based on the FXT90? I think I mentioned them before. There are two models and I’m not sure what the differences are between them but those who have asked me to review them always say that they are a smoother version of the FXT90 with more deep bass. Not sure to what degree that’s true but they do share 2 of 3 drivers with the FXT90.

 
I did a search based on this suggestion.  I think you may be referring to the JVC HA-FXZ100 and HA-FXZ200.  From the reviews, they sound enticing.

 

[Shiryu]

Hi guys,
 
I have a small question regarding IEM and having already been well advised in the portable headphones thread, I'd like to try my luck at the IEM thread.
 
As I am currently in the US, my old stock Apple Earbuds started acting up (left side being at 50% of the volume compared to the right side).
This made me think of getting a decent pair of IEM for everyday use as well as during sporting (jogging, etc...).
 
The only requirement for me is to have the same ease of use as Apple earbuds/earpods which means the remote with mic is a must (I have some IEMs without and work fine, but I am a sucker for the remote).
 
Looking at all the suggestions, the M6P seemed to come out of the lot as a good pair for the price, but a lot of people seem to say that they might have become outdated at this point. If so, which ones should I look at?
I'm with a tight budget (+/40$) as it's something just for on the road use next to my solid ATH-WS55 headphones that I love, so any comments are welcome.
 
TL;DR version: Require IEMs with remote+mic (3 button). Are Meelectronics M6P outdated for everyday usage on a budget of 40$ (in the US currently) or still the best bang for your buck? Will these last?
 
Thanks guys!

 

[elbdogs]

TL;DR version: Require IEMs with remote+mic (3 button). Are Meelectronics M6P outdated for everyday usage on a budget of 40$ (in the US currently) or still the best bang for your buck? Will these last?

Thanks guys!

I just got a second generation m6p for jogging. The volume control is an analog slider. Don't know if this is a negative for you. Sliding it down will turn the volume off, but sliding it up will only max the volume to whatever level your device is set to. I run with my galaxy s4 but I tested it on an iPad 2. The pause/play button works. Two presses advances the music, a long press brings up Siri. It seems to be holding up well to the sweat on my runs. How long it will last? I don't know. For a Sport phone plus accessories, it's a pretty good bargain. It's an improvement over the stock buds in terms of sound and isolation. I'm not sure I would use this as an everyday phone (needs bass) but for running yes.

 

[RochRx7]

  Hi guys,
 
TL;DR version: Require IEMs with remote+mic (3 button). Are Meelectronics M6P outdated for everyday usage on a budget of 40$ (in the US currently) or still the best bang for your buck? Will these last?
 
Thanks guys!

I'd vote for the SoundMagic E10M.. sq is much better than the M6 in that price range. 

 

[raptor18]

I'm so dying waiting for ljokerl to test the Fischer Amps FA-4 E XB. I read they are an upgrade to the UE900 which scores really really high on his list!!
The guys on the Fischer Amps FA-4 E XB thread told me they offered him to test their set but he's really busy. I can sooo understand that =).

 

[Shiryu]

I just got a second generation m6p for jogging. The volume control is an analog slider. Don't know if this is a negative for you. Sliding it down will turn the volume off, but sliding it up will only max the volume to whatever level your device is set to. I run with my galaxy s4 but I tested it on an iPad 2. The pause/play button works. Two presses advances the music, a long press brings up Siri. It seems to be holding up well to the sweat on my runs. How long it will last? I don't know. For a Sport phone plus accessories, it's a pretty good bargain. It's an improvement over the stock buds in terms of sound and isolation. I'm not sure I would use this as an everyday phone (needs bass) but for running yes.

 
How come they wouldn't be good for an everyday phone? According to ljokerl the bass is pretty big on them too and since my main genres are Electronica, Jazz and Indie, I think they might actually do the job? Thanks though for your input!
 

  I'd vote for the SoundMagic E10M.. sq is much better than the M6 in that price range. 

They seem to go for 45$ on Amazon and some comments seem to say they're not that durable. So they're just a tad more expensive I suppose than the M6P.
Are they really worth the up in price SQ-wise?
 
Thanks for the reply!
 
Still looking for any other comments or alternatives as I'm gonna decide over this weekend before ordering a set of IEMs.