[Tom22]

   
Yeah, I'll do the VE Duke but not the earbuds.
 
 
You don't even need to spend a lot, really. I would get the opposite of the Havi B3 (as far as balanced-sounding IEMs go) - the HiFiMan RE-400. It's still very neutral but just mid-focused enough to sound fluid and musical rather than dry and analytical. The RE600 is also within your budget and actually fits your description a little better than the RE-400, but the difference is so marginal that I wouldn't bother.  

 
 

  Hi there,
 
Besides the obligatory new members post, this is my first real post here.
 
I apologize in advance for the length.
 
I don't know if any of you are familiar with "The Piano Guys," but their song titled "Cello Song" is a beautiful bit 'o music. As the name implies there's a plethora of cellos, and other stringed instruments that build and soar throughout the piece.
 
Why did I bother mentioning this?
 
Through my HD 598s there's a fullness and warmth present in every brush of bow on string (here's my man card), and a sweet sort of clarity that manages to be heard even through the Sen Veil. Owing to their open back design there's a great amount of airiness / separation and treble that just sort of "sings." Oh and the sound stage, wow.
 
I'm looking for an IEM (price: sub $200*) that can deliver a similar sound signature.
 
I own a set of Havi B3 Pro 1s (I run them amped through a NX 1) and while I am blown away by what they manage in terms of sound stage and quality they just "feel" too. . .dry? Almost too clean and analytical maybe? They lack that BIG lush and liquid fullness that I'd like to have. THIN! There we go, the note presentation is on the lean and thin side. Again, great IEMs, and not even just "for the price." They just aren't doing it for me.
 
I know there are some compromises to be made between a set of full over the ear cans and a pair of iems. I'm willing to make them - just not at the expense of the over all desired sound sig.
 
If it helps these are some of the genres I listen to (with a few examples to boot!):
 
Acapella - (Straight No Chasers "The Nutcracker," Pentatonix "Mary Did You Know?")
Contemporary instrumental and classical
Acoustic
Female vocals - (example: Sarah Mclachlans' cover of "Blackbird," Mama Cass "Dream a Little Dream, etc. . .")
Crooners - (Sinatra, Martin, Crosby, Como. . .)
Some Rock and Alt - (From Floyd to The Cure, from Cheap Trick to C.C.R, from Weezer to Imagine Dragons. . .)
Soft Rock - Neil Diamond,* America, The Grassroots. . .
 
As for the asterisks (ahem) in order:
 
1.) The dollar amount I'm willing to spend can be adjusted a bit as necessitated
 
2.) Yes, Neil Diamond. Don't judge. You listen to him too.
 
The End
 
- Nate
 
PS: If this post was all over the place. . .I'm a new father. Translation: WHAT IS THIS SLEEP THING YOU SPEAK OF!?!?

 
 I would agree with @ljokerl maybe another alternative is the brainwavz r3? I would put them right up there with the re400 (its certainly much more reliable (construction wise) with the thicker cables (almost rope-like) and the robust metal housing.
 
sound signature wise I would say its slightly bassier > re400. with a slight warmer tilt as a result.
 
it has a wider soundstage, then the somewhat smaller presentation on the re400
 
but the biggest issue may come from fit (it has a rather odd design), with thick and long nozzles, so they may not fit everyone comfortably
 
also the heavy and long cables may detract some users as well.

 

[ericr]

Hey there,

Would you say the ER4S still remain the #1 choice for classical music (symphonies, vocal, piano, opera)?

I want real bad to get rid of that sensation that no matter the volume, it's never loud enough. I also really value soundstaging.

Thank you!

64 Audio (formerly 1964 Ears) with ADEL technology.

 

[PoRidge]

64 Audio (formerly 1964 Ears) with ADEL technology.

will the adel tech sacrifice isolation ?

 

[PotatoEars]

Question, are the GR06's still being produced or something? Some sites says they discontinued it (LendmeURears has refurb but... refurb), and some still have stock(Penonaudio, by the way...). Can anyone confirm this? I would like to buy brand new GR06 cuz I'm really afraid of used hahaha
 
Cheers

 

[whiteknave2]

Tom, and Joker

First: Holy Goodness! You both actually read that jumbled up mess of a post?! You two are far more patient than most.

Second: Thank you for taking the time and consideration to recommend both the RE400 and the R3. I'll start with the former and go from there

Again, thank you.

- Nate

Ps: Now I only need to find the right dynamic sort of sound signature for movie watching.

 

[kova4a]

  Question, are the GR06's still being produced or something? Some sites says they discontinued it (LendmeURears has refurb but... refurb), and some still have stock(Penonaudio, by the way...). Can anyone confirm this? I would like to buy brand new GR06 cuz I'm really afraid of used hahaha
 
Cheers

Yeah, gr06 has been discontinued for a couple of years or so.

 

[ljokerl]

Hi. Newbie here.
Just a quick question. Are the in ear Yamaha EPH-100 still a good choice? Or are there other options in the same price range and sound characteristics?
Thanks.

 
Yep, still highly recommended as far as I'm concerned: http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-list/ 
 

Hey there,

Would you say the ER4S still remain the #1 choice for classical music (symphonies, vocal, piano, opera)?

I want real bad to get rid of that sensation that no matter the volume, it's never loud enough. I also really value soundstaging.

Thank you!

 
TBH that sounds like you'd prefer something with more of a loudness EQ curve, say an FLC Technology FLC8. Not as neutral as an ER4S, but it won't have that slightly flat (dynamics-wise) feel of the Etys that you seem to dislike. 
 

   
 
 
 I would agree with @ljokerl maybe another alternative is the brainwavz r3? I would put them right up there with the re400 (its certainly much more reliable (construction wise) with the thicker cables (almost rope-like) and the robust metal housing.
 
sound signature wise I would say its slightly bassier > re400. with a slight warmer tilt as a result.
 
it has a wider soundstage, then the somewhat smaller presentation on the re400
 
but the biggest issue may come from fit (it has a rather odd design), with thick and long nozzles, so they may not fit everyone comfortably
 
also the heavy and long cables may detract some users as well.

 
R3 is always a good RE-400 alternative. This is pretty much exactly my take on it; I only shy away from recommending it more often due to the tricky fit and slightly higher price.

 

[ljokerl]

Added the Popclik Evolo, an inexpensive IEM designed for the Latin American market. 
 
The most up-to-date IEM ranking can be found here.
 

   
(3B45) Popclik Evolo



Brief: The pricier of two in-ear earphones from Florida-based Popclik

MSRP: $29.99
Current Price: $30 from amazon.com
Specs: Driver: Dynamic | Imp: 16Ω | Sens: 95 dB | Freq: 20-20k Hz | Cable: 3.9′ L-plug w/mic & 1-button remote
Nozzle Size: 5.5mm | Preferred tips: Stock single-flanges; Comply T400
Wear Style: Straight down or over-the-ear (preferred)

Accessories (3.5/5) – Single-flange silicone tips (3 sizes) and zippered carrying case
Build Quality (4/5) – The first thing I noticed about the Evolo is the excellent size-to-heft ratio of the metal earpieces – they are just weighty enough to feel solid, yet still very unobtrusive in the ear, and wouldn’t be out of place on a pricier earphone. The narrow flat cable holds a single-button remote and terminated with a nice L-shaped plug. There is a bit of driver flex, however, and the cable doesn’t have a cinch
Isolation (3/5) – Good, very much usable outside and while commuting
Microphonics (4/5) – The flat cable is relatively low in microphonics and doesn’t bounce around too much. Wearing the Evolo over-the-ear makes cable noise a non-issue
Comfort (4/5) – The housings of the Evolo are lightweight, compact, and have smooth, rounded edges. For a straight-barrel, “bullet”-shaped earphone, this is about as ergonomic as it gets

Sound (7.4/10) – In the past year I’ve passed on reviewing most of the new earphones I’ve come across in the $30-and-under bracket simply because they don’t measure up in performance. I understand why, too – first, those shopping for an earphone in this price range likely won’t be audio enthusiasts. Second, every sub-$30 earphone boasts the same claims of “great bass” and/or “clear sound” regardless of actual performance. Combined with customers who simply don’t know good sound from “good” sound, this makes tuning earphones for better sound quality than the other guys a no-win proposition for manufacturers. To compete for shelf space against mainstream, high-volume products from the likes of Philips, Sony, and JVC, it makes more sense to focus on “tangible” things like packaging, features, and design, as well as various marketable gimmicks – Swarovski crystals, zipper cables, wooden housings, and so on.

The two earphones I’ve tried from Popclik, the Evolo and the String, do come in rather expensive-looking packaging and boast nice, well thought-out designs, but also don’t neglect performance, following a consumer-friendly “v-shaped” sound tuning that emphasizes the bass and treble. The Evolo is the more balanced of the two, but its bass quantity is still plentiful. It falls short of the Nuforce NE-600X, my basshead recommendation in this price range, but is greater compared to the Philips SHE3580, one of my typical recommendations for “v-shaped” sound. The bass of the Philips set is a little more linear and detailed while the Evolo has more of a conventional mid-bass emphasis. It’s a little light on texture, but not too bad, and easily recommendable as a more impactful alternative to the Philips.

The Evolo is on the whole more v-shaped than the SHE3580, as well as the warmer, more full-bodied Xiaomi Piston 2 and the newer, more balanced Piston 3. Midrange presence and clarity are not a strong suit but are sufficiently good for the price. Treble energy is good as well – similar to the SHE3580 in being energetic, but not excessive. The Evolo is not very tolerant of harshness, but I prefer this type of approach over the dull, rolled-off treble delivered by many other enhanced-bass sets in this price range. The presentation is alright as well – a little more forward and less spacious compared to the more balanced Piston 3, but pretty good compared to other in-ears with similar levels of bass boost.

Select Comparisons

Popclik String ($25)

The String and Evolo are similarly-priced and arguably differ more in form factor and design than they do in sound, with the Evolo being metal-shelled and outfitted with a flat cable and L-shaped plug, and the String being plastic with a conventional cable, angled nozzles, and an I-plug.

Both earphones follow v-shaped sound signatures, with elevated bass and treble providing a lively, energetic sort of sound. The pricier Evolo is a little more balanced on the whole, trading off some of the String’s extra bass for a flatter, marginally less v-shaped sound. The String offers stronger and slightly deeper bass, warmer tone, and more full-bodied sound. It has a bit more treble energy as well, but its highs are less forgiving and a touch more sibilance-prone. The brighter sound helps the String sound clearer than the Evolo despite the slightly more recessed mids, and the overall presentation is more dynamic and engaging. All in all, the combination of greater clarity and more bass offered by the String is very impressive, but the two Popclik earphones are close enough in performance that the design differences between them can be the deciding factor, and the Evolo certainly has the more refined design.

Brainwavz S0 ($45)

The S0 and Evolo are remarkably similar IEMs, from the size, shape, and fit of their housings to the metal construction and flat cables, right down to the flatter sound each earphone offers compared to its siblings (the S1 and S5 in the case of the S0, and the String in the case of the Evolo).

When compared to the S0, the Evolo follows a more v-shaped sound tuning with the bass quantity being the biggest difference. The Popclik unit offers significantly deeper and more powerful bass, making the Brainwavz sound a little gutless in comparison – not a huge surprise as bass really isn’t the S0’s strong suit. However, the Evolo also becomes muffled and congested more easily on bass-heavy tracks, giving the S0 a small edge in clarity.

Value (8/10) – Though based in Florida, Popclik was until recently focused largely on the Latin America market, which does not enjoy the variety of IEM options we have in the US, for marketing and sales. That may seem like a great excuse for mediocrity, but the performance and design of the Popclik IEMs are anything but.

The Evolo offers a conventionally “v-shaped” sound signature that offends with neither excessive bass emphasis nor overly bright and harsh treble. The design is quite handsome, too, and the overall package is much more refined than I expect to see at this price, from the fancy box to the compact and comfortable metal housings and two-tone flat cable. All in all, it is priced very well for a metal-shelled IEM with headset functionality and good sound.

Pros: Nice, giftable packaging; solid performance for the price; comfortable earpiece design
Cons: Mild driver flex; sound of less expensive String model has more “wow” factor

 

[imackler]

I went ahead and got the ATH-IM02, based on your recommendation. I was initially disappointed with the amount of hiss I had, both from my Sansa Clip+ and my E07K. Both have relatively low output impedance; the Clip is 1 and the E07K is .3. But today I tried it through my Magni 2 and the background was totally black; the output impedance is only .2. I've been really enjoying them. Fit, comfort and isolation are fantastic...and the sound is quite balanced. Cymbals seem a little too splashy, but that would be the only thing I've been able to express any complaint about so far. Except the hiss! 
 
Do you have any recommendations in the under $200 realm for portable amps or dac/amp combos (even daps) that are black with sensitive iems like the ATH-IM02? I thought the E07K would have been fine. At 32 ohms, I'm not sure why the ATH-IM02 is acting this way. 

 

[hitme987]

Hey joker! Good to see you still active from such a long time. Your last suggestion was spot on for me and truly loved the audiophile experience till date!

I am using a Vsonic GR07 Bass Edition as per your suggestion, though the bass is less for my liking, I add up +8db bass in my Fiio X3 player and the bass is perfect for my liking with so much amazing instrument separation and detailing (PS have a Fiio E11 amp to boost too but prefer x3 boost is good enough)
 
Recently my GR07 BE is starting to break, giving disturbance while twisting cable/headphone jack, looks like cable is deteriorating.
 
I would like to buy a new IEM with budget around 250$. So, what do you think would be a good upgrade to GR07 BE? I would love to have the same signature (added bass would be good too considering it doesn't impact other factors much). Or do you prefer me to buy another GR07 BE?
 
Shall I up my budget and go for Ultimate Ears 900S?

Thanks again and hats off to your contribution to the community.

Regards!

 

[peter123]

Hey joker! Good to see you still active from such a long time. Your last suggestion was spot on for me and truly loved the audiophile experience till date!


I am using a Vsonic GR07 Bass Edition as per your suggestion, though the bass is less for my liking, I add up +8db bass in my Fiio X3 player and the bass is perfect for my liking with so much amazing instrument separation and detailing (PS have a Fiio E11 amp to boost too but prefer x3 boost is good enough)

Recently my GR07 BE is starting to break, giving disturbance while twisting cable/headphone jack, looks like cable is deteriorating.

I would like to buy a new IEM with budget around 250$. So, what do you think would be a good upgrade to GR07 BE? I would love to have the same signature (added bass would be good too considering it doesn't impact other factors much). Or do you prefer me to buy another GR07 BE?

Shall I up my budget and go for Ultimate Ears 900S?


Thanks again and hats off to your contribution to the community.


Regards!

Funny thing, I was just listening to the BE's on the X3 when reading your post

I put the bass up to +8 and here's what I was thinking:

Although I'm certainty no |joker| I'd strongly suggest that you check out the LZ A2's. They sound exactly like what you're loking for just with even deeper sub-bass.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/786210/new-3-way-hybrid-ba-dd-iem-lz-a2-including-dd-a1

 

[ljokerl]

  I went ahead and got the ATH-IM02, based on your recommendation. I was initially disappointed with the amount of hiss I had, both from my Sansa Clip+ and my E07K. Both have relatively low output impedance; the Clip is 1 and the E07K is .3. But today I tried it through my Magni 2 and the background was totally black; the output impedance is only .2. I've been really enjoying them. Fit, comfort and isolation are fantastic...and the sound is quite balanced. Cymbals seem a little too splashy, but that would be the only thing I've been able to express any complaint about so far. Except the hiss! 
 
Do you have any recommendations in the under $200 realm for portable amps or dac/amp combos (even daps) that are black with sensitive iems like the ATH-IM02? I thought the E07K would have been fine. At 32 ohms, I'm not sure why the ATH-IM02 is acting this way. 

 
Hiss is not necessarily proportional to output impedance. My OPPO has a higher output impedance (around 1 Ohm I believe) and it's pretty silent. 
 
I don't have any audiophile DAPs or decent amps in the $200 range, unfortunately. Just some old Sansa and Cowon players. Maybe someone else can recommend something with a very low noise floor for sensitive BA in-ears. 
 

  Hey joker! Good to see you still active from such a long time. Your last suggestion was spot on for me and truly loved the audiophile experience till date!

I am using a Vsonic GR07 Bass Edition as per your suggestion, though the bass is less for my liking, I add up +8db bass in my Fiio X3 player and the bass is perfect for my liking with so much amazing instrument separation and detailing (PS have a Fiio E11 amp to boost too but prefer x3 boost is good enough)
 
Recently my GR07 BE is starting to break, giving disturbance while twisting cable/headphone jack, looks like cable is deteriorating.
 
I would like to buy a new IEM with budget around 250$. So, what do you think would be a good upgrade to GR07 BE? I would love to have the same signature (added bass would be good too considering it doesn't impact other factors much). Or do you prefer me to buy another GR07 BE?
 
Shall I up my budget and go for Ultimate Ears 900S?

Thanks again and hats off to your contribution to the community.

Regards!

 
The UE900 has less bass than a GR07 BE, so it doesn't seem to be what you're looking for. You don't really have a ton of options under $250 that will have at least as much bass as a GR07 BE and don't yield to the GR07s significantly in some other way. Sound is a cohesive thing, so adding bass is never "free" - it affects other aspects of the sound. The DUNU DN-1000 may be an option - I think aside from overall balance (mids are more recessed) and maybe soundstage width it doesn't have disadvantages vs the GR07 BE. It also has a little more bass (mostly sub-bass). Otherwise I'd just go for another GR07 BE.

 

[ozkan]

Hey joker! Good to see you still active from such a long time. Your last suggestion was spot on for me and truly loved the audiophile experience till date!


I am using a Vsonic GR07 Bass Edition as per your suggestion, though the bass is less for my liking, I add up +8db bass in my Fiio X3 player and the bass is perfect for my liking with so much amazing instrument separation and detailing (PS have a Fiio E11 amp to boost too but prefer x3 boost is good enough)

Recently my GR07 BE is starting to break, giving disturbance while twisting cable/headphone jack, looks like cable is deteriorating.

I would like to buy a new IEM with budget around 250$. So, what do you think would be a good upgrade to GR07 BE? I would love to have the same signature (added bass would be good too considering it doesn't impact other factors much). Or do you prefer me to buy another GR07 BE?

Shall I up my budget and go for Ultimate Ears 900S?


Thanks again and hats off to your contribution to the community.


Regards!

Audio Technica ATH-CKR9 may fit the bill.

 

[listen4joy]

hey ljokerl will you review the Dunu DN2000J?

 

[derrickmarvel]

Audio Technica ATH-CKR9 may fit the bill.

I've seen CKR9 being recommend a lot for those looking to replace their R07 and since I found one (used) for a good price, I'm contemplating of getting it. But from the looks of it, the fit might be finicky or stuff. Also, I prefer to wear it over the ear. What's your opinion about the fit / comfort?