[Raketen]

   
The DT990's treble is "too hot" for me. My amp really helps calm that down but lord, I can only listen to them for so long. The most "flat" headphone I've had the pleasure of listening to is the 009 but thats $5000 worth of glory and I won't ask for that lol.

Only heard the 990s a little- Q-Jays do have a bit of a treble peak (I think Brooko's review had a graph) but IIRC not so drastic, nor v-shaped as they have relatively full sounding mids and only maybe slghtly elevated bass- some people note sibilance I think depending on how they fit (prone to this w/ iems myself)- for me this is solved with the foam tips (includes medium comply set).

IMO it's a nice take on 'neutralish, but engaging'.

Ezekiel mentioned Earsonics which might not be a bad idea either-  I haven't heard the sm64 in particular but have used two others and they seem to have that kind of sound down- perhaps with some different emphases depending on the model (the pseudo-graphs on their website seems to be reasonably indicative for my current model at least).

ICYMI- Etymotics actually recently introduced two new ER4 models, including one with a small boost in bass... maybe those could be better for pop?

 

[B-Dawk20]

 

Only heard the 990s a little- Q-Jays do have a bit of a treble peak (I think Brooko's review had a graph) but IIRC not so drastic, nor v-shaped as they have relatively full sounding mids and only maybe slghtly elevated bass- some people note sibilance I think depending on how they fit (prone to this w/ iems myself)- for me this is solved with the foam tips (includes medium comply set).

IMO it's a nice take on 'neutralish, but engaging'.

Ezekiel mentioned Earsonics which might not be a bad idea either-  I haven't heard the sm64 in particular but have used two others and they seem to have that kind of sound down- perhaps with some different emphases depending on the model (the pseudo-graphs on their website seems to be reasonably indicative for my current model at least).

ICYMI- Etymotics actually recently introduced two new ER4 models, including one with a small boost in bass... maybe those could be better for pop?

 
I'm looking at the two new Etys specifically so far. They really do sound down my line. I don't necessarily need a bass boost but maybe my concern about is indicative of the fact that I should?  The neutralish but engaging seems like I'd like it, but I think I'm so obsessed with getting a neutral unforgiving sound as opposed to anything fun...though I have to be honest, I don't know what if I'll like it! It's just what I want I suppose.

 

[Raketen]

   
I'm looking at the two new Etys specifically so far. They really do sound down my line. I don't necessarily need a bass boost but maybe my concern about is indicative of the fact that I should?  The neutralish but engaging seems like I'd like it, but I think I'm so obsessed with getting a neutral unforgiving sound as opposed to anything fun...though I have to be honest, I don't know what if I'll like it! It's just what I want I suppose.

I think a somewhat forgiving sound can be advantageous with pop music since it encompases such a wide range of styles and mixing. Unfortunately I haven't used the ER4 so no idea where they stand with respect to my notions- there seem to be many different ways to view & approach neutrality (as exhibited by the different target curves and such). I like having a couple different options to choose from depending on my mood... the worst choice of all

ATH-IM02 maybe another option, in my memory a bit more detailed/analytical-ish than the Q-Jays while maintaining a certain degree of smoothness (though Q-jays seem to respond to EQ in that range the few times I've messed around w/ it), but more source picky (and an awkward fit for some).

Sony ex1000 (personal favorite IEM) possibly? It's a brighter/treble-leaning IEM with really well extended but non-enchanced bass... though I've never directly compared it with Q-Jays (or IM02 when I had those).

I haven't used these but along similar lines of discussion have seen Campfire Audio's Orion & Nova, ATH-E70 and Mee Pinnacle mentioned a fair amount lately.

 

[B-Dawk20]

 

I think a somewhat forgiving sound can be advantageous with pop music since it encompases such a wide range of styles and mixing. Unfortunately I haven't used the ER4 so no idea where they stand with respect to my notions- there seem to be many different ways to view & approach neutrality (as exhibited by the different target curves and such). I like having a couple different options to choose from depending on my mood... the worst choice of all

ATH-IM02 maybe another option, in my memory a bit more detailed/analytical-ish than the Q-Jays while maintaining a certain degree of smoothness (though Q-jays seem to respond to EQ in that range the few times I've messed around w/ it), but more source picky (and an awkward fit for some).

Sony ex1000 (personal favorite IEM) possibly? It's a brighter/treble-leaning IEM with really well extended but non-enchanced bass... though I've never directly compared it with Q-Jays (or IM02 when I had those).

I haven't used these but along similar lines of discussion have seen Campfire Audio's Orion & Nova, ATH-E70 and Mee Pinnacle mentioned a fair amount lately.

 
Definitely advantageous. I am a pop leaning listener and most of my headphones, well, I'll say all have a range of forgiveness to allow that type of music to not sound unappealing in a sense. That being said, in recognizing that none of my headphones do offer this, I do have a desire to go towards the least accommodating sound I can find because I want to explore that range of audio as a personal thing, more than trying to find something just for my enjoyment of the music. Maybe that sounds weird but it's my thought process currently. But anyway, thank you for all your help and the recommendations you have given.

 

[ezekiel77]

   
Definitely advantageous. I am a pop leaning listener and most of my headphones, well, I'll say all have a range of forgiveness to allow that type of music to not sound unappealing in a sense. That being said, in recognizing that none of my headphones do offer this, I do have a desire to go towards the least accommodating sound I can find because I want to explore that range of audio as a personal thing, more than trying to find something just for my enjoyment of the music. Maybe that sounds weird but it's my thought process currently. But anyway, thank you for all your help and the recommendations you have given.

 
I can only think of the UERM/UERR as "ruler flat" but I have a few friends that enjoy them immensely. It's custom-only, but I've also been considering one as a "palette cleanser".
 
Otherwise, as Raketen has said, the EX1000 (or its cheaper little brother EX800ST) should do fine as well. Very popular stage/studio monitors in Japan.

 

[B-Dawk20]

Ended up buying the ER4S. I hope I like it!

 

[vipervick]

Ended up buying the ER4S. I hope I like it!

I have the ER MK5, but find them anemic without some gain, EQ and bass boost. However, the isolation is awesome. I ride a motorcycle an hour each way to/from work and the experience is quite good. This is for extreme metal though. 

 

[Trying2Learn]

Generally, what does higher gain to do the sound aside from higher amplitude?

 

[headdict]

Generally, what does higher gain to do the sound aside from higher amplitude?

Higher noise floor? This is certainly of no concern when listening to extreme metal on a motorcycle. 

 
Some amps have variable output impedance depending on the gain setting. That may affect the sound with (relatively) low impedance IEMs.

 

[Trying2Learn]

Higher noise floor? This is certainly of no concern when listening to extreme metal on a motorcycle. 

Some amps have variable output impedance depending on the gain setting. That may affect the sound with (relatively) low impedance IEMs.

Higher amplitude refers to higher volume

 

[headdict]

Higher amplitude refers to higher volume

Sure. What I meant to say is that a higher noise floor may contribute to a slightly different perception of how IEMs (or whatever) sound. This is the main reason why I would never use a higher gain than necessary. But then, for the additional noise to be audible, you would have to use a rather sensitive IEM with high-dynamic music in a silent environment. So that would certainly not be the use case vipervick described.
 
In a nutshell higher gain means higher amplitude. Any side effects on the sound are most of the time either inaudible or detrimental.

 

[B-Dawk20]

I have the ER MK5, but find them anemic without some gain, EQ and bass boost. However, the isolation is awesome. I ride a motorcycle an hour each way to/from work and the experience is quite good. This is for extreme metal though. 

I actually returned them. The sound was indeed really anemic. It worked for very particular songs but overall it wasn't pleasurable. They also gave me a headache because of the deep insertion I think. I'm not sure where to go from here. I might just go for a more full bodied IEM like the Dunu 2000

 

[dakanao]

I actually returned them. The sound was indeed really anemic. It worked for very particular songs but overall it wasn't pleasurable. They also gave me a headache because of the deep insertion I think. I'm not sure where to go from here. I might just go for a more full bodied IEM like the Dunu 2000

I can recommend the Aurisons rockets with Comply T-500 tips placed in reverse

 

[vaed]

Hello |joker|!
 
I'm looking at my first CIEM, around ~$500. I've fallen in love with the clarity of my Brainwavz B2's, but also the fun of my Vsonic GR07's. Ergo, I value clarity across the spectrum with a mild v-shape for a bit of excitement. Reading through your CIEM reviews, it seems like Alclair Reference ticks many of these boxes. Would you have any other recommendations I should consider (willing to up my budget if it's worth it!)?

 

[infer]

 

I actually returned them. The sound was indeed really anemic. It worked for very particular songs but overall it wasn't pleasurable. They also gave me a headache because of the deep insertion I think. I'm not sure where to go from here. I might just go for a more full bodied IEM like the Dunu 2000

I can recommend the Aurisons rockets with Comply T-500 tips placed in reverse

T-400 should work better (I have them both). It has thinner plastic barrel material and a bigger diameter hole. The Rockets bore is large and you may also get more open sound.