[winkyeye]

Hey joker, I'm coming from a really old pair of Westone 3s and I'm looking to get something new before the cables break. I'm currently debating between the Earsonic SM2 v2 and the Rockit Sound R-50. I know these have pretty different sound signature but I was wondering if I'm coming from the W3, will I find the R-50 to be extremely thin? Also how does the SM2 compare with the W3? Will the SM2 be worth the extra 100$ over the R-50?
 
Thanks!

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Hey joker, I'm coming from a really old pair of Westone 3s and I'm looking to get something new before the cables break. I'm currently debating between the Earsonic SM2 v2 and the Rockit Sound R-50. I know these have pretty different sound signature but I was wondering if I'm coming from the W3, will I find the R-50 to be extremely thin? Also how does the SM2 compare with the W3? Will the SM2 be worth the extra 100$ over the R-50?
 
Thanks!

 
Both are very different from the W3. The W3 is actually not a very thick-sounding earphone overall, but it's got a lot of bass. With the R-50 you'll notice a big drop in bass quantity. Punch, slam, whatever you want to call it - the impact with the R-50 just won't be the same. The mids will be more forward as well, which is a good thing in my view. 
 
The SM2 is very very smooth and quite laid-back up top. If anything, it's thicker-sounding than the W3 in the midrange. Bass quantity will be closer to the W3 than R-50 and the mids will still be very prominent but you'll lose much of the top-end energy of the other two. Whether that's good or bad depends on what you're looking for. 

 

[Love Music]

Quote:

 
Not Joker, but that's pretty much my desired sound signature too. Try the SM3 or UM3X, they're both well-regarded for mids. If you're on more of a budget, the RE262.

 
Quote:

 
I guess the CK100 could be a contender if you like vocal-centric. Other options - UM3X, SM2/SM3, Shure SE530/535. These tend to have more bass than the CK100 and less bright treble. 
 

 
Thanks. I'll look into those too.

 

[Moby1]

Hi joker,
After damaging my eph100 it is that time to upgrade again, about a year ago I picked up a acs t15 thanks to your helpful thread, unfortunantly I misplaced them after moving out, while the eph100 was nice I always felt the t15 was a level above, what would you recommend as the next step from the t15, something with a balanced sound and bigger sound stage is my preference? Any advice would be greatly appreciated from anyone

 

[lilboozy]

philips she3580 vs brainwavz m1

 

[winkyeye]

Quote:

 
Both are very different from the W3. The W3 is actually not a very thick-sounding earphone overall, but it's got a lot of bass. With the R-50 you'll notice a big drop in bass quantity. Punch, slam, whatever you want to call it - the impact with the R-50 just won't be the same. The mids will be more forward as well, which is a good thing in my view. 
 
The SM2 is very very smooth and quite laid-back up top. If anything, it's thicker-sounding than the W3 in the midrange. Bass quantity will be closer to the W3 than R-50 and the mids will still be very prominent but you'll lose much of the top-end energy of the other two. Whether that's good or bad depends on what you're looking for. 

 
Ah thanks for your response. Do you have any other recommendations for non-custom alternatives to the Westone 3 (preferably with good isolation)?

 

[Johnny Jumper]

I really like my SHE3590s (same as the 3580s from what I've read).  I'm giving them as presents to some of my work buddies.  Never listened to the brainwavz so I can't compare...
 
JJ

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Hi joker,
After damaging my eph100 it is that time to upgrade again, about a year ago I picked up a acs t15 thanks to your helpful thread, unfortunantly I misplaced them after moving out, while the eph100 was nice I always felt the t15 was a level above, what would you recommend as the next step from the t15, something with a balanced sound and bigger sound stage is my preference? Any advice would be greatly appreciated from anyone

 
The RE272 would probably be my top pick for what you seem to be after. The Ety ER4S or Ortofon e-Q5 would be some other options around that price and the Vsonic GR01 and Rock-It R-50 at a lower price. If you're willing to go custom you'd probably also like the ClearTuneMonitors CTM-200 at ~$350. 
 
Quote:

philips she3580 vs brainwavz m1

 
What sound signature are you looking for?
 
Quote:

 
Ah thanks for your response. Do you have any other recommendations for non-custom alternatives to the Westone 3 (preferably with good isolation)?

Really depends on what characteristics of the W3 you are looking to retain, what you want to improve on, and what you'd be willing to give up. The PFE232 comes to mind as a somewhat v-shaped earphone with fewer overall tradeoffs compared to the W3. The VSonic GR07 is a good budget alternative with a flatter response. 

 

[djvkool]

Joker -- (or anyone else who have heard all 3)
 
I am interested in pulling the trigger on XBA-3, as price here locally in Australia is cheap as they are being phased out and replaced by the XBA30 - can you help and advise the sound of XBA-3 in comparison to Westone3 and TF10?

 

[AznInvasion138]

Hey there joker, so I'm looking to give a mid tier IEM to a family member for the holidays. Price range $100-200. Sound signature looking for a great all arounder with maybe a little more emphasis on bass. Will be listening to mostly hip hop, r&b, trance, alternative rock, and acoustic music. Some of the options I was looking at were the Yamaha EPH-100, Vsonic GR07, RE262, JVC FXT90, Rock It R50, Hippo VB, JVC FXD80, Future Sonic MG7 Pro, and TDK BA2000. I know its a lot but just wondering if you can help narrow the list down. Thanks!

 

[suman134]

Quote:

Joker -- (or anyone else who have heard all 3)
 
I am interested in pulling the trigger on XBA-3, as price here locally in Australia is cheap as they are being phased out and replaced by the XBA30 - can you help and advise the sound of XBA-3 in comparison to Westone3 and TF10?

wait for the xba30 , xba-3 has J cord and xba30 has Y cord . i have tried the tf10 and i would not say that xba-3 beats the tf10 , but has a bit better highs , mids are a bit lean and bass has lesser impact . if i were you , i would have gone for tf10 any day , not for anything but for its beautiful presentation , softer and solid bass , yes it has some mid bass hump but not bothering at all .

 

[Click]

Quote:

Joker -- (or anyone else who have heard all 3)
 
I am interested in pulling the trigger on XBA-3, as price here locally in Australia is cheap as they are being phased out and replaced by the XBA30 - can you help and advise the sound of XBA-3 in comparison to Westone3 and TF10?

 
I'm a newbie here, but I don't believe Joker has listened to the XBA-3. He has reviewed the XBA-4, but it was loaned to him. There's a XBA-3 appreciation thread where you may find some more info on the IEM: http://www.head-fi.org/t/633755/xba-3-overlooked-the-appreciation-thread
 
Groupon currently has a sale on the XBA-3iP for $130. Not sure if they ship to Aussie-land though. 
 
BTW, I just want to say how much I appreciate Joker and this thread. I've been a long-time lurker on Head-Fi and this thread has helped me a lot in determining the quality of IEMs. Truly a valuable resource!

 

[czqdtc]

After trying all the good IEMs out there, including JH13, ES5, even togo 334. I still can't find something that represent the W4R signature but with improvements overall.
JH13 almost did the job there but the vocal is too thin and too transparent, lack the solid imaging of the voice.
ES5 doesn't have the fluffy highs up top, actually I think they don't extend as well as the W4.
334 is amazing but there is a hotspot in the treble that annoys me sometimes and the bass is a bit loose for my taste.
 
Jesus, I really don't know what to do now. How about the 1964 V6? Does this one has the magical mids of W4?
How about... maybe the fitear MH335?
Or, does it mean W4 is the ideal/perfect IEM for me ?

 

[DPCyric]

Hi Joker,
 
I listen to a lot of a bass heavy industrial music (KMFDM mainly) but I also like some very elaborate metal as well (Tristania, Dream Theater, Therion) with a little bit of pop as well (Depeche Mode is the big one here). I plan on getting a set of Velodyne vPulse's for every day listening but for higher end at home listening I havent decided on what to get. The Monster Miles Davis Tribute I am interested in thanks to your review but they are pretty hard to find now. I am fairly picky about design and the Tributes look nice (as do the MTPC, trumpets and the vPulse) and I am also concerned that if I pick them up I will still need something better suited for the metal I like. Would it serve me well to track down a pair of Tributes if I want something that blows my brains out listening to KMFDM and maybe a pair of MTPC for the metal where I don't want as much bass? Should I look into a more analytical pair of IEMS for my metal? If so what do you think would be great and also fit my tastes look wise?

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Joker -- (or anyone else who have heard all 3)
 
I am interested in pulling the trigger on XBA-3, as price here locally in Australia is cheap as they are being phased out and replaced by the XBA30 - can you help and advise the sound of XBA-3 in comparison to Westone3 and TF10?

 
I haven't listened to the XBA-3
 
Quote:

Hey there joker, so I'm looking to give a mid tier IEM to a family member for the holidays. Price range $100-200. Sound signature looking for a great all arounder with maybe a little more emphasis on bass. Will be listening to mostly hip hop, r&b, trance, alternative rock, and acoustic music. Some of the options I was looking at were the Yamaha EPH-100, Vsonic GR07, RE262, JVC FXT90, Rock It R50, Hippo VB, JVC FXD80, Future Sonic MG7 Pro, and TDK BA2000. I know its a lot but just wondering if you can help narrow the list down. Thanks!

 
If you want a bump in the bass, you probably don't want the RE262 or R-50. While perhaps not completely flat, they do not have emphasized bass. The rest are all solid options depending on the requirements (except the BA200, can't say anything about that as I haven't heard it yet). I personally think the EPH-100 or FXT90 would maybe have more of a "wow factor" for the casual listener.
 
 
 
Quote:

 
BTW, I just want to say how much I appreciate Joker and this thread. I've been a long-time lurker on Head-Fi and this thread has helped me a lot in determining the quality of IEMs. Truly a valuable resource!

 

 
 
 
Quote:

does it mean W4 is the ideal/perfect IEM for me ?

 
Sure sounds that way.
 
Quote:

Hi Joker,
 
I listen to a lot of a bass heavy industrial music (KMFDM mainly) but I also like some very elaborate metal as well (Tristania, Dream Theater, Therion) with a little bit of pop as well (Depeche Mode is the big one here). I plan on getting a set of Velodyne vPulse's for every day listening but for higher end at home listening I havent decided on what to get. The Monster Miles Davis Tribute I am interested in thanks to your review but they are pretty hard to find now. I am fairly picky about design and the Tributes look nice (as do the MTPC, trumpets and the vPulse) and I am also concerned that if I pick them up I will still need something better suited for the metal I like. Would it serve me well to track down a pair of Tributes if I want something that blows my brains out listening to KMFDM and maybe a pair of MTPC for the metal where I don't want as much bass? Should I look into a more analytical pair of IEMS for my metal? If so what do you think would be great and also fit my tastes look wise?

You're probably better off getting the vPulses, spending some time with them, and seeing where you want to go from there. Doesn't seem like you know what type of sound you are after at this point and there's a number of options available to you. It might take trying the vPulse and a few other sets in order to get your sound signature bearings. I would definitely advise against getting both the Tributes and Coppers - they sound different, but probably not enough to warrant owning both.