Must spend ~$60 before August 30th - Need advice on the best IEMs at that price point!

[keithbassett]

I am a newbie and have an interesting/great problem that you guys might be able to help me solve.
 
I have a fund of money as a job perk to spend on technology or lose.  The twist is that I MUST spend the money by August 30th, or lose it.
 
I have just under $60 left to spend and want to buy a good pair of IEMs for commuting on the bus (NOISY) and for general listening.  My wife will kill me if I spend more than that, but there has to be something in that price range that is worth it. 
 
I was interested in the altec lansing uhp336 because I heard that it had a flat response, and have also heard that the ThinkSound Rains are pretty good but don't isolate very well.  I listen to a wide range of music, but sound isolation is a priority.  I am willing to switch out ear pads to the comply foam ones, etc...
 
Spend my money for me!  What would you buy if you had to spend $60 today?
 
All advice is appreciated!
 
Keith

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Maximo iM-590? Are you OK with used? You might be able to snag a pair of RE-0s.

 

[keithbassett]

Normally I would be all over used, but I have to submit a receipt to claim the money...  So I am kind of stuck with sites that will provide me with a receipt that I can print for Finance.
 
If I could get a decent receipt, I would buy used.
 
The money is an awesome job perk, but I just realized today that I had money left and the fiscal year is over on monday.  It was either IEMs or money on the bus pass.
 
No choice really...  

 
Keith

 

[cRodz]

:O
are you dense?
obviously, Get the Bus Pass!!!
 
That way you dont have to find loose change on the house or even hope that your jeans that you used yesterday have enough change for the pass!

 

[keithbassett]

CRodz
 
How did my wife find you and get you to say that!
 
I have a couple of hundred dollars on the pass already, it would be a crying shame to add more money at this point...
 

 

[xtasi]

This nice guy has a list of 100 IEMs he has reviewed from different price ranges.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-100-iems-compared-westone-um3x-turbine-pro-copper-added-08-18#post_6492048
 
That link goes to the part with IEMs from $30-$60.

 

[keithbassett]

Beautiful!
 
Opinions from members on these IEMS?  
 
Sounds like I should seriously consider the Brainwavz M2s, people on the forums seem to dig them.
 
Are the re0s really as awesome as they say?
 
Keith

 

[violinvirtuoso]

In my opinion, the RE0 is by far the best IEM under $100. It can compete with stuff much higher up the food chain.

 

[ljokerl]

Brainwavz M2/ViSang R03 or Xears TD100 would be my pick within a $60 confine.

 

[keithbassett]

Joker,
 
You are awesome.  Your work on the IEM guide is great, and I totally relied on it along with the good advice from the other forum posters.
 
I was wavering on the M2, but I went for it.  At $49.99 on mp4nation, it was too good to pass up.  I know the shipping waits are touch and go with mp4nation, but I will try to remain patient.
 
Now I can pick up a Fiio e3 with the extra few dollars...  I am on a second generation ipod Nano, so it should help the sound.
 
Thanks everybody!  Now I just need to listen for a while and see where it takes me.  Maybe next year I will be building my own cmoy's and buying some fancy Grados...  I get the feeling this could become addictive!
 
Keith

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Joker,
 
You are awesome.  Your work on the IEM guide is great, and I totally relied on it along with the good advice from the other forum posters.
 
I was wavering on the M2, but I went for it.  At $49.99 on mp4nation, it was too good to pass up.  I know the shipping waits are touch and go with mp4nation, but I will try to remain patient.
 
Now I can pick up a Fiio e3 with the extra few dollars...  I am on a second generation ipod Nano, so it should help the sound.
 
Thanks everybody!  Now I just need to listen for a while and see where it takes me.  Maybe next year I will be building my own cmoy's and buying some fancy Grados...  I get the feeling this could become addictive!
 
Keith

Thanks, glad the thread was useful. Oh and forget the E3 - I know it's dirt cheap but there's a reason for that. It's poorly shielded and you'll probably get sick of it and toss it aside in a few days/weeks. The R03 don't need an amp unless you're also adding impedance to them and that's probably more than you want to spend at this point.