DougofTheAbaci
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2007
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I'm in the market for a new CIEM but I'm a little out of the loop on who's got the best offerings these days. I was hoping the good people in the Head-Fi community could recommend a CIEM to fit my needs.
In general I like a more natural sounding headphone. I like good bass but only when it was intended to be there. Clarity and sound stage are very important to me as well. I'd also be more interested in focusing on something that's less fatiguing as I'll be wearing these at work and on the go, so that's hours of listening every day. In terms of music, I listen to just about everything. Mostly variations of rock, jazz, and classical (mostly in the form of movie scores) but I have a lot of random stuff in my music collection so whatever I end up with has to be a bit of an all-rounder.
And while it might seem rather silly I'd also prefer buying from an American company. Mostly this is due to the added cost of import fees and the annoyance of having to deal with international shipping any time something goes wrong.
As for headphones that others might know to get an idea of my ideal sound signature, I currently own some Hifiman HE-500's and Audeze LDC-2's. I bounce back and forth between them at home, depending on whether I want something that's a bit less fatiguing but still really fun sound of the LCD-2's or if I want that amazing clarity and super wide sound stage of the HE-500's. I think the closest I've ever gotten to my perfect sound signature was a pair of JH Audio JH13 Pro's I used to own.
A couple headphones I'm currently considering:
JH Audio 13 Pro v2: A tad more than I'd want to spend but it's predecessor was borderline perfect to my ears. However, that new cable makes me nervous. It looks bigger than the standard cable (which tends to be a problem for me ergonomically) and a non-standard cable means I'm stuck with the stock one since no one seems to offer a third-party option.
Noble Django or Savanna: I don't know much about these two but I currently have a pair of Noble Savants (universals) that I quite like. Honestly, my biggest complaint about the universals is comfort compared to customs.
Empire Ears Spartan: A company I don't know much about but this sounds like a pretty neutral sound signature and in my intended price range.
Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered: I've heard great things but I'll be honest, the lack of customization on the design makes me a little fussy. Granted all I want is a solid piano black CIEM but I can't even get that option!
Any other CIEMs I haven't listed and should take a look at? 64 Audio was on my list but I know very little about them and they don't seem to be a very commonly recommended company. As I said I'm looking to stick in the $1,000 range (no matter now sexy those Noble Prestige models look).
In general I like a more natural sounding headphone. I like good bass but only when it was intended to be there. Clarity and sound stage are very important to me as well. I'd also be more interested in focusing on something that's less fatiguing as I'll be wearing these at work and on the go, so that's hours of listening every day. In terms of music, I listen to just about everything. Mostly variations of rock, jazz, and classical (mostly in the form of movie scores) but I have a lot of random stuff in my music collection so whatever I end up with has to be a bit of an all-rounder.
And while it might seem rather silly I'd also prefer buying from an American company. Mostly this is due to the added cost of import fees and the annoyance of having to deal with international shipping any time something goes wrong.
As for headphones that others might know to get an idea of my ideal sound signature, I currently own some Hifiman HE-500's and Audeze LDC-2's. I bounce back and forth between them at home, depending on whether I want something that's a bit less fatiguing but still really fun sound of the LCD-2's or if I want that amazing clarity and super wide sound stage of the HE-500's. I think the closest I've ever gotten to my perfect sound signature was a pair of JH Audio JH13 Pro's I used to own.
A couple headphones I'm currently considering:
JH Audio 13 Pro v2: A tad more than I'd want to spend but it's predecessor was borderline perfect to my ears. However, that new cable makes me nervous. It looks bigger than the standard cable (which tends to be a problem for me ergonomically) and a non-standard cable means I'm stuck with the stock one since no one seems to offer a third-party option.
Noble Django or Savanna: I don't know much about these two but I currently have a pair of Noble Savants (universals) that I quite like. Honestly, my biggest complaint about the universals is comfort compared to customs.
Empire Ears Spartan: A company I don't know much about but this sounds like a pretty neutral sound signature and in my intended price range.
Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered: I've heard great things but I'll be honest, the lack of customization on the design makes me a little fussy. Granted all I want is a solid piano black CIEM but I can't even get that option!
Any other CIEMs I haven't listed and should take a look at? 64 Audio was on my list but I know very little about them and they don't seem to be a very commonly recommended company. As I said I'm looking to stick in the $1,000 range (no matter now sexy those Noble Prestige models look).