[onilink3089]

Hey, I am in the market for a new pair of IEMs, because my ER6i's were stolen from me this summer. I got those last year around blackfriday, and have not been in the market for new earphones since then so I am pretty out of the loop as far as whats the latest and greatest right now. After reading a few threads here and going over the huge multi-iem review thread, I think I've narrowed my choices down to either the RE0s at $80, or the Visang RO3/M2 at $50. I also see that the monster tribunes are on sale for 90 right now, but have not read into that yet. Basically my top budget would be 80-90 and I could push up to $100 if it was REALLY worth it. I got my ER6is for $50 on amazon last time and was satisfied with those for quite a while.
 
As far as what I'm looking for, in terms of design I do want something durable and whose wires wont start to rip or peel off. I hate when headphone wires start coming off exposing the bare wire, happened to my Sony fontopias too many times back in the day. And also something where the IEMs wont die out within a year, atleast last 3 years for me, and I take decent care of them.
 
Also want something comfortable, and that if I fall asleep with, it would be safe and not damage them if i was to lay on my side against one ear.
 
As far as music, I listen to a variety of types, but I guess the majority of the music I listen to is Indie Rock, and Indie Hip-hop. So although its hip-hop its not bass heavy(no mainstream rap) but more melodic and with lots of harmonies and piano. Also listen to classical, singer songwriter, and instrumental. Example albums/artist would be Radiohead (OK Computer) as for the rock side, to Sigur Ros/Enya/Tori Amos, to Cunninlynguists/Grieves to the hip-hop side. PRETTY MUCH they are different genres of music but have similar qualities so I think I can find a set of IEMS which will bring the best out of all of them.
 
So thats basically what I'm looking for, from what I've read I was lead to the RE0 and M2s, but I only researched for a couple hours and I might of missed something better for the type of music I enjoy. ALSO, not pairing with any amps/daps probably, atleast not for a long time. My source would be my iAudio X5, and im waiting for the X7 (if it ever releases) or something similar. EDIT: Prolly going to get the Sansa Clip +
 
Thanks!!

 

[Endless]

The level of clarity on the RE0's is amazing. It surpasses even my triple fi 10's in terms of clarity. The RE0's would be a god send with pianos, classical, vocals, and instrumentals. The bass isn't as bad as most people say; I listen to mainstream R&B, and I thought that the RE0's do a great job at emulating vocals. It's a great bang for the buck, and I would highly suggest you get them. They lasted through a washing machine, sleepless nights tossing and turning on pillows, and numerous drops onto the concrete. Very, very durable. 
 
Good luck!

 

[MightyFine Shindig]

If you liked your er6i's, then the Re0's will be perfect for you as their sound sigs were quite similar to me when i listened to them side by side; I preferred the Re0's much much more though

 

[onilink3089]

Thanks guys, Ill think about it and probably order a set this week.
 
Any other input is appreciated!

 

[Dev Avidon]

Another vote for the RE0, though I really do think if you're willing to spend the extra 20 that the RE-ZEROs are a worthy upgrade; easier to drive, better bass, and all of the goodness of the RE0 still intact (and I do own both).  Either way though, you're going to get a tremendous in ear.

 

[violinvirtuoso]

I would check this out:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-100-iems-compared-westone-um3x-turbine-pro-copper-added-08-18
 
If you want to learn more, you could try talking to ljokerl.

 

[mvw2]

AT $50, the Cyclone PR1 Pro seems like a major choice.  I have not listened to a pair personally, so I can't go into details.  Going through Joker's review thread though, they will be one of the value leaders that sit at your $50 price point.
 
The RE0 would seem like an obvious choice, but it is also a choice that really requires being supported by an amp.  You can get something like the FiiO E5 pretty cheap and help, but a number of people who have used them with more powerful amps do suggest that they almost require a pretty powerful amp to get the effortless and dynamic presentation that you will probably want to seek.  These powerful amps don't come cheap at all.  This instead makes the RE-ZERO a more attractive choice for a person who doesn't want to also invest in a good amp at several hundred dollars.
 
Other obvious suggestions include Fisher Eterna and Silver Bullet.  I'd also include the Xears TD100 and Hippo VB as high performing budget options that also float between the $50 and $100 range.
 
For $100 though, I make a single suggestion: Klipsch Custom 3.  This is an earphone that got little praise until recently and unfortunately after Klipsch decided to discontinue the earphone (despite being better than their X10 which they kept in production).  It's the only Custom model worth buying from Klipsch and maybe why so few bothered to try them.  The Custom 1 and Custom 2 are apparently pretty bad sounding.  The Custom 3 now goes for as low as $99 new on eBay and represents, at least in my opinion, one of the best bang for the buck earphones out there.  It's a rather sizable jump in performance over most everything else around its price point and pretty much only a half step down most of the top tier IEMs out there and at just 1/3 to 1/4 the price tag.
 
One other I'd suggest looking into is the Radius HP-TWF-11R Pro DDM, mostly called the Radius DDM around here.  There apparently is an oem version available that doesn't come with accessories that sits at the $99 price point.  This is another extremely high performing earphone that can be had at the $100 price limit.  This is another earphone that I have not yet used, so I can't comment specifically about how they sound in relation to other options.
 
I've used the RE0, RE-ZERO, Eterna v1, and Custom 3.  Out of this group that I have personally used, I most favor the Custom 3 and view it as the better option if you're willing to step to $100.

 

[onilink3089]

^^ Thank you, I must look into all of those now lol.
 
Also if it helps any, I think i've decided to get the Sansa Clip+ and rockboxing it to use with whatever new IEM's I get. My x5 is in bad shape and I want something really portable so the clip+ is probably going to be it.
 
So any comparisons with any of the IEMS paired directly to a clip+ rb'd will help!

 

[onilink3089]

After spending all day reading, I went ahead and ordered the RE0s from amazon, along with the clip+ 8gb, all for $140. =)
 
Hears hoping I will be set on my portable audio for a while !