[DWells55]

Hey, everyone, I recently had my Sennheiser CX-300 headphones stolen and am looking for a new set of IEMs to take their place. I've become very adjusted to the isolation and fit of IEMs over the four years or so I had the Sennheisers, so I think I'll stick with IEMs as my choice of portable headphones. I plan on using them primarily with an iPhone 3GS (EQ turned off) and will be listening mostly to hard rock, metalcore, and metal, with some classic rock, acoustic, and classical. My music is MP3 encoded for the sake of saving space, mostly at V0 or V2 settings, so around 220ish VBR. Not FLAC, but pretty decent for my ears.

So, I've got a budget of about $50 to spend and am unsure on what IEMs to spend it on. So far I've considered the following:
$29 - Head-Direct RE2
$50 - Ultimate Ears SuperFi 4
$29 - Altec Lansing UHP606 (supposedly rebranded UE SuperFi 4)
$40 - Woodees IESW101B
$45 - Maximo iM-590

I've come to this list after an hour or two of research and haven't been able to pick one - lots of conflicting info as to which is the best buy. I'm concerned mostly with sound quality and couldn't care less about style or accessories. Anyways, any opinions/guidance would be greatly appreciated so I can get back to listening to music. Thanks.

 

[muxenle]

I have the Im-590, listening to similar music as you, and I really like them. I don't have them in my ears right now so I can't say anything specific right now, but there are a couple of good reviews of them floating around.

and even though you don't care about accessories, the Im-590 comes with a nice case (important) and several other nice little add-ins, one being the extension cable.

Out of curiosity/slightly related-- what metal bands do you mainly listen to?

 

[semisight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWells55 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey, everyone, I recently had my Sennheiser CX-300 headphones stolen and am looking for a new set of IEMs to take their place. I've become very adjusted to the isolation and fit of IEMs over the four years or so I had the Sennheisers, so I think I'll stick with IEMs as my choice of portable headphones. I plan on using them primarily with an iPhone 3GS (EQ turned off) and will be listening mostly to hard rock, metalcore, and metal, with some classic rock, acoustic, and classical. My music is MP3 encoded for the sake of saving space, mostly at V0 or V2 settings, so around 220ish VBR. Not FLAC, but pretty decent for my ears. So, I've got a budget of about $50 to spend and am unsure on what IEMs to spend it on. So far I've considered the following: $29 - Head-Direct RE2 $50 - Ultimate Ears SuperFi 4 $29 - Altec Lansing UHP606 (supposedly rebranded UE SuperFi 4) $40 - Woodees IESW101B $45 - Maximo iM-590

You can knock the RE2 right off that list, for starters. It's an open design, so the isolation is sub-par.

I would suggest the iM-590 because that seems to be a common favorite for metal lovers. However, seeing as you're coming from the CX300 it may not have enough bass for you, and the sound signature will be very different. The Nuforce Ne-6 ($40 - and it's headset counterpart the Ne-7m) has gotten some rave reviews around here, compared to phones 3x as much, with a bassier signature more like what you're used to.

Anything above 200 or so kbps is fine. Your ears won't be able to hear the difference between that and lossless even on the best of the best equipment unless you're trained on what to look for. I've only ever heard slight compression on a 192 kbps track and it was badly encoded.

 

[DWells55]

Quote:

Originally Posted by muxenle /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the Im-590, listening to similar music as you, and I really like them. I don't have them in my ears right now so I can't say anything specific right now, but there are a couple of good reviews of them floating around. and even though you don't care about accessories, the Im-590 comes with a nice case (important) and several other nice little add-ins, one being the extension cable. Out of curiosity/slightly related-- what metal bands do you mainly listen to?

Good to hear from someone who owns them and listens to the same genres. I suppose a case wouldn't be a bad thing to have, either, since I tend to keep my IEMs in my backpack along with pens and such.

As for metal, right now I'm listening primarily to DevilDriver, Behemoth, Lamb of God, Pantera, and Metallica. A good deal of older heavy metal too, mostly Judas Priest and Motorhead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by semisight /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can knock the RE2 right off that list, for starters. It's an open design, so the isolation is sub-par. I would suggest the iM-590 because that seems to be a common favorite for metal lovers. However, seeing as you're coming from the CX300 it may not have enough bass for you, and the sound signature will be very different. The Nuforce Ne-6 ($40 - and it's headset counterpart the Ne-7m) has gotten some rave reviews around here, compared to phones 3x as much, with a bassier signature more like what you're used to. Anything above 200 or so kbps is fine. Your ears won't be able to hear the difference between that and lossless even on the best of the best equipment unless you're trained on what to look for. I've only ever heard slight compression on a 192 kbps track and it was badly encoded.

Two for the iM-590s so far. As for the CX-300s, I did like the bass, but at the same time it seemed to be a bit overpowering at times - I felt like the sound was a little muddy and I might be losing some of the finer details. Unfortunately I can't think of a single audio store around me, so I've got no way of trying out different types of IEMs. Everyone I know uses stock iPod headphones with 128kbps radio rips and transcodes and tell me I'm crazy to have spent $60 on my Sennheisers, so trying out friends' equipment is out of the question as well.

I just did some research on those Nuforce IEMs you recommended and what I'm reading so far seems overwhelmingly positive. The $40 price tag is pretty nice as well. Those are definitely at the top of my considerations now.


Thanks to both of you for the feedback so far. You've definitely helped give me some focus.

 

[mythless]

The nuforce is pretty good, the NE-6, is warm, laid back, but it still have good bass, detail and clarity. It has very good isolation (especially with the right tips), and it is slightly more bass focused but I find them quite enjoyable and fun IEM.

 

[ljokerl]

The Nuforces are basically your CX300s all grown up. Similar balance but none of that muddy bass or mid-range bleed. Great option if you liked the balance of the Senns but hated the crappy bass control. I personally think the Maximos are technically superior but they have a flatter response that you may not be used to. I would knock the RE2s of your list not because of the isolation (CX300s don't exactly shine in isolation either) but because you will be shocked by the lack of low-end impact. Meelec M6 might be another one to consider if you like to wear your IEMs over-the-ear.

 

[mglak51jk]

Make it three for the IM-590's. You should know however, that upon first listen I was very
disappointed,but after about two weeks of burn in the bass kicked in and I really warmed up to them. I use them with SONY hybrid tips and the isolation is really good (and I live in NYC). They will not blow your mind with bass, but they will give you a good overall balanced presentation.

 

[najames]

First, I don't listen to hard rock, metalcore, and metal. I don't like excessive bass and I'm also a noob to IEMs.

I found out my wife's ancient "free" earbuds were basically dead, but she was still using them anyway, so I tossed them in the trash, and started reading here. Within the last month, I've bought Marshmallows, MEElectonics AI-M9 and M6, finally got my IM-590s from Amazon. When I first read joker's big review, I thought "yeah right, how can a person review that many earphones and keep them straight, much less give accurate ratings". I must admit that when using joker's recommended tips, the reviews are very accurate.

The only thing I can add is that I find sound varies dramatically with the tips. I find the Sony Hybrids comfy, but they seal very well and can have too much bass for my tastes. Using the M9, I went back to their double flange tips and like the sound of these better, but they don't stay in as good as the Hybrids. I also like the M6 very much, but the left ear slides in perfectly, not so perfect on the right. The wires either need to be removed or adjusted several times, ditto for Hybrid tips. I don't have a lot of time on the IM-590s, but do really like them. With default tips there was almost no base, moved to one size larger and it was perfect for me. These tips are comfortable too. I think there is more cord noise on the IM-590 while moving though.

I can be perfectly happy with the IM-590s, but might get one more "higher end" set of IEMs to gain knowledge. Not sure what to get yet.

I also want another better set of regular headphones that are more comfy and sound better than my $20 Sony MDR-V150s work headphones. Then my headphone quest will likely be over for a while.

 

[DWells55]

Alright guys, I think I'm gonna go for the NuForce NE-7M. The remote and mic for my iPhone are definitely helping to tip the scale in their favor and I worry that I've become a bit too accustomed to the bass-heavy balance of my CX300s to make a jump to the more properly balanced iM-590. I think I'll try the iM-590 out as well once I have a job this summer, or maybe even the Head-Direct RE0 that seem to be so well-liked around here. Thanks for all the feedback.

Oh, and one more thing - how long can I expect the Comply T-400 tips to last for if I roll them and insert them properly? I see a lot of people saying wear out after a few weeks, but for all I know they're not taking care of them and just shoving them in their ears. However, if they really do wear out that quickly, I can make do with the stock silicone tips that come with the NE-7M.

Thanks again, everyone.

 

[ljokerl]

With moderate use Comply tips wear out in 3-4 weeks even if taken care of properly. You can dip them in peroxide once in a while to keep them more or less clean but the material itself will degrade over time.

 

[dfrost]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWells55 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh, and one more thing - how long can I expect the Comply T-400 tips to last for if I roll them and insert them properly? I see a lot of people saying wear out after a few weeks, but for all I know they're not taking care of them and just shoving them in their ears. However, if they really do wear out that quickly, I can make do with the stock silicone tips that come with the NE-7M. Thanks again, everyone.

When I used Comply T400's on my NE-7M (love those IEM after they're burned in for 80 hours or so), I was always careful about inserting them per instructions, typically in and out 2-4 times/day. I got about 3 weeks until they started to look dirty, then I'd clean them by soaking (off the nozzles) in hydrogen peroxide. After cleaning, I could get another 2-week cycle before the foam started to break up.

The SQ improved (better mids and treble) when I reverse-mounted Complys (core outward), but the tip life dropped drastically - only about one week before the foam was pulling away from the core, and comfort wasn't quite as good.

Following HeadphoneAddict's suggestion, I've since switched to Shure E2c silicon tips (use the same size as fits from the stock NuForce). These last indefinitely and I also prefer them on other IEMs with similar nozzles.

 

[mythless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWells55 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alright guys, I think I'm gonna go for the NuForce NE-7M. The remote and mic for my iPhone are definitely helping to tip the scale in their favor and I worry that I've become a bit too accustomed to the bass-heavy balance of my CX300s to make a jump to the more properly balanced iM-590. I think I'll try the iM-590 out as well once I have a job this summer, or maybe even the Head-Direct RE0 that seem to be so well-liked around here. Thanks for all the feedback. Oh, and one more thing - how long can I expect the Comply T-400 tips to last for if I roll them and insert them properly? I see a lot of people saying wear out after a few weeks, but for all I know they're not taking care of them and just shoving them in their ears. However, if they really do wear out that quickly, I can make do with the stock silicone tips that come with the NE-7M. Thanks again, everyone.

Congrats, you'll love the NE-7m, I actually don't find them too bass heavy, when compared to other IEMs like the FX33/34. They are quite pleasing.

 

[DWells55]

Well, I got them and gave them a preliminary listen with bits and pieces of songs. My initial reaction was mixed, they did sound good, but I can't say I was blown away or truly impressed. Perhaps I just need time to adjust. However, I did play "Clouds Over California" by DevilDriver and was extremely impressed. The kick pedal in the beginning of the song has an incredible amount of punch and impact without being overwhelming and without muddying up the rest of the sound the way the CX300s did. It's sharp, precise, and sounds perfect. At the same time, percussion rings beautifully and without sibilance. I was truly awestruck by how great this track sounded. I've given a few other songs a listen, and certain chords are recreated beautifully by these headphones with a lot of impact.

My biggest complaint though is that they're uncomfortable. I couldn't stand the tips that came on it, and only the smallest of the optional tips seem to fit, but the left ear is pretty uncomfortable. I think I'll be ordering those Shure tips or maybe even bite the bullet and order the Comply foamies.

Currently running burn-in at a little over standard listening volume. I'll given them around eight hours and listen to them again, then keep running them until I hit 50 hours or so.

Thanks, everyone.

 

[Cirkustanz]

I've not posted in a long time but I saw that you were considering the UES4's.

I just lost my trusty old set of headphones so I had to buy a new set. Kinda wanted to do it on a budget, so I grabbed some random sony headphones for $30. The next day I was back in the store and exchanging them.

I ended up buying the ultimate ear 4's, had considered the metrofi 220's but I read the superfi's isolate better, so I went with those.
A shame really, the metrofi's look a bit nicer. More bling, ya know.

Anyways, I've only had them a day but my first impression really is not that great. Lately I have been mostly listening to metal, stuff like Godflesh, Meshuggah, Sepultura. While the bass is "clear" in these headphones, it really just does not have the crunch to it that I want. This is especially prominent with Godflesh of course since they use downtuned guitars and have a very thick, heavy sound. It's just not the same.

I want to upgrade again, but I really prefer to buy from retail shops since I can usually buy a replacement guarantee. I picked these up from best buy, and their selection of the more expensive earbud headphones really isn't too great.

They have the klipsch s4's which do seem to be popular, but the cord on those things just looks so tiny and frail it's just asking for trouble. I'm going to try and find someone locally who has them to let me try them out.