[Brandon7s]

Hello everyone in the portable forum.
 
 I currently have two portable headphones: Etymotic ER4 (without ohms adapter) and YUIN PK3. The ER4 is nice, but it really needs an amp in order to sound good, I find them uncomfortable and they aren't a good fit for rock/pop. Oh, and by golly, the MICRPHONICS! MAKE THEM STOP! - I don't like the YUIN PK3s, at all. They just sound flat out bad. Screechingly sharp highs, terribly loose/undefined lows, and relatively sunk mids compared to what I prefer. They ARE comfortable though, which makes me wear them more than my ER4s despite the terrible sound.
 
I am using a Sansa Clip+, and do NOT want to have to use an amp if possible. I do have a Fiio E5 that I use with my ER4s (and I think it actually sounds pretty good, but not for the kind of music I mostly listen to). I'm willing to spend up to 100USD. If I had to describe the sound I am looking for, I would say: The AKG K701, with a little more bass. Also, the Alessandro MS2 has a great sound. I love smooth, solid mids and detailed (but not harsh) highs.
 
The headphones that have looked interesting to me so far are: the RE0 and the Thinksound Rain. The hype around the RE0 really has me interested, but from my research, I think the Clip+ will have a heck of a hard time driving them to proper volume levels. Anyone use the Clip+ with the RE0, without an amp? The Thinksound Rain seems nice due to liquid smooth mids, but I don't really know much else about them. Are they easy to drive? How do these IEMs compare when playing rock/pop/folk stuff? I'm going to list a few bands from my Most Played songs list, then I'll see what y'all recommend.
 
Longwave
30 Seconds to Mars (guilty pleasure of mine )
Damien Rice
Kings of Convenience
Dredg (heck yes)
Nickel Creek
Eisley
John Mayer
The Beatles
The Format
Blue October
City and Colour
The Flaming Lips
Stars
Radiohead
Copeland (not Aaron Copeland)
Mae
The Magnetic Fields
U2
Death Cab for Cutie
 
 
Yeah, there's a fair bit of variety in there, but that should give you an idea of what I listen to.

 

[Young Spade]

Well the ER4Ps are pretty much the staple of detail and clarity, so IMO they're going to be hard to beat. I would say the RE0 has somewhat similar sound signature as them though; emphasis on the treble with a light bass response. I don't know about the mids of the Etys but the RE0s mids are neutral from other's impressions. 
 
As for driving; I'd suggest looking at the specs of the 4Ps and the RE0s and see how they compare. Generally you want a higher sensitivity and a lower impedance. 

 

[ZARIM]

Phiaton S210(highely recommended), NE8, Hippo Shroom and HJE900.......

 

[ethan961]

You should have no problem driving the RE0 with a Clip unless you like to listen at dangerous levels.

 

[Brandon7s]

After doing some more research on the RE0 and Thinksound Rain, I decided to order the Thinksound pair on a whim. I figure if I dislike them, I can send them back to amazon with no problem and order a different pair. I think I've ruled out the RE0's though, due to the sound signature. Seems to me that the sound signature is very similar to the ER4s, if not even more analytical, which is not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something fun and versatile, without recessed mids. Also, the RE0s would be more difficult to drive than I'd like - I'm sure if I got them I would always feel compelled due use an amp with them, which would complicate everything and make me use them less. My portable rig isn't for critical listening, but for convenience; I still want some good sound though.
 
 The Phiaton S210 looks interesting. Half-in-ear design? Doesn't sound that comfortable; anyone here that can rate their comfort level compared to other IEMs in the price range?
 
 The Hippo Shrooms look promising, but the only version I could find to buy online (Jaben.net) was the Shroom-i, which apparently has an inline microphone. Something that I have no use for; but still, might be worth a shot.