[zebgat]

Hello everyone,

I've starting looking for my first pair of quality IEM's to upgrade from some V-Moda freq's that recently died. Based on my (rather limited) audio experience, I think I would prefer a "fun" sound overall, a solid amount of bass is important, but detail is a close second consideration in terms of SQ and harshness really bothers. I found the V-Moda's a bit too bassy, and 'muddy'. Durability is also a concern, as I have a tendency to be a bit rough on gear. My price range is preferably somewhere from 30-80$

Here's what I've come up with so far, after lurking and reading ClieOS's and other excellent reviews:

iMetal 0590
Ai-M6 (Is there a difference between this and the M6?)
RE2 + Fiio 3/5 - possible to up the bass on these?
RE0 + amp (if they are really worth double the price of RE2)
Klipsch s4
Soundmagic PL50
Fischer Audio Eterna (still difficult to get in US im guessing?)
Nuforce NE7M

As you can see, I'm indesisive.

Just wondering if some of you guys who have been around the IEM world could give some advice.

Also, I'll be using these for walking, at home/work, and on the bus.

 

[muxenle]

I have the Im-590, and I'm really liking them so far. I think that they have a pretty nice over-all sound, and seem to be able to handle different genres of music pretty easily. I don't really find the bass to prominent, but I can usually pick it out(depends on the song), and bass heavy songs you will notice it, but it doesn't over power the mids and highs.

I can't really say much for durability since I've only had mine for a few weeks, but they seem to be holding up pretty nicely, though you should use the case that comes with them.

They isolation is about normal for IEMs I think, on my school bus if I turn the volume up to notch four it makes it so that I can't really any much else(though I really should check to see if notch four is at unsafe listening levels...) and on the city bus I only need to us notch two to be able to easily hear my music, and the people talking around me(more or less). And I've found that very low volumes work just fine for walking walking around campus/at home, though I purposely leave it on low so I can hear stuff going on around me. You would want to wear them behind-the-ear though since I find just sitting when sitting down and moving a little bit I get some cable noise-- though the shirt clip should also take care of that pretty well.

Also what kind of music do you listen to?

If you are willing to buy used to you should drop by these forums for sale section, since you should be able to find some UM1s or other higher end IEMs within your price range.

 

[ljokerl]

I agree with the Im-590. I can say that they are pretty darn durable, too. I abused them for a while.

The Ai-M6 is the same thing as the M6, btw. There's also the M11, which sounds a bit different but will probably stand up better to abuse.

The cable on the S4 is a bit thin for me to call them durable and the RE2/RE0 may not have enough bass for you, even with an E5+bb.

 

[tstarn06]

Guess I am an S4 fan (you might have guessed), so they get my vote. Cable is thin, but they have a two-year warranty, so if you don't abuse them, Klipsch should replace them. So far, no problems here with the cable. I also had the 590s but prefer the S4s. Of course, the S4s are $30 more. Just as an FYI, there are some new HF members who recently bought the S4 on the S4 thread, and they seem to be very happy campers.

 

[iPoodz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Guess I am an S4 fan (you might have guessed), so they get my vote. Cable is thin, but they have a two-year warranty, so if you don't abuse them, Klipsch should replace them. So far, no problems here with the cable. I also had the 590s but prefer the S4s. Of course, the S4s are $30 more. Just as an FYI, there are some new HF members who recently bought the S4 on the S4 thread, and they seem to be very happy campers.

As one of those happy campers, I do have to admit that |joker|'s skepticism about the durability is well founded.

The cables are quite thin, but I've abused them more than I care to admit, including yanking them while the earpieces were caught under something, just pulling hard when I don't feel like carefully untangling them (possibly the most annoying part), and sleeping with them on (when I wake up, my iPod is usually wrapped around my arm or torso...). They're doing fine. Although perceived durability is low, and they're tangle prone, under normal to semi-abusive conditions, I've found that these hold up just fine.

Also, as tstarn said, Klipsch has a good warranty.

SQ wise, well, I'd advise you to check the appreciation thread. There are a lot who love them, and a few who didn't like them at first, and a few who just didn't like them.

 

[muxenle]

...how do you get your ipod wrapped around your torso/arm in your sleep?

also on a side note: it sounds like the S4 need a lot of burn to start to sound good, around a 100 hours, and until then they sound kind of harsh. I don't own a pair so I can't say for sure, but that seems to be under general agreement on these for forums.

 

[tstarn06]

Yes, that's true. But worth the wait in my view. I just had them in with the Sony X-1061, and wow, they really mesh well with that DAP. Nice combo, in fact. So they mesh well with the Sony X and the Amp3, two tremendous pieces of gear for SQ.

 

[iPoodz]

Well, from the perspective of someone who hasn't gotten all the burn-in done, I can say that they still sound great. It's not really like you're going to be really sad during the burn-in time, it's just that they get better.

 

[tstarn06]

Good point. Didn't mean to mislead. But I am one of those people who really didn't care for them much out of the box. Thought they were sibiliant until they got into the triple figure burn-in. They got progressively better, but crossed the right spot at around that mark.

 

[hurryup]

The two best choices you've made are the RE0 and the Eterna. I would wait for the Eterna. My "hot-deal" sense is tingling.

 

[iPoodz]

Do we know that the Eterna is coming stateside?

(Honest question, my wallet wants the answer to be no, my ears want it to be yes.)

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurryup /img/forum/go_quote.gif The two best choices you've made are the RE0 and the Eterna. I would wait for the Eterna. My "hot-deal" sense is tingling.

Run for the hills, to quote another HFer earlier today.

 

[zebgat]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I'm leaning towards the iMetals, Nuforce, or m6. If I have enough self discipline I'll wait to see what comes up for the thanksgiving sales, though these stock earbuds are really killing me.

@muxenle: I listen to stuff across the board, but have an emphasis on metal, trance/techno and classical.

 

[muxenle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zebgat /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the replies everyone, I'm leaning towards the iMetals, Nuforce, or m6. If I have enough self discipline I'll wait to see what comes up for the thanksgiving sales, though these stock earbuds are really killing me. @muxenle: I listen to stuff across the board, but have an emphasis on metal, trance/techno and classical.

From what I understand all 3 of those would be pretty good choices; I suggest checking out reviews for all of them; I know there is at least one review on these forums for each, the nuforce and m6s being done by people with a lot headphone back ground. I also recently put up a review of the im-590, and there is probably a few other floating around here and the interwebs.