[imadroppa]

Looking for some good IEM's at around 80-140 dollars.

I listen to predominantly rap and hip-hop so I'm looking for something with good sub bass, and balanced highs & lows, with clear vocals.

And also have good isolation too. I enjoyed the Xears TD4 until they screwed me over, so if anybody can recommend something like those that'd be cool.

I've been looking at:
Klipsch Reference s4
Etymotic MC5
Sunrise Xcited
hifi man RE-Zero

But am open to whatever is suggested.


Would prefer a straight barrel driver but that isn't really a deal breaker.

 

[JPFrost]

As a fellow hip hop fan, I suggest the Yamaha EPH-100. They don't knock your head off with the bass, but it's more than enough for the genre. Highs are a bit tame, but mids are very nice. It has a warm sound signature, which suits hip hop well. Soundstage is nice as well.
 
Isolation is top notch btw.
 
If you want a lot of bass, check out the Hippo VB.
 

 

[Angels and Air]

Yeah, the Yamaha EPH-100 has a nice solid and clean bass although it's not overpowering.
 
Shure SE215 is pretty good too, more bass (in quantity) than the Yamaha's, and great isolation although the sound isn't as clear and it can get uncomfortable after awhile.

 

[Inks]

It is overpowering, but that's what makes it fun for a lot of users, it has tons of subbass. Isolation is top-notch as is it's treble extension. It's not balanced, it's tailored for a specific colored sound. 

 

[H20Fidelity]

It's overpowering when compared to the rest of it's own spectrum, though not up against another bass heavy IEM's, if that were the case we'd be hearing many people say, "these are too bassy" "wow how about that sub-bass" we're just not seeing this from human users ears. I'm not sure what's being said about the sub-bass on EPH-100 but they don't go that deep at all. there's minimal rumble when you go down deep. Something like Hippo VB is where true sub-bass shines. Not EPH-100,

 

[Inks]

You are relating it to even bassier IEMs, I am making my claims in relation to flat, linear IEMs. Most don't complain, cause most are bassheads or come from similarly bass boosted IEMs. The subass is well boosted and a couple of users have commented on that, perhaps less than the VB, but I can't image how bloated that one is. 
 
I do think it's too bassy, coming from my listening, the graphs just confirm it. 

 

[imadroppa]

Alright, so I looked at the Shure's. Not sure if that's exactly what I'm looking for because I heard it focuses more on bass you hear more than feel, which is the beauty of subs.

Gonna look at the Hippo ones. I've heard good things about them.

 

[H20Fidelity]

You are relating it to even bassier IEMs, I am making my claims in relation to flat, linear IEMs. Most don't complain, cause most are bassheads or come from similarly bass boosted IEMs. 

I just think EPH-100 should not be described as having "tons of sub-bass" as in your above post, possible buyers may find it misleading.

 

[Inks]

It's not misleading though, it's true. I make my claims based on reference levels, people just need a better perception. Just because there are even bassier IEM doesn't mean it's all of a sudden a mild bass boost. 

 

[Lorspeaker]

denon c710

 

[H20Fidelity]

I guess you're right to a point Inks. This all comes down to what each of us compare that sub-bass level too. If you were to compare against something completely flat yes granted there's decent sub-bass, I still wouldn't say tons though even from that perspective. Though compared to say an average head-fi, users preference (as you said) who are mild bass-heads already accustom to bass heavy IEM's there's very little in comparison.

 

[stevenlongs]

Quote:

It's not misleading though, it's true. I make my claims based on reference levels, people just need a better perception. Just because there are even bassier IEM doesn't mean it's all of a sudden a mild bass boost. 

I would have to agree that the yams are quite bassy. The phones have really nice perks but are lacking in some as well.  How you describe it would have to depend on where you are coming from. 
 
The glass can be half full or half empty...it's the same in the end. 

 

[H20Fidelity]

Alright, so I looked at the Shure's. Not sure if that's exactly what I'm looking for because I heard it focuses more on bass you hear more than feel, which is the beauty of subs.
Gonna look at the Hippo ones. I've heard good things about them.

I wouldn't be looking at Hippo VB if you want balanced highs and lows imadroppa , VB are quite overpowering in their lower regions. I was only using them as an example, not suggesting them to you my friend. You may not like them as they're very lean. If you want something balanced with good sub-bass you're best bet is to look at Vsonic GRO7 which offers good sub-bass and an overall balanced signature. They are about $10 more than your top budget though.

Sorry if you got the wrong idea.

 

[imadroppa]

Oh alright haha.

So it seems so far like the Shure SE215's would be my best bet although I've seen a lot of issues regarding build quality.

 

[imadroppa]

Well, I've narrowed it down to the Shure SE215 and the Audio-Technica CKS77, even though they're slightly out of my price range.

Any thoughts?