tdshain
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2012
- Posts
- 143
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- 10
I've been doing a lot of research and asking for different suggestions based on my tastes. I've finally narrowed my options down to these two iems.
I would love to hear some direct comparisons and impressions to help me make a decision.
A little background on me. I'm currently looking for high quality audio that will be relatively balanced across all frequencies to bring out the best of the many different genres I listen to.
Here's what I'm looking for:
Accessories: I pretty much know what to expect from both of these iems as far as accessories, I feel that the 232 wins out here, but let me know your impressions anyway.
Build Quality: I want these to last. I take excellent care of my iems, but they will be heavily used. I don't want something that will fall apart on me. Sennheiser has a pretty good reputation for build, I definitely want to hear impressions about on the 232s though.
Comfort: I often wear headphones for hours at a time, in and out of the house. I want to be able to put iems in and forget that they are there. Also don't want to frequently adjust to keep a good seal. Comfort isn't the most important issue, but it is certainly a factor.
Microphonics: This has never really been an issue for me, I'm pretty creative when it comes to eliminating microphonics. My last pair of iems were the Klipsch Custom 3s which are terrible in this category, but I managed to reduce them to a tolerable level.
Sound Isolation: This is a bit more important than comfort as I love to go for walks and also spend a lot of time outside in downtown Phoenix. When I'm listening to my music, that's what I want to hear. I really don't want to be distracted by external sounds.
Highs: I do enjoy a fair bit of classical music, I don't want this to become fatiguing after long periods of listening. I think I'd like a little bit of sparkle, but more importantly, little to no sibilance. I have a pretty high tolerance for high frequencies, but I don't want screeching in my ears.
Mids: I've been singing for most of my life, so vocals are very important to me. I listen to a lot of do wop and motown as well as some opera and various a capella pieces. I want the vocals to be clear, natural and never boring.
Lows: Bass brings many genres to life for me, especially hip hop and electronic. When it comes to these the bass needs to be accurate but powerful. I want it to hit fast and hard with emphasis on sub bass. I expect that I will need to eq up the bass when listening to this type of music and that isn't a problem, so long as the iems are able to produce the sound without distortion. The sound doesn't have to make my head explode, I just want to feel the punch.
Movies/Games: I'll be wearing this while watching movies and gaming. Would love to hear impressions on how both of these iems perform in mediums other than music.
Price: As of the deals available to me right now, I can get the 232s for $480 and the ie 80s for $390. That being said, I would like to hear what people think about the options as far as bang/buck goes.
I think I've touched on all of the issues here. You responses don't need to be this in depth, I just didn't want to leave anything important out.
Looking forward to any/all feedback and hopefully some direct comparisons.
I would love to hear some direct comparisons and impressions to help me make a decision.
A little background on me. I'm currently looking for high quality audio that will be relatively balanced across all frequencies to bring out the best of the many different genres I listen to.
Here's what I'm looking for:
Accessories: I pretty much know what to expect from both of these iems as far as accessories, I feel that the 232 wins out here, but let me know your impressions anyway.
Build Quality: I want these to last. I take excellent care of my iems, but they will be heavily used. I don't want something that will fall apart on me. Sennheiser has a pretty good reputation for build, I definitely want to hear impressions about on the 232s though.
Comfort: I often wear headphones for hours at a time, in and out of the house. I want to be able to put iems in and forget that they are there. Also don't want to frequently adjust to keep a good seal. Comfort isn't the most important issue, but it is certainly a factor.
Microphonics: This has never really been an issue for me, I'm pretty creative when it comes to eliminating microphonics. My last pair of iems were the Klipsch Custom 3s which are terrible in this category, but I managed to reduce them to a tolerable level.
Sound Isolation: This is a bit more important than comfort as I love to go for walks and also spend a lot of time outside in downtown Phoenix. When I'm listening to my music, that's what I want to hear. I really don't want to be distracted by external sounds.
Highs: I do enjoy a fair bit of classical music, I don't want this to become fatiguing after long periods of listening. I think I'd like a little bit of sparkle, but more importantly, little to no sibilance. I have a pretty high tolerance for high frequencies, but I don't want screeching in my ears.
Mids: I've been singing for most of my life, so vocals are very important to me. I listen to a lot of do wop and motown as well as some opera and various a capella pieces. I want the vocals to be clear, natural and never boring.
Lows: Bass brings many genres to life for me, especially hip hop and electronic. When it comes to these the bass needs to be accurate but powerful. I want it to hit fast and hard with emphasis on sub bass. I expect that I will need to eq up the bass when listening to this type of music and that isn't a problem, so long as the iems are able to produce the sound without distortion. The sound doesn't have to make my head explode, I just want to feel the punch.
Movies/Games: I'll be wearing this while watching movies and gaming. Would love to hear impressions on how both of these iems perform in mediums other than music.
Price: As of the deals available to me right now, I can get the 232s for $480 and the ie 80s for $390. That being said, I would like to hear what people think about the options as far as bang/buck goes.
I think I've touched on all of the issues here. You responses don't need to be this in depth, I just didn't want to leave anything important out.
Looking forward to any/all feedback and hopefully some direct comparisons.
I have small ears too (so you're not the only one with the plague XD). I'm small in general (5' tall, won't be growing much being just about fully grown XD; hence my... Er, yeah 
).
