[Rangoe]

Hi,
 
I've read all the reviews, but still can't decide which of these two to buy.  There's both available for about $150 on Amazon:
 
1.  The Phonak PFE w/ mic
2.  The UE 700 (or the Phiaton PS200, which some say is better than UE700)
 
PFE has amazing reviews everywhere.  On the other hand, the UE 700, with its dual armature, is probably a higher-end IEM.  UE 700 also will probably have better build and isolation than the PFEs...however, with the UE700, opinions seem more divided: for every 3 people who love them, there's another guy saying it sucks.  The PFEs, in contrast, seem to enjoy universal acclaim.
 
I have the exact same situation as a recent poster who wrote,
"I am looking to supplement my Panasonic earphones with a pair which isolate better. I like bass which is more impactful than Etymotics but not boomy (just impact when the recording requires it, punchy if you like), detailed highs but not piercing.  Am thinking of U700 or Phiaton PS200, which is better?"
 
Any input for a tie breaker would be very much appreciated, thanks.

 

[ZimmerX]

I had my UE700s fall apart on me about 4 months into their use. The cable just split in half at the socket and I spent my entire plane journey looking like a dodgy bomb maker cause I was playing around with bare wiring. 

 
Lovely earphones, good sound quality and feel great... Till they break. I had another friend buy them as well and they broke on him in 2 months. I'd say they lack in bass a bit and are a bit bland overall. I currently have the Westone 2's, so I'm comparing the UE700s to them. Once I listened to other earphones of the similar price range, the UE700 sounded less and less convincing.
 
To be fair though, for $150 the UE700s are not worth their price, even with the dual armature IEM. For the same price ($160, but it's only $10 more) you can buy the VSONIC GR-07s from Lendmeurears and they would laugh at the UE700s. 
 
I've heard great things about the Phonak, but have never had the luck to try them out.
 
For $150 there are a lot of other good earphones out there; but that's just my $0.02.

 

[goodvibes]

Haven't heard the 700 but the 2 twfk drivered IEMs that I have tried were just too top tilted for me and leaner than the gray filtered Phonak. They were slightly more articulate but I'd personally opt for the Phonak. I'm sure you'll find others that feel the opposite as preferences vary.

 

[Rangoe]

Thanks for the feedback.  Durability is an issue with me, so it's sounding like the UE700s are a no.   I guess now it's a toss-up between the Phiaton PS200 and the Phonaks.
 
I checked out the VRSONICs and the reviews are excellent.  May get that.  The downside is that I'm nto crazy about over the ear models, which is a small minus for Phonak and the VRS.