[Phresh]

I'm having a difficult time deciding between Head-Direct RE0, Panasonic RP-HJE900, or Klipsch S4. 
 
I listen to all genres of music and do appreciate good bass (I've heard bad things about that when it comes to the RE0). I'm just trying to pick one with the best all-around sound quality and honestly I do lack experience when it comes to this department. If anyone could offer possible suggestions on which one, or another set of IEMs that could fit my preference, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Marcus_C]

Welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet!
 
As for those phones, they're all pretty good. The Klipsch s4, imo, is the weak one, bass is too powerful and destroys the balance of sound, also the high parts of the spectrum are prone to be harsh. A lot of other people like them though so i'm sure you could do worse, they fit very well. I haven't heard the pana's for very long but was impressed, if you can get them for a reasonable price then those would be a good choice, bass is quite strong. A lot of people would complain about the bass on the re0 but that's because a lot of people want or are used to a greatly enhanced bass presence. I, for one, don't need it, if more bass is there, it'll be present in the recording.
 
I'd say it depends what music you listen to, if it's predominantly bass-heavy or bass dependant (breaks, dnb, dub, maybe some rock), then i'd pick the panas (if you can find them), if it's a broader variety encompassing lots of areas go for the re0. If you want crazy dangerous isolation there is also the ety hf5 which has a similar but slightly brighter sound than the re0.

 

[keanex]

I would mark out the RE0 if you care about bass. I would like to throw a similarly priced IEM into the mix though, the Apple Dual Driver IEMs. They were my first IEM and to this day my favorite. Top notch isolation, removable metal filters (included second pair), the bass is definitely acceptable with clear mids and highs. The instrument separation is top notch for the price as was the overall sound quality. The headphones have a warm sound to them and are often compared to Jays D-Jays. As far as their durability, I abused the hell out of them riding 10miles a day on a bike, running 3 miles very other day, and general outdoor use (mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, etc.). They lasted over a year before my friends guinea pig ate them.

 

[AudiA4]

+1 for RE0

 

[singh]

also consider the Brainwavz M2.
 
and whats your budget ? 
 
 

 

[Phresh]

I'm gonna keep it under 150 USD. The cheaper the better though, really. With that being said if 150$ pair was really worth it over an 60-80$ pair then by all means I'd go for it, I just don't see that happening. I do listen to some bass-heavy type music, and I definitely don't want that to be lacking in the least bit with my IEMs. But, I listen to plenty of acoustic/calmer music and it'd be nice if that could sound great too. 
 
I'm just looking for "best purchase all-around" rather than "great here, but so-so here."
 
 
EDIT: Man, all these suggestions are really cramming my brain with options. 

 

[Marcus_C]

Another suggestion, the brainwavz m3, I persuaded a friend to buy it recently based on a brief listen and it's very good. Also whether a $150 iem is worth it over a $80 one is up to you, being an audiophile site I imagine everyone will tell you it is. For $150 you might find a source of the UE tf.10 pro which I haven't heard but maybe look it up..

 

[Phresh]

I guess the way I'm starting to see it is there's not a good way to have a well-balanced IEM. S4 I hear are too "muddy" sometimes but are more "fun". RE0 has much better clarity, which is what I'd be looking for with calmer music, but sub-par bass. M2's have well-balanced bass but aren't as "fun" as the S4 either. 

 

[keanex]

You'd be missing out on quality IEMs if you dismissed the Apple Dual Driver IEMs simply because they're Apple. Even if you don't want them because they're Apple, you can get a very similar sounding pair of IEMs for around the same price, the Jays D-Jays.
 
http://www.amazon.com/JAYS-d-JAYS-Armature-Earphones-Black/dp/B001068NHA
 
The Sea Blue ones are on sale for $46, which you won't find a better deal imo.

 

[Phresh]

Quote:

You'd be missing out on quality IEMs if you dismissed the Apple Dual Driver IEMs simply because they're Apple. Even if you don't want them because they're Apple, you can get a very similar sounding pair of IEMs for around the same price, the Jays D-Jays.
 
http://www.amazon.com/JAYS-d-JAYS-Armature-Earphones-Black/dp/B001068NHA
 
The Sea Blue ones are on sale for $46, which you won't find a better deal imo.

I like Apple, I have a Macbook Pro and other Apple gear. How would you compare the two?
 
And wow, 82 bucks off for a less manly color. That's a super good deal.