[AccioHeadphone]

Looking for a cheap portable amp or DAC that will have good synergy with iPod Classic 7th Gen or iPhone 4S and a bass-heavy, mid prominent, smooth treble IEM like the Monster Miles Davis Tribute.

 

[Doc-holliday]

Looking for a cheap portable amp or DAC that will have good synergy with iPod Classic 7th Gen or iPhone 4S and a bass-heavy, mid prominent, smooth treble IEM like the Monster Miles Davis Tribute.

Best way to answer that is to tell you to go here.


Good luck.

 

[AccioHeadphone]

I've already looked at that thread. It seems that all the amps reviewed are on the warm, lush side of amps. I'm thinking this will not go well with the Tribute because I already have tried them with a Zune 30GB and the output is just unbearably smooth/dark/etc. However, the Tribute with the iPhone 4S sounds great because the 4S has a more colder sound. I just wish I could get a little more power, hence the amp. 

 

[Doc-holliday]

Well I find the E11 with the bass boost off fairly transparrent and warm is not the word I would use to describe it at all. it is a nice powerful amp and not pricey.

In fact I was looking at getting something to use with a couple of my Beyers that is warmer to try to smooth out the highs just a hair.

 

[Chimecho]

Quote:

 
I can assure you, you should treat it as a music only iem.
They have flat cables, heavy and bulky, the remote is useless with ipods, all they got going is sound and HOLY CRAP, do they sound good.
 
Well, you mentioned comfort, I guess MH1C ain't gonna work.
 
I think the Yamaha EPH-100 might suit you well. Nice mids, slightly elevated midbass, fairly resolving but smooth and non-fatiguing highs. Warm and dynamic, musical iem but not the typical V-shaped FR.
 
They are extremely comfortable and have one of the best isolation of any iem that I've tried, and does very well even without an amp.

 
The EPH-100s seem to fit me perfectly, but the price is out of my range; I'm looking for something along the lines of those IEMs but is priced below $100. Thank you for your recommendation though!

 

[Chimecho]

Sorry, double post; poor wi-fi connection on the train.

 

[Cristello]

[size=11pt]Hello, there! This will be my first time posting in the Portable/IEM sub-forum.[/size]
 
[size=11pt]A small background:[/size]
[size=11pt]Truly, I am quite a picky person, and I do realize that I may never find an IEM or portable to fit my criteria... (thought this might be a good place to start

) [/size]
 
[size=11pt]I have been a "speaker"-phile for many years; My father runs his quaint Mom-&-Pop style electronics shop, and It is there I grew up feasting on great sound. Back in early 2009, I began to see quite a few people walking around with larger headphones, to my surprise. Gone were the "iBuds" of old, now replaced by a name I had never heard before... Beats by Dr. Dre. I did find those older models somewhat attractive and thought to myself, "I must listen to a pair!" However, I found them to have a sickening sound. That terrible booming one-note punch I certainly could not bear for long. Since that day, I had tried many full-sized models from the far-too-tall-for-me AKG K550, to the muffled and oddly shaped V-Moda M80. Each and every one has been falling short tonally. (In the K550’s case, the balance was good, but was cruelly accompanied by a resonance of some sort in the mid-to-high frequencys that subsequently killed my enthusiasm.) About a year ago, I received a pair of Apple In-Ear headphones. At first, I scoffed at the idea of Apple making good headphones. However, my experience has shown them to be balanced and natural, even though they lack clarity and can become congested under duress. [/size]
[size=11pt]Today, I gratefully request any and all assistance in finding an IEM (OR portable) that will come to as close as possible to these conditions:[/size]
 
[size=11pt]Bass[/size]
[size=medium]I am sensitive to excessive bass punch. While I would prefer a neutral response, I can accept a slight boost if they have a soft pronunciation. Now, please do not mistake soft for loose, as I appreciate very tight bass response (something the Apple In-Ears do have, if not the bass volume to go with it). I simply would like a polite experience.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Mid-range[/size]
[size=medium]Should be smooth, honest, and free of peak and dips as much as possible. Upfront and raised instead of pushed back and recessed, if not neutral. Some sibilance is fine, but not to excess. Not much more I care to say here. [/size]
 
[size=medium]Treble[/size]
[size=medium]This is the most important range, IMO.  Must have significant boost in clarity over the Apple In-Ear, Imaging that is defined (overall soundstage depth and distance not very important, but direction and phase are -> i.e. no “left/right/center” effect) and transient precision. Not expecting absolute perfection, but should be a highlight.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Comfort & Isolation[/size]
[size=medium]I liked the Apple In-Ear’s very small size and lightweight feel. However, they did not have great isolation of mid-range frequencies (such as voices and some non-reoccurring environmental noise). As I am planning on moving to foam tips if I get another IEM, like those from Shure or Comply, size is no longer a main issue, but I would like to keep free-hanging weight to a minimum. If a portable is able to fold into a smaller package, it would be a big bonus. In any case, a low noise floor and from true broadband isolation is key.[/size]
[size=medium]Another note: as I will be using these primarily stationary, having micro-phonic cables are ok if they are of a durable and reasonable construction.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Please, take your time in corroborating possibilities, as it is not urgent, but the sooner the better! My wallet would rather take a beating now then later…

[/size]
 
[size=medium]Thank you in advance,[/size]
 
[size=medium]Cristello[/size]

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

[size=11pt]Hello, there! [/size]

 
Hi Cristello.
 
I think the Etymotic HF5 would be perfect for you. Do some reading on it to see if it's something you're interested in.

 

[TwinQY]

Quote:

[size=11pt]Hello, there! This will be my first time posting in the Portable/IEM sub-forum.[/size]
 
[size=11pt]A small background:[/size]
...
[size=medium]Comfort & Isolation[/size]
[size=medium]I liked the Apple In-Ear’s very small size and lightweight feel. However, they did not have great isolation of mid-range frequencies (such as voices and some non-reoccurring environmental noise). As I am planning on moving to foam tips if I get another IEM, like those from Shure or Comply, size is no longer a main issue, but I would like to keep free-hanging weight to a minimum. If a portable is able to fold into a smaller package, it would be a big bonus. In any case, a low noise floor and from true broadband isolation is key.[/size]
[size=medium]Another note: as I will be using these primarily stationary, having micro-phonic cables are ok if they are of a durable and reasonable construction.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Please, take your time in corroborating possibilities, as it is not urgent, but the sooner the better! My wallet would rather take a beating now then later…

[/size]
 
[size=medium]Thank you in advance,[/size]
 
[size=medium]Cristello[/size]

Any set budget? I can think of some that comes close to your criteria off the bat, but you might not like the price 

 
Concerning the free hanging weight, have you considered wearing IEMs over-ear style? 
 
Completely second the Ety recommendation above. Probably the most natural progression from the ADDIEMs.

 

[Cristello]

I would say for price, under $400 USD for universal. Any higher and I might as well go custom. I hope that these will be with me for a long, long, time to come.
 
in regards to fitting, I have never tried the up-&-over style, but I am certainly open to it. is there any benefit to that design?
 
thanks for mentioning the HF5, eke2k6. I am liking what I am seeing on Etymotic's product page. would you say that the ER4 series is noticeably better than the HF5?

 

[TwinQY]

Quote:

I would say for price, under $400 USD for universal. Any higher and I might as well go custom. I hope that these will be with me for a long, long, time to come. At that price, I suggest you check out the 4.Ai. Of course, the ER4 and HF5 as well.
 
in regards to fitting, I have never tried the up-&-over style, but I am certainly open to it. is there any benefit to that design? Less microphonics (bone conduction), less prone to fall off. Straight barrels can be worn over the ear as well.
 
thanks for mentioning the HF5, eke2k6. I am liking what I am seeing on Etymotic's product page. would you say that the ER4 series is noticeably better than the HF5? Not him, but I've compared the two (own the ER4P), and the HF5s are too close in performance for the price to pass up. ~90% of ER4 details, and the sig is pretty similar, but the HF5 is slightly warmer (though in the grand scheme of things, they shouldn't be considered warm at all). Build is better on the ER4, but the HF5 is no slouch.

 

[MarkoOktabyr]

Quote:

The only other truley portable that I would recommend comfort wise is the Phiaton MS400. They are the most comfortable on ear headphone I have every owned or tried and isolation is good. They actually have pretty good sound especially in the bass extension and mids. If you are looking for a headphone with a lot of sizzle in your high hats and sparkle they aren't for you, but I enjoyed them with hard rock especially songs with male voices. 

 
Between your comments and the innerfidelity review, especially:

If you want to feel your music, not just hear it, you could do a lot worse.
...
It's extremely musical—time after time, the MS 400 made me drop my "just doing my job" faćade and get deep into the musical moment. If you like music that moves you, the MS 400 is an admirable delivery device. And if you also need to keep your workspace or your commute quiet, the Phiatons do that, too.

 
I decided to pull the trigger on the Phiaton MS400. They just came today and I was all excited to try them out. I got everything set up, fired up foobar (which I just finished setting up the way I wanted it to look), and hit play. I was underwhelmed. It wasn't the life-changing experience I had been hoping for. The bass was distractingly high and the sound wasn't very satisfying. 
 
Until I noticed that somewhere along the way of getting themes,etc. installed for foobar, the EQ had been set to a very bass heavy setting. I reset it to flat and my music came alive. It's still a little more bass heavy than I was used to, but things sounded great and I could just close my eyes and get lost in the sound. It's not the end all and be all of headphones and it's not what I'll be wanting to use for my home station. But it makes a great, fun portable. Thanks for your advice and pointing me in this direction.
 
PS: I ended up going with the FiiO E17 because I realized I would want the USB DAC features to correct my laptop's shortcomings audio wise and I didn't want to have to lug around an amp for the phone and a DAC for the laptop and/or desktop.

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

I would say for price, under $400 USD for universal. Any higher and I might as well go custom. I hope that these will be with me for a long, long, time to come.
 
in regards to fitting, I have never tried the up-&-over style, but I am certainly open to it. is there any benefit to that design?
 
thanks for mentioning the HF5, eke2k6. I am liking what I am seeing on Etymotic's product page. would you say that the ER4 series is noticeably better than the HF5?

 
I've yet to hear the ER4 series, but I've heard the difference is minimal. Honestly, I think the Etymotic is for you. If you're in the US, you could buy them from amazon so you could return it should you not like it. Same applies for Europe.

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

I decided to pull the trigger on the Phiaton MS400. They just came today and I was all excited to try them out. I got everything set up, fired up foobar (which I just finished setting up the way I wanted it to look), and hit play. I was underwhelmed. It wasn't the life-changing experience I had been hoping for. The bass was distractingly high and the sound wasn't very satisfying. 
 
Until I noticed that somewhere along the way of getting themes,etc. installed for foobar, the EQ had been set to a very bass heavy setting. I reset it to flat and my music came alive. It's still a little more bass heavy than I was used to, but things sounded great and I could just close my eyes and get lost in the sound. It's not the end all and be all of headphones and it's not what I'll be wanting to use for my home station. But it makes a great, fun portable. Thanks for your advice and pointing me in this direction.

 
I don't want you to feel bad, so I will tell my story. A few months ago, I received my px100-ii's, and finished pimping out my ksc75's. I was pretty blown away initially with both of them (especially the ksc75's). Then got busy with other things and came back to them. They suddenly sounded dull. Flat. Boring. Lifeless. Both of them! I started wondering if my hearing was going. I started to get a bit depressed. I started thinking about seeking help...
 
Then I found this wierd "mono" setting in my phone's PowerAmp application. Somehow it had been set to "on". Mono=on equals death. I turned the mono setting off, and heaven on earth suddenly appeared once again!
 
There, that's my story. I hope you feel better now lol!

 

[Doc-holliday]

Between your comments and the innerfidelity review, especially:

I decided to pull the trigger on the Phiaton MS400. They just came today and I was all excited to try them out. I got everything set up, fired up foobar (which I just finished setting up the way I wanted it to look), and hit play. I was underwhelmed. It wasn't the life-changing experience I had been hoping for. The bass was distractingly high and the sound wasn't very satisfying. 

Until I noticed that somewhere along the way of getting themes,etc. installed for foobar, the EQ had been set to a very bass heavy setting. I reset it to flat and my music came alive. It's still a little more bass heavy than I was used to, but things sounded great and I could just close my eyes and get lost in the sound. It's not the end all and be all of headphones and it's not what I'll be wanting to use for my home station. But it makes a great, fun portable. Thanks for your advice and pointing me in this direction.

PS: I ended up going with the FiiO E17 because I realized I would want the USB DAC features to correct my laptop's shortcomings audio wise and I didn't want to have to lug around an amp for the phone and a DAC for the laptop and/or desktop.

Oh man! I started reading that and thought It was going to have a very bad ending lol!

Glad it worked out in the end. Yea I also found those to be super comfy compared to other on ear hp's. Thanks a lot for reporting back, it always makes my day when someone does. And good choice to go wtih an external dac/amp for the laptop!