[seanohue]

Hey everybody; its been awhile

I have a pair of Grado SR325is that just arent doing it for me anymore and I find myself listening to my HD580s/M3 more often. And I'm getting tired of my iM716s as well, so both of those are going to be sold in the near future. I need a replacement though, and I'm open to a lot of opinions. So, what does the Head-Fi community say about the best IEMs for power metal and the best portable cans? I do listen to mostly power/prog metal, so tight, fast bass is a must.

 

[LDMES]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanohue /img/forum/go_quote.gif So, what does the Head-Fi community say about the best IEMs for power metal and the best portable cans? I do listen to mostly power/prog metal, so tight, fast bass is a must.

I can only speak for myself. I listen to a wide array of music, but mostly metal (Machine Head, Lamb of God, Testament, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera...to name a few) and I have found that in term of iems I am very pleased with my Shure E500s (though i've had to send them in for the cable warrany repair thing after almost 2 years of use). I can't wait to get them back. In the meantime I decided to check out headphones and see if I could find one that would make me as happy as the E500s and after trying a bunch around NYC, I found that I liked the Beyer DT770/80s the best for a closed can (as I travel via the train and I don't want to be annoying people sitting around me with open cans) in terms of the vairety of what I listen to. I will grant you they are a little large for what most consider portable, but it all comes down to sq and for me they were the right ones. So I have been using those while I wait for my E500s to come back to me and then I think I'll send the DT770s off to get them Darthed.
I tried AKGs, Audio-Technicas, Dennon and Grados. And I really liked the Grados (225s and up), and the AKG K701s(jazz), but they aren't portable for me.
The only wish for IEMs is that I had custom ones (with replaceable cables

), so I may end up seeing if I can get them customed by Suyama, or maybe I'll just get custom sleeves by sensaphonics or...ue11pros. Who knows but such is Head-Fi.

Good Luck!

 

[seanohue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LDMES /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can only speak for myself. I listen to a wide array of music, but mostly metal (Machine Head, Lamb of God, Testament, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera...to name a few) and I have found that in term of iems I am very pleased with my Shure E500s (though i've had to send them in for the cable warrany repair thing after almost 2 years of use). I can't wait to get them back. In the meantime I decided to check out headphones and see if I could find one that would make me as happy as the E500s and after trying a bunch around NYC, I found that I liked the Beyer DT770/80s the best for a closed can (as I travel via the train and I don't want to be annoying people sitting around me with open cans) in terms of the vairety of what I listen to. I will grant you they are a little large for what most consider portable, but it all comes down to sq and for me they were the right ones. So I have been using those while I wait for my E500s to come back to me and then I think I'll send the DT770s off to get them Darthed. I tried AKGs, Audio-Technicas, Dennon and Grados. And I really liked the Grados (225s and up), and the AKG K701s(jazz), but they aren't portable for me. The only wish for IEMs is that I had custom ones (with replaceable cables ), so I may end up seeing if I can get them customed by Suyama, or maybe I'll just get custom sleeves by sensaphonics or...ue11pros. Who knows but such is Head-Fi. Good Luck!

Ok; have the E500s become the SE530 now? And how are they in terms of comfort? The iM716s get tiresome eventually and first pair of shures I owned (E2cs; I know, unfair to compare the two) were very uncomfortable.

 

[LDMES]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanohue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok; have the E500s become the SE530 now? And how are they in terms of comfort? The iM716s get tiresome eventually and first pair of shures I owned (E2cs; I know, unfair to compare the two) were very uncomfortable.

I use the triple flanges and have cut the tip that goes onto the E-500s back to about where the last flange ends. They took a little getting used to, but now they're very comforable. Also if you can get over them not looking pristine white,the longer you use them the softer they seem to become and getting a good seal becomes easier. I can wear them for several hours straight without complaint. As I said I may turn these into customs in order to make the fit even nicer.
The E500s did become the SE530s.
Hope this helps.

BTW A Good Amp, LOD and SOurce also will help

(ah...there goes the wallet

)

 

[jgonino]

I listen to similar music, and I could not find an IEM that would give the bass impact I needed. I tend to use full size cans on the go. My choice would be the ultrasone Pro 750, which is closed-back.

 

[Rob E.]

all around generally excellent IEM's - UE Super.Fi 5 Pro's

 

[seanohue]

Damn't Head-fi, just bought my SE530s tonight, and now I want something to replace the HD-580s! Looking for something I can wear for a really long time, since I really only listen to the 580s when doing homework and stuff. I'm open to everything....as long as they sound good with power metal.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanohue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Damn't Head-fi, just bought my SE530s tonight, and now I want something to replace the HD-580s! Looking for something I can wear for a really long time, since I really only listen to the 580s when doing homework and stuff. I'm open to everything....as long as they sound good with power metal.

Beyerdynamic DT880. Balanced sounding headphone like HD580, but more sparkling highs, if thats what you are looking for. Bit more edge to the sound over Sennheisers.

AKG K601, Balanced and warm sounding headphone like HD580, but in AKG flavor and a bit more thicker bass. Might be too much of a side-step though.

Beyerdynamic DT990, very similar DT880 but bit more boosted highs and boosted midbass for better impact. A very good powermetal can.

 

[Grey Massacre]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanohue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Damn't Head-fi, just bought my SE530s tonight, and now I want something to replace the HD-580s! Looking for something I can wear for a really long time, since I really only listen to the 580s when doing homework and stuff. I'm open to everything....as long as they sound good with power metal.

Hello,

I am more on the darker side of metal, black, death mostly.

To name a few bands: Bloodbath, Decapitated, Amon Amarth, Kataklysm, Behemoth, Krisiun, Dark Tranquility. I also have some power metal: Sonata, Kamelot, Blind guardian, Stratovarius, Angra...

I do own 325i re-cabled with blackdragon and I made woody adapters so I can use leather beyer pads. They have lot's of soundstage and bass is more present, I also put blutak on the backing of the drivers. Greatly changed in my book.

On the other side I prefer my Darth's with almost anything. They make drums come alive while the Grado's are the choice for guitars, I guess it depends what I listen to.

I love the 325i's "brightness/clarity" but they sound flat when coming from the Darth's. I prefer the vocals on the darth's as well. I would say beyerdynamic sound signature is closer to sennheiser than Grado.

Just my 2 cents,

Charles

 

[intoflatlines]

SF5 Pro sound amazing, especially with rock and metal (and for the price). I think they're kind of comparable to my SR225.

 

[YtseJamer]

IMO, the Ultrasone ALO-780s are one of the best headphones (perhaps the best..) for Prog/Power/Doom/Death/Black Metal.

In the last months I have tried the AKG 271s, DT880s, DT990s, Grado RS-1, Grado 325i, Grado 225s and for my tastes, they can't compete with the ALO-780s for Heavy Metal music. Don't get me wrong, they are all good headphones but the ALO-780s is a totally different experience

Everytime that I put my 780s on my head, I have almost the same experience that I have when I'm sitting in front of my speakers.. (Axiom M60 + HSU STF-2 sub + Yamaha RX-V 1800.)

Cheers