[ib1dance]

Hi,

After reading quite a few posts I decided to post because the music I like is quite specific.
I'm wanting a pair of IEM for approx £50 that have a balanced low.mid & high.The music I listen to has allot of traditional drums - I.E - Djembi , Tabla etc.A natural drum hit is very harmonic .I find that westone 3 handles these sound impeccably.

Though I don't expect any IEM for £50 to compete with the westone 3 sound , Ideally I'l like to that have a similar sound-stage. - slightly ahead, from these cheaper ones that I will be using for everyday use.

Also what would be a great bonus, if the £50 IEM had the same sleeve fit as westone 3, because then I could also use the same custom moulds with them.But I realise that's a long shot .

Basically I'm wanting these cheaper IEM's because I don't want to wear my westone 3's all the time thus risk carelessly damaging them .And for backups.

Thanks in advanced for any technical knowledge/experience shared

 

[opti420sk]

From my humble listening opinion the RE2's with the Fiio E5 amp combo really has great detail. In my opinion the RE2's have great mid and high details, but the bass isn't great. However combined I feel they give a really good balance of highs mids and lows, which is what you wanted. Not the best soundstage in my opinion, but surely combined, I think it beats my previous super.fi 5 pro, which cost way more.

Havent really owned really high end IEMs, but then again you want something below 50 quid .

The combo goes for 49USD + 15USD shipping to the UK, which works out to be around 40 pounds. Not to bad if you ask me! However people seem to complain about the microphonics, but i seem to be able to wear them over the ear. Add in the shirt clip and it isnt a problem for me.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[mark2410]

seeing as u not had many replies ill chip in and say the C551.

ive heard neither it nor the W3 but should have a similar esq sound sig. cx95/550 maybe

 

[ib1dance]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif seeing as u not had many replies ill chip in and say the C551. ive heard neither it nor the W3 but should have a similar esq sound sig. cx95/550 maybe

Thanks GUys.

After reading quite a few posts I did go for the Denon C551. I'm impressed with the performance & build quality for a single driver unit @ the price I paid .Plus for everyday use they have a very good build quality being made from light yet strong aluminium & are easy to slip in & out of the ears quickly without fuss.

Pleasing sound quality in relation to the IEM monitors I've heard before.
I found the Mid range sound to be the least represented range in the spectrum whilst listening to percussive music on the C551'S .So whilst I have them connected to my sansa clip, I slightly lower the high band EQ's, which Dampens the higher frequency's that the denons C551 don't handle as well the westone 3's ( westone 3's don't need any Equalising because they are very well balanced simply by design). I Also increase the Mid Band very slightly on the clip's EQ to compensate for the lull in the middle bands.

This gives me a very pleasing sound for Dance music.Nice punchy bass to handle the drums yet with enough warmth to allow the silky bass lines to be smooth.
Highs can be a little 'twitchy' in comparison to the westone 3's IEM's that have dedicated higher frequency drivers .Over all the highs are certainly good enough for long listening periods without fatigue .
The Denon C551's are bass oriented IEM.So they certainly are more suited for handling genre's of music that naturally lean towards the bass & beats, as it's backbone to support all the other spectrum of sound that the human ear is capable of sensing.

The only thing I don't like about the C551's is the short lead that can be lengthened using the supplied extension lead .If your a tallish person using just one lead,the plug will not reach even to a mp3 player clipped onto your waist. Using the provided extension cable means you have quite a lot of spare length.And also because the connector is hanging down loose, added weight which gives a little extra pull on the IEM'S . I prefer just one long lead then any spare I can simply stuff in my pocket.

On conclusion if you listen to the ever lasting genre's of 'Drum' styles of music,the C551's should not disappoint you for the price in the UK of under £50.And make a very handy, sufficiently adequate backup for a more BALANCED IEM like the superb westone 3's,or any other IEM's that are as well balanced .

THe most underrated word in the world 'Balance'

 

[mark2410]

glad my suggestion wasnt utterly useless to you

 

[soozieq]

I wouldn't recommend the C551 and I have both the C551 and W3 right here. If you can stump up another £10, I'd suggest the RadioPaq Jazz phones, which I have in my ears right now! They're really nice for the price, more bass than the W3, nice full sound, and vocals sound lovely, forward but without being invasive. For £60, they're a steal

The C551's are nice, but the RadioPaq's have a much fuller more encompassing sound, and the vocals are much smoother.

EDIT: Oops, sorry. It's late and I've just seen you already got the C551's

 

[ib1dance]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soozieq /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd suggest the RadioPaq Jazz phones, which I have in my ears right now! They're really nice for the price, more bass than the W3, nice full sound, and vocals sound lovely, forward but without being invasive. For £60, they're a steal The C551's are nice, but the RadioPaq's have a much fuller more encompassing sound, and the vocals are much smoother. EDIT: Oops, sorry. It's late and I've just seen you already got the C551's

Ok thanks >> the Jazz phones look fine & given the opportunity it would be nice to try them out in comparison.I'm happy with the C551's until they break , for the music I listen to which has no need for vocals.

C551'S handle the beats well enough. ( I realise that this is not a good marketing term 'well enough' since if a IEM was said to be the best it could be or 'perfect' ,then how would the company sell any more future models.So they have to always promote improvement, & of course the pace in which they have to show improvement isn't always ' Practical or possible .But hey ya gotta make a Buck

.

Because life is evolutionary, provided headphones do continue to be manufactured they will always improve.And that's not a certainty since in reality they are merely a 'synthesised' , alternative means to listening to music in many societys .I.E - If societys were more musically oriented playing & listening to music together would be as fun as listening to music on personal Digital players.

Anyway veering slightly off the thread >> C551's IEM V Jazzy IEM V any other IEM >> statistically if I've managed to find the best IEM for handling Rhythms, under £50, out of the most probably thousands to choose from than I've been very lucky indeed,though of coarse forums like this do increase the odds of finding what you want without having to spend all your time & money 'trying out' what you want.

So I'm not saying these are the best IEM for that price for rhythmical reproduction.Simply that for dance music they have good enough sound reproduction in order for a dancer to hear what matters.The Rhythm.Without any over unbalance in design which would distract the listener from that essential ingredient in music.

Rhythm or the control of sound being the force that directs sound into what we label as a musical sound.

Hence the most Rhythmical music is by factual definition the sound that is most 'Musical' to a well balanced ears

Hence you can measure how well a person hears or understands the sound by the genre of music they listen to.

As for my westone 3's, I'm very content with their 'Harmonic' capability & won't be doubting their excellence until I need to buy a new pair, or some genuinely revolutionary new production method is synthesised from nature to make IEM even better

.

But electronics V natures organics .Their is no electronics without natures Organics!!

 

[ib1dance]

Quote:

Originally Posted by opti420sk /img/forum/go_quote.gif From my humble listening opinion the RE2's with the Fiio E5 amp combo really has great detail. In my opinion the RE2's have great mid and high details, but the bass isn't great. .

I'm sure they sound great.But having a extra amp does not suit my circumstance's .