[lazybum]

Hi ppl

Im looking for an IEM around the sub $80 category. However, i can't decide between head direct's RE0, Soundmagic's pl50 or the fischer audio Eterna.
Im still a student so budget is pretty tight.. would like to make the most out of my tight budget. Which one will be the best value for its money?

Im looking for something relatively balanced, where there is no area that is majorly recessed. Im not a bass head, so as long as there is decent quantity of bass, im ok. But the quality and depth of the bass must be there. I listen to mostly pop and rock. And im using a clip+ without amp.

For RE0 i would be able to get them for around $89 shipped. Comes with 1 year manufacturer's warranty but its gonna be a hassle to send it back for replacements in case of a breakdown. Ive heard that the RE0 lacks bass in terms of quantity, but is the bass quality good? Will it be possible to EQ my clip+ to give the bass more body? I also read that the soundstage seemed to be on the narrow side which makes complicated songs messy?

For the pl50 i would be able to get it for around $50, but the good thing is that this comes with 1 year local warranty. Ive borrowed my friend's pl50 before and they are pretty good i musty say, but nothing exciting it seems. Ive read that it rivals many >$100 phones so i was kinda expecting more. But maybe thats because i haven't really listened to any other "pro" IEMs before so don't really have any basis of comparison.

For the eterna i would be able to get it for around $60, but without warranty of any sort. Apparently these phones are pretty new and there hasn't seemed to be a general consensus as to how these phones perform. Some say that it rivals many of the top IEMs while some say that it lacks detail and so on. Any more users can contribute their opinions about the eterna?

At the moment im leaning towards the pl50 due to the local warranty and the accessories that are provided for the price. Would like to try the eterna but unsure about how i will like it and theres no warranty of any sort that comes with it. The re0 has received rave reviews here but the price is kinda deterring me a little. So which do you think i should get?

 

[rawrster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazybum /img/forum/go_quote.gif Im looking for something relatively balanced, where there is no area that is majorly recessed. Im not a bass head, so as long as there is decent quantity of bass, im ok. But the quality and depth of the bass must be there. I listen to mostly pop and rock. And im using a clip+ without amp.

That sounds like the RE0 for me. I have them and they sound great and an extremely good value. I think people have been exaggerating the lack of bass they have. I was expecting something along the lines of the ER6i but its there and its not as bad as some people have made it out to be. I have never heard the pl50 or the eterna so you can take it however you want. I read the review on the eterna and it seems to me thats is more of a fun phone. PL50 im sure many others in here can give you an opinion on that.

 

[G3n0c|d3]

eterna is a fun sounding iem....
a bassy and source depended earphone... good for rock, heavy metal... but not so great at classical and live recording....

 

[Kezghan]

I will never tell anyone not to get a pair of RE0's. They are fantastic, and the bass quality is very good.

 

[lazybum]

So its well worth the extra $40 to get an RE0 instead of a pl50 with its local warranty?

Thats my main concern as a student with limited $$

 

[grahamnp]

Yes the bass quality of the RE0 is very good but they are also very revealing so for me, any significant level of EQ added, not enough to make it bassy, starts to distort. Just so you know, I tried this on an iPhone 3g so YMMV.

I initially thought that the sound of the RE0 would not have enough bass for my liking and it still doesn't but whatever it lacks in bass it more than makes up for in the other areas of it's sound quality.

 

[grahamnp]

Yes the bass quality of the RE0 is very good but they are also very revealing so for me, any significant level of EQ added, not enough to make it bassy, starts to distort. Just so you know, I tried this on an iPhone 3g so YMMV.

I initially thought that the sound of the RE0 would not have enough bass for my liking and it still doesn't but whatever it lacks in bass it more than makes up for in the other areas of it's sound quality.

 

[lazybum]

hmm so eqing with an re0 is a no go?

By the way will everything be the same if i buy from amazon.com instead?
From here:
Amazon.com: HEAD-DIRECT RE0 In-ear Headphones: Electronics

The seller "head direct" is head direct isn't it?

 

[Belabor]

Make absolutely sure what kind of sound signature you're after.

My choice for the PL50 several months ago hasn't been the best. I do like the quality the Pl50's give for the money, but for most rock I find them slightly boring. Many might not agree with me, but this is solely my opinion.

 

[jant71]

Okay, some misconceptions. The RE0 has quality bass and a decent amount. What it lacks is punch/feel and some emotion and texture. Depending on one's experience you can dispute that and think it doesn't so that might be more individual but the RE0 does need an amp to bring "real" texture and some emotion. The soundstage is narrow which also shows the need for an amp more than some other phones but this has little to do with how it deals with complex passages. The RE0 only smears complex stuff if it is not fed enough juice. Quality EQ helps the RE0 down low. Clip+ EQ is supposedly not a top EQ so it might distort. Rockbox possibly porting to the Clip+ will remedy it.

The RE0 can be excellent for the price or it can fall short of it's potential depending how it's driven. That being said it is a technically high quality phone but not much in the way of personality. So, you need to know what you want. If you have the Eterna as a possible choice, that is from reports more flavor, personality, and fun. That what makes this hobby fun, finding everything you want(your sound) plus high SQ is a challenge!

Why not the S4 as a choice? Warranty is easier for you and the price is good. Also adding bass may add distortion on the RE0 but reducing gain on the clip EQ won't. Better to have a bit more bass than not enough. I would trust the S4 more than the Eterna myself.

 

[lazybum]

Thanks for all the input. They've been truly helpful!

I probably won't be planning to get an amp due to cost and portability reasons. But ive heard that clip+ doesn't really need an amp, so i presume the re0 will not perform too far below its potential with the clip+ unamped?

Thanks for the suggestion on the S4. Ill go read up more on it.

Maybe ill just randomly pick one and treat it as one of the stepping stones for my search for the earphones that suits me best.

Though my lack of funding will probably make the search a long one :/

 

[bba1973]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazybum /img/forum/go_quote.gif I probably won't be planning to get an amp due to cost and portability reasons. But ive heard that clip+ doesn't really need an amp, so i presume the re0 will not perform too far below its potential with the clip+ unamped?

RE0 and Clip+ unamped sound fantastic. That combo actually sounds slightly better than my iPod Photo + LOD + cmoy + RE0 combo. The iPod EQ (Rockbox, of course) is pretty good. In the sound settings menu, I have the bass set to +3db, and that gives it a little more quantity without messing up everything else. The EQ on the Clip+ sucks, plain and simple, but it sounds really good flat. With the Clip+ + diy interconnect + cmoy +RE0s, it has a little more punch and life, but not enough to make it worth carrying around an amp. Keep in mind the biosciencegeek cmoy is the best amp I can afford right now, and using a better amp will probably yield different resuts.

RE0 and Clip+ unamped (assuming you're using either high-bitrate lossy or lossless) is a great setup. I was skeptical about spending $100 on them (before the sale and latest revision), but it was totally worth it (especially after the foam mod). I haven't heard the other IEMs you're contemplating, but I can vouch for the RE0 + Clip+ setup. If you do get RE0s, I reccomend putting Shure black foam tips (olives) on them. They're amazingly comfortable and get a pretty good seal.

 

[lazybum]

Thanks for all the replies!

Looks like ill be getting an RE0. The klipsch s4 looks good, pretty torn between them.
But the reduction from the original price of the re0 seems too attractive to give up.

 

[BassThor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazybum /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for all the replies! Looks like ill be getting an RE0. The klipsch s4 looks good, pretty torn between them. But the reduction from the original price of the re0 seems too attractive to give up.

Welcome onto a evil one way highroad to spending a lot of money.

 

[lazybum]

haha yeah
I better stop visiting hf.org after i get my re0 before i start spending more to try other phones

Btw if i were to get an amp with the re0 for my clip+, which amp would you guys recommend? Will prefer something cheap and not too big.