[AiBL]

Well.. I hope this works. Hey guys! Hoping you can help me out on buying a new pair of IEMs or headphones. I'm not limiting myself to portable only, but this forum seems to be visited more often.
Anyway, I guess I'll just start by saying that I'm not an audiophile. Really. You guys seem to operate in some mystical world that's kind of like the world of wine tastings, what with all of your terminology that I have a vague sense I understand but in reality most probably do not, and your crazy ability to pick up on all the details of your music. I do, however, know when I'm listening to low quality headphones or earphones, and hate it. Bothers me so much. So in that regard, I guess I'm kind of picky.

Here's a list of my previously owned IEMs (never owned a pair of headphones, ever!) that stand out in my memory:
1. Head-Direct RE0. The reason I'm not buying this again is because both pairs I've had have broken with the same problem (separation of the earbud part of the left earbud from the wire). But the clarity of these earphones is tremendous. They cost $80. I love the clear highs (what does "sparkly" mean anyway?), defined mids, and controlled bass. Yea, I don't really care too much about bass quantity.
2. JAYS q-JAYS. Very nice. Accurate, neutral. Small and extremely comfortable, which was a great plus. Probably too expensive; it's been years though so I can't remember too much.
3. Yuin PK3. Oh my god earphone! No but really, at $40 I'm loving these. They're very... energetic and lively, and durable too.

So I guess I'm looking for a new pair of preferably closed-back headphones or IEMS (maybe open-back is OK, we'll see) under $200? Unless you can convince me otherwise
I listen to all kinds of music... but mostly all of it is "fast." There's laid back acoustic stuff in there, but the focus for me in those songs tends to be vocals (so mids, right) than instrumentals, necessarily.

I would prefer, in this order: Accuracy, clarity, energetic/lively, nice treble/mid, comfort, and durability. If these are going to be portable, they better be able to take a beating.

Yea.. Sorry about my lack of knowledge. I'm considering the Audeo PFEs, but I may want to try a pair of headphones, for once. Maybe grab a Grado SR60i? Thoughts, anyone? Any help greatly appreciated

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention! I love speakers the most! So, I like earphones that aren't fatiguing and that sound "open" or airy. I think it's airy.

 

[kevistador]

Shure SRH840 is what I would recommend, and they can be found for 130 on Amazon:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH840-Professional-Monitoring-Earphones/dp/B002DP8IEK
 

 

[AiBL]

Thanks for the response Do you have any comments in particular?

 

[kevistador]

In order of your preferences:
 
Accuracy: fairly neutral with maybe a small mid-bass emphasis, but on the whole they are pretty neutral cans
Clarity: the clarity on these is great - and at $130 I'd say it is outstanding
Dynamics(?): they are pretty easy to drive so they sound pretty lively, the slight bump in the mid-bass also helps them feel more lively
Durability: I don't have any personal experience with long-term durability but from what I've heard they are pretty good
 
These are awesome at the price point - maybe you can see if they drop any more for Black Friday, though I doubt they will drop too much.
 

 

[jc222284]

M-50 is a nice beginner can have nice highs but the mids are abit recessed, other than that maybe go for a pair of grados. I personally love my TF10s they have such a wide soundstage and amazing airy highs when recabled. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask

 

[AiBL]

I do have a question! What is "mid" and what is "treble"? Can you give some real life comparisons I can make?

 

[jc222284]

Quote:

I do have a question! What is "mid" and what is "treble"? Can you give some real life comparisons I can make?

Ok, sorry for the late reply i ended up falling asleep. 
 
Lows = Bass/Sub-bass
Mids = Most vocal ranges, guitar etc..
Highs = Cymbals, hisses, crackles
 
Also what kind of music are you going to be listening to?

 

[some1]

From what i have been told and what i have learned, accuracy and clarity vs nice mid treble..... 
 
Accuracy and clarity, possibly mean neautral, maybe even analytical.
 
In this case bass, mids and treble are basically flat and should have no major bumps or weaknesses, portrayal of music would be clear enabling you to hear a lot of detail.  This kind of sound signature is one of the hardest to produce, in your price range look at Vsonic GR07.
 
On the other hand, you want exciting, I hear good things about Triplefi 10's, dunno if they fall in your budget, but they certainly could in the for sale section of head-fi
 
As for your other requests, other members will give you lots of choices i am sure, but one thing i will say, often to have one set of requirements met, you may have to compromise on other aspects.
 

 

[AiBL]

Headphones vs. earphones go. But seriously, I've had IEMs my whole life. Anyone want to give opinions on what makes one better or worse than the other option?

some1: I understand that ^^ I'm looking for the best balance between clarity and energy, I guess.

 

[jc222284]

Over ear cans have a wider soundstage then in-ears because well..... they are bigger but I if your looking for something on the cheap side like less than 200 then you should go with the m50's. Also what is the source you are going to be using? Music Genre?

 

[AiBL]

Sansa Clip+. My genres.. rock (not metal, mostly alternative/indie), techno, dubstep, trance, and then mellow/acoustic stuff I guess... some hip hop, but not bassy hip hop. so it's still vocal focused I'd say

 

[jc222284]

Quote:

Sansa Clip+. My genres.. rock (not metal, mostly alternative/indie), techno, dubstep, trance, and then mellow/acoustic stuff I guess... some hip hop, but not bassy hip hop. so it's still vocal focused I'd say

hmmmmmm Grado's or ATH-M50 would be your best bet.

 

[jc222284]

actually now that I think about you listen to alot of genres so probably the m-50s because they are really good all-arounders

 

[nikp]

Quote:

Well.. I hope this works. Hey guys! Hoping you can help me out on buying a new pair of IEMs or headphones. I'm not limiting myself to portable only, but this forum seems to be visited more often.
Anyway, I guess I'll just start by saying that I'm not an audiophile. Really. You guys seem to operate in some mystical world that's kind of like the world of wine tastings, what with all of your terminology that I have a vague sense I understand but in reality most probably do not, and your crazy ability to pick up on all the details of your music. I do, however, know when I'm listening to low quality headphones or earphones, and hate it. Bothers me so much. So in that regard, I guess I'm kind of picky.
Here's a list of my previously owned IEMs (never owned a pair of headphones, ever!) that stand out in my memory:
1. Head-Direct RE0. The reason I'm not buying this again is because both pairs I've had have broken with the same problem (separation of the earbud part of the left earbud from the wire). But the clarity of these earphones is tremendous. They cost $80. I love the clear highs (what does "sparkly" mean anyway?), defined mids, and controlled bass. Yea, I don't really care too much about bass quantity.
2. JAYS q-JAYS. Very nice. Accurate, neutral. Small and extremely comfortable, which was a great plus. Probably too expensive; it's been years though so I can't remember too much.
3. Yuin PK3. Oh my god earphone! No but really, at $40 I'm loving these. They're very... energetic and lively, and durable too.
So I guess I'm looking for a new pair of preferably closed-back headphones or IEMS (maybe open-back is OK, we'll see) under $200? Unless you can convince me otherwise
I listen to all kinds of music... but mostly all of it is "fast." There's laid back acoustic stuff in there, but the focus for me in those songs tends to be vocals (so mids, right) than instrumentals, necessarily.
I would prefer, in this order: Accuracy, clarity, energetic/lively, nice treble/mid, comfort, and durability. If these are going to be portable, they better be able to take a beating.
Yea.. Sorry about my lack of knowledge. I'm considering the Audeo PFEs, but I may want to try a pair of headphones, for once. Maybe grab a Grado SR60i? Thoughts, anyone? Any help greatly appreciated

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention! I love speakers the most! So, I like earphones that aren't fatiguing and that sound "open" or airy. I think it's airy.

Hey, I would recommend you the Shure SRH940 because you don't mind a lack of bass. The only weakness of the SRH940 is the midbass quantity but the SHR940 has a really good extension (goes down low). They are extremely accurate, detailed (!!!), king of mids, controlled bass, neutral, snuggly, portable and well built.
 

 

[AiBL]

"Mids are a bit recessed" That's scary ):

nikp: That $209.99 price tag is a bit steep.. do you think the upgrade is worth it over the SRH840?