[foges]

Hi Head-Fi'ers, I'm looking to get a pair of IEMs. Some information
 
 - They should cost less than $400.
 - It should be possible to drive them from an iPhone.
 - I mostly listen to Rock/Pop/Electronic/Indie music. I like headphones that can deliver a solid bass, but I don't like them to be too bass heavy. 
 
After having read at least 20 threads on the same topic I've managed to narrow it down (although I'm very open to other suggestions):
 
1. Westone W30
2. Campfire Audio Orion 
3. Shockwave III (not sure if these can be driven from an iPhone, but they seem like an interesting alternative)
4. FL8Cs (I'm not a huge fan of the way these look) 
 
Looking forward to hearing what you recommend! Thank you!

 

[jodgey4]

I'll be honest up front, IEMs aren't really my area of expertise, but I think I can recommend the Noble Audio Trident in good faith. Great reviews (I own an older Heir Audio equivalent model), and probably some of the best customer service I've ever had. The bass is well extended with a bit of a lift that makes music fun and can help fight against some of the low frequency noise that's hard to block when mobile (cars, wind, etc), and the treble is exciting but never too much.
 
There are probably cheaper options that might suit your needs better but the Trident I think is worth looking out for in your situation . I wouldn't recommend it otherwise (I've considered the FL8Cs as well and read about them, and Noble seems to pretty much always have the edge against similar Westone products. 2 and 3 I'm not familiar with).

I suppose the Audeze iSine10 is $400 as well, though the semi-open design might not work for you.

Hopefully this helps .

 

[Incarnation]

My recommendations would be
 
CIEM: AAW A3H
 
IEM:  Trinity Audio PM4, Ibasso IT03, Campfire Audio Orion, FL8Cs, NiceHCK DZ7
 
I think there are more but i can't remember them all at this time haha sorry

 

[zidius]

iSine 10 WITH cipher cable
westone W30 or UM3x or used W40
Sennheiser IE80
used shure SE535

 

[foges]

Thanks for the recommendations guys!
 
I didn't even know about the iSine10's. They design is so-so, but the lightning cable DAC/amp is really appealing. There don't seem to be many reviews out there, but the reviews that exist are very convincing. Isolation seems to be a bit of a problem. I was hoping to use them for commuting and in the office. Have any of you tried them, would you say it's a definite no-go if you won't be listening to them in a quiet environment?
 
@Incarnation Is your list in order of preference? If not, do you have any opinion on their relative performance (especially the Campfire Audio Orion vs the FL8Cs)?
 
I can't seem to find quite as much information on the Noble Audio Tridents, but they also look like a good option.

 

[Incarnation]

Hi,
 
Nope they are not in order. Sorry I've never heard both of them before. Only Trinity Audio PM4 and Ibasso IT03 I've heard.
 
I would choose the ibasso it03 tho if I were you, due to the punchy bass which i think you might like and the overall sound quality is worth more than its price tag. It's easy to sell too, in the event you do not like it. 
 
DZ7 is also another iem although relatively unknown, seems to be well liked by those having it. If you're ballzy u might wanna give that a shot
 
Orion and FLC you might wanna look through their reviews and maybe PM the reviewer so as to get a clearer understanding as I don't wanna mislead you on something I've never heard before
 
Hope you'll find the ONE soon!

 

[foges]

Thanks @Incarnation I'll take a look at the Trinity Audio PM4 and Ibasso IT03. Both of them are well bellow the $400, which would be nice. 
 
I've been reading more iSine10 reviews and people really seem to be liking them. I can't quite decide how much of a deal-breaker the lack of isolation is.

 

[Incarnation]

yeaaa the isines 10 and 20 seems to be well favored but I don't like the design and I like my iems to have strong isolation so yea don't see myself getting one anytime soon!
 
You need to see what matters most to you:
 
Isolation, comfort, sound quality, removable cables, durability.
 
Once you get that sorted, you will see what you want pretty easily

 

[foges]

Just wanted to follow up. I just pulled the trigger on the iSine 10. 
 
I was going back and forth between the iSine 10 and IBasso IT03 and probably read at least 20 pages in each of the 120+ page release threads for each headphone. In the end it came down to that people seemed more ecstatic about the iSine's. I'd summarize very many of the iSine reviews as "out of this world" type experiences, while the IBasso reviews were closer to "amazing value for money, closer to a $600 pair of IEMs". They're clearly very different IEMs, but when walking around I don't like being completely isolated, and so I think the iSines will be a bit more versatile for me. That being said, the IBassos weren't even on my list before @Incarnationsuggested them, and as far as I can tell from reviews they're extremely good value for money, which made it a difficult choice. Thank you for suggesting a $260 pair of headphones when I suggested a $400 budget, you would have saved me a whole lot of money!!

 

[Incarnation]

Hahaha glad you found what you were looking for the isine 10 is a good choice!
 
See you around!! (the forum, of course )

 

[smy1]

Dunu dn 2002

 

[serman005]

+1 on the Campfire Orion.

 

[472439]

  Just wanted to follow up. I just pulled the trigger on the iSine 10. 
 
I was going back and forth between the iSine 10 and IBasso IT03 and probably read at least 20 pages in each of the 120+ page release threads for each headphone. In the end it came down to that people seemed more ecstatic about the iSine's. I'd summarize very many of the iSine reviews as "out of this world" type experiences, while the IBasso reviews were closer to "amazing value for money, closer to a $600 pair of IEMs". They're clearly very different IEMs, but when walking around I don't like being completely isolated, and so I think the iSines will be a bit more versatile for me. That being said, the IBassos weren't even on my list before @Incarnationsuggested them, and as far as I can tell from reviews they're extremely good value for money, which made it a difficult choice. Thank you for suggesting a $260 pair of headphones when I suggested a $400 budget, you would have saved me a whole lot of money!!

 
I have been reading about the iSine 10 and have been trying to find a place to audition them, but not found any place so far... Did you audition them first or did you just jump in? I would like to read about your impression of them once you have used them for a while. I suppose they need some burn in etc. I also wonder if they work well without a DAC or if a DAC like Chord Hugo will improve the sound greatly.

 

[jazzwave]

Try Etymotic ER4-XR....
Working well with my iPhone 6s, FLAC Player+, all running FLAC file
 
http://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/er4-new.html
 
 
regards
~ron~

 

[1TrickPony]

owned/heard at length:
flc8s
dn2000
dn2000j
pm4 (nope.sub par in this list.)
it03
LZ-A4.

what is your sound preference, and genre of music?