[damon1988]

Hi,
 
I am not really an Audiophile or Musician. I am more of a Music Enthusiast.
 
I have ATH M50 right now, which i mainly use in my office and i really like them. Lately i realized that i dont have good quality IEM's for the 
times i go for a walk or when things get loud in office. I don't listen to M31's (Me elec.) which i currently own anymore, cuz they are so bassy 
and muddy. It seems my taste has developed over time and i simply dont like them anymore. Same goes for the Stock earbuds that came with my 
Walkman. Time for an upgrade!!
 
Ive been reading a lot of reviews since last couple of days, in order to find the right IEMs to suit my needs. But unfortunately the reviews 
dont really talk about Eq. I did find a couple of IEM's which were almost perfect but their negatives would include "Lack sub bass" etc, which left me wondering if Eq will be able to fix that or they simply are unable to operate in that range by design. 
 
It left me with no choice but to start a thread and ask for help. 
 
Here is what i am looking for in my new IEM's. Please help me out !
 
Comfort: If i can sleep with them on that would be really nice, but its not really a deciding factor for me.
 
Soundstage : Large Soundstage preferred.
 
Stock Sound Signature : 
Neutral Sounding but capable on Lower range and Mid Range and Higher range equally when the situation demands for it. 
    Bass:  i love the Lower End Bass (Sub Bass) ~20 - 60 Hz. I did notice that i tend to cut down 1 or 2 db from 70 - 120 Hz range as i dont 
 
        really adore mid bass.
    Mids: Ever since i started listening to M50's , i am exploring entirely new spectrum which i never paid attention to before. I want the     
 
    IEMs to be really capable in this range. 
    
    Treble: I am not a treblehead, i dont want them to be sharp like a diamond but good enough so they dont feel recessed on the higher         
 
        end. I believe M50's upper range is sufficient for me.
 
Eq'ed Signature
    Bass: I should be able to amp the Sub bass and also a little in the range of 50-70. The IEM's should break no sweat while i push this range up by a couple of dbs if necessary.
    Mids: I generally wouldnt touch this range, i never do so on M50's either.
    Treble: I leave this range flat, thats why the IEM's need to have flat response on higher side (nothing amped on stock configuration). If needed i should be able to up things but not more that a db or 2.
 
I know some people aren't really fond of Eq'ing their music but to me its an important tool, to tune the music in a way that i find pleasing. I see nothing wrong with that.
I will be using IEM's with my Laptop, where i have APO EQ for a really fine control over things. But for portable listening i will be using my Note coupled with ZO FS.
 
Using ZO FS for EQ'ing my music is the exact reason why i had to lay out such specific requirements in terms of the signature of IEM's. I can amp the Bass and Treble but i cant go the other way. So its important their stock signature isnt amping anything on their own , but at the same time they are capable so i can tweak the signature and they dont break a sweat while i do that.
 
Budget:
150-220$
 
Guys, let me know if you have any suggestions. 
Thanks.
____________________________________________________
Edit:
 
Genre i usually listen to : Electronic, Trance ,  Blues , Rock , Acoustic. Some Hip-hop as well.
 
Source: I have Spotify premium which is my main source on PC and my phone. (High Quality Streaming enabled, it wouldn't compete with FLAC or anything but sounds good enough for my ears.)
__________________________________________________________ 

 

[H20Fidelity]

Take a look at Dunu DN-1000 or T-Peos Altone200. Both hybrid designs within your budget. They'll offer close to what you're looking for and your EQ will do the rest. Both mentioned offer high price to performance ratio.

 

[damon1988]

Take a look at Dunu DN-1000 or T-Peos Altone200. Both hybrid designs within your budget. They'll offer close to what you're looking for and your EQ will do the rest. Both mentioned offer high price to performance ratio.

 

Take a look at Dunu DN-1000 or T-Peos Altone200. Both hybrid designs within your budget. They'll offer close to what you're looking for and your EQ will do the rest. Both mentioned offer high price to performance ratio.

 
Thanks for the recommendation!
 
After reading your reply i checked the reviews for both of them.
DN1000 seems almost perfect for my needs! And so does the Altone200.
 
I am in the process of comparing them both and trying to figure out which one will be best. Have you personally heard both of these ?
 
Also a question about the Sound Stage, i read that Sennheiser IE80 have a very large sound stage. How does both of these compare against IE80 as far as the sound-stage goes ?

 

[SSSN]

The Hifiman RE 400 might fit you

 

[Brooko]

  Thanks for the recommendation!
 
After reading your reply i checked the reviews for both of them.
DN1000 seems almost perfect for my needs! And so does the Altone200.
 
I am in the process of comparing them both and trying to figure out which one will be best. Have you personally heard both of these ?

 
Pretty sure Luke still has both - and they are good recommendations (I also have them).  Both are a little V shaped, but respond well to EQ.  Altones have a little more emphasis on the upper mid-range and lower treble, whilst their lower midrange is slightly scooped.
 
The DN-1000 have a bit more upper treble emphasis, upper and lower mids are more evenly balanced than the Altones.
 
Both have very good bass - and on both it extends pretty well.
 
Personally I find the Altones easier to fit (slightly smaller), and more comfortable.
 
Before I got my A83s I used both - a lot.
 
If you can find them at a reasonable price - they were going around 280-300 (and can increase your budget to achieve this), then the Fidue A83 would be my recommendation at a different price point. They are far more balanced, and whilst they don't have the low end dominance that the Altone and Dunu have - they can be EQ'd to reach lower.
 
Check out the product reviews on all 3.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/dunu-dn-1000/reviews
http://www.head-fi.org/products/t-peos-altone200/reviews
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fidue-a83-reference-class-triple-hybrid-iem/reviews

 

[damon1988]

  The Hifiman RE 400 might fit you

 
I had checked this one out and reviewers agree that they lack Sub bass. Which is very important factor for me. So no go here. Thanks for recommending though!  

.
 
 
 

   
Pretty sure Luke still has both - and they are good recommendations (I also have them).  Both are a little V shaped, but respond well to EQ.  Altones have a little more emphasis on the upper mid-range and lower treble, whilst their lower midrange is slightly scooped.
 
The DN-1000 have a bit more upper treble emphasis, upper and lower mids are more evenly balanced than the Altones.
 
Both have very good bass - and on both it extends pretty well.
 
Personally I find the Altones easier to fit (slightly smaller), and more comfortable.
 
Before I got my A83s I used both - a lot.
 
If you can find them at a reasonable price - they were going around 280-300 (and can increase your budget to achieve this), then the Fidue A83 would be my recommendation at a different price point. They are far more balanced, and whilst they don't have the low end dominance that the Altone and Dunu have - they can be EQ'd to reach lower.
 
Check out the product reviews on all 3.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/dunu-dn-1000/reviews
http://www.head-fi.org/products/t-peos-altone200/reviews
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fidue-a83-reference-class-triple-hybrid-iem/reviews

 
After H20Fidelity recommended those 2 iems i went back and i read both your reviews on these IEM's and also a couple others. First of all, i really like the way you write your reviews. Keeping setup the same and always being consistent, it really helps to distinguish the sound character by simply looking at any of your reviews side by side.
 
I also went through the comparison thread you started on both these Iem's , must say it was a pretty long discussion with a couple of other things getting into the mix. Made it through 32 pages then finally skipped to last 2.
 
 
Before you replied i was almost certain, that i am going to get the Altones 200, because many people said they found the Dun's muddy after listening to Altones. And also because of more impact although a little in the bass department.
 
 
Alright, finally looked at your review on these new suckers! 
 
I think the way you presented the things, i am already starting to like them. Also when you mentioned this part

"Lindsay Stirling’s “Electric Daisy Violin” definitely thumps – but what impresses me more is the projection of the violin – perfectly clear, smooth, and haunting."

I guess i am tempted to buy them, just for the sake of being able to listen whats being talked about here! 

Apart from the sound , i also like the way they look. 
 
 
These are currently selling for 279$ on amazon . Before pulling the trigger on these, can you let me know your thoughts on the following ?
 
1. They seem bigger than the Altones, im curious to know if one can sleep while wearing these or not?
2. With the use of ZO FS , can they deliver more than enough oomph!! in 20-50 Hz region. And is it at-least on par with Dunu's and altones (keeping in mind the natural signature of A83's allows for lower bass as you already mentioned in your review, but we will be pushing the pedal on bass in this case.) ?

 

[Brooko]

Thanks for the comments on the reviews.  They take quite a bit of time - so I'm pleased they are helping people make their decisions
 
The A83 are bigger than the Altone200 - but the shape is very ergonomic - so for me they fit flat against my ear, and I have no issues sleeping with them (same is true of the Altones - they are small enough so that for me they do not protrude).
 
Fit (seal) is one of the big differences though.  With the Altones, I found I could achieve a seal OOTB better - even with silicone tips.  The A83 were a little more tricky, and required some tip rolling. Eventually I settled with genuine Comply T400s for both.  I guess I'm lucky - but with both I can get a perfect (comfortable) seal within 1-2 seconds.
 
Other than that, and the better overall build on the Fidues - your choice really is on the signature you want.  The A83 is naturally balanced, but with a good dynamic driver which can push out more bass if you want to EQ.  The Altones have a V shaped but very fun sound - and the bass is a high quality - you might find them a little trickier to EQ the lower mid range to get a better tonal balance though.
 
Basically it now comes down to your overall preference - and that's a decision you need to make 

 

[damon1988]

Ordered  Fidue A83's via amazon Prime. They will be here by Wednesday evening!
I'm pretty excited about them, these are going to be my first high quality IEM's 

 . Will post some updates after i receive em!
 
Thanks H20Fidelity, for setting things in motion for Dunus and Altones.
And thank you Brooko for helping me out on the final decision. I appreciate it.

 

[Brooko]

Just hope they "tick most of your boxes" - like they have with Luke and I.  I'll look forward to your thoughts once you get them and have a chance to let their signature "sink in".

 

[damon1988]

I hope so too.

 

[djvkool]

  Ordered  Fidue A83's via amazon Prime. They will be here by Wednesday evening!
I'm pretty excited about them, these are going to be my first high quality IEM's 

 . Will post some updates after i receive em!
 
Thanks H20Fidelity, for setting things in motion for Dunus and Altones.
And thank you Brooko for helping me out on the final decision. I appreciate it.

You won't be dissapointed for sure...

 

[H20Fidelity]

  Ordered  Fidue A83's via amazon Prime. They will be here by Wednesday evening!
I'm pretty excited about them, these are going to be my first high quality IEM's 

 . Will post some updates after i receive em!
 
Thanks H20Fidelity, for setting things in motion for Dunus and Altones.
And thank you Brooko for helping me out on the final decision. I appreciate it.

Welcome to the Fidue sanctuary! You've been guided well. 

 

[damon1988]

Received Fidue A83's today. I was pretty excited when i got the txt that it was delivered.

Came back home in the evening, and feeling the need to preserve the excitement, I decided to not open them up immediately.
Finished some home chores and grabbed some snacks while staring at the Cardboard box, thinking how they might sound like. Then i said to myself  "Alright!!! Enough wait, lets get started!!"
 
Opened the box, pulled out the accessories and finally the Case containing the IEM's. I must say the case looks like an Old skool Briefcase.

. Pretty strong and neat however.
After taking the A83's out, i realized how sweet they look. Color combination and build quality is really nice, i really like them.
 
I believe i spent at least 20 mins playing around with all the sets of Tips to get the best fit, the ones that were already on them didn't fit well and they simply fell off after a couple of seconds after wearing them. After trying all of the tips i realized, I wasn't able to get a good fit with any of them.

 
The only ones which seemed to work best (not optimum however, simply compared to others) were the Foam tips and the smallest double flanged silicon tips.
Even with both of these, the isolation was pretty average. Even if i lightly tap my fingers on the table i can hear it!
 
And i also noticed A83's don't really sit inside the body of my ear. When i look in the mirror, i can see the circular nozzle merging with the main body. Tried to push them but they wont go further, didn't really think i might have small ear canals till tonight.
 
I wanted to ask you guys, how they sit in your ears when  you wear them ? Do they glue to the contour of the ears? or there is a space between the main curvy body of iems and ears ?

 

[H20Fidelity]

  Received Fidue A83's today. I was pretty excited when i got the txt that it was delivered.

Came back home in the evening, and feeling the need to preserve the excitement, I decided to not open them up immediately.
Finished some home chores and grabbed some snacks while staring at the Cardboard box, thinking how they might sound like. Then i said to myself  "Alright!!! Enough wait, lets get started!!"
 
Opened the box, pulled out the accessories and finally the Case containing the IEM's. I must say the case looks like an Old skool Briefcase.

. Pretty strong and neat however.
After taking the A83's out, i realized how sweet they look. Color combination and build quality is really nice, i really like them.
 
I believe i spent at least 20 mins playing around with all the sets of Tips to get the best fit, the ones that were already on them didn't fit well and they simply fell off after a couple of seconds after wearing them. After trying all of the tips i realized, I wasn't able to get a good fit with any of them.

 
The only ones which seemed to work best (not optimum however, simply compared to others) were the Foam tips and the smallest double flanged silicon tips.
Even with both of these, the isolation was pretty average. Even if i lightly tap my fingers on the table i can hear it!
 
And i also noticed A83's don't really sit inside the body of my ear. When i look in the mirror, i can see the circular nozzle merging with the main body. Tried to push them but they wont go further, didn't really think i might have small ear canals till tonight.
 
I wanted to ask you guys, how they sit in your ears when  you wear them ? Do they glue to the contour of the ears? or there is a space between the main curvy body of iems and ears ?

Hi Damon,

Pop over to the Fidue A83 thread and copy / paste what you wrote here. There's more people who will see and can give you some guidance..

http://www.head-fi.org/t/725161/fidue-a83-impressions-and-discussion-thread/255#post_10943600

(we will find a tip for you though soon enough!)