[DonutDeflector]

I need some recommendations for IEMs under $50. They should be flat, have good soundstage, have minimal cord noise, be comfortable, hard to fall out of your ears, and have good build quality. No extra bells and whistles are needed but a carrying case included would be nice. You can also recommend slightly higher priced IEM.

I'm looking at the Klipsch Image S4 II for $47 on Amazon. Should I stick with this IEM?

 

[Me x3]

Hi,
 
You should read about Nocs NS400, I've read good things about them.
 
Best Luck!

 

[DonutDeflector]

Hi,

You should read about Nocs NS400, I've read good things about them.

Best Luck!

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll look at them and see how I like them.

 

[MrRodriguez]

I don't have much experience with a variety of IEMs, but the Sennheiser CX300-II Precision in-ears are about $30 on Amazon. Fit them with some Comply foam tips, and they sound pretty good. Great bass. Punchy, loud and tight. The treble is smooth. No harsh spikes or screeching. Mids and vocals are good. Pretty comfortable fit. Build quality is ok.

 

[DonutDeflector]

I don't have much experience with a variety of IEMs, but the Sennheiser CX300-II Precision in-ears are about $30 on Amazon. Fit them with some Comply foam tips, and they sound pretty good. Great bass. Punchy, loud and tight. The treble is smooth. No harsh spikes or screeching. Mids and vocals are good. Pretty comfortable fit. Build quality is ok.

 
I was looking for something that was flat and no bass enhanced but if it is clean, I'll take it!

 

[billybob_jcv]

I don't think you are really going to get a flat response for $50. I think the best you can do is get something that will please you - until you hear something better.

 

[MrRodriguez]

I was looking for something that was flat and no bass enhanced but if it is clean, I'll take it!

The bass is pretty substantially bumped over flat. They sound pretty clean for the price, but if you want flat and clean, and are willing to spend more, the HiFiMan RE-400 is amazing. Very clear. The details are fantastic.

I don't remember how flat they were, but the MEElecteonics A161 can be had on Amazon for around $60. I know they didn't have a huge bass bump like the CX300.

*update: from a review posted here, the A161 is pretty neutral

http://www.head-fi.org/t/613310/review-meelectronics-a161p-intro-into-neutrality

So for around $60 on Amazon, it may be perfect for what you're looking for.

 

[VolumePlus]

Hi, I'm also new here, but I have tried the S4, CX300, and briefly, the RE400. I'd say they're all very good choices, though I would recommend the S4 to more people.
 
Klipsch has done a marvelous job on the ear tip design so the comfort and the isolation is superior to CX300 and RE400. They also stayed in my ears better than the CX300.
 
In terms of sound quality, I would say they are all a pleasure to listen to, CX300 has more emphasis on the base, while the RE400 has the more neutral sound. (But I would say that these were very slight differences for me, and as long as your ears adjusts they will all sound great.)
 
In terms of build quality, I'd say the CX300 was the worst of the 3, I remember the cables felt pretty cheap. The build quality of the RE400 is quite good, with aluminum body and nice looking cables. The only problems for me were how fragile they seemed: the cable from the jack to the junction (is that what you call it?) is covered in fabric, but from the junction to the earbuds themselves, it was this thin cable that seemed like it would be easily damaged (though I read somewhere that this reduces the cable rubbing noise).
 
Overall, I prefer the klipsch to the other two. It sounds good, has a decent build quality, and most of all, it fit me very well. Plus, it is cheaper than the RE400, and similar in cost to the CX300. But it would be best if you try some of them before, if you could.

 

[DonutDeflector]

Hi, I'm also new here, but I have tried the S4, CX300, and briefly, the RE400. I'd say they're all very good choices, though I would recommend the S4 to more people.

Klipsch has done a marvelous job on the ear tip design so the comfort and the isolation is superior to CX300 and RE400. They also stayed in my ears better than the CX300.

In terms of sound quality, I would say they are all a pleasure to listen to, CX300 has more emphasis on the base, while the RE400 has the more neutral sound. (But I would say that these were very slight differences for me, and as long as your ears adjusts they will all sound great.)

In terms of build quality, I'd say the CX300 was the worst of the 3, I remember the cables felt pretty cheap. The build quality of the RE400 is quite good, with aluminum body and nice looking cables. The only problems for me were how fragile they seemed: the cable from the jack to the junction (is that what you call it?) is covered in fabric, but from the junction to the earbuds themselves, it was this thin cable that seemed like it would be easily damaged (though I read somewhere that this reduces the cable rubbing noise).

Overall, I prefer the klipsch to the other two. It sounds good, has a decent build quality, and most of all, it fit me very well. Plus, it is cheaper than the RE400, and similar in cost to the CX300. But it would be best if you try some of them before, if you could.

Thanks for the review! I feel like going with the S4s.
I really need some IEMS because my whole audio collection is headphones.

 

[hema]

http://theheadphonelist.com/articles/earphone-buyers-guide/
 
have a look

 

[wskl]

From joker's list in the post above mine, I have the Vsonic VC02 ($50) and I can recommend them.  Another option would be the Etymotic Ety-Kids 5 ($39 on Amazon).

 

[jazzwave]

Xiaomi-pistons-2 $22
http://www.head-fi.org/products/xiaomi-pistons-2-0-mk301

But be carefull with the fake one

 

[vaziyetu]

as for klipsch image s4 and cx 300: i've used image s3 and cx 270. i don't know how different the models you've spoken of (people say sennheiser's pretty much identical but i didn't read anything about klipsch) but as for the models i've used, i can say they were very ordinary earphones, waste of money compared to better ones. you don't need to scare the bass amound of sennheiser's. as for klipsch, it already lacks bass.
 
for the soundstage, none of the this models + piston 2 has any soundstage. they are the narrowest. if the soundstage is one of your main concern, i strongly recommend you following models (keep in mind i'm only recommending earphones that i used): brainwavz r1 (carrying 5-6 db 2khz increment), vsonic vsd3 & koss kdx100 (this two carrying lots of icrements starting with 60hz ending with 1khz, especially kdx100). following models also has a wide soundstage but not wide enough to deliver you a full sized headphone feeling (but they deliver more "focused" sound): koss kdx200 (carrying a little deep bass increment), audio-technica ckm500 (carrying a moderate amount of treble increment). none of the other models i've used was any close to this models in terms of soundstage.
 
i don't know about A161 but i've used m-duo from meelectronics. i don't trust this company in terms of soundstage. m-duo was doing a good job about bass and treble but it was clearly lacking some mid performance & soundstage. as for the "flat" sound. please use an equalizer feature has a custom function which allows you to "equalize" any frequency you want.

 

[DonutDeflector]

Thansks

as for klipsch image s4 and cx 300: i've used image s3 and cx 270. i don't know how different the models you've spoken of (people say sennheiser's pretty much identical but i didn't read anything about klipsch) but as for the models i've used, i can say they were very ordinary earphones, waste of money compared to better ones. you don't need to scare the bass amound of sennheiser's. as for klipsch, it already lacks bass.

for the soundstage, none of the this models + piston 2 has any soundstage. they are the narrowest. if the soundstage is one of your main concern, i strongly recommend you following models (keep in mind i'm only recommending earphones that i used): brainwavz r1 (carrying 5-6 db 2khz increment), vsonic vsd3 & koss kdx100 (this two carrying lots of icrements starting with 60hz ending with 1khz, especially kdx100). following models also has a wide soundstage but not wide enough to deliver you a full sized headphone feeling (but they deliver more "focused" sound): koss kdx200 (carrying a little deep bass increment), audio-technica ckm500 (carrying a moderate amount of treble increment). none of the other models i've used was any close to this models in terms of soundstage.

i don't know about A161 but i've used m-duo from meelectronics. i don't trust this company in terms of soundstage. m-duo was doing a good job about bass and treble but it was clearly lacking some mid performance & soundstage. as for the "flat" sound. please use an equalizer feature has a custom function which allows you to "equalize" any frequency you want.

Thank you