[nabeelkhan]

Hi All!

Long time lurker here but relative newbie to the IEM game (although my wallet would probably disagree).

I recently went to CanJam London and fell in love with the Periodic Audio Be. It has a clearness, musicality and bass that I can't get out of my current IEMs the HEM6. I understood from Dan that they will are currently in the midst of finalizing a UK distributor. What I didn't quite like was the fixed cable (Dan said that would be covered under the 5 year warranty). Other IEMs I quite liked from the show were the Vision Ears VE6, Stage Diver SD5, Earsonics SM5, Beyer Xcellento (but all way out of my price range).

Long story cut short I would also welcome any other suggestions of similar sounding IEMs to the Periodic Audio (I'll see if I can try them out anywhere). My requirements are

1) Isolation; I use the tube a lot and it can get very noisy. I don't want to damage my hearing from listening to my IEMs loud to compensate.

2) Sound quality with emphasis on quality bass; I'm a bit of a basshead, although I don't want bass at the cost of a sacrifice elsewhere. I'm not the best at describing using audiophile terms so I'll let you know the IEMs I've had;

a) iBasso IT01; loved the sound a lot but absolutely hated the fit. Could never quite get good isolation out of it. Everyone mentioned how they have a great fit, I just kept getting driver flex + no matter how many tips I tried I'd always have to wack up the sound to be keep the world out.

b) Senheisser IE80; again same as above and I guess IEMs have gotten better

c) Nuforce HEM6; sounds a bit veiled/thin but love the isolation it gives

d) Etymotic ER4XR; amazing, the clarity on these were unreal however it was a tad bass light for me and the microphonics drove me insane

e) Oriveti New Primacy; very smooth, balanced, comfy to wear but isolation wasn't enough for me​

3) Customer service; one thing I have to mention about all these companies is they are very client centric and it really makes a difference in the experience of any item you purchase.

4) Low microphonics; see list of IEMs I've had, the Etys drove me nuts as I could hear every step through the wire

I realise the above is panadol inducing, apologies but if you've read this far you have my undying respect

Nabs

P.s. I use an Earstudio ES100 on the go, so should be able to be driven by that.

 

[jasparis]

I havent heard the Periodic Audio Be but for that budget definitely look at the campfire audio orions and comets. Both single BAs at £349 and £210 respectively. Ive tried both and own the comets and they are excellent. Decent isolation, surprisingly good bass for a single BA and good detail retrieval.

 

[serman005]

+1 on the Orion. Very good. Have also not heard the Periodic--sorry.

 

[nabeelkhan]

Thanks guys. Tried the comet, paired it with my Earstudio ES100 didn't seem to be a good pairing. Checked out the Orion reviews, bass seems a bit too on the neutral side?

 

[jasparis]

Its certainly pretty balanced.

Did you tip roll on the comet?

 

[nabeelkhan]

Unfortunately I didn't get chance to they were closing up shop. Just tried their Marshmallow tips

 

[nabeelkhan]

Changing the title to open up the audience. Thanks jasparis and serman005 for your suggestions so far.

 

[Will Chiu]

I also tried the orion, and I liked it quite a bit. The bass of it is neutral, while the upper part is exciting.

 

[Will Chiu]

For the comet, I once tried it but I just can't wear it comfortably so personally I don't like it

 

[jkjk123]

Try the final audio e5000. It's got solid bass, good build quality, replaceable cable, strong isolation with foam tips. It's a bit light on treble, but if you eq down the bass a bit it sounds pretty balanced.

Not sure how the customer service is though as they are based in Japan, also its decently microphonic when worn cable down without a shirt clip.

 

[Will Chiu]

I think you should also try the acoustune hs1551 (or hs1503). Although it has a warm sound signature, the clarity of it is nice and extension is good. The bass is elevated but I won't say it is a bassy iem.
I don't know about the customer service as I bought it from a official local distributor in HK and they provide the customer service, not the company itself.

 

[nabeelkhan]

Thanks Will Chiu and jkjk123

 

[waveSounds]

Can't comment on the quality of the others that have already recommended (the Acoustune HS1551 looks intriguing) but I will throw another hat into the ring: RHA T20. RHA are UK based and have built up quite the reputation for excellent customer service, isolate well, have all-day comfort, and can satisfy in the bass department. They're well under your budget, but I'd suggest shortlisting them for audition at the very least.

 

[nabeelkhan]

Can't comment on the quality of the others that have already recommended (the Acoustune HS1551 looks intriguing) but I will throw another hat into the ring: RHA T20. RHA are UK based and have built up quite the reputation for excellent customer service, isolate well, have all-day comfort, and can satisfy in the bass department. They're well under your budget, but I'd suggest shortlisting them for audition at the very least.

Actually had these, liked the sound, build and customer service. But the isolation on the tube/metro wasn't great. I know I'm sounding very picky, keen to not chop and change so frequently (yeah right)

 

[waveSounds]

Heh fair enough. It's been several years since I removed myself from London commute (and banished memories of it to no more than the occasional nightmarish flutter), but your best bet might be the balanced armature route for isolation. They tend to, typically, be down on impact and quantity compared to dynamic driver bass so... I'll leave you with this unhelpful catch 22