RHA MA750i vs VSonic GR07 vs Yamaha EPH-100

Jul 12, 2016 at 11:16 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 4

iceTwy

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I'm looking for IEM I could wear during commuting and maybe while working out.
 
I'm willing to accept a sound that is a tiny bit too much bassy but I don't want recessed mids or shrieking highs. Just a good balance of all three.
 
The genres I listen to are mostly progressive and heavy-ish metal (Animals as Leaders, Scale the Summit, Gojira, Exivious), progressive/alt. rock (e.g. Tool, Circa Survive), sometimes jazz, and rarely classical music. The key thing I would like my IEM to have is proper balance, clarity and soundstage, because prog metal really requires all three bass, mid and high ranges to shine at the same time and not overwhelm eachother. I feel this the case with my Beyer DT990 Pro so I'm looking to step away from that issue.
 
My budget is $100-$150 / 120€. After searching quite a lot I've compiled the following IEM. I'd like to have your opinions and advice on the following statements:
 
- RHA MA750i (100€) : they seem to provide a fun sound with a warm signature, punchy bass and mids, but lacking in terms of instrument separation and soundstage. The bass seems to veil the mids? Build quality is excellent
 
- Yamaha EPH-100 (100€) : smooth sound, not quite aggressive but laid-back, excellent separation and clarity, with rich bass and clear, forward mids, but unnatural/off-sounding trebles? I feel it wouldn't provide enough response/dynamics for up-tempo songs as some describe it to be dull
 
- VSonic GR07 (Bass Ed?) (120€) : more detailed sound than the two above, less warm/full-bodied than the MA750 but more crisp than the EPH-100. They apparently shine everywhere. Two downsides is that they are prone to sibilance and build quality appears to be an issue. I'll admit I'm not always careful with things I own (although I try to be).
 
EDIT: The files on my phone are 320kbps MP3 or FLAC, so track quality isn't an issue.
 
Jul 16, 2016 at 5:24 AM Post #4 of 4
Bumping again. I'm ordering one of those IEM within the next few days, so help is appreciated.
 
EDIT: So I finally bought the RHA-T10i. I went to a shop nearby that had where I took the MA-750(i) and the Shure SE215 for a test drive with my OnePlus One using FLAC files (not the best source ever but I had to make do).
 
The MA-750 turned out to be okay-ish, but really lacked a lot of presence in the treble imo, and the mid were fighting to overcome the bass that, as I had read, veils them somewhat. However the mid and subbass had good dynamics (read punchy). As a result I found this IEM lacked clarity which I was looking for.
 
I then tried the SE215. I found them to have better treble and they were quite bassy, but the mid were simply non-existent. In particular I listened to Animals as Leaders' Wave of Babies, and I just couldn't hear the mids over the bass and the treble. Treble however lacked texture.
 
So in the end I gave the T10 a try and they blew my mind (I should say ears). They really have everything going for them - amazing, present bass (more than I'm used to with my DT990 Pro but not overwhelming, i.e. well balanced), mids are clear and more forward than on the MA750, and the treble is detailed/textured. The soundstage is good, and complex parts in prog metal songs really shine. I was very lucky as they turned out to be on sale, so I got them for 125€ instead of 180€. Lovely!
 
EDIT 2: The filter used on the T10 was the treble filter. Good choice from the shop staff because the reference or the bass filters would have been too bassy.
 

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