[yellowbirdfly]

Hi guys,
 
I've been an audiophile for over 2 years, and I've decided to stop constantly looking for upgrades and just get the best sounding IEM in the market. Currently, I own these few IEMs: UE TF10, Klipsch X10, AT CKM500, Shure SE215. I consider the TF10 the best IEM I have now. So I'm searching for an IEM that is significantly better sounding than TF10. Pricing isn't a concern, as long as it is reasonably priced for a flagship (so the Senn IE800 and AKG K3003 are out). I listen to a wide variety of genres, as well as Japanese songs, but it MUST sound spectacular with rock and metal. So far I haven't heard a single IEM that beats my TF10 in rock/metal. As for what I'm looking for in sound: bass must be very good quality, well textured, and the quantity equal or slightly more than TF10 (I do not want basshead levels of quantity). Mids must NOT be recessed ('cos I'm tired of recessed mids in my TF10). I would prefer intimate or forward mids, but mids that are just right (neither forward nor recessed) are also okay. Highs must be smooth, no sibilance, and have some sparkle in them. Instrument separation must be good, and soundstage must be decent (not too crammed, not too wide). And lastly, clarity and detail must be better than the TF10, no 'veils' of any sort.
 
I've done much research over the last few months and here's the list of IEMs that I've gathered. I also went to my local headphone store to try out some of them, so if I heard them I will write what I thought of them.
 
The list (first being the one I'm leaning towards the most, last being the least)
 
1. Sony EX1000 (While I haven't heard it, I read that it has amazing bass and vocals, so it may just be what I'm looking for)
 
2. Westone 4R (heard the W4 long ago, can't really remember, but I loved its bass and clarity)
 
3. UE 900 (while they sound good, I wasn't very impressed with them. There are IEMs that beat the UE900 in all aspects of the sound (lows,mids,highs,soundstage,etc)
 
4. Heir Audio 4.ai (haven't heard it but since its a quad BA on par with W4 and UE900, I have high hopes for it)
 
5. Westone UM3X RC (heard it long ago too, sounds great with rock/metal, but not sure how it compares to W4)
 
6. Audio Technica CK100PRO (The treble is too harsh and 'hot', not sure if it's burned in or not)
 
7. Shure SE535LTD (heard the regular SE535, while it's good I don't think it beats TF10 in sound quality)
 
8. Sony XBA-40 (read somewhere that it is better than the Westone 4)
 
9. Phonak Audeo PFE232 (too overpriced for a dual BA IMO, but I'll still leave it in this list)
 
 
I will mostly be using it unamped with my Clip Zip and Samsung Galaxy S3, but I may sometimes amp it for a change.
 
So if you own or heard some of the IEMs in this list, please give me your opinion on which IEM is the best sounding. Of course, if you know other great IEMs not on this list, feel free to recommend them.
 
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 
 
PS: Pardon my English, lol

 

[Deadlovestory]

So here's my opinion of the IEMs you listed above that I've heard or am familiar with :
 
1. Westone 4R : Might be what you're looking for sound-sig wise and budget-wise; Good amount of quality bass, lush and present mids, smooth treble.
 
2. Heir 4.Ai : Never heard it, but if I use what other head-fiers have said about it as a reference, then it might not have enough bass for you. You might want to consider 3.Ai instead.
 
3. AT CK100PRO : Hot treble for my ears too.
 
4. PFE232 : Treble might be too hot for you as well; personally it's hot for me. FR-graph wise it's kinda close to TF10 (V-shaped).
 
5. EarSonics SM3v2 : Sound-sig wise you'll probably like it, but the soundstage might be too wide for you; I personally think that the soundstage is unnaturally vast.
 
6. FitEar TG!334 : Sound-sig wise it sounds like what you're after, but you might be irked out by the hefty price tag.
 
I'm not gonna say which one is best sounding for you; I wouldn't know (hence the amount of "might be" and "probably"); It's your ears after all, so if there's anyone who knows which one sounds best for you, it's yourself.
 
Thus I HIGHLY recommend going to a brick-and-mortar electronics/earphone shops that carry demo units; spend some time to demo and decide yourself which one sounds best for you.

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Thanks for the quick reply! Your impressions of those IEMs has confirmed what I knew about them. But yeah, you're right, I should go to a store to test out all the candidates I have in mind. Meanwhile I'll also wait for more opinions here.

 

[pokpokgei]

subscribed.

lol, you remind me of myself when it comes to iem preferences, except that i listen to almost everything except metal. only x-japan and versailles.

 

[Tom Yum Goong]

How about the new Earsonics SM64?

I'm also mainly listening to metal and rock music and previously owned the TF10.

Awesome soundstage that lets you hear every detail in your music, more or less mid-forward, pretty natural sound, everything across the soundspectrum is very precise, right amount of bass (even for sludge and stuff like that) and so many more great things to say

Make sure to check them out

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Quote:

subscribed.

lol, you remind me of myself when it comes to iem preferences, except that i listen to almost everything except metal. only x-japan and versailles.

Haha, thanks
 
I also don't really listen to metal, but I figured that if it sounds good at rock it must sound good at metal too.

 

[skamp]

I should go to a store to test out all the candidates I have in mind.

They let you try on IEMs? :confused_face_2:

 

[LFC_SL]

Spec is an interesting side show only as ultimately all that matters is how an IEM sounds to you because personal preference is precisely that. Put 10 IEM on a table without their packaging and judge them on their own merits.
 
I hate the term "audiophile" as well. What does that even mean. Being prepared to invest a bit more in audio is not unique

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Quote:

How about the new Earsonics SM64?

I'm also mainly listening to metal and rock music and previously owned the TF10.

Awesome soundstage that lets you hear every detail in your music, more or less mid-forward, pretty natural sound, everything across the soundspectrum is very precise, right amount of bass (even for sludge and stuff like that) and so many more great things to say

Make sure to check them out

Wow, was just looking at its product page yesterday. Wasn't it released very recently? Seems interesting, will definitely go check it out.

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Quote:

They let you try on IEMs?

Yeah, the headphone store that I go to has a very large collection of headphones and earphones for you to try.

 

[skamp]

What about hygiene issues?

 

[Deadlovestory]

Quote:

They let you try on IEMs?

Every self-respecting, proper headphone/earphone store should have demo units for the customers to try. Hygiene is at your own risk though, but the store I usually go to cleans the IEM or headphone with disinfectant wipes after a customer is done demo-ing it.
 
On topic though, also make sure your music files are good quality! That's 90% of the equation right there; good, pricey IEM wouldn't matter that much if the files' quality are low!

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Quote:

Spec is an interesting side show only as ultimately all that matters is how an IEM sounds to you because personal preference is precisely that. Put 10 IEM on a table without their packaging and judge them on their own merits.
 
I hate the term "audiophile" as well. What does that even mean. Being prepared to invest a bit more in audio is not unique

Yeah, that's exactly it. I try to describe my preferences based on what I like to hear in the sound, not specs. That's why you don't see me talk about IEMs based on f[size=small]requency response, i[/size][size=small]mpedance and whatnot. [/size]
 
[size=small]Sorry if the term audiophile offended you. I just wanted to express that I am not a newbie at this.[/size]

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Quote:

Every self-respecting, proper headphone/earphone store should have demo units for the customers to try. Hygiene is at your own risk though, but the store I usually go to cleans the IEM or headphone with disinfectant wipes after a customer is done demo-ing it.
 
On topic though, also make sure your music files are good quality! That's 90% of the equation right there; good, pricey IEM wouldn't matter that much if the files' quality are low!

I probably won't have to worry about that, most of my files are 320kbps mp3 or flac.

 

[yellowbirdfly]

Up for more opinions~