[shonik12]

Hi Guys,
 
I've finally saved up enough money to get a pair of high-end IEM's, and am debating between getting the IE80's, or spending a little more and getting some entry level customs. I'm not really looking to spend more than £250 - i.e. I don't want to spend more than the price of the IE80s. Would it be worth getting a £250 set of customs over the IE80s (where £250 would cover impressions, shipping etc)? If so which ones would you recommend? I may be willing to push to £300, but only if the improvement over the IE80's is really worth the extra £50-£100.
 
I mainly listen to ambient/trance/techno/liquid DnB/liquid dubstep (not sure if anyone would have heard of MrSuicideSheep's youtube channel?), and also some rap, RnB, hiphop, although the last three to a much lesser extent. One last thing, I'm a bit of a basshead, which is why I'm drawn to the IE80's. Also if there are any other universals that you think may be better suited than customs or the IE80s in this price range to my music tastes, that would also be great!
 
Thanks!

 

[NA Blur]

For me going custom is more about fit and then sound.  There are several universals that sound really good.  Westone 4, SE535, and many others, but a custom fits perfectly in your ear.  If you listen to music more than a few hours a day and have issues with universal fit IEMs hurting your ear, than you owe it to yourself to go custom.  I think most customs use balanced armature drivers which can be significantly quicker than the traditional dynamic driver.
 
One customer over at Headroom reports a cable issue, but it is after 1 year of use so I suspect the durability is actually pretty good.
 
Hopefully Tyll over at Innerfidelity will post up some IE80 charts in the future so we can compare them with other universals.