[frank_j]

Having spent the last 2 weeks reading what feels like millions of reviews and forums i have managed to draw up a shortlist but i can't quite decide which IEM's to go for.

I intend to use them mainly for work/bedtime but they also need to stand up to the gym and snowboarding without falling out of my ear. My main music interests are rock/indie/pop with a little bit of heavy/dance/r&b on occasion - no classical.

I have never owned any uprated IEM's before but do have a decent home setup that i have learned to very much appreciate.

Short List (as it stands)
UESF5 Pro (currently just ahead of the KC3 mainly due to price diff)
Klipsch Custom 3
Sleek Audio SA6(because of their great rep, but i REALLY dont like the deign)

Questions
i can get the KC3's for around £50 more than the SF5 Pro - are they worth the extra over the UE's ?

I have read that the UE's are quite large and from the look of some photos stick out of your ears - do they stick out far enough to be uncomfortable under a helmit and in bed ?

considering my other choices should i put my vanity aside and take a more serious look at the SA6's ?

if you have any other spanners to thorw in the mix please do (ideally my budget is around £100 but i am open to suggestion - upto £150ish) also if anyone has both the UESF5Pro and the KC3 please give me your comparison opinion

Thanks

 

[roxxor]

There's no way you can wear the SF5Pros under a helmet. Forget about it. I haven't tried putting my helmet on with the SA6's yet, as the snowboarding season hasn't started yet, and I just got them...

However, the helmet I have has a rather tight fit, so I can imagine that any pressure on the ear would make it rather uncomfortable to begin with. In fact, I might even suggest that wearing a helmet over SA6's could be dangerous, as any side impact could push the canalphone even further into your ear canal. A risk I wouldn't be willing to take. If I wanted to use IEMs for snowboarding with a helmet, I'd choose a pair that had no risk of being pushed in (like the Westone UM2's or similar). Customs would be a good choice in this regard as well.

Concerning your reservations about the look of the SA6's, dude, once you put them in and listen, you're not going to give a crap. Besides, they're so deeply inserted, that people will be staring at you to figure out why you have a cable coming out of your ear.