[Ixeling]

I'm going to a big city tomorrow and I'll buy a pair of Beyer 990 and also a pair of in-ears for more portable use, but I'm wondering, is it worth to pay the extra money for the IE80 or is SE215 enough? I've heard they're hard to break and have good sound.

 

[Ixeling]

I bought the Shure's

 

[SteveHiFi]

The SE215 is a great IEM with good isolation and they are good with older recordings, I hope you like them!

 

[Ixeling]

Thanks, I'm not completely pleased as my main genre is dubstep/edm, but they're still good. But I'll learn from my mistake and do more research next time

 

[H20Fidelity]

I agree, SE215 are very very good. Listening to mine right now, probably the best all rounder (build, sound, detachable cable etc) for around $100. They also pair very well with the $100 Colourfly C3.

 

[brymuse]

hi
looking to buy my first serious iems.
are the SE215s a better bet than IE60s for classical?I have about 100gbp as a budget
cheers

 

[SteveHiFi]

I'd say the SE215 out of the two, but you could do better if you listen to classical exclusively.
 
Do you need these to fit over the ear like the SE215/IE60? There's a few last Phonak 022s on Amazon for £45 - sorry, one left now.
 
Final Audio do some lovely in-ears for classical but the cable is worn down from the ear.
 
Other than that Etymotic HF5 and the newer Westone UM Pro 10 are worth a look, but you will need a good seal with the eartip.

 

[brymuse]

Hi
Thanks for the reply. I dont mind the fit, although I've never used ones that drape around the ear so they could take some getting used to. Im more interested in the sound. I do listen almost exclusively to classical, and need to get an sense of air without
screaming agressiveness. Ive always gone with senns (HD650s currently), so was expecting something in their range to be appropriate, but i dont have the biggest budget. the 109 gpb on Amazon for the ie60s is about my limit really.
In my research Ive just come up against the HiFiman RE400. How might they fare against the shure/senn/Final Audio (new to me)? I know they make well renouned large phones.

Cheers

 

[gotak]

The RE-400s are generally consider the best thing you can get for neutral headphones under 100 dollars. In fact measurements suggests they are so similar to the much more expensive RE-600 it caused a bit of a stir.
 
Personally always like Senn over ears but I find their IEM to be less attractive in terms of price vs performance. 
 
I think the RE-400 will work very well for you if classical is your thing. But if you can try and find a pair to listen to first.
 
Note that the RE-400 have a reputation for being fragile. So handle with care.

 

[brymuse]

Thanks,
It'll be an Amazon job... Is the fragility in the cable or the ubits themselves or where they join?
Cheers
B

 

[Dinerenblanc]

Thanks,
It'll be an Amazon job... Is the fragility in the cable or the ubits themselves or where they join?
Cheers
B

From what I read, most points of connection are rather weak, with the Y-split having absolutely no strain relief. The cables themselves are pretty flimsy too. 

 

[SteveHiFi]

+1 for the RE-400 but I'd go with the Heaven II which will leave you change from £100 -- you'll get a good amount of space and detail there, but it's smooth not harsh.

 

[brymuse]

Ok, thanks, and apologies by the way if I've hijacked the Shure thread...
I've just been looking at the Heaven 2s and they look very nice without this mentioned fragility of the RE400s. Just one final thing, as a Sennheiser house sound fan, which of the two do you think resembles it best?
Cheers

 

[SteveHiFi]

The more 'Sennheisery' one would be the Heaven in my opinion. I can't think of a neutral Sennheiser model which would be like the RE-400.
 
We have a pair of Heaven II here on the desk and I'm often tempted to grab them for a lunchtime listening session - we have plenty of higher value models which I've tried but the Heaven II remains an enjoyable model.
 
I seem a bit of a fanboy in this thread - I'd have gone with the RE-400 were it not for the mentioned problems. I admit I have the Final Audio Hope VI, but then I also have the HiFiMAN HE-400 - I like both brands.

 

[brymuse]

Thanks again
I think ill go down the Heaven route then.
This is a great place to dip into for a knowledgeable read, and im only sorry im not rich enough to be able to try more of the goodies

Ill let you know how it goes...