[techmonstr]

Hi guys. I'm looking for an IEM that I can use well without an amp because I'm not planning on getting an amp soon. I've decided on these few because the local store sells these. I listen to mostly Rock, alternative, metal, some screamo, techno, house, trance, dubstep and some pop as well as osts e.g requiem for a dream. I wanna know which one of these few will be most worth it. I'm also currently using a HTC sensation and a psvita to listen to music. The ue900 is in the list despite it being lower priced because it has 4 drivers, looks quite nice and seems quite ok. I need some help because this is my first time purchasing iems but I really am particular about getting a perfect sound quality. Im moving up to iems from my somewhat good IMO at the moment Munitio Billets. However I am slightly bent towards the Shures because of the wire connection points being pretty sturdy. The westones seem fragile and can't swivel.

 

[kimvictor]

UE900 should be on the list. They perform as well as other iems you've listed.
 
Anyways, for genres you listed, SE535/LTD doesn't perform very well at. I say go for a UE900 or W4r.

 

[stevenlongs]

UE900 should be on the list. They perform as well as other iems you've listed.

Anyways, for genres you listed, SE535/LTD doesn't perform very well at. I say go for a UE900 or W4r.

Not disagreeing here but could you explain why?

 

[kimvictor]

Not disagreeing here but could you explain why?

well, se535 is great for claasical/jazz and vocal oriented songs. They don't quite have the quick subbass or aggressive treble thatis needed for genres the op listed.

 

[stevenlongs]

I see. thank you

 

[Brooko]

@techmonstr
 
I have the SE535 Ltd Ed (Asian 'reds').
 
I do enjoy them as all-rounders for most music - including some of your genres (rock, alt-rock, pop, orchestral OSTs, and a little electronic).  IMO - the SE535 LE have a nice sparkle, forward mids, well extended bass - but the bass is neutral (not emphasised).  The soundstage to me is intimate rather than expansive.  Imaging and separation is relatively good.
 
If you are looking for something with good bass slam OTB - then these are maybe not for you.  If you are contented with applying some EQ though, they do respond very nicely to a bump in the bass.
 
They are very sensitive, and do not require amping (unless you have a high output impedance device and need to lower it via a low OI amp).
 
Unfortunately I can't give you a steer on comparisons with the other IEMs - will leave that to others. 

 

[techmonstr]

@kimvictor Thank you for the reply mate.

 

[techmonstr]

@Brooko Thanks for the reply mate. What do you mean by the soundstage being intimate? Or the imaging and separation being good? and what is OTB? sorry i'm new to these terms. I might end up rooting for the special eds because i also prefer their connection point and the fact that u can swivel these. i find the w4r connection point to be slightly fragile. 

 

[edyeded]

I think the Westone 4s are more on the neutral side. Not a bad thing, but they wont give a punch if thats what you are expecting. 
 
whats your budget?

 

[Brooko]

Quote:

@Brooko Thanks for the reply mate. What do you mean by the soundstage being intimate? Or the imaging and separation being good? and what is OTB? sorry i'm new to these terms. I might end up rooting for the special eds because i also prefer their connection point and the fact that u can swivel these. i find the w4r connection point to be slightly fragile. 

Soundstage = the perception of space.  So a good soundstage could have you sitting in a concert hall some rows back from the stage, but would give you a perception of distance (front), width (left/right), height (up/down) and also depth from front of stage to the back.
 
My reference to an intimate stage was simply saying that my perception is more 'small jazz club' rather than more spacious acoustic hall.  The stage is closer and more intimate.
 
Imaging refers to the ability to consistently pinpoint where the instruments are within a soundstage.  Separation refers to the separation of instruments - the ability to hear them distinctly rather than being one big wall of tangled sound.
 
OTB simply means 'out of the box' - ie no EQ tweaks / additions etc
 
Again though - it might pay you to first have a look at your preferred signature.  IMO the SE535 are not bass light - but they are very bass neutral.  Many people expect them to be bassier and are disappointed they are not.  If you do want more bass (without EQ) - you really may want to look at alternatives.
 
To me the SE535 have great quality of bass - without the quantity.  With EQ though - you can get both 

 

[techmonstr]

Quote:

I think the Westone 4s are more on the neutral side. Not a bad thing, but they wont give a punch if thats what you are expecting. 
 
whats your budget?

Thanks man. I live in singaporeso my budget is $800. the orice of the 535 bronze and westone 4rs are $729 each while the se535 reds are$729. the UE900s are $599. The amp i'm planning to get next year maybe would be the digizoid zo2 which costs $129.

 

[techmonstr]

Quote:

Soundstage = the perception of space.  So a good soundstage could have you sitting in a concert hall some rows back from the stage, but would give you a perception of distance (front), width (left/right), height (up/down) and also depth from front of stage to the back.
 
My reference to an intimate stage was simply saying that my perception is more 'small jazz club' rather than more spacious acoustic hall.  The stage is closer and more intimate.
 
Imaging refers to the ability to consistently pinpoint where the instruments are within a soundstage.  Separation refers to the separation of instruments - the ability to hear them distinctly rather than being one big wall of tangled sound.
 
OTB simply means 'out of the box' - ie no EQ tweaks / additions etc
 
Again though - it might pay you to first have a look at your preferred signature.  IMO the SE535 are not bass light - but they are very bass neutral.  Many people expect them to be bassier and are disappointed they are not.  If you do want more bass (without EQ) - you really may want to look at alternatives.
 
To me the SE535 have great quality of bass - without the quantity.  With EQ though - you can get both 

Thanks mate. IMO i prefer a spacious soundstage. I'll check em out at my local store in about a week maybe, and then I'll post my findings here. Would the 535 reds be good if i used them with my phone's eq? would they provide some humping bass? 

 

[techmonstr]

*thumping that was embarassing

 

[DrSheep]

Package wise the UE900 is great, but this time I will have to recommend the W4R instead.  Amazon has it for $325 over $399 of the UE900 so that seals the deal.

 

[Brooko]

What phone do you have?  And you know to EQ properly - you don't raise anything - just lower the other frequencies, and then raise the volume?  That way you avoid distortion / clipping.
 
If you're looking for thumping bass and a wider stage - you might pay to open a new thread in the portable headphones section - and spell out exactly what you want.  Include source and budget.  Then you'll get specialised help.  To me it doesn't sound as though the Shures or W4 are really what you're looking for ......