[moedawg140]

Ok. Thank you for that explanation. Now coming back to the SE846?? I listened to them a week back and honestly. I loved their sound. Now I am in a conundrum top of the line IEM or top of the line over ear as my next purchase....

Decisions...

 
Do you have a budget, and what's your preferred sound signature you are attempting to obtain?

 

[jelt2359]

Ok. Thank you for that explanation. Now coming back to the SE846?? I listened to them a week back and honestly. I loved their sound. Now I am in a conundrum top of the line IEM or top of the line over ear as my next purchase....

Decisions...

For lovers of the SE846 bass- the Lear LCM BD4.2 has great bass that is clean, taut and with good reverb underneath. Apparently like the 846, it has a low pass filter installed. The tunable bass also means that they can either sound like completely bass shy monitors, or the bassiest phones you've ever heard- bar none.

That being said unlike the 846, the Mids are not forward at all, the treble is more extended, and the soundstage is much larger. So maybe the two have more differences than similarities, heh.

What can I say, I'm just really excited about that bass. Besides, all the things I listed in the paragraph above are not really "negatives" in my book either. Just differences.

 

[e30ernest]

So change of pace..
 
I've been splurging a bit on some lossless music to go with my DX90 and SE846, So I've found some good stuff to listen to and found myself wasting money on others.  It seems that FLAC files can sometimes sound worse than what I watch in YouTube. 
 
So being a Carter Beauford fan, I bought DMB's Live Trax Vol 28 in FLAC because I liked the setlist on this particular concert.  Turns out, the FLAC version seems to be very badly mixed, with way too much bass reverberation.  The YouTube clips are ok, so I assumed the FLAC would be good too, but it seems I was wrong.  Now it isn't horrible, but I can't seem to pump up the volume on these tracks.  I think I may be hitting the limit to what the SE846 can play before it starts to distort.  Now it could be real distortion, or for all I know, Stefan Lessard might be running some distortion on his bass mix, but I don't want to try to pump up the volume and ruin my IEMs just to try.
 
Live Trax 32 however sounded awesome on 24K FLAC.  The sound of the acoustic guitars of Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Boyd on violin, Stefan's stand-up bass, the sax and trumpet of Jeff and Rashawn and finally Carter backing them up on a small kit sounded great on the 846.  When they finally kicked in with their electric instruments and Carter's full kit, it really sounded like a live concert to my ears.  I can even make out individual voices in the crowd as the music played over them.
 
I also bought Rush's Clockwork Angels Tour from HDTracks since I liked what I heard from YouTube.  The FLAC files didn't play that well once I got them.  Geddy's voice was really forward and his bass sounded thin.  Alex's guitar sounded really loud and way off to my left.  As a former drummer, I mainly bought this album because of Neil Peart, and I was disappointed to have him way out in the background and it was hard to distinguish his signature ride and splash work from all of the other sounds.  These may sound better on speakers though or with a little bit of added crossfeed in PowerAmp on my phone.  I'll give that a try sometime.
 
Continuing with Prog Rock, I bought Dream Theater's Breaking The Fourth Wall Live,  As far as the Mangini era goes, I think this is the album where I got to really hear what he was doing on drums.  It's funny that when Live at Luna Park came out, reviewers pointed out the lack of audience presence in the recording, Jordan's keyboards mixed a bit forward and Myung's bass being subdued on the mix, Breaking The Fourth Wall is almost the opposite in that regard.  The keyboards were barely audible with my gear, the audience at times overpowered the music and the bass was pretty much center forward.  Mike Mangini is leagues better than Portnoy in technique on the drumkit, but the band lost someone who had a good ear during recording when Portnoy left.  It seems all of the recordings of the band sounded worse (especially on the drums) when MP left.  
 
So far my Jazz recordings have been really good with these IEMs.  Norah Jones' vocal work really sounded smooth through these IEMs.  The Dave Brubeck Quartet's Take Five album sounds like I was at the center of the studio while they were recording it.  Everything from the brushwork to the thump and slap on the strings of that stand-up bass was well reproduced.  I can even hear the flaps of the saxophone as it melodically went through its solos.  One weird thing on Take Five, as the sax ends a portion of its solo, it seems like the engineer (or player) turned-off the sax player's mic.  It sounds like a sudden hole of silence in the middle of the song.  The mic is turned on again when the sax came back to continue its solo.  
 
So overall, my quest to find great tunes to listen to with these IEMs continue.  I wish there were user downloads sections on sites such as HDTracks.  I'm almost tempted to just torrent some of these tracks first before making a purchase decision to hear what they really sound like first.  The SE846 isn't very forgiving to badly recorded music.  They sound really great with nicely recorded tracks, but they will really make bad tracks stand out in a bad way.

 

[Ivabign]

I bought the Rush album "Sprit Of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-87" off HD Tracks at 48/96 and have enjoyed the sound through most of my IEMs - haven't bought any of the other albums there. "Take 5" was another purchase - along with "Heavy Weather" by Weather Report - some of the Jazz selections do sound superior than the rock recordings - I'll have to go back and listen to the sax solo to see if I can spot what you are talking about. 

 

[KeuNamoo]

For lovers of the SE846 bass- the Lear LCM BD4.2 has great bass that is clean, taut and with good reverb underneath. Apparently like the 846, it has a low pass filter installed. The tunable bass also means that they can either sound like completely bass shy monitors, or the bassiest phones you've ever heard- bar none.

That being said unlike the 846, the Mids are not forward at all, the treble is more extended, and the soundstage is much larger. So maybe the two have more differences than similarities, heh.

What can I say, I'm just really excited about that bass. Besides, all the things I listed in the paragraph above are not really "negatives" in my book either. Just differences.

where can you buy these and how much do they go for??

 

[jelt2359]

  where can you buy these and how much do they go for??

It's from a company in Hong Kong (Lear Audio). I reckon you can just get them directly off their website. They have a custom version (the LCM BD4.2) and a universal version (the LUF BD4.2). The former is $1288, the latter is $1145. According to average_joe, who ranks them top of all the CIEMs he owns, the custom-fit version is sonically superior, and the one to go for.

 

[michael360]

Guys need some advice, i have been using Westone UM3X for few years now and im thinking to upgrade to either Westone UM Pro 50 or Shure se846 (actually i hate the wire of shure) which one should i go for ? And is there any cable that is similar to Westone Epic ones if i go for shure se846?

 

[xaddictionx]

Guys need some advice, i have been using Westone UM3X for few years now and im thinking to upgrade to either Westone UM Pro 50 or Shure se846 (actually i hate the wire of shure) which one should i go for ? And is there any cable that is similar to Westone Epic ones if i go for shure se846?

Auditioned both of them and ended up with 846. UMPro50 isn't bad but has a very different sound presentation. I actually preferred the UMPro30 to 50..

 

[Currawong]

From the Posting Guidelines:
 

 DON'T reply If someone makes an off-topic, rude or otherwise inappropriate comment, or a post appears to be trolling or spam. Report it by clicking on the red flag and filling in the box explaining what the problem is and let the moderators take care of it. If something is inappropriate or rude, what is the point of giving it more attention by replying to it and/or quoting it?!? If nobody replies to or comments on a trolling or abusive post 100% of the time the person goes away!

 

 

[Koolpep]

Do you have a budget, and what's your preferred sound signature you are attempting to obtain?

Budget is of course as low as possible with a max of around $800. I prefer a crisp sound signature with a full bodied (not lean) bass. I am not a bass head but probably a borderline case. I do listen to edm, alternative, electronica, pop and rock, a bit goth rock and symphonic, classical music. That's a pretty wide range, so I need a versatile earphone...help is highly appreciated. Maybe an ie80 is good enough for me?

Cheers,
K

 

[Koolpep]

For lovers of the SE846 bass- the Lear LCM BD4.2 has great bass that is clean, taut and with good reverb underneath. Apparently like the 846, it has a low pass filter installed. The tunable bass also means that they can either sound like completely bass shy monitors, or the bassiest phones you've ever heard- bar none.

That being said unlike the 846, the Mids are not forward at all, the treble is more extended, and the soundstage is much larger. So maybe the two have more differences than similarities, heh.

What can I say, I'm just really excited about that bass. Besides, all the things I listed in the paragraph above are not really "negatives" in my book either. Just differences.

Thanks a lot I will look into these...

 

[moedawg140]

Budget is of course as low as possible with a max of around $800. I prefer a crisp sound signature with a full bodied (not lean) bass. I am not a bass head but probably a borderline case. I do listen to edm, alternative, electronica, pop and rock, a bit goth rock and symphonic, classical music. That's a pretty wide range, so I need a versatile earphone...help is highly appreciated. Maybe an ie80 is good enough for me?

Cheers,
K

 
Hi K,
 
Here are a couple of links that should help you out with your search:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/541204/concise-multi-iem-comparison-final-update-march-1st-2013
 
And for the most epic thread in the world with regards to IEM impressions/comparisons, etc. is the one from ljokerl:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-331-iems-compared-jvc-xtreme-xplosives-ha-fr301-added-01-12-15-p-1028
 
As for what I would go for < $800, I really like my EarWerkz Supra ($389 for universal, and $429 for custom), and of course adore the SE846 (which I paid less than $800 for).  For the price, service, and enthusiastic community, you really can not go wrong with the SE846.  Still has the most coherent and sublime bass that I have heard and felt, especially when listening through the SCS.  With that said, there may be another suggestion that I will recommend for the $800 - $850 range in the upcoming week or two. 

 
You may receive a lot of suggestions of great IEMs to purchase, but if you are able to, I would advise attending this year's CanJam in Costa Mesa, CA in March.  Here's the link for CanJam: http://www.head-fi.org/t/741136/canjam-socal-2015-march-28-29-2015-its-official.  You will be able to audition a plethora of IEMs, and will be able to find out a lot easier what would be best for you.  Also, if you attend, flag me down and I'll let you listen to the IEMs/demo IEMs I'll have in tow!  Edit:  I see under your post count you are living in Dubai.  Well - could be time for a vacation, you know? 

 
Good luck with your search. 

 

 

[jelt2359]

Budget is of course as low as possible with a max of around $800. I prefer a crisp sound signature with a full bodied (not lean) bass. I am not a bass head but probably a borderline case. I do listen to edm, alternative, electronica, pop and rock, a bit goth rock and symphonic, classical music. That's a pretty wide range, so I need a versatile earphone...help is highly appreciated. Maybe an ie80 is good enough for me?

Cheers,
K

For your sonic preferences (and budget), you may want to consider the 1964 V6S. The custom version is $699, and they offer a small discount if you prefer to get the 'universal' version. From my own audition I found them to have well-controlled and punchy bass (not boomy at all); a clear and smooth midrange; well-presented treble and great clarity. You can also read |joker|'s full review here.
 
They also have some interesting new technology called "Adel" that is supposed to help protect your hearing... MSRP for the V6S with Adel will be $799, although it seems it will only be available in universal form- no customs. You can read more about it on their kickstarter page- (PS, what is now called V6S will be renamed to U6).

 

[Duncan]

It's from a company in Hong Kong (Lear Audio). I reckon you can just get them directly off their website. They have a custom version (the LCM BD4.2) and a universal version (the LUF BD4.2). The former is $1288, the latter is $1145. According to average_joe, who ranks them top of all the CIEMs he owns, the custom-fit version is sonically superior, and the one to go for.

I'll colour myself intrigued...

I am now (until I complete my order with Toxic Cables) running with white filters, and Fiio SE1 cable - and the treble is much much sweeter (and, extended) when on a direct A/B with the Senn IE800, which oddly, sound metallic, and unnatural...

I am a relatively self prescribed mid / treble head (it's all about the vocals!!), do these push the treble further, but - still keep sibilance in check?

 

[jelt2359]

I'll colour myself intrigued...

I am now (until I complete my order with Toxic Cables) running with white filters, and Fiio SE1 cable - and the treble is much much sweeter (and, extended) when on a direct A/B with the Senn IE800, which oddly, sound metallic, and unnatural...

I am a relatively self prescribed mid / treble head (it's all about the vocals!!), do these push the treble further, but - still keep sibilance in check?

I also found the IE800 treble a bit off. As for the Lear, I have my own custom pair on order, so I'll get back to you when they get here