[shoenberg3]

I have been recently very tempted by V-moda Vibes for their excellent price/performance ratio.

Other IEMs in consideration are: ER4P, E4c, E5, UM2, Super. fi .5.
Obviously, all of these are signifcantly more expensive than the Vibes, but I am (grudgingly) willing to spend much more money for longtime high-end solution.

My musical tastes include a lot of classical and prog. rock with smattering of hip-hop and jazz. I only seek sufficient but defined bass. Sound really comes before style/comfort/isolation for me.

I just want some help in learning about sound signatures of the aforementioned IEMs and what kind of price/performance ratio they offer , esp. considering my preferences. More importantly, however, I am wondering whether the sonic superioirty justify the purchase over considerably cheaper V-moda Vibes.

Thanks for your help.

 

[LaBreaHead]

If you get the Vibes now, even when upgrade-itis sets in, you won't have to shelve or get rid of them. They have a non-isolating and thus relatively open and airy sound for in-ears, and anything else on your list would be more isolating and thus have a more closed sound. You would use the two sets for different things.

So the conventional Head-Fi logic -- "You might as well get the more expensive ones now since you're going to be upgrading sooner than you think, anyway" -- doesn't have to apply in this case, especially if you want to limit your spending (then what are you doing here?!?

). Plus, some Vibes owners liken their sound to that of significantly more expensive earphones ... of course, your mileage may vary. I've heard them, and for ease of use and good sound around the house or in a relatively quiet setting such as an office or library, or the rare gym that doesn't blast its own music, I'd be tempted to get a pair if I didn't already have other earphones and headphones.

If you require isolation because you'll be listening on public transport or in airports, or wherever there's a lot of surrounding noise, then consider IEMs. The UE's and Westones might have more bass than you want -- you'll have to check other threads or rely on responses in this thread.

 

[shoenberg3]

Thanks for the reply.

With a bit of more research, I mostly narrowed it down between:

Vibes, ER4P, and E5.

These are probably what I would like best in each price bracket. (sub-100, sub-200, and beyond)

It would be nice to learn the sound signature and general sonic quality of the 3 IEMs for me to make the final decision.