[deltaromeoz]

I've been on the hunt now for a few months after listening to my existing IEMs for a couple of years. The FXZ200's showed me that there is much more detail to be had but they were just too fatiguing to listen anymore than 20 minutes or so. So I'm on the hunt for that transparency without the harshness. I think the mids are hardest to get right and nearly impossible to EQ properly so I could live with an IEM that needs minor tweaking at the extremes I guess. I agree that neural burn-in happens to a limited extent but my true test of headphones in general is not wanting to take them off after 30 minutes. The only headphone that passes that test for me at the moment are the Beyer T1s....

. You can definitely try the new ath cks1000 LTD...there's a great thread about it....heard this is one of the best audio technica product.. Hope this helps....tc

 

[RatFarm]

So, with that said, I would need to start out with a IEM that had the most transparent midrange. Would that be the 4Ai, SM64, W4R, GR10 or ATH_100Pro?
 

 

[scuttle]

Quote:

So, with that said, I would need to start out with a IEM that had the most transparent midrange. Would that be the 4Ai, SM64, W4R, GR10 or ATH_100Pro?
 

 
..Whatever you get, don't forget to post a review, especially if its the SM64s or 100Pros - I'll be fascinated to see what such a demanding listener makes of these.

 

[RatFarm]

Will do!
 

 

[Deadlovestory]

In the end relying on others' reviews and opinions will only get you so far.
 
So why don't you rely on your own ears to tell you which IEM you like? Go to a proper earphone store (ones that have tons of demo units obviously) and demo the hell out of all the IEMs within your budget; you should be able to find one or two that suits your taste.

 

[scuttle]

Quote:

In the end relying on others' reviews and opinions will only get you so far.
 
So why don't you rely on your own ears to tell you which IEM you like? Go to a proper earphone store (ones that have tons of demo units obviously) and demo the hell out of all the IEMs within your budget; you should be able to find one or two that suits your taste.

 
I don't think that there is anywhere in the UK where you could demo a reasonable subset of Ratfarm's shortlist. If there is, it's in London and a pain to get to for half the population.
 
Maybe there are a handful of places in the US where you could demo these - but my bet is you're talking about one in NY, a couple in California and maybe one or two somewhere else. For most people this will mean thousands of miles of travel. Most Japanese who might want high end IEMs probably do live in reasonable reach of Akihabara, but the US is BIG.
 
(But even in Akihabara I'd be surprised to find SM64s, which would reasonably seem to be top of the list, for demo - Ear Sonics don't seem to be into conventional retail.)

 

[RatFarm]

Where I live there are no stores where I can go to listen to IEMs....which adds to the problem. Thx.

 

[Deadlovestory]

Quote:

I don't think that there is anywhere in the UK where you could demo a reasonable subset of Ratfarm's shortlist. If there is, it's in London and a pain to get to for half the population.
 
Maybe there are a handful of places in the US where you could demo these - but my bet is you're talking about one in NY, a couple in California and maybe one or two somewhere else. For most people this will mean thousands of miles of travel. Most Japanese who might want high end IEMs probably do live in reasonable reach of Akihabara, but the US is BIG.
 
(But even in Akihabara I'd be surprised to find SM64s, which would reasonably seem to be top of the list, for demo - Ear Sonics don't seem to be into conventional retail.)

Well, it's a valid option nonetheless.
 
On one hand you can buy blindly, relying on others' opinion/reviews and risking that the IEM won't be exactly what you're looking for; thus necessitating you to spend even more money, time and effort looking for other IEM. On the other hand you can go out of your way and travel to a proper earphone store, demo some IEM and it's likely that you will find one that satisfy you for sure.
 
I'm just posting based on personal experience; I was never satisfied with the IEMs I get by referring to others' opinions/reviews. When I did go out of my way to demo some IEMs, I found one I'm happy with; Most head-fiers will say that FitEar TG!334 is the superior IEM, but after spending some time listening to F111, I decided that it is THE one for me. Had I just went ahead and bought blindly, I might be stuck with TG!334, a more expensive IEM that I'm not really happy with.
 
Just a disclaimer, Japan is bigger than it looks; I had to actually put an effort just leave my home in Kyushu and go to a different island, all just to get my ass in Tokyo so I can go to proper earphone stores and demo some IEM. But you know what? I'm happy I did
 
Oh and extra information : Last time I went to e-earphone and Fujiya-Avic in Tokyo there are full lineup of EarSonics IEMs available for demo.
 
*edit*
@RatFarm : Sorry if I'm adding to the problem :/

 

[scuttle]

Quote:

Well, it's a valid option nonetheless.
 

 
Not if you live somewhere where there are no IEMs in this range to demo, no. Which is most places. Spending more than the cost of the IEM to fly somewhere you could demo them, maybe stay in a hotel room, rent taxis, and then travel back home so that you could try the IEMs before buying would actually be pretty insane. You really have to get a grip on how big the USA is. To give a handy example from everyday life in Japan, if Japan was a newt then the USA would be Godzilla - so the next time you see an apartment building or a missile base being stomped, try to hold a small lizard in your hand and compare. The US is an appallingly, mind-jammingly, huge place. 
 
Plus, flying these days means being anal probed by the weirdoes who work for Homeland Security - unless you are Godzilla of course, because who is going to probe the Big G?
 

Oh and extra information : Last time I went to e-earphone and Fujiya-Avic in Tokyo there are full lineup of EarSonics IEMs available for demo.

 
Yay Japanese IEM stores - but it doesn't really help anyone else.

 

[RatFarm]

Ok. My first go-around will be the SM64v2's. Just ordered them using the 'Freeamp' code and free overnight shipping. If I don't like them, I will exchange them for the W4Rs. I'll post my findings. Thx!

 

[KuroTaka]

Go for the JVC HA-FX1000. Class leading bass and timbre from what I heard. However, the isolation is sub-par.

 

[calipilot227]

Westone UM3X

 

[Gasdoc]

The SM3 is an excellent IEM, but like the W4 it is a little dark. I prefer the SM3 for its amazing mids. The SM64 is an awesome headphone and has characteristics of the SM3 with more treble energy. The SM64 sounds great right out of an iPhone, but some have found an amp beneficial. The soundstage on the SM64 is terrific. The bass is powerful and tight. The treble is sparkly but not hot. The downside is with the sparkle comes fatigue. I can listen to the W4 and SM3 all day, I'm not sure about the SM64. That being said, if I could only have one, it would be the SM64.

 

[RatFarm]

Thanks for the feedback. My SM64's are sitting on my doorstep for when I get home from work. I will post my impressions in a day or 2.

 

[zach915m]

I agree.  Personally if the SM64 was any more "Analytical" it might be annoying.  I really do enjoy the sparkle and slight amount of bass increase than the westone 4.  Better defined too IMHO.  They struck a nice balance with the 64...hard to do.