[Djchase]

Hey everyone, i have just joined this forum after using it regularly for reviews and advice, and have a dilemma i hope you all can help me with.

The dilemma is:

I currently own a Samsung K3 Mp3 player, paired up with a cheap pair of Phillips Headphones for gym use.
This combination USE to be ok, until i purchased myself a pair of Shure SRH840's and an amp for studio use, and now,
i have a hunger for better sound when im on the go

I am days away from getting a new phone (HTC ONE X) which is Beats enhanced and meant to have great sound, which leads me to this question.......Should i just get a better pair of IEM's and use the HTC as my primary music player while on the go, OR should i invest in a new mp3 player (Cowon j3, Sony x1060) and worry about headphones later?
 
What are some great IEMs for my budget?

Realistically i can afford an mp3 player under 200, and headphones under 100...but if you think the HTC will offer great sound quality then i can increase my budget for headphones a bit more lol

Thanks in advance.
 

 

[outeirino]

Hi friend The HTC is fine sounding and you can buy a Vsonic GR07 thas got great sound

 

[Reomero]

Knowing what kind of sound you're after will help in getting relevant recommendations. 

As for the VSONIC GR07s, I'd say that they're a safe choice, in that they can handle any genre, but they're over your budget. I haven't heard a lot of ~$100 IEMs but the GR06 (GR07's "little brother" → another all rounder but has more emphasis on the bass) and the Etymotic HF5 for something bright (treble) and good isolation for commuting would be my recommendations.

 

[Jeremypsp]

Quote:

Hey everyone, i have just joined this forum after using it regularly for reviews and advice, and have a dilemma i hope you all can help me with.

The dilemma is:

I currently own a Samsung K3 Mp3 player, paired up with a cheap pair of Phillips Headphones for gym use.
This combination USE to be ok, until i purchased myself a pair of Shure SRH840's and an amp for studio use, and now,
i have a hunger for better sound when im on the go

I am days away from getting a new phone (HTC ONE X) which is Beats enhanced and meant to have great sound, which leads me to this question.......Should i just get a better pair of IEM's and use the HTC as my primary music player while on the go, OR should i invest in a new mp3 player (Cowon j3, Sony x1060) and worry about headphones later?
 
What are some great IEMs for my budget?

Realistically i can afford an mp3 player under 200, and headphones under 100...but if you think the HTC will offer great sound quality then i can increase my budget for headphones a bit more lol

Thanks in advance.
 

The HTC one X having beats audio doesn't mean it will sound better, a dedicated mp3 like your samsung may more likely sound better, so it is good enough to use without upgrading. Also, changing MP3 players will result in a smaller change than headphones/IEMs, meaning a better IEM will sound better on a lousier player than a lousier IEM on a better player. 

For your budget, you can try the Etymotic MC5(although the bass is quite little to say the least) if your budget is below $100 and you can try the Triple.Fi 10, Etymotic ER-4P(Also bass is quite little), GR-07, UE700 is your budget is higher. 
 

 

[Djchase]

I was actually meant to come back on here last night and explain the sound im after, but fell asleep haha.
Preferably, I want a set of IEMs that have great clarity, instrument seperation and bass response.
Im not a basshead, but I do listen and remix hip hop and r'n'b more often than other genres.
I love the sound my Shure SRH840 produce while mixing, but for general use they seem lifeless (by that I mean they arent the most fun sounding cans)
Hope my reply makes sense, im on my phone and the screens cracked so I cant see much of what I type haha.

 

[Djchase]

Also, I have upped my budget to 150.

 

[Reomero]

In that case, I highly recommend the GR07. It meets your criteria of having "great clarity, instrument separation and bass response". I too am not a basshead, but I do listen to more bass-oriented genres like electro house.

 

[JK1]

Get a 2GB Sandisk Clip+ for $30. Add to it a 16GB micro SDHC card($10-15) or a 32GB one($30). The Clip+ sounds great. Battery life is only around 12 hours or so though. While the Cowon J3 is good for its long battery life and sound enhancements, imo it isn't worth 6x the price of the Clip+. The Clip+ is  very compact and has a built in clip.
 
So if you spend a total of $60 for the 2GB Clip+  plus a 32GB card, that should leave you a nice amount for a decent IEM or two. 

 

[Djchase]

Would the audio quality of the clip+ be that much superior to my current player? Id be happy with 2Gb as its mainly for the gym and a few hours while im working
Is there any alternatives to the GR07? They do sound like great headphones, im just someone who likes to go through an elimination process of all candidates before choosing lol.
Thanks for the advice so far, much appreciated.

 

[proton007]

The sansa is cheap enough ($50) so it wouldn't dent your budget so much.
HTC with beats is just marketing, I doubt there's anything more to it than some EQ settings.
If you're ok with your current audio player, then just get a decent pair of IEMs. You can go through lot of options based on your listening preferences for ~300.
 

 

[outeirino]

If finally you decide to get a Sansa player I reccomend the Fuze (not Fuze+) perhaps you can get a refurbished unit, it sounds best than new Fuze+ and you can connect the iems directly or with an portable amp by the LOD. You can increase storage by cards like the Clip+.

 

[mms6]

Get the Klipsch S4.. Great quality and great price

 

[Byakushiki]

 
Quote:

Get the Klipsch S4.. Great quality and great price

 
S4 has long been completely outdone by things below its price point. The fact that one (I want to say foolish) CNET editor gushed about it means nothing. What most consumers look for nowadays are loudness and earthshaking bass. Result.
 
GR07, TripleFi10, SE215, and GR06 are all pretty good options in your price range. TripleFis are very popular because there's a good amount of reshelling services around, which will turn univerisal IEMs into customs.

 

[mms6]

Why would people want that much bass????
 
Too much low frequencies make listening much more stressful for long periods. Plus bass can over-emphasize especially mids too much....
 

 

[Reomero]

 
Quote:

 
Too much low frequencies make listening much more stressful for long periods.
 

 
I thought it's too much of the higher frequencies which causes listening fatigue over long periods.