[Revamp]

Helo there everyone. Having cased the reviews (the fact that I'm not allowed to try them in the store out is immensely irksome, but probably wise on a hygenic level) I'm tossing up between the Denon AH-c551 and the Sennheiser CX95. Those are the main contenders.

Also under consideration are the Sony MDR-EX500SLP, Sony MDR-NC22B, JVC HA-KX100, JVX HA-FX300 (for some reason there seem to be no reviews at all on those two!) and the Denon AHC-452.

Which should I go for? The Sonies, the second Denon and the JVC all seem to have a greater frequency range, but being no audiophile I am not really sure what this is meant to mean. My budget is mid-range, with the Bose In-Ear being about as pricey as I can get (but I hear that they aren't particuarly good?)

All advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[jleewach]

Out of the ones youve listed, I think the CX95s would probably be the most highly regarded. Sony EX500 might be close, but I've not read many reviews on them & they might be of lesser build quality (most sony iems are imho, and usually only include a 90 day warranty).

Bose iems retail for $99? Maybe in that range, some good alternatives to your listing would be the Monster turbines, ADDIEM's or some of the NE7's. Or, if you want an included amp, head-direct has a RE2+E5 combo for like 50 bones right now (great deal!) all are highly regarded alternatives.

 

[Emkayu]

just something to note from my own experience, the CX95s are impossible to loops the wires around the back of your ears to prevent cable microphonics because of the way their designed, just something to think about!

 

[Revamp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emkayu /img/forum/go_quote.gif just something to note from my own experience, the CX95s are impossible to loops the wires around the back of your ears to prevent cable microphonics because of the way their designed, just something to think about!

Haha, thanks! You know: I'll factor that in. Although I'm so slow a friend had to actually tell me how to use asymetrics once he had done it was a godsend!

Quote:

Bose iems retail for $99? Maybe in that range, some good alternatives to your listing would be the Monster turbines, ADDIEM's or some of the NE7's. Or, if you want an included amp, head-direct has a RE2+E5 combo for like 50 bones right now (great deal!) all are highly regarded alternatives.

Cool, I'll check them out. Most likely I'm going to be buying them from my local store, though, and that's the list of good quality stuff from there. Thanks for the word on the Sony warranty thing, though, I'll be sure to check that out!

In case this helps: I'm looking for versatility, but an emphasis on the bass. The music I listen to is fairly eclectic, ranging from Sepultura to Sufjan Stevens to Simian Mobile Disco to Sunn o))). Not a whole lot of jazz/classical but I wouldn't count on that not changing.

I enjoy a lot of music with plenty of sub (D&B, dubstep, properly engineered dance tracks, some rock/metal, a bit of hip-hop, the last track on Deloused in the Comatorium...) so earphones that can field that well (or as well as a set of earphones can, I'm not expecting them to ruffle my hair like a high grade club sound system can, especially not at this price range!) is a plus. A big plus.

But I also enjoy quiet, melody-focused pieces of gentleness now & again. If only as recovery. Laura Marling, Fleet Foxes, The Smiths, etc.

Idk if any of this is useful.

 

[Revamp]

Oh yeah, and Bikini Kill.

But they even sound good on my 4-year old laptop speakers.

 

[jleewach]

if you're constrained to buying brick & mortar, your best bet would be those senns. The cx95 are supposed to be a pretty good model.

 

[Revamp]

No ones digging the Bose?

 

[jinx20001]

^^ dont say that word too much around here...its forbidden.

 

[yumigator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revamp /img/forum/go_quote.gif No ones digging the Bose?

I think the Bose Triports are decent but way overpriced. More importantly, I don't like the sound signature. On the other hand, the Bose in-ears in question are simply awful. They sound bad, and the fit isn't good (for me, that is).

 

[Benaiir]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yumigator /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the Bose Triports are decent but way overpriced. More importantly, I don't like the sound signature. On the other hand, the Bose in-ears in question are simply awful. They sound bad, and the fit isn't good (for me, that is).

You might have tried fakes.

 

[mbotie]

BOSE: Buy Other Sound Equipment
hahaha...

 

[mbotie]

BOSE: Buy Other Sound Equipment
hahaha...

 

[ljokerl]

Bose headphones are okay but the IEMs are actually garbage (no, mine were 100% not fakes since I got them at the Bose store). Don't even think about it. And there are reviews of the JVC HA-FX300. One of them is in my sig. They are pretty mediocre in terms of sound and particularly unsuited for hard rock/metal. I would avoid them as well.

Regarding your comment on frequency response, it is not a useful spec for someone new to audio. I happen to know from experience that JVC does not account for roll-off when speccing their IEMs, which means you really have no idea what you're getting. some companies are far more stringent about their technical data (e.g. Jays and Audio-Technica) but even so a frequency response tells you next to nothing about how something sounds.

Any chance you can find a Klipsch S4 in a store? I know best buy carries them and though I'm not a big fan they may the best you can get in a retail store.