Suggest an IEM

[Punky]

Hey guys,

So I've haunted these parts now and again, looking for the perfect IEM. I've tried V-Moda's Bass Freqs and Vibes, Etymotic ER6is, and Shure E210s. The Bass Freqs are too overpowering and muddy for me (though for the price, they're pretty cool) and the Vibes, while better than the Freqs, are still way too muddy for me. The isolation was terrible on both as well, and since I'm a frequent subway rider, this is a big no-no.

The Etymotic ER6is suffer from the opposite probelm - nice, bright, and clear, but with bass more anemic than an inbred child of a Russian czar. The Shures was allergic to bass and had none, though the isolation was fantastic.

So here are my priorities:

1. Clear sound with accurate, full (but not muddy) bass. I'd love to use these for audio production work or DJing, so crisp true sound is important. EDIT: At the same time, the anemic bass that passes as accurate in a lot of IEMs is totally insufficient for my purposes.
2. Excellent Isolation. The subway is my constant companion, and it's a loudass companion. I hate having to turn up my Creative Zen Vision M when I ride the rails, and I wonder what kind of damage it's doing to my ears.
3. Comfort. I don't plan on sleeping with these IEMs (and I don't know why people would) but I do plan on wearing them all day at my desk job, plus after work, and maybe even as a backup to my DJ headphones (Sony MDR-7506s, which I love) so they need to be comfortable.
4. Price. I'd like to keep the price under $200.

So here's what I was thinking for potential IEMs:

The Shure SCL series
or the Atrio M5s.

I'm leaning hard towards the Atrio M5s because I didn't like the Shure E210s at all, but I hear that the SCLs have great monitor sound. But I don't want to lose the bass...

Anyone got any other input?

 

[Golden Monkey]

Ety ER-4P. More bass than what you experienced with the 6i, awesome isolation, good price, but maybe not the most comfy.

 

[monolith]

I'd have to suggest Westone UM2s. You can get them used for $180-200.

They have a slight high end roll off, but nothing that some slight EQing can't fix, and they're the most neutral I've heard. ER-4Ps can achieve this level of neutrality as well with some EQing, but they're less comfortable. They'll have a little more bass than the ER-6i with as much if not more clarity. With a slight bass bump they provide a clear window into your music, while the UM2 are more lush and easy going.

From what I've heard the Atrios aren't very neutral, leaning heavily towards the bass. Someone will probably suggest Super.fi 5 Pros, but their high end is a mess.

I don't have much experience with the mid range Shures, but I wouldn't buy a Shure IEM ever anyway with all the build quality issues they have (especially compared to Westone stuff).

 

[Punky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ety ER-4P. More bass than what you experienced with the 6i, awesome isolation, good price, but maybe not the most comfy.

Interesting. Do they feel like the Ety Er6is? I didn't find them very comfortable at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by monolith /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd have to suggest Westone UM2s. You can get them used for $180-200. They have a slight high end roll off, but nothing that some slight EQing can't fix, and they're the most neutral I've heard. ER-4Ps can achieve this level of neutrality as well with some EQing, but they're less comfortable. They'll have a little more bass than the ER-6i with as much if not more clarity. With a slight bass bump they provide a clear window into your music, while the UM2 are more lush and easy going. From what I've heard the Atrios aren't very neutral, leaning heavily towards the bass. Someone will probably suggest Super.fi 5 Pros, but their high end is a mess. I don't have much experience with the mid range Shures, but I wouldn't buy a Shure IEM ever anyway with all the build quality issues they have (especially compared to Westone stuff).

I've heard the Westones are a bit muddy. Is that true?

 

[Golden Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punky /img/forum/go_quote.gif Interesting. Do they feel like the Ety Er6is? I didn't find them very comfortable at all.

They have the triple flange eartips on them, which I like better than the bi's, and they are pretty narrow overall, so they give a good fit, but they might not actually be the best for you if comfort is your main requirement. (EDIT: sorry, just noticed you WERE talking about the 6i, not the regular ER-6. If you don't like the triflange tips, you probably won't like the 4's, unless you use the foamy tips, which I didn't like anyway...)I've gotten used to them over time, but generally don't leave them in for more than two hours at a time. The thing I like about them, soundwise is they are easy to drive unamped, and if they ARE amped, you can use the P/S impedance cable to bring them on par with the ER-4S, which is my "reference" phone. Very flat and neutral, sparkling clarity and detail, extremely resolute. The P is designed for portable use as the designation suggests, and have a curve to the frequency response:
ER-4:

You can see the S is a bit more neutral, but the graph doesn't tell the whole story...they are much more clear and uncolored than the P, but some people think they are a bit thin - amping takes care of this...
For comparison, here's the 6 graph...
ER-6i:

 

[genesis]

It's a shame that your budget is only $200 because I feel like you have just described the triple.fi in your preference for sound.

Comfort is the only issue which you would have to try for yourself.

Since you want full but accurate bass reproduction and clarity at the same time too, I find very few IEMs except triple.fi that are capable of this feat. If you can stretch then the triple.fi pro are what you are looking for.

In the sub $200 however I think the er4p are your friend.

 

[fdhfdy]

Probally OK1? bi-function earbuds which allow you switch between IEMs and earbuds. Musical and Good bass though.

 

[robojack]

Full bass? That's easy enough. Look up the Futuresonics Atrio M5/M8 (just different colors, in case you were wondering), which produce the deepest and truest bass done I've ever heard in an IEM. Quantity is important, but quality of bass is where this IEM really delivers. There's a Futuresonics Atrio M5 thread in this section of the forum, so go there, and see what people say about this IEM.

 

[Punky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robojack /img/forum/go_quote.gif Full bass? That's easy enough. Look up the Futuresonics Atrio M5/M8 (just different colors, in case you were wondering), which produce the deepest and truest bass done I've ever heard in an IEM. Quantity is important, but quality of bass is where this IEM really delivers. There's a Futuresonics Atrio M5 thread in this section of the forum, so go there, and see what people say about this IEM.

This is what I keep hearing from people, plus they're cheaper than a lot of other IEMs.