Suggestions for my first IEMs [Under $60] [Preferrably Balanced signature]
Oct 3, 2016 at 5:33 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

Saumya Parikh

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Hey. I've always been wary of In-Ear phones as I could never find them comfortable. I've found both earbuds and IEMs to be very uncomfortable. They either always come off, or they hurt the ears. Currently I have Brainwavz HM5 (thanks to this forum!) and I'm loving those. But I now need something portable, which I could carry around in my pockets and put on whenever I want. I thought I'd give the In-Ear phones a try. I found the apple (and samsung) ear pods comfortable enough. So my question is,for under 60$, is there any other phone I can try, which could provide better sound quality than the ear pods but which won't be a compromise on the comfort end. Or are there any good clip-on headphones in this budget?
My preferred music genres range from Classical to Jazz to Rock, Metal and everything in between.
 
Thank you
 
Oct 3, 2016 at 5:47 PM Post #2 of 11
I can't say much about the comfort and fit since it's far too unique to the individual, but you can't really go wrong with the KZ ATE for sound quality. 
I prefer it for comfort and sound to the Beyerdynamic DX160ie.
 
It's not quite as comfortable for me as the Atomitc Floyd HiDef Jax - but this hybrid style earbud/IEM I usually find the most comfortable.
But for pure sound quality, KZ ATE takes the cake.
 
Oct 3, 2016 at 5:58 PM Post #3 of 11
Have a look at the Havi B1 Pro very balanced and right at you price range. Amazon has them so if you find them uncomfortable you can allways return them. I like them with comply tips myself .
 
Oct 3, 2016 at 9:57 PM Post #4 of 11
I agree about comfort being a subjective parameter. That's why I added the earpods example for reference. The KZ Ate looks great, and kinda what I'm looking for. And whoa it's cheap! Thanks for the suggestion.
Havi B3 seems nice. I could actually give them a try and see for myself, thanks. How are they compared to KZ Ate though?
And any reviews on Ostry KC06A and MEE M6 Pro?
 
Oct 3, 2016 at 10:21 PM Post #5 of 11
I agree about comfort being a subjective parameter. That's why I added the earpods example for reference. The KZ Ate looks great, and kinda what I'm looking for. And whoa it's cheap! Thanks for the suggestion.
Havi B3 seems nice. I could actually give them a try and see for myself, thanks. How are they compared to KZ Ate though?

And any reviews on Ostry KC06A and MEE M6 Pro?
Not a big IEM guy so I have not heard a lot of them just you wanted a neutral set and these fit that bill. Just have the **** UE .Senn CX 2.00 , Brainwavz S0 and a couple of cheap Mee' I got on on Massdrop and the Echobox Finders. Out of all of the the Havi is the most neutral .
 
Oct 4, 2016 at 2:28 PM Post #7 of 11
  I agree about comfort being a subjective parameter. That's why I added the earpods example for reference. The KZ Ate looks great, and kinda what I'm looking for. And whoa it's cheap! Thanks for the suggestion.
Havi B3 seems nice. I could actually give them a try and see for myself, thanks. How are they compared to KZ Ate though?
And any reviews on Ostry KC06A and MEE M6 Pro?

Hi, although I agree the KZ ATEs sound good they are quite difficult to get a good fit as they are very large with a long nozzle. the hooked cable isn't the best, reflected in it's price. It doesn't bend much.
 
the Havi's are a VERY balanced and sound GREAT, but they need a good AMP or you'll be turning the volume up to 100% to get the best out of them. They are also extremely large and need the perfect tip.
 
Take a look at the Tennmak Pro. this is an excellent all round IEM and an excellent price to performance player. It has exceptional comfort and great sound. It has quite big bass, but it's accurate and not bloated, but the rest of the frequencies are quite balanced and the bass doesn't bleed or dominate. Separation is really good as is detail retrieval. Big soundstage too.
 
For a smaller pair look at the tiny HiSoundAudio Flamenco if you can get them. Small housing, sit deep in the ear canal and sound WAY above their price point.
 
Oct 4, 2016 at 5:04 PM Post #8 of 11
Hi, although I agree the KZ ATEs sound good they are quite difficult to get a good fit as they are very large with a long nozzle. the hooked cable isn't the best, reflected in it's price. It doesn't bend much.

This is a perfect example of how one universal IEM can be perfect someone like me, but a trainwreck for another user.
 
I actually found the long nozzle and large size work really well for my ear shape, even more so than smaller IEMs.
For example the Beyer DX160ie looks small, but because of the stubby little nozzle, I could never get a deep enough fit, and they would literally fall out on a feather touch no matter what tip I used.
I could angle them to sit inside my ear, but the edges are way too sharp and dig in painfully after a few minutes.
 
True about the KZ ATE cable. It would be nice if the cable didn't want to keep returning to it's original shape. 
I remedied this with the small veltro cable tie that came with it, using it as an adjustable under-chin strap - by tying the left and right cables together it gives slightly more 'downwards' pull on both sides, and keeps the cables from slipping off the top of my ears.
 
Ok.. I'm rambling a bit here
tongue.gif
 maybe someone will find this helpful 
 
Oct 8, 2016 at 9:31 PM Post #10 of 11
  This is a perfect example of how one universal IEM can be perfect someone like me, but a trainwreck for another user.
 
I actually found the long nozzle and large size work really well for my ear shape, even more so than smaller IEMs.
For example the Beyer DX160ie looks small, but because of the stubby little nozzle, I could never get a deep enough fit, and they would literally fall out on a feather touch no matter what tip I used.
I could angle them to sit inside my ear, but the edges are way too sharp and dig in painfully after a few minutes.
 
True about the KZ ATE cable. It would be nice if the cable didn't want to keep returning to it's original shape. 
I remedied this with the small veltro cable tie that came with it, using it as an adjustable under-chin strap - by tying the left and right cables together it gives slightly more 'downwards' pull on both sides, and keeps the cables from slipping off the top of my ears.
 
Ok.. I'm rambling a bit here
tongue.gif
 maybe someone will find this helpful 

 
Haha, yeah must be a pain when one person says one thing and the next the exact opposite... if only there was a standard response we all agreed on... would be cheaper if there was!
 
I actually got the KZATE back out again last night. Strangely the way I've folded them away in their case seems to have bent the hook into shape and they sit perfect lol... fluke or what! They still are pretty large though so getting a tip for someone with smaller ears is important. Sound-wise it's actually a nice little earphone.
 
Oct 9, 2016 at 3:54 AM Post #11 of 11
Haha, yeah must be a pain when one person says one thing and the next the exact opposite... if only there was a standard response we all agreed on... would be cheaper if there was!
 
I actually got the KZATE back out again last night. Strangely the way I've folded them away in their case seems to have bent the hook into shape and they sit perfect lol... fluke or what! They still are pretty large though so getting a tip for someone with smaller ears is important. Sound-wise it's actually a nice little earphone.

No way. Not a pain at all.
 
I was actually hoping someone would come along with a different opinion. 
It's MUCH easier to recommend full-size over ear headphones than universal IEMs, so it's critical that people understand there is an element of gambling involved. 
 
Glad it's working out with the KZ ATE! Incredible IEM for the price... WHEN it works :p
 

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