The Ultimate 'Which IEMs/Headphones Should I Get" Thread
Oct 19, 2008 at 3:41 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 34

HellaChinese

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Alright guys, I noticed there's at least 2-3 threads a day dedicated to new members who want to know which set of IEMs/Headphones/Earphones to get. In addition to the HUGE amount of forum spam this makes, a lot of these posts don't get answered since there's so many damn threads.

Post your music preferences, price range, favorite frequency ranges (bass, mids, highs, etc) you like so we can help you the most.

EDIT

Please remember these are users opinions and not the absolute truth; the best thing you can do as a responsible consumer is to conduct your own research.

Here's something to get you started:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/r...9-08-a-335851/
 
Oct 19, 2008 at 3:51 AM Post #2 of 34
Hello,
price range not more than 200$(less better)
I listen to rock (hard, classic mostly)
I think I need IEM because I will spend a lot of time in the subway?
I want good sound quality.
What can you recommend me ?
Thanks
 
Oct 19, 2008 at 4:32 AM Post #3 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by ronb94 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hello,
price range not more than 200$(less better)
I listen to rock (hard, classic mostly)
I think I need IEM because I will spend a lot of time in the subway?
I want good sound quality.
What can you recommend me ?
Thanks



For the 200$ range you have three real competitors: the Sleek SA6, Atrio M5

The SA6 is highly revered in this forum due to it's warm (bass) qualities and it's personal customization choices. Mids are good and the treble can be tuned to however you like it.

The SA6 has bass and treble ports that you can self-tune to find your own best sound.

The Atrio M5 is a serious bass-head IEM that does NOT distort the mids or shadow the highs. However, it isn't as detail oriented as the SA6 (in terms of trebles)

Both of these are great headphones, so the last part is up to you based on your personal preference. You might also want to consider the Jays q-Jay, but based on what I've read the SA6's outperform them for the price.

You might want to check out this thread that reviews 17 different IEMs and do some more research yourself
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/r...9-08-a-335851/
 
Oct 19, 2008 at 5:02 AM Post #4 of 34
Price range: <$40
Music preferences: Dance, Electronica, Trance
Favorite Frequency ranges: upper mids, highs; I like clarity & speed, but I need enough bass for dance music.
 
Oct 19, 2008 at 5:53 AM Post #6 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by mattcalf /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hi,
Price Range: <AU$200
Music Preferences: Metal

I'm looking for a closed headphone and amp combo, hopefully around AU$200.



ES7s that I had before were quite good without amp, and denon D1000 was not bad, albeit being bit loose on bass.
It might be better idea to invest 200 au$ into headphones only,and don't worry about the amp for now.
 
Oct 19, 2008 at 5:54 AM Post #7 of 34
The price range I am would be >300 bucks. I listen to mostly acoustic/old time music and a bit of newer stuff along the kaki king,psapp, iron and wine type of stuff. I like a quick accurate low end that won't be thumpy with a sound that won't make my ears tired. Comfy is good too. How are the new Sennheiser IE monitors btw?
 
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Oct 19, 2008 at 6:56 AM Post #8 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
ES7s that I had before were quite good without amp,


Ok, I've been looking at the Audio Technica A700 or A900s, is there much difference?
Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It might be better idea to invest 200 au$ into headphones only,and don't worry about the amp for now.


Ok I'll take your advice on this one.
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Oct 19, 2008 at 7:08 AM Post #9 of 34
I know I already made a thread but now I saw this thread So I guess I should post this in here also.

I will mostly be listening to acoustic and rock since I already have a pair of ue sf 5 eb's.

I was thinking about the Freq shows, triple fi's, and maybe the se530s. I was leaning toward the triple fi's but I want something really different from my current super fi. 5's.
 
Oct 19, 2008 at 7:09 AM Post #10 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryG20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Price range: <$40
Music preferences: Dance, Electronica, Trance
Favorite Frequency ranges: upper mids, highs; I like clarity & speed, but I need enough bass for dance music.



To be honest, I can't recommend any earphones at the 40$ range. A lot of them are seriously just average quality, about the same as the stock ipod 2g phones.

However, if you're interested in clip on headphones, the Koss KSC-75's are a good bet and are often considered the best "bang for the buck" kick-starter into high fidelity audio. At about $13-15 shipped off of Amazon, these won't burn a hole in your wallet and will likely surprise anyone used to regular-fi headphones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by screwglue /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I know I already made a thread but now I saw this thread So I guess I should post this in here also.

I will mostly be listening to acoustic and rock since I already have a pair of ue sf 5 eb's.

I was thinking about the Freq shows, triple fi's, and maybe the se530s. I was leaning toward the triple fi's but I want something really different from my current super fi. 5's.



The Super.fi 5 EB sound nothing like either of these headphones.

I personally like the SE530's; the strong and textured mids (which really shines in guitar distortion) and accurate bass are great. Many people on head-fi agree the highs are rolled off, but I personally like the signature.

On the SE530 vs TF10 debate, you really have to do you own research since each phone caters to your own preferences. I'll give you a quick synopsis

SE530 Pros:
+ more pronounced bass
+ strong, typical shure signature mids
+ more soundstage
- rolled off highs
- potential cable cracking issues (aparently it's been fixed)


TF 10 Pros:
+ more balanced sounding
+ bass is good and powerful, but not as much as the SE530's
+ great high details
- uncomfortable
 
Oct 19, 2008 at 7:10 AM Post #11 of 34
I personally preferred ES7s over A700s or 900s. A700 and 900s have weird drop in midrange that bothered me tiny little bit - they make great gaming/movie-watching headphones though.

ES7, imo, had more aggressive mids, tighter bass, and far more treble sparkle that goes well with rock/metal.

There wasnt much difference between A900 and A700 when I had them.
 
Oct 19, 2008 at 11:42 AM Post #13 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I personally preferred ES7s over A700s or 900s. A700 and 900s have weird drop in midrange that bothered me tiny little bit - they make great gaming/movie-watching headphones though.

ES7, imo, had more aggressive mids, tighter bass, and far more treble sparkle that goes well with rock/metal.

There wasnt much difference between A900 and A700 when I had them.



Ok, thanks for that. I'm going to put my lust for headphones on hold though, as I'm almost broke at the moment. hehe (don;t worry I'm only young and still live at home).

EDIT: Maudio Q40s VS the ES7s? Who wins?
 
Oct 20, 2008 at 6:56 AM Post #14 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by screwglue /img/forum/go_quote.gif
BTW, i live in China and the shop i usually go to doesn't sell shures anymore. They said shures break twice a year so we stopped selling them. Does anyone know if this is true? or if it is true about Chinese Shures?

oh and I really appreciate your help hellachinese



All Shure headphones are made in one plant in America so they're all the same quality. I've had probably 6 pairs of different Shure IEMs and only one had some failure; the right channel gave out and was extremely staticy.

But the cables are known to crack due to certain body oils. Some people have this problem and some don't, but apparently it's been fixed.
 
Oct 20, 2008 at 6:58 AM Post #15 of 34
Quote:

Originally Posted by mattcalf /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Ok, thanks for that. I'm going to put my lust for headphones on hold though, as I'm almost broke at the moment. hehe (don;t worry I'm only young and still live at home).

EDIT: Maudio Q40s VS the ES7s? Who wins?



no idea on how Q40 sounds - sorry mate.

but I'll be getting ESW10JPNs sooner or later....despite their massive price tag..
 

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