[ohhgourami]

I just dropped 1.1k on DAC/amp and headphones.  I'm a 20 year old college guy.  I was spoiled, now I'm just broke but when I get them at the end of the week, I'll be one very happy broke guy

 
BTW, my hands have been itching to get the HE-6 too, then the whole audio-gd Master series...I really need an internship this summer...anyone care to help out a Chemical Engineer? 

 

[esanthosh]

Quote:

now I'm just broke but when I get them at the end of the week, I'll be one very happy broke guy

Aren't we all - happy and broke?

 

[hojomojo96]

Nothing wrong with happy and broke
But WOW, you guys spend a lot. I think that the worst part for me, is I have at leas t1k saved up that I can't use. I don't really mind spending for head fi, I love this stuff Or, thats what I tell my self.

 

[esanthosh]

Don't worry! It's the job of head-fi to relieve you off the burden of keeping that 1K

. But, I'd suggest that you use your IEMs for sometime and upgrade sensibly. There are plenty of choices these days and the price point at which you hit 'law of diminishing returns' has come down considerably.

 

[CENTRAL]

Despite being totally careless with equipment spending, I will add my 2c...
 
Evaluating a sound source is time consuming. Give your purchases some time to grow on you. Placebo or not, things change after a week and even more so after a month and then some...
 
My personal experience with the etys HF5 is that I hated them at first, to like them a month later, to love them insanely several months on... Upgrading is a path to (sonic) happiness, not happiness in itself.
 
When spending money you should feel like deploying your next strategic plan. Not escaping from enemy fire.
 
Make sure you learn from mistakes. In that way they are worth doing. Try to enjoy them and take some time to understand why you did them. If your next move is just a reaction to a mistake, chances are it will only be another mistake.
 
Try TIPS. As many as you can. Read the topics related to the IEM at hand and find out what tips people recommend. Then try as many as possible. Sound changes are incredible! You can easily make an Ety bass-heavy, believe it or not!
 
Read the forum but keep in mind opinions reflect not ony a point of view, but a point of view in another solar system. You will never listen through my ears and never process the signal through my brain or feel my state of emotion... so a grain of salt is needed here!
 
If unsure ASK! people who like this hobby also love to share their views and help others decide. Take advantage of this...
 
I think I could go on, but the juice is already in the glass!

 

[lordofmpower]

as a Head-Fi newb I can see this is going to get expensive therefore I will limit my time here hahah. Between my HT and 2ch gear I've already been robbed by hifi audio ,,, the sickness continues

 

[sunspot]

I find the curse is not so bad as long as you're careful. Start cheap and/or test from friends to see what kind of sound you like. Futz with the EQ to the same goal (not the same as trying another IEM pair, but it's free ). Get some after market fit kit like the MEElec M11+ tip kit and try different types of tips. Don't go for degrading foamies until you're 100% sure you can't stand silicone.

Don't underestimate housing influences on comfort. I have to some degree, and have a few extra IEMs on hand because of that.

Mostly, be on the lookout for deals on obscure brands with the sound signature you enjoy. Since they're little known, they're liable to go on sale early in the product cycle. Known brands go on sale too, but by the time they do so, they tend to be older designs and less interesting at that point.

I, myself, started with the 5$ Kanen KM-92 just to see if I liked IEMs overall. Then upgraded to SoundMagics, then Xears, and lately got a Brainwavz M1. All of those are known to be good bang for the buck, and I got them all on sale (except the SoundMagics, but there was little point @ 17$...)

And listen to music while you look for sales

My main problem isn't my wallet at this point... it's that I have some extra IEMs on hand and I'm not sure what to do with them. And my wife's reaction about yet another pair entering the house

 

[esanthosh]

Quote:

I find the curse is not so bad as long as you're careful.

Don't listen to sunspot. Head-fi curse is very true

 
The day begins like every other day. Just the previous night, I had listened to my IEMs for an hour, immensely satisfied that I have all the variety in the world and don't need another IEM. I even made a resolution (for the 210th time in the short head-fi membership) that I will never buy an IEM for the next six months. When I start the day, I am supremely confident that visiting head-fi will not cloud my judgment and no one can ever tempt me now. I see joker's thread or one of those reviews and I read half way through it calmly (crossing Build quality, isolation etc., here). Half way through the sound impressions, a strange phrase which describes the sound catches my eye. At this point, the curse begins to act on you. No matter how much I want to close the browser, my hands won't help. Rest of the body freezes, leaving me staring at the screen. After that, my hands raise up by themselves, type the URL for the online store and automatically click the mouse and punch a few keys. Finally, my eye balls move and .... New Mail from Paypal confirming the payment. True story! Happens every two weeks.

 

[hojomojo96]

Got the Pro Alphas... It was a good price, I swear!

 

[sunspot]

Quote:

Don't listen to sunspot. Head-fi curse is very true

 

I was going to protest the "don't listen to sunspot" part vigorously, but then I realized that I'm probably partly at fault for the OP getting the ProAlphas, since I posted the deal on the deals thread...  And also reminded someone else of the M6 valentine's edition deal on newegg... Both are headphones the OP just got...
 
Hmm... I suppose apologies are in order, I'm definitely a bad influence here, and then try to showcase as a paragon of virtue 

 
Might go nuts when the B2 comes out, or the GR07, and if the SW-Xcape ver. 1 were still selling, I'd probably get one in the coming month or two... Hmm...  In my defense, it's about every two month for me rather than every two weeks.
 
Oh, and esanthosh, your epic description of the curse made me laugh so hard my wife was wondering if I'd finally cracked 

 

[bisayaboi]

I recycle my money by selling and trading as much as I can. =P

 

[bisayaboi]

Quote:

I just dropped 1.1k on DAC/amp and headphones.  I'm a 20 year old college guy.  I was spoiled, now I'm just broke but when I get them at the end of the week, I'll be one very happy broke guy

Happiness > money, my friend.
 

 

[hojomojo96]

LMAO, sunspot, NOT your fault. Actually, I thank you. And yeah, I do have a pair of CLEAR M6s on the way, too. But think of it this way: if you hadn't posted the deal, I would have ended up spending $40 instead of $22.50 So, keep posting those deals, although I now owe $20 to my parents, and can't spend for the next 4 weeks

 

[sunspot]

 
Quote:

LMAO, sunspot, NOT your fault. Actually, I thank you. And yeah, I do have a pair of CLEAR M6s on the way, too. But think of it this way: if you hadn't posted the deal, I would have ended up spending $40 instead of $22.50 So, keep posting those deals, although I now owe $20 to my parents, and can't spend for the next 4 weeks

Oh, sure, you thank me now... Wait 'til your parents and some friends get you in a room to do an intervention and you try to convince them that no, you don't have an IEM addiction problem 

 
More seriously, if it's as close to the M1 as everybody says, I think you'll find the ProAlpha very good.  The other two are no slouch either, though. So you'll have three sound signatures to play with, and you'll have a good idea what you like best.
 
If you're truly cursed, though, you'll like all three in different circumstances...

 

[hojomojo96]

I like ALL the earphones I've bought so far (4 pairs), and listen to each one depending on how I feel. So yeah, I'm sure I \'ll find a use for all of them And my mom has accepted my addiction, my sister knows, and my dad is oblivious.