[shonor6]

Hi. My budget is about 90$ tops, and I'm not sure if I should buy the Ultimate Ears 600, or the UE500 with a Fiio E5 amplifier.
Which option is best for Rock music, to be played with the SanDisk Sansa, Zune or HTC Desire?
 
Thanks.

 

[ClieOS]

As a general rule of thumb, you should get the best IEM you can afford first before thinking about amping. In this case, UE600 looks like the better choice.

 

[NewAKGGuy]

Neither, if you like the UE sound (which I do) go for an older pair of SuperFi 5 Pros or Triple-Fi10s.  Both sound better than the newer (Logitech) UEs and BOTH HAVE REPLACEABLE CABLES,  which is a big deal if you plan to own these beyond the warrantee period as UE cables only last about 6 months max of regular use for me.

 

[shonor6]

I couldn't find SuperFI 5 Pros or Triple-Fi10s for a decent price. The lowest I found was about $130...

 

[ZARIM]

I will highely recommend to try these IEMs for above genres music like Sony EX510(highely recommended), RE0(highely recommended),HJE900, SHE9850, HF5, Turbine, Turbine Pearl and PFE112.

 

[shinystuffbuyer]

You will routinely find SuperFi on Amazon for $90-95. I would strongly recommend them. You can always add an Amp in a couple of months when you have some more spare cash.

 

[shonor6]

So the SuperFi's are exactly like the UE600, but they have replaceable cables?

 

[NewAKGGuy]

Quote:

So the SuperFi's are exactly like the UE600, but they have replaceable cables?

No, it's a bit confusing because UE did make a Super-Fi 5 and 5vi that has since been renamed the UE600.  I had a pair of those and they are decent sounding, but lacking in build quality and durability.
 
I am suggesting the Super-Fi 5Pro or the Triple-Fi 10 (aka TF10, TF10Pro, TF10vi), which are older than the Super-Fi 5 and Super-Fi 5vi, have the replaceable cables, and better sounding (especially the TF10).
 
And $130 is a very god price for the TF10, probably average for the SuperFi 5Pro, which are getting hard to find.  Check the FSoT forum here.  You are better off spending $100-$150 on these than $75-$100 on the UE-600 or Super-Fi 5.