[Tony987]

My Ety ER6i's just mysteriously broke a few days ago after 1.5 years of loyal service. After trawling through the pages and pages of reviews on here, the Nuforce NE-7 sound like the way to go for under $100. I always found my Ety's lacking in bass so these sound miraculous and for only $50??!! what's the catch?? can anyone recommend other IEM's I should consider? Or does anyone know where I may pick up a broken pair of Ety's to do a bit of DIY? thanks Tony

 

[Taikero]

$100 in red only, the Etymotic HF5.

It's basically supposed to be the ER6i on steroids (from everything I've been able to find about its sound. I'll have mine on Monday. The bass is supposed to be better than the ER6i/4P). It uses a tweaked ER4P driver.

Amazon.com: Etymotic Research HF5 Portable In-Ear Earphones (Ruby): Electronics

 

[obazavil]

check the RE2, they have good comments about them

 

[Tony987]

Yeah thanks for the suggestion Taikero, but am a bit frustrated that my last Ety's broke so soon after paying $150 for them, is 1.5 years all we get out of expensive products these days?? So I reckon it won't hurt so much having a $50 pair break, i.e. the Ne-7's after a year or so. Still any other Recomendations for a pair of IEM's for under $100?

 

[chinesekiwi]

The Nuforce NE-8's.

 

[Taikero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Nuforce NE-8's.

The NE-8 probably won't give him the bass he's looking for. That is, unless someone can confirm the NE-8 offers a fair amount more bass than the ER6i.

It would probably be a decent option if it does. It lies pretty flush against the ear.

 

[new-fi]

I think NE8 bass will depend on the setup. With the medium tips and my Cowon A2, I had to significantly ramp up the EQ and bass-enhancement feature to get satisfactory low-end presence.

NE7 seems like a good low-risk try. If nothing else, it can help establish another point of reference to converge better on the subsequent purchase.

Actually NE8 served a similar purpose for me, so I can understand better with respect to Denon C700 and the current price range expectations.

 

[tstarn06]

A vote for the NE-7s, but for me, they only sound great with Comply T400 foamies, which are an extra expense. I can't get a good seal with the silicone tips. But others do. I listened to them for a long train ride yesterday, and they are a very very good sound deal all around, and the bass is really nice, full, but not flabby at all. I also recommend 1-2 days of burn-in. I did and A/B with the RE2s, and wound up favoring the NE-7.

 

[bostitch]

tstarn06,

How would you compare the NE-7 to im716?

 

[Tony987]

Have opted for the NE-7's thanks for all the suggestions. Now I sit and wait by the mailbox. Hurry up!

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bostitch /img/forum/go_quote.gif tstarn06, How would you compare the NE-7 to im716?

Well, my 716s are modded (47ohm), and I never use them without an amp (or Shure olives). In terms of pure SQ, I prefer the 716's Ety-driven detail and amp-aided tight bass over the NE-7s sound sig (even if the latter is amped). But unamped, the NE-7s are perhaps a better choice due to their nice full bass, which even modded, the 716s just can't deliver (at least in my view). If you use a Sony DAP, you can EQ the bass on the 716s, however, which helps if you don't want to use an amp.

Today, I got a FiiO E5, and it really pairs up well with both phones. I may never go ampless again. The E5 form factor is so perfect (the E3 was too chunky for back to back with the Sony or Clip). Two velcro dots and it connects to both DAPs beautifully. Only wish the Sony had an LOD.

Strayed from the point. Under perfect conditions (good source, good amp, right tips, etc.), I find the 716s a higher-quality listening experience. But the NE-7s are a very nice phone as well - a much better canal phone value, for example, than those crappy PL30s I idiotically bought (but they were only $19, less than 3 sets of Complys).

Hey, I was very lucky and paid $20 for the 716s. I see they can be had for $65 on Amazon, so they are priced closer to the NE-7s. It might be better to compare the NE-8s with the 716s, in fact.

Final thought: Unless you are going to depod the 716s, a critical step, than either NuForce phone is probably the better choice. And as I have noted, I can't get good sound frmo the 7s without Comply T400s, which is just my problem since I can't get a seal with those flabby OEM silicone sleeves.

 

[bostitch]

Thanks for the information. I think I can extrapolate how NE-7 would sound.

I think it is time to get a portable amp/dac combo. My iM716 is depodded (also with 47 ohm I believe, I bought it from another head-fier). I always listen to it with flat eq though, I'll try to play around with Sony EQ to see its bass potential (which I thought was lacking at this current setup). Unamped it is not bad, but I read glowing impression of it when amped.

 

[spacemanspliff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by new-fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think NE8 bass will depend on the setup. With the medium tips and my Cowon A2, I had to significantly ramp up the EQ and bass-enhancement feature to get satisfactory low-end presence. NE7 seems like a good low-risk try. If nothing else, it can help establish another point of reference to converge better on the subsequent purchase. Actually NE8 served a similar purpose for me, so I can understand better with respect to Denon C700 and the current price range expectations.

With a Cowan? Wow, they are bass light then?

 

[Punnisher]

Going from the er6 to Ne7 is a huge upgrade in my opinion.

Maybe it's just a personal preference, but the monumental bass rolloff of the er6 was not missed when I got my Ne7.