[simplemail1]

I have a 80gb ipod and I just want some new IEMs. I have the CX300 and thought it'd be a good time to upgrade. I'm not an audiophile at all

.

Below is the listing for the kind of headphones I want.

fairly good isolation
at least decent bass
preferably a j cord, but doesn't have to be
better treble than the CX300s (they are kind of shrilly)
headphones that don't go around the ear (like super.fi pro)
don't want them to stick out of the ear too much either

I listen to pretty much everything.

I was looking at the CX95, but honestly I have no idea. There are so many headphones out there that I need some help.

Thanks

 

[intoflatlines]

I would suggest the SF5 Pro since I feel that they are the best IEMs in their class (others will disagree), but your request for non over the ear type kills that idea.

Shure stuff in that price range is pretty weak, from my experience.

Etymotic ER4 won't have the bass for you (probably, especially coming from a CX300).

People have been recommending the Atrio M5 for bass, but I haven't heard it and don't know anything about it. Maybe check it out.

 

[Brian_the_King]

Although flatline is right about the bass offered by the ER4 they might still be worth a shot, especially taking your other requests into account. It's not like ther ER4s 'lack' bass, it's just a little more laid back compared most high end headphones.

 

[shigzeo]

the er4s stick out of the ear heaps though. they are good and if you can start to listen for the bass instead of having it drift naturally toward you, then you can enjoy them. they have wonderful speed and an unnatural treble.

the senn is more shrilly but the er4s induces fatigue faster i think. i have owned both and been rid of both rather quickly.

have you thought of denon c700 or kenwood c711? both are high quality and sound wonderful for about 100-150$ usd. the atrio m5 are also very good and have barnone the best bass resolution of any iem i have tried (up to e500 by shure). they have a quieter treble presentation but never shrilly and indeed a good listen more akin to speakers. they will have heaps better stage than er4 and the ue but not as good of instrument separation.

i have owned them as well and sold them now after i found what is quite a remarkable and yet unavailable to internationals: the victor hp-fx500. i know the fx300 is available to internationals and is supposed to be quite good but not as mature sounding as the fx500.

honestly, if just a little shy of the atrio for bass resolution, i care little as they have much better mids and no fatige at all whereas the atrio even as soft as they are induced a little.

i would suggest the fx300 and they can be had for about 70$ usd from what i understand. if you want real isolation and fabulous bass, the atrio surely are the best choice. their only problem (and it is minor if you do not listen to fast music like trance) is that with fast bass or low mids, they have a plastic boom. however, coming from the senn cx300 which has a massive plastic boom, you would probably never notice it.

that is why i sold them. then i moved to um2, er4s and had an affair with e500. all fatigued me beyond belief: this is my experience, most people do not have problems with um2 or e500.

atrio i thought were my final stop but in the end, my trance music was just not edible for the atrio as they showed their housing.

the denon boomed in another way that the atrio did not: sold them.

the victor: no boom but no international sale as well. best ever

 

[TickTockMan]

I have the same setup as you, including the CX300's, which I recently upgraded to the Etymotic ER-4P's, and I haven't looked back. I love the sound of the ER's. To my ears, the bass is just fine, much less muddy sounding than the CX300's, and far less "boomy" sounding. With a good seal using the triple flange tips I get a baseline that positively rumbles through my on some songs. You REALLY have to have a good solid seal though. When you have a good seal, they really don't stick out of your ears. The posts on mine lie flat against my earlobes when they are seated deeply enough.

The only time I wear the CX300's now is at work, because the ER's isolate to much, and it irritates my co-workers to have to throw something at me to get my attention.

The sound from the ER-4P's is, in my opinion, outstanding.

 

[shigzeo]

the er4 series isolate like nothing else yes it is true. but, they dont sound like headphones at all or speakers. they sound like scalpels carving away at the music only to leave the notes and timing.

i love them for trance and with a good seal, there is bass but... dear dear, they are not made for music

 

[Andrew_WOT]

ER-4S SQ really comes close in quality to full size cans.
Out of all IEMs that I tried, Etymotic was the first one that really impressed me. Lack of bass and unnatural treble is exacerbated here, as to me they have just the right amount of bass and very natural and flat frequency response. Never had a single problem with their treble, and I am overly sensitive in this area and just plain cannot stand aggressively bright cans. Details on those are absolutely astonishing. For warmer sound lovers, easy tip swapping to something like Shure olives makes upper mids and treble less prominent and overall signature warmer and more relaxing. For the price they are still the best deal around there.

 

[TickTockMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif the er4 series isolate like nothing else yes it is true. but, they dont sound like headphones at all or speakers. they sound like scalpels carving away at the music only to leave the notes and timing. i love them for trance and with a good seal, there is bass but... dear dear, they are not made for music

That's okay. All I listen to are soundtracks from movies about hospitals and surgeons, so the scalpel-like sound is ideal.

Seriously though, different ears, different experiences. I love the sound of the Ety's.

 

[Jaw007]

ER-4S give them a try.If you don't like them,then send them back.

 

[fdhfdy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaw007 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ER-4S give them a try.If you don't like them,then send them back.

Or try er4p which more easily to drive and it can be er4s by adding one cord for impedance.

 

[304290]

Like everyone said, you really can't go wrong with the er4p. They are a great iem.

 

[woopididi]

how about FutureSonics Atrio M5/8? they are supposed to be very good.. but they stick a little, and they're not beauty queens.

 

[Lifter59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simplemail1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a 80gb ipod and I just want some new IEMs. I have the CX300 and thought it'd be a good time to upgrade. I'm not an audiophile at all . Below is the listing for the kind of headphones I want. fairly good isolation at least decent bass preferably a j cord, but doesn't have to be better treble than the CX300s (they are kind of shrilly) headphones that don't go around the ear (like super.fi pro) don't want them to stick out of the ear too much either I listen to pretty much everything. I was looking at the CX95, but honestly I have no idea. There are so many headphones out there that I need some help. Thanks

Well, if you can get over the "around the ear" issue (they are actually VERY comfortable this way with the right cabling) - I would recommend the Westone UM2's - very light excellent sound quality - not j-corded but sound VERY clean.

 

[fredman22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lifter59 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, if you can get over the "around the ear" issue (they are actually VERY comfortable this way with the right cabling) - I would recommend the Westone UM2's - very light excellent sound quality - not j-corded but sound VERY clean.

I would always recommend UM2s, but the OP has a ceiling of $200. For that price, I would argue the ER-4P/S yield the highest quality sound, but not always necessarily the best sounding, depending on source, compression rate, and preference. An excellent place to start, tho.

 

[KUNFUCHOPSTICKS]

Even up to $500 the ER-4p still holds the most SQ. True triple-drivers have added bass, but they still do not have as accurate mids and highs as the er-4p. So, really, you can't go wrong with 4p.