[Taurine]

Jays Q-Jays - So tiny they are a challenge to remove from my ears sometime! On the positive side they are the easiest IEMs to wear with a motorcycle helmet ever.

 

[fuzzyash]

gr07
 
used to be they dont have anough bass
but now, after listening to them throughout the summer, sometimes the bass notes seem a bit slow

 

[adamschuetze]

Shure E530 - The build quality feels kind of cheap, I wish the cable and housing were equal to the sound quality.

 

[pspivak]

GN-0015 and Loquah:  You guys rock and I appreciate your comments.
 
For what it is worth I ordered the Heir 4 with the manufacturers upgraded cable.  I pray the fit is right.
 
Best, PETER

 

[gaxman]

Ok, I know I'm a little late to this party but this was too good a thread to pass up
 
Sony MDR EX1000: ( my current favorite) as Selenium said before it doesn't play well with sibilant recordings and the while the bass is of exceptional quality the quantity could sometimes seem a little light. Keep in mind I am a semi-reformed bass head so for most people there should be more than enough.
 
Heir Audio 4ai: Doesn't take as well to eq'ing as some of my other iems. I can't seem to get it to pump out more bass without distortions. Once I reach a certain point while trying to add some extra punch to them it seems that the sub bass starts somehow to affect the mids and it sounds like the vocals are being sung through a fan like you used to do as a kid. I'm sure there is a very technical term for this but I have no idea what it's called. Everything else on this iem is great though, I feel like I am being very critical but it really is a great set.
 
Earsonics SM3v2: This one is VERY warm. It's actually kinda hard to describe because I want to call it thick sounding but that implies that it's a little slow which it very much isn't. Next to the 4ai it's the fastest iem I own. Also the price. I bought all my other iems from either amazon or wherever I could get the best deal (with of course the 4ai being the exception since they just came out and I couldn't make myself wait) but the only place I could find them in the US was from earsonics themselves so I ended up paying full msrp.
 
Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10: As pretty much everyone said the fit can be troublesome. These are the only iems that i had any bit of trouble getting into my ears, though it wasn't as hard for me as it seems it was for some people. I have giant ear canals and I have yet to find a silicone tip big enough so i just slap some large complys on every new iem I get and that pretty much solves that problem. But these ones take a little fidgeting to get them to sit correctly.
 
MTPC: these are slow. Though these are easily the most bass heavy in ears I own but I find I rarely use them anymore. If I want to make my ears bleed I reach for my SM3's with a digizoid zo 2 because then I can get the rumble and slam but not sacrifice any details.

 

[Loquah]

I love this thread!
 
Thanks to gaxman for keeping it going despite coming late to the party and thanks again to the OP, gnarlsagan, for posing such a useful question!!
 
Anyone new who's reading this, please feel free to add to the list no matter how long it's been.

 

[straden]

Quote:

Shure E530 - The build quality feels kind of cheap, I wish the cable and housing were equal to the sound quality.

i agree the casing paint chips off starting from the edge, and I wish it was detachable cable like tf10

 

[ProjectDenz]

TF10: Distant midrange made music sound poor for any genre I listened to except your electronic/trance type of music. Felt maligned within my collection once I got the JH13, so sold it off. Fit was perfect for me. Bass and treble are very nice, however, once I got a taste of the JH13 the TF10's treble felt quite unbearable grainy and 'in your face', which made the lack of extension compared to the JH13 much more noticeable.
 
 
IE8: Mid bass bloat. Midrange veil. Slow bass. Made music sound good to me for only hip-hop genres where bass beats are simple and slow. Horribly overpriced (in Australia). Did not worthy of it's premium price tag and it felt like nothing more than a refined CX 300 - II that I had lying around. Sold it off at some point.

Atrio M5: Shoddy build quality put me off this. The fact that when I made a warranty claim a few months after I bought these FutureSonics sent me non-working replacement pair. It ultimately put me off this and I got a refund for them. Somewhat similar sound signature as the IE8 without the midbass bloat, which is refreshing. Midrange was distant. Treble on the MG7 was much improved from the v2 drivers. Would of kept them if the build quality wasn't so crap. Overall much better value for money than the IE8.
 
SE530: Bass is a little polite and does not have too much impact. Sweet midrange. Treble is also rolled off a little bit and in the background a bit, which doesn't bother me a whole lot. A better all rounder for me and excels fantastically with genres like rock. Bass gained more impact or the sound as a whole felt more full once I had these turned into a custom due to the shoddy cables of the SE530 fell apart. Was actually very lucky to have a friend generously give me the SE530 drivers for free so I could turn them into a custom. Still have happily to this day.
 
JH13 Pro: Best sounding thing I have ever owned. Extension is fantastic in both ends of the spectrum. Only complaints would be the usual lack of depth and width in the soundstage is apparent as would be the case with any iem. Surprising synergizes well with any genre I throw at it, unlike all other iems I have ever owned that sound good for only some genres and not others. Doesn't have much of a unique sound signature due to it's very linear nature, except for perhaps I tiny bump in the 50-60hz range to give a less sterile sound. Only complaint would be that customs can get a little obtrusive within the ears at times and my ears can create ear wax in protest of having something crammed deep in there, but is common to all customs. Another complaint would be that due to the very linear nature of these iems they can get a little boring if you feel like to have a lot of bass impact (talking 'doof-doof' subwoofer) with some bass heavy song, or won't give you overly intimate vocals and guitar riffs the SE530 likes to give. Sometimes I need to jump down to lower iems just so I can remember and enjoy what extra clarity, details and extension I am paying for in the JH13, because your mind really does get used to it after a while and the initial wow factor fades.

 

[deqalb]

Soundmagic PL30. Get easily congested on faster tracks. Treble rolled off in anything but the shallow silicone tips. Durability, one of the drivers of mine suddenly died off after couple of months without warning.

 

[W1CKED]

Audio Technica CK10: I-plug. Non-user-replaceable cable. Bundled tips isn't that great. Faceplate easily scratched up. Sensitive to fit. Too fast, sometimes there is not enough decay when the track needs it. The highs can be awkwardly positioned on some of the tracks that need realism of soundstage, e.g. imagine a rock band with high-hat and cymbal separated forward from the entire drum kit.

Etymotic ER4: Microphonics. Dynamic range. ..And all other things that people already talked about in this thread.

Hifiman RE0: DURABILITY! First, the housings separated, I glued it. Second, the cable broke, I modded it with great cable and a viablue plug. Then.. a driver died.. All of this happened in less than a year.. LOL

Ultimate Ears TF10: Fit and comfy.. none. Bundled cable broke easily. Needs to be amped to perform well (IMO).

 

[CoryGillmore]

Miles Davis Tribute: I love them to pieces...literally...they are just about falling to pieces
 
On a positive note: I tried out the large triple flange tips that come with them and found out they actually have THE best seal and noise isolation of any other tip in the box! It's insane. I just had to figure out to insert them properly. Which took me over 2 years to do...

 

[Hellbishop]

SHURE SE115 they're a pain to keep in my ears even with the extra tips made of different materials.

 

[Gilly87]

SM3 - Soundstage is too condensed; it is capable of placing things pretty far out but tends to keep most of the music close to or in the head. Doesn't sound its best until filters are removed IMO. Build quality is worse than anything I have paid over $50 for and customer service is unpredictable.
 
But the sound...

 
TF10: Fit is awkward but not really that bad for me personally. Treble can be fatiguing, a little glossy sounding, vocals don't blossom like I'd like them to. Crappy stock cable.
 
Klipsch X10: NO REPLACEABLE CABLE! Bass warms up everything,can be a little muddy; mediocre treble extension and detail.

 

[Forsaleonly]

Radius DDM TWF11 - Fit is definitely a problem. Uncomfortable over long periods and cables tangles. Jack spoils easily also, straight jack. But sound and bass wise, Excellent.

 

[krismusic]

IE8 completely agree with what others in this thread have said.
The Musical Fidelity EB-50 would have been it for me if my ears were more accommodating of their rather barrel like housing.Also seemed to need ear raping depth of insertion.
Less than 100% seal they sound mediocre. Sound was absolutely stunning with a good seal.
I am beginning to think that once you get past the £150 mark all headphones have the characteristic of doing some things exceptionally well but other things badly...