[DayoftheGreek]

Hi head-fi!

If you don't want to read, skip to the summary at the end.

I don't post too often because whenever I do, it leads to spending money I shouldn't, but it has come time again. Christmas has come and past and left me confused, but with pockets full of money. I'm in a slightly interesting predicament and could really use some help. Let me break it down for you.

I currently own a pair of Grado SR80 and I love them. I also paired them up over the summer with a D2 Boa amp/DAC. I also own a Zune 80gig that I have started using much more frequently for on the go use. The sad part here is that I am using the included Zune buds. I have put up with them fine, but I don't want to anymore. I need a nice IEM to pair up with my Zune. Now comes the hard part.

I don't have a huge budget. I'm don't want to spend more than $100 in cash. That is even a bit of a stretch as it is. Unless there is a huge breakpoint in quality, I am pretty much stuck spending less than $100. The reason I set this as my budget is because a good friend of mine has a pair of Ety ER-4P to sell me (used) for $100. I also have $75 in BestBuy giftcards and a friend who works there can get me a discount. This opens up the SE210 as an option that would use more money overall, but less cash. That is fine with me, because I need to get rid of these gift cards. My other option would be an IEM that costs $100 and I can spend the giftcards on random things.

I am looking for a few things in this IEM as well, which has been the only thing steering me away from the Ety's. I will be using them mainly to walk around campus and the microphonics on the Zune IEMs (the cord is made from this awful scratchy cloth) just kills me. I listen to lots of bass oriented music, so quality is a must, but not quantity. I like my bass balanced. I listen to mostly metal and jazz, with some classical and a bit of electronic as of late.

Sorry for the long post, here is a summary for you non-reading posters.

Need IEM for Zune80 and D2 Boa. Low microphonics, comfy, durable enough to be inside my pocket and wrapped around my zune. No more than $100 in cash. I have $75 in bestbuy giftcards + employee discount. I am also willing to make sacrifices for a really good deal (IE, the Ety's terrible microphonics if the sound is really that good).

OPTIONS:
1. Used Ety ER-4P's for $100
2. Shure SE210 after employee discount from BestBuy, with $75 in giftcards + cash
3. Other IEM <$100 new or used, preferably new

Thanks!

 

[dmashta]

maybe check out the nuforce ne-7m? while i haven't heard them myself, they seem to be getting some very favorable reviews here on head-fi. and at $50, they are well under your budget.

here's a link
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/r...n-c700-383617/

 

[rawrster]

so from what i read u are only wanting to deal with cash? as in only go to stores to buy them and not online

i dont know the discount at bestbuy but they usually price their items pretty high so unless its a significant discount i would not bother with them

$100 for er4p is a good deal tho..i would definitely go for that

 

[DayoftheGreek]

I haven't looked at those Nuforce ones at all before your post, but they look interesting. I have been told to be careful of "flavor of the month" phones like these though. It almost seems too good to be true. I will do more research though.


Quote:

so from what i read u are only wanting to deal with cash? as in only go to stores to buy them and not online

I am perfectly fine with buying them online, but I am still sticking to a $100 limit. I am trying to find a way to use my money as efficiently as possible though, so if I could use the gift cards + the remaining cost, it would be much preferred to spending $100 then still having gift cards to use. It just looks like the only decent phone BestBuy sells are the Shures, which is unfortunate.

 

[dmashta]

unless there's an expiration on the gift cards, i'm sure you can use them for something else down the road. or maybe you can sell them or use them for something that a friend needs? just don't limit yourself to buying the shures because those are the only ones available (unless, of course, they are what you want).

fwiw, i was initially going to suggest the denon c751/700 as well. those will give you much better bass that you're looking for. and they are definitely not a FOTM. i have a pair and quite enjoy them. but they go for around $100 or slightly more (unless you find a used pair). only thing to keep in mind is they don't offer the best isolation, if that's important for you.

but if the reviews are anything to go by, seems like the ne-7m at $50 can sound almost as good, if not better, than the denons.

good luck.