[jknight37x]

I am no audiophile nor do i understand all the complexity behind sound, but i do appreciate good music so i thought i would invest in a decent pair of entry to mid level IEM's around $100-200USD.

I listen on an Ipod Touch mostly around the library whiles studying

i prefer country and classical but listen to pretty much everything save heavy metal. which would be the best pair of headphones to get, from what ive read on these forums it would come down to:

RE0
ER4P
IE7
and my buddy keeps recommending Ultimate Ears, something from the SuperFi line

How does the Superfi 5 compare against the RE0? is the IE7 that much superior to the others with regards to all around listening?

Could anyone give me a better idea?

I do apologize for the billionth which pair of IEM post but after searching the forums for the last several hours i figured it would be best to just ask.

 

[mark2410]

for in the library of those three id say the er4p just for the isolation. play what u want loud as you like and no one will hear anything

all three of those sound great anyway

 

[mark2410]

oh id add the custom 3 to your list if you can live with its cable

 

[jknight37x]

I appreciate the advice, are you saying that all of the ones i listed are pretty similar as far as sound quality? with the er4p having slightly better isolation?

i have not even looked at The Klipsch Custom 3's before, they are about $100 out of my original price range, lol. Would the extra $100 be worth the difference for someone just starting to really listen to music?

Right now i am listening to a very painful to wear koss headphones i believe they are the ones that come standard with a kindle as my old pair of icemat's broke, i am aware of the laughable quality of both, hence my desperate need for good headphones now

 

[mythless]

I agree with Mark, if isolation is important the ER4P would be the best choice. But, all of them sound great. I have the RE0 and love them, but they won't isolate better than the ER4P.

 

[Hentai11]

How do you like your music to sound? Of those I've heard, the RE0 will give you a clear, accurate sound, while the super .fis are warmer and fuller.

 

[jknight37x]

I think i like the warmer and fuller, honestly i am not certain that i fully understand what that is though, lol, I am not overly concerned with isolation just quality of sound and product.

I am still researching and it seems that a lot of Ultimate Ears products have replaceable cords at least that's what is mentioned on these forums, i do not actually see that mentioned on their product descriptions though.

Can the cords be replaced? easily?

If that is the case would it be good to get Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 on amazon its $133.99 with a $35 mail in rebate, the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 are $346 with an $80 mail in rebate.

Would yall recommend the SuperFi 5 or is the quality of the TripleFi that much greater to warrant the extra money? or am i hung up on the wrong brand altogether?

 

[mythless]

The RE0 are very neutral, maybe a tad cold. But, the clarity is impressive. I love the sounds that come out of my RE0. It all depends on what you want to pay. The UTF10 are very good.

 

[Hentai11]

By "warmer" I mean more "colored." My UE sf3s are more forward and less neutral in the vocal range and below.

RE0s sound like reference equipment, period; nothing forward, nothing recessed, accurate, neutral.

 

[ZARIM]

I think if you want warmer, fuller and detailed sound then IE7 and IE8 are great IEMs. The both shows hidden details in music with big soundstage and rich bass. BTW C3 are very revealing IEMs with Klipsch signature warm sound and it's very airy yet sound so natural specialy for country, rock, instrumental pop.

 

[jknight37x]

Thanks for all the advice, i want to apologize as i was not entirely certain what i wanted when i first started this post (I never knew headphones were so complex >.<)

anyhow i have somewhat refined my search and figured out what i am really looking for. IEM's is quality and reasonably accurate sound quality for all types of music and clear vocals preferably not bass heavy. Something durable for constant travel; but i doubt that will be to much of an issue at this lvl, and something comfortable with sound being the most important.

If i were to stop at the cheaper end of the spectrum my understanding is that UE-0 are best all around for $100

Correct me if i am wrong but this is what i think i learned from my research

The best around the ~$300 price range are the UE TripleFi , IE7 (the IE8 is around $400 so out of my range), ER4P, and one that was not mentioned earlier Westone UM3X.

UE TripleFi are quality all around IEM's with good clarity, possibly a little lighter on the bass; however, they are larger than most which can make them uncomfortable, they only have a 1year warranty and my understanding is that more often than not the cord tends to go bad.

IE7 is close to the same level as the TripleFi but sacrifices a little clarity in exchange for more bass, with a higher comfort level

ER4P one of the best as far as isolation and clarity in classical music go, a little less in the other genres, while a good set of phones not exactly what i am after.

UM3X from what i can gather this would be the equivalent of the Cadillac of my price range(or a little over), these are all around phones with emphasis on mid range and vocals, comfort level and isolation are supposed to be high

I am leaning towards the UM3X if I am correct, so could someone tell me if i am right or wrong?

meh! sorry didnt mean to write a novel.

 

[trunolimit]

I was considering the RE0 then read this review and decided not to currently I'm stuck between

>q-Jays
>Etymotic hf5
>Etymotic ER4P
>Ultimate Ears super.fi 5
>and bring on the hate but I'm also considering the Beats by dre tour

Your price point seems a lot higher then mine so yeah the UM3X seems pretty cool. I keep seeing them compared to the sennheiser IE8

 

[ZARIM]

UM3x are one of the top tier IEMs and they are good for all genres music but really shine with vocal, instrumental pop, country and classical.........

 

[roosta]

i own the RE0 and i like them a lot. bass is light if your moving around, but sat still its very close to flat response. they sound very nice. very detailed with beautiful highs.

honestly i think you would be fine with the isolation of any IEM. you would have to be bursting your eardrums for someone a metre away from you to be able to hear your music.
(maybe with the exception of RE-1/RE-2 which have vent holes in the back)