[kdawgg83]

Hi All,
 
I've been lurking here a while and have narrowed down my list of IEMs to:
 

• Sennheiser IE8
• Shure SE530
• Westone 3
• Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro
• Monster Turbine Pro Copper
• EarSonics SM3
• Hifiman RE0
• Hifiman RE 252
• JVC  HA-FX700
• Westone UM3x

 
I have a wide range of music that I listen to including Classical Guitar, Blues, Funk, Hip Hop, Classic Rock, Ambient, Electronic, Experimental, etc. All of this also includes vocal music. Basically, I want the most well-rounded IEMs without having to significantly compromise in any area.
 
From what I've read, some of the models mentioned above have "softer" highs or "flatter" lows, but I haven't heard any of them and so I don't know what would work well for someone who will be listening to pretty much everything. I'm currently leaning towards the Sennheiser IE8's, but I'd like to hear your opinions on the others and how they compare. Will the softer highs make me feel like something is lacking? Will the heavier bass get in the way of enjoying Classical Guitar or other genres of music?
 
I'm also not planning on buying an amplifier anytime soon and will be driving my IEMs with an iPhone 3GS.
 
I appreciate the responses in advance!!
 
Thanks!
 
[Edit: Added IEMs 5 through 10 above to the list]

 

[SolidSnake3]

I would recommend the Monster Turbine Pro Copper's. They are in the general price range of the others listed and they seem to fit your description perfectly. Take a look at a bunch of the reviews around here for them, they are described often as being good at pretty much everything with no major fault or low point. I have had mine for a few weeks now and can say that they are amazing in every way. They really do excel at every type of music I have put through them which includes all the types you have mentioned. Plus the warranty on them is just great, 1 time full replacement!

 

[jjeremycai]

EarSonics SM3's are renowned for their ability to "adapt" to the music you listen to. I'd look them up.

 

[Surreal.]

 
Quote:

I have a wide range of music that I listen to including Classical Guitar, Blues, Funk, Hip Hop, Classic Rock, Ambient, Electronic, Experimental, etc. All of this also includes vocal music. Basically, I want the most well-rounded IEMs without having to significantly compromise in any area.

 
I listen to all these genres as well, minus Classical Guitar. Though the guitar in general appears pretty consistently throughout my library. 
 
I use the MTPC's as well and found them to work exceptionally well with the listed genres. Especially hip hop and all of the electronic sub-genres and fusions, which is the bulk of my library. 
 
The MTPC's bass is known to be quick and impact-full (despite what a few posts claiming otherwise, no idea why..).
 
Like Solid Snake has said go ahead and read up on some reviews and impressions of the MTPC and see if the descriptions match what you look for in music and sound. 
 
Also the SM3's are getting a lot of attention for their chameleon like characteristics, which would also make them a clear option. Though price is another factor and with the IEMs listed I don't know how far you're willing to stretch. 

 

[kdawgg83]

Thanks for the responses y'all.
 
SolidSnake/Surreal - Have you guys listened to the other IEMs that I've listed? Can you draw any kind of comparison to the others?
 
jjeremycai - Thanks for pointing out the EarSonics - those look sweet, but quite pricey compared to the others. Same question: can you compare those to any of the others listed?
 
Thanks!

 

[jjeremycai]

Quote:

Thanks for the responses y'all.
 
SolidSnake/Surreal - Have you guys listened to the other IEMs that I've listed? Can you draw any kind of comparison to the others?
 
jjeremycai - Thanks for pointing out the EarSonics - those look sweet, but quite pricey compared to the others. Same question: can you compare those to any of the others listed?
 
Thanks!
 
 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/476315/top-tier-universal-iem-comparison-chart-frequency-response-charts-discussion-first-post-updated-often
There you will find all the comparisons you will ever need. 

Good luck!
 

 

[kdawgg83]

Dang, those SM3s get quite the reviews... Is the $170 difference between the MTPCs and the SM3s worth it?

 

[jjeremycai]

Quote:

Dang, those SM3s get quite the reviews... Is the $170 difference between the MTPCs and the SM3s worth it?

I'm not one to say because I don't personally own them or enough audio equipment to compare them to, but there's a massively popular thread going around. Search EarSonics SM3 Appreciation Thread and I'm pretty sure you can find it. If I recall correctly, somewhere deep in the thread is a comparison...

 

[koonhua90]

Quote:

I'm not one to say because I don't personally own them or enough audio equipment to compare them to, but there's a massively popular thread going around. Search EarSonics SM3 Appreciation Thread and I'm pretty sure you can find it. If I recall correctly, somewhere deep in the thread is a comparison...

Not that deep, just go to the first page then you will see Joe's comparison 

 

[Sumflow]

People talk like the Westone UM3x’s were the competition for the IE8’s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdawgg83 /img/forum/go_quote.gifI'm currently leaning towards the Sennheiser IE8's

 

[lucozade]

Quote:

Dang, those SM3s get quite the reviews... Is the $170 difference between the MTPCs and the SM3s worth it?

yep ,its worth the difference in price 

 

[kdawgg83]

Where are you guys buying your SM3's? They're 345EUR on EarSonics' website which comes out to a little over $450 w/shipping. I'm now leaning towards these or the MTPCs, but the difference in price is now even larger. I've heard you can get the MTPCs for around $230, so the diff in price becomes $220. However, I haven't been able to find the MTPCs for that cheap anywhere (price went up?)
 
I've got serious cold feet here as this is my first high-end headset purchase (last?). Which one of these do I get? MTPC in the $200s or SM3s in the $400s.
 
Thanks for all the comments everyone, this is a huge help!

 

[kdawgg83]

Also, I'm not looking to buy an amp any time soon. So, if the amp is necessary to really get all the value out of any of these, then that fact alone probably discounts that set. I need something I can plug into my iPhone with some high quality tracks and enjoy the hell out of it.

 

[jjeremycai]

To be completely honest, any of the IEM's you listed above should satisfy you if this is your first high-end purchase. You really can't go wrong with any of them, unless you're unbelievably opposed to a specific sound signature.

 

[Pianist]

SM3 is probably the best all arounder universal fit IEM you can buy. I like the RE0 a lot too, but they really need a good source and amp to sound good. The SM3 can sound awesome straight out of a decent portable player. The Westone 3 and UM3X are really not worth getting if you can afford the SM3 - the EarSonics do everything the Westones can, but better. Triple.fi is too colored (especially in the mid/upper bass which can overshadow the lower mids at times) and won't work well with all music. The IE8 has a huge bump in the upper bass than can interfere with the lower midrange on a lot of music. SE530 sounds awesome, but you need custom tips to get good sound out of it. Another good option may be Hifiman RE252 - they are also very balanced sounding IEMs from what I've read and also fairly easy to drive like the SM3. I am not sure how they compare to the SM3 because I haven't heard the RE252, but I think the main strength of the Hifiman vs. the EarSonics is coherency since it only uses one driver and there are no crossovers to mess with the frequency response. SM3 is a really well designed multi driver IEM, but crossovers are still there. The real question is whether or not you can hear the effects of the crossovers on the sound. With Triple.fi and Westone 3 and the UM3X I thought I could, but not with the SM3 or SE530 - those sound quite coherent to my ears.