[Jaawa]

Hello,

I'm looking for the best possible IEMs for my needs,
my budget is about $250 USD, but it's very loose, I can go under or over by a lot.
My criteria for the IEMs are as follows: (in order of importance)

1. overall sound quality/ clarity /frequency response
I'm looking for all the sound quality nuances that I love in my HD 650 and D2000, something fun and something revealing, I'm not a basshead, I want balanced flow from frequency range to another, because sometimes I will be using these IEMs just for the music, indoors, alone

2. ruggedness/ outdoors usage/ weather resistance
I do downhill ski'ing, snowshoe running, snowmobiling, hiking & climbing, rollerblading etc. all kinds of outdoors activities where the weather conditions are sometimes extreme, snow, rain, sand, (maybe even impacts ) so I'm looking for something that can stand the test of sports and the weather.

3. lightweight / small size
I've been using Sennheiser PMX 200 closed neckband headphones, but the problem is, I can't wear them neither under any hat nor over. So when I need to wear a helmet or some head garment, I want these to fit effortlessly under it, and not press on my ears or anything.

4. isolation/ minimal sound leakage
I won't be using these neither in traffic nor in any place where I would need to be really aware of the unseen/unheard environment or people. I want to be alone with my music and whatever is keeping me occupied at the moment.

I will be driving these IEMs with my Creative Zen Stone when doing the sports, and on short trips I will be using my iRiver H320 (Feel free to suggest a fitting portable amp (rugged, small, lightweight) too, if the IEMs you recommend might need one [don't mind the budget]) when I don't have my main rig with me.

Cheers

 

[ph0rk]

I'd say SE530 or SE210, but I wouldn't want to get either one wet.

 

[Jaawa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd say SE530 or SE210, but I wouldn't want to get either one wet.

Thanks for the recommendations. Yeah that's a main concern of mine, I really do need IEMs that can be worn when hiking in a heavy downpour, since "I'm not made out of sugar" (as they say in Finland)

 

[Jaawa]

Okay so my research revealed that these might be the winners for me: CX 380 Sport II, as they're so far the only in-ear canalphones that is totally water resistant and they seem pretty rugged otherwise too.

(They are pretty cheap, about $80 USD (for me that's cheap, Finland is an expensive country), that would leave an awesome amount for a small amp

)

Does anyone have any experience of this Sennheiser CX 380 Sport II?
I wonder how they sound..

 

[l1f35ux]

You should go for the fi 5pro's

 

[Jaawa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by l1f35ux /img/forum/go_quote.gif You should go for the fi 5pro's

Well, yeah I guess they would sound very good, but, they can't handle any exposure to water, and they dont seem that rugged to me, which kinda makes them unfit for my activities

 

[toxic888]

Ohh the D2000's, wanted those

I would recommend the Custom 3's from Klipsch for $175 (Only until Nov. 30...). They seem very rugged, have a moldable (?) behind-the-ear wire, and the main cable is coated with a protective... string-like sleeve... I can't describe it too well, check out the site. A ski helmet should fit over these... I guess.. As long as if the earpads on the helmet are pads and not plastic, if that makes sense; they do stick out a small bit.

I would choose the C3's if I were you because they don't have an excess of Bass response and were made to be analytical, that means you will hear balanced flow in the frequency range because of it's dual drivers; the music will be flatter (less Bass) and without a certain "warmth" to it when you don't use EQ; and some people look for this, might be you, might not.

 

[Jaawa]

thanks toxic888, that was the best reply yet (this thread has been on another forum too), I will look into those ..hmm Klipschsches

 

[toxic888]

Ohhh noo you live in Finland? you will need a relative or friend from the US to buy them for you! The Half off sale only applies to the US.

 

[toxic888]

The only difficulty i can see you having is using them with a helmet... I don't really know how much they stick out, the pictures on the site dont really show that too well.

 

[Taikero]

Well, if you're concerned about helmet use, the Image X10 would work for sure with a helmet. They can easily lie flush against your ears (I tried laying down with them on just to test this out).

Custom 3: $150 - Flat response, analytical, two armature drivers, over-the-ear cloth-covered wire, from what I've heard doesn't stick out horribly, but no word on helmet
Image X10: $175 - Warm response, heightened bass (without going overboard), single armature driver, earbud-hanging-down-style light plastic wire (seems sturdy enough), comes with a wide range of tips to support large to VERY SMALL ears (I mean some of these tips seem smaller than a q-tip end).

 

[Jaawa]

Thanks Taikero, I will look into those X10's, and thanks for the comparison too.

 

[Jaawa]

Okay, after desperately trying to find online, local or even semi-local preferably European dealers on the Klipsch IEMs, I came to the conclusion that ebay is prettymuch the only place where I could get em. And no sales there, so in example the Custom 3's would be very expensive.

Even though I didn't find any comprehensive reviews or anything on the Sennheiser CX 380 Sport II, I decided to go with them. They're a brand new model, I found one local dealer that has them (probably the only one in Finland), and the price is about $80 USD, so I think it's a bargain. The specs seem very good, 17Hz - 21KHz frequency response, 16Ohm impedance, 113dB sensitivity, 12g weight, very rugged and waterproof.

But anyhow, thank you all for the recommendations, at least I learned a lot about good IEMs by reading a lot online. Some day when I'll have the money to spare, I'll be surely getting some nice SE530's or UE10 Pro's or the like