[mc21]

Hello everyone,
 
I've used IEMs for about 7 years or so and have been testing the waters with full sized for about a year. Recently, I sold my Westone 4 and got a pair of Ultrasone Edition 8. I absolutely love the sound of the Ed8 but the problem is that I find myself using my headphones about 10x less even though the sound is better. Main reason is that I used to listen to music at work all the time but I can't really do that with a full sized. So now I'm considering moving back to IEM with a budge of around $1000. However, I am wondering if customs or maybe some specific IEM will fulfill some of the things that I found to be missing from my previous IEM experience.
 
1. Soundstage: The higher end of the IEMs that I've used includes TripleFi 10i and 10vi, Klipsch X10, Shure SE310, and Westone 4. All of these in my opinion lacked soundstage. I'm hoping that maybe with a higher budge now available to me, I will be able to find a pair of IEM that can satisfy this want.
 
2. Isolation: I'm sure that any custom will not have this issue but mind as well add it since I am listing what I want. The only time I ever found enough isolation was with the shure and the westone 4 with shure olive tips.
 
3. More Neutral Sound: I've tried Turbines (only the normal version) and absolutely hated it. I also had the D5000 (full sized) and didn't like it because of the bass/sub bass. This does not mean I don't want bass though. In fact, I love bass, just a different kind. I really enjoy fast and strong bass that is very tight and doesn't linger for a while.
 
4. Prefer removable wires: Not sure how customs are on this since I've never had a custom. My Shure SE310 are about 5 years old and the wires started giving my static 3 years in. For the price that I am going to be paying for a set of customs, I rather not have this issue.
 
 
 
Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[ZARIM]

The custom IEMs like JH13Pro, UM Mircale, Westone ES5 are better (can compare to highend fullsize headphones) than most Universal IEMs in term of soundquality include soundstage, imaging and instrument separation.

 

[Sil3nce]

Yes, but you might not initially realize it.
All ciems are different depending on the logistic involved. Most benefit from excellent imaging and placement of instruments. However, I wouldn't go for any unless you're willing to take the loss if you decide to resell them. That said, most customs don't have the "Soundstage" ( perhaps you mean soundscape?) you're likely referring to if you're looking for an "out-of-head" sound.
As for neutrality, not all customs are close to neutral. Really depends.
 
 

 

[mc21]

 
Quote:

The custom IEMs like JH13Pro, UM Mircale, Westone ES5 are better (can compare to highend fullsize headphones) than most Universal IEMs in term of soundquality include soundstage, imaging and instrument separation.

 
That's good to hear!
 
Quote:

Yes, but you might not initially realize it.
All ciems are different depending on the logistic involved. Most benefit from excellent imaging and placement of instruments. However, I wouldn't go for any unless you're willing to take the loss if you decide to resell them. That said, most customs don't have the "Soundstage" ( perhaps you mean soundscape?) you're likely referring to if you're looking for an "out-of-head" sound.
As for neutrality, not all customs are close to neutral. Really depends.
 
 

 
By soundstage I meant how big the "stage" is that the music is taking place. I often time hear it as being described as "sitting int he 3rd row from the stage" or "5th row" etc etc. I am looking for a out of hte head sound but not to an extreme. I just don't want it to be extremely obvious that I am listening to headphones vs sitting in a room where someone is playing music. I don't like how universal IEM's that I have experienced makes it sound the the music is inside my head. With full sized, it sounds like the music is either around me or in my room and I quite enjoy that.
 
 
Thanks for your inputs and look forward to hearing more!

 

[albertnam]

I have JH16s, and while they are capable of going head-to-head with my beyer T1 in terms of clarity and perhaps raw sound quality, they cannot really match the soundstage that you get from full-size cans IMO. That being said, I find that custom IEMs do perform better in terms of imaging and soundstage area than most universals. But the experience, in my opinion, is still a very intimate one. I find that the soundstage does not extend very far past "in my head."

 

[mc21]

 
Quote:

I have JH16s, and while they are capable of going head-to-head with my beyer T1 in terms of clarity and perhaps raw sound quality, they cannot really match the soundstage that you get from full-size cans IMO. That being said, I find that custom IEMs do perform better in terms of imaging and soundstage area than most universals. But the experience, in my opinion, is still a very intimate one. I find that the soundstage does not extend very far past "in my head."

 
Wow, that sounds impressive for clarity and sq. Is the soundstage big enough to at least not feel like voices talking to you inside your head? that's all I need really.

 

[Tronz]

 
Quote:

 
 
Wow, that sounds impressive for clarity and sq. Is the soundstage big enough to at least not feel like voices talking to you inside your head? that's all I need really.

 
The sound stage presentation of my ES5's extends just around my head by 1-2 inches. It's not cluttered at all and has very superb instrument separation. 

 

[Fizz]

The soundstage on the UERM and Unique Melody Miracles supposedly rival what you get out of cans.
They both have removable cables, and isolation is as good as any.
 

 

[Cassadian]

I'm sure that the Unique Melody Miracle has a superb soundstage from what I've heard.  But according to the same reviewer, the Merlin, probably due to the vents for the dynamic driver, has a slightly wider soundstage putting more space between each performer and instrument.

 

[Fizz]

 
Quote:

I'm sure that the Unique Melody Miracle has a superb soundstage from what I've heard.  But according to the same reviewer, the Merlin, probably due to the vents for the dynamic driver, has a slightly wider soundstage putting more space between each performer and instrument.

 
Due to being vented it also has isolation issues.
Also the Merlins are not for people seeking a "neutral" sound.

 

[shureThing]

YES. Well, depends how big that soundstage needs to be. Some universal seem to fit the bill as well, like the EX1000s (still more isolation than a full-sized).

 

[k3oxkjo]

 
Quote:

The custom IEMs like JH13Pro, UM Mircale, Westone ES5 are better (can compare to highend fullsize headphones) than most Universal IEMs in term of soundquality include soundstage, imaging and instrument separation.

 
Before you say this, better listen to AKG 3003, final audio design fi-ba-ss and fit ear 334.  Universals are coming of age both in terms of sound and, naturally, cost!
 
I doubt that any IEM can compete with the best soundstaging fullsize phones such as HD-800.
 
The best soundstage I have heard from an IEM is from the FAD DC-1601, but as a result of this the isolation is mediocre and the frequency response is, shall we say, idiosyncratic. A guilty pleasure for sure,, but I like 'em.
 
 
 

 

[mc21]

 
Quote:

 
 
The sound stage presentation of my ES5's extends just around my head by 1-2 inches. It's not cluttered at all and has very superb instrument separation. 

 
That sounds good enough to me!
 
Quote:

 
 
Due to being vented it also has isolation issues.
Also the Merlins are not for people seeking a "neutral" sound.

Unfortunately, I think that will be a good enough reason for me to pass on that.
 
 
Quote:

YES. Well, depends how big that soundstage needs to be. Some universal seem to fit the bill as well, like the EX1000s (still more isolation than a full-sized).

 
It doesn't need to be huge, I really just don't want it to sound so obvious that it's only in my head.
 
Quote:

 
 
Before you say this, better listen to AKG 3003, final audio design fi-ba-ss and fit ear 334.  Universals are coming of age both in terms of sound and, naturally, cost!
 
I doubt that any IEM can compete with the best soundstaging fullsize phones such as HD-800.
 
The best soundstage I have heard from an IEM is from the FAD DC-1601, but as a result of this the isolation is mediocre and the frequency response is, shall we say, idiosyncratic. A guilty pleasure for sure,, but I like 'em.
 
 
 

 
AKG3003 looks good but a $1300 price tag on universal? Haven't heard of the other two and I'm about to google it!

 

[average_joe]

If you haven't seen it, I have a thread where I have reviewed several custom IEMs as well as resources, I also compared full sized headphones with CIEMs here, and reviewed the K3003 here.

 

[mc21]

 
Quote:

If you haven't seen it, I have a thread where I have reviewed several custom IEMs as well as resources, I also compared full sized headphones with CIEMs here, and reviewed the K3003 here.

 
Read your thread, and they're good reads. However, a bit too much to sort through at the moment for me. From what I've read the JH13 and JH16 are top of my list right now. I'm considering getting a used pair for reshelling but having trouble finding out how to do that at the moment. Would anyone happen to know how to do this?