twtch Posted August 31, 2009 Report Posted August 31, 2009 Hi, I'm looking for some IEM recommendations. My current IEMs (that I really like) are Etymotic ER4S. I really enjoy them for many types of music, but they're not amazing for all types of rock. I think they do Radiohead very well, but Tool, or Children of Bodom? Not so much. Also, I don't really have much of an opportunity anymore to use my full sized set ups (RS-1, HD650, HD595, HD590, AKG K701s), and I'd like some variety. I've had the Shure SE530 before (lost them- fell out of my pocket...), but I didn't actually like them that much. I tried them with the various inserts, but they were never really excellent, imho. What I really like about the ER4S are the sparkling and clean highs, and the good mid range. I also like the depth of the bass, but I'd like a bit more quantity. I also like how coherent the ER4S sounds- probably because they are single drivers, so I imagine that'll be difficult to maintain with multi-driver units because of phase distortion introduced by cross overs. Anyway. Basically, I'd like to keep all that and gain a bit more bass quantity. Since these are IEMs, I don't care that much about soundstaging. Budget? I'd like to keep it around $500 or so, and closer to $350. I don't have the cash to go crazy for UE11s or JH13s or anything like that. I wish I did, but that's out of the question. I'll be powering these with a Mini^3 that I built and an iPod with Lossless files running out of a LOD most of the time, but for casual listening just straight out of the headphone out. That said, when I'm using them directly from the headphone out, I don't care if they take a big hit to sound quality- since when I'm doing that, I'll probably just be listening to podcasts anyway. So, they will be amped basically all the time. Mini^3, or Bijou, Beta^3, etc. Thinking of: UM3X, ES2 (is that in my price range?), UE4Pro, JH5 (is that in my price range?), Sleek CT6. Maybe Westone 3s. Basically- customs but some of the other new good universal IEMs. I'd also consider getting custom earplugs for my ER4S if that'd make a big difference.. and if I'm $100 from a huge improvement from $500 then I'd like to know about that. How good are the LiveWires? I feel really skeptical of them, but I don't know why. Similar to one of those other new custom manufactuers. Are they actually good, or is just just rampant fanboyism? So, please, s
Chekhonte Posted August 31, 2009 Report Posted August 31, 2009 if you didn't like the se530s then I don't think you're going to find an IEM that you'll like. You aren't going to find a single armature phone that will give you both treble and bass. You might want to conciser a closed can but I don't have any experience with them. Also, you might want to think about reading that welcome PM before grawk sees this topic.
HeadphoneAddict Posted August 31, 2009 Report Posted August 31, 2009 Welcome! I think from the information you gave about your tastes that it rules out the Westone 3. I have tried the UM3X and they might be a good choice for you and your budget. They are very clear and detailed, transparent with forward mids for rock, without a lack of bass (or too much) and without sibilance. I've only heard them with UM56 tips and Complys tips, and I liked them less with the Complys which helped roll off the highs slightly. I suspect silicone tips would be better but you'd have to buy those separately. I also like the demo universal version of the UE4Pro customs at CanJam, and felt they were similar to the UM3X with my UM56 custom tips that I also listened to at CanJam. The UE4Pro are $399 plus the cost of the impressions. I missed hearing the JH5Pro demo units. I've been impressed with my JH13Pro but that may or may not extrapolate to the JH5Pro. The only Sleek I tried was the SA6, which didn't move me. The Livewires are not bad and I liked them more than most universal IEM (especially SE530), except the W3/UM56 were slightly ahead of the LW for being more immersive and powerful. The LW are not be as smooth and refined as my better customs, but they have a nice Grado RS-1-like sound. I have not been able to compare them directly to the UM3X, sorry, but the LW sound signature is probably closer to the UM3X than the W3. If it were me with your budget I would still try to shoot for the UE4Pro or JH5Pro and forget about universal IEM. [EDIT] I just saw Chekhonte's post that came in while I was typing what I think is a helpful response, and I don't see where the OP did anything wrong in his post.
Chekhonte Posted August 31, 2009 Report Posted August 31, 2009 You're probably right. I don't mind people asking for recommendations, it's just that some people here think that the other place is better for that kind of thing.
catscratch Posted August 31, 2009 Report Posted August 31, 2009 It's simply that we've heard this sort of thing before, nearly every single day, for years, time after time. We're sick of it and there is a tremendous body of information out there on all of these expected questions. Ignoring it and asking for personalized attention because you can't decide is just plain lazy. Your situation is unique to you but not unique to us, and there's nothing that we can tell you that we haven't told other people a hundred times over. The forum is made up of its content, and if the content is people asking the same exact questions, day after day, year after year, then what do you have for a forum? All we ask is that people think before they post and treat forum content with respect. And a little bit of unfriendly encouragement will benefit everybody in the long term by keeping the place in the state we want. But whatever. The mods will close/delete this if they don't want it. I don't mind making recommendations personally. To the OP: I don't think the UM3x will do it, it has pretty much the opposite of Ety highs - recessed, little sparkle, but also little harshness. I like the UM3x and probably would recommend it over anything else on the market but not in this case. The ES2 was a good buy 4 years ago when it was new but right now universals have started to close the gap and the ES3x is not too far away pricewise, so I see little point. Even though it is a good headphone. W3 sounds nice when it fits right, but good luck with that. A lot of people can't get a good fit period and then they have to deal with boomy bass, piercing highs, and congested mids. Maybe the TF10 is what you need?
mirumu Posted August 31, 2009 Report Posted August 31, 2009 Seems to me catscratch's comment is very true. I actually spent quite a bit of time looking at a lot of IEM reviews myself today as the carefully-repaired cables on my last working pair (some Shure E5Cs) are close to falling apart. I'd already decided on going with the JH13s, but won't be able to get them for some time so was considering a stop-gap option in the meantime. Ended up doing quite a lot of searching here and in other forums. It's hard work sorting through all the information out there and to make matters worse a lot of the opinions are conflicting. I think this is what makes it tempting to ask for specific personal help. Having read quite a number of such threads today though they all end up turning into the same thing, i.e. A wide range of opinions by whoever feels like responding on the day. There's never consensus and in many cases the disputed points are overblown or misleading. Threads like this aren't going to make the decision for you. They tend to just dredge up the same spread of opinions as the last time someone created such a thread and risk confusing you even more. When simply auditioning the IEMs themselves isn't an option the only method that I've found to work is to look for good reference points. i.e. Look for someone who owns something you do, check to see if their impressions of it were the same as you (preferably detailed impressions), and then see what they think of the ones you're thinking of purchasing. It's best if they've owned them a while too as you don't want to buy based on someone gushing about their newest toy. Finding the right impressions is time consuming and sometimes it's hard to find the specific comparisons you're looking for, but from my past experience persevering with it pays off because you end up with something more in line with what you're looking for. I don't have any specific recommendations to add myself since I haven't bought an IEM since the E500s, but I think our tastes are quite different anyway given your write up. I do wish you good luck though in finding the sound you're looking for.
Tony Posted August 31, 2009 Report Posted August 31, 2009 As Cat, I would suggest the Triple.fi 10 Pro. Other possibilities are Apuresound ER4S/ER4P which raise the bass a bit and cover some sibilance in the highs. If you are using a portable amp and don't mind bringing extra weight in your listening environment, you could pair your ER4S with this Linkwitz notch filter: Reference earphones
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