[davidnash]

I want to buy a new pair of IEMs in the next 48 hours - over the last few years I've fallen a bit out of touch with the latest IEMs, and also my budget has increased, so I've spent about 5 hours searching the forums and have found loads of models but nothing that seems to do quite what I want...

I'll go through my requirements in order of importance, the earphones I've looked at, and I'd really appreciate any recommendations you can make.


1. Price
I'm looking to spend between £75 and £100 ($125 - $170) - obviously I'd prefer to be at the bottom of the scale (and £60 wouldn't be ruled out either) but if the £100 offer is really good I'll take that.

I've put price at the top because what I'm really after is a bargain (such as the half price RE0s or Klipsch Control 3s currently for £87/$145 - but does the half price aspect make these two the best earbuds I am considering for the budget?).


2. Sound Quality
I'm a sound engineer and consider myself something of an Audiophile so SQ is one of my main priorities. One thing I am wary of is that in my list of earphones below I may have unintentionally chosen buds from two different 'leagues' - half may be substantially better than the other half even though they have similar pricing.

With regards to bass I do not like it to be overwhelming (then I think that goes against the principles of an audiophile!) but I do like a bit more than most people given my music choice (Dance), so buds where the reviews say 'the bass is a bit lacking' probably aren't for me.


3. Volume/Sensitivity
I have two devices to play back music, one with a very good amp (Vosonic VP8810) and the other a HTC Touch HD which unfortunately has a terribly low output and I like my music loud (sound engineer=partly deaf!).

This means the earphones have to have a high sensitivity (probably at least 100db and ideally 105db+) and from what I've read it seems I'll need an impedance of 16 Ohms - a lot of people suggest 32 Ohms won't have the impact I'm looking for without an amp which is unfortunate because that's what the RE0s are.

I can't really get an amp because it's just too much stuff to carry around, make sure is clipped to my clothes, plug in and out all the time, worry about taking with me when I leave the house etc etc it's just too much hassle to work well for me.


4. Microphonics
From the way this problem has been described with some Sennheisers it sounds like it can be *very* annoying. I didn't really notice it with the variety of Sony EXs I've had so I wonder if they don't suffer from the problem too badly - in that case it's important this artifact isn't too obtrusive on my new pair of buds. On the other hand if the Sony's are a classic example of this problem then I guess the noise doesn't both me too much (weird).


5. Fit
I've seen it mentioned this is important, but I'm not really sure what I want - maybe this means I don't mind too much. Obviously I want fairly isolating, that's why I'm looking at IEMs. But it is frustrating not to hear people calling your name with buds in - on the other hand a tighter fit presumably means people are less able to hear what you are listening to which is important to me. I'm not sure this is a deciding factor for me.


6. Decent Carry Case
If I'm going to spend £100 on earphones I preferably would like a decent carry case with cable winder or something to keep them neat and safe from damage (likely) - ideally a case that is easy to use. Now this shouldn't be the deciding rule-out factor on an otherwise great pair of earphones, but it would be useful.

Yeah, I'm sure I've left some out...


So - IEMs I've Considered So Far
RE0
The RE0s look like a great deal, down from $200 to $100. But they are 32Ohm which means they will just be too quiet I believe. Also they are described as being very flat in response which by in no way at all is a bad thing may be a tad too boring for my liking (bass also described as not as significant as it could be).


Klipsch Custom 3 (probably my current faves)
With two drivers per bud these C3's sound quite exciting. And I can get them reduced from $300 to $150 (£87, not bad at all). So I guess one question is are these earphones the same quality (sound, etc etc) as other leading $300 earphones? If the answer is yes then these must be a bargain and the obvious choice? But if on the other hand the RE0 and AK CKS70 are similar SQ then there is no particular bonus for this set of earphones. Also are these earphones particularly sensitive or unsensitive?

The downsides are the cable apparently sucks and it is towards the very top of my budget once you add in shipping. But these are minor if they are the only ones - have I missed any others?


X10
Don't know much about these but one review comparing them to the C3's made out they were both good but the clarity of the C3's beat the slight warmy/muddiness of the bass of the X10s.

Edit: here is the link to that review. I guess the question is can these be had for a similar sort of price to the C3?


Atrios M5 / M8
These look like another promising choice, and seem to be praised for particularly good bass response - remaining punchy and significant without being overpowering and boomy. There's a review here which makes out they have excellent SQ - are these headphones on a par with the FX500/RE0 class?


JVC / Victor FX500 - don't know much about these either, but they are discussed a lot and I think are just above my price range although there is a pair on ebay for £100 at the moment. Is this worth the very top of my budget? Did I read somewhere the sound is very boomy? How does it deal with my requirements - is it better than the others above or that you know of?


AK ATH-CKS70
I've seen positive comments on these but no detail really. How do they shape up?


Etymyotic ER6i, HF5, Denon AH-C751, Sennheiser IE6
Don't know much about these but they're in my price range. The Denon's are apparently reduced from £180 to £90 at iheadphones!

I also considered the IE series but it seems only the IE6 is possible, at £100. Is a model so low down worth it? I've seen some of the others listed above compared and bettered to the IE8s...


ANY OTHER Suggestions!
If you've got any suggestions of something that matches my requirements that would be awesome - everything I've looked at so far has had some problem, and I have not yet been able to find the perfect bud...

For example I haven't even considered any Ultimate Ears buds - should I?


The Music
Last the music is important - the genre I listen to most is called Hardcore (don't laugh!) which for those of you who don't know is a type of Dance typically very fast (upto 180bpm) with punching drums and basslines, and often complicated layering of melodies, synths and prominent vocals. This is intertwined with slower, synth and vocal sections where clarity and detail are important.

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by davidnash

3. Volume/Sensitivity
This means the earphones have to have a high sensitivity (probably at least 100db and ideally 105db+) and from what I've read it seems I'll need an impedance of 16 Ohms - a lot of people suggest 32 Ohms won't have the impact I'm looking for without an amp which is unfortunate because that's what the RE0s are.

4. Microphonics
From the way this problem has been described with some Sennheisers it sounds like it can be *very* annoying.

You want fries with all of that?

The Some People you've been talking to, talk a lot of crap. Most earphones are sensitive, and designed for nothing more than portable devices, so why should 32ohms be too much and need an amp? Very few earphones do.

The entire range of Grado full size phones are 32ohm, and all run pretty well without amping. The effects on volume at 32 or lower is negligible. Numbers alone don't determine everything. As you're a sound engineer, shouldn't you be the one telling everyone else this?

All earphones will have microphonics; stick your fingers in your ears and walk around, you'll get it then too. No matter how microphonic-y a set may be, the solution is to feed the cable up a shirt, or clip it.

Fit is entriely individual and down to the wearer's ear shape and the canals chosen and the tips given. Given you can't demo these anywhere, they're all a punt.

[r@mside]

I've not heard the Atrios, but they get so much repect from dance/trance lovers for their deep bass reponse.

I've owned the Denons you mention, my favourite phone for toe tapping, music enjoyment. But my music tastes lean more to rock than dance, they have nice deep, punchy bass, but not so that you can really feel the reverb. I'd guess the reverb would be a big plus for you.

I have IE8, they are too laid for the fast pace you enjoy, that and mid bass hump (boom) is typical Senn sound signature.

You'll see my interest is restricted to dynamic drivers, I like to feel the music.

[roosta]

i own RE0's, and although they dont have pumping bass they are spectacularly good at everything else. for £60 i think everyone should own a pair.
as for microphonics, looping the cable over your ear eliminates most of it. you will see from the IE6's and klipsch's design its a commonly used way to prevent it. shirt clips are also very good at dealing with it. i use one with my RE0's. works a treat, so long as its not rubbing against a zip on your top.

Phonak Audeos PFE are also ones that people recommend as alternatives to the x10's.