Earphones under 5k

[aragorn]

Hi guys, I am looking to buy earphones and can shell out upto 5k for them.Mainly gonna use them on the go and am planning to get them from my brother in US.

Brands Preferred: Sennheiser.

Thankx for the repiles

P.S: if you think they are really worth , I don't mind spending a bit more

 

[thenvk]

You can look for Futuresonic Atrio M5 ( on the street), if you are a bass head. They are available at ~~120USD

Also get shure foams with them.

 

[Ritvik]

sennheiser IE6 if it has to be sennheiser.

Otherwise the RE-0 locally or from America (would probably cost the same)

 

[desiibond]

Hi guys, I am looking to buy earphones and can shell out upto 5k for them.Mainly gonna use them on the go and am planning to get them from my brother in US.

Brands Preferred: Sennheiser.

Thankx for the repiles

P.S: if you think they are really worth , I don't mind spending a bit more

Check Etymotic ER6 and HF2, Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5, Klipsch Image S4,

 

[aragorn]

Thankx for the replies, I can't decide between the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 and the Klipsch Image S4i. One more thing is that the S4i doesn't come with the stainless steel carrying case that S4 has

 

[FaH33m]

^Do you have any particular preferred sound signature ?

Incase you want crystal clear unmatched detailing ,transparency and balanced sound .RE-0 is the one to go for.It isn't very musical ,but the detailing it provides is difficult to find even in IEMs costing twice it price.

The S4 has more fun and musical sound from what I've read. The IE6 should be similar as well Read up reviews and get the one which suits your tastes.There are hell lot of options in this range but in the end it all comes down to personal choice.

 

[aragorn]

^Do you have any particular preferred sound signature ?

Incase you want crystal clear unmatched detailing ,transparency and balanced sound .RE-0 is the one to go for.It isn't very musical ,but the detailing it provides is difficult to find even in IEMs costing twice it price.
The S4 has more fun and musical sound from what I've read. The IE6 should be similar as well Read up reviews and get the one which suits your tastes.There are hell lot of options in this range but in the end it all comes down to personal choice.

Yeah I know, been reading the reviews whole day . Want to buy the S4i as they hav more options to go along withe iphone than S4, but the S4i doesn't come with a nice case

Also, what about the Monster® Turbine™ High Performance In-Ear Speakers. Have anyone of you used them?

 

[viralbug]

What are you gonna use the earphones with?

There are a few choices in this range, it comes down to what type of sound you like.

The RE0 are amazing for their price. It has great amount of detail and excellent highs. Many people might find the bass to be a lacking a bit.

If you like good amount of bass, look into the Klipsch Image S4. These are very comfortable as well.

Other good options are Phonak PFE, Hippo VB, UE Superfi5, Panasonic HJE900.

Monster Turbines are decent. But I think The Klipsch S4 or Hippo VB would be better in terms of VFM.

 

[FaH33m]

^ Even the Phonak PFE are really amazing as said by esantosh .He finds it slightly better than his RE-0 as well :O.

 

[Brendon]

^^ Yes many people on head-fi have said the same thing. The phonaks have supposedly more bass to boot. Also it uses a Balanced armature driver which is more tuned to give lots of detail compared to dynamic drivers like the one used in the RE0. However BA drivers sound weird in some types of music as they have a bit of difficulty in rendering some instruments properly.

@OP - As others have pointed out, you have to do lots and lots of research to decide what flavour you like.

 

[esanthosh]

^ Even the Phonak PFE are really amazing as said by esantosh .He finds it slightly better than his RE-0 as well :O.

I do not have the best ears nor have I done any objecting A/B-ing. But, I'll make a short comparison:

• For on the go, Phonaks are better than RE0 as they have no microphonics at all. They are meant to be worn over the ear using the silicon guides.
• RE0 does not stay in place in my right ear (worn over the ear) when I am constantly moving. I've not faced that issue with PFE.
• PFE with the custom made Comply foams (one has to source it from Phonak) are very comfortable.
• Both are not too good at isolation.
• Their signatures are similar - analytical, detailed and neutral and that is my preferred signature as well. OP has not indicated what sort of signature he likes yet
• PFEs have a forward sound. They are not in your face, just about right.
• On few occasions, I felt the imaging in RE0 was slightly odd.
• Both are far from being bassy. RE0 has better quantity of bass than PFE. To quote dfkt, "RE0 has a mid-bass hump, while PFEs have better quality of bass".
• RE0s could be slight..ly better in the highs, though my high frequency rolled off ears may not be the best judge :ashamed:
• With PFE, I heard some details in the background, which I've not noticed/heard before.
• PFE being a BA, does not need burn-in. RE0 would do well with about 40-50 hours.

Beware that some of the impressions are subject to change as I have not tried to "analyze" them properly, just the thoughts that came to my mind during normal music listening.

Coming to other choices - both Hippo VB and S4 are reported to be sibilant. Both phones would need about 100 hours of burn-in to lose the harshness. Sibilance too seems very subjective. Some say S4/VB are sibilant even after 100 hours, while others do not seem to mind.

 

[FaH33m]

^ Very nice and detailed comparison . The description of RE-0's sound is perfectly described Why am I not able to rep you ?

 

[aragorn]

Thankx for all the replies guys. Frankly this is my first EIM, and I don't even know half the things you guys are talking about. I finally decided to go for Image S4i, maybe some time l8r I'll get know the the beauty of Phonak PFE . Thankx agn

 

[_pappu_]

apple boy is going with the klipsch guys, already ordered from prashaant