Audio IEMs and the Law of diminishing return

B

baccilus

Skilled
I currently own the PL-30 which I have paired with Clip Zip and am looking to upgrade my IEM. However I haven't quite fixed my budget but I wouldn't like to spend more money than it is worth.

Music choice: Everything except Metal and hard noisy rock.. Really like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and their kind of music.

I wan't to buy an IEM which is good for all kinds of music. I am currently thinking of getting the re0. I know they are not big on bass but I hope it is at least more than PL-30. Please note that I won't get any amp.

I don't want to spend 100% more money for 2% better sound but I want an IEM which I can live with without having to upgrade. it should therefore be an all rounder which perform decently at all frequencies and have a good soundstage too.

P.S.- I would like to stay under 4-5K
 
GR07 - the best all rounder IEM. It is not THE best there is, but it's like a gateway to top-tiers.

UM Miracle / UE IERM / Spiral Ears SE-5 way Custom IEMs - the best upgrade after which there would be no money left and no more upgrades.

If you don't want to upgrade at all, look at either of these two choices :p
 
esanthosh said:
GR07 - the best all rounder IEM. It is not THE best there is, but it's like a gateway to top-tiers.

UM Miracle / UE IERM / Spiral Ears SE-5 way Custom IEMs - the best upgrade after which there would be no money left and no more upgrades.

If you don't want to upgrade at all, look at either of these two choices :p
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I have a feeling I will have to sell my organs for the ones you have suggested :p. I guess I better add a budget in there. I am not a rich guy. Will probably spend only under 4-5K on them. So is the re0 the best thing I can have in that range?
 
Now, we are talking :p

Within 5K, I'd say RE-ZERO or RE-0 are the best bets for balanced and analytical signature respectively.

If you can source from Head-fi FS forums, Etymotic HFx would be a better bet than RE0, not to mention better build quality. The good thing with used market is despite the big hassles and the additional cost of shipping, you can get better IEMs for less.
 
esanthosh said:
Within 5K, I'd say RE-ZERO or RE-0 are the best bets for balanced and analytical signature respectively.

If you can source from Head-fi FS forums, Etymotic HFx would be a better bet than RE0, not to mention better build quality. The good thing with used market is despite the big hassles and the additional cost of shipping, you can get better IEMs for less.
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What's the difference between balanced and analytical signature? I will demo them at lynx soon and see which ones I like. Hopefully he has them. I have had PL-30 (known for bad build) for one and a half years now so I think above average build quality will be enough for me. I will see if I can get the Etymotic one too. I have no problem in waiting for a month or so.
 
Check clieOS thread for a definition.

Basically - an analytical IEM is highly detailed. Most of them are a little thin sounding, bass light, fast (quickly resolves everything) and push the details at you. You can notice tiniest nuances easily without making much effort. Clarity is one of their strong suits and there's always a slight treble / upper mid range emphasis which enhances the perception of detail. BA IEMs like DBA-02, CK10, Etymotics typically fall under this category.

Balanced IEM would be something where none of the frequency ranges dominate the other. While you can observe the details, they are not 'pushy' like the analytical ones. They can be a tad more relaxing than analytical IEMs. Bass can be more present, treble can be a tad rolled off or enhanced. But, the important thing is tonally, you should be able to perceive all the three ranges equally.

That's how I think of them at least :)
 
I had a demo of RE0 and Brainwavz M2 at Lynx today. And I think I tend to favor the analytical types a bit more. This may be due to the fact that I am used to the PL-30 which can be said to be in the analytical category. Brainwavz M2 didn't even seem like an upgrade from the PL-30. The RE0 actually sounded similar to the PL-30 to my ears. The difference was in details. The silence between instruments was more defined in the re0 but the difference was not huge. There was an instrument that was only audible in the RE0. But bass in it was just like PL-30-too less. To my ears, my burned in PL-30 sounded much better than most IEMs there. I also listened to PL-50 but they seemed uncomfortable and didn't seem to go deep enough into the ear.
 
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan kind of music sounds bliss on a RE-262 . It isn't really as analytical/balanced or slightly dull like the RE-0 but it has one of the most pleasant midrange and the vocals,instruments sound just beautifully detailed . Overall sound is more relaxed and smooth and the soundstage, instrument separation etc is much wider than RE-0 .

You might find some used deals around 5.5k or lower . Only issue is incase you listen at high volumes you might not find the 262 to be satisfactory and may feel the need of an amp .
 
FaH33m said:
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan kind of music sounds bliss on a RE-262 . It isn't really as analytical/balanced or slightly dull like the RE-0 but it has one of the most pleasant midrange and the vocals,instruments sound just beautifully detailed . Overall sound is more relaxed and smooth and the soundstage, instrument separation etc is much wider than RE-0 .

You might find some used deals around 5.5k or lower . Only issue is incase you listen at high volumes you might not find the 262 to be satisfactory and may feel the need of an amp .
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Thanks Fah33m. I usually listen at 40-50% of the volume or less. What do you think of Fischer audio DBA -2? I can get that from esanthosh for around 5K. It will be a stretch on my budget but I know I wont be buying any IEM for years after that (certainly hope so :S)

OK, I just realised, the DBA that esanthosh had on sale are on hold for someone else. The RE-262 are close to 7K in price :S

EDIT:

DBA-02 available :)
 
bacilus, if you can purchase used from intl markets like headfi classifieds, you could look at gr07, sony ex600, re 252, Phonak PFE or one of the ety's like hf2. A brand new mc5 would also be in your budget I guess.
 
iaudio said:
bacilus, if you can purchase used from intl markets like headfi classifieds, you could look at gr07, sony ex600, re 252, Phonak PFE or one of the ety's like hf2. A brand new mc5 would also be in your budget I guess.
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Are these better than the DBA-02 I am looking to buy? I am getting the DBA-02 for 5300/-.
 
if you are looking for re0 like signature ,DBA has it ...and more.

all of the above are in the same league ..you just have to decide what sound do you want
 
Yes I am looking for re0 kind of signature, just with some audible bass. Not too much. I didn't like the bass of M2 which seemed a little too much for my liking. Please consider that I am really adapted to PL-30 kind of sound signature and re0 seemed like the upper version of PL-30. So I am guessing this DBA-02 will be even better.
 
I've found that its kinda hard to make out the extra details that the more expensive iems give if you try it only for a small amount of time. I guess its best to just trust the reviews and get the dba02. The price is very enticing :D
 
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