3 IEMs, 11k gone and yet I'm unable to find a perfect one!

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ithehappy

ithehappy

Galvanizer
It started with the Sony Ericsson MH1C, recommendation from Head-fi, was more or less happy with it, but it was the most uncomfortable IEM I've ever used, any slight movement and the ear tip fell too easy and too often, so I 'gifted' it to a friend.
Then another Head-fi recommendation, Shure SE215, the worst IEM I've even listened to. Sold.
Then last Wednesday I bought the Sony XB90EX, and now I'm more or less happy with it, but it sounds too booming which I don't really like, unless I change to a treble friendly equalizer. Great seal and design though.
Problem is, when I plug in my stock Note 2 headset and put it on the same equalizer as the Sony, the Samsung one sounds clear, especially the vocal parts. And I like that. The bass on the other hand is no comparison to the Sony, still the vocals are really nice. But, to achieve that I've to tightly press the ear buds deep into my ear to get the best out of it which is impossible, the design of it is horrible anyway.
The thing is I'm a basshead, but I thought the Sony would be clear and less muddy at vocals, and provide deep bass when available, rather than artificially creating some! I used to listen to equalizer 'Rock' (just an example of a preset) with the Samsung IEM, but for the Sony I had to change it to 'Treble', to find my desired sound output.
I don't know, I think I've spent too much, and I still haven't found one which is ideal for me. What should I do? Should I keep the XB90 or go for the Klipsch S4A II? I heard mixed reviews on it, so kinda confused! Yes, I'm a basshead, but I like crystal clear vocals, with nice treble, and deep, solid and punchy bass wen available, which won't overwhelm the other frequencies. Also a great isolation is a must along witha great seal and comfort.
Suggestions are welcome, I'll try one more IEM, and it'll be my last to stop this craziness!
Btw, my source is Note 2, sold my Coown after finding Viper4Android. No amp or anything, won't buy one.
 
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Yeah it happens when you are chasing a particular signature, can you mention the song genres you listen to or at least describe a sound signature you are looking for so that experts can advice you accordingly.
 
Shouldn't really have sold the Cowon player . Most good midrange IEMs will never sound their best with mobile phones. Now I am not sure how good the Note 2 is but having tried most IEMs with iPhone/S3 etc I always found the Sansa /Cowon players to be overall better in detailing and neutral(sansa). Also Cowon BBE + hardware EQ helps a lot in fine tuning an IEM to suit your tastes.

The software EQ / apps on a mobile is the last thing one would want to use to get good sound from an expensive IEM :P .

If you could point what is it that you found to be missing or flawed in MH1C /SE-215 etc I may be able to suggest something.

"I'm a basshead, but I like crystal clear vocals, with nice treble, and deep, solid and punchy bass wen available " . That sounds like you would be happy with Triple Fi 10 or Sennheiser IE8 . TF10 more likely . A new TF10 would be about ~15-16k locally . Lesser from US maybe but without warranty. Used ones go for anywhere between 7.5-9k.

If you can't spend 8-15k on a high end IEM, you could try Brainwavz M2(more bass) / M3 (more detailing / more treble - less bass but decent punch) / Signature Acoustics C-12(very punchy bass- good quantity- warm midrange and overall laidback treble) / Vsonic GR02-Bass edition (haven't tried but seems to have good reviews), Klipsch S4 etc.


Klipsch S4 overall has a more dark sound with slightly bright treble. The bass is also punchy and tight but doesn't have the mid bass quantity of M2 . S4 would be more close to M3 sound overall with M3 midrange more forward .
 
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If you can get stuff from US, you could try one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-WI2100-Jaw-Breaker-Earbud/dp/B001QVAL2Y

Yes, I know its a cheap-o and you wouldn't be expecting to buy one of these after spending 11k. But its a stellar product literally. These things have good quantity of bass. Although audio purists might complain that its too much but I don't find it boomy at all, its deep and punchy. Mid range is quite spot on. Treble misses the spark but its ok for me, I'm not big fan of treblely IEMs anyway. The tips supplied with it are regular rubber ones which work ok, but if you can get comply ones it makes it better. I'm myself using the comply like eartips which I got with my Brainwavz M4. In fact I hardly listen to M4 anymore, as I find the bass lacking.

I had picked one of these $6 in a deal about 1 year back and its still going strong after lot of rough handling. I can easily say its one of the best $6 I had ever spent on IEMs.
 
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Read up on the GR07 Bass Edition, does everything fairly well with good bass impact. It takes a while to find an iem/headphone that suits you, I stay clear of head-fi and try auditioning before I buy these days.
 
i agree with what ritvik & faheem have said.. headfi has alot of hyped gear.. u buy without listening.. u will probably end up with a lemon, i spent 1300$ on a iem and i didnt like them at all... now i use a 250$ iem which is way better.. .. i think u will like the tf10. most who hear it like they sound. if u want something cheaper i suggest the t-peos h200 (very similar to the tf10 but without the v shaped soundsig)... but 1 person has had a fit issue with them on the head fi thread,, but so far most of the people i know and talk regularly with have liked them.. the other option is a used ie8 or new ie80 sennheiser.. the gr07 .. some people have sibilance issues with their gear.. so if u dont like hot/bright treble.. that might get an issue...brainwavz m2 / signature acoustics is also a really good option, no iem is perfect and its really hard finding what u like... most of us have lost money just like u trying to find the right gear... even if u read all day and go through the rave reviews it doesnt mean u will like the iem cuz everyone hears differently ... thats just the way sound works.. best is to try it before u buy.
 
Thanks for the informative responses guys.
Why I didn't like the SE215? Well I'm not an audiophile, so don't expect any terms like that. Let's say it didn't have any clarity! Not instrument wise, not in vocals, the half-arse bass just killed everything, and it was always there, almost. The worst part is the bass was not punchy, let alone it's lack of depth. I don't know how on earth people could like that horrible sound sign. Honestly the cheapest IEM, the Creative EP630 sounded better than it!
And about MH1C, I think I liked it's SS, but don't really remember much, it was the horrible fit which forced me to ditch it.
Anyway, I think I'll buy the Senn IE80, I like it. And there is one JVC too, at same price, forgot the model.
In the meantime I'll keep this XB90, with a treble tuned freq it does sound good. And I don't think in this price I'll find any better.
 
i came across an article a while ago in which the guy categorized monitors based on their types/ sig( i dont know what to call)
i'll try to summarize it
they were differentiated as live, studio, and audiophile monitors

live monitors.. these have kinda flat response.. used by musicians.. the raw sound of instruments are fed without mixing it or without any tuning.. if you use a normal pair of headphones sound will be simply confusion

studio monitors..these are used by the sound engineers for tuning music... no emphasis on bass or treble.. just flat.. .. unlike the live, the sound engineers take their time tuning every bit . that we enjoy

audiophile .. every one has their own preference.. bassy, vocals, treble, v shaped etc. these monitors are designed accordingly.. and one chooses accordingly

(PS.. i read this a while ago so i dont know how much of it is jumbled up.. correct me if somethings not right)

and about your Shure SE215 as i can see its a live IEM..
http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE215-K-Sound-Monitor-Black/dp/B004PNZFZ8
definitely not our piece of cake

as suggested earlier .. you can try TF10.. everyone keeps hailing about them..
 
Tf10 is awesome but only if it stays in your ears

I looked like an alien for sure
It was protruding so much from my small ears
 
@ithehappy Probably you'll never find one :p IMHO Brainwavz M2 is the best, if you don't have budget to spend on TF10. I sold all my IEMs except TF10 & M2. As @ayaskant12 said, you may get stares from people when having these on :) ..
 
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ithehappy said:
I don't know how on earth people could like that horrible sound sign. Honestly the cheapest IEM, the Creative EP630 sounded better than it!
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Pretty harsh words for SE215 there & a SS you dont like:confused:. Sound is hugely subjective & you cant conclude that if you dont like a particular iem/ss, then thats the worst in the world. Something thats perfect for you may be worse for others. Comparing it to somethin like ep630 is crude. Sure it comes at a price & may or may not justify it but there is a reason ppl like it so much. M not trying to defend here, i dont even own it but critisizing a very good stuff that way is rude.

ithehappy said:
In the meantime I'll keep this XB90, with a treble tuned freq it does sound good. And I don't think in this price I'll find any better.
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Try getting a pmp/dap to get most out of your iem. I had vsonic gr06 before. Amazing iem for sum1 lookin for mid centric sound. Now using xb90ex and kind of like it a lot even when i prefer more of a neutral sound. Its a steal for d SQ one gets for the price. says extra bass but that in no way gets annoying or boomy & doesnt affect othr frequencies in d spectrum at all. This one for the first time made me realise the sense of height in an IEM:cool:.
In the need of upgrading or getting that perfect sound for our ears, we tend to spend on a lot, but then we kind of understand different sound signatures as well & its quite addictive too making it hard on our wallets:p. I for one started appreciating different sounds. I am at a midfi stage & dont have those top end hifi iems like ie80s, gr07 or triple fi's or somethin but yeah someday. i like to climb the ladder of sound each step rather than straight getting on top understanding the upgrades in soundscape i get with different SS.
And if u dont like a particular one, u can always sell it off or gift it to someone;)
 
Yeah, I'm sorry, I said bad words for SE215, I was angry on it. Anyway, what I should've said would be, I hate mid bass centric IEMs. Whatever, SE215 at 5.5 k is ridiculously overpriced! That's why I like XB90, almost non existent mid bass and more/total focusing on sub bass, at a reasonable price.
I'm setting my focus to get the IE80 by this year's end, just two more IEMs have been added to the list, AT CKS1000 (but reports of microphonics might be an issue!) and another JVC model (FXD series most probably).
I'm quite sure now, in this price range of mere 4/5k, I am quite sure I won't find any better IEM than XB90EX, especially about bass, oh!
And about PMP, should I buy the Cowon back? I don't wanna spend much on it.
 
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