Audio Bassy IEMs for < $120

H

haraakiri

Adept
My friend got s4. My other friend really loved the bass(he got re0), but isn't impressed with detail. Could you guys suggest something as good at bass(quantity wise) with detailing close to RE0 for $120?
Hippo VB seems to have bass lower than s4 in quantity.
 
It's almost impossible to get the micro detailing and transparency of RE0 in any other sub 200$ IEMs and that's one of the reasons the RE-0s are so highly regarded. Yes the bass is quite low but the amazing clarity and detailing compensates for it.The best a person can do is pair the RE0 with a good amp to get the bass out of it , it does work .RE0 paired with a good amp can sound heaven ;) Only the RE252 sounds better than RE0 and has lot more bass but then it costs 199$ and takes about 10-15 days to get used to after which they become your personal semi custom IEMs due to their gummy bear design.

Other than that the only options for you would be S4 or Hippo VB .If you liked the S4, get it cause I am not sure if you will like the VB. The VB sounds similar to RE0 and comes somewhat close to its detailing from my listening experience but still lacks that fine details and transparency. The bass on the VB is more than the RE0(unamped) and also it has variable bass ports to get maximum ,medium or minimum bass. :)

If you dont want to spent much you could also look at the Brainwavz M2.They are not as good as the RE0 but the bass is amazing and detailing is pretty good for the price , easily matches the sound of other 50-100$ IEMs and costs just 49$ for current pre-order on Mp4nation.

Best of Luck .
 
^The Eternas are kind of over rated IMO.After reading the review by ClieOS on head-fi , I was dying to get my hands on it but after trying them out during the mumbai head-fi meet ,I realized they sounded artificial and had a muddy bass . I wouldn't really recommend them to anyone but die hard EP630 lovers :p. The new M2s from Brainwavz are any day better than those and infact the most VFM IEM right now. ;)
 
@aashish07 - Dude have you heard either the SF5 or the RE0 ?

The Superfi 5 has always been an overpriced earphone and its detailing is no where near the best in the IEM world. The Re0 however IS proven to be among the best and you will be hard pressed to find anything to beat it below $200.

@OP - The VB wont cut it either so you can drop that from your list. Unfortunately I have not heard any other top tier earphone so cant help you with the bass problem. :(

However you can try the TF10 as they are more or less what you are looking for - Good resolving power and bass to boot ! :)
 
^ Yeah completely forgot about the TF10. They would be perfect for the OPs taste if he can afford to spend that much moolah. I guess anything between 150-250$ .:p
 
Thanks all for the inputs. I fortunately own both RE0 and TripleFi and can understand what you guys are suggesting. :)
His budget's currently around $120, will not be able to afford TripleFi. As Faheem's suggesting perhaps a good amp might be a good option. But I doubt an amp might be able to bring in a huge difference to RE0's bass. Which amps should I consider for <120$. He currently lives in US, so availability might not be an issue. Anyone here heard Monster turbine(basic model) which currently is available for $110 from amazon?

I am considering getting for myslef, a neutral amp which can get RE0 to a different level. Which amps would you guys suggest for less than $150?
 
umm ive owned both of them so well tht kinda answers your question..i currently have a re0..and im in love with it

firstly read the title before commenting anything..he said he needs a bassy iem and i guess you dont have much driver knowledge.. cause you would know that re0 wasn't designed to be bass heavy and pairing it with a warm bassy amp would just make the sound muddy with the bass option on

the superfi on the other hand have armature drivers so you would find good details..yes obv not as good as the re0 but considering re0 has a totally different sound signature..and the bass on the superfi 5 eb kicks re0 ass bigtime

bottom line..pls dont compare a superfi 5 eb with a re0
if u want a neutral sounding iem with fantastic treble..go for the re0
if u want a good detailed sound with decent enough bass..go for the re0 with a warm sounding amp
if u want just the thumping bass like our good ol creative ep-630..dont consider the re0..you'll be very disappointed..instead go for bass heavy iems like the v-moda's,superfi 5 eb,
senheiser..havent heard the hippo shrooms so cant comment on those etc

BF1983 said:
@aashish07 - Dude have you heard either the SF5 or the RE0 ?

The Superfi 5 has always been an overpriced earphone and its detailing is no where near the best in the IEM world. The Re0 however IS proven to be among the best and you will be hard pressed to find anything to beat it below $200.
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monster turbines are for extreme bassheads :eek:hyeah:..u might wanna audition them first before buying

your best best considering u own re0 and triple fi is that you like good detailed sounds so i u wanna increase the bass input..try a warm amp and pair it with the re0
for 100-150$ you can get pretty decent amps..ill let you know your best option soon :)

haraakiri said:
Thanks all for the inputs. I fortunately own both RE0 and TripleFi and can understand what you guys are suggesting. :)
His budget's currently around $120, will not be able to afford TripleFi. As Faheem's suggesting perhaps a good amp might be a good option. But I doubt an amp might be able to bring in a huge difference to RE0's bass. Which amps should I consider for <120$. He currently lives in US, so availability might not be an issue. Anyone here heard Monster turbine(basic model) which currently is available for $110 from amazon?

I am considering getting for myslef, a neutral amp which can get RE0 to a different level. Which amps would you guys suggest for less than $150?
Click to expand...
 
If you want bassy IEMs and quality detailing similar to RE0, you will have to go above $150-200 price range.

If you're not an extreme basshead and can do with decent amount, you can pair the RE0 with a decent amp as suggested by others.
 
aashish07 said:
umm ive owned both of them so well tht kinda answers your question..i currently have a re0..and im in love with it

firstly read the title before commenting anything..he said he needs a bassy iem and i guess you dont have much driver knowledge.. cause you would know that re0 wasn't designed to be bass heavy and pairing it with a warm bassy amp would just make the sound muddy with the bass option on

the superfi on the other hand have armature drivers so you would find good details..yes obv not as good as the re0 but considering re0 has a totally different sound signature..and the bass on the superfi 5 eb kicks re0 ass bigtime

bottom line..pls dont compare a superfi 5 eb with a re0

if u want a neutral sounding iem with fantastic treble..go for the re0

if u want a good detailed sound with decent enough bass..go for the re0 with a warm sounding amp

if u want just the thumping bass like our good ol creative ep-630..dont consider the re0..you'll be very disappointed..instead go for bass heavy iems like the v-moda's,superfi 5 eb,

senheiser..havent heard the hippo shrooms so cant comment on those etc
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Dude, he already has a Klipsch S4i. The Klipsch is better than the S5 pro in both detailing and bass and also build quality. You should consider yourself lucky if the Super-fi's wire is not already broken. Lots of people have had issues with the Super-fi wire breaking.

Secondly you seem to equate a lower mid hump with bass. The Ep-630 has hardly any bass. It substitutes it with a hump in the lower mid frequencies to make it pass for bass to the undiscerning listener. The EP-630 simply cannot touch any low notes (hence they are called boomy).

The RE0, RE1 has bass. It can hit very low but it needs lots of power. I do not know which amp will bring out the volume in the bass so I did not comment on the same.

I really suggest you try the S4i or Hippo VB if you wish to know what real bass is. I have heard the Hippo VB and they have great thump and depth without a lower mid hump. which is difficult to achieve.

@OP - Since you are in the US. I suggest to see if you score a used Triple fi 10 or at least see if you can listen to one. It too has a problem with the cable breaking but thankfully it at least uses replaceable cables.
 
Guys, this is not for me but for my friend. :) I dont live in US but my friend who needs it does. I will ask him to try triplefi first asap.

Anyway please do suggest me a neutral amp too to go with re0. Something like mini3 would be a good option?
 
^ Yes the mini3 is a pretty good option. A lot of newer amps have come up as well so you could look at them.I am still waiting for a few more Fiiio E7 reviews as it looks very promising at just ~80$.

Have a look at some of the sub 150$ amps from Ibasso as well :).
 
@BF1983 totally agree with you on the quality of the superfi cables..ultimate ears for all their brand status have never really improved their quality of cables unless ure rich enough to own their custom monitors and yes they are prone to light abuse

@HARAAKIRI try the ibasso t4..it retails for 109$ on the official website

iBasso

got a review of it here--http://www.inearmatters.net/2008/12/quick-impression-ibasso-t4.html

seems to be an upgrade over the fiio e5...there more options in the sub 150$ range and the mini3 is a good option as well
 
haraakiri said:
Guys, this is not for me but for my friend. :) I dont live in US but my friend who needs it does. I will ask him to try triplefi first asap.

Anyway please do suggest me a neutral amp too to go with re0. Something like mini3 would be a good option?
Click to expand...

Yes mini3 is a great budget option.
 
aashish07 said:
@HARAAKIRI try the ibasso t4..it retails for 109$ on the official website
iBasso
Click to expand...

Thats also a good choice. The T4 is very small and should be easily portable. They help accentuate the bass to boot which is nice given the requirements.

The mini3 is unfortunately DIY.
 
iBasso T4: Isn't T3 slightly better? I think T4 hisses a lot when it's near mobile phones etc., I've not faced such issues with T3 though.
 
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