abhi_jollyguy said:
I was going to suggest him Brainwavz M2 but what I read in ClieOS review, he put brainwavz M2 in Mid-Centric category and this is what confused me
clieOS classifies them based on what comes to mind as the dominant thing in the IEM. But, mid-centric does not mean that it has less bass. I tend to think of M2 the same way - mids well supported by bass than the other way around. While it's bass levels are boosted up compared to M3, it does not extend too low and remains softer on the ears compared to many bass-heavy IEMs. It's sound stage is a slight let down and the imaging is about decent for the price. It is not the best money can buy as there are several choices within $50-75, but certainly ranks among the better value for money IEMs out there.
While M3 is an upgrade in many ways - better sound stage, more refined signature with lesser emphasis (compared to M2) on mids and bass and an overall balance - I don't think of it as as great a VFM as M2, simply because there are too many choices around the $60-90 range and there are many IEMs I like a little better than M3 (A little, not hugely as they all sound almost equally good overall). The only thing hugely favorable to M3 is the immediate local availability (compared to Xears and the ever out of stock Fischers).
I am not a big fan of those tangly Brainwavz cables. They may be better quality cables, but without a chin slider, they are horribly microphonic.
With Xears Bullet, it has the least bass quantity among all the Xears models I own. It is similar in character to M2 - soft, smooth, not extending to lowest lows. But M2 has better quantity, speed and tightness.
Xears TDIII has a very engaging signature with slightly forward mids, better bass quantity +extension and impact than M3 and a good balanced signature. As with many of the smaller companies making Chinese OEMs, Xears' build quality leaves something to be desired -- starting with cables. They are good for the price and I rate them similar to M3. But I find M3 to be more suitable for vocals as their midrange is lush compared to the less textured midrange of Xears.
But the one fact that goes against Xears is that they need to be imported via eBay or Xears.com. Thomas offers one year warranty. You won't need to send back the IEMs as I've read 2-3 people quoting that all he does is ask for photographs showing the damage to send the replacement. Secondly, You won't get as good accessories as the Brainwavz. It's a vastly unknown brand here in India with only about 2-3 people knowing / owning these IEMs. But these are as good a VFM (provided you buy it with coupons / eBay sales and not at the ever changing rates quoted in the site) as the Brainwavz.
Hippo VB has plenty of sub-woofer like bass than the normal mid-bass. But, it's
availability is an issue right now. Jaben has not mentioned whether it will be discontinued or they will make a new Hippo VB v2.
Cylcone PR1 Pro has been long been discontinued.
RE0 and XCape are not the ones to suggest for bass heavy signature. XCape is said to be better than RE0 in this regard (nobody here has heard XCape, I suppose). RE0 does not have much bass quantity.
MC5? No idea. But, none of the Etys are bass heavy quantity wise.
CC51 - I've not heard it either.
JVC FX-34 has surprisingly good bass quality for the price. It's a decent IEM for sure, but not something I like too much.
Something which is somewhat better (in the Xears Bullet range) is MEElectronics M6. Among the Non-China / HK located Chinese OEMs (Fischer, Jaben, MEE, Xears), MEE is the only one to have both build quality and accessories consistently across the range.
Probably you can try either of M3 / TDIII / CC51 if you want to stick to the higher price range. Lower down, M2, MEE M6/M9, JVC FX-34 are good choices (in that order).
