Can someone please help me get a new IEM.

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Yes! Usually customs are more particular about bigger packages (headphones, amps), but IEMs usually slip through. But, it is not written in stone. Sometimes, even smaller items attract heavy duties.

Phonak Perfect Bass + Gray and Black Filters = Phonak PFE. That would be a better option. PFE is costlier and comes with only gray and black filters, PB is cheaper and comes with Green filters (I think). But both are the same IEM, the difference is in the bundled accessories and filters.

FWIW, I am a big fan of PFE. While other IEMs have been bought and sold, PFE has been a staple in my collection for very long. Where are you going to buy them from?
 
@esanthosh

All these PFE models are confusing me.
tell me which one you have ?

What's the difference between 022/021 /121/111/132/232 ?

If I understand correctly I want the 121 version right ?
Read the review by Clieos.They look just perfect.

Also how can I buy these ?
From that shopnshipindia site ?

PS:No matter how much I research I come back to re262's They seriously have some "wow" factor.
 
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The first number is the 'tier' in the series - 0, 1, 2 called Silver, Gold and Platinum
The second number is the revision number of the model - 1, 2, 3 (higher number indicates latest revision)
The third number is '1' for normal IEM and '2' for IEM with mic.

Phonak Perfect Bass is 012 and 022 (Same as "Gold" series, except less accessories and only Green Filters fitted in the IEM)
Phonak Audeo PFE (Gold) is 111 / 112 / 121 / 122 and 132 (More accessories, IEM fitted with Gray filters along with one spare set of Gray filter and 2 sets spare Black filters)
Phonak Audeo PFE (Platinum) is 232 (IEM with Gray filters and one spare set each of Black, Gray and Green filters)

Read Joker's review for difference between filters.
 
100 Euros is about 130 USD w/o taking into consideration the paypal exchange rate + paypal fee. Not to mention shipping from China would probably be a bit cheaper than it would from Italy.
 
The build quality of HiFiMan products is a big damper. A lot of people here had bought the 262 when they were initially launched, but soon many of them failed and had to be RMA'ed. I sorta remember that Mephistopheles & Fah33m, both had to RMA their HiFiMan IEMs multiple times.

tldr; 262's have good sound quality, but their build quality won't contribute towards an overall happy experience.
 
@psygeist
How was your exprience with head-direct ?

Guys,
I have searched lots and I think I have two contenders -

1.re262's
2.phonak audeo pfe 111

Now what do you guys suggest ?
Rate both on each category [scale of 5]-
1.Isolation
2.Build Quality
3.Genre flexibility
4.Amp/no amp
5.Customer service

Also for my first IEMs which I wont regret buying sound wise I should go for ?

Also Itouch 5 is releasing in October I guess so here when will it come ?

Thanks all !!
http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/audeo-pfe-111-perfect-fit-earphones-in-white-pfe111-prodid-2034.html
This the PFE version I am planning to buy.
But how do I buy them ?From where ?

EDIT:Since re262's build quality not good I may got with pfes.Any other IEM I am missing ? Isolation is the most important part. Isolation>>Sound>>Comfort>>Build Quality
 
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Apart from Customs, Etymotics, Shure and Westone in general offer the best isolation. Why not look at Joker's thread? He has Isolation scores along with SQ scores. Look for anything within your budget with isolation of 4 and above.

I still wonder what made you pick RE262 over others in the first place - is it just the shape of the housing? :unsure:

With Hifimans, I owned the notorious RE0 for a couple of years. The only thing I changed before selling it was the cable that too because I thought something was wrong with the plug (titana said it wasn't). I've also owned RE-ZERO and RE252 for a while. I do not think @mukulymn had issues with his RE262. So, I'd think it's a matter of luck with Hifiman as I also know plenty of people who ended up RMA-ing more than once within a short period of time.

Whatever IEM you buy, it's life span also depends on how you handle it too!
 
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@esanthosh

I've been trying to get information on the the new lightning connector thing that apple's using on the new iPhone 5, does this come on the new touch as well? If its an all digital connection does it mean the line out is no longer functional?

It's the only reason that's kept me away from the new iPhone, I like using the analog lineout with my amp. :( ..............................hoping for more information soon.
 
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@gunnerwholelife,

I think iPhone 5 and recent launches should be available sometime in early October, at least that's what I've heard so far.

R-50 are basically DBA-02 MK2 housing with GR01 like sound --- I think. Will know better once Joker posts his review. Build quality is not great as Joker's pair failed soon after.
 
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@esanthosh
Releasing in October in India ?
That's too fast :)

Also r50 is/was the FOTM in HeadFi.I am getting sweet deal for 4k I guess.
Right now my plan is to fix an appointment with PN.

Will get back soon !
 
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I visited PN office that day.It was an awesome exprience.I tried all the entry level IEMs like Brainwavz m1 ,m4,JVC,etc and I realized one big thing.Reviews don't matter.I read lot of reviews that Brainwavz suck but I really liked the M1s.
Moving on I tried some PN's own signature IEMs which according to Mr Gautam are going to be out soon.One were the entry level IEMs which had ample of bass and gave that "thump" on bass- heavy tracks like 50 cent.They had a wooden build and looked quite good.These would BE a massive upgrade for people still using stock IEMs.But what caught my eye was the blue-coloured IEMs which again are from PN's Signature series.These were neutral,on the less analytical side[were just in middle of fun and analytical] but had awesome comfort,isolation and sound separation.I am no pro at describing sound signature but if "awesome" is the word to describe something which is gives you that "wow" factor these are the IEMs.I think I will buy these blue ones which don't have a name yet and come out in next few months.I played the music on Mr Gautam's Sansa Clip.Also this guy is very nice as I was there for 3-4 hours and my knowledge in music is next to nothing still he entertained me and showed me different IEMs without any hesitation.
I think PN's upcoming lineup will be awesome.


Next day I met up with a guy at Andheri who had the RockIt Sounds r50s.These IEMs are just plain awesome.I will give them 4/5 isolation.We were sitting in macdonalds and I couldnt hear anything expect music.The instrument separation was quite good but not as good as PN's blueones.Also they were slight bloomy on bass heavy tracks like Korn's Get up! with Skrillex.But to be honest I played the music on my sad mp3 player and that may be the reason for the IEMs to be below my expectations.

According to me TN's blueones were slightly better than r50s or maybe the sansa clip had a major role to play in the quality.Anyways I liked the blueones and I may buy them.

As for the amp I tried e11 and was very disappointed.I didnt make out any difference.The bass boost is total crap.It makes the music so bloomy and unreal.For my sad mp3 player it will be a good upgrade but for decent mobile audio or sansa clip I would never get e11 or any entry level amps. They just dont bring anything new.
 
Glad that you made that trip to PN. I hope you know by now why some of us prefer Clip+.

When making a comparison between IEMs, it's better to keep the same source, same track and more importantly loudness match the IEMs according to the IEM's ability to go loud (not the same volume level on the player, but the same loudness to your ears). Our auditory memory is formed of both fact and emotion and our brains are hard wired to give higher importance to emotional connect with the sound. You did the comparison a day later, so while you'd still remember the broad contours of the sound, sometimes, there is a difference between your 'from memory' comparison and an actual A:B. You might have compared them side by side and still preferred Blue, but I am just talking about what I consider the appropriate way of comparing IEMs.

PS1: Where did you read Brainwavz "suck"?
PS2: Between the M1, M4 and Woodies, which one did you prefer?
 
That was a general idea of Brainwavz I got from reviews.They are good but there are better IEMs available.

Mr Gautam said he will sell the woodies for 1.5-3k so that's a steal.
Tough call though.But when I listened to them they were not burned in and they were sounding nice so after burn in they would be much much better.
I have mostly forgotten all their sound signature.I just know they had perfect bass.

When he showed me M1s I thought I would buy those and woodies werent sounding good on my mp3 player at all but m1s were.But on his mobile audio woodies owned.Especially 50 cent track was full on in the face !!

I just cant forget the blueones though.Those were some real work of art.If only he had a new piece and not a prototype :(
 
There is a HUGE difference between "there is something better out there" vs "suck" :). I too feel that there are better IEMs than Brainwavz M series. That statement only means that I prefer certain other IEMs over Brainwavz M series i.e., While I like the Brainwavz M1, I like something else more, not that M series has to 'suck'. The difference could be the 3-5% of things the other IEM does better.

Coming back to your quest, change the source first before deciding on the IEM. I feel from your descriptions that your source is coloring the IEM and may have a higher output impedance (which may have screwed up R50, being a BA and all). Otherwise, even if you buy JH16 from PN, you won't be hearing how it actually sounds.
 
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