Audio Suggest IEM ( ~1k ) - peculiar requirements

Sarath_

Adept
Well first things first, this IEM is a gift to my girlfriend. So I have a few specific requirements. If I had to buy them for myself I would have grabbed the CX-180s blindly but here are the requirements.

1. I have already handed out 2 Sennheiser CX-180s to two of my best friends so this one has to be better than that. I can't buy the same one again for social reasons.

2. My gf is currently using (my stolen) Brainwavz M2, so I am looking for something that won't sound all that bad when compared to M2, I am not saying better for just 1k, but something that wouldn't sound cheap.

3. Have to be durable (good warranty preferable). Should withstand being thrown into a bag and never being put in a case (even if one is provided). Realistically should last a year atleast
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4. Have to look good. A blue/white or even pink is better but Black is also equally good. not imp.

5. Should be comfortable to wear for prolonged use. Bus rides etc... very imp

Budget is flexible. 1k is just a reference.

To summarise, I am looking for Durable and Comfortable earphones, followed by sound Q that is only a shade below M2

Further points in favour or arbitary:

1. I already have a CX180, M1 and Klispsch X10 (which my gf gifted me - I know shame on me that I am getting her comparatively el-cheapo ones). She wont take the M1 since she is already aware that the M2 are better.

2. Would be better if available on Flipkart since I have money in my FK wallet but not a deciding factor.

3. No mic needed

4. Used with Blackberry Bold 98xx and iPod touch and laptop maybe

I can't stress enough on this, but they have to be durable
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Thanks for looking

-Irony-
 
That is a nice review. I think it would deserve a separate thread.

But I'm skeptical as to whether they would satisfy a user coming from an M2.

Anyhow where did you buy them from?

Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk
 
SMC International. But, you can find them for Rs. 400 shipped at Homeshop18. I wasn't sure about HS18, so went with SMC.

As for separate thread, I intend to buy the E30 (and if needed, M1 and M2 as well, but I have a little aversion to adding more IEMs just for the sake of reviews) and then write a separate review about ES18. If it sounds, as they say, 80% of E30 at 1/4th the price, it gives the budget IEM buyer a good choice to think about.

Closer to M2. How?

Well! We all need to be skeptical about everything until we hear it ourselves, it's healthy
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In overall terms, ES18 could get somewhat closer to M2. Joker ranked E30 at 7.0 and M2 at 7.2. Considering that ES18 is likely to be mini-E30, then we should get somewhat closer to 6.x at least. It does not annoy me like BeB Red for instance, so it's at least at the level of NE-7m which I did like well, without it's annoyances. So, I am assuming it's better than that (6.0-6.2 on Joker's scale). It competes well against E10 (SQ Score of 6.9) when run through iPod Video -> UHA-6S. But, I thought of it a little less when run through Clip+ initially. So, I can only assume it's somewhere between 6.0 and 6.7 or so on Joker's scale. That is the reason I mentioned that it can get 'somewhat closer' to M2.

Edit: Ordered E30. Should be getting it next weekend, hopefully!
 
Thanks for the reply. I guess at just 400 bucks it wont hurt to try them. I will order them soon. Also I see that at this price they compete with the Marshmellows. By your review it is already clear that the ES18 are much better, but just to clear things out and my own curiosity about the Marshmellows, which is better? I am most likely getting both, as I have always been curious as to what the JVC has to offer.

Offtopic: I have Brainwavz M1, if you need it for the sake of reviews then I don't mind lending them for a brief period.
 
I was not a big fan of the JVC when I had them. It had very good quality of bass for it's price. Even after foam modding, I did not like the sound as much. I am eager to know what you think of them.

OT: Thanks for the (M1 loaner) offer. That would help me clear up my confusion on where these IEMs actually stand and help me get some sleep
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. Also, I have not used M1 with my brick rigs, would be interesting to see what proper amplification does for them.
 
Honestly every IEM sounds the same to me. Speaks of how much (or the lack of) an audiophile I am. I find the CX180 to be the best IEM I own, the Klipsch X10 sound better of course but I find the former more fun. I don't like the Brainwavz M1 or the M2. Looks like I have fairly humble needs.

PM me your address. I will try sending them in this week. Got a few exams lined up, so may be pushed to the next.
 
If you have any illusion that an audiophile is something special like having a halo behind your head, please erase that thought.

These are my thoughts on audiophiles when I was new to TE : Exhibit A

And a year and a half later, once I understood what it takes to become an audiophile, I posted this: Exhibit B

TL;DR

It's just a disease.which spreads through your ears and affects your mind and wallet.

YGPM
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Honestly every IEM sounds the same to me. Speaks of how much (or the lack of) an audiophile I am. I find the CX180 to be the best IEM I own, the Klipsch X10 sound better of course but I find the former more fun. I don't like the Brainwavz M1 or the M2. Looks like I have fairly humble needs.

PM me your address. I will try sending them in this week. Got a few exams lined up, so may be pushed to the next.

dunno about availibility or current pricing but i really enjoyed my time with the pl-30 and i even prefered it to the m2 in terms of comfort and isolation. also i think that even your attitude towards a particular iem even before listening to it might make you like one more and the other less. sq is that subjective imo.
 
It's just a disease.which spreads through your ears and affects your mind and wallet.

That was an interesting read. From that I conclude that I am someone who enjoys music. I don't dwell into the details etc.

After reading the second post, I am a little paranoid about my decision to buy the Denon D1100 now. Should I invest in a sub 3k or 5k HP rather than spend so much, especially when my other HPs are a SS Siberia gaming headset and Sony wireless headset 3k and 5k respectively. I ditched the M35 as it was said not to be comfortable. AD700 because I can't live without bass no matter how good the HPs sound.

Replied to your PM.

i think that even your attitude towards a particular iem even before listening to it might make you like one more and the other less. sq is that subjective imo.

I second that opinion. Even I think my outlook for CX180 makes me feel them to be better than all other IEMs I use.

-----

BTW I will be ordering both ES18 and Marshmellows this week.
 
Try the D1100 - nothing wrong in it. But, just remember that in audio - the more you know, the better you want to get and the more you end up spending. But, that is an aspect present across everything. From reading books to watching movies to collecting cars to upgrading PC every year to buying the newest mobile out there, it's all the same. As with any hobby, as long as you are smarter with money and can strike a balance between needs and wants, you should do fine.

Long rant about biases...

What #[member='chiron'] described happens often in head-fi. When a new IEM is all the rage, wonder why so many people get excited? Power of suggestion, the need to identify with the crowd and expectation bias makes people hear it all the same way. What I dislike about this is the lengths few people will go to defend their favorite IEMs. A typical head-fi conversation can go like this...

A: I don't like this

B: Burn it in for 5234 hours.

C: You did not get the correct fit. Try XYZ awesome tip that costs $15 for your $100 IEM.

D: Your source is bad.

E: Your music is badly recorded. Download 32/384 binaural recording of Justin Bieber's live concert. You can hear each egg break

F: It's tuned like that. It's not the job of the IEM to be to your liking, rather it's your job to understand it's weirdness and like it.

G: Silver re-cable.

Two ways this conversation can go...

A: Guys! I just spent $1000 more, but my IEM does not sound as awesome.

C,D,F: You simply have no taste in audio. Go back to your [...]

Alternatively...

A: I was wrong. After 10 hours of burn-in, it opened up a lot (... jargon ...) and now, I can even touch each band member, let alone hear them.

The second set of bias comes from familiarity. I was using lot of PX80 at first and coming to RE0, some of the sibilant passages were unnerving. PX80 smoothed over those passages and at that time, I thought RE0 was wrong and wondered why it was so famous in head-fi. After getting used to plenty of bright IEMs, I revisited PX80 and could not stand it. For some, the newest IEM is always better than the older IEM. For some, it's the other way around.

The third set of course relates to our signature preferences.

The fourth comes based simply on cost. It's more prevalent at the higher end. TF10, when it was $400 was a great IEM. Once it started selling under $100 every Black Friday, people started complaining.

Thankfully, most of this can simply be overcome by comparing IEMs side by side. But, keeping an open mind and comparing them without prejudice or bias takes time. No matter what, you cannot get rid of your bias and preferences completely. At the simplest level, one man's boom can be another man's 'just about right quantity'.
 
Wow! Thanks for digging that up for me. Answers many of the questions that plagued my mind. I initially thought that I should maybe walk up the ladder, like invest in a 3k HP and then maybe 6k and then 10k. But now, I just want to invest in a good HP and never look back. Also I'm a student now, so with limited finances I cannot really upgrade so often and will most likely upgrade like most do, i.e. when the HPs die. I know it's inevitable and impossible to quench the want to upgrade but due to my own limitations I can spread it over many years and hopefully I won't be looking to upgrade soon.

I've been trying to collect cash for the D1100 for quite some time now. The purchase will most likely be in May and not further down. I chose them after 8 months of reading and collecting feedback. They came across a bass lovers HPs and hence I chose them. I hope I am right.

I was also thinking that my PCs on board sound card doesn't cut it anymore (not that I have major qualms about it). I don't know how to upgrade from it. I initially thought I will get the Asus Xonar STX / ST (if I got that right) but I couldn't gather enough, no matter how much I tried and gave up. Now I feel that the onboard sound card really is a limitation and I have to upgrade to do justice to the D1100, i,e, if they grace me any time soon. If you don't mind let me in your views here > http://www.techenclave.com/topic/505398-random-dacamp-thread/page__st__200#entry1743608
 
Don't mean to hijack the thread but #[member='esanthosh'] are these ES18 really comparable to NE-6 / NE-7m ?
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I'm desperately looking for a replacement for my NE-7m.
 
#[member='sabby'],

What I was saying is in terms of me liking it, it could be up there with NE-7m. They are not similar sounding as NE-6/7m had more focus on bass and mids, whereas ES18 is more balanced.

It would not be right on my part to say how they compare without a direct comparison. It won't beat NE-6 in terms of sound stage as I remember NE-6 had both good width and depth. Bass quality and extension should be better on the ES18 (because I did not like NE-6's quality), but impact may be a bit better on the NE-6. I think treble on ES18 could be better in quality and quantity. It leaves the mid range where I think both phones do well, but this aspect needs some closer inspection and comparison to decide on.
 
LOL. As long as others feel satisfied with it, I'd be happy to take all the chair shots
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Got the TW just now. Need some time with them.
 
Just wanted to make one more comment that is quiet relevant to this thread never buy from Homeshop 18 bought Es 18 on 23 April and they haven't shipped it yet !
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