Audio Can someone please help me get a new IEM.

[gunnerwholelife]

Hello audiophiles !!

Planning to get myself a new IEM after my steelseries siberia Inears broke.I also have Denon rh-d510 cans which are pretty good but now I want to take a massive leap into the audiophile world.I need an IEM which are suitable for all genres and which are fun to listen too.

I am planning to get pa2v2 amp from Gary also.

Music I listen too -

metal - metallica,megadeth,slipknot,korn,opeth,amon amrath,
rock- foo fighters ,coldplay,ok go,led zeppellin,mumfords and sons,florence and machine,adele,linkin park,the decemberists.
trance/elecronic - skrillex,tangerin dream,chase and status,dash berlin,ATB,infected mushroom.

So basically I want some awesome mids for vocals on adele,etc and some nice/crunchy guitar leads on my metal bands.

I had the re262's in mind but I read that they arent that fast for complex music + their build is not good and they break in 4-5 months.

My steelseries siberia were 2 yrs old and they were I swear eaten partially by my pet parrot but were still performing like a beast.So I want something which will last long.

Can anyone suggest me some nice IEMs ?
Budget 5-8k

Also suggest an amp with them if you think pa2v2 wont suffice.

 

[Ritvik]

Got a chance to try the JVC HA-FXT90 recently and I think they're one to consider given your wide range of taste when it comes to music. The RE-262 you mentioned is a strong contender as well given the mids you require, but a good amp would help here.

If at some stage you decide to increase your budget the Shure 5xx and the Q7 from Ortofon are good choices as well. If you come across an iem that doesn't require an amp then maybe you could club your budget for the two and spend it on just the iem.................in this price range however an amp usually helps.

 

[gunnerwholelife]

Can santosh and others add their opinions please !!

 

[ALPHA17]

Can santosh and others add their opinions please !!

You will need to tag them, to tag anyone you need to use the following syntax -- @<iD>, e.g. -- @gunnerwholelife, @esanthosh.

 

[gunnerwholelife]

You will need to tag them, to tag anyone you need to use the following syntax -- @<iD>, e.g. -- @gunnerwholelife, @esanthosh.

Thanks for tagging @esanthosh

 

[esanthosh]

Firstly, why do you think you need an amp? What is your current source?

Actually, not many do mids + the crunch bit well together. Everything is a bit of a compromise.

• Yamaha EPH-100 goes nicely with all genres, is right within your budget, but it is more smooth in nature.
• GR07 is a really good option to consider as it goes with all genres, but it is slightly over your budget and sibilance could be an issue.
• EX-600 might be a decent fit as well, but availability and isolation might be an issue.
• e-Q5 is a better option than all, but it is a little over your max budget.
• You can consider Brainwavz B2 instead. What it lacks in dynamic range, it makes up in details with very good speed. While it isn't exactly mid-centric and sounds a bit lean, it fits within your budget and does not need an amp. As long as you can agree with it's forward, slightly aggressive treble, everything should be fine. Do not expect the greatest build quality though.
• While FXT90 is a good IEM, my opinion of it is clouded by my experience with a higher end FX700. Please read my comparison to EPH-100.

 

[gunnerwholelife]

I was really into re262's
So I read they need a decent amp to get them to their full potential
Thats why I thought of pa2v2

Anyways some build quality issues and not so good for complex music have made me look elsewhere.Do you think re262's will be awesome for me ?
I mailed HeadDirect and their reply was quite indepth.So buying from them will be a nice exprience.

I am new to this whole sibilance and other "audiophile" related terms.Basically I havent really tried too many headphones/IEMs to know what I really want.I just want to take a leap of faith and splurge on something that I would never go wrong on.I am still finding the sound signature which I prefer and I want my next buy to take me closer to it.

All I can do is tell you all the music I like and you tell me which is the best bang for buck+build quality IEM suitable for all the genres I mentioned.
I get your point I can't get a winner in all genres in my budget but I dont want something which is awesome in one genre and total crap in other genre.

my current source is my pc and philips gogear mp3 player [i know kinda sucks] ,I am waiting for the Ipod touch 5g, hopefully Sept 12th will be a lucky day.But I am totally into getting myself a windows 8 phone.

I liked the design of the re262s.I dont know what it is called.Like that of the UE customs or shures 535s.

Also any audiophile staying in Mumbai and can allow me to listen to some IEMs ?

Btw Didnt like the one way fit on ex-600.The plasticky ear-shaped is a no-no.

Firstly, why do you think you need an amp? What is your current source?

Actually, not many do mids + the crunch bit well together. Everything is a bit of a compromise.

• Yamaha EPH-100 goes nicely with all genres, is right within your budget, but it is more smooth in nature.
• GR07 is a really good option to consider as it goes with all genres, but it is slightly over your budget and sibilance could be an issue.
• EX-600 might be a decent fit as well, but availability and isolation might be an issue.
• e-Q5 is a better option than all, but it is a little over your max budget.
• You can consider Brainwavz B2 instead. What it lacks in dynamic range, it makes up in details with very good speed. While it isn't exactly mid-centric and sounds a bit lean, it fits within your budget and does not need an amp. As long as you can agree with it's forward, slightly aggressive treble, everything should be fine. Do not expect the greatest build quality though.
• While FXT90 is a good IEM, my opinion of it is clouded by my experience with a higher end FX700. Please read my comparison to EPH-100.

 

[esanthosh]

Whatever you buy based on recommendation is a shot in the dark. Audio does not quite work that way except if you are lucky.

• If possible, visit some TE-ians and listen to their IEMs and then spell out which ones you liked AND the ones you did not like. It's much easier to take it from there.
• There's zero guarantee that buying a $200 IEM would satisfy you, a $100 one could be a better fit.
• Just because many people like an IEM, there's no guarantee that you will. It's not a popularity contest.
• I never understand selecting IEMs by genres / bands. Even within a track which we both like, you may like it for some reasons, I may for others. I may like a certain section a certain way and you might like it a little differently.
• All the recommendations made in forums, though made with good intention, assume a lot about what you may like. It took me an year and a half of buying IEMs and comparing what I hear to build blind confidence about Joker's reviews. Not many have that luxury.
• Nobody other than you know the EXACT contents of the mix that satisfy you (bass quantity, mid forwardness, treble quantity and so on....). As you go up the ladder, the little things that separate what you'd like from what you'd hate.
• I tend to think of sound signatures like food. When 'cooked' the right way, with the right mix of ingredients, any signature can become appealing. Sometimes, you never know until you actually listen to them.

I'd ideally like you to try a few IEMs first. In the absence of which, get GR07.

BTW, that plasticky ear shape has magnesium housing, far better than the cheap plastic IEMs and on top of that, it has a detachable cable as well. Fit is much easier with EX-1000 for me, though a few have issues with it.

If you like RE262, but worried about speed, get RE272. Then get a good source and an amp (not PA2V2) in due time. Except for low bass quantity, RE272 is a really good IEM, but it'd end up stretching your budget by much.

 

[gunnerwholelife]

I also think thats the only option right now.
Trying few first.

What's a TE-ians ?

Whatever you buy based on recommendation is a shot in the dark. Audio does not quite work that way except if you are lucky.

• If possible, visit some TE-ians and listen to their IEMs and then spell out which ones you liked AND the ones you did not like. It's much easier to take it from there.
• There's zero guarantee that buying a $200 IEM would satisfy you, a $100 one could be a better fit.
• Just because many people like an IEM, there's no guarantee that you will. It's not a popularity contest.
• I never understand selecting IEMs by genres / bands. Even within a track which we both like, you may like it for some reasons, I may for others. I may like a certain section a certain way and you might like it a little differently.
• All the recommendations made in forums, though made with good intention, assume a lot about what you may like. It took me an year and a half of buying IEMs and comparing what I hear to build blind confidence about Joker's reviews. Not many have that luxury.
• Nobody other than you know the EXACT contents of the mix that satisfy you (bass quantity, mid forwardness, treble quantity and so on....). As you go up the ladder, the little things that separate what you'd like from what you'd hate.

I'd ideally like you to try a few IEMs first.

 

[esanthosh]

I have updated my post . It would be better not to quote full posts unless necessary as they just add to the length of scrolling.

TE-ians - TechEnclave forum members.

 

[gunnerwholelife]

Thanks a lot.
btw any headstart on audiophilers living in Mumbai ?
Or maybe you can loan me some :hail:

 

[PristineNote]

Thanks a lot.
btw any headstart on audiophilers living in Mumbai ?
Or maybe you can loan me some :hail:

Music if about passion; passion perhaps close to madness... that is perhaps how i would define an audiophile. The word 'audiophile' is very loosely used these days. We are based out of Navi Mumbai, you may like to visit our store and audition some of these. You may visit Pristine Note, Shop audio, headphones, amplifier, DAC, hifi, mp3, audiophile products online store India >> contact us for the location and other information. Please take an appointment before you intend to visit us.

If you can spend about 1500$ (including customs and shipping), we can safely recommend you JH16 Pro Custom In-Ear Monitor known for their extreme addicting sound.

 

[gunnerwholelife]

I was just thinking of mailing you,Gautam Sir about the opportunity of trying some IEMs.Thanks for the gesture Right now I am researching about what signature I prefer.I will let you know when I am well versed and ready to test some IEMs.Thanks a ton.

 

[esanthosh]

On the contrary, I feel that you can visit PN and checkout some IEMs first. If you can checkout the models without knowing about their price, it will give you a better idea of where your preferences actually lie. Once you figure out which ones you like better and which ones you do not like, you can identify what sort of signatures you like / dislike.

Trust your ears and then build knowledge upon it - that's better, IMO.

 

[gunnerwholelife]

@esanthosh
Just found out many things about myself.
Its kinda dumb but -
I love calm laid-back music,kind of music which doesn't make me pay attention to it,which just plays around in the background something like this -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2IYprGR4aQ

Now what I like about metal is the heavy stuff[drums,heavy riffs] but the main thing that attracts me is the awesome vocals which break from the heavy stuff and go completely off track something like this -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGtW4AFyLyM

But mostly I prefer soft vocal centralized music but due to low/none noise cancellation IEMs that I currently have I cant listen to soft music on the go [bus,train,road,etc] thats why I listen to heavy stuff too much.

Best song to describe my taste -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-pHdcMCK8
which I guessed is most vocal centric.

Also I love skrillex too but I know I cant listen to it more than 2-3 times without getting a headache while I will play Keane 100 times and not get bored.

Now when I go to PN I know what I really want.Some IEMs which will make me cry when I listen to Keane-Sea Fog.

 

[indialogue]

Best song to describe my taste -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1-pHdcMCK8
which I guessed is most vocal centric.

This is right up the line for RE262. You really shouldnt look at anything else if you have the budget and dont mind going through the whole shipping+customs wait. Alternatively, look at the Sony XBA series that are available locally - however they wont let you try them out!

 

[gunnerwholelife]

Can anyone tell me how the customs goes for re262's ?
They are for 149$+10$ shipping I guess - around 8-9k

So what's the possibility of me paying customs ?
And if so how much ?

 

[Ritvik]

I don't think there's anyway of telling how much Indian customs will charge. If they do charge you, I guess it would be somewhere between 20 and 30 percent.

Have you decided on an amp yet? I'm not sure if the 262 will need as much power as the RE-0 and though definitely not as much as the RE-1 I'm quite sure it will benefit from one greatly. Yet to come across any of fangs iems that don't require/ scale up considerably with an amp.

 

[esanthosh]

Customs are a gamble. Usually, the Chinese shippers know enough about India to under-value the item and use a not so shiny packaging.

If they declare the price as-is, then I think about 28-41% is the duty. Since your clearance office is Mumbai, it is likely that they will take up the rule of personal imports not to be over Rs. 2K. It is unlikely to happen in the case of IEMs though. So do not worry.

If you buy RE262, iPod Touch 5G would be able to drive them fine, but it might drain the battery faster as experienced in the case of Clip+ (by me) and J3 (by Joker).

 

[gunnerwholelife]

@esanthosh
So you mean to say there are high chances I wont be charged right ?

I am also looking at phonak audeo pfe.
They also sound promising with those bass filters if I want bass.