I've had it w/ Headphones, IEM's here I come, gimme recommendations

IEMs / Other In-Ear Monitors (IEM)
1

Ok, I’ve really had it w/ headphones. Every single pair i own heat up my ears to the point of making it uncomfortable and unpleasant for anything beyond 2 hrs. I have pad swapped (minimal positive results) and resorted to a small fan directly blowing at my head and I still hate them all.
I own a few IEM’s, and don’t feel like spending the next month plus researching what is considered higher quality. (IEM’s; Cardas EM 5813, Tin T2, T3,T4, Shuoer tape, Bose QC20I)

I can make IEM’s work for me but want your opinions based on your personal listening experiences so i can figure out what direction to go on my next purchase.

I like Blues, Jazz, Orchestral, Indie, Techno, most along with all other genre’s but those are my primary.
I prefer a deep low bass signature with good separation and punch in the upper mid bass range. Forward lush midrange for vocals and crisp airy high end, I don’t much care for brightness, extreme detail monsters and sibilance. Basically a warm detailed sound signature.

I have plenty of amplifiers but will even buy another one if the combo calls for it.
Throw me some recommendations between $400-$800.
High honors and mentions above $1k are appreciated. Once we top $1.5k tho I will probably laugh at you :rofl: I just can’t justify that on an IEM yet… :smiling_imp:

2

Hmmm, fiio fh7’s perhaps?

3 Likes
3

I’ve seen those mentioned a few times and the JVC HA-FDX1 and all sorts of Andromedas. There’s nothing wrong w/ any of the ones I have, I just wanna spend $$ on something new and get my mind off headphones and how much they have been annoying me lately :joy:
I’m also about to re-do one of my HT rooms and decided to set up a headphone/IEM station next to my easy chair. Thus an excuse to spend more on something cooler than what I have :muscle: :smiling_imp:

4

I think the jvc are nice, but I actually don’t think they are that warm. The Andros don’t sound up your alley imo.

Some other options might be the moondrop blessing or sony ier m7

1 Like
5

Lol @M0N beat me to it with the Andros. Blessing or Fiio’s FH5/FH7 sound like a good bet, maybe even the Tape or Moondrop if you’d rather start on the lower-budget side of things and narrow it down from there.
Edit: another good possibility (albeit with less-forward, yet still clean mids) would be the OH10.

2 Likes
6

I was also thinking what about the qdc Anole V3?

The tape is too bright imo, might not be what he is looking for, personally wasn’t a fan of it

Edit: the qdc 4SS is also a good pick

2 Likes
7

I have and like the Tape, I almost tossed them out the window though out of frustration. Finally I found a pair of ear tips that made them sound real good to me.

8

The oh10 is a good contender if they fit well for you lol

2 Likes
9

The tape are interesting and I like having the sound signature at hand. The Cardas are a bit darker than what I want. The Tins are all different and I use when I travel

10

I almost wanna recommend the CA Polaris V1 too, although some people have issues with the mids. I thought they were great.

1 Like
11

Ah, exactly what I wanted, a thread with suggestions I can research all for myself…hahahha, you guys are great!!!

12

I like iems for different reasons and uses than I like headphones. For whatever reason, I want over-ear headphones to be warm and tubey, but I seem to prefer bright, detailed iems. I love the Andromedas, but I can’t stop listening to the JVC HA-FD01. They sound more like what I prefer from headphones. I’d I’d pay the extra $10 for the in-house mods from Drop. My half-assed modding job sounds great to me, but I trust them more on their recent run

1 Like
13

Ha, it was you that had mentioned how much you are enjoying those JVC’s. How do they sound with Blues Rob?

14

Closest I’ve listened to was Allman Brothers and the Dead, and I like them both with them a lot. If I am stationary, I still would probably prefer headphones, but I’ve been on my feet a lot running them off a Mojo/Poly

1 Like
15

They are way too bright for me with no mods. I did the mod from that james444 post I linked from sbaf and used the more relaxed measurements he gave. I’d be curious to try them with JVC/Drop’s more accurate adjustments. The nice thing about their version is you still get the blank nozzle if you still want to mod them on your own

1 Like
16

I really enjoy the sound form my headphones but they are all sooo uncomfortable. I was trying to enjoy some quality music time tonight, set myself up comfortably and all, managed to get some piece and quiet and all the equipment was working spot on and after about 2 hours my annoyance level got the best of me and I switched over to IEM’s. That got me thinking :thinking: and well… here we are :innocent:

17

Hey Nick, maybe just get rid of both and blow it all on more stereo equipment :wink: jk, but not really

1 Like
18

Ah, a man after my own heart. Humorously enough I only got into the headphones because of Zeos and how interesting and enjoyable I found watching his videos. I never thought I would fall down a hole this deep :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
Also, I really don’t have a need for Headphones since the GF and I work different hours, I don’t have anyone in the house to annoy most times and could technically play the music as loud as I wanted and have all sorts of music on that would otherwise annoy her. LOL
Like all my hobbies, I just wound up wanting all the kit and everything that goes w/it. Damned if I didn’t get annoyed tonight though :rofl:

1 Like
19

On a side note, I am still getting used to the Auteurs, but I’ve put in several hour sessions without any comfort issues

20

Same situation, so I find myself being seduced back to my stereo system every several hours. I can only imagine what your REL must sound like :heart_eyes:

1 Like