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[XBP]

Creative Aurvana Live!

Thanks for the suggestion. Passed it on to my friend.

Another question. Could you possibly recommend some IEMs under 100$? My current ones (brainwavz delta) just broke and I wanted to get something thats a little more well built this time around.

I mainly listen to hip hop/rap

Thanks.

 

[Tommy DJ]

Got the HD-650. Sounds as lovely as ever.

Also learned: thanks to the loudness war, songs have no bass. Awww FUCK. EQing 4-6 dB in makes everything so much nicer. But it still sucks, when you buy HiFi stuff bassy songs sound thin since with a DR of 7-8 you don't have a lot of volume left to make proper strong bass.

I just wish we would finally implement a standard solution so loud songs loose all advantage and I get good SQ by default.

Songs today have plenty of bass. Its just clipped and distorted so you get tons of muddy shit. This is probably made worse with the headphones you have because the Sennheiser HD650 is pretty murky in the bass and has non-existent sub-bass. I suspect the drivers don't have a whole lot of excursion either because EQing 7dB at 40hz doesn't do a whole lot to be honest with my Sennheiser HD600s.

If we're talking about masters, vinyl is the best route to go if you want good sounding music. The masters on vinyl are generally better than those on CD or digital for whatever reason.

 

[opticalmace]

Got the HD-650. Sounds as lovely as ever.

Also learned: thanks to the loudness war, songs have no bass. Awww FUCK. EQing 4-6 dB in makes everything so much nicer. But it still sucks, when you buy HiFi stuff bassy songs sound thin since with a DR of 7-8 you don't have a lot of volume left to make proper strong bass.

I just wish we would finally implement a standard solution so loud songs loose all advantage and I get good SQ by default.

Any particular songs you have in mind?

 

[Antiwhippy]

Thanks for the suggestion. Passed it on to my friend.

Another question. Could you possibly recommend some IEMs under 100$? My current ones (brainwavz delta) just broke and I wanted to get something thats a little more well built this time around.

I mainly listen to hip hop/rap

Thanks.

I'd say either go for stuff with a removable cable (because that's always the main breaking point for headphones and iems especially) like the meelec m6 pro, or go super cheap the xiaomi pistons (I would choose 2.0 over 3.0 if you mainly listen to rap).

 

[XBP]

I'd say either go for stuff with a removable cable (because that's always the main breaking point for headphones and iems especially) like the meelec m6 pro, or go super cheap the xiaomi pistons (I would choose 2.0 over 3.0 if you mainly listen to rap).

The MeElectronics look really nice. Are these decent enough for rap?

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[yamo]

Just ordered a pair of AKG K7XX through Massdrop. I've been eyeing the K712 for the longest time, but didn't really like the orange colour and found them a bit pricey. When I heard about the K7XX and found it on Massdrop I jumped on it, cheaper and all black just like I want em.

Will be my first venture into some more expensive headphones. I have a Fiio E10K that i'm using right now, hopefully it will be enough for the K7XXs.

Anyways, super excited for them to show up!

 

[Antiwhippy]

The MeElectronics look really nice. Are these decent enough for rap?

Thanks for the suggestions.

Haven't heard them, but it seems like unless you're treble sensitive or want insane bass it'll be good to go.

 

[HiResDes]

The MeElectronics look really nice. Are these decent enough for rap?

Thanks for the suggestions.

The M6 Pro are a bit more neutral than anything I'd suggest for a hip hop head though the overall build quality, comfort and value are great.

I think the Xiaomi Piston 2.0, JVC HA FXT90, Vsonic VSD3, Fidue A71, and the Ostry KC06a especially would be my recommendation of IEMs to check out. Fidue if you want crazy amounts of bass.

 

[SteveO409]

Thanks for the suggestion. Passed it on to my friend.

Another question. Could you possibly recommend some IEMs under 100$? My current ones (brainwavz delta) just broke and I wanted to get something thats a little more well built this time around.

I mainly listen to hip hop/rap

Thanks.

Soundmagic E80 came out with their new IEM and it seems good for the price.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/soundmagic-e80-in-ear-monitor-headphone/reviews/13683

I will likely pick this up to replace my broken gr07


edit: wow micca store got it in stock and its cheaper for $51
http://www.miccastore.com/soundmagic-e80-noise-isolating-inear-headphones-p-138.html

 

[andylsun]

Trust me to browse on ebay at 3am local time from China. Just bought a pair of

STAX SR-X MK III

for not a lot of money.

Thanks to a muck up from Audiocubes, I already have a brand new set of pads for them from STAX Japan (they sent SR-X pads instead of SR-5 pads with my order last year).

did I need them? no... but should be an interesting comparison with my white SR-5. The SR-X MK III are supposed to be more monitor-like.

Might try to pick up another cheap normal bias energizer, which would then bring my total number of STAX sets to 3.

Got a horrid feeling this isn't going to end well until I get a SR-007 in a few years.

Edit: ooh there's an SRD-X portable energizer on the bay as well. That would make a nice travel set with the MK III

 

[X-Frame]

I've had the V-Sonic GR07 Classic earphones for a while now and absolutely love them. All the genre's of music that I listen to frequently sound amazing with these earphones.

I had an Amazon gift card and had always wondered if I would prefer the Bass Editions so I bought them. Last weekend they were delivered and I have spent I'd say about 50 hours so far "burning" them in with just normal music I listen to. Apparently many people claim burn-in changes the BE's for the better.

Comparing them now side by side with the Classic's with various songs and ... I still greatly prefer the Classic's.

Now this is going to be incredibly unscientific and I'm sure you all could translate -- but I've found that they're just louder overall. It seems like there are "spikes" where some aspects of the music are boosted well beyond the Classic's. Obviously the bass is one, but it also seems like the treble is noticeably higher. Listening to the same song with the Bass Editions started giving me a headache, and switching immediately back to the Classic's and no headache, even if I dropped the volume to compensate.

Maybe the BE's need more burn-in? Or my brain is just used to the Classic's?

 

[Tommy DJ]

Double post

 

[Tommy DJ]

Burn in is pretty much bullshit. If manufacturers can't even channel match and constnatly create headphones with bad fundamentals, what makes you think they account for burn in? Heck, if burn in was as important as people claim it to be, it should make a lot of headphones worse.

If things sound bad, they sound bad. Something audio communities don't like to admit but some things just don't sound good to you (or are actually bad products). From the sounds of things, you just prefer the Classics for whatever reason.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Brain burn in is a thing. You'd be surprised how easily adaptable our brain is.

 

[X-Frame]

Burn in is pretty much bullshit. If manufacturers can't even channel match and constnatly create headphones with bad fundamentals, what makes you think they account for burn in? Heck, if burn in was as important as people claim it to be, it should make a lot of headphones worse.

If things sound bad, they sound bad. Something audio communities don't like to admit but some things just don't sound good to you (or are actually bad products). From the sounds of things, you just prefer the Classics for whatever reason.

Yeah, I can't argue with what I am hearing and I'm hearing a pretty substantial difference at this point.

Another question -- can you or anyone help me distinguish all these tips that I received? I always read people preferring hybrid tips, how do I know which ones I received are hybrid tips? And why does that make a noticeable difference?

Are hybrid tips the ones where the insides are filled with foam?

 

[Tommy DJ]

Brain burn in is a thing. You'd be surprised how easily adaptable our brain is.

Yes it is a thing.

That doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I don't believe in slugging myself with audio equipment that gives me pain. If something sounds offensive, it sounds offensive.

 

[XBP]

Haven't heard them, but it seems like unless you're treble sensitive or want insane bass it'll be good to go.

The M6 Pro are a bit more neutral than anything I'd suggest for a hip hop head though the overall build quality, comfort and value are great.

I think the Xiaomi Piston 2.0, JVC HA FXT90, Vsonic VSD3, Fidue A71, and the Ostry KC06a especially would be my recommendation of IEMs to check out. Fidue if you want crazy amounts of bass.

Soundmagic E80 came out with their new IEM and it seems good for the price.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/soundmagic-e80-in-ear-monitor-headphone/reviews/13683

I will likely pick this up to replace my broken gr07


edit: wow micca store got it in stock and its cheaper for $51
http://www.miccastore.com/soundmagic-e80-noise-isolating-inear-headphones-p-138.html

Thanks once again for the suggestions guys. Went through all these again and I've narrowed it down to 3:

Soundmagic e80 = 90CAD
JVC HA FXT90 = 88CAD
Ostry KC06A = 75CAD

Which one should I go for? All three seem to have great reviews so I'm not sure what would be the best option.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Honestly? Just get the cheapest one out of that bunch. I really don't trust IEMs without a removable cable to last over 2 years. Or even 1 year, but I do exercises that involves rigorous movement.

 

[XBP]

Honestly? Just get the cheapest one out of that bunch. I really don't trust IEMs without a removable cable to last over 2 years. Or even 1 year, but I do exercises that involves rigorous movement.

hm... the Vsonic VSD3S has detachable cables and it would be the cheapest from the bunch (60CAD). Any thoughts on that?

 

[HiResDes]

hm... the Vsonic VSD3S has detachable cables and it would be the cheapest from the bunch (60CAD). Any thoughts on that?

Get anything but the Soundmagic E80, which is also tuned to be somewhat neutral sounding, the E50 is tuned more for hip hop if you like form factor. I'd stake that the JVC have the best build quality, but the only caveat with them is that you might find their size and shallow insertion to be uncomfortable.

 

[FoxSpirit]

And the scary thing is warmer headphones are probably the most forgiving when it comes to poorly mastered music. Be happy you're not using DT 880s or something haha.

I rather have dominant K2 than dominant K3 so yeah, the error is on my preferred side of the spectrum.

Any particular songs you have in mind?

All pop of the past 15 years. EDM. Hip Hop.
The most funny thing is when a song is featured in a movie and sounds much better there. I didn't get it for some time until I learned that movies had maximum loudness restrictions for a long time as this needs to really get going in a theater. And since a loud mastered song would stick out as either muddy or whimpy in a normalised environment you get a different master. Radiostations get a different master too since they send it through their own compressor and an already brutality compressed song runs the risk of turning into audio garbage in the process.

Songs today have plenty of bass. Its just clipped and distorted so you get tons of muddy shit. This is probably made worse with the headphones you have because the Sennheiser HD650 is pretty murky in the bass and has non-existent sub-bass. I suspect the drivers don't have a whole lot of excursion either because EQing 7dB at 40hz doesn't do a whole lot to be honest with my Sennheiser HD600s.

If we're talking about masters, vinyl is the best route to go if you want good sounding music. The masters on vinyl are generally better than those on CD or digital for whatever reason.

How is a song supposed to have strong bass transients with the micro headroom that is used? Warbly garbage next to the kickbass in stuff like old Kraftwerk.
Oh, and the 600 are not the 650, where the bass is much better. But yeah, not so much subbass. Also Sennheiser is quitely updating drivers in them all the time. I am not sure when they made the latest change in the 650 but the current version sounds surprisingly clean and clear.
An image of the silent upgrades to the HD600:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/740942/com...-sennheisers-hd600-vs-hd650/105#post_11112881

Btw, did you know that youtube has started to use loudness normalisation? Not completely sure of the method, but around -13LUFS. Would have prefered Apple's -16LUFS but hey, it's a start and we can always simply go down a few dB further ahead. Pretty funny, some producers are already adapting. Suddenly youtube masters sound better than CD masters. Fucking crazy.
You can now have 2 versons of Skrillex, brickwalled to hell and something with actual quality

 

[XBP]

Get anything but the Soundmagic E80, which is also tuned to be somewhat neutral sounding, the E50 is tuned more for hip hop if you like form factor. I'd stake that the JVC have the best build quality, but the only caveat with them is that you might find their size and shallow insertion to be uncomfortable.

Went for the JVCs. Hopefully they turn out ok. Now to wait 3 weeks for them to ship from Japan.

Thanks a lot for your help though.

 

[BreakyBoy]

A bit under a year ago, I posted about my Sennheiser HD595s breaking after many years of loving use. Based on the recommendations I was reading here (mostly from HiResDes, of course) and in places like Head-Fi, I ended up taking a chance on the affordable Don Scorpio Dolphins.

I never did get back here after trying them out. And I really should have, because they really surpassed my expectations for the price. Really nice looking, decent soundstage, and just a nice slightly warm sound. Distinct bass, clear mids, and nice sparkly treble. The fit was a little tight for my head, but the pads were comfortable, and it all fit really compactly into the nice water-resistant case it came with. It really was fantastic for the price I paid.

And I say was, because my big fat head broke them:

Not the best picture to show it maybe, but that messy looking headband isn't normal. That's where I wrapped electrical tape in a failed attempt to keep the headband together after it snapped.

I just couldn't ever get them on my head without flexing that head band past the point it probably should be flexed. I wore them all the time, home and office, so they got a lot of use, but I guess that headband could only hold up to that abuse for so long.

When the HD595s broke, I thought about just stepping up to Senneiser HD600s, but decided to save my money by going for the 3x cheaper Dolphins instead. I can't say they're better, since I've yet to own HD600s, but despite them breaking, I think that decision worked out pretty well.

So, what headphones now?

Bah, I couldn't wait. I just ordered them a few weeks ago. And I got back from a trip to find my new MrSpeakers Alpha Primes waiting for me:

I've always wanted closed headphones for the sound isolation, but didn't want to lose out on the open soundstage. This is supposed to be best of both worlds. My desktop amp is at the office, so I'll find out tomorrow. Really excited!

 

[Tommy DJ]

How is a song supposed to have strong bass transients with the micro headroom that is used? Warbly garbage next to the kickbass in stuff like old Kraftwerk.

Kraftwek's main success is their overall production quality, which is the true loss today. People put far too much emphasis on dynamic range because something with high or decent dynamic range does not mean it will sound good. Like Justice For All has pretty decent DR (12) but it still sounds like shit. Most of Michael Jackson's SACDs have high dynamic range but have messed up equalization.

That's the point I was getting at. The problem is less the low dynamic range but rather the fact that people are producing audio that doesn't sound good. Most of this is poor EQing as well as music that clips and distorts especially when played loud.

Oh, and the 600 are not the 650, where the bass is much better. But yeah, not so much subbass. Also Sennheiser is quitely updating drivers in them all the time. I am not sure when they made the latest change in the 650 but the current version sounds surprisingly clean and clear.
An image of the silent upgrades to the HD600:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/740942/com...-sennheisers-hd600-vs-hd650/105#post_11112881

I don't think so...

I'm not sure how they're "much better" than the HD600 unless you're equating a few extra dB around 100hz as "better". CSDs of the current HD650s (like this year current) aren't particularly great and neither is the distortion.

Listening to them a few months ago, I agree with the measurements. The bass still sounds bloated and lacks any serious impact. I'm well aware of the changes to the HD650 but they really sound like HD600s without the hot midrange to me.

 

[HiResDes]

A bit under a year ago, I posted about my Sennheiser HD595s breaking after many years of loving use. Based on the recommendations I was reading here (mostly from HiResDes, of course) and in places like Head-Fi, I ended up taking a chance on the affordable Don Scorpio Dolphins.

I never did get back here after trying them out. And I really should have, because they really surpassed my expectations for the price. Really nice looking, decent soundstage, and just a nice slightly warm sound. Distinct bass, clear mids, and nice sparkly treble. The fit was a little tight for my head, but the pads were comfortable, and it all fit really compactly into the nice water-resistant case it came with. It really was fantastic for the price I paid.

And I say was, because my big fat head broke them:



Not the best picture to show it maybe, but that messy looking headband isn't normal. That's where I wrapped electrical tape in a failed attempt to keep the headband together after it snapped.

I just couldn't ever get them on my head without flexing that head band past the point it probably should be flexed. I wore them all the time, home and office, so they got a lot of use, but I guess that headband could only hold up to that abuse for so long.

When the HD595s broke, I thought about just stepping up to Senneiser HD600s, but decided to save my money by going for the 3x cheaper Dolphins instead. I can't say they're better, since I've yet to own HD600s, but despite them breaking, I think that decision worked out pretty well.

So, what headphones now?

Bah, I couldn't wait. I just ordered them a few weeks ago. And I got back from a trip to find my new MrSpeakers Alpha Primes waiting for me:



I've always wanted closed headphones for the sound isolation, but didn't want to lose out on the open soundstage. This is supposed to be best of both worlds. My desktop amp is at the office, so I'll find out tomorrow. Really excited!

Man I think you made a great choice, hard to go wrong with those, and they really scale quite tremendously the better your setup gets. Sorry about the Dolphins, read about some build quality problems with them a few months later and felt bad for recommending them despite their potential great value. You made a crazy jump, I would have been inclined to just go with the Mad Dog Pro or LFF Paradox Slants. I can't imagine going from headphones in the hundred to two hundred range to headphones that cost a thousand. I hope you don't experience too much of a diminishing return and hope you have a good setup to drive them, because although they're not supposed to be crazy power hungry they definitely seem to need a little something to elicit refinement. Altogether good choice, but I just worry that you could have saved like $500 and been happy with something much cheaper with more efficiency if you're gonna be taking them places or better value like an entry Stax system if we're talking home use.

 

[FoxSpirit]

Kraftwek's main success is their overall production quality, which is the true loss today. People put far too much emphasis on dynamic range because something with high or decent dynamic range does not mean it will sound good. Like Justice For All has pretty decent DR (12) but it still sounds like shit. Most of Michael Jackson's SACDs have high dynamic range but have messed up equalization.

That's the point I was getting at. The problem is less the low dynamic range but rather the fact that people are producing audio that doesn't sound good. Most of this is poor EQing as well as music that clips and distorts especially when played loud.



I don't think so...

I'm not sure how they're "much better" than the HD600 unless you're equating a few extra dB around 100hz as "better". CSDs of the current HD650s (like this year current) aren't particularly great and neither is the distortion.

Listening to them a few months ago, I agree with the measurements. The bass still sounds bloated and lacks any serious impact. I'm well aware of the changes to the HD650 but they really sound like HD600s without the hot midrange to me.

Any personal tip on the 300 range for good bass response or is something like ortho the only serious choice to get good bass in a headphone?

Oh, and I agree dynamic range does in no way mean it will sound good. But old Kraftwerk's kickbass like in "We are the Robots" is simply something to behold. Loosing something like 6dB in punch there would make it much less impressive in my opinion. But I will readily admit I heard stuff with low DR that sounded pretty great.

 

[Syroc]

They sound great, but they leak a little bit more sound then the others and the Sennheiser because they're semi open. Hope this is okay.

Man, these are so much better than the Urbanears I was forced to use these last two weeks. The highs are maybe a touch to high, but that might just seem that way to me be because I'm used to something else. Really comfortable as well, even with glasses.

Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[HiResDes]

Man, these are so much better than the Urbanears I was forced to use these last two weeks. The highs are maybe a touch to high, but that might just seem that way to me be because I'm used to something else. Really comfortable as well, even with glasses.

Thanks for the recommendation!

Did you get the Samson SR850, yeah those have some sibilance for sure, undoubtedly their biggest weakness, but everything else is quite impressive considering their price... Glad you liked I know there's a mod you can do to tame the highs if you search on headfi and are willing to tinker a bit.

 

[j-wood]

Wireless beats solo 2 on sale at best buy for 199. Not going to lie, wireless headphones sound awesome

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/beats-b...gray/8691023.p?id=1219694766341&skuId=8691023

But I have the bose sound true over the ear ones.

 

[Syroc]

Did you get the Samson SR850, yeah those have some sibilance for sure, undoubtedly their biggest weakness, but everything else is quite impressive considering their price... Glad you liked I know there's a mod you can do to tame the highs if you search on headfi and are willing to tinker a bit.

Yeah, those are the ones I got. Maybe I'll play around with the equalizer a bit. My tinkering usually just results it broken things.

 

[BreakyBoy]

Man I think you made a great choice, hard to go wrong with those, and they really scale quite tremendously the better your setup gets. Sorry about the Dolphins, read about some build quality problems with them a few months later and felt bad for recommending them despite their potential great value. You made a crazy jump, I would have been inclined to just go with the Mad Dog Pro or LFF Paradox Slants. I can't imagine going from headphones in the hundred to two hundred range to headphones that cost a thousand. I hope you don't experience too much of a diminishing return and hope you have a good setup to drive them, because although they're not supposed to be crazy power hungry they definitely seem to need a little something to elicit refinement. Altogether good choice, but I just worry that you could have saved like $500 and been happy with something much cheaper with more efficiency if you're gonna be taking them places or better value like an entry Stax system if we're talking home use.

Well, I've never personally made the financial plunge, but I have had the opportunity to use cans in the $500+ range before. I have a few friends cross-country that are bigger audiophiles than I am. And worst case scenario, I know I can probably sell these for near what I paid for them. I had the extra money, so why not?

As for my equipment, I'm using a Geek Pulse for a DAC/amp at work. I have both a Geek Out 1000 and a Fiio E17k for when I'm on the go. I think I'll be fine? The Alpha Primes are probably too much for walking around with, so I'll probably stick to my IEMs for that. In those cases, I'm usually listening to podcasts, and music streamed via Google Play, so it's not like my source is crystal clear anyway.

It's been a busy day, so I haven't had a chance to sit at my desk and try them yet. But soon!

 

[HiResDes]

You'll be fine, good setup actually enjoy my man.

 

[Antiwhippy]

So let's say I want to theoretically jump into the deep end for iems.

Noble audio 3u or fidue a83?

Deep end for me anyway. I know the true deep end would be like getting a noble Kaiser 10.

 

[HiResDes]

So let's say I want to theoretically jump into the deep end for iems.

Noble audio 3u or fidue a83?

Deep end for me anyway. I know the true deep end would be like getting a noble Kaiser 10.

Dunu DN-2000J

 

[Antiwhippy]

Nah, if there isn't a removable cable I'm not going to pay more than $50.

 

[Baron Von Beans]

Apologies in advance.....I skipped to the end and read the last several posts to see what was being talked about, and saw something that kind of is along why I am here.

I am looking for in ear monitors, something I can use for my band. I saw, some posts up -

Soundmagic E80 came out with their new IEM and it seems good for the price.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/soundmagic-e80-in-ear-monitor-headphone/reviews/13683

/snip...

Now, from reading the review, this person was using them for straight music. Are in ear headphones referred to as monitors in other parts of the world? Forgive my ignorance on that part, that is my curiosity talking while I brought that up, and this is the best & easiest place for that answer.

Back to my real query though, for in ear monitors for my band mates and I to use on stage, I am at a loss for what to look for - brands, ranges, everything. Would anyone in this thread be able to at least point me in a general direction? I've searched GAF, and really only see posts relating to headphones. I'm tempted to make a thread, but I don't know if I'm ready for the task of creating my first thread, despite being here for over a year now. I'm not one to do something halfassed, so I know I'd spend far too much making the thread than it would take to do something like this. I don't want to hijack or derail anything here though, if the IEM I need are not quite the same as what others are speaking about...

But in case someone CAN help me, a little info about my band to possibly help YOU make a better recommendation. I play trombone in a seven piece original funk band. I am looking for IEM for the horn players: trumpet, sax & myself. We are a loud band. That aspect about us will not change. We've (myself, other horn players) have already asked about turning everything down, but that isn't a possibility. So IEM mixed with earplugs is where we are looking.

Preferably, I am looking for something that can either be added upon, (so we can add more IEM's down the road if we only go with one or two to begin with), or something that comes with multiple IEM's up front. But we would need three total, and they would need to be wireless to the extent of a wireless receiver, but a cord going to the actual earbud is fine....way cheaper and stable too, I'm sure.

I'll gauge the response here....but I may just do a thread anyway....but thank you to all for any and all help, and apologies if this is way out of place here...there just isn't anywhere else!

 

[Antiwhippy]

There's a lot of other things you need to list down here. Price range, source and all that. Are you playing into mics that inputs the sound into a source which can output into anything with a 3.5 or 6.3 jack?

I can't actually think of a Bluetooth iem where there's a dedicated Bluetooth transmitter that you can plug into any source. You might need to check out Bluetooth transmitters and see how they pair up with your source and iems. For manufacturers that do Bluetooth iems you can check brainwavz, jaybirds and meelectronic, though they mostly cater to the sports market.

For wired ones, if isolation is an issue that is top priority the shure se215 are highly isolating at a reasonable price, though I'm sure others will know better options. You might want to get an audio splitter if your source doesn't support multiple audio inputs.

Also yes, in ear monitors are just in ear headphones.

 

[Baron Von Beans]

There's a lot of other things you need to list down here. Price range, source and all that. Are you playing into mics that inputs the sound into a source which can output into anything with a 3.5 or 6.3 jack?

I can't actually think of a Bluetooth iem where there's a dedicated Bluetooth transmitter that you can plug into any source. You might need to check out Bluetooth transmitters and see how they pair up with your source and iems. For manufacturers that do Bluetooth iems you can check brainwavz, jaybirds and meelectronic, though they mostly cater to the sports market.

For wired ones, if isolation is an issue that is top priority the shure se215 are highly isolating at a reasonable price, though I'm sure others will know better options. You might want to get an audio splitter if your source doesn't support multiple audio inputs.

Also yes, in ear monitors are just in ear headphones.

This is what I was wanting....I am still fairly new to the technical side of the audio game, sorry for the lacking of certain details...I just show up and play But I have been trying to get a more hands on, as our bass player is rather well versed in sound mixing & other technicals. ANYHOO...

Price range is maybe a max of $100 per IEM, but, depending on what is available, that might increase dramatically. So, let's say $300-$400. Playing into mics, generally 57s, which then run to the sound board, then to the stage monitors/FOH speakers.

Regarding bluetooth IEMs, is BT a trusted enough signal to not have any major loss for this sort of thing? I don't know anything about it, just that it can be fickle from time to time with my phone and a headset. But the main device can be wired, if there is a powered base somewhere that plugs into the soundboard, but then beams that to a receiver we would have on our persons while we play.

I will certainly look in to the items you suggested though. I've been browsing around on Amazon in between work & gaf, and I really have no bearing on what I am looking at. Your suggestions will help point me in the right direction. We are meeting tonight, which is good too, so I can bring things up to the band as well. Thank you very much Antiwhippy

If anyone else wants to chime in as well, don't be afraid. I want to get as knowledgable as I can in these. Planning on doing a bunch of research tonight, and the following nights.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

I wasn't really terribly impressed by the Kaiser 10 the several times I'd heard it. I think it has really good mids and sounds solid all around but... I dunno. It just didn't really excel at any one thing. Super overpriced and overrated phone IMO. Gorgeous if you can afford the Wizard designs but super plain Jane, boring as sin in universal form.

Getting the Dunu D2KJ in today.

Also have to redact my previous statement in regard to the R2Pro. After James came up with the idea that the seal on the end cap DOES alter the sound (if there's any space in between the O-ring and the driver inside of the housing, it creates a sort of resonance chamber which results in boomy bass, I've tested this myself by unscrewing the cap a bit), and suggested the teabag mod to tame some of the emphasis up high, the R2Pro is now some of the very best phones I've ever heard. Seriously.

I ran the idea of R2Pro >= UERM by James and he agreed. The R2Pro is a bit warmer, a bit smoother/relaxed in the upper midrange, and there's more heft down low (presence at 20 Hz. when running test tones is pretty remarkable for a phone of this form factor), but it absolutely matches the UERM in many categories including, shockingly enough, space, while exceeding it in some things such as timbral realism (piano/strings... not really the UERM's forte). Some recordings just sound absolutely ginormous on the R2Pro.

The only thing I can knock so far, is that the UERM is still smoother across the FR. This may not seem all that important, but the emphasis at 6-8 kHz means that my ears actually get tired from listening to the R2Pro quicker than the UERM, where I can listen pretty much forever and not experience any fatigue.

Other than that, this is pretty much the holy grail of IEMs to me - performs at the highest levels, extremely comfy, can be driven by a smart phone, absolutely tiny size, affordably priced (well at KS levels at least). Rockets still have a very alluring midrange, terrific balance, and tank like build quality in its favor, and I can see people preferring that more intimate, mid centric signature overall.

 

[Antiwhippy]

By soundboard I assume you mean audio mixer?

They usually come with headphones outputs.

I wasn't really terribly impressed by the Kaiser 10 the several times I'd heard it. I think it has really good mids and sounds solid all around but... I dunno. It just didn't really excel at any one thing. Super overpriced and overrated phone IMO. Gorgeous if you can afford the Wizard designs but super plain Jane, boring as sin in universal form.

That's why I wanted the noble 3 because it's a v shape sound. Also the fact that it's the most affordable one.

The r2pros sound great but then again, no detachable cable.

It's seriously my pet peeve for the upper tier audio stuff.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

The cable is actually user replaceable! It's a modular design. They plan on releasing different cables and plug types and perhaps even driver upgrades in be future.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Oh wait, how does that work?

That actually does change things up quite a bit.

How's the treble extension? The lack of treble extension is what made me eventually sell off the momentum, and I'm now weary of stuff where they say that the treble is laid back.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Oh wait, how does that work?

That actually does change things up quite a bit.

Unscrew end cap. Pull out driver, replace with new driver/cable assembly. You can see the O-ring there in the pic. That's supposed to fit flush against the back of the driver to seal off the cavity inside. I can't even articulate to you, just how insanely minuscule the R2Pro is. The sound that comes out of it, however, is absolutely shocking (provided you have the optimal tips for your ears, I get an incredibly balanced and airy sound that can absolutely pound with K3003 tips).

 

[HiResDes]

Nah, if there isn't a removable cable I'm not going to pay more than $50.

I forgot the FLC 8 are also in your price range and feature a modular design.

 

[Dave_6]

I'm thinking that my Modi 2 may be dead Getting a "No speakers or headphones are plugged in" notification from Windows. I've restarted my PC a couple times, switched USB ports and unplugged the unit. Ugh :/

It was working this morning before I turned the PC off too. I usually leave it on for quite a while and decided to give it a break today while I was at work.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Looking at how the flare r2pros are constructed, and damn, how is securing a thin rubber cable by holding it flush on bare metal and what I assume are fairly sharp ridges of the screw a good idea?

Apparently someone in the head-fi thread have it eat all the way into the bare wires already.

 

[HiResDes]

While I understand why you want removable cables, often times implementing a modular design like leads to design flaws that actually make the overall build less sturdy than something with a traditional cable like I'd wager I won't have to replace anything on my Rockets for a decade and yet I don't think it could have been designed with the same durability if it had a a removable cable.

 

[Antiwhippy]

That's the thing though, with the rockets I can see that they have paid special attention to the cable to make it more durable, and would have been one of my choices if I didn't read about the laid back bass and highs which is kind of the opposite of what I want.

Cables for most of what I've tried though are mostly terrible. Granted I've only been playing around with sub $50 to $100 iems, where the build quality is often average at best. Plus I feel like removable cables for iems are so standardised with westone and shure connectors now.

Also I do not treat my iems gently. I don't intentionally abuse them, but it's hard to be gentle when you're exercising. Probably will treat it differently if I have something more expensive, but still, I'd rather have something more versatile.

Hell, all this mainly comes from modding my k551 to be detachable. Made it so much more versatile. Plus one if the things I love about the hd251-II is how much of it can be used replaceable.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Looking at how the flare r2pros are constructed, and damn, how is securing a thin rubber cable by holding it flush on bare metal and what I assume are fairly sharp ridges of the screw a good idea?

Apparently someone in the head-fi thread have it eat all the way into the bare wires already.

Oh, James' pair is practically stripped because he purposefully opened his pair up over and over to run sine sweeps to get to the bottom of a boomy bass issue. Lucky he did too, otherwise I'd probably have a completely different opinion of the R2Pro since my pair had the same issue that James' did (although it was self induced in my case, as I'd unscrewed the end cap on day one to look inside out of curiosity and just didn't screw it back up fully). I'm not sure that that would ever occur under normal circumstances TBH since you should only ever open it up to replace the cable anyway.

While I understand why you want removable cables, often times implementing a modular design like leads to design flaws that actually make the overall build less sturdy than something with a traditional cable like I'd wager I won't have to replace anything on my Rockets for a decade and yet I don't think it could have been designed with the same durability if it had a a removable cable.

Totally agreed. Like look at JH Audio. It seems like I'm reading of cable failures on the Layla like every other damned week. Same with all of the phones that use an MMCX connection. It's just not full proof no matter what. If you're gonna manhandle your phones, the only phone I can heartily recommend is the Rockets cause otherwise, I can pretty much guarantee it'll fail on you.

Antiwhippy:

You might wanna wait on the Aurisonics' Bravo series IEMs if you're looking for a phone with a lively presentation and tank build. Those have MMCX style connectors as well, and you can pick up a replacement cable for a fair price I believe as there are many inexpensive third party MMCX cables. The Bravo series seems like it's pretty versatile in terms of signature (everything from more neutral to bass heavy) and the prices seem quite fair $99 for the entry level Solo I think and the TOTL Harmony is $500 I believe.

http://www.musicaacoustics.com/#!Aurisonics-new-Bravo-Series/cgfd/55763d5c0cf24a19838761b8

 

[Antiwhippy]

Thanks for bringing my attention to those. It'll be awhile before I jump onto the upper tier of iems, but I do want to make that jump.