Quick Comparison of 63 IEMs (Spreadsheet)

[arnold]

First of all, thanks to dfkt for all the great work.

Now, I'd appreciate if dfkt (or someone else with knowledge) has the time to answer this question that has been riddling me forever:

What's the best in-ear for good quantity and quality bass reproduction with good isolation?

I'm looking for a good quality iem in all regards. Right now I use the Shure SE530 with Comply's and I'm pretty happy with that, but I'd like a bit more bass without overall quality suffering and I'm not willing to sacrifice the isolation. Maybe even a little less sibilance if possible.

Now, some people say that the Earsonics SM3 has more bass than the SE530 and some people say that the SE530 has more. Then again, some say the Westone UM3X or Westone 3 has more or as much bass than the SE530 or SM3 and other say that they have less. It's pretty confusing! People just don't seem to be able to decide a simple thing like that.

So... How is it? What IEM puts the most bass with good overall sound quality while giving good isolation? Will the SM3 give more bass than SE530?

Ps. Depth of insertion and tightness of seal is important to me. The best insertion that I've got from iem's that I've tried was with Shure SE210, which has a low angle between the tip and the earphone. The SE530 has a greater angle between the tip that's inserted into ear and the body of the earphone so they don't go quite as deep. The Westone's seem to have (what I've been able to figure out from pictures) even more angle between the tip and the body, so they may not insert as deep. Then again, the Earsonics would appear to have a pretty low angle and I would guess that they can be inserted more easily deep enough than the SE530. Can you share ony wisdom on this part also?

Thanks a bunch!

[CrowdAds]

[JK98]

Why aren't any of the ME Electronics iems on the list? How about the JVC models under $100? I am curious about what you think of the JVCFXC51 and FXC80. How about including some of the very popular low priced iems such as the JVC HAFX67 and HAFX1x? How about including more Sennheiser models?

[musichound]

Originally Posted by dfkt

I made a preliminary list of all the IEMs I own (or have tested exhaustively), comparing major aspects, quality- and quantity-wise. Sorted in order of my personal current preference (best on top, worst on bottom):

Originally Posted by JK98

Why aren't any of the ME Electronics iems on the list? How about the JVC models under $100? I am curious about what you think of the JVCFXC51 and FXC80. How about including some of the very popular low priced iems such as the JVC HAFX67 and HAFX1x? How about including more Sennheiser models?

Chances are dfkt doesn't own them or borrowed them from anyone. If you want them included, please provide them to him for ABI's best interest.

[Yagmort]

kinda missing Atrio MG7..

[keyb_gr]

What a great list.

So it seems the ranks of IEMs with good isolation still aren't terribly crowded - Etys, Shures, Westones, Phonaks and some custom UEs and Earsonics. And they typically still aren't for bassheads. Good to know.

Funny seeing ye olde ER-6 (non-i) in the list. The assessment seems about right. They did isolate well, but needed some massive EQ to sound half-decent. SE420s were a definite step up in both handling and sound, though I still use some EQ.

[JxK]

Originally Posted by keyb_gr

What a great list.

So it seems the ranks of IEMs with good isolation still aren't terribly crowded - Etys, Shures, Westones, Phonaks and some custom UEs and Earsonics. And they typically still aren't for bassheads. Good to know.

Funny seeing ye olde ER-6 (non-i) in the list. The assessment seems about right. They did isolate well, but needed some massive EQ to sound half-decent. SE420s were a definite step up in both handling and sound, though I still use some EQ.

You can take the phonaks off your list. The PFE has decent isolation, but not what I would classify as good. Certainly not something I'd take with me on an airplane. Now, if you are willing to use comply tips, that changes. But complys come with their own downsides.

[Leen]

Originally Posted by JxK

You can take the phonaks off your list. The PFE has decent isolation, but not what I would classify as good. Certainly not something I'd take with me on an airplane. Now, if you are willing to use comply tips, that changes. But complys come with their own downsides.

I forced the shure's black olives onto phonak and the isolation improved. That was how I withstood my 12-hr plane ride. =)

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by JxK

You can take the phonaks off your list. The PFE has decent isolation, but not what I would classify as good. Certainly not something I'd take with me on an airplane. Now, if you are willing to use comply tips, that changes. But complys come with their own downsides.

Sometimes the list format in the first post is too limited when further clarification is required, some points really need more information...

Yeah, with the silicone tips the PFE isolate just a bit more than what goes for average - but I compared the PFE with Comply foam tips to the UE11 on a flight - and they virtually isolated from the engine noise the same as the customs, which was rather surprising.

[alphachin]

Originally Posted by dfkt

I made a preliminary list of all the IEMs I own (or have tested exhaustively), comparing major aspects, quality- and quantity-wise. Sorted in order of my personal current preference (best on top, worst on bottom):



The list and ranking may change... but maybe it's useful to some of you guys.

And always remember: This is just my opinion, my experience with these IEMs, and your mileage may vary!

you forgot the speeds in each iem for example mdr ex 1000 are slow while ck10 are super fast. I'm interesting in comparing speeds between ck10, re0, and jvc fx700

[Lagoo56]

I'm agreeing with Dfkt's opinion on the bass quality and quantity of the SoundMagic E10's,it took an entire night of listening for the bass to really start kicking in,now I feel alot of thumping lol

[miow]

hey dfkt, just knew you are about to listen to the YAMAHA EPH-100's. Just make sure they have 200 hours of burn-in, as bass suffer significant changes (gets tighter and controlled), which makes everything sound better, especially for genres they are not best with (jazz, fado, classical).

Looking forward for your impressions about them

[odigg]

dfkt - Have you heard the Vsonic GR07? If so, where would it fit on this table? I'm probably 6 months too late, but it receives some very positive comments - even now when the FOTM stage seems to be over.

[gupti]

Thanks for this thread, dfkt. I would have made a thread to ask which IEMs I should get, but I don't need to anymore!

[Kecupochren]

Hello, currently I am deciding between MTPG and JVC HA-FX700,I guess I will go with JVCs, alltho, how bad is their isolation? Can it isolate noise in public transport, or basically, outside? Thanks for answer.