How do you guys feel about spending $$$ on high-end IEMs?
Just curious, because I had initially thought that I wanted to drop $100-$200 on some nice IEMs, but I've been using $25 Sony earbuds that have plenty good sound quality and a comfortable fit. Not as good as my dt770s, but miles ahead of SkullCandy/iPhone quality.
Idk if I can justify expensive buds/IEMs like I could a full sized set
It depends on how often you use your IEMs. Do you take them outside when you walk? Commute? If you use them for at least 30 minutes a day, I think that would justify spending the money on some more expensive IEMs. I think if you purchase the Vsonic GR07, you will find that it is close to the DT770's performance. It's not quite there since it's an IEM, but it does have very good sound quality. For reference, I used to own the dt770/250 and I still currently use the gr07 when I go out or commute.
IEM performance sometimes isn't very closely related to price. An awful lot of people rate the cheap Philips SHE3880 very highly:
http://kingoftweaks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/philips-she3580-audiophile-sound-for-599.html- I rate them as equal but different to the Etymotics I have that cost ten times as much. They're rather more comfortable too.
Headphonewise, I like the Sennheiser HD25-ii:
They are closed, on-ear phones. I like then because
- The sound is neutral and revealing
- The drivers are far fast responding - a lot of even high end headphones can't respond quickly and leave the edges of fast transient sounds blurry instead of sharp, robbing them of attack
(A lot of people describe them as having more of a Grado than Senheisser personality because of the two above traits.)
- Excellent isolation
- Small enough to use while traveling, big enough to wear all day
- Notoriously tough, and all parts available as user replaceable spares
- The adjustable split band design stays on your head no matter what - you can jog, etc, with these on.
They were originally designed for TV and radio news teams, spread to pro dj's, and then the consumer market.