[Trinity1386]

I know there used to be a home audio/headphone and other thread I actually found it but the last time someone posted in it was 2011 so I thought i won't up it and instead start a short thread of my own.

I am somewhat of an audiophile and I love music. I have a pair of HD 555's and those are for home use. But now I have an office job and am in need of some good IEM's I'm looking to spend around $150 max and price is not based on MSRP rather what you would by them on say newegg or amazon.

I am also looking for a pair of closed monitors as well either on ear or over ear at the same price range of $150.

Any suggestions from people that know what they are talking about are more then welcome to post, mostly looking at supra, and i think blazestorm and a few others used to know their audio pretty fair as well.


Thanks in advance

[Trinity1386]

No one really? I know there used to be a small group of audiophiles here.

[Promagistrate]

no, they're just all lazy

[Oedipus]

"$150" and "audiophile" even don't belong in the same thought unless the money is going towards buying Peruvian donkey fur speaker feet. Saying you're an audiophile is like saying you're a democrat; it's not a good thing.

That's probably why you're not getting any feedback.

[Trinity1386]

Somewhat being the key word here. and the reason i ask for audophile help is because i dont want to hear about how i should get skullcandy this or beats that, they are garbage and anyone who knows anything about music knows that. And you're trying to tell me that HD 555's aren't a good set of monitors especially for the price. I'm sorry I can't justify dropping $500 on a good pair of IEM's so i can listen to some quality music at my DESK AT WORK!

I hate the internet

[Oedipus]

I also don't approve of wearing headphones while working.

[randomdean]

Why are you wanting iems for work? You should use a pair of open cans so you can hear when people are trying to address you.

[Supra_MKIII]

How about, instead of criticizing his wants, you suggest something that fits into them? He already has 555s. He knows what open cans are like. He clearly wants something different.

Anyway.

For the closed cans, in that budget, the Audiotechnica ATH-A700 or ATH-M50 would likely be your best choice. They can be found around $120, which leaves you room for a headphone amp (if you felt the need, that is. It wouldn't be completely necessary as neither are super high impedance or low-sensitivity). If you can stretch your budget a little further, Beyerdynamic DT770s are fantastic at ~$180.

As for the IEMs, I'm not quite as familiar with what's available but I would likely end up with a pair of Shure SE215s.

[Oedipus]

Beats are also good.

[Trinity1386]

Originally Posted by Oedipus

Beats are also good.

This is the kinda crap i hate, crawl back under your bridge troll.

Thanks supra as always you've been helpful.

Does anyone else have experience with IEM's? I realize I need IEM's more because of my professional appearance requirements at work.

And for reference I sit in a corporate office in the accounting department inputting information into a computer. I don't even interact with other people. Situational awareness is not necessary, nor do I want open ear cans so that everyone hears my music.

[Oedipus]

Have you considered skullcandys?

[Etam]

ultimate ear 700's if you want some good IEMs in that price range

supra is spot on with dt 770's, i have a pair of the premiums and love the hell out of them

[Cmizzle]

Originally Posted by Trinity1386

This is the kinda crap i hate, crawl back under your bridge troll.

Thanks supra as always you've been helpful.

Does anyone else have experience with IEM's? I realize I need IEM's more because of my professional appearance requirements at work.

And for reference I sit in a corporate office in the accounting department inputting information into a computer. I don't even interact with other people. Situational awareness is not necessary, nor do I want open ear cans so that everyone hears my music.

I have a pair of Shure 215's and I love them. Only draw back is that they are over-the-ear IEMs. They take some getting used to and it does take a bit (~10 seconds if you are struggling) to put them in. Also if someone were to come talk to you, it takes a bit to re-position them back into your ear. However you said that you hardly interact with others so that might not be as big of a deal. After you get used to them and they form to your ears, they fit with extreme confront. I sometimes forget that I have them in. These are the lower end of the Shure family so you could buy the higher end model if you really wanted the"audiophile" status.

[DayoftheGreek]

The best audiophile advice I can give you is that 90% of the industry is a scam. You'll get the same **** for 10 times the price with a bunch of pseudo science scams tacked on. Beware of DAC's, amps, and cables. It isn't uncommon that you will get WORSE things the more you pay past a point.

Headphones are a little bit of a different story though. I'm on board with Supra's recommendations + Ultimate Ears. Except an amp for IEM's or headphones isn't based always on high impedance headphones, but also on very LOW impedance like you may find on IEM's. A very low output impedance on your computer/amp/ipod/whatever is important. A high output impedance from a source driving low output impedance IEM's makes the bass a gigantic muddy mess and then you might need an amp to correct the mismatch.

[Trinity1386]

Originally Posted by DayoftheGreek

The best audiophile advice I can give you is that 90% of the industry is a scam. You'll get the same **** for 10 times the price with a bunch of pseudo science scams tacked on. Beware of DAC's, amps, and cables. It isn't uncommon that you will get WORSE things the more you pay past a point.

Headphones are a little bit of a different story though. I'm on board with Supra's recommendations + Ultimate Ears. Except an amp for IEM's or headphones isn't based always on high impedance headphones, but also on very LOW impedance like you may find on IEM's. A very low output impedance on your computer/amp/ipod/whatever is important. A high output impedance from a source driving low output impedance IEM's makes the bass a gigantic muddy mess and then you might need an amp to correct the mismatch.

I haven't been in the market for anything for a while now, and had no idea Logitech is who made ultimate ears.... I can't believe they make quality anything... When I think of Logitech I think of cheap consumer friendly stuff like cheap keyboards, speakers, and mouses (mice sp?). Is there any specific model of ultimate ears you would recommend?

[Supra_MKIII]

Most people use headphone amps to drive high impedance cans better. There are plenty of advantages but that is the most common.

If you really wanted to get into it, different classes of amps would have different advantages and effects compare to eachother.

[JJDu4]

If you want a GREAT set of IEM's and are willing to spend a few more bucks go for these:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_119TRBP...ro-Copper.html

You can believe me or not but honestly these are some of the finest sounding IEM's for the money.

If you want a great set of over the ear headphones FOR THE MONEY look at these:

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...eadphones.html

And if you want a nice portable headphone amplifier take a look at this:

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...ifier-DAC.html

[Supra_MKIII]

Neither Crutchfield or Sonicelectronix is a good source for headphones.

[toolbandfan]

Weird first post, not sure if spam or not.