[Eugguy]

What IEMs will offer huge soundstage and bass? I like the deep rumbling sound the ie80s can offer. I listen to a lot of house/edm. I also love softer female vocals such as Norah Jones, Sia... I own and have tried a number of popular IEMs such as:

1. Sennheiser IE8- I owned. Loved it. I liked the bass and soundstage. Sometimes a little hurtful at higher volumes.
2. Sennheiser IE80-currently own-my primary iem. It's great, but hasn't been burned in completely. About 30-40 hours. It's similar to the ie8, with a little more bass presence.
3. Westone UM3X-currently own-not used as much as the ie80, but I use this for vocals, chillout, strings, softer rock. No soundstage, but good separation. I'm not into the um3x sound as much. Feels very closed in. Also isnt good for edm.
4. Denon C300-owned-fit was an issue. Similar to ie8 but felt it missing something in the sound. Decent soundstage.
5. Atrios M5-owned. Didnt like. Sharp to my ears. Bass was ok. No sound stage.

I'm looking at these currently:

Vsonic gr07
Sm3 v2
Westone 3
Westone 4
Jvc fx700
Mdr-ex1000
Pfe 232

Everyone who recommends the westone 3, as I hear they are great for edm, is there a lot of sibilance at high volumes? Sharp highs? Also, how does the westone 3 bass compare to the ie8/80 bass and sound overall? I like the ie80 because of the bass and also that the highs are not too sharp. If anything I would want an iem with awesome soundstage first and then bass. The um3x bass doesn't get me excited. I'm also eyeing the jvc700 as well. I hear good things. I'm not too keen on the gr07 and sm3.

I'm looking for an iem with a smooth sound at higher levels, huge soundstage, and then deep sexy bass. Sound that doesn't distort at higher volumes. A FULL sounding iem. By my description a warmer sounding tone is preferred. I dont like the highs too sharp and piercing. I'm open to other recommendations in IEMs. As always I appreciate all the help from HF'ers!

 

[Seekky]

according to ur taste, u should cross out EX1000 from your list.

 

[Eugguy]

Cool, I was looking at that as a consideration. Why would you say? Is it too airy? Not enough bass?

 

[Deadlovestory]

Might want to cross W4 too, not as rumbly as IE8. Also, I'm not sure if there's any universal IEM in that price range with IE8's bass and soundstage. In fact I kinda doubt that such IEM even exist.
 
Oh, and if your IE8 sounds hurtful at high volume, you might be listening to it at a dangerously high volume since I don't remember IE8 sounding harsh or fatiguing at all.

 

[Eugguy]

Yeah, price can be at highest 400. Preferable to the 250-300 area. W4 is maybe too neutral?

 

[Seekky]

"A FULL sounding iem. By my description a warmer sounding tone is preferred. I dont like the highs too sharp and piercing."
 
u won't like the EX1000's treble.
i don't even think that EX1000 is a Full sounding iem, since it's not warm, at all.
full/warm sounding iem usually are mid centered and foward bass.
correct me if im wrong

 

[Eugguy]

Thank you

"A FULL sounding iem. By my description a warmer sounding tone is preferred. I dont like the highs too sharp and piercing."

u won't like the EX1000's treble.
i don't even think that EX1000 is a Full sounding iem, since it's not warm, at all.
full/warm sounding iem usually are mid centered and foward bass.
correct me if im wrong

Thank you for the description.

 

[Seekky]

How bout the Shure SE535?

 

[Seekky]

def. warm sounding, but the soundstage is not HUGE.

 

[Zalithian]

Quote:

Cool, I was looking at that as a consideration. Why would you say? Is it too airy? Not enough bass?

The EX1000 is considered harsh and fatiguing by some. You may want to consider the SM3v2, although I wouldn't say its bass is much like the IE8's. The vocals are a treat, though. The W3 has amazing bass, but can be fatiguing and harsh without the right fit.

 

[Deadlovestory]

If my memory is correct, out of the IEMs you listed only SM3v2 comes slightly closer to what you're looking for.
 
W4's maybe too mid-bassy for your liking, and it doesn't have what I'd call "deep bass".
PFE232's treble might be too hot for you.
MDR-EX1000 is not as bass-emphasized as IE8.
I vaguely remembers that FX700 has hot treble too.
The others I never demo-ed.
 
I still HIGHLY recommend you to demo those and see for yourself which one you like.
 
TBH If you love how IE8 sounds, you should just keep it. Maybe use foam tips to tame the "hurtful" factor (Assuming that the "hurtful" is caused by hot treble). But seriously, turn the volume down

 

[devgru]

SE535 can produce a lot of bass if EQed, no surprise, but I wouldn't recommend them if you're looking for IE80-like bass. The SE215 has much more bass (than 535) if running flat EQ. The SE215 is a great IEM for the price, but it's not a detail monster, and it rolls-off a bit on the high end. The PFE232 would probably be a good fit.

 

[lightningfarron]

you may want to look at the heir 3ai. i heard it has great bass and they have positive review

 

[Eugguy]

Yeah I've heard of the heir 3ai and 4ai. What is the general sound signature compared to the ie80?

 

[Deadlovestory]

I own a 3.Ai--I can say for sure that it's not for you; you'll probably want a bigger soundstage and less sparkly treble. Bass isn't like IE8/80's bass; 3.Ai's bass is from different species.
 
As for 4.Ai--If other head-fiers' impression can be used as a guideline, then it's not what you're looking for as well. Not bassy enough. Never listened to it personally though so I can't 100% vouch for this.
 
Imo you should stop wasting your time looking for a new IEM and just be happy with your IE8/IE80. Soundstage-wise and bass-wise I doubt there's anything like IE8/80 in the price range. Or if you're so curious, go to a proper brick-and-mortar shops that carry demo units, and demo some IEMs until you're satisfied.