IEM for ~3k

[Cool Buddy]

I'm looking for IEMs in the range of Rs. 3000. I'll be using this one with my Xperia L and occasionally with my Laptop.
I mostly listen to Rock and R&B and some Hindi music. So the mids are most important for me.

I'm considering Sennheiser CX 300 II. Is it a good option? Please suggest good alternatives if any. I'm willing to go upto Rs. 3500 if needed.

Also, I'm currently using Soundmagic PL11. So I'd like to know if this pair will offer me a significant improvement in sound quality. Because PL11 is quite good. So if the difference is minor, it wouldn't be worth spending Rs. 3000 over.

 

[5fusion]

Soundmagic E30. thats the best sub3k iem. i would even go ahead and say nothing beats it for its natural sound in even 4k range. neutral and well balanced sound with liquid mids and nice treble sparkle. very wide, open and airy feel

 

[hitesh]

You can look at Vsonic GR06. It is better than E30, though less value for money

 

[Cool Buddy]

what about the ultimate ears 350vi for Rs. 2800 from snapdeal? the reviews are good
Logitech Ultimate Ears 350vi Noise-Isolating Headset - AU - Buy Online @ Rs.2779/- | Snapdeal

The design of the E30 just doesn't work for me. I have tried PL30 which has a similar design and it didn't feel comfortable at all. And I believe that if I don't find the earphones comfortable, the sound quality will never satisfy me. So it's down to the other three options.

OK, considering the price of vsonic and people's experiences with hifinage (the only place it's available), that option's out too.

 

[5fusion]

You can look at Vsonic GR06. It is better than E30, though less value for money

Nope its total value for money. tell me a single mid-centric iem with that good sound in such a low price. for that signature you would end up shelling out more than 5k

what about the ultimate ears 350vi for Rs. 2800 from snapdeal? the reviews are good
Logitech Ultimate Ears 350vi Noise-Isolating Headset - AU - Buy Online @ Rs.2779/- | Snapdeal

The design of the E30 just doesn't work for me. I have tried PL30 which has a similar design and it didn't feel comfortable at all. And I believe that if I don't find the earphones comfortable, the sound quality will never satisfy me. So it's down to the other three options.

OK, considering the price of vsonic and people's experiences with hifinage (the only place it's available), that option's out too.

UEs lower lineup is not as good as the soundmagics, vsonic and the likes. ue350 is more focused on bass and are decent but wont be an upgrade over pl30s cleaner sound. and you endup paying far more for what you get.
if you are looking for bass, the best bet would be Signature Acoustics C12 -- SIGNATURE ACOUSTICS C-12 Elements Wooden IEMs
Punchy deep defined bass with loads of impact. Now these would be a big upgrade over the UEs and you get level up sound for a level low price.

 

[hitesh]

Nope its total value for money. tell me a single mid-centric iem with that good sound in such a low price. for that signature you would end up shelling out more than 5k

I was talking about GR06 being less vfm than E30. Former one is better but 1.5k extra too

EDIT : lol you are that guy on TE

 

[Cool Buddy]

if you are looking for bass, the best bet would be Signature Acoustics C12 -- SIGNATURE ACOUSTICS C-12 Elements Wooden IEMs
Punchy deep defined bass with loads of impact. Now these would be a big upgrade over the UEs and you get level up sound for a level low price.

I mostly listen to Rock and R&B and some Hindi music. So the mids are most important for me.

So that doesn't work for me.

@5fusion, how's the brainwavez pro alpha? i see you own that one too.
And what about Soundmagic E10?

 

[sankar]

@Cool Buddy
sorry for hijacking your thread but i have a similar question.
i am also looking to buy a good IEM my budget is 2.5k
@ 5fusion how is the build quality of E30? between Sony MDR-XB30EX and soundmagic E30 and E10 which will be better.i mainly listen to pop,instrumental music.

 

[5fusion]

I was talking about GR06 being less vfm than E30. Former one is better but 1.5k extra too

EDIT : lol you are that guy on TE

my bad .. lol yeah that guy

So that doesn't work for me.

@5fusion, how's the brainwavez pro alpha? i see you own that one too.
And what about Soundmagic E10?

used to own it long back. would go with e10 over alpha as its just too costly now.

@ 5fusion how is the build quality of E30? between Sony MDR-XB30EX and soundmagic E30 and E10 which will be better.i mainly listen to pop,instrumental music.

build quality is decent on e30. they lasted me good, used them around 13-14 months before i sold em off. xb30 for bass heavy genres, E10 would be good for both and more musical than e30 but e30s would be more cleaner in sound.

 

[Cool Buddy]

OK, so here are the options I got:

Seenheiser CX 300 II	Not worth the price
Logitech UE 350vi	Not worth the price
Soundmagic E10	Still in doubt if it would be a decent upgrade over my current SM PL11
Soundmagic E30	I don't like the design (wire going over and behind the ears)
VSonic GR06	Out of my budget
Signature Acoustics C12	Bass heavy, which is not to my preference
Astrotec AM 90	Good reviews, but need more feedback

However, considering all the options above and the reviews which I found, I've decided to go with SA C12. I'm a bit skeptical about the longevity of the wood though. Can someone tell me if it is good enough to last at least a couple of years?

EDIT: Where are the GR06 available anyways? I didn't find them anywhere except Hifinage where it costs ~4200

 

[hitesh]

^ Add AM-90 to that list too (hifinage). They are quite good

 

[Cool Buddy]

So now I'm again confused. Astrotech AM 90 seems like a good option, it has got pretty good reviews. The price difference in comparison to SA C12 is also minimal. In addition to that, the mids on this one seems to be better than SA.
But people's experience with Hifinage doesn't give me much confidence. Should I go for this one?

Updated the list above

 

[Superayush]

Btw dude u can get vsonic gr06 from lendmeurears
Vsonic GR06 | eBay

They are a really good IEM and loving mine really well

 

[5fusion]

^ Add AM-90 to that list too (hifinage). They are quite good

A very good option you pointed out

So now I'm again confused. Astrotech AM 90 seems like a good option, it has got pretty good reviews. The price difference in comparison to SA C12 is also minimal. In addition to that, the mids on this one seems to be better than SA.
But people's experience with Hifinage doesn't give me much confidence. Should I go for this one?

Updated the list above

c12 is definitely bass heavy but its well balanced iem. though warm but the treble is real good enough to bring out the details. mids are very slightly veiled but put forth the vocals right upfront with natural tone. Its a slight v-shape i would say and very good for rock.
AM90 has BA drivers, so definitely faster and lighter in bass extension. and yeah it does have full mids and have good reviews as well. even i would love to try these sometime. i think its the best budget BA iem out there.

SA c12 would be a safer bet of the two imo as you get excellent local support from these guys. my brainwavz iems had issues twice & they got replaced instantly.
cant say about hifinage as i never bought anything from them but yeah they brought Vsonics though not their full range.

 

[Cool Buddy]

Decided to go with SA C12

Just sharing a small experience and how I came at my decision. Before I proceed, one must know that I have got my first job recently.

So I was in the mall and was just roaming around with friends when I noticed the BOSE store. Now the store has been there for quite some time. However, I always found the logo itself intimidating. I just imagined the pricey hardware they were storing inside and imagined myself someday entering the store and immersing myself in audio Nirvana. But since I was nowhere close to being able to afford them, I never entered the store.
But today, since I am close to buying an IEM for 3000, an IEM for 5.5k didn't seem all that expensive. So I entered the store and asked them if I could try them on. They let me try it with my phone. While the sound itself was good, they were not as exceptional as I had always imagined. For the sound I get with my 600 Rupees PL11, I would never give 5.5k for the BOSE IEM.
However, I also understood one thing. Once a person enters the world of high end audio equipment, there's a limit to how much the sound quality can improve. No matter how much I spend, I will never feel the step up that I had felt on buying PL11 after having used Nokia's bundled headset for a couple of years.
So now I know what to expect and am making my decision accordingly. And I guess, for once, it will be nice to own a high end piece of hardware and be able to say that these have been designed and manufactured in India.

Congratulations to Pristine Note/ProAudioHome for producing this amazing piece of technology. Keep up the good work.
And I hope I won't be let down by the IEM.

And thanks 5fusion and the others for all your help in making the decision. If it wouldn't have been for you guys, I would have never even heard of Signature Acoustics.

 

[Nipun]

OT- We both like Harry Potter, we both have Xperia L, we both have PL-11 and we both were looking for an IEM upgrade! Multiple high fives!
But...

However, I also understood one thing. Once a person enters the world of high end audio equipment, there's a limit to how much the sound quality can improve. No matter how much I spend, I will never feel the step up that I had felt on buying PL11 after having used Nokia's bundled headset for a couple of years.
So now I know what to expect and am making my decision accordingly. And I guess, for once, it will be nice to own a high end piece of hardware and be able to say that these have been designed and manufactured in India.

This changed my decision. I was thinking about a new pair of earphones for some time now, but I guess I will just stick to these if I am not going to experience the change I experienced when upgraded from Nokia to SoundMagic. Thanks for sharing this. You saved me some money, will have a party some time. Jk.

 

[hitesh]

A very good option you pointed out

Getting some experience now

I think I should increase my budget and get C12.

 

[Cool Buddy]

OT- We both like Harry Potter, we both have Xperia L, we both have PL-11 and we both were looking for an IEM upgrade! Multiple high fives!
But...


This changed my decision. I was thinking about a new pair of earphones for some time now, but I guess I will just stick to these if I am not going to experience the change I experienced when upgraded from Nokia to SoundMagic. Thanks for sharing this. You saved me some money, will have a party some time. Jk.

You can wait till your pl11 breaks. Then you'll have no regrets about spending on an upgrade.
BTW how old is your pl11? Mine is over 3 years old, one of the reasons why I'm looking for an upgrade.

 

[Nipun]

You can wait till your pl11 breaks. Then you'll have no regrets about spending on an upgrade.
BTW how old is your pl11? Mine is over 3 years old, one of the reasons why I'm looking for an upgrade.

It's 1 year old, someone accidentally stepped on it and it's a little damaged. Still working though. I guess I will make it work till it dies.

 

[Cool Buddy]

You will have to be more careful after you upgrade, Signature Acoustics is much more pricey compared to PL11. Plus wood would not be as strong as metal. The wire quality would be better though. PL11's wire is really bad.