Small IEM with big bass?

[jupitreas]

Hello all,

I recently had the chance to use a friend's Etymotic ER-4P and while the sound was definitely not up my alley, their small and comfy form factor and their extreme isolation very much was!!

I am not really a basshead but I do like a nice, big meaty bass that has that physical sensation to it. This is how I know that I'm not in the market for Etymotic; however, I am in the market for small, tiny IEMs like the Etys but with decent bass. What does decent mean? The Phonaks are not all that bad, although I do find them slightly bass-shy. Sennheiser IE-8 on the other hand might have a little too much bass, but I'd rather have too much than too little.

So anyway, I looked at the Klipsch x10 as a possible alternative; however, they are extremely expensive, way over my approx 150 $ budget.

Are there any other good alternatives? How are the q-JAYS in terms of bass? Can the Hippo Shrooms compare to any of these IEMs? Any other ideas?

[CrowdAds]

[dfkt]

The q-Jays have less bass than the PFE with grey filters. The Shrooms have a bit more, they might be a nice choice (of course they're not quite as precise and fast as armature IEMs, but very good for the price). Maybe have a look at the Hippo Pearl as well - I like their sound even more than the Shroom, and they're small and comfy too.

I heard the X10 briefly, and I personally think they're a bit overpriced for what they are. Also they stick out quite a bit more than the Shrooms, and their form factor makes them near impossible to wear with the cables over the ears: http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp...-klipsch-b.jpg

[jupitreas]

@dfkt,

Since I'm getting some varied info from around the net, could you tell me if there is a difference in bass response between the Shroom and Shroom EB? Also, I noticed you marked them down as having 'bad' build quality. What does this mean?

[cnhardwick]

Probably looking for something higher end, but the MEElectronics M11+ packs some bass in a tiny package.