4 choices....

[Zephyr!]

[edit: sorry, 4 choices]
Hi folks,

As I had mentioned in a previous thread, I've loved my Panasonic HJE-900, but now that the cable died, I'm interested in trying something different.

Other than sound quality, which is the #1 consideration, I'm interested in durability and perhaps a bit more noise isolation than the Panas if possible.

These are some of the choices that have caught my attention:

1. Etymotic HF5 - $91 bucks (I heard this has a version with mic, but can't find it). Am leaning towards this because I've seen some great reviews, but worry that the tip penetrates too deep.

2. Hifi Man/head-direct Re0 - $84. (by the way, it may be $100 more and therefore in a different purchasing category, but how does the Re0 compare to its big brother the Re 252? And would the 252 be the winner from all the others here?)

3. Sennheiser ie6 - $113

4. Audio-Technica ATHCK7 for $83

Cheers guys, thanks for your input!

[WalkGood]

You can edit your titles ...

[Zephyr!]

Ah, thanks for that...I think I just got confused.

[jupitreas]

The Etymotics will most likely be the biggest departure from the Panasonics, sound signature-wise. The Sennheiser sounds like it might be the closest to the Panasonics, although to be fair, I'm basing this view entirely on reviews (I only owned the IE8).

[Zephyr!]

Thanks. My worry with the Etymotics is that the sound will be too cold & clinical, with no depth or warmth to it. Sure, it's very precise, but will the feeling be lacking?

Am also toying with the Audeo Phonak PFE, similar price range, though I worry about the build with that one.

Thanks for your input.

[esanthosh]

No idea about the Senn or the AT.

HF5 with Mic is called HF3. As far as I've read, Etys, as far as I've read, should be clinical and would throw every detail there is in your face.

RE0, at least the latest batch, seems to have serious build quality issues. I own one for more than 18 months now and it's working fine. The warning equally applies to all Hifiman IEMs. In India, 3 out of the 5 RE-262s needed RMA within 3-4 months, one of them twice in 5 months.

RE-252 is better than RE0. But, not vastly, hugely better. It's much more balanced without the need for an external amplifier. But, the fit? That's problematic. Though the gummy housing settles down and softens with use, the cables are frighteningly bad. Secondly, due to the shape of the housing, it will only allow a shallow fit and therefore, finding the right tip for your ears becomes important. I am also afraid that 252 may be phased out. Instead of 252, I'd wait for a price drop on RE272. RE262 is a much better IEM (again not a day and night difference), but it's mid range emphasis is a little hard to get used to. I hope RE272 would be much better in that regard.

You can look at Phonak PFE, which again would be a departure from the Pana HJE900 signature, but something I like better than RE0.

[Zephyr!]

Interesting - I'll look into the R272.

Can anyone vouch for the Phiaton PS200? I also hear it's up there and is currently around $150. There's also its little brother the PS20 NC for about 50 bucks less, but the noise cancellation feature is attractive to me (even though you have to spend on batteries).