Best Sound quality in-ear headphones (up to £300), Shure or IE80

[MrDuck]

Hi,

I have narrowed the choice to either the Shure SE425 or the Sennheiser IE80 headphones. I am able to purchase either for around £200.

Unfortunately, for health reasons it is not possible to demo in-ear headphones.

The signature I desire is one that imbrues - every last ounce of detail, clarity, soundstage, and high end-treble decay.

I have a pair of Sony EX650, which are ok but they lack treble sparkle and sound clumsy and muddled in the midrange, hence I'm prepared to spend more to achieve greater resolution. I am cognizant the IE80 may well be competent in the low end bass, but how do they treat the high end frequencies?

Thanks.

 

[ClassAct]

With taking at look at your requirements and despite you stating you have narrowed the choices down, I would suggest taking a look at some of the newcomers in this market segment.

For example the Dunu Titan 1 ticks the boxes for having amazing treble detail and clarity, bass is still abundant but precise and not bloated. Could just be the ticket for you upgrading from the Sony. They currently retail for around the £100 mark. They are however slightly open ported which will give a great sound stage but may not be suitable in public.

The Shure and Sennheisers get good reviews but no where near as consistently good reviews as the Dunu's. All the reviews I have come across have been rave. Read them yourself and see what you think.

Alternatively the Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2 compete directly in the same budget category as your current Sony's yet reviewers state they perform as well as £200 IEM's which is what you was looking to spend anyway. Again detail retrieval seems to be the agenda. Rock Jaw also offer Kommand IEMS which are more expensive but don't appear to be as comfortable or as easy listening as per the reviews I have read.

Can I also ask what your source is and what quality the music will be played at?Whether you wish to use them in public, commuting etc? These will both have impact on the decision making process.

Hope this curveball helps you reconsider. 🙂