Looking for $400 IEMs

[IBIubbleTea]

I posted this on r/headphones but I'm not receiving as much help as I would have liked. Only one person replied to my post and they recommended the UE900. Any thoughts? 

 

I was wondering if the SE425 or the SE315 are any good compared to the 215s. Unless there are better options for my requirements. I really like the design on the Shures, like the removable cable and the how you need to wrap the cable around your ear for it to stay in place.

Budget: Under $400USD but willing to pay more if worth the extra price

Source: Nexus 6p Smartphone

Requirements for Isolation: Looking for IEMs so yes, I need at least some.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? Yes!

Preferred Type of Headphone: IEMs

Preferred tonal balance: I don't really have a preference but a lot of the music I listen to are top hits and some monster cat songs. Some artists include, Justin Bieber(don't judge), One Direction, Shawn Mendes, selena gomez, ariana grande.. etc 

Past headphones: Shure SE215 - the bass seemed to be a bit punchy which I like. I'm not a bass head, but I enjoy having some bass. I have also have the Q701 which lack bass, but the sound signature seems to be enjoyable like the Se215s.

Preferred Music: Top Hits, some examples are.... Justin Bieber(don't judge), One Direction, Shawn Mendes, selena gomez, ariana grande.. etc 

What would you like to improve on from your set-up: all I want are some more enjoyable and better sounding IEMs for the price. If I should stick with the 215s, I will if that's recommended.

[Majestic]

If you're listening to top40 music on your smartphone, no doubt through spotify....those $400 are wasted. I'd hate to be "that guy", but in this case it's going to be true for once. Not in terms of bitrates or .flac vs. .mp3 or whatever, but the fact it's compressed as hell and mastered to Loudness with a capital L. So it will sound muddy regardless.

 

Especially since you think the AKG reference series lack bass, which they don't, you seem to favor v-shaped pairs. Which are available for a lot cheaper.

 

Not an IEM fan myself, so i can't exactly recommend you a pair. 

[IBIubbleTea]

1 hour ago, Majestic said:

If you're listening to top40 music on your smartphone, no doubt through spotify....those $400 are wasted. I'd hate to be "that guy", but in this case it's going to be true for once. Not in terms of bitrates or .flac vs. .mp3 or whatever, but the fact it's compressed as hell and mastered to Loudness with a capital L. So it will sound muddy regardless.

 

Especially since you think the AKG reference series lack bass, which they don't, you seem to favor v-shaped pairs. Which are available for a lot cheaper.

 

Not an IEM fan myself, so i can't exactly recommend you a pair. 

Maybe that's why I haven't been getting much of a response. 

[Majestic]

4 minutes ago, IBIubbleTea said:

Maybe that's why I haven't been getting much of a response. 

Probably, don't think anyone really knows what to do with this. Better off just removing the budget and ask for a quality pair instead, given the caveats of the application. Put more emphasis on the sound signature you want.

 

It still pays off to buy a premium pair simply because of the build quality and thus longevity. But $400 seems way too excessive.