Cheap or MidRange IEM for music encoded at 128kbps?

[gg2327]

hi everyone,

i had narrowed down 2 iem to purchase the denon c551 and shure se210 when i read that with the se210 any music with low bitrate is going to sound flat and empty. so is it worth me investing in mid range earphones or should i just stick to cheaper ones like the creative ep630 (£7) or senheiser cx300(£17) which i can buy real cheap. thanks for any opinions.

[ShaunG]

Both the Shure SE210 and Denon AH-C551 are very light on bass response, so can be a bit disappointing initially. Further listening may lead you to be impressed by the level of detail and clarity that is not available with a cheaper pair of IEM earphones.

I feel the Shure SE110 is actually a much better balanced sounding earphone than the Shure SE210. The lower end is much more present than it's more expensive brother. We often recommend the SE110 as a first step into real IEMs.

The Sennheiser CX300 is a very solid choice, although not a full blown IEM (the earphone seals on the outer entrance to the ear canal). The sound is very pleasing and warm - if anything the bass response is a little heavy and colours the lower mids.