are IEMs worth getting for 128kbs quality songs?

[killa098]

hi, im thinking of buying a pair of IEMs but i read somewhere that theyre not really worth it if the the songs arent compressed at a high quality bit rate. I heard it distorts the sound. Most my songs are downloaded mp3's and arent more than 128 kbps. So are they worth it?

if they are, im deciding between the UE super.fi 5's or the klipsch x10's. Which ones do you guys recommend?

If not what type of earphones should i go for?

my player is an ipod classic, if that helps.

[killa098]

anyone????

[Saiyajin]

Hi and welcome to our forum.
For such low bit rate, yes it will properly not be the best thing. IEM’s will bring more details and soundstage to your music but will also make any compression noise more noticeable.

Those IEM’s will be an slight improvement to your music anyway (I suppose you still are using the buds that came with your Ipod?) but overall by getting your music in higher bit rate will for sure be the biggest improvement you can do at first.
It will make less since to get better phones if your music is bad encoded and do not sound well.
I personally recommend 256 kbps or higher to get the best out of your tracks but will use more space on your player.

For recommend anything for you I would like to hear a little bit what type of music you listening (rock, classical, whatever).
UE super.fi 5 and Klipsch X10 (what I know) has very differently sound sig in comparison.
X10 belongs to the warm bass area and will best fit rock type music while UE super.fi 5 has a low shy bass and will properly more satisfy classical listeners.

Then it will be easier for us to find the right for you.

[killa098]

hey, thanks for the welcome! yeah well im currently using a cheap pair of jvc earphones, very average in terms of sound quality (maybe slightly better than the apple earphones)...you still believe ill have a better listening experience with a pair of IEMs? Ive never used IEM's before and a complete newbie to the headphone scene, is the dissortion and annoyance so bad that even my "inexperienced" ears will be able to notice it? as i said, most of my music (about 50-70 %) is 128-192 kbps, and i have over 30 gb of music, which would be a hassle to download all over again!

I listen to mainly hip-hop and abit of rock, jazz (10%)

[Saiyajin]

Well I can only think off you may use one of those colorful Gumy series. I see people around me using those too. It’s very long ago I did try them out and I clearly remember they were pretty bad.
I think a phone like X10 will be a lot better and will fit your Hip-hop nicely. Those genres will really like good bass. Also comfort wise they should be awesome.

If you unsure if IEM’s might even be the right way to go, you can always ask yourself if you need isolation and want to block out noise.

If you don’t need isolation at all, more open type of earphones and headphones will properly also be worth looking for.

I am also sure our best friend Shaun will give you the best possible advice here and also by IEM’s. He know lots more than I do.

Since you new to all this, then it might be just only a question to try it out and find out what you like.

By the way, ha made a little review of X10. You find it here:
REVIEW: Klipsch Image and Sleek Audio SA6 - a road test

[killa098]

sound isolation isnt a concern to me at all, I was leaning towards IEM's because i heard that they provide the best sound quality and are the best for your ears health! Any good headphones worth checking out? my budget is £100-160

also being able to use the earphones in the gym for running is important to me. Ive read that some IEMs are not suitable for this, how are the SA6 and the X10 for sport?

[ShaunG]

The two main issues listening with earphones while active are:

1) Transmission of noise up the cable, e.g. a dull thud sound that goes into your ear as the cable hits your body or clothing.

2) The earphones do not stay in the ear well and come out easily.

For this reason earphones with wires that loop over the ear work well for sport, e.g. Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro, Sennheiser IE range, Klipsch Custom range, etc. The design of these models work well to reduce these two problems.