Klipsch Image S3 vs Senn CX270 vs Brainwavz M2?

I recently broke my (cheaper) headphones and think it is the right time for a good upgrade. I want IEMs only, as they offer good portability.

I mostly listen to heavy metal and rock, so want the audio clarity to be precise with tight, strong bass. Budget: 1.5-2.3k max.! I would soon be moving to London for some months and have heard its pretty costly there, so want to buy these before travelling. Klipsch ImageS3 has very good reviews and available from Infibeam. I am inclined towards them as of now. I have read good things about CX270 and M2 also.

P.S. - SoundMagic E10M is an option too. Feel free to suggest more; hands-on experience would be good!

M

sound magic E10 too has very good reviews though I have never listened it.

go for Soundmagic only..none can beat them in their price range for sheer sound quality. forget klipsch and senn. trust me. i did huge R&D before buying mine.
the best in ur budget would be soundmagic e30. its neutral in nature and new series from soundmagic. its very comfortable too. i even forget sometimes that i am wearing them. if you want with mic option, go for e10 but not as detailed as e30s.
i am personally using e30s & love it to the core. really nice and tight bass with sparkling treble(hard to get these two things in this price) . i had brainwavz m1 but i can say e30 scores over m1 in detail. m2 would be out of ur budget i think.

this may help you-- In Ear Matters: The List
welcome to the world of audiophiles :toast:

5fusion said:
go for Soundmagic only..none can beat them in their price range for sheer sound quality. forget klipsch and senn. trust me. i did huge R&D before buying mine.
the best in ur budget would be soundmagic e30. its neutral in nature and new series from soundmagic. its very comfortable too. i even forget sometimes that i am wearing them. if you want with mic option, go for e10 but not as detailed as e30s.
i am personally using e30s & love it to the core. really nice and tight bass with sparkling treble(hard to get these two things in this price) . i had brainwavz m1 but i can say e30 scores over m1 in detail. m2 would be out of ur budget i think.

this may help you-- In Ear Matters: The List
welcome to the world of audiophiles

I am also planning to buy an iem and confused b/w E30 and M1.Since you have both can you compare them for me so i can make my decision.

gulati.ishank said:
I am also planning to buy an iem and confused b/w E30 and M1.Since you have both can you compare them for me so i can make my decision.

both of them are excellent sound quality wise :doublethumb:

and you cant go wrong with either of them.
the only difference i could make out between the two from my listening was in the treble part.e30s really shine here with nice sparkle in high frequency range. m1 is equally good but with a bit of less sparkle.
in mids department the difference was not noticeable to my ears.
e30 has neutral sound whereas m1 is a bit on the bass side without compromising on the mids & highs. you can say a bit softer in tone reproduction relative to e30 or more fun sounding.

e30 over m1-
>slightly better in detail
>extremely comfortable once you get a good seal to your ears.
>strain reliefs are colour coded(red for right,blue for left) so one doesnt need to search everytime which ones right/left. just put them on seeing the colour.

m1 over e30-
> better build quality--m1 has rugged wire where e30 has rubberish.
> u get a hard case to put them safely instead of the leather pouch with e30.
> isolation is better (e30 has mediocre isolation)

so if you want more detailed sound with excellent comfort and can compromise a bit on build quality and isolation--go for e30.
if you want solid build quality,a hard case to put them safely with better isolation and slightly less detail--go for m1.
its a matter of preference.

personally i go with e30 as i cant compromise on sound. i like to explore detail in music. i am fine with its build. only gripe is soundmagic should have included a hard case for it.

hope this helps and let us know what u have chosen

Since M1 isn't in stock i will go with E30.
Thanks for your help

M2>S3>Senn.

tho the m2 are at 2500, last time i checked.

+1 for both e30 and m1. both are damn good vfm.

Bought E30 from ebay(smc int'l) for Rs.1640
Thanks to @5fusion
Will post some pics when i get it.

gulati.ishank said:
Bought E30 from ebay(smc int'l) for Rs.1640
Thanks to @5fusion
Will post some pics when i get it.

can you please post the link..i cant find it!!!

Here's the link.Its price is Rs.1725 and then i used 5%off coupon on it.

cool will check it out.. thanks

do i need to burn these for 40-50 hrs??

samudragupta said:
cool will check it out.. thanks

do i need to burn these for 40-50 hrs??

dont go crazy with burn-in.
listen to the set first.

also, 20 hours burn in good enough. wiht most sets

samudragupta said:
cool will check it out.. thanks

do i need to burn these for 40-50 hrs??

doomgiver is right.
These earphones sound good out of the box.Just litsen them regularly and they will open up with time.

gulati.ishank said:
Bought E30 from ebay(smc int'l) for Rs.1640
Thanks to @5fusion
Will post some pics when i get it.

congrats dude..have a blast with the MAGICSound of SoundMAGIC

doomgiver said:
dont go crazy with burn-in.
listen to the set first.

gulati.ishank said:
These earphones sound good out of the box.Just litsen them regularly and they will open up with time.

absolutely..burn-in is for reviewing the audio stuff to get its final signature.

i just ordered the sound magic e30 as well from ebay. am excited to see the results since its the first time i will be using expensive earphones. i was satisfied with my default ipod earphones so i have high expectations with the E30!!

samudragupta said:
i just ordered the sound magic e30 as well from ebay. am excited to see the results since its the first time i will be using expensive earphones. i was satisfied with my default ipod earphones so i have high expectations with the E30!!

E30 was the first one for me too.

gulati.ishank said:
E30 was the first one for me too.

have you got them already?

Yes i got them the next day of ordering it.

gulati.ishank said:
Yes i got them the next day of ordering it.

how are they performing bro? :lol:

samudragupta said:
how are they performing bro?

These are very comfortable, lightweight and sound quality best in its class,the only thing which they lack is a nice hard case and foam tips.

gulati.ishank said:
These are very comfortable, lightweight and sound quality best in its class,the only thing which they lack is a nice hard case and foam tips.

good to know. for me i think since i was using the default ipod earphones without any casing, the E30's velvet case is an icing on the cake!!!

got mine today.. man this man was quick to deliver in a day and mine was the last piece... they sound awesome... well atleast for some one like me who was using ipod earphones....

samudragupta said:
got mine today.. man this man was quick to deliver in a day and mine was the last piece... they sound awesome... well atleast for some one like me who was using ipod earphones....

Congrats buddy...........
Enjoy your IEM .