IEM general discussion thread

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by Griffon, Nov 1, 2015.

  1. Panohm

    Panohm Friend

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  2. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Have you ever had a chance to listen to an Audio Note UK setup? (speakers, obviously...)

    edit: not trying to derail - it seems like a lot of the description of the K10's sound is similar to the Audio Note "house" sound; i.e., not "reference" or "neutral", but is much more emotionally involving. I'm trying to triangulate preferences from speaker-land a bit. apologies if that's not apropos to the thread.
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2017
  3. deafdoorknob

    deafdoorknob Almost "Made"

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    imho, Fitear TG334 is closer to ANUK. K10 is more along the lines of say, mid-level Vandersteens.
     
  4. Jerda

    Jerda New

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    Some thoughts about brainwavz b400? I am a Bit hyped by them, thinking to buy them in 2/3 month
     
  5. barelyincollege

    barelyincollege Nice Pit Bull

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    Picked up the Oriveti Basic, a $99 single dynamic with a standard MMCX cable, to try something new.

    I don't like them a whole lot; you get more value from their feature set and build than their sound quality. They sound unbalanced overall: the bass is dominant (especially when worn over-the-ear), and the lower mids are noticeably recessed as well. There's a slight emphasis in the upper mids and lower treble that keeps them from sounding completely muted, but they lack extension and detail in the upper treble, too, so the entire presentation sounds off. Wearing them down with a relaxed seal reduces some of the bass and evens out the tonal balance a little, but doesn't solve the problems altogether. These problems were consistent across all of the included tips and multiple sources (laptop, desktop, various phones).

    Maybe I'm being too harsh considering the features they include for $100 (standard MMCX, small, light housings that fit comfortably, and a surprisingly sturdy carrying case), but they don't offer standout value on the sound quality front.
     
  6. Brooko

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    You're not being too harsh - they were designed for a young audience who like their bass. The rest of the frequency response is actually quite well thought out though. Try giving the bass and lower mid-range a cut of about 4-5 dB from 30 Hz to about 200 Hz - then flattening it down from 200 Hz to 500 Kz. Really does turn them into a different beast, and then you'll probably see some more value. They do the comfort, and build quality right, and most of the signature. The good thing is that it doesn't take much to fix the bass.

    The FiiO F9 is far better buying IMO, but needs a cut at 7 kHz to tame an annoying peak.
     
  7. Gleb Lev

    Gleb Lev New

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    I need some information.
    Can someone tell me if there any balanced (or close to be so) dynamic driver IEM with detachable cable under 300 usd? Or maybe decent DD to listen to?
    GR07, AT CKR lineup, maybe JVC FW01/FW02. Any other options?
     
  8. elguapo

    elguapo Gringos falling from the skys

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    I'm curious about what responses you get, but I would add the Sony MDR-EX800ST (aka MDR-7550) to your list.
     
  9. Gleb Lev

    Gleb Lev New

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    Thanks for the info!
    Well, I understand that engineering DD IEMs is not easy, that's why good dynamic earphones have huge price tag (i.e. Hifiman, Dita, Campfire models). But there are some exceptions like Periodic Be, for example. I just want to find other options with good capabilities at reasonable price.
     
  10. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    I really enjoy the JVC FW01s. They have great timbre and spaciousness, and a big, dynamic sound. Their main weakness is the bass is a little bloomy, but its not thaat bad.
     
  11. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    Got a chance to try the Q Jays. I wanted these as a replacement for my broken B2s. I always used my B2s without eartips to get smooth treble, but the rough texture of the housing prevented that, so I had to use the tips from the RE400 to put over the housing in order to get a seal. This way I managed to get the required deep insertion. The tiny XXS tips didn't allow that and it sounded super sibilant. This is what it looked like:
    Q Jays.jpg
    Insertion depth was still a bit limited because the cable ended up in the way for the last millimeter or so. Still, the peak was moved way above the painful sibilance region.

    First up, I expected super TWFKs and they're definitely not it. I never got to hear the original Q Jays though and the B2s were the only TWFKs that I know well.

    I listened straight out of my phone and had my modded RE400s with me for reference. I listened for about an hour. Here it goes:
    -Way too U-shaped. I don't remember the B2s having this much bass and treble...
    -Bass is slow and muddy due to a ton of distortion. The higher quantity emphasizes that. Bleeds all the way into the middle midrange. Forget everything below 500Hz
    -At the same time I felt the housing was more inert than the B2, which actually made the bass sound more impactful in a way.
    -The midrange itself seemed very good though. Upper mids seemed more coherent than with the B2. Not as coherent as RE400 obviously, but really good for a twfk from memory
    -Resolution seemed a bit better than RE400, but not by much if anything. Dynamics were disappointing. I thought they would be better than the RE400, but that didn't seem to be the case
    -The general texture seemed too smooth to be real and while it sounds "fast", the RE400 has way better treble. I thought the B2 had better treble, but my memory could be fooling me
    -Soundstage was deeper but narrower than RE400.
    -Also the upper midrange was definitely more present on the B2, which I preferred
    -Clarity seemed very good at moderate levels, but loses out to RE400 at higher levels due to distortion
    -Generally the FR was just much better on the B2. Otherwise they're obviously very similar. Slightly more coherent (different crossover) and "refined" or "damped" sounding from the nicer shell, but that doesn't come close to outweighing the FR
    -If anything the RE400 had more realistic note attack and decay
    -Hmm, I guess what I want is a special modded RE272 or even RE0


    Aside from sound I really liked them: Tiny housings, felt very high quality. Cable seemed decent. I liked the way the eartips felt. It's just that I expected them to be more neutral.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2017
  12. Brooko

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    I think a lot depends on ear canal anatomy and insertion depth. I wear mine deep and with foams I don’t get a lot of that 7kHz bump. Others found it quite shrill. Am I allowed to post my graphs here - or is there a separate section measurements should go rather than discussion threads?
     
  13. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
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    If you add 90 ohms impedance to the new Q Jays, they sound like a baby JHA Angie. That’s about the only way I like them.
     
  14. TomHP

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  15. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Sure, go for it.
     
  16. shotgunshane

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    @Serious, apparently Brainwavz is releasing B2 Pheonix, which should be a near exact match of the old B2 tuning, just new 3D printed housing and new cable. Not sure on release date but I thought I had read in Oct or Nov.

    Edit: I forgot to add the price is supposed to be under $100.
     
  17. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    @Brooko it's not so much 7kHz. I felt that the general treble level was too high. Maybe I just got used to the RE400 and my speakers, but I don't remember having such an issue with the B2. The B2 didn't benefit from higher OI for me and I didn't think the upper midrange was recessed.
    I inserted them as deep as I possibly could. The cable sat right against my ear canal opening, so there was no way for me to insert them any deeper. The cable was the only thing you could see.
    I'm pretty sure any sort of regular tips would prevent me from inserting them deep enough. With the B2s the cable didn't quite sit right against my ear because the housing is so much bigger. I highly doubt that insertion depth was an issue with the tiny Q Jays when it wasn't an issue with the B2.
     
  18. Crinacle

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    TWFKs have an innate 10k peak though. Maybe the B2 was extra-damped to eliminate that resonance.
     
  19. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    Hmm, I don't remember seeing that peak measuring the iem without a coupler. With deep insertion I even measured a dip in the sibilance region between 7 and 12kHz, which is what it sounded like to me and also what Rin's measurements suggest. I think I got the insertion depth peak close to 14kHz without the eartips. For some reason I could get a good seal without eartips.
    The B2 had a pretty good, liquid and extended treble to me.

    Still, in the end I don't think I want to go back to a TWFK for a cheap, daily commute type IEM. I regularly listen at higher volume levels now where BAs just distort I and care a lot more about coherence, so I'm looking for a super RE400 essentially. The TWFK crossover is always a bit weird.
     
  20. nostatic

    nostatic Acquaintance

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    So I've decided to finally go custom for IEMs and hearing protection (live gigs and motorcycling). Currently have a pair of Westone UM Pro50s that have been fine for flying, but after finally upping my headphone game with Aeon Flow Opens - well, it's a slippery slope.

    Looking for recommendations in the $1K range. Since I'm a bassist - I like bass. BUT, I hate upper bass bloat (say 120hz plus or minus) as well as strident upper mids and excessively forward treble. In fact my bass cabs are specifically voiced around that - have a 3" paper cone driver instead of a tweeter/compression driver that is more commonly used - built by Duke at AudioKinesis.

    Still sorting out my DAC/amp solution - stream Tidal HiFi and will be trying a couple of mobile solutions and have a Modi Multibit/Vali2 on order for home.

    I'm not so worried about "flat" or "reference" - I've got nearfield monitors if I want to do mixing/analytical listening. I do like detail and sound stage, and relish being able to hear the difference between flat wound and round wound bass strings, finger noise, etc; these and other stupid details make my night.

    Have a local audiologist who can do the molds - is also a JHA dealer and the 13v2 is on my radar but willing to entertain other ideas from the local cognoscenti.
     

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