IEM general discussion thread

Hmm, I started my hobby in 2004 and I haven't heard a single IEM close to my perfect sinus sweep as the PP8 ever since. I am not sure what you need "to justify".

 

Wonder how long until these get faked/replicated to all hell...

 

New Campfire Audio incoming...

Polaris. 1BA + 1DD (according to HF)



https://www.facebook.com/HKAVshow/posts/1348944125174921

 

Google translate is failing me. Any word on price?

 

According to the link above it's clocking it at 4680HKD, or around 600USD, putting it between the Nova and the Lyra II. Alas, my Chinese has rusted to the point where I can't decipher much more than that either.

If it's got Andro/Orion mids with some DD bass then it could be a solid contender at that price point, perhaps aiming to be a better Nova? Can't say I'm a fan of the mixed colour scheme, although it might look better when it's in your ears.

 

Wow a two tone! I really like that, andromeda sounds great but green was always an interesting color choice to me...

Interesting price proposition, it'll be interesting to see how it uses that DD. I hope it's on the warmer side.

Whats the little hole with yellow in it?

 

Rumour has it it's a bass port.

 

I'm hoping for a few low-price IEM recommendations from people here.

I've got a friend with a mildly autistic son who is now entering adolescence. She started reading a pretty fascinating book and is working on changing the amount of stimulus he receives rather than the conventional method of helping the child to cope with near-constant overwhelm. I recommended HD earplugs to filter out superfluous background noise, as well as noise-isolating IEM's. If he's that sensitive, it's highly likely he'll make a great audiophile.

Any recommendations of over-the-ear IEMs under $150? I'm specifically keen on ones that will be flush with his outer ear. Bodies like Shure and NuForce. There are just too many options and I'll be at a loss for helping her pick something out.

Thanks!

 

Audio Technica IM02 per InnerFidelity WoF and @JK47. Get it used.

RHA MA750 is my personal go-to under $150.

 

Wenn the Hi-Res sticker isn't enough anymore. Here's the latest "quality certification" for IEMs... smh

 

Marketing spiel.
http://www.thx.com/blog/1more-headphones-first-ever-earn-thx-certification/

 

I wonder what this patent is. To my ears the Triple-Driver is just a dynamic + double-BA receiver package without even a crossover.

 

@shotgunshane's recomendation in his iem thread is what put the Audio Technica ATH-IM02 on my radar. I picked up a mint set for $100. Incredible value and work phenomenal with my iPhone SE.

 

Razer bought THX... so maybe even more than in the past this is a joke.

The Razer Blade Pro is also the "world's first" THX certified laptop which is also a joke for 4,000 dollar garbage.

For iems, just another thing to ignore and be irritated by when under read people ask about it / want it.

 

Now that the Polaris is for sale... any of our resident reviewers get an early listen to them?

 

Just got the new Pioneer SE-CH9T in, I think these are nicely done IEMs. Sound signature leans towards the fuller / warmer / bassier side of neutral, but isn't overdone imo. Might be perfect for a young man, who'd probably find strictly neutral phones too boring anyway. No major spikes, suckouts or other sonic flaws that would attract attention, they're just really decent sounding across the spectrum, with good resolution, but not that in-your-face kind of detail that gets fatiguing over time.

Fit is hassle-free with larger ears, and for me they fit completely flush. Might be more problematic though with smaller ears, in that case I'd recommend buying from sellers with a generous returns policy, like Amazon or Thomann. Being vented dynamic driver IEMs, they filter out most of the background noise, but are not as highly isolating as non-vented armature IEMs, which means you can still hear people talking right next to you.

Prices I've seen are around the 100 dollar / euro mark, which is pretty good value in my book.

 

Thanks for the IEM recommendations! I've forwarded the information along.

Am trying to convince the mom to let me plug the kid into my Vega. I'm just super curious to see how his brain responds to that level of crisp detail around ambient/electronic music.

 

Final Audio Lab e3000 (around $70 usd); semi open 6.4mm DD; source: iphone SE

TLDR Miniturised PortaPro! wide headstage. sweet mids and warm balance + hint of sparkle.

tiny, invisible in use. cable non microphonic, could be worn over or under, great fit.

semi open, spacious with a full downtilted balance, with enough sparkle to sound warm not dark. upper bass full, not boomy or muddy. flatters recordings/sources, lower mids get a little cuppy (not annoyingly so)

personally, preferred it over apple in ear, pioneer se ch9t, the sony N3P, shure 215 and Orion.

engaging sweet full sound + musicality that is very alluring. great eartips quality and selection. high vfm.

 

I only heard the HS1551 out of my OP3 (not even a midfi source, but tonally OK with dynamics. Not OK with Andro.), so take copious amounts of salt: It was smooth, but rather V shaped with a hint of upper mid emphasis, causing some singers to have a slight nasally tone with both the stock thick-ish eartips and my own. Lowest registers had a bit of hump in the mid bass, but nothing egregious. Soundstage size is above average, but still head constrained. People that like the Andro out of lower OI sources might find some love with this. Seems to have a tone that seems to be slightly 'slow' and romantic, sort of reminds me of my old TWF11K without the latter's idiotic ergonomics. I'd take this over the TG334! since I find that too thick and slow for my taste.

Forgot to hear the Al model.

Yeah just for grabbing. It's huge - I think in the same ballpark as TF10 in terms of how much the thing sticks out.

 

kinda like their sound but despite being all metal, they felt flimsy, and the way the mmcx swivels ... the stubby nozzle made it feel like it's about fall out of my ears at any second.

i found them more bassy than the fitear, kinda like a more civil version of the old sony xba 4s.

my friend, who is exclusively into 2ch loved it and thought that it was tonally closer to a pair of "big speakers in a room" than all the other iems he tried that day.

the LE sage green/rose gold version looked 1000x better to me.