shotgunshane’s IEM (custom and universal) recommendations, favorites and classics

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by shotgunshane, Jun 7, 2016.

  1. Tchoupitoulas

    Tchoupitoulas Friend

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  2. Augmentin

    Augmentin MOT - DUNU IEM Company

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    Frankly the AirPod Pro looks ugly, but functionally they seem like a great product.

    I love the idea of adaptive EQ --- automatic Fletcher-Munsoning is always welcome.

    The inward facing mic is not a new concept (the Nura had one in order to pull of recording OAEs), but they've managed to take it mainstream. Good for them.

    I'm still waiting on my NuraLoops but I'm very tempted by these.
     
  3. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    I’m looking forward to the AirPod Pros myself. The Adaptive EQ is the most interesting aspect to me. Sounds similar to the DSP Homepods are performing, which performs very well.

    I assume they’ll still be using a Foster beryllium driver, albeit a different version from regular AirPods. Apple has progressed very well with their tunings, from the warm neutralish tuning of the AirPods to the Harman -like tuning of the Powerbeats Pro.

    Looks like we have a dedicated thread on this subject now: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/apple-airpods-pro-announced.8462/
     
  4. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    Thanks for the direction to the dedicated thread. I had looked but didn't see one earlier. Cheers

    PS - Will be picking up my set of Airpods Pro later today
     
  5. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    Tried the new Motorola Vervebuds 300 true wireless IEMs. At only €50, these are surprisingly cheaper from Amazon Germany atm than at $66 from Amazon US.

    These are really tiny, smaller than FD01's housings! The smallest TWS I've come across since the Earin M-2.
    [​IMG]

    The charging case (with IEMs) is small too, smaller than two AA batteries. Fits in virtually every pocket.
    [​IMG]

    Rated at 4.5 hours per charge, these are not as long-lasting as the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1, but smaller and easier to fit. Just like with the Melomania, all 3 included pairs of tips are rather small, and if your usual tip size is "large", you'll probably need L-sized third-party tips to achieve a seal. Problem is, many of these tips don't fit on the nozzle and / or into the charging case. The only ones I've found to fit both are these:
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Sennheis...Headset-Earphones-Gel-Tips-Large/220874421343

    Bluetooth range and reliability is very good. Supported codecs are AAC and SBC.

    Soundwise, I think these will appeal to HD650 fans. A bit bassy and warmish, but not in a bad way and not at the cost of detail. Overall unobtrusive and non-fatiguing, though a little less scooped in upper mids / lower treble than the Melomania. Smooth treble with just the right amount of sparkle and good extension. Not as dark-ish as the Melomania. Slight bass roll-off, but nothing to worry about unless you're a subbass junkie. Detail resolution is surprisingly decent overall for such a cheap pair of TWS.

    Frequency Response (grey = raw, blue = DF-compensated):
    [​IMG]

    FR comparison with Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 (magenta):
    [​IMG]

    IMO, the Vervebuds 300 are somewhat similar to the Melomania, but a bit more versatile due to slightly more neutral signature and slightly better isolation for commuting. In light of the fact that they cost only half as much as the latter, they're pretty much a no-brainer, unless you need longer operating time per charge.

    Bottom line: a very nice surprise! If you don't need extras like ambient mode and just want a tiny / comfy pair of true wireless IEMs, you might want to consider these.
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2019
  6. haywood

    haywood Friend

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  7. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Is the Vervebuds 300a dynamic driver? I just told my neighbor about them, who is looking for a set for his son for Christmas. Woot has them for $44.
     
  8. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    There's no info about that anywhere on the package or in the manual. But going by their timbre and the amount of bass rumble they're able to produce, I'm almost 100% sure they're DDs.
     
  9. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    When do we see the James mod for these Verve Buds? :)
     
  10. obsiCO

    obsiCO Thai Fish Experiment Gone Wrong

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    How's the microphone on the Vervebuds?
     
  11. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    I fear these don't need a mod, as the stock tuning is pretty much spot-on for outdoors. I'm devastated, to be honest.

    According to my indoor-test, pretty good. I haven't tried them in noisy surroundings though.
     
  12. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    How's the isolation?
     
  13. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    A little better than average. I was able to use them on the subway without increasing the volume to unsafe levels.
     
  14. Poleepkwa

    Poleepkwa Friend

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    @james444 .
    How does the Vervebuds compare to the Drop Move?
    From you description they seems to offer better isolation and better sub-bass than the Moves.
    Looking at the pictures the Ververbuds seems quite a bit smaller too!

    EDIT: found the following info:
    - 6mm graphene moving coil unit
    -stainless steel acoustic structure
    - Bluetooth 5.0+FPC antenna
    - The headset supports two connection modes.
    - IPX6 waterproof, officially announced 10 hours of battery life-
    - The pen-shaped storage box is designed to be portable with magnetic absorption.
    - The earphones are made of aluminium alloy and are resistant to collision and corrosion.

    Seems very promising
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2019
  15. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    Was just seeing how much these cost here. I wonder what the difference is between the Vervebuds 300 and 400 (besides 150 Chinese yuan/21USD)?
     
  16. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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    The sound signature is similar, but the Vervebuds have typical DD textured bass with more rumble and smoother sounding upper mids / lower treble. Oh, and of course better treble extension vs. limited bandwidth single BA.

    I'm not sure regarding isolation, it's been too long since I tried the Move...

    And even though I'm usually not a fan of touch control, the Move's physical buttons would drive me crazy whenever I tried to lay on my side, whereas the Vervebuds' touch buttons are a lot more well-behaved in that regard.

    Here's a FR comparison to the Drop Move (red):
    [​IMG]

    I haven't found any info on differences, apart from the 400's charging case being more sophisticated and bulkier.
     
  17. JK47

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  18. KowalskiFUT

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    Using Airpods Pro for couple of days now. I am obviously not nearly as experienced in personal audio as most of the SBAF members, but still owned couple of solid IEMs over time. JH Angie on the highest end of the owned stuff. Also had and loved Massdrop Plus (my favourite, bought because of SGSs reccommendation. Sold them and regreted that), B400, GR07. Currently own only EDC3, and Airpods Pro. B400 broke (great SQ, worst QC in history) but I am planning to send them for a repair under warranty.

    AP Pro is actually a great positive surprise for me. Sound signature is good, fairly neutral. Solid transparency, all in all very brave tuning by Apple when taken in mind that average Joe probably prefers much moar bass. Never had ANC headphones before, and it was a lot of fun when I tried it and realised how effective it is. I sometimes experience pressure in ears when ANC on, and music not playing. But it is not extreme, and as I said, it doesnt happen all the time.

    They wont replace your upper-middle (and obviously high end) rig, but for daily beaters they are more than capable. I would describe them as entry level of serious ("hifi") IEM market.

    Also, ease of use with iPhone, and Apple ecosystem in general, is fantastic.
     
  19. joeexp

    joeexp Don't ship this man FD-X1 ever

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    How to tame the beast; How does one mod IEMs to reduce a 3kHz spike?
    Any ideas?


    [​IMG]
     
  20. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    Start with a strip of Micropore tape that covers about 80% of the nozzle width, then experiment. Go wider if you have to, but the more of the nozzle you cover the more of the higher frequencies you'll also lose. Try other materials as in @james444 's various modding threads too; but too much/too thick can hurt dynamics and transients as well, so start conservatively.

    If that measurement is from a Chinese manufacturer, it's probably raw (uncompensated) on a cheap IEC-clone coupler. Those clones differ from each other, but my first impression from the graph is that the 3k peak is about 5 dB higher than I'd like it. The bass, too, is high - which might help perceptively against the upper midrange, if you can get that down a bit from where it is now.

    This all presumes that you've listened to them first :) and have indeed found the upper mids to be overdone; ie don't take a measurement from an unfamiliar source at face value! Although, a lot of Chinese manufacturers do seem to go for that exaggerated 'Harman-plus' sort of sound.
     

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