IEM general discussion thread

Follow up for @Brooko: Thanks for the EQ suggestion! I tried it out on my X5 3rd and it helped a lot! Minor detail loss was a thing by putting on the EQ, but it helps making the mid-range less annoying at times. Great for the office environment.

 

Anyone feels like dropping some cash on a nice pair or customs?

http://www.spiralear.com/en/products/se6/index.html

 

"a shifting, iridescent fabric of sound and chameleon-like sound signature on a completely different level"

Frankly sounds like a bargain at 5k.

 

You were/are a fan of the SE5 IIRC, right? Pricing on this new iem are just appaling, but, I should say not unexpected. The trends just keep going higher and higher. It has to stop at one point. Hopefully people take a stand and stop buying shit at these crazy price levels. I'm guilty myself of supporting it, but Jesus, enough already.

 

Above all I dislike that companies are shying away from reshell/ownership transfer. Although i guess this happens when iem companies become "too big" and would rather spend time on a full price purchase.

 

I am not sure this is final, or whether this is just to tease the crowd. On the no reshell, it is just that they don't have the capacity, and would rather not do it then lengthen lead time.

 

What's going on with the new Massdrop x Mee Planamic IEMs? I received a notification regarding this drop. It looks like the marketing is selling it as a dynamic planar hybrid that has a very familiar shell shape...

 

I'm not really sure what's supposed to make it a "hybrid" of different driver types.

The drawing just shows a planar driver with no magnets on the front. Doesn't HiFiMan have some full sizes like that?

Edit: More here

 

http://www.spiralear.com/en/more-info/se6-update/index.html SE6 is actually available for the low-low price of 11999 PLN
Which i guess is in-line with the price of other TOTL these days....

 

I saw someone on head-fi call the new Sony DSP-1 a steal at $8k because it can be used an a home music server as well.

The clowns arrived long ago.

 

Just a prank part 2: https://imgur.com/cV1BSU3
It's an "Introductory sales price".

 

Got an ER4XR yesterday. First new IEMs in years. I wouldn’t mind a little more bass, but it sounds great. Nice and clean. More importantly it isolates very well. One of the reasons I decided to give Ety another shot. I commute to and from work every weekday, and the isolation is very nice to have on the bus and train.

Main downside to me so far is the stock cable. It’s a bit microphonic and too long to use when out and about. Luckily I found someone that makes cables for the MMCX ER4s over on HF (ClieOS), and his prices are very reasonable. Going to take him up in that and hopefully get a far less annoying cable about of it. Will report back when I have that.

The ER4XR is a bit less sensitive than my Shure SE535 and SE215, and I think that’s actually a very positive thing. I get a bit more volume control when listening on my phone. Maybe between 1 and 6 or 7 rather than just 1 to 4 on my iPhone 7 Plus. It’s quite nice.

In addition to the ER4XR I’d like to get a nice IEM with a fun sound signature and less isolation to use at home and maybe at work and the arcade. The Acoustune HS1551 CU is at the top of my list. I found someone that’s willing to lend one to me for a few days so I should be able to try that soon.

I’m open to other suggestions for a complement to the ER4XR as well. $1000 or less is the budget but closer to $500 or less is greatly preferred. Thank you!

Edit: apparently my cable is already complete. Here it is. Not sure when I'll get it as it's shipping from Malaysia, and I will be away next weekend. But I'll definitely provide some thoughts on it when I get a chance.

 

When I saw @james444's JVC FD01 swab filter mod, I immediately wondered if it would be possible to try it on the EX1000, since the peaks that I find offensive look quite similar. A few days ago I finally got off my butt and gave it a try. Initially I thought it might be possible to wrap a slice of swab around the foam inside the nozzle. But this proved nigh on impossible. So I tried pushing the foam in to make some room for a bit of rolled up swab (5mm x 15mm) and was able to manage this using a pair of fine tweezers to roll and insert.


They were still a bit hot and the filter looked like it would gradually wiggle it's way out, so I slapped a thin slice of micropore over it which serves the dual purpose of holding the filters in and further reducing the inherent hotness of the exk1's.

Tada!



With the stock "comfort isolation" tips (the ones with foam inside the silicone flange), they're smoother than with 3-4 criss-cross layers of micropore and more open sounding.

Edit: PWaudio No. 5 cable helps reduce the brightness as well.

 

Are you using an MMCX to EX1000 pin converter?

 

Yes, it's somewhere in this thread I think.

Here: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?posts/201903/

 

It’s Obscene to Pay $180 for a Steak Sandwich—But It Sure Was Yummy https://www.wsj.com/articles/its-ob...teak-sandwichbut-it-sure-was-yummy-1534521889

 

Received my ER4XR replacement cable from ClieOS on HF, and it's exactly what I was looking for.

-Less microphonic.
-Doesn't get tangled up as easily in the pouch.
-Shorter. Much better on the go.
-Straight plug. Good for dongle users.
-Sounds the same as the stock cable.
-Better aesthetic if you like braided silver cables.
-More ergonomic due to longer MMCX connector making the earphone a bit longer. The stock cable connectors rub against my ears a bit. It sometimes causes discomfort.

Definitely worth checking one of his cables or something similar if the issues I mentioned above bother you.

I probably should have put on some fresh tips to make this pic look a little better, but I don't have any with me. I clean the tips fairly often but usually just the outside and not really underneath each flange.

 

Hmm, I don't recall finding the stock cable particularly microphonic, worn up and cinched. Also tangling should be a non-issue most of the time if you use standard over-under winding- with any of your cables (it also reduces wear and tear on them).

Good to hear that you're enjoying the aftermarket one, though.

 

I find the stock cable very microphonic cinched or not when walking around, but I've never worn the cable over ear. The shape of the ER4XR makes it not really seem designed for over ear cable usage though I'm sure it can work.

Tangling is more a product of me not always being very careful when I put the ER4XR back into the pouch. In a rush on the go a lot of the time. Above the split is very easy tangled compared to practically every other IEM cable I've ever used.