IEM general discussion thread

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

  1. Crinacle

    Crinacle Friend

    Staff Member Pyrate IEMW MZR
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    I wrote a review of the DMG here, personally not a big fan of the EDC3 myself. ER3 could be decent given Etymotic's track record.

    DMG measurements
     
  2. AvijitS25

    AvijitS25 Acquaintance

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    Does anyone have experience with the cables on aliexpress? I felt like getting some cables to mess around with and was just wondering how is the build? Not much I can ask for in that price range, and I need 2.5mm/4.4mm cables anyway
     
  3. gemmoglock

    gemmoglock New

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    Thanks for the links, always forget the infobank you have accumulated :)
     
  4. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    Only one so far, a silver-plated MMCX to 3.5mm thing I'm using on UE900s. Impressed - flexible, sturdy, zero microphonics, connectors on both ends seem just fine. I'm told there are complaints of the silver ones going green after a while, but so far that hasn't happened to mine (dry climate). I was given it by a friend who'd ordered others, think it was something like $5.
     
  5. Returnity

    Returnity Acquaintance

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    I do have a yinyoo 4-core SPC cable in 4.4mm to mmcx termination. Quite soft, sturdy and decent SQ for the price. Compared to my Audiominor Marquise it's quite congested though. But for ten USD it's quite good.
     
  6. Bina

    Bina MOT - Shanling

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    Quality can be all over place. Apart from silver turning grey and copper turning green, you sometimes gets connectors too big (got 2pin that didn't fit any of my IEMs), switched channels, switched phase on one side, wrongly connected balanced cable. Sometimes you will see balanced cables offered for headphones, that can't be connected balanced without actually completely changing wiring into headphones themselves.

    My advice, when you get any cable from Aliexpress/Taobao, firstly check if it's connected correctly.

    Build can be also vastly different, had some cables being nice and soft, others hard and horrible. For some time flat design of cable was popular and while looking great, it was super uncomfortable behind the ear.

    And one reminder, just because you got fine cable from some shop one time, doesn't mean the next time it will be as good. Even if you order exactly same cable.
     
  7. deafdoorknob

    deafdoorknob Almost "Made"

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    @Cellist88 did you end up keeping the Phantoms? if not, what iem are you using now? I really liked Phantom’s lower mid fullness but like you said the price is a little steep.
     
  8. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

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    I moved on rather quickly. I did like the warmer tonality but found the upper midrange bite to be an increasing problem with a lack of treble. In any case, I can't see a reason to have anything over a jvc fd01 modded on the go at this point. Not the last word on iems but they do the job well on the go.
     
  9. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    Hey Guys, I saw some posts a few pages back about the Sony IER-Z1R, but no impressions. Has anyone gotten ears on these things yet? Seems like production version delivery has been delayed quite a few times, but that there are some demos floating around Sony stores in Asia?
     
  10. Mimouille

    Mimouille Facebook Friend

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    Here is my take. Pay attention to the fact I say it can be a huge hit IF they correct the midrange.

    "Had the time for a little stop at the Sony Style store in Shanghai and I tried the Z1R IEMs. Disclaimer, as the cable was glued to the IEMs I could not use my source as I didn't have my WM1Z with me, and the cable was 4.4. Also, I am not sure this is the final tuning as this demo seemed quite worn out.

    Long story short, the stage is incredible, most open sounding IEM I have heard by far. The bass is deep and well controlled, no harshness in the treble, super clarity in the mids. Where I had a problem was that the mids sounded a bit thin and brittle, making the overall feeling a bit dry. If this has been tweaked on the final version, this will be a huge hit."
     
  11. Raadic

    Raadic New

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    I'm looking for impressions on the Oriolus MK2.

    It was hyped like hell couple of years ago, wondering if it's still up to par or if it's been surpassed. I have a good deal on it.

    Everything I've read about it seems to tick my boxes with its organic(?), warm, bassy, energetic and emotional nature. I listen to mainly EDM and some indie electronica where timbre and cohesiveness for realism sake isn't as important as having a grand larger-than-life sound which the Oriolus seems to have.

    Also, can anyone comment on it's 3D-sound capabilities specifically?
     
  12. zfisch

    zfisch New

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    My first foray into iems...I'm looking for a good bass-heavy iem that performs well from a phone/iPod. My interest has come down to the stagediver 3's and Future Sonics G10 (staying sub 500 Euro). I haven't found much here on the former
    Does anyone have experience with these two and can give a head to head comparison or quick pro/con?
     
  13. deafdoorknob

    deafdoorknob Almost "Made"

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    stagediver 3’s bass is quite soft, more of a warm rumble than hard slams but the rest of the range is in smooth if lacking in fine detail...

    g10 (which i cant get rid of even at 40% off lol) is a great woofer with decent mids in search a tweeter, anything above 1khz is rather attenuated giving an almost (but not as drastic) AM radio in a car sound system vibe.

    sony mdr-7550 is still the best bet esp if you do not need high isolation and deep insertion.

    EE Bravado, Stagediver sd5 (if you don’t mind the slightly harsh lower treble), sony xba-n3, used cfa Dorado, ibasso it03 are all better alternatives, imho.
     
  14. deafdoorknob

    deafdoorknob Almost "Made"

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    it’s quite relaxed sounding, it does have a grand soundstage (for an iem) with good depth but it’s an imprecise, diffuse one. If your edm/electronica are toward the atmospherical types, it would suit you well, but if you are into quicker, more energetic side of the genre, ie800s, vega, bravado, used 64 audio U8 might serve you better.
     
  15. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    Been playing with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless the last few days while I get my UE18+ repaired.

    Got a good fit on my right ear, my left ear my antitragus the body sits on it and makes it a little uncomfortable. Had to get UE to shave off some material to make it more comfortable also.

    Sound wise it is quite good. Punchy and responds well with the eq on the Sennheiser app. First gen batch had some issues, the latest batch fixed them.
     
  16. TeskR

    TeskR New

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    Does anyone have any good suggestions regarding a replacement cable for the Massdrop Plus?
    My stock cable is on its way out, losing connection at the 3.5mm jack when wiggled or bumped. Looking for something reasonably cheap, any known decent ebay cable sellers?
     
  17. Sqveak

    Sqveak Friend

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    The Plus uses 0.78mm pins.

    It's not eBay but the best I can find locally for a 3.5mm single-ended is this:
    https://www.minidisc.com.au/64-audio-2-pin-professional-cable-48-3-5mm

    Our local prices are quite high for single ended cables.
    The cheaper Fiio cables all seem to be balanced with 2.5mm plugs.
    Unfortunately a Fiio 2.5mm cable plus a 3.5mm adapter lands you at a higher price than the cable above.

    There is also the Massdrop x Mee 2-pin cable set which includes a single ended adapter:
    https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-mee-audio-2-pin-balanced-cable-set

    Alternately.
    Have you considered re-terminating with a new jack?
     
  18. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
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  19. Osiris11

    Osiris11 New

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    Effect Audio has a stock cable trade in: https://www.effectaudio.com/origin-trade-in.html

    should fit the MD+
     
  20. TeskR

    TeskR New

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    Thank you @Sqveak, @shotgunshane and @Osiris11.
    I was worried that some of the 2 pin cables may not fit the MD+ socket, wasn't sure if it was a standard flange size or not. I have had issues with the fit of the stock cable and the MD+ (the housings tend to fall off the cable), and wanted to make sure I avoid that (minor heart attack whenever I pull them out of my pocket and one side is gone).

    Looks like the 64 Audio cable will be the cheapest option locally, so will likely go with that. Thanks again!
     

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