Earbuds Round-Up

[ClieOS]

I have always want to do a short comparison of my earbuds collection, but the task of listening them very critically in one session isn't for the faint of heart - while I have listened to each of them fairly extensive in the pass, it still took me over 4 hours of going back and fore (almost back breaking work) just trying hard to sort them out. With over 20 earbus currently in my possession, I realize a compilation with detail review of each will be a massive undertaking that I can't sure I can finish in a satisfactory fashion or even have the time to do so. So the decision went to separate them into categories based on my own interpretation of SQ, complete with a simple impression. Hopefully this is enough to provide some useful info for those who are interested in earbuds. Cheer.


Category 1: THE GREAT

1. Yuin PK1 - Effortless sound but does require an amp. Warm, a bit slow on speed and attack so it might not be best for fast music.
2. CrossRoads HR1 - Not as effortless as PK1 but still pretty good. More balnced and slightly mid focused with a better sense of speed.
3. Sennheiser MX90vc - Excellent sound. Warm but overall balanced. Fit can be difficult at first with the twist and fit system and it will need an amp to sound great.
4. Sennheiser MX760 - Also a fairly balance sounding earbud that is cleaner and more transparent than MX90vc, but has a lot more low end resonance which lead to slightly artificial 'surround sound' effect.
5. Sennheiser LX90 - Same transducer as MX90vc with almost identical sound signature. Good fit is not easy to maintain (which is why I rank it lower than MX760), also requires an amp to sound at its best.

Category 2: THE GOOD

1. B&O A8 - Bass light but very airy and detail, great synergy and sound with a warm amp.
2. CrossRoads HR2 - Not as bassy as PK3 but has a slightly more spacious, neutral sound.
3. Yuin PK3 - detail, fairly balanced and pretty good bass impact. Lively presentation.
4. Panasonic RP-HV600 - Neutral and a bit lean on mid with a tunable XBS switch.
5. Sony MDR-E888 - Good bass impact but too mid focus, bloated in a sense.

Category 3: THE DECENT

1. SoundMAGIC PH-10 - Well balanced and smooth sound, but soundstage is a bit small. Very well controlled.
2. Panasonic RP-HZE70 - Clean and airy sound but can't get a good fit easily despite of the earclip.
3. Sony MDR-E805 - More upper mid focused, airy and detail but can be harsh at time. Wide bud, not as comfortable.
4. Panasonic RP-HV337- less bass than MX500 but very clean and more detail.
5. Sony MDR-A34 - similar sound signature as MX500, slightly less detail and soundstage but sweeter in vocal. The headband makes it very comfortable in long term use.
6. Sennheiser MX500 - BenQ rebranded (same Foster-JP model ), warm but over all balanced, slightly congested in mid.
7. Apple iBud (new gen.) - very similar to MX500, slightly less sparkle but have a stronger bass slam. Said to be a tuned variation of the same MX500 series by Foster-JP.
8. AKG K311 - Big warm bottom, good detail but not airy enough. Excellent build quality.
9. JVC HA-F130 - Very lively presentation with PK3 like signature, but lack control.
10. Sony Ericsson Bass Flex - Warm mid and bass with a good impact. sweet vocal. Stock earbuds for many SE cellphone models.
11. Sennheiser MX50 - Not as easy to drive, warm mid but still airy.

Category 4: THE BAD

1. Panasonic stock earbud (L0BAB0000188) - Warm, smooth but lack detail.
2. Creative EP380 - Very warm, bloated mid, small soundstage.

Remember, always take this with a grain of salt

[PharaohsVizier]

Excellent work as usual. Sad to see that the PH10's didn't do as well as I hoped. Time to cancel an order. :P

[ClieOS]

PH-10 is a very well made earbud, consider that it only costs $10. It just lacks a bit of airiness and detail to make it to the next level.

[a_tumiwa]

love this thread , hope u will add cm700 to your collection in the future

already bookmark this thread

[tetsu85]

MX90vc?? what a surprise..!!

[kjk1281]

Nicely done! Thanks ClieOS!

The subtle differences you described between the Yuin PK1 and CrossRoads HR1 are interesting to note if I ever decide to upgrade to high-end earbuds. Surprised to see that you own the LX90; I almost pulled the trigger once when I saw it for $20, but the design just seems too awkward to be comfortable or to get a good fit.

Also, good to see that the SoundMagic PH-10 is a solid earbud for the price. I'd like to see them make a higher end open model, but the market may not be big enough to justify it.

Finally, I don't think we'll ever see designs like the Panasonic RP-HV600 again. I should have gotten into this hobby sooner, as many of the Japanese companies had some rather interesting earbuds released throughout the 1990s.

FAKE EDIT: Just realized that the HV600 was first released in Japan in 1991. See boys and girls, if you take care of your stuff, it will last forever, or at least 18 or so years.

Like a_tumiwa, I'll be watching this thread closely. Thanks again!

[mrarroyo]

Very nice comparison! Hope you add the OK1 and OK2 both are outstanding in their price points, with the OK1 the best bud I have heard.

[ClieOS]

IIRC, I bought my HV600 back in 1999, then it was boxed up and went to the storage room around 2001 for a good 5~6 yrs (I went oversea during those time) before I dug it up just yrs ago.

[Drpepper]

Hi ClieOS,
I've always been tempted to pick up the PK3's,but I missed out on the group buy and never got around to it. I have both the MX90VC's and MX760, which you rate above the PK3s. Am I missing out on something not having the PK3s?

P.S. anxiously awaiting Fuze LOD.

[tstarn06]

Another contender in the top two categories is the Hisoundaudio PAA-1 buds that come stock with the Amp3. Excellent buds, comparable to the PK3, but a little higher SQ across the spectrum. Unfortunately, not for sale individually, but I heard they may be someday.

[ClieOS]

Originally Posted by Drpepper

Am I missing out on something not having the PK3s?

PK3 is unique in a way that it is very fun and engaging. Many actually find the kind of coloration to be great. Personally, I find PK3 to be slightly too fun and it becomes a weakness in some genre of music.

[chicaman]

Where is PK2 o.O missing?

[james444]

Well, I'm not so much into earbuds, but hey that's an impressive collection, LOL
Excellent overview for potential buyers with spot on descriptions, as always - thanks!

[a_tumiwa]

Originally Posted by chicaman

Where is PK2 o.O missing?

you can send it to ClieoS

[ClieOS]

Originally Posted by a_tumiwa

you can send it to ClieoS

x2. Send one to him so he can add it to the list!