a new budget IEM: Maximo iM-390 - Page 3

Yeah, I noticed some of the dealers listed on the Maximo site are charging more for the 390 and they aren't in stock yet either. Although they will be charging $50 for the 390 and $45 for the 490.

I received them today. Some pics and out of the package impressions...









First, they are the older version. Nice accessories. Better quality construction than this price level for both the phones and accessories.

I like their small size and short bulb stem; you can wear them straight out or over the ear equally well. Very little microphonics when worn over the ear. They can provide nice isolation depending on how deeply inserted.

The out of box sound is bassy with some bloat, nice forward mids and some pretty smooth treble. I know I have the old version but I expected worse. EQ-ing the bass down a bit fixes them up nice. Either burn-in will kill the bloat or opening up the back port will help. I am going to burn them in first before I try to mod them. Stands to reason the larger port should tighten it up letting air flow better.

Anyway, with the bass reduced the overall sound is smooth and musical with some nice weight. I hear a nice level of detail so far and some nice seperation. The soundstage is a good size in both height and width. Decent speed and can handle fast, complex drums quite well which is a good sign for me and my music tastes.

I have played with some different tips. I like my red ebay EX71 style and also the E2c soft flex better than the stock tips. Better sound with these. May have something to do with the stock tips small size. I would say the medium is smaller than any other style mediums. Now checking the large size, I see the large is about the size of other companies mediums. I will go back and try the large. They are shallow tips for sure. The large is 7mm long which is 2,3, or more mm shorter than the other large tips. Ah yes, now thinking the large stocks might sound the best. The shorter tips seem to help the soundstage.

There is some nice driver flex to be heard. Even more with the longer tips. I feel the need to be more careful with them. The lifetime warranty is a good thing. They are in Vancouver, Washington for those in the US this is a good thing.

Just out of the box impressions but they seem to be a really sweet deal for $30 or less. If the new version goes up to $49 I would still recommend them. Not an absolute steal at that price but a better package than most of the $50 canalphones out there.

PK2/UE3 comparisons coming after getting more familiar with them and some more burn-in. I'll also probably have decided on opening up the port and see how that turned out.

Thanks for the nice preliminary observations & pics jant71! I look forward to hearing your future impressions, particularly with regard to how opening up the rear porthole changes the sound.

Just fyr, the MRSPs of our iMetal line:

iM-490S iMetal Isolation Earphone Made for Sansa $49.99
iM-390 iMetal Isolation Earphone $39.99
iM-290 iMetal Stereo Earphone $29.99

The pricing won't change due to minor revisions. (And any major revisions would be offered as a new model). As we don't (at this point) exercise any pricing control in the retail channel, whatever prices one finds were the decision of that particular reseller.

On the maximo website if you click where to buy, 2 of the places will be selling them for $50.95(Techdepot and computers 4sure). Of course, they can be had for less if one shops around.


Here is a problem...

We have E2c med, UE med, ebay med, stock large.

I had said before they can have very good isolation. That was NOT with the stock tips. I tried them outside with the large tips and there was not much especially in my left ear( a bit bigger than my right canal). Wind noise through the tips since they are thin also. If you have other tips for them cool but if you need good isolation you may have to purchase some for this phone.

edit: I'm not sure if the new version may possibly have different tips. Maybe someone can confirm.

Also should have mentioned before that they are easy to drive and are very sensitive so hiss is an issue unamped or if you don't add impendance.

Quickie A/B vs. PK2. Old version with stock larges and very little burn-in seems quite competitive with PK2.

Jant, we've been considering alternative eartips a little too. PM me with you mailing addr and I'll send some for your evaluation/feedback.

Sure will. Thanks!

OK guys - I bit and ordered them from buy.com and using google checkout, the price is nice.

I am going to listen to them vs. my Cresyn LMX630 and try all the tips available to me. The better of either will then be embedded in some handmade polycaprolactone ear molds. I'll have pics when it is all done.

A bit past the 50 hour mark now. The bass is tightening/clearing up nicely so far. I did widen the ports in the back but, to my surprise, I did not notice a change when testing them(I about doubled the size of the port). I heard the same level. I did hear a change after leaving them alone for a day more of burn-in though. As crossed my mind before it now sounds very close to the PK2. It no longer sounds like a PK2 with big, somewhat congested bass. I would say the PK2 mid-bass hump gives it a slight bit more weight there and in the vocals now. So, the Maximo is ever so slightly more flat. I like the tone of the Maximo treble slightly more. The detail level is the same also.

Depending on how far in you insert them you also have near the soundstage of the PK2. Slightly less than the Yuin until you insert deeper and increase the isolation where the soundstage starts to compress. Of course moving the drivers closer and forcing the drivers to work harder to move air(needing more volume) does give them more detail. It is cool to have the option since there is really no stem. More isolation just on depth without needing to change tips. Even deeply inserted, footstep noise is noticably less than with other IEMs. Of course there is more comfort if they aren't in as far.

I like their balance and how they are an easy listen. No harshness, fatigue, or glaring flaw in this phone. Everything is done well across the spectrum. Good bass, good mids, good treble, good extension, etc. As such it is a safe bet that many people will like them. At the price everyone should. The X3's are about twice the price and the Yuin's are two and a half times the price. Neither has better included accessories. Mine might improve even more with more burn-in and these are the old version. Maximo has improved with the second version and are supporting the product with a lifetime warranty and listening to our feedback. Kudos! It is a very nice product!

Picked up a pair tonight, for $22 after rebate. Now I realize I probably ordered the older model from Buy.com. Kinds sux, but at that price, I figure why not? I'll give them to my daughter or wife if I don't use them.

Hi - I'd appreciate your opinion on their un-amp'd performance vs your current earphones.

Thanks!

No problem. I'm an addict, no doubt. Especially for phones that offer higher-fi, lower-cost options. Done with big $$$ purchases, for now. In fact, I bought these for unamped use, since the PK1s sound great, but require an amp. And the M5s, my go-to sound isolation portable phones, sound great unamped. If these phones offer similar sound to PK2s unamped (I had a pair but sold them), they fill a definite niche in the portable category.

i wouldnt advise making the port bigger,the bigger the port the bigger the boom as more air is moved,the smaller the port or no port at all will make bass tighter but lighter,its the same with any full size subwoofer,if it has a port its boomier and the bigger the port the more boom you get,no port at all makes a tighter response.

ofcourse i wouldnt advise covering the port either because maybe its designed with a port to shift air and not overload the driver,so covering might cause pressure and damage,but making the port bigger will inevitably create bigger bass