Maximo iM-490s review
Received these from Woot this evening..
When reading this review, keep in mind that these have a MSRP of $50. I got these on Woot on an amazing $15 deal ($20 shipped). I have to keep reminding myself ... LOL
Well, I can only give you my 1st out-of-box impressions so far, but wanted to get something posted. I'll post some pics later.. once I figure out how to do it. It's my 1st review here, so hope you'll forgive me if I include info that most head-fi er's know, but a noobe, might find useful; especially for those looking at 'phones at this price point. I'm driving these and doing all the initial listening with an un-amped Zune 30. All the source is at minimum 192kbps MP3.
Appearance/Physical description: They come blister packed with a GREAT case (similar to the Shure E4 case) with a center winding spool and small mesh pocket in the top for a spare set of tips, etc. It sports a Maximo 'made for Sansa' center logo plate. The headphone driver finish is 1st rate.. smooth solid feel, but not heavy. Cables (4' plus a 2' extension cable) appear to be pvc/plastic jacketed. A very small 'Y' splitter leads to somewhat thinner even length wires leading to the drivers. There is no 'slider' to snug the cables up or any kind of clip. Now that they've been unwound awhile, they seem to be relaxing a bit. I was initially concerned that they might kink up rather easily. Connectors are gold plated. The extension cable socket is a tight fit.. hope it stays that way over time. IMO setting up the cable length at 4' and a 2' extension is an unexpected plus, especially at this price point. Three pair of black silicone ear tips are included. They are thinner, shorter, and smaller in diameter than a lot of other(see the iM-390 thread) canal phones provide. The drivers are relatively small in size, fitting easily within the ear, not sticking out much at all (at least in my ears). There is a single port opening on the back of the casing.
Sound Quality/Fit: I include these together, because this style of IEM/canalphone depends critically on proper fit to obtain good sound quality.
I can only compare these to my experience with the Shure E4c's. They are a different type of IEM, using a balanced armature. The E4's have a small diameter 'nozzle' that runs down the core of the ear tip (think long and narrow). It works best (for me) inserted fairly deeply into the ear canal which provides really good seal and isolation. The iM-490 canalphones use a dynamic driver, and characteristically have a wider, shorter 'nose' that the ear tip goes over. With the included tips, at least, inserting these deeply into the ear canal was not optimal. I found the wider, shorter nose more difficult to get oriented so that it provided the best SQ, isn't blocked by the bend in the ear canal, and still provides a good seal. The best solution for me so far (and I'm still experimenting) was a shallow insertion.. just enough to get a seal. The body of the 490 is small enough that it didn't restrict placement in the ear, although the longish metal cable support seems a bit too long. The isolation isn't what you get with deeper seated IEMs, but you gain comfort! I'm still not satisfied with the tips, but am going to see if I can find some foam tips that might work better.
Ah.. but getting to the point (finally) about the sound. When you get them set right in your ears.. the sound is amazing. Hit the sweet spot and all of a sudden the sound just blossoms and fills your head. I only have a few hours of listening, and I'll come back to this after a good burn-in and more listening.
Initial impressions are good. Strong bass; although a bit too boomy and loose in the mid-bass for me, it certainly holds the lower bass range well, with good lower extension on kick drum, electric bass and synth. Mids are a bit forward and closed. Solo piano could have a bit more air in the sound. Good treble and and treble extension which sounded fairly flat. I'm thinking that there is a bit of a mid-range bump in the response. Vocals sound good, though, and having the forward mid-range isn't harsh, so I'm hoping with burn-in the bass will tighten up and the mids will level out and sound a little more open.
Setting these very shallow in the ear canal helps the apparent sound stage a bit, but sacrifices a bit of the detail in the process. Not to say these are without detail, but I compare to the E4c's which have amazing detail (IMO). Instrument seperation was good.
They seem to drive easily with the Zune.. less than 1/2 of what it takes to drive the E4c. Good volume at 6-7 or so, out of 20. No hiss problems either, which is good news (the Zune 30 is pretty quiet anyway). Turning up the volume a bit, and the sound gets congested pretty quickly. Generally, I'd like to see a bit more dynamic range out of these (and again I remind myself of the pricepoint.. LOL), more punch in the sound would be good.
I listen to a wide variety of music so will try to give an impression of how they do with several genres after burning in.
Bottom Line
Best $20 I've ever spent on gear, and still a good value at $50.
Very listenable, comfortable, and Lifetime Warrantee.!!
So I will throw in my impression of it...
!
