Mini Comparison - Vibe (1st gen), C700, PK2, RE0, NE-7M, PFE, ER4S, OK1, TF10, UM3X, SE530, IE8 - Page 10

OK1 is up.

I've come to really enjoy this bud. I tend to find myself listening to this more then any other earphone, very neutral and natural sound, highly detailed, good energy, well balanced and refined. There isn't much not to like, and there isn't much to deter listening either. I still consider the ER4S as the defacto reference device though. The ER4S has great articulation of note, stage presence, and balance. The OK1 is something I consider very near the ER4S, more then any other earphone I've used and reviewed so far.

I borrowed my brother's C700 for a little while, and I've been toying with the earphone. I've used it on various occasions, but I never really played with it. I ran it and compared against other products I had at the time but never really fiddled with it. It's an IEM that I really enjoyed. I started fiddling with tip choices and covering up the port and EQing, and I'm getting a better sense of what this IEM is capable of when properly set up. I also got a chance to listen to it through my Corda 2Move which was nice. I've run it off my old FiiO E5 and my bro's NuForce Icon previously though. I feel it has more capability and potential then I originally gave it credit for. I've gotten a better sense of its true flaws and how to get better results. I've updated my info on the C700 to show my thoughts. I still want to run the C700 with a couple more tips that I don't currently own, but so far I'm seeing the C700 in a new light. It's refreshing. I do think it's a very good sounding IEM, but I have and currently still find it to be a hassle to get sounding good. Although modification isn't new to head-fi, I find it a deterrent for a product if I have to do it in order to get better results.

Added the Triple.Fi 10 Pro. I also own a UM3X, soon a IE8, and later a CK100 that I will eventually be adding. Wee!!

Thanks. I do try to be helpful with my experiences.

Bud versus IEM is a matter of isolation and if you want something shoved in your ear or not. I have the OK1 and love it. I don't question the quality of either platform, just preference.

The OK2 should be good, but IEMs like the IE7 and PFE are too. It'll still just come down to personal preference. The frequency responses and all aspects of presentation of sound will be different between all of them. It's what makes all of this pretty challenging. I typically did a good deal of researching before selecting the earphones I've used, and I still find myself seeing these earphones in different light then what others have seen. Nothing replaces first hand experience. Everything I say, everything ClieOS says, everything anybody says will always have some form of bias and perspective of reality that isn't true reality. In the written form, especially short form like these reviews, things are excluded and ideas are broad. You never get a complete sense of a product, simply a single picture, taken at a specific time, in a specific light in essence. You do what that the best you can. I keep finding myself having to go to raw experience to answer my own questions and interests.

You may have to as well. For example, buy the OK2, PFE, and IE7. I know you don't want to, but that's really the only good method to understand what each product truly represents. All of us on these forums can only give you snapshots, glimpses of the product. Sometimes it's enough to show that you really don't want a particular product. Sometimes it shows just enough to entice you.

I will most likely be revising the TF10 and subsequent IEMs a little bit as I re-read through them and decide if I want to reword information or point out different aspects.