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PL3 vs. PL12 vs. NE-7M vs. RE2

post #1 of 8
3/12/09 at 11:14pm
Thread Starter 
I think I've narrowed down my list for budget phones to these four.

Based on reading a lot of the posts on Head-Fi, I think these buds can be summarized by the following concise descriptions:

PK3 - "fun" to listen to with emphasized mids

PL12 - balanced, but somewhat lacking bass

NE-7m - strong bass

RE2 - detailed, but somewhat anemic in bass like the er6i

Would this be an accurate assessment?
Any recommendations? I'm partial to the PL12's because they're cheap...

Thanks.
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post #2 of 8
3/12/09 at 11:39pm
nah. the bass of the re2's is actually quite good. tight, but decent in quantity.
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post #3 of 8
3/13/09 at 12:17am
I love my Pk3's, but then again I am biased because buds are more comfortable for me.
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post #4 of 8
3/13/09 at 12:21am
I'd summarize the characteristics of the 7m's as follows: they are quite transparent and fairly detailed for a $50 headphone (although not as articulate as a BA driver which has a crisper attack but less sustain/decay.) The 7m's also have a decently wide left to right soundstage (although not much front to back). The bass response is deep and resonant but not as detailed as higher tier dynamic iem's like the IE8s.
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post #5 of 8
3/13/09 at 2:00am
I have the NE-7M and PK3, and the above descriptions are correct about each. I only listen to the PK3 when I might need to hear some outside sounds (phone, boss, etc), and to sleep with usually. Otherwise, I listen to the NE-7m. It is a good combination of fun and detail -- deep and crisp.
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post #6 of 8
3/14/09 at 7:13am
I have the RE2 and the PL12. Of course of the two the RE2 is the better set. And at the current $39 price tag they are well worth it. But I find most PMP's just lack the juice to really drive them, meaning any amp is helpful. The PL12's are fun for they price. Thats about it. If budget is so tight that you are stuck in the $10 range then the PL12's are fine. But the RE2's are better in most respects. Of the SoundMAGIC IEM's I find the PL20's to be the best when paired with an amp.

So I would recommend the PL20 (in place of the PL12's) with at least an E3 if on a budget, but a set of RE2's with an E5 or build/buy a CMoy amp will really offer alot of bang for the buck. Of course I recommend these as a general use set of IEM's and not genre targeted at all. If your really into one genre then you might want to look elsewhere than these phones. Hope this helps a bit.
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post #7 of 8
3/14/09 at 8:24pm
I'll have to disagree with LeonWho on this one, RE2's are lacking in bass quantity. This isn't a bad thing though. RE2 straight from a CMoy is lackluster, maybe a CMoyBB. It pairs exceptionally well with the E5 though.

KSC75 trounces all of those though.
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post #8 of 8
3/14/09 at 9:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jageur272 View Post
I'll have to disagree with LeonWho on this one, RE2's are lacking in bass quantity. This isn't a bad thing though. RE2 straight from a CMoy is lackluster, maybe a CMoyBB. It pairs exceptionally well with the E5 though.

KSC75 trounces all of those though.
I'll have to agree with LeonWho, the RE2s have adequate bass quantity. While they aren't exactly going to satisfy hip-hop enthusiasts, it is decent for genres that don't rely on bass to be the (or one of the) driving force(s) of the music.
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