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Multi-IEM Review - 286 IEMs compared (LG Quadbeat & TDK MT300 Added 06/16/13 p.711) - Page 602

post #9016 of 10688
12/12/12 at 1:14am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by djvkool View Post

Joker -- (or anyone else who have heard all 3)

 

I am interested in pulling the trigger on XBA-3, as price here locally in Australia is cheap as they are being phased out and replaced by the XBA30 - can you help and advise the sound of XBA-3 in comparison to Westone3 and TF10?

 

I haven't listened to the XBA-3

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by AznInvasion138 View Post

Hey there joker, so I'm looking to give a mid tier IEM to a family member for the holidays. Price range $100-200. Sound signature looking for a great all arounder with maybe a little more emphasis on bass. Will be listening to mostly hip hop, r&b, trance, alternative rock, and acoustic music. Some of the options I was looking at were the Yamaha EPH-100, Vsonic GR07, RE262, JVC FXT90, Rock It R50, Hippo VB, JVC FXD80, Future Sonic MG7 Pro, and TDK BA2000. I know its a lot but just wondering if you can help narrow the list down. Thanks!

 

If you want a bump in the bass, you probably don't want the RE262 or R-50. While perhaps not completely flat, they do not have emphasized bass. The rest are all solid options depending on the requirements (except the BA200, can't say anything about that as I haven't heard it yet). I personally think the EPH-100 or FXT90 would maybe have more of a "wow factor" for the casual listener.

 

 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Click View Post

 

BTW, I just want to say how much I appreciate Joker and this thread. I've been a long-time lurker on Head-Fi and this thread has helped me a lot in determining the quality of IEMs. Truly a valuable resource!

 

beerchug.gif

 

 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by czqdtc View Post

does it mean W4 is the ideal/perfect IEM for me ?

 

Sure sounds that way.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by DPCyric View Post

Hi Joker,

 

I listen to a lot of a bass heavy industrial music (KMFDM mainly) but I also like some very elaborate metal as well (Tristania, Dream Theater, Therion) with a little bit of pop as well (Depeche Mode is the big one here). I plan on getting a set of Velodyne vPulse's for every day listening but for higher end at home listening I havent decided on what to get. The Monster Miles Davis Tribute I am interested in thanks to your review but they are pretty hard to find now. I am fairly picky about design and the Tributes look nice (as do the MTPC, trumpets and the vPulse) and I am also concerned that if I pick them up I will still need something better suited for the metal I like. Would it serve me well to track down a pair of Tributes if I want something that blows my brains out listening to KMFDM and maybe a pair of MTPC for the metal where I don't want as much bass? Should I look into a more analytical pair of IEMS for my metal? If so what do you think would be great and also fit my tastes look wise?


You're probably better off getting the vPulses, spending some time with them, and seeing where you want to go from there. Doesn't seem like you know what type of sound you are after at this point and there's a number of options available to you. It might take trying the vPulse and a few other sets in order to get your sound signature bearings. I would definitely advise against getting both the Tributes and Coppers - they sound different, but probably not enough to warrant owning both. 

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post #9017 of 10688
12/12/12 at 1:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by czqdtc View Post

After trying all the good IEMs out there, including JH13, ES5, even togo 334. I still can't find something that represent the W4R signature but with improvements overall.

JH13 almost did the job there but the vocal is too thin and too transparent, lack the solid imaging of the voice.

ES5 doesn't have the fluffy highs up top, actually I think they don't extend as well as the W4.

334 is amazing but there is a hotspot in the treble that annoys me sometimes and the bass is a bit loose for my taste.

 

Jesus, I really don't know what to do now. How about the 1964 V6? Does this one has the magical mids of W4?

How about... maybe the fitear MH335?

Or, does it mean W4 is the ideal/perfect IEM for me ?

I suggest you try the MH335. Its bass is more controlled than the MH334. For me, im okay with the treble of MH334 but the bass should have a bit of control for a BA iem. Its not that loose but if you compare to SM3 or W4, you can hear it.

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post #9018 of 10688
12/12/12 at 2:13am

Just want to say thanks for the awesome and comprehensive review IjokerI.  It's been a huge help to me in my quest for some solid IEM's.

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post #9019 of 10688
12/12/12 at 2:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by suman134 View Post


wait for the xba30 , xba-3 has J cord and xba30 has Y cord . i have tried the tf10 and i would not say that xba-3 beats the tf10 , but has a bit better highs , mids are a bit lean and bass has lesser impact . if i were you , i would have gone for tf10 any day , not for anything but for its beautiful presentation , softer and solid bass , yes it has some mid bass hump but not bothering at all .

 

Thanks buddy, yeah I own both TF10 and W3, I love my BA-based IEM and XBA-3 is cheap here locally at the moment, so yeah have been thinking about it

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post #9020 of 10688
12/12/12 at 3:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by djvkool View Post

 

Thanks buddy, yeah I own both TF10 and W3, I love my BA-based IEM and XBA-3 is cheap here locally at the moment, so yeah have been thinking about it


if its going for $150 or 160 , its good . any thing over $180-200 is over priced .

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post #9021 of 10688
12/12/12 at 3:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by suman134 View Post


if its going for $150 or 160 , its good . any thing over $180-200 is over priced .

 

Yep it is going for $147 here in Australia currently for clearance, not the remote/mic version, just straight up XBA-3, and $196 for XBA-4

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post #9022 of 10688
12/12/12 at 4:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljokerl View Post

The RE272 would probably be my top pick for what you seem to be after.
Thanks joker will start reading into them.
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post #9023 of 10688
12/12/12 at 5:59am

Hi joker...thanks for your awesome roundup!  I got myself the DBA-02 MKII's based on your roundup sorted by SQ and filtered by price and they're my favourite IEMs so far.  I love their precision, clarity and ability to reproduce details.  While these are my first quality IEMs, since then I've auditioned some others and I agree with your high SQ rating in comparison - ie, I would pick these over a pair of XBA-4's which are twice as expensive here.  

 

My only complaint about them is that occasionally, mid to treble instruments (strings, alto sax, etc) lack a bit of substance and can sound smaller than they should.  Is this a characteristic of IEMs in general that I can expect with other IEMs or is it just the nature of single balanced armatures?  

 

For an upgrade, I'm considering the Clear Tune Monitors CTM-200...if there are any other worthy alternatives I will not go higher than $400.  Should I just stick with the MKII's or will the CTM-200 and/or other >9.2 SQ phones at $400 and below make a worthwhile difference?

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post #9024 of 10688
12/12/12 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kingice10 View Post

I suggest you try the MH335. Its bass is more controlled than the MH334. For me, im okay with the treble of MH334 but the bass should have a bit of control for a BA iem. Its not that loose but if you compare to SM3 or W4, you can hear it.
yeah, I'm thinking of 335, but it cost 2200 dollars!!! WTF!!! No!!!
I'm actually looking into much cheaper ones like the 1964 v6 or UM miracle.
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post #9025 of 10688
12/12/12 at 7:43am
Hi, joker.
How does the UM miracles or 1964 v6's mids(vocal) compare to westone 4?
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post #9026 of 10688
12/12/12 at 2:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljokerl View Post

If you want a bump in the bass, you probably don't want the RE262 or R-50. While perhaps not completely flat, they do not have emphasized bass. The rest are all solid options depending on the requirements (except the BA200, can't say anything about that as I haven't heard it yet). I personally think the EPH-100 or FXT90 would maybe have more of a "wow factor" for the casual listener.

 

 

Just want to echo everyone else on this thread and say thanks for helping narrowing down my possible choices joker. Thanks!

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post #9027 of 10688
12/12/12 at 4:10pm

Hello boys,

 

 

Need an IE headphone thats durable preferably less than ~$60. Using it strictly for working out

I run about 5mi everyday and hit the gym 5days/week

I listen to mainly orchestra type music along with some trance music with the occasional rap music for my workout

 

How are the Meelectionrics S6?

 

Suggestions? Thanks!

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post #9028 of 10688
12/12/12 at 6:38pm
Haven't tried the S6 but I'm pretty happy with the cheaper/older M6P, been running a few miles with them every few days and I no longer need to adjust them frequently like I had to with my JVC Marshmallow.
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post #9029 of 10688
12/12/12 at 7:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild View Post

Just want to say thanks for the awesome and comprehensive review IjokerI.  It's been a huge help to me in my quest for some solid IEM's.

 

Thanks, glad to hear that.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by exsomnis View Post

Hi joker...thanks for your awesome roundup!  I got myself the DBA-02 MKII's based on your roundup sorted by SQ and filtered by price and they're my favourite IEMs so far.  I love their precision, clarity and ability to reproduce details.  While these are my first quality IEMs, since then I've auditioned some others and I agree with your high SQ rating in comparison - ie, I would pick these over a pair of XBA-4's which are twice as expensive here.  

 

My only complaint about them is that occasionally, mid to treble instruments (strings, alto sax, etc) lack a bit of substance and can sound smaller than they should.  Is this a characteristic of IEMs in general that I can expect with other IEMs or is it just the nature of single balanced armatures?  

 

For an upgrade, I'm considering the Clear Tune Monitors CTM-200...if there are any other worthy alternatives I will not go higher than $400.  Should I just stick with the MKII's or will the CTM-200 and/or other >9.2 SQ phones at $400 and below make a worthwhile difference?

 

There are BA-based earphones that sound much thicker/fuller than the DBA-02  (which is a dual armature, by the way), That said, the CTM-200 is not very thick-sounding either, though slightly more so than the DBA-02. The Alclair Reference might be a better option if you can swing the price. If you wanted to try a solid, balanced-sounding dynamic-driver set just to see if you like the note presentation better, you could do so without spending a lot, for example with the HiFiMan RE272 or even Sony EX600 or MDR-7550. 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by czqdtc View Post

Hi, joker.
How does the UM miracles or 1964 v6's mids(vocal) compare to westone 4?

 

I haven't heard the V6. The midrange of the Miracle is, if anything, a little laid-back. I don't think it's exactly what you're after. 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by AznInvasion138 View Post

 

Just want to echo everyone else on this thread and say thanks for helping narrowing down my possible choices joker. Thanks!

 

beerchug.gif

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by lilkhmerkid4u View Post

Hello boys,

 

 

Need an IE headphone thats durable preferably less than ~$60. Using it strictly for working out

I run about 5mi everyday and hit the gym 5days/week

I listen to mainly orchestra type music along with some trance music with the occasional rap music for my workout

 

How are the Meelectionrics S6?

 

Suggestions? Thanks!


I personally wouldn't risk anything that wasn't designed for sports for running/heavy gym use unless it was priced as a disposable item. I used an H2O Audio Flex until recently. The M6 worked well before that, just had a bit more bass than I like. Haven't tried the S6 but from what I understand it's pretty similar to the M6. 

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post #9030 of 10688
12/12/12 at 7:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljokerl View Post

 

If you want a bump in the bass, you probably don't want the RE262 or R-50. While perhaps not completely flat, they do not have emphasized bass. The rest are all solid options depending on the requirements (except the BA200, can't say anything about that as I haven't heard it yet). I personally think the EPH-100 or FXT90 would maybe have more of a "wow factor" for the casual listener.

 

 

Sorry to keep bothering you joker but I just found out that my brother (the guy im buying these IEMs for) doesn't really care for an extra emphasize of bass, so that basically screwed up my selection of headphones lol. The important aspects to him would probably be isolation and comfort since he will be using them on transits everyday. He listens to mostly alternative stuff like Lana Del Ray and Ed Sheeran with a mix of hip hop like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean so what would be a best all-rounder I guess. The GR07 looks good at this point but don't know anymore haha. Thanks again for the help!

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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › Multi-IEM Review - 286 IEMs compared (LG Quadbeat & TDK MT300 Added 06/16/13 p.711)