love music said:

  Ok, thanks for the help joker much appreciated.

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dezane222 said:

  thanks for the reply joker
much appreciated

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raptor18 said:

  Joker
 
I think its amazing to have a person like you. What you are contributing with to the whole IEM scene is probably bigger than we all can imagine.
 
I don't want to imagine what is happening at the R&D departments at headphone makers, stressing them making better and cheaper headphones.
Also proving that if you are a small headphone maker and make good headphones, you will sell.
 

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Thanks! I doubt my reviews have as much effect as you think (sales in the hundreds or even thousands of units don't make or break a headphone company, unless we're talking customs) but I'm very pleased with being able to guide some buyers to a better IEM or headphone than they'd otherwise have gotten. 
 

christianh said:

  When are you going to test the Sony XBA-H1 and H3?
 
Again i am very glad for you contribution for us all consumers!
 
Cheers!
 

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Unfortunately I don't have either of the Sony hybrids in the queue at this time. 

mr trev said:

  Thanks, you're doing some excellent work here.
I'm very happy with the 111s, but since they're now discontinued I want to get a secondary pair for when I'm out and about (I'd really hate to freeze them to death). I figured I'd look at a dynamic mostly to get a different sound, but with a similar sig. Although maybe if I can find a cheap pair of 012s I might get 'em and use one of my spare greys with them. Also I kinda want a new toy for the new year

. Still if you could offer some suggestions for under $100 that might pair well with the X3 I'll check em out.
Cheers

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I don't have an X3 but since you like a fairly accurate sound I have no problem recommending a HiFiMan RE-400 as a warmer, less treble-happy contrast to the 111. Another option would be a Fidelio S1 from Philips. 

Hi Joker,
 
First off thank you for this MASSIVE review thread, this is insane. I hope you can understand the thousands of people you've greatly assisted in making a purchasing decision for IEMS by doing all of this.
 
Now if you don't mind I am conflicted and have narrowed down my choices to 4 earbuds.
 
My budget is anywhere from $100-$450USD. Because I am on the go often the majority of my music collection right now is in 320 bitrate, while about 20% of it is loseless.
 
I am not a "bass head" though I do enjoy powerful and impactful bass, but it must be controlled (I can't stand Beats by Dre, the bass is bloated and leaks everywhere) whereas my Monster Turbine IEMs had great bass quality but it leaked a bit much into the mid.
 
My favorite listening experience was with my HiFiMan HE-400 Headphones with my 02 amp, but I no longer work from home and am unable to take them with me. The bass though on the headphones, while I LOVED how deep it went it had next to no impact. I loved the open sound stage of them and the clarity but I wanted more "passion" from acoustic albums - The songs just weren’t that powerful sounding to me on the HE-400. I needed a more alive and powerful signature.
 
I had a pair of Bose QC20 IEMs and the sound was flat sounding to me. I seriously thought they weren’t much better than my Klipsch S4i's. The S4i's again do not impress me on any front, weak bass poor clarity poor sound stage. This could have been a fit issue with the Bose QC20's ear design.
 
Now to my choices - I am down to the GR07 BE (though I worry about sibilance, my ears are extremely sensitive to high pitched sounds), Alclair Reference, Custom Art Music One (or the new Music Two), and 1964 v3. I worry about sibilance on the GR07, I worry about the lack of bass impact from the Music One/Two and 1964 v3, and I worry about the Alclair Reference being too "neutral".
 
Sorry if any of my wordage is not clear here. I am relatively new to all of this. I am not a musician but music plays a very important role in my life and I'd like to do whatever I can to enjoy it to its fullest. Any further advice you can give is great. Thank you again for what you do, and I hope you have a great 2014! Congrats again on getting your interactive site up http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-list !!
 
Mike
 

tharagz08 said:

  Hi Joker,
 
First off thank you for this MASSIVE review thread, this is insane. I hope you can understand the thousands of people you've greatly assisted in making a purchasing decision for IEMS by doing all of this.
 
Now if you don't mind I am conflicted and have narrowed down my choices to 4 earbuds.
 
My budget is anywhere from $100-$450USD. Because I am on the go often the majority of my music collection right now is in 320 bitrate, while about 20% of it is loseless.
 
I am not a "bass head" though I do enjoy powerful and impactful bass, but it must be controlled (I can't stand Beats by Dre, the bass is bloated and leaks everywhere) whereas my Monster Turbine IEMs had great bass quality but it leaked a bit much into the mid.
 
My favorite listening experience was with my HiFiMan HE-400 Headphones with my 02 amp, but I no longer work from home and am unable to take them with me. The bass though on the headphones, while I LOVED how deep it went it had next to no impact. I loved the open sound stage of them and the clarity but I wanted more "passion" from acoustic albums - The songs just weren’t that powerful sounding to me on the HE-400. I needed a more alive and powerful signature.
 
I had a pair of Bose QC20 IEMs and the sound was flat sounding to me. I seriously thought they weren’t much better than my Klipsch S4i's. The S4i's again do not impress me on any front, weak bass poor clarity poor sound stage. This could have been a fit issue with the Bose QC20's ear design.
 
Now to my choices - I am down to the GR07 BE (though I worry about sibilance, my ears are extremely sensitive to high pitched sounds), Alclair Reference, Custom Art Music One (or the new Music Two), and 1964 v3. I worry about sibilance on the GR07, I worry about the lack of bass impact from the Music One/Two and 1964 v3, and I worry about the Alclair Reference being too "neutral".
 
Sorry if any of my wordage is not clear here. I am relatively new to all of this. I am not a musician but music plays a very important role in my life and I'd like to do whatever I can to enjoy it to its fullest. Any further advice you can give is great. Thank you again for what you do, and I hope you have a great 2014! Congrats again on getting your interactive site up http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-list !!
 
Mike
 

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Hmm... the S4 had weak bass? Could it have been a fake? If it's a genuine S4 worn properly, then it seems you like quite a bit of bass. On that basis I don't think the GR07BE, and especially not the Alclair Reference or Custom Art Music One, will be a good fit for you. The 1964-V3 has more impactful bass than all of these and is the only set of the ones you're considering that can beat the S4 in that respect.
 
However, I don't often recommend jumping straight into customs from budget sets, especially as you don't seem to be entirely honed in on the type of sound you want yet - perhaps you should first try a higher-end enhanced-bass universal like the Yamaha EPH-100?

Hi Joker,
 
Well there was an interesting turn of events - my Wife had ordered the GR07 BEs for me as a late Christmas present and they arrived today! I have read that these need some breakin, but WOW these are pretty awesome out of the box! I will wait until they have had time to burn in before I take them too seriously, but right away this is the level of bass I want. Anything more than this would be too much for me. It was tricky finding the right size tip for my ear, I'm determined that the tips on my S4's were not a good fit either and that's why I was missing bass. It's a shame I've gone this long with a bad fit on my ear buds, can't believe what I've been missing.
 
Looks like my decision was made for me and looks like it was a good one. I am going to give these a good burn in for a few days then jump back with some impressions. I do appreciate your response and will take your advice on the CIEMs, I will give it some time to dig into my music collection with these GR07 BEs and see what I do and do not like about them before dropping $400+. She grabbed the combo that came with the GR06s also, need to find something to do with those next.
 
Mike

tharagz08 said:

  Hi Joker,
 
Well there was an interesting turn of events - my Wife had ordered the GR07 BEs for me as a late Christmas present and they arrived today! I have read that these need some breakin, but WOW these are pretty awesome out of the box! I will wait until they have had time to burn in before I take them too seriously, but right away this is the level of bass I want. Anything more than this would be too much for me. It was tricky finding the right size tip for my ear, I'm determined that the tips on my S4's were not a good fit either and that's why I was missing bass. It's a shame I've gone this long with a bad fit on my ear buds, can't believe what I've been missing.
 
Looks like my decision was made for me and looks like it was a good one. I am going to give these a good burn in for a few days then jump back with some impressions. I do appreciate your response and will take your advice on the CIEMs, I will give it some time to dig into my music collection with these GR07 BEs and see what I do and do not like about them before dropping $400+. She grabbed the combo that came with the GR06s also, need to find something to do with those next.
 
Mike

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All's well that ends well!
 
I would agree that your S4 didn't fit properly, or maybe was a counterfeit one, if it didn't have as much bass as the GR07.

After trying out the GR07 BE, Westone 3, MA750, and even the X10's, none of them inserts as easily to get a good seal and as comfortable as my old S4's. I'm not sure why since the S4's aren't even rated that well in the comfort department

Hi again Joker
 
You had previously advised me to get the Astrotec AM800s which I have to say do sound great - the highs and mids are great compared to what I remember of my old JVC XXs. 
 
I've been looking for BT and wired adapters to control my phone's music playback, and act as a mic, but I soon realised that some new IEMs might be in order (does this mean I'm hooked now?)
 
The best ones I've found are the MEElec A161P. They're a good price (£50 compared to the £30 of the Astrotec + £20 for the BT adapter) and wanted to know how they compare to the Astrotecs and also the Shure SE215s edit: or the MEElec M-Duo?
 
I know you have rated the A161Ps higher but I also see that they have a lower frequency range, and you describe them as dry, compared to the AM800s being airy.
 
And I've just realised that although the Shures and the A161P would be great for over the ear, that would stop me using the mic :S and so I might need to get one of those BT adapters anyway, although I wear my IEMs cable down more often than not (but I do now know why so many prefer over the ear)
 
Thanks again!

agentj said:

  Hi again Joker
 
You had previously advised me to get the Astrotec AM800s which I have to say do sound great - the highs and mids are great compared to what I remember of my old JVC XXs. 
 
I've been looking for BT and wired adapters to control my phone's music playback, and act as a mic, but I soon realised that some new IEMs might be in order (does this mean I'm hooked now?)
 
The best ones I've found are the MEElec A161P. They're a good price (£50 compared to the £30 of the Astrotec + £20 for the BT adapter) and wanted to know how they compare to the Astrotecs and also the Shure SE215s edit: or the MEElec M-Duo?
 
I know you have rated the A161Ps higher but I also see that they have a lower frequency range, and you describe them as dry, compared to the AM800s being airy.
 
And I've just realised that although the Shures and the A161P would be great for over the ear, that would stop me using the mic :S and so I might need to get one of those BT adapters anyway, although I wear my IEMs cable down more often than not (but I do now know why so many prefer over the ear)
 
Thanks again!

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The A161P is more accurate and also more analytical than the Astotec. The AM-800 is more v-shaped in comparison with some added bass and a bit more treble sparkle.
 
The SE215 is warmer and bassier than both the A161P and AM-800. Not sure about the M-Duo - never tried it. Also, the SE215 is always worn over-the-ear so doing that will not stop you from using the mic. However, the mic doesn't come standard on those so you have to either buy the mic accessory cable separately or make sure to get them already with the optional mic cable. 
 
You might want to consider the JVC FRD80. It seems to be pretty cheap on ebay and is the mic version of the FXD80 I reviewed: http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone_review/jvc-ha-fxd80/.

Hey joker,

I'm curious about the Alclair Reference; I'm looking for a cheaper alternative to the UERM. I want something a bit v shaped, like my DT770 and former (soon to be repurchased) HD25, with a neutral or ever so slightly warm tone in the mids, punchy bass and sparkly treble. I liked the TF10 a lot, I only wish the fit was better, and they could be a bit less colored. Do you think the Alclair could offer a decent balance of these elements? Otherwise I am looking at the W3(0) again, which had too much midbass for my taste but was otherwise pretty close to what I want. Any thoughts?

Everyone's ears are different

solarium said:

After trying out the GR07 BE, Westone 3, MA750, and even the X10's, none of them inserts as easily to get a good seal and as comfortable as my old S4's. I'm not sure why since the S4's aren't even rated that well in the comfort department

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@Gilly87 .. have you considered the UE4?  It's said to be very similar to the UERM in tuning.

gilly87 said:

Hey joker,

I'm curious about the Alclair Reference; I'm looking for a cheaper alternative to the UERM. I want something a bit v shaped, like my DT770 and former (soon to be repurchased) HD25, with a neutral or ever so slightly warm tone in the mids, punchy bass and sparkly treble. I liked the TF10 a lot, I only wish the fit was better, and they could be a bit less colored. Do you think the Alclair could offer a decent balance of these elements? Otherwise I am looking at the W3(0) again, which had too much midbass for my taste but was otherwise pretty close to what I want. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

 
Hmm.. interesting question. Your description does sound like the Reference except that the UERM (demo) quite honestly sounded noticeably better to me and had a slightly different sound presentation - fuller, smoother, thicker, and more coherent. 
 
Have you heard the GR07? In terms of overall balance that's what I'd liken the Reference to over the W3 or TF10. Or the PFE232, though it's bassier. 

Joker, any thoughts about replacing an Etymotic HF5? They were unfortunately run into the vacuum cleaner, the earbuds torn right off the cabling.
 
I listen to many different kinds of music: rock, pop, folk, piano, vocal, some hip-hop, and a touch of spoken word, so all-arounders seem like the best option. I often wear IEMs for hours on end, so comfort is important, and while running, so the fewer microphonics, the better. I'd like to hear the music as close to a live performance. I don't mind if the headphones color the spectrum whichever way to make that sound.
 
What I liked about the Ety HF5s: super-detailed and clear sound and amazing isolation. What I did not like: bass felt weak for hip-hop and pop (even with a great fit), microphonics were troublesome in quiet settings (I wore them cable-down), after long sessions, I had some ear discomfort (as the Ety HF5s seem to go pretty deep), and the "sound stage" was disappointing (exactly as your review; good left/right, but I didn't discern any other depth).
 
I'd like to keep my next IEMs for years, so I wanted to get the best I could under $500. For me, the CustomArt Music One was unequivocally the winner that checked all the boxes. It seems like the *best* IEMs at that price-point, competing with cans nearly 4-5x the price.
 
Did I miss other IEMs that might fit me? Do the Music Ones have any big flaws? I mean, if you care about isolation, microphonics, and sound quality, they sound like the absolute best for $200-$800 or something, haha. I don't know why they aren't just flying off the shelves....

    i may not be exactly correct but , customs are difficult to fly by , they have fitting issues at times , even after molding it to your initial ear impression . and they will just cut you out off your surroundings , im thinking of getting one , may be a cheaper one from ue .