Updated the IEM Buyer's Guide with current prices, and added the dual-driver NarMoo S1 in the Basshead / sub-$50 section.
 

uppopulla said:

   
Thanks. I'll go for the Flux and see if I like them. Should be a good choice based on your review and my experiences with Siberia v2.

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I think one of the reasons the Flux is not more popular is that the sensitivity is pretty low, but in practical terms it makes no difference except that you might have to raise your source volume a couple of notches compared to other IEMs. 

Two questions: How durable are the Altone? I don't expect Dunu or RHA durability, but I'd like IEM's that won't literally fall to pieces *glares at VSD1(s)*. Secondly, I know this is off topic, but is there a way to convert my ALAC iTunes collection to FLAC or mp3 and put it on my Android device(Nvidia Shield handheld)'s MicroSD card?

xtron2112 said:

Two questions: How durable are the Altone? I don't expect Dunu or RHA durability, but I'd like IEM's that won't literally fall to pieces *glares at VSD1(s)*. Secondly, I know this is off topic, but is there a way to convert my ALAC iTunes collection to FLAC or mp3 and put it on my Android device(Nvidia Shield handheld)'s MicroSD card?

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  you can , just google it , i use power mp3 wma converter .

Thinking of getting the RE-400's but when I looked them up I saw them being used with portable amps. Do they sound a lot better with one, or would they be ok from just my phone?

adrianapeach49 said:

Thinking of getting the RE-400's but when I looked them up I saw them being used with portable amps. Do they sound a lot better with one, or would they be ok from just my phone?

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Most iems sound ok when driven by a phone. Some do accentuate the inherent weakness of the audio components but better smartphones do generally sound ok. I doubt that Re-400 are detailed enough to show any glaring faults in the source. If used on the go in noisy environments having external dacs/amps the difference will not be as apparent sonically as psychologically.

Just my two cents.

TLDR: Don't worry.

In that case they seem like a good fit. Thank you!

moonyeol said:

Most iems sound ok when driven by a phone. Some do accentuate the inherent weakness of the audio components but better smartphones do generally sound ok. I doubt that Re-400 are detailed enough to show any glaring faults in the source. If used on the go in noisy environments having external dacs/amps the difference will not be as apparent sonically as psychologically.

Just my two cents.

TLDR: Don't worry.

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  really ? you think re-400 are not detailed enough , i would put it like not demanding enough , they are really good enough , not as much as er-4p but really close . not like asg-2 though , they are top end , not these .

hey , MoonYeol , can you compare me the ue900 with asg-2 ?

even if not necessary , just amped my re-400 and amping is good . has a bit more detail .

ljokerl said:

  I think one of the reasons the Flux is not more popular is that the sensitivity is pretty low, but in practical terms it makes no difference except that you might have to raise your source volume a couple of notches compared to other IEMs. 

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I feel the biggest issue is it's marketing and intended purpose. Unlike mice and keyboards, gaming headsets have a reputation of getting trashed when compared to similarly priced headphones. Even I was hesitant at first even though I was actually a little disappointed at how little difference there was between DT880 Pro unamped and my old Siberia v2. Sure, 880s sound better even unamped but that's not a "150$ better" even though one is a gaming headset and the other a borderline audiophile headphone. Then again I don't have exactly golden ears...

ljokerl said:

  Updated the IEM Buyer's Guide with current prices, and added the dual-driver NarMoo S1 in the Basshead / sub-$50 section.
 
 
I think one of the reasons the Flux is not more popular is that the sensitivity is pretty low, but in practical terms it makes no difference except that you might have to raise your source volume a couple of notches compared to other IEMs. 

Click to expand...

Good work on the S1 review! I enjoyed reading about it and your take on it since I've read a few others impressions. And thanks for the price updates  
It's funny that the Yamaha EPH-100 was just $93 like two or three days ago. It was between $90 & $115 for quite sometime I think. Then just jumped back up to $150.
 
I was wondering what would you give the Philips S1 and Philips SHE3580/90 in overall SQ? I know you're planning to do a review on HF sometime of the S1, though there's your S1/S2 review on InnerFidelity. I was just curious if the S1 was worth my time, although I am really really satisfied with my TTPOD T1-E right now.
 
Thanks in advance! 
and for all you do here on HF! Cheers!

yup . i would too like to know about the sq rating on fidelio s1 and s2 .

xtron2112 said:

Two questions: How durable are the Altone? I don't expect Dunu or RHA durability, but I'd like IEM's that won't literally fall to pieces *glares at VSD1(s)*. Secondly, I know this is off topic, but is there a way to convert my ALAC iTunes collection to FLAC or mp3 and put it on my Android device(Nvidia Shield handheld)'s MicroSD card?

Click to expand...

 
Time will tell in regards to longevity but the initial build quality on the Altone seems fine. It's a pretty basic design, nothing fancy. Put it side by side with T-Peos' sub-$100 sets like the D200R and you won't immediately know which is the higher-end product. But that's fine - the D200R has been plenty durable. 
 

adrianapeach49 said:

  Thinking of getting the RE-400's but when I looked them up I saw them being used with portable amps. Do they sound a lot better with one, or would they be ok from just my phone?

Click to expand...

 
I don't know about the RE-400 but I can see why someone would use an amp when running BA or multi-BA earphone from a smartphone. The RE-400 should be fine unless there's some glaring issue with your phone's audio jack (e.g. my old HTC Desire had poor audio hardware and sensitive IEMs would hiss constantly).
 

uppopulla said:

   
I feel the biggest issue is it's marketing and intended purpose. Unlike mice and keyboards, gaming headsets have a reputation of getting trashed when compared to similarly priced headphones. Even I was hesitant at first even though I was actually a little disappointed at how little difference there was between DT880 Pro unamped and my old Siberia v2. Sure, 880s sound better even unamped but that's not a "150$ better" even though one is a gaming headset and the other a borderline audiophile headphone. Then again I don't have exactly golden ears...

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That, too. 
 

ap616 said:

  Good work on the S1 review! I enjoyed reading about it and your take on it since I've read a few others impressions. And thanks for the price updates

 
It's funny that the Yamaha EPH-100 was just $93 like two or three days ago. It was between $90 & $115 for quite sometime I think. Then just jumped back up to $150.
 
I was wondering what would you give the Philips S1 and Philips SHE3580/90 in overall SQ? I know you're planning to do a review on HF sometime of the S1, though there's your S1/S2 review on InnerFidelity. I was just curious if the S1 was worth my time, although I am really really satisfied with my TTPOD T1-E right now.
 
Thanks in advance! 
and for all you do here on HF! Cheers!

Click to expand...

 
I have the Fidelio S1 rated at 8.9 right now, right below the RE-400. The smoother treble of the HiFiMan ultimately wins me over but the S1 is a great earphone for the money.
 
3580 I have at 7.8, again very nice for the price. Super comfortable, too. I will do a 3590 review for InnerFidelity soon - needed a sub-$20 entry for the Wall of Fame there.  

ljokerl, to you, what is considered a satisfactory durability?
My RE 0 survived for one year and a half, my RE 272 12 months and now my GR 07... 2 years.
I truly believe that onlye the GR07 had moderate durability, while the others I consider awful.
I must confess, though, that I probably have the iems in my ears at least 3 hours a day.

thank you for your help guys! I ordered them, they will be my first good quality ear buds so I'm sure they'll still sound great, and I like how small they are!