Yamaha EPH-100 - Page 22

These guys are right - You should be okay. My taste is quite diverse too although not much as yours.

Where you find treble or something not quite there for you compared to GR07 i think the bass & clarity combined with superb separation will keep you awed.

Issue would be if you were all out Classical/Jazz.

New Kid On The Block is not a One Trick Pony for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tienbasse 

On my side, I think I may end up selling the UM3X, maybe to Lostid, I'm sure he would enjoy them a lot for classical.

No pun intended.

Well since you guys think these $300-400 IEM's are worse or not better than the 100 bucks EPH100, it will be my honor to buy your UM3X for the same price you paid for the EPH100. A deal or no deal?
 

The good news is: GR-07's treble is no better. ; ) Have been A/Bing them alot on jazz, etc, just to compare treble.

If he loves the GR-07's, I think he will find them almost "inexistent" (lifeless) when he listens to the EPH-100. Not to say they are bad, they are very good for the price, it's just that these YAMAHA's are something special for the styles of music he listens to. He will hear percussion instruments better, he will feel the drums and guitars in a manner he never did with the GR-07's, he will have better instrument separation and will feel the 3D sensation and immersion these things provide, since the GR-07's are quite 2D.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostid 

 

Well since you guys think these $300-400 IEM's are worse or not better than the 100 bucks EPH100, it will be my honor to buy your UM3X for the same price you paid for the EPH100. A deal or no deal?
 

 

Now your just being silly.

I wonder if its not your son typing here ? 

After another bargain way beyond its real value.

Quote:

Originally Posted by miow 

The good news is: GR-07's treble is no better. ; ) Have been A/Bing them alot on jazz, etc, just to compare treble.

 

If he loves the GR-07's, I think he will find them almost "inexistent" (lifeless) when he listens to the EPH-100. Not to say they are bad, they are very good for the price, it's just that these YAMAHA's are something special for the styles of music he listens to. He will hear percussion instruments better, he will feel the drums and guitars in a manner he never did with the GR-07's, he will have better instrument separation and will feel the 3D sensation and immersion these things provide, since the GR-07's are quite 2D.

That's good news. I'm feeling more confident now

Quote:

Originally Posted by archy121 

 

Now your just being silly.

 

I wonder if its not your son typing here ? 

 

After another bargain way beyond its real value.

I think his son is a very lucky kid

Quote:

Originally Posted by eke2k6 

That's good news. I'm feeling more confident now

Looking forward for your impressions, mate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tienbasse 

He said "no quality, dry and rough", which to me is exagerated. While the Yamahas are clearly not the best IEMs for classical music (and I said that), such a comment is extreme.

 

I would concede on the dry part (I said "snappy" with a half-full glass viewpoint, but dry would be the half-empty viewpoint).

 

Rough on the other side is clearly an overstatement and no quality doesn't mean anything specific.

 

And I don't get "The EPH100 looks and feels cheap stuff." If you meant soundwise, that's your opinion and yours alone. If you meant build quality ("looks and feels"), I dare to say it is not inferior at all to top-tier IEMs (and I have 3 of them to compare with). Metal has become rare these days, and Westone casings are not exactly high-quality finish, although their cables are top-notch.

 

Yes, Lostid's experience doesn't mirror mine either. I concede that the Yamaha's highs are the least refined part of their frequency spectrum, but would not describe them as dry or rough. In any case, the highs sit well behind the bass and mids so rarely draw attention to themselves. I'm still waiting for these to burn in before I talk properly about he treble.

As for looking and feeling cheap, I disagree completely. Although their cable is a bit unruly, the the strain relief is the best I've used. Also, the metal housings are head & shoulders above many competitors at the price point, including the B2, RE-262, GR-07 and FXT90.

Quote:

Originally Posted by miow 

Interesting comparison. I just don't understand why are we comparing them to $300-$400 IEMs and not $100-$150 IEMs

 

Because you stated that they sound as good as $400 IEMs, and we disagreed?. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by eke2k6 

Tell me, how good is the Yamaha at handling many diverse genres? I love that aspect about my GR07, and the fact that I can just throw my phone on shuffle and go about my business. How do artists like Adele and James Morrison sound on the EPH-100? I'm just trying to to allay my new-found apprehensions about my purchase...although it's a bit late for that

Although they're not as versatile as the GR-07 or FXT90, they handle most genres well and truly excel in a few. To my ears the Yamaha's truly shine with EDM, d&b, trip-hop and 60's psychedelia. In contrast, the GR07s do not truly excel in an given genre, but are very capable at decently rendering a much wider range. 

Hey Nulliverse, how would you say the FXT90 do at those genres? Add female vocalists to that list and you have my preferred genres, which one would be a better buy? Much appreciated!
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by archy121 

I think lot of people are doing exactly what i did with the EPH-100's initially - Snobbing it because of if it's price & lack of familiarity.

 

If it was priced around the £200+ mark I'm sure we wouldn't have people quite as easily questioning if its a top tier or not.

Don't let the EPH-100 price or Yamaha's lack  of familiarity in the top tier IEM put you off.

Personally I see this as people taking an interest in the Yamaha's price to performance ratio, or expressing doubts as a means to determine a more objective overall picture. A whole thread of EPH-100 praise would be neither helpful nor interesting, and an appropriate balance between championers vs skeptics is paramount for the development of a healthy and informative thread.

Personally I take no interest in an IEMs placement within the tier tree, so am perfectly happy for people to class the EPH-100 how they see fit. Although I disagreed with Miow regarding them sounding like a $400 IEM, I am keen to state that the Yamaha's represent very good value for money at this price point.

In this respect they easily match the GR-07s, FXT90s, DBA-02s/B2s and RE-262s, IEMs which clearly took the bang-for-buck factor to a whole new level. 

My Yamahas are still burining in and continue to impress. The treble is undergoing change as I'd hoped. 

Quote:

Because you stated that they sound as good as $400 IEMs, and we disagreed?. 

 

Although they're not as versatile as the GR-07 or FXT90, they handle most genres well and truly excel in a few. To my ears the Yamaha's truly shine with EDM, d&b, trip-hop and 60's psychedelia. In contrast, the GR07s do not truly excel in an given genre, but are very capable at decently rendering a much wider range. 

No, you definitely have not

But, my friend, let me disagree with something you said: "GR07s do not truly excel in an given genre, but are very capable at decently rendering a much wider range". My friend, I have listen to pretty much every genre with both, and in my opinion the EPH-100's do render a much wider range better. If you don't like the EPH100's treble for jazz, you won't like the GR-07's treble as well. Plus the EPH-100's do everything better, since the energy and emotion they provide, to the sub-bass, to the slightly more forward mids, to the soundstage, largely superior instrument separation, 3D imaging, etc. And I'm talking since jazz to Electro and all the rest in the between (Pop, Rock, Indie, Funk, Soul, R&B, Hip-Hop, etc, etc). Not to mention Metal where they truly excel, some steps ahead the UM3X, due to separation. They do render anything just perfectly. The GR-07's in comparison do sound dry, lifeless, and many times, congested (Metal). I definetly place the YAMAHA's in other league. But thats why this is a forum, a place for discussion, as we all have our own opinions :)
 

Can anyone compare EPH-100 with fxt90 & tf10?

Quote:

Originally Posted by LooptroopRocker 

 

Hey Nulliverse, how would you say the FXT90 do at those genres? Add female vocalists to that list and you have my preferred genres, which one would be a better buy? Much appreciated!
 

To my ears the FXT90s fair very well with those genres, doing them no injustice at all. Indeed, I've yet to hear a genre that the JVCs can't render with ease. Not only are they as versatile as the GR-07s, but they also add a splash of fun and color. That said, I've always thought that they really shine with rock, punk and metal, largely due to their forward and aggressive presentation.  Being more laid back, comparatively slower, and much bassier, the EPH-100s are far less versatile. To my ears however they really shine with EDM, d&b, triphop, ambient, psybient and psych-rock, perhaps even more than the JVCs do with punk and metal. My rationale for this is three-fold:

1. The Yamaha's superior imaging, layering and separation give subliminal detailing real life, particularly when it comes to intricate layers of sounds being manipulated and panned from ear to ear in complex patterns. VERY psychedelic.
2. The EH-100's weighty bottom end gives bass driven music a real sense of weight and power. On it's own this would almost certainly be overwhelming, but the Yamaha's have little, if any mid-bass bleed. The forward mids therefore sound very clear, well-defined and vibrant, without ever sounding bloated or muddy. 
3. Whilst the Yamaha's treble isn't going to win any prizes for extension (at least not at this stage of burn-in), its smooth nature and calculated placement behind the mids / lows means that you can crank the volume up high with zero fatigue. This in turn intensifies the above factors to the point where on 10 or more occasions now I have broken out in to an uncontrollable fit of head-bobbing.

So to summarize, I'd say that the FXT90s are much more versatile and are probably more suited for somebody who listens to a wide range of genres. They also shine with aggressive or extreme music, particularly grindcore, death metal and doom. For someone who generally listens to edm, d&b, hip/trip-hop or anything immersive / psychedelic, the EPH-100s may be the better choice. 

I hope this helps. 

Thanks for your comparison. Does EPH-100 have a wide soundstage for your ears? How does soundstage compare to FX-700?

May I say that it's because of people  like you that I love this forum so much, thank you a million times!

The distinction is clear now and I will break the bank soon for one of these, until then there is no need to finalize my decision but this has most certainly helped in clarifying things!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nulliverse 

 

To my ears the FXT90s fair very well with those genres, doing them no injustice at all. Indeed, I've yet to hear a genre that the JVCs can't render with ease. Not only are they as versatile as the GR-07s, but they also add a splash of fun and color. That said, I've always thought that they really shine with rock, punk and metal, largely due to their forward and aggressive presentation.  Being more laid back, comparatively slower, and much bassier, the EPH-100s are far less versatile. To my ears however they really shine with EDM, d&b, triphop, ambient, psybient and psych-rock, perhaps even more than the JVCs do with punk and metal. My rationale for this is three-fold:

 

1. The Yamaha's superior imaging, layering and separation give subliminal detailing real life, particularly when it comes to intricate layers of sounds being manipulated and panned from ear to ear in complex patterns. VERY psychedelic.
2. The EH-100's weighty bottom end gives bass driven music a real sense of weight and power. On it's own this would almost certainly be overwhelming, but the Yamaha's have little, if any mid-bass bleed. The forward mids therefore sound very clear, well-defined and vibrant, without ever sounding bloated or muddy. 
3. Whilst the Yamaha's treble isn't going to win any prizes for extension (at least not at this stage of burn-in), its smooth nature and calculated placement behind the mids / lows means that you can crank the volume up high with zero fatigue. This in turn intensifies the above factors to the point where on 10 or more occasions now I have broken out in to an uncontrollable fit of head-bobbing.

 

So to summarize, I'd say that the FXT90s are much more versatile and are probably more suited for somebody who listens to a wide range of genres. They also shine with aggressive or extreme music, particularly grindcore, death metal and doom. For someone who generally listens to edm, d&b, hip/trip-hop or anything immersive / psychedelic, the EPH-100s may be the better choice. 

 

I hope this helps. 

I agree this should not become an all praising thread. Hopefully the IEM will have a dedicated appreciation thread one day for the praising.

I welcome constructive criticism such as yours based on first hand experience. My listening ability & appreciation is also improving through this.

Although you are not bothered about Tier groupings there are plenty more that do use it as a measure to help with buying decision. That's why i feel it's important to clarify that in my opinion & expressed by other owners these IEM's are able to compete with the so called top tier group. This is not blind praising of the IEM as we have nothing to personally gain from this. It's sharing a great unexpected find in the IEM market so that others can also enjoy it. It should be given the respect that it truly deserves. People should not be scared to praise it against top tiers as if it was some kind of blasphemy or just because it is relatively cheap. And when it is being  referred to as an average Joe IEM good for its price that is incorrect & should be pointed out as in my opinion that is misinformation. Like i said in an earlier post list me top tier IEM's that can do everything as well as the EPH & more. I still believe its worth lot more going by what top tier are offering. They are seriously overpriced or this is a way too big a bargain. People should buy this IEM because its very good at what it delivers & not because of it price. It is wiping the floor with the competition if you take price into account. Monster Trumpets same design etc at £300+ in UK.  

From what you experienced so far with them do you think that their sound quality & build is worth only £80/$115 dollars not a whole lot more ?

In other words could Yamaha have priced them higher & maintained the competition ?

I believe the lack of marketing drive by Yamaha & price is what mentally holds some people back from buying it even after reading impressions from experienced individuals. Its what regrettably made me ignore them for a month. I was convinced I had to shop £200+ to have satisfying sound quality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nulliverse 

Personally I see this as people taking an interest in the Yamaha's price to performance ratio, or expressing doubts as a means to determine a more objective overall picture. A whole thread of EPH-100 praise would be neither helpful nor interesting, and an appropriate balance between championers vs skeptics is paramount for the development of a healthy and informative thread.

 

Personally I take no interest in an IEMs placement within the tier tree, so am perfectly happy for people to class the EPH-100 how they see fit. Although I disagreed with Miow regarding them sounding like a $400 IEM, I am keen to state that the Yamaha's represent very good value for money at this price point.

     

In this respect they easily match the GR-07s, FXT90s, DBA-02s/B2s and RE-262s, IEMs which clearly took the bang-for-buck factor to a whole new level. 

 

My Yamahas are still burining in and continue to impress. The treble is undergoing change as I'd hoped. 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nulliverse 

Whilst the Yamaha's treble isn't going to win any prizes for extension (at least not at this stage of burn-in), its smooth nature and calculated placement behind the mids / lows means that you can crank the volume up high with zero fatigue. This in turn intensifies the above factors to the point where on 10 or more occasions now I have broken out in to an uncontrollable fit of head-bobbing.

 

+1

I can relate to this.

Is this not the ultimate fullfilment of any IEM ?

What more could one ask.