TDK BA200 - Impressions and Appreciation Thread - Page 41

See I find that the W4 and BA200 give me something different, Techno Kid. Enough for me to want to keep both.

I can see that with the W4 as it doesn't have the same signature as the SM3 like the BA200 does though all are on the warm side with forward mids.  

 

I was never a big mid focused person but after buying so many mid forward to mid-centric IEM's its become my preferred sound signature and I find them to sound amazing with EDM where as most think a V-shaped sound is the best.

 

 

The SM3 is definitely a great BA and more than capable, but I actually like the BA200 more than the SM3. I just feel that the BA200 has a more airier and natural sound than the SM3. The SM3 was almost too much of a good thing to my ears. Actually, I like the SM2 more than I liked the SM3. I needed to be further away from the stage than right up on it (which is the way I felt when listening to the SM3). But make no mistake, it's a great earphone IMO.

 

Now that's kind of funny "to much of a good thing" but I kinda know what you mean.

 

See I don't find the SM3's soundstage to be where your right on or next to the stage to me they have a great sense of space with really good width and depth.  Now I listen to a lot of EDM obviously and the separation but even more importantly the 3D imaging is perfect for electronic music more so than the BA200 but the BA200 was surprisingly good with EDM.  

Klipsch X10? Techno Kid, I've thought you're not a bass header? Am I wrong about you? 

I wouldn't really consider the ba200 mid-forward.  It is more balanced than most at the price range.  in face, i'd say it is 'the' most balanced at the price.  I guess you could call it mid-forward because the treble is just slightly less airy and neutral than flat, but i don't find that the mids "stick out" at all, but rather sit in balance with the rest of the frequencies. :)

Well there not mid-centric like the SM3 or RE262 but the mids are closer to the e-Q5 as far as how forward they are.  It really depends on songs also because with some they sound more balanced and others they have a more mid forward presentation, also they isolate vocals as good as any IEM I've heard.  When I say mid forward that's not saying its mid-centric just that the mids sound a bit forward whether that's all the time or depending on a song or style of music the mids of the BA200 can sound forward imo.

gotcha.  they definitely do vocals well.

Guess I am not the only one who finds the BA200 more natural than the SM3s i too find the SM3 a little too good to be natural. They enhance the music, in a good way. Much like a good concert audio system. The Ba200 sounds like an un-amped performance...unplugged

If only the BA200 has better treble sparkle.. That lack of sparkle really bugs me with some tracks. Had less problem with the SM3.

 

I totally agree, if the BA200 had even the same amount of sparkle as the SM3 they be so much better but even with the treble they have they're still one of my all time favorites.

I find the sm3 bi-flanges deeply inserted increases the treble quite a bit, and helps with the soundstage as well. With these tips, we have a bit of sparkle.

That's good, the SM3 bi-flange tips are what I use on the SM3 and they're some of the best fitting tips I've used.  I was so close to buying a pair again but got a pair of the Turbine Coppers instead but I'm going to get the BA200 again sometime in the near future along with the R-50 and e-Q5.  After that its on to a custom or one of the Fit Ear IEM's and then I'm done, finished, through with getting an IEM every few weeks and I mean it this time, maybe.

Lol, I can feel a lot of conviction there.

I like the BA200 more than the GR07 MKII.  Currently, I'd peg it as my favorite universal IEM under $500.  It's as close to possessing an HD600-like "seductive" midrange as I've heard in a universal IEM.  The RE262 previously held this title for me.. but I find the BA200's midrange even better.  The BA200s midrange separation and openness sounds more natural and lifelike, to my ears, than the GR07 MKII's midrange.  The GR07 has a slightly more textured, natural bass response that quite round and full.. but the BA200 comes very close to that.  The GR07's treble sound a bit uneven and harsh compared to the BA200's smoother, more linear treble.. even though it's laid back more than the GR07's treble.

 

What I like about the BA200's unique sound is the subtle, analog-inspired warmth combined with the slightly thin note weight.  Don't mistake the 'thin note weight' as "thin sounding".. no way.. the BA200 has excellent dynamics & soundstage proportion.  No "wall of sound"-type presentation here.  This blend gives way to an airy, HD600-inspired midrange that's very inviting (though the BA200's mids are a little warmer than the HD600's mids).  I haven't heard the SM3, but having read plenty of reviews about it, I sense it possesses a fairly high degree of note thickness that makes it unique (but, at times, not always ideal for some genres of music).

 

I like the smooth, laid back nature of the BA200's treble too.. plenty of detail.. but it's not in your face about it.  I facilitates long term listening quite well.  Run it through a clean, transparent portable amp (like the UHA-6S MKII) and you'll hear the treble detail, separation, and extension better.