The diary entries of a little girl nearing 30! - Page 14  

Wow, I go on vacation in HK for 3 days for CNY, and suddenly everything's changed! There, I did get to spend some (not too much) time at Jaben Hong Kong and Mingo-HMW, so that was fun...

In the meantime, I'll try to catch up on some reading.

Me too. However, I'm looking at it as a healthy alternative to Beats for casual listeners who want both style and decent sound. Audiofly looks like it'll deliver on both fronts, while not alienating us enthusiasts.
 

Originally Posted by MuppetFace 

I'm rather interested in a company called AudioFly. Their AF78 is a hybrid with both balanced armature and dynamic drivers: There was an interview with AudioFly at CES by Tyll of InnerFidelity fame. These seem potentially nice, for sure. I also like their construction (flat cable, nice materials) and styling. Not to mention their model.... Rawr! <3

I'm very interested in the TH900 as well, but I doubt I'll be able to buy it.

I heard the FitEar 333 over CNY at Jaben Hong Kong; I quite liked it! It didn't quite have the absolute instrumental separation or the feel of sheer effortlessness that the JH13 demo exuded, but it had a more neutral response (less of a bass bump, less laid back in the highs) without being offensive at all. The MH334 (I think? I'm not completely sure about the model number, they have so many variants) demo, on the other hand, was very WTF?!? EVERYTHING was tuned forward. The nice part about the FitEar models is the Sennheiser HD600-style plugs, but the plug housings are very plasticky and cover most of the face of the customs, taking away from the aesthetics.

Originally Posted by MuppetFace 

I've read your impressions before, and I've also heard some less-than-positive things from HeadphoneAddict. Basically the same thing: "Not worth anywhere near their asking price." I've also read some more positive impressions that still say "not quite worth their asking price" lol.

 

As for customs, I'll be ordering the Rooth LS8 after Chinese New Year and possibly the Gui Ling CX8 which is made by the same guy but seems to be taking the opposite approach to its driver array. That is, if I'm able to still get in contact with a certain member who isn't with us and is acting as the middle man for myself and said Chinese company.

 

I'm the sort of person who goes overboard with everything she does, so I'll probably end up with a few pairs of customs like Average_Joe. I'm actually trying to talk to some smaller companies to work out my reviewing their demo units. I figure that would be a fun way to try some of this stuff out beforehand. I'm eyeing the Spiral Ear SE 5-Way and Suyama FitEar 333 at the moment. I am very curious to try the UERM as well, since I like the company and I like super-linear reference monitors.

haha I think that would be me....

Originally Posted by MuppetFace 

The EX1000 is wonderful, and my current all-around favorite. Hopefully the XBA-4 will arrive soon. I've read some pretty mixed impressions of it compared to the generally more positive reaction to EX1000. Some people seem a bit baffled by it and don't know what to make of it lol. That makes me want to hear them all the more.

Expecting what to sound like a more dynamic SM3? The XBA-4? No, absolutely not. That, I can be sure of. Everything else is on the table LOL.

Originally Posted by a_recording 

I keep expecting it to sound like a more dynamic SM3.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuppetFace 

 

The EX1000 is wonderful, and my current all-around favorite. Hopefully the XBA-4 will arrive soon. I've read some pretty mixed impressions of it compared to the generally more positive reaction to EX1000. Some people seem a bit baffled by it and don't know what to make of it lol.

 

That makes me want to hear them all the more.

I think the mixed reactions to the XBA series and the 4 in particular have to do with its very low impedance.  Balanced armatures have wild impedance swings compared to most dynamics.  Dynamics with large variations usually just have a peak in the mid bass region while BAs can be all over the place when you add multiple drivers and crossovers.

Lord Voldermort has a nice article explaining the math but the gist of it is that for any non zero output impedance the 'phone's impedance curve is superimposed over the frequency response as an EQ curve and the larger the output impedance compared to the 'phone's impedance the larger the "scale" of the EQ curve will be.  An output impedance of 0 is impossible but if its low enough compared to the 'phone's impedance then the difference can easily become inaudible.  A rule of thumb is to look for output impedance at least 1/8th of the 'phone rated impedance but that's not always perfect with BAs since its all over the place and manufacturer's specifications are often incomplete.

With a nominal impedance of 8 ohms the XBA-4s will probably sound different out of nearly anything you plug it in to.  Some like the UHA-6S you ordered would probably be best since its output impedance is .4 ohms.  On the other hand I've read speculation that Sony tuned the XBA's FR to sound best out of the higher output impedance that their DAPs usually have.  The bottom line is you're going to have to try them with a lot of different stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuppetFace 

I'm really loving the JVC Victor HA-FX700.

 

It hisses like a psychopathic alley cat out of my unamped sources though. Hopefully my UHA-6S will be finished soon.

 

This is my new favorite IEM for electronic music.

Knew you'd like it. How do you like it compared to the EX1000 though? Most seem to slightly prefer the EX1000 to it or completely hate the EX1000 and love the FX700 lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_recording 

Quote:

I keep expecting it to sound like a more dynamic SM3.

The SM3 has rolled off treble while the EX1000 has very airy and extended treble. Completely different beasts. Also the SM3 sound stage is small in comparison.

Metro in fashion again? lol.

Spockets?

Just giggles. If this is too far off, just say.

I'm very curious to hear the xba3 at some point.

I'm losing my grip on sanity.  Why do I want to buy the PFE 232 all of a sudden?

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverickronin 

I'm losing my grip on sanity.  Why do I want to buy the PFE 232 all of a sudden?

Because we all want to buy it (at half off that is ;)

At that price point you're better going off going for customs IMO.

It's my next planned purchase.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lee730 

At that price point you're better going off going for customs IMO.

Customs are a no go right now.  I'm losing some weight and if I get pair now they'll need a refit in 6 months or something silly like that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverickronin 

Customs are a no go right now.  I'm losing some weight and if I get pair now they'll need a refit in 6 months or something silly like that.

I guess you are right its not worth the risk when loosing weight. Then again someone confirmed that they lost 45 lbs and their Custom TF10s still fit perfectly. That was due to stress though and not attempting to lose weight...

I would imagine it depends on how your body stores fat.  Some ears will be less affected than others by significant weight changes. If you know you're going to lose weight, you may as well hold off on the customs and use them as an incentive for reaching your target.