Affordable IEMs, canalphones, or earbuds - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Bloggs 

 

Exchange them for what, is the question.  I bought the SHE3595 yesterday (mic'd version of the 3590) and it has been noticeably cheapened over the 3580, mic'd or not mic'd (I have both versions of the 3580).  The housing's shell's polish is scuffed (well, maybe not scuffed, so much as the finish of the whole housing being less glossy than the 3580), the brand lettering is pre-worn-out (like silkscreened lettering coming off on old phones, except these are new), and (most importantly) when I put them on the sound is noticeably skewed to one side.  Unless I happen to have got a dud, or the non-mic'd 3590 are somehow better than the mic'd 3595, I would not recommend getting the 3590 in lieu of the 3580.  I have bought a mic'd 3580 and, like, 8 or 9 copies of the non-mic'd 3580 and have never seen anything like it.

  I'm glad I didn't buy them now.  They were cheaper so I didn't know if they were the next model year or the next model down.  It sucks when someone has a good product and then they mess with it.  I guess I'd be exchanging for the XF101s, then, if I exchange.  With the extra bass though, they seem more suited to electronic stuff and not the classic rock or classical I'd be listening to.  I like deep bass, but boomy bass bothers me.

Just as a point of reference, I found the PX100s to have a bit too much bass and too rolled off on the treble (but good sound in general).  I have a pair of DT880s which I love for classical and are ok for rock, but want to build a Bottlehead Crack to tame some of the treble and then eventually pick up the DT990 (or the Tesla's, but I just don't think I can justify the price tag on a government salary) just for certain types of music that sound too sterile on the 880s.

I'm using an Onkyo SS on them now, and would have already owned a DarkVoice if I hadn't heard good things about Bottlehead Crack and have been waiting until I'm in a better condition medically to build it.  I guess I could have always selected the factory option, but that seemed like taking away half the fun and then I wouldn't have clue how to do the upgrade if I ever wanted it.

Back to these 8000s, they seem to have mixed reviews online, but I'm always leary (sp) of reviews from other sites because people don't realize you need to burn in headphones and fit them properly.  Some people say they are great and have deep bass, others say they are lackluster.  The sales girl at Sears said she has the Philips sports version and really likes them.

I'm gonna take the X5L with me since I don't care if it disappears, I'll just buy a new Cowon (I still really like it so I'd rather it not be stolen, but its old enough that I've been thinking of upgrading for a while).  Plus the battery lasts forever.  I was thinking about performing surgery on it and putting a 64 GB card in it, but I don't think I should take a chance of screwing it up this close to when I need it.  Plus if I screw up performing surgery on my electronics, I think its a bad omen before having major chest surgery performed.

Anyway, I'll probably burn in these SHE8000s for a day and then let you know what I think, unless someone has a better option I can get locally.

Well, looks like I'll be stuck in the ER tonight, so I'll have to go with these.  At least if they sound bad, I'll have a couple days to replace them at Best Buy or somewhere with more selection.  I'll report back what I think (no burn in time).

I needed a dressing changed on a central line.  Last time took hours, but they got me out pretty quick this time.  Anyway...onto the earphones.  No burn in time and I only had time to listen to half an Elton John album.  Also, don't have much experience with IEMs, but my overall impression is pretty bad.

Initial impressions:  Wire is a little thin, but usable.  A case of some sort would have been nice.  Otherwise, build quality isn't bad, and comfort seems good, at least for the short time I used them.  Noise isolation seemed good, but I don't have much to compare to.

Bass:  Any complaints about lack of bass in reviews means people didn't know how to fit IEMs.  Bass on these is overwhelming.  Its not inaccurate or muddy, just boomy.  This isn't necessarily bad, but I'll get to that later.

Treble:  Actually pretty good.  A bit sparkly for my taste, but it seemed fairly accurate and maybe the sparkle will settle out with break in.

Mids:  This is where the problem starts.  They were either very recessed or overshadowed by the strong bass and sparkly high end.

Overall Balance:  Whoever designed these was tone deaf.  Now, I used them straight out of the box, which may be a problem.  I'll update this if it is, but the overall sound was just bad.  I had to change my normal V shaped rock curve on the X5 to flat just to use them.  Even doing this, the bass was too overwhelming and the mids just didn't exist.  The high end impressed me somewhat.  I stopped by Walmart on my way home, but their selection was crap.  I'll give these a day to break in and if they haven't settled out, I'll see what I can get at another Sears or Best Buy.

I'd like to just jump in and buy the $99 Shure's, but for now I'll try and get something decent that's cheap (and available), maybe the 3590, and get better ones when I have the time.

I'm gonna leave these running on a loop overnight.  If they sound good in the morning, I'll keep them.  Probably I'll pack them up and exchange them for the 3500 series.  They were less than half the price, anyway.

I think my new plan is to pick up the 3590s tomorrow and see which I like better.  As they're all in the cheap category, I may just keep both.  But if one is clearly better I'll return whichever I don't like.  I can already tell these have settled a little.  Bass is still too much, but less boomy.  Weird shimmer still on the high end, but that could settle.  I've been eying the Shure IEMs for a while, and if my Sennheisers had broken with enough time to order them, I might have gone that direction.  Probably better that I don't bring something expensive with me anyway, though.

Is a high pitch hiss (kinda like a tape hiss) normal in IEMs or are these just bad?  And yes, I realize I should be in bed.

Mediocre source!?!  My X5 was state of the art back in 2005!  Its not my fault Cowon products last forever.  Just because I've been through two PCs, a laptop, multiple headphones, and a TV means I should replace a perfectly good mp3 player? </sarcasm>

On a more serious note, I've looked several times to replace it and never found what I was looking for.  My phone plays video files, so I don't need a full media player...just want a good mp3 player w/ flac support (I wouldn't mind a media player, but if it detracts fromt he audio quality, its really unnecessary).  Would a Clip Zip work, as Best Buy has a sale on them this week?  Or should I go with a newer Cowon?