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Something sonically between the Rock It Sounds R-50 and the TDK BA200?

post #1 of 8
2/2/13 at 3:13am
Thread Starter 

Hello, community of Head-Fi.

 

I am looking for an IEM that sound signature-wise, falls between the Rock It Sounds R-50 and the TDK BA200, which are my two experiences with dual-driver BA IEMs. I find the R-50 a bit lacking in body and bass, while the BA200 too smoothed-over in the top-end. Something that veers a little more towards neutral overall than either of the two, in short.

 

Some time ago, following some excellent and insightful advice from the community here, including |joker|, ClieOS, Swimsonny, Techno Kid (thank you for the epic R-50 thread) and others, I decided to buy the Rock It Sounds R-50. On receiving it, there was a problem with the left earpiece - the sound kept getting cut off entirely depending on the position of the left earpiece over the ear and the cabling going through to the driver. I presume this is a soldering issue. Either way, it was a manufacturing defect that I wrote to Rock It Sounds about, and they have offered me a refund, which I have accepted.

 
Now I need to soon order a new IEM to replace my R-50, because of a commercial tour that I'm soon to leave on, and I will need a pair of IEMs for it.
 
My brother owns the TDK BA200, and I auditioned it as a possible candidate. I found myself liking some of its characteristics, particularly the slightly weightier, slightly more full-bodied timbre and more convincing bass response. I found it lacking the airy high-end and sparkle of the R-50, though, and details like reverb tails seemed a little smoothed-over.
 
In short, I found the BA200 to be a bit too soft and rolled-off near the upper mids to treble regions to be accurate and neutral enough to my ears, while the R-50 seems to lack good body in the mid-bass and lower regions, making bass instruments and percussion sound unrealistically light and somewhat lacking in body.
 
I know I might be describing the unattainable, but is there something within this general price range (upto 180 USD or so) that brings together some of the characteristics of both the the R-50 and the BA200? Ideally, I'd love a neutral, accurate IEM that has the separation, detail and SOUNDSTAGE of either of these two dual BAs, within 180 USD, roughly. Also, build quality is important - this is the reason I had to look beyond the R-50 in the first place.
 
I'd really appreciate all the help and advice I can get, I will be needing these soon on tour.
 
Thanks,

Daniel.


Edited by DanielKRego - 2/2/13 at 3:23am
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post #2 of 8
2/2/13 at 5:53am

The GR01, CK10 are pretty good sounding for the price and they match well with your requirements.

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post #3 of 8
2/2/13 at 6:30am

TDK IE800 for sure - its mids is to die for, so detailed unlike anything I've heard before, bass is deep and tight, and treble is sparkly

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post #4 of 8
2/2/13 at 6:54am
Thread Starter 

Thank you for opinions, djvkool and ZARIM.

 

The GR01 is something I'm looking at, but I'm worried it still might be a bit too much in the 'smooth' camp, like the BA200. Again, this is mere surmise, I have no way of actually knowing or hearing them. The CK10 is WAY too expensive now that it has been discontinued.

 

As for the TDK IE800, it does seem intriguing, but I'm getting some very differing opinions on how they sound, so far. Seems to be the case with most IEMs the first few weeks they release.

 

For everyone else reading this thread or considering replying, these are the IEMs I am currently thinking about, as a replacement for my ill-fated R-50, keeping in mind that I want a little more bass presence and body without losing out on high-end clarity, extension, and general detail and airy presentation:

 

VSonic GR01

VSonic GR07

Fischer Audio DBA-02 MkII

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post #5 of 8
2/2/13 at 7:12am

The old ER6/ER6i would fit the bill. HF5 to a lesser degree as well.

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post #6 of 8
2/2/13 at 7:38am
Thread Starter 

I've heard about the ER6, but finding it seems to be a trick.

As for the HF5, would it really have a weightier sound signature than the R-50? Most opinions seem to suggest the contrary.

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post #7 of 8
2/2/13 at 10:44am
Thread Starter 

After a day of research around here, I've further narrowed down my options to:

 

VSonic GR01

Fischer Audio DBA-02 MkII

 

The way I see it, the Fischer DBA-02 MkII appears to be slightly warmer overall than the Rock It R-50 (referencing |joker|'s review from his megathread, which sounds in the ballpark of what I want. On the other hand, the DBA-02 MkII still seems to be seen by many as a 'brighter than neutral' earphone. 

 

The VSonic GR01 seems confidently warmer than the R-50, but perhaps too close to the TDK BA200 for comfort. I did not like the treble of the BA200 - I found them to be smoothed-over too much and made the timbre of instruments like snare drums and guitars softer-edged and less brilliant than seemed neutral, apart from the detailing falling short of the R-50.

 

What do you all think about the DBA-02 MkII and GR01, for my situation?

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post #8 of 8
2/2/13 at 3:18pm

I think you current IEMs can improve with AMPs help like FIIO E11, iBasso T5 and dockcable like Pure Cryo or Cryo X Silver.

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