h20fidelity said:

  .... I prefer Altone200 over Dunu DN-1000 because to me the Dunu sounds veiled in comparison and blurry, for me who likes a clear mid-range that's an easy choice.
 

Click to expand...

 
Wow 
In whatever comparison I have tried, DN-1000 never sounds veiled and blurry. With the JVC eartips and using good amp, It's just naturally convey the exact clarity of the recordings. If the recording is blur, it will let you hear it. I wonder what eartips you used when you tried DN-1000. And it also makes me afraid that Altone200 is unnaturally clear....

earfonia said:

   
Wow 

In whatever comparison I have tried, DN-1000 never sounds veiled and blurry. With the JVC eartips and using good amp, It's just naturally convey the exact clarity of the recordings. If the recording is blur, it will let you hear it. I wonder what eartips you used when you tried DN-1000. And it also makes me afraid that Altone200 is unnaturally clear....

Click to expand...

I understand your passion for Dunu DN-1000, also your desired tip selection earfonia, I myself find them a wonderful earphone and owned DN-1000 since late last year, I've been there done that, so completely understand. However each person also has  individual preferences, yours lean towards Dunu DN-1000 (very much so), mine lean towards Altone. Maybe when you actually listen to Altone you may think differently. 

From memory I believe the DN1000 midrange is a bit recessed compared to the H300.
So based on that, the Altone 200 surely has a much clearer and detailed midrange.

h20fidelity said:

 

I understand your passion for Dunu DN-1000, also your desired tip selection earfonia, I myself find them a wonderful earphone and owned DN-1000 since late last year, I've been there done that, so completely understand. However each person also has  individual preferences, yours lean towards Dunu DN-1000 (very much so), mine lean towards Altone. Maybe when you actually listen to Altone you may think differently. 

Click to expand...

 
Noted. Maybe it's just the way we understand the definition of veiled and blurry, that to me DN-1000 and DN-2000 never reach that definition in whatever comparison I tried.  Maybe you have a different definition of veiled and blurry.  Understand that.
I am tempted to try Altone200, but maybe not now.

d marc0 said:

  From memory I believe the DN1000 midrange is a bit recessed compared to the H300.
So based on that, the Altone 200 surely has a much clearer and detailed midrange.

Click to expand...

Agreed, Altone is just overall more transparent.
 

earfonia said:

   
Noted. Maybe it's just the way we understand the definition of veiled and blurry, that to me DN-1000 and DN-2000 never reach that definition in whatever comparison I tried.  Maybe you have a different definition of veiled and blurry.  Understand that.
I am tempted to try Altone200, but maybe not now.

Click to expand...

Hazy, confused mid-range, less coherent, (especially with busy passages) are how Dunu sound to me compared. Also like I need to lift volume excessively to extract the same detail and clarity levels. I know DN-1000 have good clarity, especially amped with Tralucent T1, though the Altone has more. To give an example my ER4S doesn't sound as clear as Altone200.

The T-Peos can actually make ER4S sound veiled around the mids. Some might call it unnatural like you did in your ER4S vs DN-2000 comparison, others enjoyable / clairty. But as some compensation sometimes I just want to chill out with a better soundstage / versatility so I use DN-1000, and if I didn't like my Dunu they would be long gone with a lot of other stuff I get rid of. In short I believe they can live side by side with some compliments.

See, the problem here with Altone like I said in the Brainwavs S5 thread it's possibly too clear for its own good, fatigue must be considered, long term listening. Though on first listen you simply cannot ignore the detail and clarity of Altone200 and it will very much depend how loud you listen, you really don't need to lift them loud to hear everything
 

h20fidelity said:

 
Agreed, Altone is just overall more transparent.
 
Hazy, confused mid-range, less coherent, (especially with busy passages) are how Dunu sound to me compared. Also like I need to lift volume excessively to extract the same detail and clarity levels. I know DN-1000 have good clarity, especially amped with Tralucent T1, though the Altone has more. To give an example my ER4S doesn't sound as clear as Altone200.

The T-Peos can actually make ER4S sound veiled around the mids. Some might call it unnatural like you did in your ER4S vs DN-2000 comparison, others enjoyable / clairty. But as some compensation sometimes I just want to chill out with a better soundstage / versatility so I use DN-1000, and if I didn't like my Dunu they would be long gone with a lot of other stuff I get rid of. In short I believe they can live side by side with some compliments.

See, the problem here with Altone like I said in the Brainwavs S5 thread it's possibly too clear for its own good, fatigue must be considered, long term listening. Though on first listen you simple cannot ignore the detail and clarity of Altone200 and it will very much depend how loud you listen, you simply don't need to lift them loud to hear everything
 

Click to expand...

 
Thanks! So sounds like T-Peos managed to push clarity into a new high and made it enjoyable.
Sounds like a Beyerdynamic DT880 to me.

earfonia said:

   
Thanks! So sounds like T-Peos managed to push clarity into a new high and made it enjoyable.
Sounds like a Beyerdynamic DT880 to me.

Click to expand...

 
Sometimes a slight protection veil is actually a positive thing for longer listening.

The clearest IEM in the world isn't the best attribute to have. Veil an earphone too far however it sounds underwhelming like I feel about Westone 3, 4. Though in my opinion another benefit of a slight veil is poorly mastered albums have better versatility, tends to cover the nooks and crannies, an area Altone will not forgive you for. Fed correctly she will shine.  It's like a tradeoff of sorts.

Take this track for example, find it in FLAC will show you what Altone can do. Well, it sounds good with pretty much everything but especially the T-Peos.


 

...

h20fidelity said:

 
 
Sometimes a slight protection veil is actually a positive thing for longer listening.

The clearest IEM in the world isn't the best attribute to have. Veil an earphone too far however it sounds underwhelming like I feel about Westone 3, 4. Though in my opinion another benefit of a slight veil is poorly mastered albums have better versatility, tends to cover the nooks and crannies, an area Altone will not forgive you for. Fed correctly she will shine.  It's like a tradeoff of sorts.

Take this track for example, find it in FLAC will show you what Altone can do. Well, it sounds good with pretty much everything but especially the T-Peos.


 

Click to expand...

 
Yes, always back to the recordings IMHO. Some harsh recording does need some 'soft filter' to be listenable. For recordings such as from Chesky Label, I prefer system with high level of detail. Btw I sold my Westone 4 for the same reason.
 
Thanks for the above recording!  They should have used the Altones200 during the recordings 

unityispower said:

...

Click to expand...

Edit: Might have defective pair, waiting for replacement unit.

Quick impressions

GR07 BE VS Altone 200

Song


Artist: Lorde
Album: Pure Heroine
Song: White Teeth Teens


Lows:
GR07 BE displays a more thunderous sub-bass rumble and stronger mid-bass thump. Both sound well controlled.

Reference @ 0:36-0:58

Mids:
GR07 BE has a touch of harshness with vocals. While the Altone sounds forward in comparison, it seems less susceptible(as in I'm yet to hear any). Both sound clear tho the Altone feels more spacious.

Reference @ 0:00-0:35

Highs:
While the GR07 has a nice glow up top that gives things like cymbals good presence, the Altone sounds stronger.

Reference @ 1:35-1:48*

Conclusion:

I prefer my GR07 BE

Because of the overall frequency balance, I'm found raising the volume on the Altone in a attempt to atleast match my GR07 BE low end prowess. What this produces is a high end that's way too hot(*1:48, painful as ****) and bass that still doesn't put out enough authority to meet my minimum requirement. This isn't a problem of quality down low but quantity gentlemen.

Listening at a vocal volume match, the mid to highs sound quite clear. Sadly, this is at the cost of a low end that can't help move the beat forward. EX1000 anybody?

=====
I personally rather deal with the KC06's lack of low end authority cuz that bad boy has clear sounding mid to highs without the fuzz up top.
=====

With music that has less dependency on the low end, the Altone gives a good sense of clarity tho I'm tempted to say(by memory) the KC06 did this better. I'm reminded of my experience between the Tenore/Ety in that the Tenore sounded about even between vocals presence and cymbal bite, while the ety pushes vocals, the Altone seems to pump cymbals.

Preference of phones mention in order(sonic package): GR07 BE>=Tenore, KC06, Ety, Altone.

Sound aside, I want to turn your attention to the IEM itself. Taking it out of the package, the earpieces look a bit dirty, not overly so mind you but enough to bug me; It's kind of like the reside left behind after you remove tape. The finish on the metal with the "A", as well as the "A" itself, looks a bit rough for my taste. Already, these two findings, when combined together, leave a bad enough first impression that it caused my excitement to waiver. This is something I wouldn't expect for the price, normal or special.

Moving further along, the stress relieves at the earpieces don't inspire confidence. They are quite short and stiff. While my GR07 BE also share in this design, close inspection displays better implementation. The marriage of cable to earpiece feels more solid and they also benefit from their over-ear design; This means that when worn, any puling of the cable gets some suppression from your ear before it reaches the connection on the housing. It's also noteworthy to mention you can wear the Altones over ear but the fitting is not as good as the GR07 BE, understandably so.

The Y-split on the Altone feels chunky enough when compared to my BE tho I would ask for better breakaway support for the cable. The 3.5mm jack sits a bit taller on my iPhone 4, besides preferring the lower BE plug, I also like its squared off design better then the Altones plastic pipe casting.

P.S. No driver flex so far

I needed to sleep like 1 hour ago

Less bass than gr07 be? I'm confused again, lol.

KC06 comes first before altones? Is this purely because of the hot highs? I am a bit sensitive to highs though I recently discovered this as I couldn't stand the highs of jh13fr and ditas when I auditioned them.

unityispower said:

Quick impressions .......

Click to expand...

 
Wow - definite basshead huh?  I have Lorde's album, and could never imagine wanting more bass than the Altone200 delivers with this album.
 
Thanks for the impressions - it'll be great seeing some more POV.  I'd be really interested to see if your impressions change after some more time with them.  I'd suggest (if you do choose to review them in depth), that you spend at least a full day with them (no back and forth swapping) to give your ears a chance to adjust to the new sound signature.  Then do the A/Bs against the VSonic.
 
On the appearance comments:

1. Mine arrived with no residue or film, but I have another pair coming as well (I paid for them) - so will check those to see if there is any.  The build quality as far as machining goes on my first pair is excellent.
2. The "A" in Altone (on the body) is supposed to be a  split "A" (there is a gap at the top).  It is part of the styling of the text.  Nothing wrong with the quality of the lettering - you may just not like the font.

 
Anyway - looking forward to hearing more impressions later.  It has solved one thing for me - the VSonic GR07 BE is definitely off my list of IEMs to try .  Out of curiousity - what other audio gear do you have, and besides the GR07 - what else is your "go to"? 

Some quick observations compared to the H-300s.
 
Altone200s Are easier in the ears. They produce less strain, both physically and sonically.
I would say that the smaller/lighter body, shorter strain relief and more flexible cable helps it to feel more comfortable than H300s. 
Sonically speaking, the A-200s don't get victimized from noise floor as the H300s do. Though the noise is source dependent, on my PC
the H-300s reproduce an audible hisss when the videos are paused and I increase the PC volume above 75%.
Also noticeable on some poorly compressed songs during playback. Altone200s are just nearly silent even @100% volume.
They also are or feel slightly softer, little less sensitive and little less transparent .
The H-300s  sound a bit louder than Altones at the same volume. Maybe because of the correction on the A-200s treble or because the H-300s
sound has matured over time.
Anyways, the Altones are less aggressive and no prone to sibilance while keeping the good detail and indiscretion that i love on the H-300s.
 
The Bass at first audition sounds tuned in comparison. (I say 'tuned' because while the H300 has great sub-bass, it sounds somehow lazy on the higher end)
When I match the overall volume, Altone200s are little louder on the high-mid Bass  and tad quieter on the lows than the H-300s.
The Bass quantity is about the same on both, but the difference comes from the Gain response balance.
 
 
 To experiment, i covered with a stripe of tape the port on the Altone200s nozzle and it sort of matched the lows gain to that of the H300s
and no driver flex noticed
 
Altone200 resembles that 'Good perfumes comes in small bottles'.
 
 
So far, most of the differences are noted in midget intervals and yet not many reasons to have them both together.
Go for Altone200 if you want to know what T-PEOS can do and either stay with the H-300s if you have them and you're already enjoying them.
I don't take much advantage of accessories on H300 since I'm using 3rd party tips, the box is just a box and the removable cable turned defective.
For now, skipping H400 and waiting for Altone300 if should they continue them. 

unityispower said:

Quick impressions

GR07 BE VS Altone 200

 

Click to expand...

Well then, at least I think he likes them more than his first impressions of ASG-2. 

UnityIsPower has always been a tough one to please, I'm rather shocked we received  as decent impressions as we did.