Tryndamere
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2011
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[size=10.0pt]This review should not be taken literally but rather, as an opinion. Everyone perceives music differently, and it also depends on what type of sound signature do they prefer. Some might prefer neutrality, some prefer the traditional “V”-shaped sound, it all boils down to personal preferences. This one, is mine.[/size]
[size=10.0pt]To start off, I should mention that I come from the Shures SE215. A entry level in-ear monitor with a rather forward mid sound signature. It is also rather bass heavy for some. In this review, I am using a very simple setup, my Nexus 4 as a player without any portable amp. Just the player and the earphones themselves.[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Let’s start off with aesthetics. First of all, it looks rather biggish, like a huge, elongated rectangle case which encapsulates the dual dynamic drivers along with all the other innards. It has two huge rings of circle seemingly pasted onto the earphones themselves, each with a different colour to represent which side are they supposed to go into. They are fully made of plastic, but mind you, these don’t feel like cheap plastic. They feel solid and well-made enough to handle the daily activities which I go through. On the other hand, there is little strain relief on the cables which goes into the earphones themselves. That does worry me as I am pretty rough with my audio equipment’s’. Coming from the shures, this really do disappoint in this factor. The cable themselves are covered with fabric, which seems pretty durable to me. But I doubt it could match the shures stock cable. There is some microphonics that is present, as so as you stand up, the cable rubs against your shirt, you get some unwanted noises. The gold plated audio jack is shaped at a 45 degree angle, which I have no opinion about it. As so as it isn’t a straight jack, I’m fine with it. Straights jacks are rather susceptible to more strain as compared to a L-shaped jack, well that’s for me. Might be different for the rest.[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Let’s talk about isolation. Fischer Audio do provide 3 pairs of different silicon ear tips to suit different individuals’ ear canals. As so as you are able to get a good seal, the isolation is pretty decent. “Decent” might be a little vague to some of you so I will explain a little more. I can’t give a figure of how much these isolate because, heck, I ain’t no audio engineer with an extremely skilled ear. Let me give you an example, I use these on the train to school and I feel that the surrounding noise is reduced by about 40%. You will have trouble making out what people is saying when you have these on and you pretty much can’t hear anything if you are “blasting” music on them. Only the engine noises are able to seep into my eardrums which shouldn’t be much of an annoyance. They are by no means on par with the Shures level of isolation and should be adequate for most. I tried to change the silicon tips for the foam ones I had come with the Shures, unfortunately the vent is way too small and fitting it on is like trying to squeeze a fat man through the prison bars. The shures isolation is better due to foam tips and the body shape which sits around the grooves of the ear.[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Now, sound quality. I will break them down into separate section for easier reading.[/size]
[size=14.0pt]Soundstage[/size]
[size=10.0pt]These earphones don’t really have a soundstage, they seem like they are jammed into the middle of your head. I should also say that IEMs don’t particularly do well in this segment . Headphones tend to have a relatively larger soundstage as compared to IEMs. [/size]
[size=14.0pt]Highs[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Coming from the shures, I find that the tandems have recessed highs. It feels like someone threw a wet blanket over the tweeter and shut it out for good. After realising that the shures are bright sounding, I spent a hefty amount of time listening to theses earphones and finally got accustomed to the sound signature. The highs are quite detailed but they roll off earlier than the Shures. They do not sound bright nor dull, sibilance is not present and the overall presentation is quite comfortable. Doesn’t feels vulgar like the Sony – MDR 7506 nor extremely dark like the V-moda LP Crossfades. It justs feels right, neutral, balance and true to the recording.[/size]
[size=14.0pt]Mids[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Sharing similar characteristics as the high frequency, the mids presented themselves at a neutral stand point. They are fairy detailed and transparent, but not very resolving. Vocals sounded natural and simply didn’t seem out of place. It blends well with the rest of the frequency without making a bold statement for itself. It might also sound slightly warm to some who are used to the rather cold sounding Westone um1. [/size]
[size=14.0pt]Lows[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Perhaps this is the most enjoyable part for me. As mentioned above, these are dual dynamic drivers earphones. I was expecting a significant bass boost and a massive rumble in the low 100Hz. They will be low to react, overly boomy and would bleed into other frequency. How very wrong was I. The tandem DO NOT have a elevated bass response, instead , they are also very neutral. It seems to be the case of you listen to the bass, rather than feel the bass. They are very fast, really fast for dynamics and very tight. If you are a basshead, you might want to give this a miss. The impact is simply inadequate to give a soul-satisfying bass response for you. BUT, you are a person who likes accuracy, the deal just sweetens. I am not trying to put it in a way that the tandems have no bass, it does. The quantity is about half of the Shure SE215, enough to give justice to most rock or jazz, but not electronic music or any other genres that have a heavy focus on bass. I should add that I listen to mostly EDMs and I enjoy them on the tandems. Seems contradicting? Well yeah, but the thing is I like to listen to the type of bass, not feel the bass. If you have similar taste to me, the tandems “lack of bass” would not be an issue to you.[/size]
[size=14.0pt]Technology[/size]
[size=10.0pt]As mentioned, the earphones are dual dynamic drivers. Two 6mm drivers. One for the lows, another for the mid and the highs. It seems all good until you start comparing them to dual balance armature drivers or even quad armature drivers. Balance armatures (BA) are extremely small and hence you can cramp many of it into a earphone. Dynamic drivers are different, they are larger and generally slower than BA’s, but they are generally able to push more air, which translate to more bass and has the ability to cover a larger spectrum of the frequency range. I personally do not really favour single balance armature earphones as I think that the point of having a BA in your earphone is to be able to cramp many of them into it, to take advantage of the size of the driver. But a single dynamic can be pretty decent on itself. I am not ruling out the possibility of a single BA earphone sounding really good but it’s just me, I prefer single dynamic over single BA. BA’s are generally faster and is also able to reproduce more detail. They are smaller which allows many of them to be pushed into one earphone to cover all the frequency. The downsides? They are more expensive than dynamic drivers. They also push less air which makes some pure BA earphones sound really hollow on the low frequency. That’s where multi-driver BA’s can make up for it without losing detail, at an increase price of course. I honestly think that the tandems are fitted with dynamics because they are cheaper and this was made to be more of an entry level earphone, to separate it with the DBA 02.[/size]
[size=14.0pt]Price[/size]
[size=10.0pt]This is an important deciding factor. This will set you back at SGD128, which is excellent value for the sound they produce. [/size]
[size=14.0pt]Conclusion[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Taking the price into consideration, these are one of the best in-ear headphones that you could buy. If you are a neutral fan, a person who handles his equipment with care and is on a tight budget, the tandems are the perfect choice. But if you are ( I know I’m a little naggy) a BASSHEAD, STAY CLEAR. You don’t want to waste a hundred bucks for something you won’t enjoy. You might as well go for the bass heavy a-jays three and using the remaining money to catch a movie, have Mcdonalds and still have left overs![/size]
[size=8.0pt]Just a short note thou, I am no audiophile. I am writing this review in the stand point of an average consumer. Sorry if I wasn’t specific enough, and pardon my poor English standards [/size][size=8.0pt]L[/size]
[size=8.0pt]Oh by the way these are pretty power hungry earphones, you might have to crank up the volume of your iPod to have a desirable volume.[/size]
[size=10.0pt]To start off, I should mention that I come from the Shures SE215. A entry level in-ear monitor with a rather forward mid sound signature. It is also rather bass heavy for some. In this review, I am using a very simple setup, my Nexus 4 as a player without any portable amp. Just the player and the earphones themselves.[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Let’s start off with aesthetics. First of all, it looks rather biggish, like a huge, elongated rectangle case which encapsulates the dual dynamic drivers along with all the other innards. It has two huge rings of circle seemingly pasted onto the earphones themselves, each with a different colour to represent which side are they supposed to go into. They are fully made of plastic, but mind you, these don’t feel like cheap plastic. They feel solid and well-made enough to handle the daily activities which I go through. On the other hand, there is little strain relief on the cables which goes into the earphones themselves. That does worry me as I am pretty rough with my audio equipment’s’. Coming from the shures, this really do disappoint in this factor. The cable themselves are covered with fabric, which seems pretty durable to me. But I doubt it could match the shures stock cable. There is some microphonics that is present, as so as you stand up, the cable rubs against your shirt, you get some unwanted noises. The gold plated audio jack is shaped at a 45 degree angle, which I have no opinion about it. As so as it isn’t a straight jack, I’m fine with it. Straights jacks are rather susceptible to more strain as compared to a L-shaped jack, well that’s for me. Might be different for the rest.[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Let’s talk about isolation. Fischer Audio do provide 3 pairs of different silicon ear tips to suit different individuals’ ear canals. As so as you are able to get a good seal, the isolation is pretty decent. “Decent” might be a little vague to some of you so I will explain a little more. I can’t give a figure of how much these isolate because, heck, I ain’t no audio engineer with an extremely skilled ear. Let me give you an example, I use these on the train to school and I feel that the surrounding noise is reduced by about 40%. You will have trouble making out what people is saying when you have these on and you pretty much can’t hear anything if you are “blasting” music on them. Only the engine noises are able to seep into my eardrums which shouldn’t be much of an annoyance. They are by no means on par with the Shures level of isolation and should be adequate for most. I tried to change the silicon tips for the foam ones I had come with the Shures, unfortunately the vent is way too small and fitting it on is like trying to squeeze a fat man through the prison bars. The shures isolation is better due to foam tips and the body shape which sits around the grooves of the ear.[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Now, sound quality. I will break them down into separate section for easier reading.[/size]
[size=14.0pt]Soundstage[/size]
[size=10.0pt]These earphones don’t really have a soundstage, they seem like they are jammed into the middle of your head. I should also say that IEMs don’t particularly do well in this segment . Headphones tend to have a relatively larger soundstage as compared to IEMs. [/size]
[size=14.0pt]Highs[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Coming from the shures, I find that the tandems have recessed highs. It feels like someone threw a wet blanket over the tweeter and shut it out for good. After realising that the shures are bright sounding, I spent a hefty amount of time listening to theses earphones and finally got accustomed to the sound signature. The highs are quite detailed but they roll off earlier than the Shures. They do not sound bright nor dull, sibilance is not present and the overall presentation is quite comfortable. Doesn’t feels vulgar like the Sony – MDR 7506 nor extremely dark like the V-moda LP Crossfades. It justs feels right, neutral, balance and true to the recording.[/size]
[size=14.0pt]Mids[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Sharing similar characteristics as the high frequency, the mids presented themselves at a neutral stand point. They are fairy detailed and transparent, but not very resolving. Vocals sounded natural and simply didn’t seem out of place. It blends well with the rest of the frequency without making a bold statement for itself. It might also sound slightly warm to some who are used to the rather cold sounding Westone um1. [/size]
[size=14.0pt]Lows[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Perhaps this is the most enjoyable part for me. As mentioned above, these are dual dynamic drivers earphones. I was expecting a significant bass boost and a massive rumble in the low 100Hz. They will be low to react, overly boomy and would bleed into other frequency. How very wrong was I. The tandem DO NOT have a elevated bass response, instead , they are also very neutral. It seems to be the case of you listen to the bass, rather than feel the bass. They are very fast, really fast for dynamics and very tight. If you are a basshead, you might want to give this a miss. The impact is simply inadequate to give a soul-satisfying bass response for you. BUT, you are a person who likes accuracy, the deal just sweetens. I am not trying to put it in a way that the tandems have no bass, it does. The quantity is about half of the Shure SE215, enough to give justice to most rock or jazz, but not electronic music or any other genres that have a heavy focus on bass. I should add that I listen to mostly EDMs and I enjoy them on the tandems. Seems contradicting? Well yeah, but the thing is I like to listen to the type of bass, not feel the bass. If you have similar taste to me, the tandems “lack of bass” would not be an issue to you.[/size]
[size=14.0pt]Technology[/size]
[size=10.0pt]As mentioned, the earphones are dual dynamic drivers. Two 6mm drivers. One for the lows, another for the mid and the highs. It seems all good until you start comparing them to dual balance armature drivers or even quad armature drivers. Balance armatures (BA) are extremely small and hence you can cramp many of it into a earphone. Dynamic drivers are different, they are larger and generally slower than BA’s, but they are generally able to push more air, which translate to more bass and has the ability to cover a larger spectrum of the frequency range. I personally do not really favour single balance armature earphones as I think that the point of having a BA in your earphone is to be able to cramp many of them into it, to take advantage of the size of the driver. But a single dynamic can be pretty decent on itself. I am not ruling out the possibility of a single BA earphone sounding really good but it’s just me, I prefer single dynamic over single BA. BA’s are generally faster and is also able to reproduce more detail. They are smaller which allows many of them to be pushed into one earphone to cover all the frequency. The downsides? They are more expensive than dynamic drivers. They also push less air which makes some pure BA earphones sound really hollow on the low frequency. That’s where multi-driver BA’s can make up for it without losing detail, at an increase price of course. I honestly think that the tandems are fitted with dynamics because they are cheaper and this was made to be more of an entry level earphone, to separate it with the DBA 02.[/size]
[size=14.0pt]Price[/size]
[size=10.0pt]This is an important deciding factor. This will set you back at SGD128, which is excellent value for the sound they produce. [/size]
[size=14.0pt]Conclusion[/size]
[size=10.0pt]Taking the price into consideration, these are one of the best in-ear headphones that you could buy. If you are a neutral fan, a person who handles his equipment with care and is on a tight budget, the tandems are the perfect choice. But if you are ( I know I’m a little naggy) a BASSHEAD, STAY CLEAR. You don’t want to waste a hundred bucks for something you won’t enjoy. You might as well go for the bass heavy a-jays three and using the remaining money to catch a movie, have Mcdonalds and still have left overs![/size]
[size=8.0pt]Just a short note thou, I am no audiophile. I am writing this review in the stand point of an average consumer. Sorry if I wasn’t specific enough, and pardon my poor English standards [/size][size=8.0pt]L[/size]
[size=8.0pt]Oh by the way these are pretty power hungry earphones, you might have to crank up the volume of your iPod to have a desirable volume.[/size]
