[JaZZ]

Bought it yesterday -- for CHF 99.–.

Initially the wearing comfort was a bit ambivalent -- comfortable for a short period and less so after a few minutes --, but meanwhile, with reduced clamping force, it's quite easy on the ears and doesn't hurt anymore. Fit and hold are good.

Is this a portable headphone? I think so... at least I bought it for this purpose, primarily for jogging, where IEMs use to cause disturbing occlusion effects.

In this context the sensitivity is somewhat disappointing. It is clearly below that of the PX 100 or the Audéo PFE. I almost have to max the volume on the iAudio7. It's still manageable, though, and it doesn't sound strained or distorted in any way.

With flat EQ, the sound is almost unlistenable: The bass is extremely bloated. It reaches enormously deep, but there's also an annoying upper-bass emphasis which makes for a non-audiophile boominess. So equalizing is mandatory -- which also applies for my PX 100 anyway, although the latter is passably listenable without it.

My now EQ settings are -8 dB/80 Hz (wide), -7 dB/220 Hz (normal), +2 dB/4.1 kHz (wide), +1 dB/6.9 kHz (wide)

This way the sound is quite neutral and without any frequency bands standing out. The treble is extended and extraordinarily well defined for a portable headphone. I hope it will get even smoother with break-in, because there's a slight sharpness -- which on the other hand is also a plus, as it contributes to the perception of rich detail and accuracy without sounding unnatural. The midrange is colorful, detailed and virtually free of coloration. The same applies to the bass under this precondition, with the exception of a slight remaining low-bass emphasis -- 80 Hz is the lowest frequency the iAudio7's semi-parametric EQ offers.

So with adequate equalizing this headphone has quite some sonic potential. With the above EQ settings it definitely sounds more refined and detailed than the (ideally equalized) PX 100, particularly its treble offers much higher detail and resolution, and the midrange is more neutral.
.

 

[walkingman]

Didn't know this was out already. This is definitely one portable that I am keen to try. Thanks for the impressions. I hope to read more of what you think as you gain more time with it.

 

[kjk1281]

Thanks for the impressions. Hopefully the bass bloat will be lessened with burn-in. It would be nice if these are at least halfway decent compared to the HD228, which LTUCCI1924 tried and hated.

 

[vkvedam]

Thanks for those early impressions Jazz, I was waiting for these..

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by walkingman /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hope to read more of what you think as you gain more time with it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjk1281 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hopefully the bass bloat will be lessened with burn-in. It would be nice if these are at least halfway decent compared to the HD228, which LTUCCI1924 tried and hated.

So far I'm not really enthused about it. Actually I still like the (equalized) PX 100 better, despite the lesser refinement. In turn it sounds livelier and more dynamic -- has better «PRaT», so to speak...
.

 

[kmhaynes]

I've also been waiting on some impressions on these phones. I like the look, but after 2 Senn purchases ($60-100 range), and 2 Senn returns (same ones bought), I noticed that both sounded almost identical to the PX100, which I don't like due to upper-bass bloat and seriously rolled off highs. Sounds like the HD238 doesn't deviate from that pattern much, at least in the low end.

 

[Raymate]

Anymore views, wanting to get a pair real soon

 

[Fizban]

Just got mine today.

Gimme a while, i'll listen to them on my off day tomorrow.

 

[K_19]

I tried these at the Apple store yesterday. I really like their comfort (even more comfortable than the quietcomforts they had lying around; comfortable pads and very, very light overall) and they surprisingly had decent isolation (killed off the external noise at the Apple store very well, which is a decent accomplishment), but the sound is laid back to the max, even more than PX100. At flat EQ it's very poor at detail retrieval with somewhat of bloated bass. I wasn't going to use the poor Ipod nano EQ that it was hooked up to, so that's about all the impressions I could get, but the advantages and disadvantages of this headphone seemed clear.

I can see it being a decent portable street can though, definitely.

 

[Fizban]

On initial listening, they present with a pretty enjoyable sound.

Highs are more than i'd expect from a pair of Senns, not piercing, but pretty apparent.....all in all, very comfortable.

Mids are lush, very nice for vocals, but the bass is where the problem is.
I dunno about mid-bass, low-bass or whatever, but to my ears, they miss out quite a bit of detail, in comparison with Image X10 and most other IEMs i've tried lately (namely, IE8, Woody 2, Denon C700, CX95 and so on....).
The particular tracks i've tried on quickly are the "Back to You" by Bryan Adams and "Unfaithful (Tony Moran Club Mix)" by Rihanna. Familiar, noticeable subtle nuances in bass is completely missing.

But i guess for the price in this range, it can be called pleasantly neutral.....but considering i came from a bass-head background, it is fair to say i am a lil biased against cans that do not produce a certain quality of bass.

Disclaimer: this is a pre-burn-in impression from a noob. And i believe in burn-in ABSOLUTELY.

 

[Technocrafts]

Is this a portable headphone? I think so... at least I bought it for this purpose, primarily for jogging, where IEMs use to cause disturbing occlusion effects.

In this context the sensitivity is somewhat disappointing. It is clearly below that of the PX 100 or the Audéo PFE. I almost have to max the volume on the iAudio7. It's still manageable, though, and it doesn't sound strained or distorted in any way.

You right about that, I have the same experience driving them straight out of an iPod classic.

With flat EQ, the sound is almost unlistenable: The bass is extremely bloated. It reaches enormously deep, but there's also an annoying upper-bass emphasis which makes for a non-audiophile boominess. So equalizing is mandatory -- which also applies for my PX 100 anyway, although the latter is passably listenable without it.


Would that be an issue with "burn-in" I'm wandering. Mine sounds awesome right out of the box, it's balanced and clear. I expected a lot worse for the first few hours but I'm pleasantly disappointed in that sense. Even my Klipsch Custom-3 plugs needed over 36 hours before they settled, those were bass heavy right out of the box. I'm curious whether you will be able to disable the eq on the player over time.

 

[Fizban]

As an update, after about a week or so, it sounds nice and laid-back and detailed and bass is good.

SO it's a good buy.

Ha.

 

[Butter123]

I also own the HD 238. Fresh out of the box, it sounds ok and a little distorted. However it became a night and day difference after about 10 hour of burnin. the sound range greatly increased and the distortion is gone. I also did a mod on it by removing the foam covering behind the driver. This made sounded more open and spaced. The only negative I have is that the cable is way too thin to my liking and it looks like it will snap any moment. I also own the sennheiser IE7 and Hd555.

 

[donunus]

I couldnt get rid of the distortion even at over 200 hours of burn in. too bad because they were decent sounding portables

 

[gorgonmusic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I couldnt get rid of the distortion even at over 200 hours of burn in. too bad because they were decent sounding portables

you may need to mod to get rid of it..