Noted!   Here's the funny bit now. Apparently, the units I heard were not burnt in properly.   I've recently tried the S-EM6 again from a friend and it does seem to hit most of the right notes for me now. It's a touch cold and dry sounding (if that is even a proper way to describe them?)...

  Comply?   They still make them.

  Cheers!   It's been a while but I've tried them all.   Kinda a toss up between the SM64 and the SM3 for me now, actually. Funny how I wasn't even impressed with the S-EM64. There seems to be something missing in that top-end universal.   The others are just not as engaging for some reason.

  I've finally tried it now and it's absolutely no go for me. For the price they are asking, I am very sure they could do a whole lot better.     It's been quite a while since I last tested it blind (i.e. not really knowing what it was). But I think it was the VI (recalling from...

Any recommendations for a PFE 112/122 replacement?   I love my Phonaks for their beautiful sound (I use them with the grey tips and Complys to tame the top-end a touch), but it's such a shame I'm sold out locally.   Would really love to retain as much of that special Phonak signature as much...

  I'll give them a shot. I've not read any reviews about them yet too. So, they stand a fighting chance since I'll not have any expectation bias. Yes. Most of them didn't even managed to excite me.  That said, they are pretty decent IEMs for the clueless.   In terms of value proposition...

Bumping this thread as I'm also in the market to replace my lovely pair of Phonak PFE112s (had them for 2+ years now). They sound great and tick most of the boxes here, barring the wide soundstage (there's more depth than breadth); but I think my pair are dying a very slow and painful death...

Sounds good! Do keep us posted! Quote:

Word. I've tried it with the HD800, HD700 and the HD600. I think it taps out after the 600/650. Even the 700 is too much for it to bear.   Quote:

@Johnny, The 012 uses the green filters as standard and will still accept the other filter options should you decide to buy the filter pack. Mind you, it won't be cheap, though. The grey filters still sound the most neutral and even-handed throughout the frequency spectrum, IMHO (they are also...

Currently contemplating between this, a pair of KRKs (which I can pay off in instalments) and UM Mage....   Anyway, being a current PFE user myself (112), I'm getting sort of fed up with my ears chewing through a pair of Comply tips almost every other week (and costing me dearly). Would it...

Unapologetic for the thread digging!    Anyways, I'm pretty fed up with the consumables cost of the Comply tips now. I'm wondering if it's possible to use the PFEs with custom tips without deteriorating the sound? If so, any recommendations/guidelines when selecting one from an audiologist...

Looking forward to the E02i. Too many of those passive-based competitor products are just too expensive for what they do and are not built to last.

Any news?

Noted.   So effectively, I'm back to square one in terms of options.  (；¬д¬)   Come to think of it, the DX100 may not be a bad option if it weren't for the fact that it's sold out.    Decisions, decisions.......   And rumours of the impending iPhone 5 really isn't helping matters...

Interesting stuff, AnakChan! Arigatou!   Yes, I'm trying to look for something as integrated as possible.   I've had the iPhone 2 with the FiiO E7 and my experience with that setup was so bad, I simply removed the E7 from the equation within 2 weeks of (mis)use. I was missing too many...

Kinda TL;DR since I'm late to join the iPhone 4S party....apologies!     Anyway, with the discontinuation of the Alesis AmpCase, am I right to say that the Go-DAP is pretty much the only reasonably portable option left on the market? If so, what is the ultimate/recommended configuration to...

Nuforce seems to be more of an exercise in product design than a true audiophile offering, IMO. While their products are really REALLY sexy to look at (as well as to touch and feel), I don't think that alone justifies the sticker price.   No comments from me about the Audinst (at this point)...

  Quote: Hehe....all I can say is: Don't ever underestimate the Chinese market!   Since they are also expanding (rather rapidly, I might add) into the export market, I'm not too surprised by what I see there. And, indeed, their products are being lapped up faster than you can say...

Interestingly enough, the samples I've got are also in white! LOL!   Hmm....If the front baffle were slightly more flushed with the rest of the cab, I could somewhat agree on the aesthetics. But as it stands, a 1mm gap is a 1mm gap too wide for me. So YMMV there...   Agreed on the...

Interesting thoughts about the active design principle. (seems to apply to the tweeters, for sure)   But it may also be down to basic transducer design too, me thinks.   When powered, I did try to do the "little kid" thing by gently pushing the main drivers first and finger tapping it...

Arcam rPAC. You definitely CANNOT go wrong with these.    Something tells me these are either sitting in the wrong price bracket or need to be mass-marketed.   You can find my impressions of it here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/591353/arcam-rpac-usb-dac-headphone-amplifier#post_8255634

  Conclusion/TLDR: Three active/powered speakers, three unique flavours. While I'm ashamed to say that I wasn't able to really find something I'd personally keep in this exercise, I would go out on a limb here and say that, on balance, the Fostex is probably a good bet to go for, especially if...

  Adam: While I was supposed to try out the cheaper A3X, I was advised that these would be a reasonable estimate on their capabilities. So here goes...   Needless to say, these being the most expensive pair of the lot, build quality is great. The glossy finish is quite resistant to...

  Fostex: Likewise with Swans, Fostex is a Japanese label that has dealt primarily with transducer manufacture that targets the high-end side of the DIY community, producing quite a few legends like the FE-series along the way. The PM0.4N is the most basic offering of the PM-series of...