I hadn't heard about the new Monoprice planars, but that's good news.  I'll be following along for sure.  Any ETA?    Big disappointment for me has been the lack of giant-killer balanced armature IEMs.  While I love the sound of dynamic drivers for bass, the loss of isolation and wide sound...

  And you shouldn't notice any difference.  It's unfortunate that so few members ever wander over to the sound science section of the forum.

  I like the form factor and that they're not hybrids as I'm not a fan of the loss of isolation that dynamic drivers create.  Unfortunately, from what I've read the 5BA version lacks strong bass.  How you could have a 5BA IEM that lacks bass is a mystery to me because the whole reason for...

  Get the super audio 6s (or better yet the SA5) because I want to read more impressions about them before I decide for myself!    I'm super annoyed that there aren't more value-oriented chinese BA IEMs on the market.  There are a million value DD IEMs to choose from, but very little in the...

  Yeah, I'd be curious to see a picture of the IEMs in question to see if they might be fake because there's no planet on which the XE800 could be perceived as having boosted bass. 

  I'm with you.  I especially find the comment about the XE800 having boosted bass to be confusing.  I don't think the bass level would be satisfying to the majority of head-fiers unless they listen to genres that don't need a strong low end to sound good.  I need to use foams tips that provide...

It's disappointing that there isn't the same quality of balanced armature Chinese value IEMs.  There are some good hybrids, but I'm talking about only balanced armature IEMs.  I'm finding that dynamic driver IEMs don't isolate nearly as well and that's one of the best features of IEMs in...

  I didn't like the XE800 for the first two weeks I owned it.  Had to find the right tips to get the bass I wanted.  I still use EQ to raise the bass level.  They're not my preferred sound signature, but are very good neutral earphones.  You're basically talking about the GR07 when you talk...

I have come here to voice my annoyance at having to try to navigate this site given the complete lack of awareness of the science of sound perception among 95% of posters here.  I am very grateful that there is a haven where we can come and complain about how frustrating it can be to deal...

  Yeah, it's funny because I don't even think it's that close between the two.  I'm a little biased because I much prefer dynamic driver bass (especially sub-bass) and the more neutral tuning of the XE800.  It's really not that crazy when you consider that the XE800 are basically a GR07 and a...

    The ATE has so much more bass and warmer mids that it's a tough comparison.  The XE800 are neutral.  I just got done reading Joker's review of the GR07 classic and I imagine that it would be useful for those considering the XE800.   I still prefer the ATE for music like Hip Hop or EDM...

  I was listening to them earlier tonight and was impressed with the separation and depth of soundstage they can produce.  The housings are very comfortable.  I've been wearing them down, but may try wearing them over-ear to see if I can minimize some of the cable microphonics I'm struggling...

If only the XE800 didn't have the most microphonic cable I've ever encountered, and they isolated better, I would be in heaven.  I've never owned any of the VSonic GR07 series, but I understand why there was such hype around them now. 

  I can't believe I didn't notice the difference in bass response when I tried the AE foam tips that don't slide all the way to the housing.  I just tried them again and my issue with the bass being too light is fully corrected.  I liked the XE800 even with the lighter bass, but with the right...

The housings look nice on those YHS 002, but damn is the nozzle ever wide.  The wide nozzles are one thing I hate about DD IEMs. 

The ATE is really growing on me and is close to my ideal sound signature if not for a couple of slight EQ tweaks.  I wish it isolated a little better and the fit isn't as good as I thought it might be in pics.   I'm probably going to pick up a ZS3 and an ED9 in the coming weeks.  Maybe a...

  It's really tricky to control for all the factors necessary to make useful comparisons.  Credit goes to anyone who makes the effort to do A/B comparisons because it takes a lot of concentration once you get passed differences in EQ.  I can only make general observations most of the time. ...

  I may have to try different tips.  My impression has been closer to yours, in that I find the XE800 to be too bass-light.  Granted, I'm a bit of a bass head, but can appreciate a neutral signature.  These fall on the brighter side of neutral for me.  I was very surprised to hear they're...

  That seems to be the dice-roll with AE.  Anytime I'm tempted to order a more expensive IEM (over $100), it's the knowledge that there's no warranty or ability to correct problems that prevents me from doing it. 

  Interesting; I'd still argue that what you're describing seems more like a preference than an anatomical difference, though.  Maybe the person had damaged hearing?  I'm saying that if you went to an audiologist's office and asked them to do a tone test on 100 people, the differences in...

  I think it's a result of a lot of misunderstandings about audio in general and consumer behavior more specifically.  Differences between ears are overrated and sound isn't subjective.  Preferences are subjective.    Anyway, I realize I'm OT.  I've just been surprised recently at how much...

Can't find the UE10pros anywhere.  :(   Frustrating.  I'm guessing the EQ'd XE800 would be the winner because I like forward mids and the UEs mids are recessed.  Still don't like the bass level of the XE800, but at least with EQ they're neutral instead of bright.  The quality of the driver...

The most fascinating phenomenon on head-fi for me is the reluctance to use EQ, and the lack of understanding about the role of EQ in perceived sound quality. 

I learned last night that a bump in bass via EQ can make the Vivo XE800 neutral instead of analytic/bright.  I know there were some others who recently bought them that weren't happy with their sound sig and would suggest playing with EQing the bass because they're quite good neutral earphones...

Good as the ATE sounds, I'm not a fan of the lack of isolation or ergonomics.  I'm guessing the ED9 doesn't isolate better either.  Curious whether the ZS3/ZST will be better isolating with their design.