Head Gear Reviews by soundstige
  1. LZ A2

    4.50 star(s)
    See above
  2. Binmer(TM)KZ-HDS1 Mini Metal DIY Headset HD Dynamic Pronunciation Ear Headphones (Silver)

    4.50 star(s)
    KZ knocked it out of the park here. This headphone basically sounds like an excellent mid-tier $150 headphone that has a cold.   There's sub-bass rumble that most cheap headphones completely disregard -- albeit it's not super refined. The bass is well-controlled and has fantastic texture without being boomy. The midrange is very similar to the RE400 with beautiful clarity and crunch to guitars, and a melodic lilt to voices -- though it's not quite as clear in the upper register as, say RE400. The highs are very much present and not at all...
  3. Audio Technica ATH-IM04 SonicPro Balanced In-Ear Monitor Headphones

    4.00 star(s)
    There's a lot of different companies trying to earn your ~$400-500 in exchange for a shot at upper-middle class audio bliss. Audio Technica did a pretty good job here. There's not really anything I can fault aside from the level of detail and sub-bass not really comparing to my FLC8S, though doing quite a bit better than an older four-driver IEM, the Westone W4. It's a perfectly respectable way to sink your teeth into multiple drivers, even if not a guarantee to be the best you'll ever hear.
  4. FLC Technology FLC 8S

    5.00 star(s)
    This IEM is a complete game changer. Prepare to be upset by your recent $500+ purchase, or thrilled that you held out for something truly worthwhile. You don't know who FLC Technology is -- good. The surprise is worth it. Just buy it. Don't wait for me to write a more complete review. I might, but I'll probably be too busy listening to these IEMs. Check out the wise words written by other reviewers on this page. Do it. Buy them. You are being peer pressured. Submit.
  5. HiFiMAN RE-600

    3.50 star(s)
    The midrange of this IEM is truly, truly astounding. There is probably no other IEM that I've heard that presents so much microdetail of the midrange on a silver platter for the listener to eat up. Male and female vocals come through like someone is whispering in your ear. Unfortunately, the bass and treble are really rolled off and don't present music in an even-handed manner overall. It's a good example of a specialized IEM. Much in the way there are many audio products out there to provide "XXXTraBASS" and similar marketing tactics, this is a pure...
  6. Baldoor EarBell E100 MK1

    4.50 star(s)
    There's an extremely vibrant, rich sound that they produce. It sounds far better than any other earbud I've ever used, and better (and equally as spacious/open) than most on-ear open headphones I've used before. Unfortunately the fit is difficult for people with smaller outer ears (me) and while they sound great just sitting there, I need to hold them in place with the speaker directed directly at my eardrum for best sound. It's probably going to sound better and better the bigger the size of your cochlea. I can DEFINITELY hear the potential, and for...
  7. Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones

    2.00 star(s)
    I was so excited to finally get my hands on the holy grail of mid-range headphones, the Sennheiser HD650... or so I was lead to believe.    Facing facts, we're looking at a relic here. Whether that relic should be viewed through the lens of history as a valuable antique, or as a laughable remnant of a more primitive society, is the question that's up for debate. I vote for the latter. This headphone is soon to celebrate its thirteenth birthday, and in the meantime, the rest of the world has progressed unrelentingly. At one time, the HD650 may have...
  8. Westone 4 True-Fit Earphones

    4.50 star(s)
    Love 'em! Great if you can get them for a more reasonable price (sub-$300). The perfect definition of "upper middle class" sound, with a special punch in how natural the bass and mids sound.
  9. Sony MH1 Livesound Hi-Fi Stereo In-Ear Headphones

    4.50 star(s)
    PRO: Great imaging, instrument separation, mids and bass clarity and quantity. Can easily beat most of the $100 and under IEMs I've heard. Immense detail for a "bass-adequate" IEM.   CON: Treble rolls off a little, but not in a poor way. Flat J-cable. Sound stage is not small, but smaller than an IEM it sonically competes with, the Sony EX600. A little distortion at moderately-high volumes.   Beats the Yamaha EPH-100 a bit. Wrecks the Vsonic GR06.   Props to ClieOS.   http://www.head-fi.org/t/632892/review-sony-mh1-the-best-kept-secret
  10. Yamaha EPH-M100 High-Performance Earphones

    4.00 star(s)
    Incredible bass in quantity, quality, clarity, everything. Easily as good or better than all other contenders at this price range, I don't care who they are. Midrange still has great presence. Sadly, the treble is kind of crummy, and it made me sell them. The treble is worse quality on the EPH-100 than on the Vsonic GR06, while still having a similar sound signature, and the Vsonic GR06 is 1/3 the price. The EPH-100 perform better in all other aspects, including fit and build quality, but only a little; and the treble issue is too much for me to...
  11. VSonic GR06 Pro Dynamic Noise Isolation Earphones Earbuds

    4.50 star(s)
    There's a saying, "80% of the quality for 20% of the price". That kind of ratio is hard to find in the audio world unless you're comparing very high-priced items, but in the budget IEM realm, these are as close to that phrase as possible. They have a very similar signature to both EX600 and EPH-100 with about 80% of absolute audio quality, and are less than half price of either. Sound staging is great with forward mids and bass, though the treble is still alive and kicking, just less-so. That's not even to mention the excellent assortment of...
  12. Koss KSC75 Portable Stereophone Headphones

    4.00 star(s)
    These headphones have it all for the price. I've never heard anything like them at this level. They have a clear, balanced sound with all frequency ranges represented fairly equally, with mids and highs ever so slightly forward compared to bass in "clip-on configuration". If you mod them with a PortaPro or Parts Express headband, the drivers are pushed closer to your ear and give a bit more bass and mids.   The main thing that stands out with these is a simply silly amount of instrument separation. Everything sounds like it is popping out of a...
  13. MEElectronics M9-SL Hi-Fi Sound-Isolating Earphones (Silver)

    4.00 star(s)
    These are a steal at $10-15. Their sound signature is about 5/5 bass, 2/5 mids, and 4/5 treble -- in strength/presence. Voices sound distant and a little quiet, but bass is very intelligible and surprisingly articulate for the price point. Treble is present much more than mids, and add to a general V- or checkmark-shaped signature. A wide soundstage also comes with them, which shocked me. Both vertically and horizontally, a lot wider than average.   Of course, the detail isn't impressive. There's a considerable amount of fuzz/"blur"/smearing in...
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