#383 checking in. Finally received these after waiting over a week for customs to clear them. Haven't listened yet, but I can say these cans look amazing. The aluminum is in great shape, although there was some glue stuck to the fabric covering the diaphragm. I pulled it all off with no...

It's so hard to wait! My order reached Canada 3 days ago and it's STILL clearing customs. I live less than an hour from the border, so it's frustrating knowing that my headphones are sooo close. I've never had an item take longer than a day to clear customs; maybe they're finally on to me...

What's the deal with so many people having SN #209?

Quote: Originally Posted by cswann1 Agreed. $1.5 mil can buy a world-class HT/stereo music/headphone set-up with change leftover. My point about these is: There are those who wouldn't miss $1.5 mil one bit and could blow it on something like this. But what does that say about that...

Quote: Originally Posted by cswann1 What else could you do, besides blow it on junk like this? You could spend the $1.5 million on other audio equipment.

The comments here have been pretty fair, in my opinion. I happily own the SE530's, but I prefer the sound quality of the IE8's. Better bass, better treble, and a decent, more neutral midrange, with better soundstaging and imaging. The SE530's have amazingly smooth mids, and are often called...

Well, kudos to the OP for their title making my mouth gape open momentarily. Let's be honest here. Everything in the signal chain needs to be burnt in. Including all of the gear racks, headphone stands, etc. I find that my component rack made my gear sound much better after around the 50 hour...

Bose headphones aren't as horrible as most audiophiles say. They're bad, especially considering their price, but if you can get a deal on one, there are much worse choices. One issue that I do have with the OE's is their flimsy build. I haven't compared it to HD201's, or other lower end...

The placebo effect can be quite powerful. Tests have found that people taking a more expensive placebo will experience greater benefits than people taking a less expensive placebo. It is usually concerned with the pharmaceutical industry, but I think audiophiles should at least try to take it...

When people ask about the price of my gear, it's my choice whether to tell them or not. Frankly, it's none of their business. My friends have their own hobbies, and they have a lot of nice things too, and I'd never ask how much so and so's mountain bike or designer handbag costs. When I do...

I really can't see them being better than a custom IEM, especially in that price range. $2100 USD for a universal fit IEM is ridiculous. Still, I guess we have to give them the benefit of the doubt until someone has heard them. Where's our resident millionaire audiophile?

Order #6008, checked my email and got my shipping confirmation. Priority International is supposed to take 6-10 days; I don't know if I can wait that long! I'm hoping that it's a little quicker since I'm in Canada, and not overseas or some other remote destination. Still, it's nice to finally...

The turbines are much too muddy in the mids and highs for me. As already mentioned, I'd recommend the Phonak Audeo PFE's are probably the best in that price range, IMO. People have thrown some of the top enders out there, but those would blow your budget, and I'm not sure how you feel about...

For under $150, IEM's will be hard pressed to outperform a good pair of full sized cans. As already mentioned, the ultra high end IEM's can outperform their full sized counterparts. The JH13's have been compared head to head against HD800's and have won, and this is coming from some people on...

I just finished rounding out my classical and opera collection, and I'll probably buy some pop and rock in the coming months. I'm worried about getting hot CD's, and I was hoping that some people here could help me find what I'm looking for. It's hard finding audiophile grade recordings for...

I picked up a Philip Glass album about a month ago - the new release of Koyaanisquatsi. It's not too bad, but I can tell it's been brickwalled a bit. Some of the more complicated sections are more muddy than I'd like. Looking at the bitrate on Foobar, it's clear the album is indeed hot. This was...

Quote: Originally Posted by ibis99 Let's see, I've had e2c, se 110,se115,se210, se310 and se530. Out of all of them and assuming price is a consideration I would choose the Phonak PFE. I got a good laugh out of that one. I'm in agreement with that statement though. If I had to...

I think audiophiles need to get over the importance of their hobby compared to others. The most important thing in life is happiness. I know a lot of people that are perfectly happy with their budget earbuds. Some people really like the skullcandies just because they are stylish. Sound...

I've never heard planars, but they really do interest me. If you have pets that like to scratch, or other reasons for not wanting more fragile speakers (dipoles, electrostats, etc.), then I'd like to throw Salk Sound into the ring. Check them out for yourself. Their low end model, the...

Quote: Originally Posted by rune-san I forgot around here who posted it but wasn't someone mentioning an upcoming IEM with 6 drivers?! I imagine they must look alot like my EBs. Two big blobs sticking 2 inches out of my ears XD I have to admit one of the reasons for going custom is...

Quote: Originally Posted by TopPop AKG 9 HURT Sennheiser 36 HEAL Stax 27 AKG 10 HEAL Sennheiser 35 HURT Stax 27

A high end universal should beat out a low end custom, but as shizgeo said, it is difficult to make a fair comparison. In my mind, a person should only get customs if they get the absolute best; otherwise they aren't getting the best bang for their buck. Yeah, it's fun telling people you...

This question has been asked a few times before, and I did quite a bit of research into it. Assuming that you're past growing (over 25 on the conservative side of things), then you will not outgrow your custom molds. I'm not quite sure how this rumour started, but it's just not possible. Ask...

May I just ask why you must have custom IEM's at this price point? Price doesn't necessarily correlate with value, but a universal IEM should outperform a custom in the same price bracket. I don't mean to be rude, I'm just curious. If I absolutely had to have a custom, and I was explicitly...

In my opinion, the SE530's may not be the best thing for the OP. Considering the music that they listen to, it's doubtful that a huge increase in quality would occur. This is coming from someone who made the exact same step: SE110's to SE530's. On good recordings, the difference is huge. On...