It was raining, and I mean really raining. This was a problem as I really wanted to listen Radiohead's new album ( A Moon Shaped Pool) on my always seemingly endless commute to work. The first part of my commute involves a 15 minute walk, and this morning it meant walking for 15 minutes in a nasty rain shower.
I didn't want to use my new T20s as they've only had about 10 hours on them, so it would be a shame if I screwed them up as a result of water damage. My trusty HD25s had survived much worse weather in the past, but I really didn't want to take headphones today.
Glancing through my under used IEMs in the hope I'd come across something I didn't mind trashing my eyes hit upon the SE210. Sure I didn't mind if they suffered death at the hands of water as they sound awful, worse than Apple earpods, but that's the problem - they sound awful. Next up were the Beyer IDX160 Xi, or whatever (Seriously Beyer, sort out your product naming). Nice and warm, but I always had problems getting a seal. Then I noticed the CX 5.00i. Hmmm, I thought, these'll do.
I bought these last summer as the weather was too hot to wear over ears, and I got them from a generic electrical shop near where I work. However since the last summer ended they've languished on a shelf in my office.
Well, good news, the rain didn't demolish them, and I think I found something pretty good for the money I paid.
Packaging and what you get.
Pretty basic. You get the IEMs of course, 4 silicone eartip sizes ranging from XS S M L, and a square plastic box, plus insert, both of which serve as a carrying case. The insert provides a way of neatly wrapping and storing the IEMs, but it's a real pain to use - bascially you'll use it twice before deciding it's to much hassle, and then take the insert out, just wrap the IEMs around your hand and then dump them into the plastic box.
Theres an inline control on the right cable with mic which works as expected with volume controls and a start stop button - all easily findable. There are two versions of this IEM. One is the CX 5.00i where the inline control is compatible with iOS devices, and the CX 5.00G which theoretically should work with Android devices, however the G stands for Galaxy which is Samsung which means it's not guaranteed to work with all Android devices.
I didn't test the mic as I used it with an iPod Touch 6th gen, so I have no idea on how it performs.
The cable claims to be tangle free, but as anybody knows that means that the cable may tangle less. The cable seems pretty solid and it appears to have an oval shape. The plug is a 90 degree plug with no strain relief as such - I see this as a potential problem down the road, especially with people less than careful with their equipment. That said, if you're easy on them then the cable seems pretty resilient overall.
Construction, Fit, Comfort
As far as construction goes these are plastic, totally plastic apart from the nozzles which are metal, of some sort. It immediately strikes you as cheap construction, but plastic is often a better choice for things such as IEMs as it's light and is unlikely to dent if dropped. All in all while they didn't seem as solid as a metal housing would, they nevertheless seemed pretty robust.
The fit from these seemed perfect using the default medium tips supplied. Isolation was OK but not brilliant - as you probably know most IEMs with dynamic drivers need a vent of some sort to allow them to do their stuff, and these are no exception, so as a result of the vent the isolation was merely OK.
Comfort was fine, but I've noticed that my left ear begins to itch a bit after around an hour of use, but given that I very rarely use IEMs for more than an hour this was acceptable for me. Everybody's ear canals are different so this may or may not affect you.
A quick note about the tips. The tips are unusual in that they have a "crossbar" which goes across the nozzle. The IEMs themselves also have a foam insert inserted into the nozzle which I think serves two purposes. The first is to tune the output - it's kind of like a filter if you like, and also to protect the driver from errant earwax falling into the nozzle. The crossbar on the tip is to prevent this foam insert from falling into your ears. This is a good thing IMO.
Sound
I found these to have a warm pleasant sound, but will pick up the pace when needed. Detail is on the lacking side, but for me acceptable at this price point.
Sub Bass
Yes, these IEMs do have sub bass when called for. It's not excessive, but it's there and it isn't one note. Listening to one of my many DJ D&B mixes the sub bass was definitely apparent and was able to convey a melody. Detail was lacking, but nevertheless it was there and it was musical.
Bass/Mid bass
As with a lot of consumer IEMs there is a mid bass hump, but it's not distracting as it seems to fit in with the overall tuning of these IEMs. Maybe the midbass bleeds a little into the lower midrange, but if so it gives a bit of warmth to it which is quite pleasant. Overall I found the bass to be more musical than accurate, but then again we're listening to music, right?
Midrange
Sweet, in a word. The lower midrange has a warmth to it which when combined with the upper midrange seems to give a cohesive whole. It's not overly detailed, but IMO that's not the remit of these IEMs. They just seem to want to give you a musical presentation.
Treble
It's there, obviously, but can sound a little artificial. The treble extension is OK but not overly fantastic either, but it can apparently be improved by removing the foam insert found inside the nozzle, but then you risk earwax dropping into the driver. In truth I found the treble fitting well with the rest of the character of this IEM. Again detail was lacking in comparison with headphones costing a lot more, but that's to be expected at this price point.
Conclusion
I actually really enjoyed these little IEMs, they have a nice balanced sound to my ears - maybe a bit bassy and lacking detail, but nonetheless a pleasant sound which delivers music to your ears. Sure there not going to challenge anything costing more, and quite frankly there are probably better choices at this price point or lower. However these IEMs are ubiquitous in that you'll probably find them in any electrIcal store. Brands such as RHA or Sound magic in my experience tend not to be available everywhere, at least here in Switzerland, meaning you have to order online or find a specialist shop.
So what I'm saying is that if you're upgrading from your earbuds provided with your phone, or if you have a big ticket IEM that you're reluctant to use in "hostile" environments and are thinking about something "disposable" then there's a good chance that these will fit the bill.
I didn't want to use my new T20s as they've only had about 10 hours on them, so it would be a shame if I screwed them up as a result of water damage. My trusty HD25s had survived much worse weather in the past, but I really didn't want to take headphones today.
Glancing through my under used IEMs in the hope I'd come across something I didn't mind trashing my eyes hit upon the SE210. Sure I didn't mind if they suffered death at the hands of water as they sound awful, worse than Apple earpods, but that's the problem - they sound awful. Next up were the Beyer IDX160 Xi, or whatever (Seriously Beyer, sort out your product naming). Nice and warm, but I always had problems getting a seal. Then I noticed the CX 5.00i. Hmmm, I thought, these'll do.
I bought these last summer as the weather was too hot to wear over ears, and I got them from a generic electrical shop near where I work. However since the last summer ended they've languished on a shelf in my office.
Well, good news, the rain didn't demolish them, and I think I found something pretty good for the money I paid.
Packaging and what you get.
Pretty basic. You get the IEMs of course, 4 silicone eartip sizes ranging from XS S M L, and a square plastic box, plus insert, both of which serve as a carrying case. The insert provides a way of neatly wrapping and storing the IEMs, but it's a real pain to use - bascially you'll use it twice before deciding it's to much hassle, and then take the insert out, just wrap the IEMs around your hand and then dump them into the plastic box.
Theres an inline control on the right cable with mic which works as expected with volume controls and a start stop button - all easily findable. There are two versions of this IEM. One is the CX 5.00i where the inline control is compatible with iOS devices, and the CX 5.00G which theoretically should work with Android devices, however the G stands for Galaxy which is Samsung which means it's not guaranteed to work with all Android devices.
I didn't test the mic as I used it with an iPod Touch 6th gen, so I have no idea on how it performs.
The cable claims to be tangle free, but as anybody knows that means that the cable may tangle less. The cable seems pretty solid and it appears to have an oval shape. The plug is a 90 degree plug with no strain relief as such - I see this as a potential problem down the road, especially with people less than careful with their equipment. That said, if you're easy on them then the cable seems pretty resilient overall.
Construction, Fit, Comfort
As far as construction goes these are plastic, totally plastic apart from the nozzles which are metal, of some sort. It immediately strikes you as cheap construction, but plastic is often a better choice for things such as IEMs as it's light and is unlikely to dent if dropped. All in all while they didn't seem as solid as a metal housing would, they nevertheless seemed pretty robust.
The fit from these seemed perfect using the default medium tips supplied. Isolation was OK but not brilliant - as you probably know most IEMs with dynamic drivers need a vent of some sort to allow them to do their stuff, and these are no exception, so as a result of the vent the isolation was merely OK.
Comfort was fine, but I've noticed that my left ear begins to itch a bit after around an hour of use, but given that I very rarely use IEMs for more than an hour this was acceptable for me. Everybody's ear canals are different so this may or may not affect you.
A quick note about the tips. The tips are unusual in that they have a "crossbar" which goes across the nozzle. The IEMs themselves also have a foam insert inserted into the nozzle which I think serves two purposes. The first is to tune the output - it's kind of like a filter if you like, and also to protect the driver from errant earwax falling into the nozzle. The crossbar on the tip is to prevent this foam insert from falling into your ears. This is a good thing IMO.
Sound
I found these to have a warm pleasant sound, but will pick up the pace when needed. Detail is on the lacking side, but for me acceptable at this price point.
Sub Bass
Yes, these IEMs do have sub bass when called for. It's not excessive, but it's there and it isn't one note. Listening to one of my many DJ D&B mixes the sub bass was definitely apparent and was able to convey a melody. Detail was lacking, but nevertheless it was there and it was musical.
Bass/Mid bass
As with a lot of consumer IEMs there is a mid bass hump, but it's not distracting as it seems to fit in with the overall tuning of these IEMs. Maybe the midbass bleeds a little into the lower midrange, but if so it gives a bit of warmth to it which is quite pleasant. Overall I found the bass to be more musical than accurate, but then again we're listening to music, right?
Midrange
Sweet, in a word. The lower midrange has a warmth to it which when combined with the upper midrange seems to give a cohesive whole. It's not overly detailed, but IMO that's not the remit of these IEMs. They just seem to want to give you a musical presentation.
Treble
It's there, obviously, but can sound a little artificial. The treble extension is OK but not overly fantastic either, but it can apparently be improved by removing the foam insert found inside the nozzle, but then you risk earwax dropping into the driver. In truth I found the treble fitting well with the rest of the character of this IEM. Again detail was lacking in comparison with headphones costing a lot more, but that's to be expected at this price point.
Conclusion
I actually really enjoyed these little IEMs, they have a nice balanced sound to my ears - maybe a bit bassy and lacking detail, but nonetheless a pleasant sound which delivers music to your ears. Sure there not going to challenge anything costing more, and quite frankly there are probably better choices at this price point or lower. However these IEMs are ubiquitous in that you'll probably find them in any electrIcal store. Brands such as RHA or Sound magic in my experience tend not to be available everywhere, at least here in Switzerland, meaning you have to order online or find a specialist shop.
So what I'm saying is that if you're upgrading from your earbuds provided with your phone, or if you have a big ticket IEM that you're reluctant to use in "hostile" environments and are thinking about something "disposable" then there's a good chance that these will fit the bill.
