Am I so bad in identifying sound quality?

[lee730]

Quote:

 

Well, I was right there with you Lee, at least in the beginning. But you know it's never easy to make recommendations to a moving target.

Lol sorry James. Don't take it offensively but we all do hear things differntly. I guess I shouldn't have pointed you out in that. Sorry if I offended lol .
 
Could be that Lost and I share similar sound preferences since we come from the same island (joke).

 

 

[lostid]

I really appreciate all the suggestions you guys had for me since my OP. I made the purchase on the EX600 without asking a question after I went thru some info at head-fi. It did surprise me a little bit (in a negative way) at the beginning with that sound sig which is quite different from my ear buds. Adding salt to the injury was I broke one of the sleeves connecting the housing and cable. At the same time I was also having issue with the fit. I was so frustrated that at one point I was thinking about smashing it with my shoes and throw it into the trash bin. Then after I received the pair of replacement from Sony and with all the suggestions from your guys, I started from liking the EX600 to really enjoying it. I still like the EX600 because I enjoy the way it plays my classical music in a "new age" fashion with that crystal clear sound (bass, treble, details, name it). But the IE80 has really brought the classical music to true life with that deep and elastic sound. Also the IE80 provides me with much better comfort and fit. I hardly feel the existence of the IEM's during my 8 hrs of music in my office everyday.
 
There are a few on this forum I especially value their comments and suggestions -  regardless of what I eventually bought. With that said, I always appreciate and value honest opinions. All I want to say is thank you guys.

 

[james444]

No problem at all @lee & lostid, and I actually think that comfort and fit are of paramount importance with IEMs. For instance, my W4 get significantly more use than my UERM customs, because they sound only slightly inferiour to the latter, but are much more convenient for on the move.

 

[Coq de Combat]

lostid, it feels good that you finally found the pair of IEMs for you.
 
It can be a pretty wild ride in order to find the perfect IEM/headphone and certainly a costly one at that. These things are expensive and does usually take a few tries. But it's a fun hobby - you get to explore your music in a new way and you get to hear it in different nuances - sometimes in ways you hadn't thought of before.
 
Anyway, enjoy those IEMs of yours and let's hope that your son enjoys his Yammies and the D2000. The D2000 is really one heck of a headphone.

 

[lostid]

Quote:

No problem at all @lee & lostid, and I actually think that comfort and fit are of paramount importance with IEMs. For instance, my W4 get significantly more use than my UERM customs, because they sound only slightly inferiour to the latter, but are much more convenient for on the move.

I totally agree on the comfort and fit. Would like to upgrade the ex600 to ex1000 should the Sony provide better fit and comfort.
 
On another note, I actually found out the tips for the eph100 also work great on the IE80. I am not a guy who likes deep and airtight seal for both comfort and SQ reason.
 


Quote:

lostid, it feels good that you finally found the pair of IEMs for you.
 
It can be a pretty wild ride in order to find the perfect IEM/headphone and certainly a costly one at that. These things are expensive and does usually take a few tries. But it's a fun hobby - you get to explore your music in a new way and you get to hear it in different nuances - sometimes in ways you hadn't thought of before.
 
Anyway, enjoy those IEMs of yours and let's hope that your son enjoys his Yammies and the D2000. The D2000 is really one heck of a headphone.

Thanks man for the suggestion on the D2k, yes my son enjoy it and so do I. I used it a couple of times to watch music videos on my TV and I have to say I am VERY impressed with the sound quality. I was wrong thinking it may not be good for classical.
 
Yes for now I really enjoy both pairs of the IEM's. All I need to do is to feed them with more quality music. I hope you enjoy the IE80 as well. I love the IE80 because it strikes me with that sound precisely nothing more or nothing less. By the way, if you have a chance try some of the tips for the EPL100 for your IE80. It's my experience that the proper tips play a BIG role in the overall performance of these iem thing. Sometime people may just give up on a pair of excellent IEM's without enough try for the proper seals.
 

 

[Coq de Combat]

Quote:

 
Thanks man for the suggestion on the D2k, yes my son enjoy it and so do I. I used it a couple of times to watch music videos on my TV and I have to say I am VERY impressed with the sound quality. I was wrong thinking it may not be good for classical.
 
Yes for now I really enjoy both pairs of the IEM's. All I need to do is to feed them with more quality music. I hope you enjoy the IE80 as well. I love the IE80 because it strikes me with that sound precisely nothing more or nothing less. By the way, if you have a chance try some of the tips for the EPL100 for your IE80. It's my experience that the proper tips play a BIG role in the overall performance of these iem thing. Sometime people may just give up on a pair of excellent IEM's without enough try for the proper seals.
 

 
No problems. The D2k are remarkably good for most music.
 
As for the tips I'm a bit torn on the Hifimans tips (double flanged, medium sized) vs the Senns tips (double flanged, medium sized). They both give me a good seal, but it seems as if the Senns tips gives me a little harder treble and a punchier bass and the Hifimans give me a little mellower sound as in more laidback and a little slower/boomier bass response. While I actually do prefer the sound of the Senns tips, they tend to crawl out a bit. They are more comfortable too, but the Hifimans tips stay put a bit longer. It becomes a question of preferred sound qualities and comfort versus reliability. Normally, I'd go for the comfort and sound quality, but when I'm on the go, the last thing I'd want to do is to have to push them back in at times. Don't take me wrong, the Senns do stay put for a while and the Hifimans tend to crawl a bit too, so it's not like one is really superior to the other - but even the slightest differences are noticable. But they both provide good seal and good fit. It's just a matter of deciding which to use. Plus, one big difference is that the Hifimans double flanged tips give a much deeper fit due to being about twice the size in terms of length.
 
The fun thing is that I'm actually sitting here home trying to A/B them as we speak. I should start programming soon instead. I have a few games and applications (Java and C# with XNA) to develop, but listening to tips is a fun procrastination.
 
Edit: after A/B:ing them for a bit more, I'm actually going for the Hifimans tips. The sonic differences aren't really that big and they provide a more secure fit.

 

[Jeremypsp]

Quote:

I totally agree on the comfort and fit. Would like to upgrade the ex600 to ex1000 should the Sony provide better fit and comfort.
 
On another note, I actually found out the tips for the eph100 also work great on the IE80. I am not a guy who likes deep and airtight seal for both comfort and SQ reason.
 

Thanks man for the suggestion on the D2k, yes my son enjoy it and so do I. I used it a couple of times to watch music videos on my TV and I have to say I am VERY impressed with the sound quality. I was wrong thinking it may not be good for classical.
 
Yes for now I really enjoy both pairs of the IEM's. All I need to do is to feed them with more quality music. I hope you enjoy the IE80 as well. I love the IE80 because it strikes me with that sound precisely nothing more or nothing less. By the way, if you have a chance try some of the tips for the EPL100 for your IE80. It's my experience that the proper tips play a BIG role in the overall performance of these iem thing. Sometime people may just give up on a pair of excellent IEM's without enough try for the proper seals.
 

Too bad the EX1000's fit is exactly the same as the EX600s. Though they do sound really good, but the highs are still somewhat grainy. 
 

 

[lostid]

Quote:

 
No problems. The D2k are remarkably good for most music.
 
As for the tips I'm a bit torn on the Hifimans tips (double flanged, medium sized) vs the Senns tips (double flanged, medium sized). They both give me a good seal, but it seems as if the Senns tips gives me a little harder treble and a punchier bass and the Hifimans give me a little mellower sound as in more laidback and a little slower/boomier bass response. While I actually do prefer the sound of the Senns tips, they tend to crawl out a bit. They are more comfortable too, but the Hifimans tips stay put a bit longer. It becomes a question of preferred sound qualities and comfort versus reliability. Normally, I'd go for the comfort and sound quality, but when I'm on the go, the last thing I'd want to do is to have to push them back in at times. Don't take me wrong, the Senns do stay put for a while and the Hifimans tend to crawl a bit too, so it's not like one is really superior to the other - but even the slightest differences are noticable. But they both provide good seal and good fit. It's just a matter of deciding which to use. Plus, one big difference is that the Hifimans double flanged tips give a much deeper fit due to being about twice the size in terms of length.
 
The fun thing is that I'm actually sitting here home trying to A/B them as we speak. I should start programming soon instead. I have a few games and applications (Java and C# with XNA) to develop, but listening to tips is a fun procrastination.
 
Edit: after A/B:ing them for a bit more, I'm actually going for the Hifimans tips. The sonic differences aren't really that big and they provide a more secure fit.

My son will be a happy camper to test your games.

   can you focus on the coding while listening to music? I used to write Fortran programs long time ago during my college yrs and that's the only language I have learnt about coding.
 
BTW, glad you found the right tips and fit.
 
 


Quote:

Too bad the EX1000's fit is exactly the same as the EX600s. Though they do sound really good, but the highs are still somewhat grainy. 
 

The EX600 doesn't sound grainy to me or perhaps I kind enjoy that special "grainy" taste. I do believe the EX600 is probably one of the best if not the best bang for the buck IEM's out there.
 

 

[lostid]

I recommend this OEM Balckberry leather hard case for carrying your IEM's in your pocket. It fits the IE80 nicely, also fits the IE600 (not as loose as the IE80). I think it will fit most of the IEM's in the market. I got one from Amazon for about 4 bucks. Here is the link:
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OFAOH2/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details
 

 

 
 
 

 

[Jeremypsp]

Quote:

My son will be a happy camper to test your games.

 
BTW, glad you found the right tips and fit.
 
 

The EX600 doesn't sound grainy to me or perhaps I kind enjoy that special "grainy" taste. I do believe the EX600 is probably one of the best if not the best bang for the buck IEM's out there.
 

I think the IE6/60 and the Monster Turbines are both fair competitors to the EX600. And I do actually prefer the Turbines to the EX600. The highs are smoother, mids more detailed(although laid-back which could be an issue) and the bass is of a higher quality. But YMMV
 

 

[lostid]

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I think the IE6/60 and the Monster Turbines are both fair competitors to the EX600. And I do actually prefer the Turbines to the EX600. The highs are smoother, mids more detailed(although laid-back which could be an issue) and the bass is of a higher quality. But YMMV
 

Do you mean the regular Monster Turbines (not the pro)? IE60 seems to be more expensive in this category. But one thing I know is Sennheiser's stuff have the build quality, so are Sony's.
 
Too bad we don't have the place here to try these iem's.
 

 

[RealSlimSeto]

I hope he means the Turbine Pros. The EX600s sound much clearer compared to the slightly muddy sounding Turbines, only losing out on bass quantity.

 

[lostid]

Quote:

I hope he means the Turbine Pros. The EX600s sound much clearer compared to the slightly muddy sounding Turbines, only losing out on bass quantity.

But the Turbine Pros is much more expensive than the EX600. Yeah I can live with less bass quantity (as long as it's not hollow which I am very sensitive to it.
 

 

[Jeremypsp]

Quote:

Do you mean the regular Monster Turbines (not the pro)? IE60 seems to be more expensive in this category. But one thing I know is Sennheiser's stuff have the build quality, so are Sony's.
 
Too bad we don't have the place here to try these iem's.
 

Yeah I meant the regular ones. But I agree they do lack clarity compared to the EX600 though. Well, the EX600, IE60 and Turbines are all very close in pricing here. 
 

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Turbine's IMO were nice, but for £30-40, nothing more
I would definitely not pay the RRP on those.
 
EX500/510's are really good though! Better in almost all aspects except for the slam you in da face bass than the Turbines have.