SidBala
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2010
- Posts
- 3
- Likes
- 0
Hello Everyone,
I have been lurking around at Head-Fi for sometime now. I thought the community here is quite nice, so I have decided to share my experiences with you.
I love music, but I never invested in a good pair of head phones. I only bought speakers for my computer. Besides, I only had access to crappy quality 128kbps music my dad ripped from CDs almost a decade ago. I really hated earbud headphones. They always fall off my ears, no matter what I try. And the over ears were too bulky to carry around. So I was satisfied with speakers to a certain extent.
I bought my first true portable music player about 3 years ago - an iPod touch 1G. After buying a bunch of earbuds, I realized that still hated them, so I decided to venture into the world of IEMs. So I went into the nearest Best Buy and got myself a pair of Skullcandy Ink'd. Now before you all start cringing, know that I was a noob with IEMs. IEMs were new to me so I just bought the cheapest IEMs I could find.
However, even with the Ink'd, the experience was quite remarkable compared to the earbuds. The isolation and comfort was great, but the best part is that they didn't fall out of my ears! Bass was solid with the highs and mids being not too bad. I went through these, the slightly pricier Skullcandy Smokin' Buds and some other JVC IEMs over a couple of years. True, the Ink'd are quite crappy by audiophile standards. But for $10, they are pretty good.
Then, I got my first job. I got myself an iPhone and I decided it was time to splurge a little on a nicer IEM pair. I got myself a JVC-FX66. These were quite awesome honestly. They are supposed to be a little better than the marshmallows. They did not have the boomy crazy hip-hop bass of the Ink'd. Instead, they were clear and detailed in the highs and mids while still having realistic punchy bass. They were comfortable to wear and quite sturdy too. I got these for $20 due to a pricing error by Best Buy (they were $40 at the time). For $20, you can't complain. They were great.
Now, a few months ago, I got a Zune HD as a gift. I signed up for the Zune pass, and suddenly I had access to almost limitless high quality music. Now my job has a 50% off discount with a few IEM manufacturers like Shure and Etymotics. So, It was time to upgrade once again! But I soon discovered that the IEMs' had MSRPs so high that even after the discount, they were not much cheaper than their street prices.
This is when I had come across Head-Fi. I had initially chosen to get the Klipsch S4 based on a friend's recommendation. But then I saw that the RE0 was ranked #1 in IEMs, at least from a value perspective. So I ordered those. The RE0s came in the mail about a week ago. I put them on, but I was very disappointed at first. The bass was not even there. They were definitely very clear and detailed in the highs. But the lack of bass left me regretting not getting the S4. However, I decided to let them "burn-in" as you guys call it.
After a week of listening, I can say that these are quite amazing. Very detailed. The bass seems to be way better now. Not sure if something really changed or if my brain just adjusted to it. Although still a bit lacking in sheer volume, the bass now seems tight and explosive. These are completely unforgiving to the 128kbps MP3s.I can hear the high frequency compression artifacts too!
The RE0s are truly awesome, however, I still had a little bit of lingering regret of not going with the Klipsch S4. So I went to the local Best Buy today and bought a pair. After trying them for an hour or so, I can say that the S4s definitely have much more bass. However, it is not as clear and detailed as the RE0 in the treble side. The bass, although much more powerful, is also not as tight and explosive like in the RE0. In fact, at times, the S4 seems bass-heavy. Didn't like that too much.
And I discovered that the "burn-in" is a highly psychological effect. After listening to the S4s for about an hour, I went back to the RE0s. They sounded just like they did on day 1 - as if they had no bass at all. Listening to the RE0 for an hour after that, made the bass feel like it was adequate once again. Sure, there will be some physical changes to the characteristics of the IEMs, but I think the psychological effect of the burn-in contributes more to the equation.
I will go return the S4s. I will take a hit of ~$12 as I think they have a 15% restock fee. But, at least I won't feel bad for not trying them.
So in summary:
1) No-Name MP3/USB -> various no-name earbuds.
2) iPod touch 1G -> Apple earbuds
3) iPod touch 1G -> (Ink'd + smokin' buds + JVC marshmellows)
4) iPhone 3G -> JVC FX-66
5) ZuneHD -> RE0
6) ZuneHD -> S4 (returning)
next stop:
7) DIY Portable CMOY amp - I am an electrical engineering student. So this does sound like a fun project.
I have only scratched the surface of IEMs and I will continue this journey seeking true musical nirvana. Some of you must have had similar experiences with your headphones. Please share them!
Thanks,
Sid
I have been lurking around at Head-Fi for sometime now. I thought the community here is quite nice, so I have decided to share my experiences with you.
I love music, but I never invested in a good pair of head phones. I only bought speakers for my computer. Besides, I only had access to crappy quality 128kbps music my dad ripped from CDs almost a decade ago. I really hated earbud headphones. They always fall off my ears, no matter what I try. And the over ears were too bulky to carry around. So I was satisfied with speakers to a certain extent.
I bought my first true portable music player about 3 years ago - an iPod touch 1G. After buying a bunch of earbuds, I realized that still hated them, so I decided to venture into the world of IEMs. So I went into the nearest Best Buy and got myself a pair of Skullcandy Ink'd. Now before you all start cringing, know that I was a noob with IEMs. IEMs were new to me so I just bought the cheapest IEMs I could find.
However, even with the Ink'd, the experience was quite remarkable compared to the earbuds. The isolation and comfort was great, but the best part is that they didn't fall out of my ears! Bass was solid with the highs and mids being not too bad. I went through these, the slightly pricier Skullcandy Smokin' Buds and some other JVC IEMs over a couple of years. True, the Ink'd are quite crappy by audiophile standards. But for $10, they are pretty good.
Then, I got my first job. I got myself an iPhone and I decided it was time to splurge a little on a nicer IEM pair. I got myself a JVC-FX66. These were quite awesome honestly. They are supposed to be a little better than the marshmallows. They did not have the boomy crazy hip-hop bass of the Ink'd. Instead, they were clear and detailed in the highs and mids while still having realistic punchy bass. They were comfortable to wear and quite sturdy too. I got these for $20 due to a pricing error by Best Buy (they were $40 at the time). For $20, you can't complain. They were great.
Now, a few months ago, I got a Zune HD as a gift. I signed up for the Zune pass, and suddenly I had access to almost limitless high quality music. Now my job has a 50% off discount with a few IEM manufacturers like Shure and Etymotics. So, It was time to upgrade once again! But I soon discovered that the IEMs' had MSRPs so high that even after the discount, they were not much cheaper than their street prices.
This is when I had come across Head-Fi. I had initially chosen to get the Klipsch S4 based on a friend's recommendation. But then I saw that the RE0 was ranked #1 in IEMs, at least from a value perspective. So I ordered those. The RE0s came in the mail about a week ago. I put them on, but I was very disappointed at first. The bass was not even there. They were definitely very clear and detailed in the highs. But the lack of bass left me regretting not getting the S4. However, I decided to let them "burn-in" as you guys call it.
After a week of listening, I can say that these are quite amazing. Very detailed. The bass seems to be way better now. Not sure if something really changed or if my brain just adjusted to it. Although still a bit lacking in sheer volume, the bass now seems tight and explosive. These are completely unforgiving to the 128kbps MP3s.I can hear the high frequency compression artifacts too!
The RE0s are truly awesome, however, I still had a little bit of lingering regret of not going with the Klipsch S4. So I went to the local Best Buy today and bought a pair. After trying them for an hour or so, I can say that the S4s definitely have much more bass. However, it is not as clear and detailed as the RE0 in the treble side. The bass, although much more powerful, is also not as tight and explosive like in the RE0. In fact, at times, the S4 seems bass-heavy. Didn't like that too much.
And I discovered that the "burn-in" is a highly psychological effect. After listening to the S4s for about an hour, I went back to the RE0s. They sounded just like they did on day 1 - as if they had no bass at all. Listening to the RE0 for an hour after that, made the bass feel like it was adequate once again. Sure, there will be some physical changes to the characteristics of the IEMs, but I think the psychological effect of the burn-in contributes more to the equation.
I will go return the S4s. I will take a hit of ~$12 as I think they have a 15% restock fee. But, at least I won't feel bad for not trying them.
So in summary:
1) No-Name MP3/USB -> various no-name earbuds.
2) iPod touch 1G -> Apple earbuds
3) iPod touch 1G -> (Ink'd + smokin' buds + JVC marshmellows)
4) iPhone 3G -> JVC FX-66
5) ZuneHD -> RE0
6) ZuneHD -> S4 (returning)
next stop:
7) DIY Portable CMOY amp - I am an electrical engineering student. So this does sound like a fun project.
I have only scratched the surface of IEMs and I will continue this journey seeking true musical nirvana. Some of you must have had similar experiences with your headphones. Please share them!
Thanks,
Sid
