[aboroth00]

Just got the new oneplus 3 and I was hoping to get a nice iem with an in line mic. Hoping to stay under 200. I was looking at the shure westone and ety . Could someone also educate me on the difference between iPhone and Android headsets and what can be controlled why the buttons?

I've owned a lot of hifimans and ety in the past and liked them all. So not picky about a particular sound signature.

Thanks!

 

[nmatheis]

I have OP3 and have found its sound quality sub-par. I have the strong suspicion that it has somewhat high output impedance, altering frequency response of my BA IEM for the worse. I'd suggest sticking with dynamic driver IEM and going for something with a smoother top end unless you invest in a portable DAC/Amp, but then your Android controls won't be usable. Tough choice. Good sound quality vs utility...

 

[aboroth00]

I have OP3 and have found its sound quality sub-par. I have the strong suspicion that it has somewhat high output impedance, altering frequency response of my BA IEM for the worse. I'd suggest sticking with dynamic driver IEM and going for something with a smoother top end unless you invest in a portable DAC/Amp, but then your Android controls won't be usable. Tough choice. Good sound quality vs utility...

Thanks for the reply.  Your opinion on how the OP3 sounds is pretty much consistent from the reviews and others out there.  Do you have any suggestions on a good dynamic driver IEM that has android capability?  The only one that comes to mind is the Shure SE215? 

Do you also have any insight on the differences between the iphone and android headset cables?  It seems the android cables have one button while the iphone cables have three (volume +/- and push to talk).  As far as good sound quality vs. utility, i'm probably busy when i'm using my phone as a source to really appreciate the sound to do any real critical listening so i'll err toward utility.  I just want it to work with the phone and sound decent!

 

[nmatheis]

Well, the new Meze 11 Neo or 12 Classics might be a good place to start. I just put up a video review covering both. Check my signature for a link. They both come with a very simple one button remote. The 12 Classics in particular scaled well with better sources.

Moving up the IEM food chain, the MEE P1 are nice. Good mid-centric sound and high build quality.

You might like RHA T10 or T20, too. You can tune those with different filters to control treble presence. Same with Torque IEM.

I've enjoyed all of the above to one degree or another. Look into them and see which might suit your needs, and feel free to ask follow up questions

 

[newbielive]

Strange I'm using poweramp on my one plus 3 with no eq with my 12ohm impedance 7BA IEMs and they sound better then when playing them through a fiio x3. I guess what people consider good sounding is very subjective

 

[nmatheis]

Hey newbielive. Just curious, do the IEM sound like they have additional upper end presence / increased clarity with OP3?

 

[newbielive]

Hey @newbielive. Just curious, do the IEM sound like they have additional upper end presence / increased clarity with OP3?

Yes that is like a perfect description of it, I just did a test right now switching back and forth between the OP3 and Fiio x3 on the same song (Actually same mp3 file) and the X3 just sounds flatter, On the song "Love Sick - Mura Masa Ft. ASAP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJM4AQSbZDk there is like a tink sound when they are hitting the cow bells and it's just sharper and brighter on the OP3 and in general the Fiio x3 just sounds flatter. With custom EQ set to all normalized/No EQ as if you leave the Fiio in no eq mode it seems to put on it's own eq setting. 

 

[nmatheis]

Exactly. I'm betting with the FiiO DAP, which has low output impedance, your hearing the IEM as they should sound (albeit slightly colored by FiiO's house sound). With the OP3, higher output impedance is probably altering the frequency response of your IEM, emphasizing the highs. Some like this because it gives a feeling of added clarity. Others don't like it because they want the IEM to sound like the manufacturer intended.