[cjs001]

Hmm... okay basically Massive attack album sounded like someone randomly smoothing out plastic bags in the background now that I've listened to more tracks off it I'm sad now...
 
But funnily enough, switching it over to my phone eliminated the issue, though my phone has the files in 320kbps MP3 instead of 44/16 FLAC. 

 

[ozkan]

  Hmm... okay basically Massive attack album sounded like someone randomly smoothing out plastic bags in the background now that I've listened to more tracks off it I'm sad now...
 
But funnily enough, switching it over to my phone eliminated the issue, though my phone has the files in 320kbps MP3 instead of 44/16 FLAC

 
Is the EQ off on your computer? Which player do you use?  Make sure all the effects are off.

 

[FiJAAS]

I was pleased with the ATH-IM50 I ordered the ATH-M50.

 

[cjs001]

   
Is the EQ off on your computer? Which player do you use?  Make sure all the effects are off.

EQ is off. So are all the effects. I've checked twice to make sure. I'm using foobar2000 and interestingly enough I have tried it with Musicbee and the result is there's a lot less of the static/plastic bag sound - it's still there but less frequent occurring.
 
No idea what the deal is really. I wore it out for a jog earlier on my phone and it was totally fine. Not cable noise. I'm puzzled.

 

[ozkan]

  EQ is off. So are all the effects. I've checked twice to make sure. I'm using foobar2000 and interestingly enough I have tried it with Musicbee and the result is there's a lot less of the static/plastic bag sound - it's still there but less frequent occurring.
 
No idea what the deal is really. I wore it out for a jog earlier on my phone and it was totally fine. Not cable noise. I'm puzzled.

 
Does it happen when you turn the volume all the way up or still can hear when on low volume levels? Check the pin connectors. Maybe one of the sockets got loose if you tried to remove the wire.

 

[cjs001]

   
Does it happen when you turn the volume all the way up or still can hear when on low volume levels? Check the pin connectors. Maybe one of the sockets got loose if you tried to remove the wire.

Nope, 3 bars of volume - which is about 24%. The pin connectors are tight and clean. All I can say is that it happens more frequently on some tracks than others. I did not remove the wire until I noticed the problem and checked.

 

[cjs001]

Annoying plastic bag percussionist living in my headphones aside, I'm surprised by how bright sounding the IM-70 are relative to my R1, but I suppose I've been listening to nothing else apart from my R1 for a while now...
 
Edit: Apparently I can hear it hissing and spitting like an angry cat - quite loudly too even without the headphones plugged directly into my ears, just hung around my ears loosely. Hm... to return or not to return?

 

[ozkan]

  Annoying plastic bag percussionist living in my headphones aside, I'm surprised by how bright sounding the IM-70 are relative to my R1, but I suppose I've been listening to nothing else apart from my R1 for a while now...
 
Edit: Apparently I can hear it hissing and spitting like an angry cat - quite loudly too even without the headphones plugged directly into my ears, just hung around my ears loosely. Hm... to return or not to return?

 
If it is not cup of you tea, of course you can return it. Probably you got a defective pair. Did you try to plug it to another daps you have? 

 

[cjs001]

   
If it is not cup of you tea, of course you can return it. Probably you got a defective pair. Did you try to plug it to another daps you have? 

They sound fine with other devices. Superb even. As I mentioned, it seems to hate my macbook in particular and I'm just about to give up figuring out why  

 

[knives]

Can anyone compare IM50 with JVC HA-FXT90?
 
Nowadays they are almost the same price.

 

[ZapX629]

  Can anyone compare IM50 with JVC HA-FXT90?
 
Nowadays they are almost the same price.

Sure thing. Overall, The FXT90 is a lot brighter and more detailed in the treble with less bass that is more punchy. IM50 is more sensitive and has a boomier bass with a much smoother treble. FXT90 has more recessed mids, though they balance well with the overall frequency. The IM50s are more forward in the midrange and more natural sounding in the upper half of the frequency. IM50 has more 3D presentation than the FXT90 which is a bit on the narrow side, but still well separated. My personal preference would be the IM50s for the less offensive treble and nicer mids, but if you like a very clear, shiny, detailed sound, the FXT90 may be more your thing. I'd rate the FXT90 as technically superior, but the IM50s as more of a crowd pleaser. Knowing what you listen to a lot of and what other IEMs you like could help too. 

 

[ZapX629]

  They sound fine with other devices. Superb even. As I mentioned, it seems to hate my macbook in particular and I'm just about to give up figuring out why  

I'm going to listen to those tracks from my macbook when I have some free time to see if I can't replicate it, but that doesn't sound right to me. Most macbooks have a Cirrus DAC which isn't the best, but I've never heard a problem with mine. 

 

[cjs001]

I think it's mostly my unit with my macbook. Trust me it's really noticeable.

 

[cjs001]

Yay! Turns out it's not my unit at all. Tested it with the same file off a friend's mac and it worked smoothly. So the computer is the culprit.

 

[ZapX629]

  Yay! Turns out it's not my unit at all. Tested it with the same file off a friend's mac and it worked smoothly. So the computer is the culprit.

That's good to hear. Not so good for your mac though. Have you tried checking your sound preferences and restarting?