Add1son89
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Best iems in the market for good soundstage and good clarity
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H20Fidelity
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I am unfamiliar with RSA Predator's soundstage width unfortunately, I can comment no further.
soullinker20
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Westone 4 here.. it does nothing wrong.. only if you desire for more bass impact, amp it..
instrument separation (the best so far for me), excellent soundstaging, mid centric but not too mid centric, detailed highs and lows, clarity and transparency? oh yeah..
as joker said: there is a natural distance between the listener and the music so that's what makes their presentation special..
but still when it comes to bass.. ex1000 (ex1000 cables).. bass only.
instrument separation (the best so far for me), excellent soundstaging, mid centric but not too mid centric, detailed highs and lows, clarity and transparency? oh yeah..
as joker said: there is a natural distance between the listener and the music so that's what makes their presentation special..
but still when it comes to bass.. ex1000 (ex1000 cables).. bass only.
jginnane
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Quote:
(Sorry for the delay in replying -- just got back from vacation.)
You're right, and I didn't know that before. It's a real secure attachment, but yes, you can buy replacement cables. Costs about the same as the other premium IEMs here, $$50 (+/-).
That makes the Sony XBA-4 the only one that's not field-replaceable for cables. Well ... 6 weeks ago, I scored a new XBA-4 set for $205, so that might now be the top end of the "disposable IEM" category. (Hope not!) No one's written yet about their experiences trying to get the cables repaired at Sony, so hopefully it's not as bad as we can expect.
( HINT: some credit card companies like AmEx offer their own free extended warranties on consumer purchases of stuff like this, so it's worth checking to see if you might be covered. )
On the overall theme of this thread, I'd put the XBA-4s and Westone 4Rs at the top if I was just interested in the aspect called soundstaging. But every time I swap to a different set for a day, it seems I have a new favorite IEM.
I'd also advise everyone to keep an eye open on the used market for the Sony MDR-EX1000 and MDR EX600 -- they're (still!) that much better than the competition. I would not pay a premium price for new old stock (NOS), but this year you should still be able to find some "lightly used" models.
(Sorry for the delay in replying -- just got back from vacation.)
You're right, and I didn't know that before. It's a real secure attachment, but yes, you can buy replacement cables. Costs about the same as the other premium IEMs here, $$50 (+/-).
That makes the Sony XBA-4 the only one that's not field-replaceable for cables. Well ... 6 weeks ago, I scored a new XBA-4 set for $205, so that might now be the top end of the "disposable IEM" category. (Hope not!) No one's written yet about their experiences trying to get the cables repaired at Sony, so hopefully it's not as bad as we can expect.
( HINT: some credit card companies like AmEx offer their own free extended warranties on consumer purchases of stuff like this, so it's worth checking to see if you might be covered. )
On the overall theme of this thread, I'd put the XBA-4s and Westone 4Rs at the top if I was just interested in the aspect called soundstaging. But every time I swap to a different set for a day, it seems I have a new favorite IEM.
I'd also advise everyone to keep an eye open on the used market for the Sony MDR-EX1000 and MDR EX600 -- they're (still!) that much better than the competition. I would not pay a premium price for new old stock (NOS), but this year you should still be able to find some "lightly used" models.
MadMusicJunkie
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I have tried all the iem's mentioned save for the mdx1000.
I came across this post looking for best clarity. I would say the pfe232's are my go-to on clarity with good bass. I also would suggest the k3003i for more bass and good clarity. All-around winners for me are the Fischer Amps Fa-4e-XB. The latter is an incredible IEM.
I came across this post looking for best clarity. I would say the pfe232's are my go-to on clarity with good bass. I also would suggest the k3003i for more bass and good clarity. All-around winners for me are the Fischer Amps Fa-4e-XB. The latter is an incredible IEM.
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