[jant71]

The bullet shaped housing is quite popular these days. A few of the phones that use it are real solid phones such as...
 
The Silver Bullet

 
Munitio 9mm Bullet

 
and The Xears Bullet XB120Pro

I call them Brass Bullets due since they are not gold but have a polished brass appearance
 
The Xears are another model in the Playaz/Xears line up. There are a few Playaz/Xears threads such as the long Playaz N1 thread...
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/452037/playaz-n1
 
The Xears XB120Pro vary in price depending on when and where you look. As of this writing they are buy it now here...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Xears-Bullet-XB120PRO-Highend-In-Ear-Kopfhoerer_W0QQitemZ290500842564QQcategoryZ124308QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D4%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5055041405582376010
 
My previous experience was with the Xears TD100. The Bullets are another J-cord phone which I don't mind. I paid about $6 bucks less for the Bullets than the TD100. I find they are a bit of an upgrade in build. I experience no driver flex like I did on the right side of my TD100. The cable is slightly shinier and less springy version of the same cable. They come with slightly better silicone tips and better neoprene like velcro pouch.
 
I no longer have the TD100. They would be a bit hard to compare as the sound bore is smaller on the Bullets. They need the stock tips, Jays tips, hybrids size to fit where the TD100 takes larger Sennheiser size found on most dynamic earphones. They sound much the same to me. The Bullets do seem to be better balanced with less bass and more apparent treble and slightly more detail.
 
For $20 - $30 and now with the slight build improvements you really can't go wrong. The overall signature is well balanced bass->mids->treble. A fairly large stage size with okay depth and so-so imaging. Separation is well done making for an airy phone. Transients are fairly sharp and the bass is quite tight and pretty quick making it a lively phone that keeps up well with fast paced songs. A nice treble sparkle shows a fair amount of detail and helps the Bullets dynamic character and adds to the crispness of the sound. So an airy/open, crisp/energetic, and tight sounding phone with impressive detail/resolution.
 
I do have a couple phones on hand(IE7 and Eterna V2) that make for a good three way comparison:

 
Fit-wise I actually like the bullets the best. The Eterna has a cable that is too springy. The IE7 just isn't as easy to fit. Keeping it simple, the straight cylinder housings with small bulb reliefs will be an easy fit though they stick out a bit more. The 11mm diameter of the cylinder may be a challenge for smaller ear canals though.
 
For sound:
  Soundstage;  A DRAW. They are very close. All three can exhibit a slightly larger stage depending on source or song. The Bullet does seem more fixed as the Eterna and IE7 sound larger at times by projecting more depth.
 
  Imaging:  Eterna>IE7>Bullet. The Eterna places things well making them stand out here. The IE7 is good but not as good as the Eterna. Bullets are a bit 2D and the lack of range with regards to distance makes them come in last place.
 
  Bass:  IE7>Bullet>Eterna. IE7 is tighter and has better tone. Bullet is fairly close and just as good depending on EQ. Eterna has the most bass and most bloat and is behind the others in speed.
 
Mids:  Eterna>Bullet>IE7. Eterna is well separated and liquid. It is quite textured and detailed. The Bullet is close and has a bit more clarity than the IE7 mids to edge over them.
 
Treble:  Bullet>IE7>Eterna. Nice extension and sparkle with good detail on the Xears. Not quite as crisp on the IE7 and cymbals are a bit sizzly. Also solid but a bit less clarity on the Eterna.
 
Clarity:  Bullet>IE7>Eterna. In a close one, the Bullet edges out the Sennheiser. The thicker sounding Eterna comes in third.
 
Transparency:  IE7>Bullet>Eterna. A bit less clarity but more natural tone/timbre gives the Senn the edge. Eterna has thicker round notes that are fun but not as transparent.
 
Detail:  Bullet/IE7>Eterna. At times the Bullet has the most. Depends on tip and source and it is very close. Since it is hard to pick up at times I'll call it a draw. Eterna glosses over a bit of detail but it is still good.  
 
Thoughts:  The Bullet XB120Pro is right there and is a stellar bargain at it's lowest price. Sort of a mix between the other two. A bit more fun like the Eterna combined with the solid sound qualities of the Senn. Some of both plus it's own more energetic nature. A solid phone at a fine price.

 

[radiusXL]

Not again.
 
Payaz/Xears are a joke. The Monster Turbine rip off the Titans are complete and utter junk.  
 
I guess it is to be expected when buying from rip off artists that use the cheapest components known to man and try to ride off the creative development of other companies that actual care about audio.
 
They did the same thing with Thinksound and their wooden earbuds.  
 
What is the point of taking a cool product and making is worse.  
 
 

 

[jant71]

 The Bullet housings are not used by any big company. And If you had both earphones you would know that the Turbine housing and TD100/Titan housings are very different. Different bore size and shape in front, different relief and where the relief exits. Different rear. A passing resemblance at most.
 
A small company doesn't usually make housings. They pick from what is available. For example, Creative(EP630) is not ripping off Sennheiser(CX300) who is not ripping off Sharp(MD33). They can all use the Foster's housing.
 
Mee has the M6 and M9. Wow, Fischer has earphones that use the same exact housings as well! That is the way it works. Get over it and move on.
 
Nothing wrong with Thomas finding some decent drivers putting them in generic housings providing low cost options.

 

[rawrster]

These seem like a good deal for those who like J cord and don't want to spend too much money. Something that's a bit more balanced than the descriptions I've heard of the Playaz earphones sounds much better suited for me. It's a bit hard to see but it looks like the cable is the same kind as the one on the newer MEElectronics?

 

[neilnpatel]

cool

 

[sunspot]

Hey jant,
 
Are those sony hybird (or clones) on the pictures?  What size?  I'm trying to get a more qualitative idea of the diameter to see whether those have a chance to fit for me.
 
Also, I think you've reviewed the SoundMagic PL-21... do you remember enough of those to tell me how well the bullets compare?
 
Finally, do you remember whether imaging on the TD-100 was the same as on the bullets, or better?  I'm just a noob, so I don't know how imaging would translate in my ears; I'm basically wondering whether I should wait for a TD-100 special or get those now...
 
@radiusXL: you're free to have your own opinion, of course, but have you actually tried the TD100 II Titans?  Build quality is so-so (cable is not that great compared to, say, SoundMagics, though I found the housing and plug to be pretty well done), but sound quality is excellent.  Granted I haven't heard the Turbines, but compared to most low-mid-range IEMs, the Xears have excellent clarity.  To my ears, they are much better than the PL-21, which is a very respected pair.
 
The fact that they use generic housings does not make them junk.  The driver is what's important IMHO.  Build quality could be better, but this is far from the only IEM with build issues. 

 

[jant71]

Quote:

Hey jant,
 
Are those sony hybird (or clones) on the pictures?  What size?  I'm trying to get a more qualitative idea of the diameter to see whether those have a chance to fit for me.
 
Also, I think you've reviewed the SoundMagic PL-21... do you remember enough of those to tell me how well the bullets compare?
 
Finally, do you remember whether imaging on the TD-100 was the same as on the bullets, or better?  I'm just a noob, so I don't know how imaging would translate in my ears; I'm basically wondering whether I should wait for a TD-100 special or get those now...
 
@radiusXL: you're free to have your own opinion, of course, but have you actually tried the TD100 II Titans?  Build quality is so-so (cable is not that great compared to, say, SoundMagics, though I found the housing and plug to be pretty well done), but sound quality is excellent.  Granted I haven't heard the Turbines, but compared to most low-mid-range IEMs, the Xears have excellent clarity.  To my ears, they are much better than the PL-21, which is a very respected pair.
 
The fact that they use generic housings does not make them junk.  The driver is what's important IMHO.  Build quality could be better, but this is far from the only IEM with build issues. 

What I have on them in the picture are Jays large silicone tips. They are ~13mm at the widest and the housing diameter is ~11mm.
 
Like, the TD100, these are also much better than the PL21. Bigger, more clarity, detail, tighter bass, more extension. Outside of placing some things more accurately with regards to depth front and back, I didn't hear the IE7 do anything better than the Bullets in the time I spent with them. I sent them to Rawrster so I don't have them at this moment.
 
I'm hard pressed to really compare that well to the TD100. They just don't use the same size tips. So the small bi-flange I liked on the TD100 doesn't stay on the Bullets. The Jays which I like on the Bullets(take them up slightly where they start to beat the IE7 in clarity/detail over the stock tips slightly thicker sound) don't fit on the TD100. Some like the HD big-bi fit on both and then it is from memory. It does seem that the Bullet have a bit less bass and that helps them sound a bit cleaner and easier to hear detail. The apparent(only one case is not a trend) build quality improvement is more of a reason to get these. 
 
And again, housings are housings. These are not the same thing as the $4.99 Sony EX300 on Focalprice. They are performers and don't claim to be any other company's earphones. 

 

[3602]

Never heard them, but just from the looks, where the cable enters the unit(s), that's just a FAIL waiting to happen.

 

[jant71]

Well, I have had a couple of ear phones like that. Neither have failed on me. The Bullet have rubber and not metal bulbs coming out of the housing. I also suspect that the relief doubles as the vent hole for pressure relief since it is spaced out a bit. The rubber bulbs give some strain relief and don't let the metal housing and cord rub together. Now if the cable wasn't tied off inside like a couple of phones were they would be a fail. They did get tugged out of my ears a couple times already so I am pretty sure they are knotted inside as they should be. I worry more about the metal relief ones since the cord bends or rubs against metal.
 

 

[sunspot]

Quote:

What I have on them in the picture are Jays large silicone tips. They are ~13mm at the widest and the housing diameter is ~11mm.
 
Like, the TD100, these are also much better than the PL21. Bigger, more clarity, detail, tighter bass, more extension. Outside of placing some things more accurately with regards to depth front and back, I didn't hear the IE7 do anything better than the Bullets in the time I spent with them. I sent them to Rawrster so I don't have them at this moment.
 
I'm hard pressed to really compare that well to the TD100. They just don't use the same size tips. So the small bi-flange I liked on the TD100 doesn't stay on the Bullets. The Jays which I like on the Bullets(take them up slightly where they start to beat the IE7 in clarity/detail over the stock tips slightly thicker sound) don't fit on the TD100. Some like the HD big-bi fit on both and then it is from memory. It does seem that the Bullet have a bit less bass and that helps them sound a bit cleaner and easier to hear detail. The apparent(only one case is not a trend) build quality improvement is more of a reason to get these. 
 
And again, housings are housings. These are not the same thing as the $4.99 Sony EX300 on Focalprice. They are performers and don't claim to be any other company's earphones. 

Thanks for the information, jant.  Much appreciated.
 
I understand about the nozzle size, that's the main reason I'm considering those.  I like the TD100 Titan, but even with biflanges, they start to annoy my ear canals after a while.  I've pushed the earpads past the "notch" in the nozzle all the way to the housing and it's somewhat better... but still, it looks like my ears like 4mm better than 5.5mm.  I don't really like j-cords much, but I'll live with it to get 4mm at a (very!) decent price.  Looks like I'll try those out and let everybody know how they compare to the TD100.
 
Build quality wise, the PB120 I got some time back do have a better cable than the TD100, though there's mad driver flex in the right ear and the paper filter covers are somewhat sloppily applied.  But the cable/strain relief do seem to be better with the newer Xears.  I'll eventually write a brief review of the PB120... they're OK sound-wise, but not a bargain at 10EUR+shipping; they seem pretty close to the PL21 when I did some A-B testing.  Then again, 10EUR is not their limited time price; I don't think the bullets will stay at that price forever.
 
As for the housings... I agree, and don't have anything further to add.
 
That said, I'm sure the Xears house sound isn't for everybody, but to me, they have a coherent sound signature, which is more important to me than absolute detail.

 

[rawrster]

I'll have to see how far $20 can get you shortly. I am a sucker for good deals but something just is just as good at the IE7 but at $20 should be something special.

 

[rawrster]

I've been listening to these for the last 20 minutes or so and there really isn't much to complain about. I have more issues about build than sound. I hate J cord cables and prefer Y cord cables by a wide margin. Wearing these over the ear with the cable behind my neck is pretty awkward and if the cable is in front of me the cord is just dangling in front of me. Luckily I don't plan to be using them too much portable so I can just wear them behind my neck. The other issues is that they suffer from a good amount of driver flex and from memory it probably is similar to the amount that the Coppers had.
 
Sound wise they are more balanced than your typical budget earphone as the bass doesn't overwhelm like some of the other earphones I've heard at this price range being the Sennheiser CX300 and Sony EX71 but have more bass than the PL30. These probably have more bass in quantity than most of what I own except possibly the TS02 and maybe the HJE900 but not sure as I have not used them much in the last month or so.

 

[FirsToStrike]

Thanks for the review. Nice pictures.
So i just ordered myself a pair of them bullets, i hope they will be a good replacement for my malfunctioning Meelec M9.

 

[rawrster]

Are you sure you don't get driver flex? I get a pretty good amount of driver flex on both ears. It's about the same amount that I had on the Coppers or a bit more. Considering the price it's no big deal but definitely there.

 

[jant71]

I really tried to jam them in there and got the left side to flex once. Never had them flex any other time. Never wear them over the ear where it may come into play. Used mostly the Jays tips and the stock tips. The TD100 had a regular flex in the right ear and that was also reported by quite a few other people. Since fit varies, the reports on the same side flexing were strange with that one.