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Recently I've been thinking about upgrading to a set of customs, and I'd like some recommendations as to what would suit my tastes.
My budget is in the $200-600 range, although I am willing to go higher if the sound is right. I primarily listen to classical music, with a focus on violin pieces, although my library runs the entire classical gamut, from full-blown symphonies to solo performances, with a large amount of piano/woodwind/brass concertos as well.
Currently, I own a pair of HF5s and a pair of B2s, both of which I enjoy a lot. I just came back from a trip to Japan, where I was able to audit a large amount of higher-end IEMs: most notably, I was very impressed with the soundstage of the IE8, something that I felt was always slightly lacking in the other two (the HF5 especially). I think my ideal sound signature would be a TWFK sound with the detail of an Ety and the soundstaging of the IE8: I'm looking for CIEMs that have good clarity, detail, and separation, with a broad soundstage. Ideally the sound should be neutral/balanced, although I am fine with some brighter highs/slightly boosted lows.
After doing some research, it seems that my primary choice should be the Cosmic Ears BA4. The sound signature sounds exactly like what I'm looking for, although I'm not entirely sure about the width of the soundstage (could someone comment further on this?). The only concern I have with this CIEM is the lack of reviews and the fact that Cosmic Ears is based in Sweden: as I am currently living in the States, I'm not sure how international shipment would work out (are there heavy customs duties to pay? how long is a typical shipping time?). The price is also a very tempting factor, as this is the only one within my ideal price range.
Other CIEMs that also seem to fit my criteria include the UERM, the JH13s, and the Alclair Reference. I'm also open to other suggestions as well. Thanks.
Can't really give much help in this instance as have personally not heard any of these apart from the JH13 in demo form and from trying someone else's custom (sort of fit....sort of). But do think that ljokerl has heard the JH13 (
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/totl-madness-24-top-line-custom-ear-monitors-reviewed) and has a review on the Reference on his multi-IEM thread. He also has the HF5, B2 (DBA-02) and the IE8s in his massive queue so you should definitely try asking him. The Innerfidelity article I linked also shows that project86 has heard the CEs and the JH13 as well, so there might be some overlap in this case. I'd suggest asking both
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At first sorry for my bad English.
In the range of 250$, what is the best all-rounder portable headphone? I've listened to the HD25, the M-80, the DT-1350 and the M50. Personally I like the M-80 the most because they suit with my genre, which are pop (mostly), instrumental and some dance/electro or whatever it's, but in my country they're sold out so.. Right now i'm confusing between the M-100 and the Momentum. From what i've heard, the M-100 is better for energy music and it may suit me better than the Momentum (i'm an bass head) but the their mid is kinda laid back and recessed, which is not good for soft music. I own the IE80 and to be honest i don't really like them because their mid it's too laid back despite the awesome bass. The Momentum might be a good choice but i worry about the bass quantity is not enough for pump up the mood and PRaT?.
Hope you guy can help me
The Momentums have ample bass, but you are right in assuming that they don't have the quantity of the M-100s. The Senns are really quite similar in bass quantity than not against the M-80s so might want to keep that in mind. Found both to be a tad bit smooth and laid-back in the grand scheme of things, slightly less so on the M-80s, but again, the overall sig is more similar than not.
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I like a warm bassy sound and there aren't really limitaitons it's just I found those online for abelow £50, I know they usually retail for more (Bose IE2 vs Monster Livestrong vs SoundMAGIC E10 vs Sennheiser CX400 II vs Beats by Dre Tour)
But if there are alternatives in this price range it'd be good too
The E10s are more sparkly and V-shaped than warm, but the bass does hit hard. Out of the lot they'd be my pick in terms of pure proficiency, but the sound signature would probably not mess. Otherwise the IE2s are fairly warm and not all that bad too. Haven't heard the Monsters but the Tours are rather nasally rather than pleasingly warm. They'd fit the sound profile too to an extent but would look elsewhere.
Ever consider the M2s or the GR02 BEs? Fairly popular around here, nice, warm, and bottom-heavy signature, a bit more treble sparkle on the GR02s while the M2s are a bit smoother and darker.
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Ok. I need some guidance. I'm using an iPod Classic or my new HTC One as my source. My music is ripped at 320mp3. I listen to most things but lean slightly to jazz, blues, classical.
I have a Sony PHA-1 USB DAC/AMP, which works a treat.
I'm looking at in ear headphones. My two options are jvc ha-fxz200 or Sony Xba-40.
http://www.jvc.com.hk/promo/fxz/en/tech.html
http://www.sony.com.sg/product/xba-40
Which one or suggest something else. Budget £200.
Depends on your sound preference, signature preferences, specific characteristics within said genres that would hold priority. Not to mention criteria regarding comfort/fit, isolation, etc. Always helpful on both parts to be a bit more specific.
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Hi All,
I'm looking at getting a new set of in-ear headphones because I unfortunately broke my old pair. I was using JVC HA-FX67 and was quite happy with them. I'm not a huge audiophile but appreciate a good quality unit. *Durability is quite important to me*. I tend to go through headphones quite quickly, so my budget is limited to the $20-$30 range. I'm in Canada, meaning Amazon.com is out of the question for such a low price range (high shipping price), so I'm looking to buy an easily found, local product.
I listen to a wide variety of music from electronic, to rock, to rap. I will mostly use the headphones during workouts (3-4x a week) or travelling (2-3 times a year). Good cable management (not very tangly) is a plus.
I have narrowed my search down to 3 units:
JVC Xtreme Xplosive HA-FR201 (apparently the same as the FX101 but with inline controls):
$20
- Drawback: Headphone cable seems quite thin and fragile.
Puma Keg Headphones PMAD3032 :
$24
- Can't find much information online about these. I like the look but more importantly, the cable seems thick and is the flat, not round type, which I understand is more tangle resistant. Big plus is the 2 year warranty.
Sony Noise-Cancelling MDRNC13 :
$30
- Can't find much information about these either. I've never had noise cancelling headphones and am wondering if they're worth it. One of the dissuading points is that they require a AAA battery, which might weigh down the cord and make them uncomfortable.
I was also interested in the JVC HA-FX40, but they're out of my price range at $50 locally.
I've read a lot of good things about the FR201(FX101) here, but can't find info about the other two. Any advice is appreciated!
Durable, electronic, rock, rap (although stating sound preferences/signature preferences would be much, much more helpful) - but regardless -
FR201 - if they are indeed the same as the FX101 - the cable is average but JVC's never been too kind regarding their strain reliefs.
No idea on the Pumas, sorry.
Someone I knew had the Sonys in-ears. They had gotten me the on-ear equivalent as a gift as well. In short - no. Definitely right about the weight. Plus they do horribly from source to source, very prone to hiss and the ANC doesn't help.
I snapped on the FXD40s last Future Shop sale. They seem to be doing that quite often, so in terms of local availability, they do quite well for the price. Nice clarity, etc. I'd just wait if you are restricted to the big-store stuff.
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I hope I'm posting this in the right place!
I'm looking to reshell and upgrade the drivers of one of my pairs of Shure SE535s through Unique Melody.
I'm a tad confused, though. I'm Canadian, so the first site that came up was custom-iem.com. They claim they are the exclusive North American dealer. But I couldn't find any confirmation from Unique Melody Global that they are indeed an official seller of Unique Melody products. So I sent an email to Unique Melody Global, and got a response telling me that they are an unauthorized dealer poaching images from Unique Melody Global, selling products unrepresentative of Unique Melody Global. But then when I look through this forum I see people have purchased from custom-iem.com. So what's the truth behind this?
Thanks!
They have? This is new to me as I've been planning on my W4 reshells and was going to go through them. Most, if not everyone NA-wise, have gotten them from what I've heard. Start a new thread and go into more details on the email response - this is definitely out of the blue.
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Thank you for the feedback. I ruled out the eQ-5's (Ortofon?) based on the design and wear characteristics. The TKA BA200 look interesting and are definitely a consideration. As for the Westone 2, those look interesting as well. Excuse my ignorance but what is the difference between the W2 and W3, I know the 3 has 3 balanced armatures vs 2 but what does that mean acoustically? So between the BA200 and W2, it is wide soundstage vs smaller stage, Treble is more laid back on the W2, while the BA200 has less bass (since it wasn't mentioned?) Both IEM's sounds quite nice, I will have to see if there is anywhere local to demo them.
Not much - it's a design/tuning choice more than anything. Also most use driver count to tier their product line, among other things.
Oh, the BA200s do extend quite well and are a tad thicker and subbassier than the Westones.
Comfort is a big deal for me as well. The ie800's seem pretty good from reviews. Those jvc's look quite uncomfortable lol. Would you say the xb60/90 have v-shaped sound signatures?
