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I've looked a bit more into the Sony.. I haven't had the chance to visit a Sony Centre to listen to them yet but just from reviews/size/looks they seem like a good contender. I'm not a particular fan of the UE styling.. The Sony's a lot more expensive than the K550s or K490NCs though.. they're around the price of K495NCs which I've decided not to get as they're probably not worth it.
Just from comparing the specs of K550 and MDR-1RNC, I find that:
- both have 50mm drivers
- the frequency response range is wider on the AKG,
- power handling capacity is double on the AKG, and
- as to impedance.. Sony is 52 ohms when on and 16 ohms when off; AKG is 32 ohms
Looking at the above, from my rudimentary understanding, I probably wouldn't be able to tell the slight differences in frequency response range but wider should also be better, I don't have much idea about what power handling capacity affects, and it seems like 52ohms for when the Sony is 'on' seems a little on the high end if I don't use an amp?
So being a lot more expensive I wonder if anyone would know how the Sony sound compares with the K550? Perhaps in terms of the detail and soundstage and not really about the style since the style would be more subjective (although any comments would be appreciated!). I could almost get K550 + K490NC (both) for the same price as an MDR-1RNC... so if the Sony's sound is much 'inferior' to the K550s then I don't see much reason for it. (theoretically, 2 headphones would surely last longer than 1!)
By the way, there's a sale on Sony website from $499 to $399USD until 27th April if anyone's interested.. As for me I don't think I would be able to test and decide in time..
Thanks!!
edit: sorry unrelated to the rest of my post but just noticed many sellers on Amazon (with fulfillment by Amazon) are selling K702s for around USD$280 with a 46% discount.. while where I am in Hong Kong they're selling it for the equivalent of US$500. Am I missing something? On Amazon, the K702 is the same price as the K550. (I looked up an old 2009 head-fi thread where the OP was alarmed by the low K702 price as well but another forumer suggested $250 was the standard price for K702s in the States?)
The important factor that you are leaving out would be sensitivity.
http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-impedance
http://www.head-fi.org/t/607282/headphone-amp-impedance-matching-basics-you-need-to-know
You would also be missing the point in terms of frequency response. No one really cares about the manufacturer stated range. Graphs, graphs.
The Sonys are immensely more mid-forward with less staging and a more congested note presentation compared to the AKGs. But also quite a bit less fatiguing and inoffensive.
Price discrepancies are really quite bad for the K series internationally, yes.
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I don't have an extensive knowledge of headphone/earbud terminology so I'm guessing genre preferences means what they would be used for? If it is that then music for the most part and occasionally watching streams of things like TV shows, movies and etc. I'm not expecting amazing sound quality but I do know that I don't want them to make music sound tinny. Heavy bass also isn't a thing that matters to me. They'll be used at home for the most part. I listen to rock, classic rock and some pop music and as mentioned before I'd rather be able to hear the vocals then having to deal with a lot of bass.
I'd like them to be sound isolating like the Sennheiser CX 485's. I'd also like them to have tips that can be easily replaced, wiped off and that have smaller sizing options if that helps any or matters at all. I know some earbuds can be modded but I don't really want to do that but could learn if I had to. I could buy smaller tips if needed as long as I knew where to get some good ones.
I only have a budget of $25 so I know there's not a lot of options. I've thought about trying MEEIectronics and would be open to another pair of Sennheisers. There are just so many models that seem to have varying reviews that it gets confusing fast.
Is that enough information?
Not so. Sound preferences is what I had meant -
Genres are helpful, but we all like different presentations of our genres. Stating sound preferences would be immensely more helpful in the long run. You can find a nice list of terms in the H-F glossary, but would advise against picking and choosing any term that seems appealing because in the end they might really conflicts with one another.
Describing sound is difficult to get into at first, but it makes giving recommendation a much simpler job. Otherwise you have people throwing out random suggestions for the only things they've heard, without much specification on what you might actually be looking for. A massive medley of choices can be just as confusing despite however helpful it might seem at first.
You can really describe the sound in any way you wish though, no need to force the lingo onto yourself.
Anyways, rock, vocals, non-excessive bass, $25 - actually something like the PL30 might do you well. The M6/9 combo at this price might be a bit too V-shaped and mid-bassy.
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I've been looking for some iem's lately, from $300-400 or so, and i've narrowed it down to the westone 4's and the ue900's. It's more about sound signature from what i can tell, because from what i've seen, the westone 4's are neutral. But what about the ue900's?
Listen to an assortment of genre's, from alt. rock to electronic to hip hop to jazz to indie rock to folk. What would be better? I want a decent bit of isolation, but it's not required. Comfort is a must.
I'd be more inclined to say the reverse. The W4s are the ones notably coloured and the UE900 manage to achieve great linearity. The impressions on them being balanced leave many feeling them confused over the semantics of the terms, add in some cognitive bias from all those "influential" reviews, and you get a slough of overwhelming consensus on these being "neutral". While the term itself is subjective if we were to base them on a generalized reference point these would not be "neutral". Rather mid-bassy and lacking in lower-treble, tbh. This is coming from an W4 owner to say the least, albeit one that happens to hate FUD.
But yes, the more aggressive genres and the neutral thing would go more towards the UE900s IMO. Not convinced and need something more objective? Check out rin's site.
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I'm trying to replace my klipsch s2s which broke ages ago. My budget is around £50, I listen to a variety of music; electric, rock, metal, indie but I would say mostly rock if I was pushed. My other headphones I use for gaming/music at night are ATH-AD700s and if pushed I would say they lack bass a little bit, although I do now use them through my bookshelf amp (NAD C316BEE). I had no problem with the klipsch.
All the heavy hitters in terms of sound quality seem to be over the ear exclusively which irritates me to no end. I also have a slight requirement of isolation/microphonics, I would be using these to commute and dislike bus chatter/tossers playing music off their phones on public transport and I have to walk a bit either side too where it would rub on my shirt. The only benchmark I have for microphonics are the klipsch and some random sonys I've been using which have been J-corded. At a push I prefer a J-cord but it's not that important as long as they don't suffer terribly with microphonics.
Genres are helpful but stating sound preferences would be even more so as it'd give us a much better reference point from where we can specify recommendations.
Assuming you want a more bassy AD700 from that statement though, could look at the E30s although we still would not have a good reference point without knowing sound preferences. These are over-ear so cabling is not very noise-conductive
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I have to replace my Skullcandy Ink'd I because they broke some time ago.
My budget is around 20-40$/CHF including shipping as I live in Switzerland.
I listen to DnB, Dubstep, Hip Hop, Reggae, classic rock, and classical music in this order.
I liked the SK pretty much for the money, but I bought them abroad for 17$ but they are 27$ here which is a bit much for them I guess.
I was thinking of the following Models:
JVC HA-FX1X1 (43$)
JVC HA-FX66 (20$)
Philips SHE3590 (25$)
Sennheiser CX-300 II (46$)
I usually buy on digitec.ch but I check on toppreise.ch for a bargain. I don't really want to import them myself, if possible. Especially Amazon is a pain in the A** here.
It would be great if you could give me some advise. I am open for other buds but don't really wanna go over 45$. Usually I also don't like volume controlls in my Headphones, as they make the cable heavy.
Thanks a lot!
Cory
Genres are helpful but stating sound preferences would be even more so as it'd give us a much better reference point from where we can specify recommendations.
The choices above are rather disparate as well so I'm not sure what you'd be trying to go for in terms of sound either.
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Thanks for the information. Say I were to prioritize gaming sounds, such as distant footsteps or an arrow shot from a distance. IEMs aren't top-of-the-line in this category, but certainly some models perform better than others. Any recommendations?
With preferences, but not necessities, of around $100~ price range, and cables that
wrap around the ear.
Again, most likely the EX600. Nothing else really compares lateral-size-wise.
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Well I have to give out a nice big hello to everyone here on Head-Fi. It's been a while, and a few years back you guys helped me out with choosing my Audio-Technica A900s that I've loved ever since. But now I must call on you wonderful people again, and this time for a more portable solution I can take with me. I don't have much experience with headphones other than what I've gotten myself into thus far, so all assistance is appreciated.
So here's some more context:
Of course A900s have served me well, and continue to do so, so a sound similar to that (If even possible) would be wonderful but...
My budget in this case is $100 or under, and I don't believe I will be using any amplification (Unless I pick up a Fiio e7 for on the go amplification)
I listen to a lot of heavy metal music, stuff like Fear Factory, Protest the Hero, and if anyone knows what these are: Botch, Prayer for Cleansing, etc etc.
Obviously for the sake of extended listening comfort would be nice, though I'm not sure at all how that works in the case of these smaller headphones.
Thanks again, I appreciate any advice, and I'm sure it won't be long before I'm enjoying a new pair of IEMs/buds!
Similar to the A900 (great phones BTW), <$100, metal - well first off would look at the SE215 as their tonality is especially nice for rock, but the sound signature is not really A900-esque - just putting that out there. Otherwise I remember the R-30s and the A161p to be rather similar sig-wise. That or the GR06.
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I used to have Klipsch Image S4s and thought they were great until I lost them. There are so many earbuds and companies I have no idea where to start. I say $80 because I seems like I can find earbuds cheaper on eBay and amazon, but $80 max. I've heard munitio, Marshall, vsonic, jLab, and junu are good, but I have no idea. I listen do all sorts of music, electronic, hip hop, rap, alternative, etc. I do like bass, but dont want it overwhelming.
Non-overwhelming bass, <$80, EDM/hip-hop - yep would definitely look at the GR02 or the SE215s. Rather disparate in price, I realize.
