[Startech17]

hello head-fi,
 
let me just start off by saying i am indeed a complete noob when it comes to this stuff. i am by no means an audiophile. ive been looking around and have narrowed it down to 3 different earphones. the Ultimate Ears UE700, Fischer Audio DBA-02, and the Jays Q-jays. does anyone have an experience with any of these? or maybe could tell me the better set between the 3? i dont have any specific genre i listen to so im just looking for something that sounds great overall. im looking for a set thats comfortable, sounds excellent, and has great isolation. id say comfort/sound over isolation. my current earphones are the etymotic er6i's so im looking for a nice upgrade. thanks fellas

 

[mark2410]

have all 3, the UE700 you can skip as they are comfortably beat by the other 2.
 
the 02 and Q are both very good and is probably more down to your preferences rather than one being better.  the 02 is more dramatic and more aggressive in the highs, the Q is grittyer but more even and controlled.

 

[ljokerl]

 
Quote:

have all 3, the UE700 you can skip as they are comfortably beat by the other 2.
 
the 02 and Q are both very good and is probably more down to your preferences rather than one being better.  the 02 is more dramatic and more aggressive in the highs, the Q is grittyer but more even and controlled.

Spot on. Gritty is a very good word for the q-JAYS. They're a little dry-sounding and slightly v-shaped but rather pleasant on the whole. The DBA-02 is more balanced but indeed more aggressive when it comes to presentation. It's my favourite of the three though I do quite like the q-JAYS. The UE700 is the most treble-heavy of the three and the least impressive when it comes to detail, dynamics, texture, etc.

 

[Startech17]

thanks for the replies. im currently reading through the (gigantic) review thread on the dba-02's. im also interested in getting some comply tips, but fischer audio doesnt show up on the comply website so im unsure which type to get. the q-jays seem to come with a ton of accessories and tips as well. are they equally comfortable? to you guys there is a difference between the 2, but would someone like me actually notice any difference? theyd both be a huge upgrade to the er6i's correct?

 

[dfrost]

DBA-02's use the P/T-100 size Comply tips, according to shane55. For IEMs not listed on their site, you can find the "Nozzle Size" in joker's huge review set (4th line down under "Details"), then look for other IEMs with the same size that are listed by Comply.
 
I have quite old and certainly not "golden" ears, but I've been able to discern differences between the similar IEMs that I've owned. I'm not good at describing those differences, but after experiencing a few and reading the reviews from the great reviewers around here, I've come to appreciate what is they're saying. If joker agrees with mark2410's summary statements above, that's more than good enough for me, and I've got a pretty good feeling for how the q-jays would sound.
 
I find the DBA's to be extremely comfortable with my preferred Shure grey soft flex tips. (Be prepared to do tip experiments with these or any other decent IEM.) I've worn them for as long as 6-8 hours at a stretch and couldn't wait to put them back in to get back to the wonderful music they transmit.
 
BTW, I feel that they have a perfect amount and quality of bass, deliciously balanced with the rest of the spectrum. And yes, they can be aggressive with the highs, so I adjust the volume a little more often. I was listening to some electronic music on the DBA's this weekend with particularly low bass notes as well as very delicate highs and was amazed all over again at how well they did it - better than any other music source I've got.