[NymPHONOmaniac]

After a couple of weeks on CHIFI i feel ehmm disappointed

I put on auction/sale:
*KZ ZS5 with silver cable
* KZ ZS3
* BOSShifi B3

NOTHING COMPARES TO MY ON EAR BEYERDYNAMIC T51i. MY EXPECTATIONS WHERE TOO HIGH. TIME TO CLOSE THIS SEARCH. AND BE GRATEFULL OF MY T51i!!!!!

keeper Einsear T2 ..well i might keep these as a backup , they are the most surprising earphones i had under 10 dollar !

chinese headfi can't just compete with established good brands (Beyer, Grado, Shure...)...let's just stop dreaming...boys n girls

a trip song to my bed...

Your like a real pain in they ass....and surely know it.
But, its good you stop the search....wich never try the 50-150$ IEM crownd like LZ, Musicmaker, TZ etc.
You say it your expectation was TOO high, but what is utterly stooooooopid is to compare fullsize headphone with IEM.
Oh, and don't put bad music on this thread, enjoy it with your T51i instead LOL (did you got this track out of 90's rave sooooo bad)

 

[Otto Motor]

This raises another old question: how can apples and oranges be compared, in this case iems and headphones. Which one sounds better, and which one offers a better value?

An example: The Sennheiser ie800 are USD $800 and the Sennheiser HD600 are USD $400. The HD600 are probably the better sounding choice. This, generalized, would mean, headphones are generally better sounding for the money, and they are cheaper by at least a factor of 1:2.

I consulted an expert. He told me that there is lots of discussion out there. But he thinks, iems are more direct and therefore ultimately better, and they also offer better value. I was surprised.

Looking at our < $100 Chifi segment, there are tons of interesting iems but I have yet to hear of a favourably reviewed headphone. What does this tell us?

 

[chickenmoon]

Looking at our < $100 Chifi segment, there are tons of interesting iems but I have yet to hear of a favourably reviewed headphone. What does this tell us?

FiiO Ex1 and FiiO F5 are significantly below $100 and are both favorably reviewed and justifiably so IMO. I am sure there are others.

 

[paulindss]

This raises another old question: how can apples and oranges be compared, in this case iems and headphones. Which one sounds better, and which one offers a better value?

An example: The Sennheiser ie800 are USD $800 and the Sennheiser HD600 are USD $400. The HD600 are probably the better sounding choice. This, generalized, would mean, headphones are generally better sounding for the money, and they are cheaper by at least a factor of 1:2.

I consulted an expert. He told me that there is lots of discussion out there. But he thinks, iems are more direct and therefore ultimately better, and they also offer better value. I was surprised.

Looking at our < $100 Chifi segment, there are tons of interesting iems but I have yet to hear of a favourably reviewed headphone. What does this tell us?

I think It tell us that iem technology(capital, researche) are more afordable to chineses manufactures make profit on them. And Just that. Also, less material, Space required, logistics costs. Or they Just did'nt explore the market yet. Imagine, 2 years from now, we got a chinese headphone from 30$ that sounds better than ath-m50x ? It Would be amazing. Cause we didn't reach that level yet, or we ?

 

[s4tch]

This raises another old question: how can apples and oranges be compared, in this case iems and headphones. Which one sounds better, and which one offers a better value?

An example: The Sennheiser ie800 are USD $800 and the Sennheiser HD600 are USD $400. The HD600 are probably the better sounding choice. This, generalized, would mean, headphones are generally better sounding for the money, and they are cheaper by at least a factor of 1:2.

I consulted an expert. He told me that there is lots of discussion out there. But he thinks, iems are more direct and therefore ultimately better, and they also offer better value. I was surprised.

Looking at our < $100 Chifi segment, there are tons of interesting iems but I have yet to hear of a favourably reviewed headphone. What does this tell us?

i prefer headphones overall. i have had my nad viso hp50's for a couple of years, and i've only heard just a few earphones that sounded better. isolation, sound signature, details, instrument separation, imaging are all excellent on the hp50's, and it's a relatively cheap pair of headphones (i got them around $120 used). 64 audio u18 were considerably better, but some earphones in the same price range or even more expensive ones (around the $500 mark) cannot match them.

cheap iem's might be terrific, though. you can't really get any great sounding headphones below $50, while there are countless examples of nice iem's below $50. so bang for your buck also depends on the budget you're about to spend, i guess.

btw i prefer iem's for their comfort and intimacy. i cannot wear the hp50's in the bed before sleeping, and iem's are more convenient on the go, too. headphones and iem's nicely complete each other, i guess.

 

[Otto Motor]

I think It tell us that iem technology(capital, researche) are more afordable to chineses manufactures make profit on them. And Just that. Also, less material, Space required, logistics costs. Or they Just did'nt explore the market yet. Imagine, 2 years from now, we got a chinese headphone from 30$ that sounds better than ath-m50x ? It Would be amazing. Cause we didn't reach that level yet, or we ?

Yes, IEMS are easier to ship, easier to handle in certain situations (bed, airplane)...and, after extensive travelling to China, I recognized a certain mentality that you pay for size: big headphones would cost more (because more materials used) than small earphones independent of production cost. Therefore, there may be more interest in developing IEMS in China than headphones for the overseas market.

 

[snip3r77]

Look what came

 

[paraparipa]

I want to give a pair of IEM headphones as a gift to a friend. He mainly listens to pop/rock, indie (Chet Faker, Alt-J...) and classical music. I've gone for the KS ZS3, but I'm rethinking my choice now. Any (cheap) recommendations?

 

[maxxevv]

Not so familiar with the indie genre but for the others, the ZS5 are excellent. Though I find the ZS6 to that wee bit better when it comes to crispness of details in classical pieces, which I listen to a lot of.

 

[groucho69]

@snip3r77 Do they sound as good as they look?

 

[Ahmad313]

Look what came

Impressions please ,

 

[Otto Motor]

I want to give a pair of IEM headphones as a gift to a friend. He mainly listens to pop/rock, indie (Chet Faker, Alt-J...) and classical music. I've gone for the KS ZS3, but I'm rethinking my choice now. Any (cheap) recommendations?

<$10: Fonge/QKZ W1 Pro, KZ HDS1, KZ ATR
$10-20: Swing ie800, Boarsemen KR-25D, DZAT DF-10, Xiaomi Piston 3
$20-40: Brainwavz B100
$50: Tin Audio T2

 

[Otto Motor]

<$10: Fonge/QKZ W1 Pro, KZ HDS1, KZ ATR
$10-20: Swing ie800, Boarsemen KR-25D, DZAT DF-10, Xiaomi Piston 3
$20-40: Brainwavz B100
$50: Tin Audio T2

i also have the KZ ZS5 (first generation) and find them not well balanced...same with the KS3. I don't use them for classical music at all. Here the Tin Audio T2 or the Brainwavz or even the Swing ie800 excel.

 

[crabdog]

My review of the Macaw T50 Bluetooth just went live. Pretty impressive for a super cheap wireless phone.
https://primeaudio.org/macaw-t50-bluetooth-review/

 

[Otto Motor]

My review of the Macaw T50 Bluetooth just went live. Pretty impressive for a super cheap wireless phone.
https://primeaudio.org/macaw-t50-bluetooth-review/

CAD $12.88 at Gearbest. I just submitted my order. Thanks a bunch!