[peskypesky]

- Father, I do not have money in my pocket
- Use your equalizers, son!

If something is not there, it won't appear through some simple tricks

Also there are overtones that make timbre to sound "natural" (or unnatural, when distorted).

So the best where equalizers work is to tame a bit of treble, in my opinion/experience.

Interesting.

I myself am a big fan of equalizers and use them all the time. I adjust treble, mids and bass on whatever headphones, speakers, or IEM's I happen to be using.

Obviously, there are limits to how much EQ can improve sound. But you can actually do quite a large amount of sound-shaping with EQ.

 

[JEHL]

- Father, I do not have money in my pocket
- Use your equalizers, son!

If something is not there, it won't appear through some simple tricks

Also there are overtones that make timbre to sound "natural" (or unnatural, when distorted).

So the best where equalizers work is to tame a bit of treble, in my opinion/experience.

So taming the EA3's hot treble (Which apparently is from its balanced armature being more forward than the FH1s)?

 

[Harby]

Hi,

I've seen some older posts about under 10$ in-ear (wired) headphones.
Is there an alternative to AKZ EDR or QKZ stuff?
EDRs are quite hard to find these days.
Maybe im' just searching in the wrong places.

I'm mostly listening to instrumental scores.

Priority: buds that don't break after a month.

...Or should I go for KZs?...

Harby, new member.

@Slater @B9Scrambler @chi-fi mel @oyobass thoughts appreciated

 

[Mboom]

I'm looking for IEMS and/or Earbuds for my 5th gen ipod video. I've already had the Ve monk plus and Tin Audio T2. With the T2, minimum volume was too loud.

 

[raccoon city]

I've seen some older posts about under 10$ in-ear (wired) headphones.
Is there an alternative to AKZ EDR or QKZ stuff?
EDRs are quite hard to find these days.
Maybe im' just searching in the wrong places.

I'm mostly listening to instrumental scores.

Priority: buds that don't break after a month.

...Or should I go for KZs?...

Welcome to Head-Fi!
Some KZ are durable for about $10...
I don't know which are the best for instrumental scores, however, so you'll have to listen to the experts.
Good luck in your search.

 

[Morgainz]

What would you guys recommend for under $200 ($250CAD), detail oriented/neutral but not lacking supportive bass? (I'm not a basshead but I like something to be there, you know?) I've been eyeing up the tin t4 (~$125 CAD) and moondrop starfield (~$150CAD) but I want to make sure there isn't anything else I should consider. (I know both are well under my budget and if they weren't both quite so over $100CAD I would just get them both)

I mainly listen to new jazz and alternative pop ? (Alternative pop being like twenty one pilots and Mumford and sons kind of thing)

Thanks!!

 

[Slater]

Hi,

I've seen some older posts about under 10$ in-ear (wired) headphones.
Is there an alternative to AKZ EDR or QKZ stuff?
EDRs are quite hard to find these days.
Maybe im' just searching in the wrong places.

I'm mostly listening to instrumental scores.

Priority: buds that don't break after a month.

...Or should I go for KZs?...

Harby, new member.

@Slater @B9Scrambler @chi-fi mel @oyobass thoughts appreciated

Welcome Harby, we’re glad you joined our community.

In thinking about your request, since you listen to instrumental scores I would recommend any the following:


QKZ VK4
KZ ED9 (use the dull brass filter)
KZ ATE
QKZ VK1
KZ ATR

They all have a pretty balanced signature that would be good for instrumental works. In the case of VK4 and VK1, they have a removable cable design, allowing you to replace the cable if it goes bad, or to upgrade the cable for a higher quality one.

Since you mentioned earphones going bad in 1 month, that is not typical if well cared for. I have earphones that are 10 years old and are like new.

I would strongly recommend using a storage case to keep the earphones in between uses. Carefully wind them up around your hand in a circular manner before storing them in the case. Don’t ball them up and jam them in your pocket. Don’t wind them in a tight figure 8 as this stresses the cord too much. Don’t expose them to daily heavy sweat/moisture, as they are not IPX rated. Carefully remove any cable tangles; don’t jerk on the cable. Also, order non-microphone versions of the earphone if you don’t require that functionality, as that will eliminate a known point of failure.

Finally, I would think about if you even need the isolation of an IEM. If you are just listening at home and don’t care about some sound leakage, you may want to consider an earbud instead of IEM. They have a lot more open and airy sound with larger soundstage that is ideal for instrumental music. They are also generally more affordable, much more so than IEMs. You can buy loads of nice buds for well under $10 dollars (such as the Vido or Snow Lotus and others).

Also take a look at the Koss KSC75, which you might like. They are $13 on Amazon, which is a few dollars over your budget, but well worth the extra cost. The KSC75 should be in every music lover’s collection.

Good luck, and let us know how you like whatever you end up choosing.

 

[peskypesky]

Hi,

I've seen some older posts about under 10$ in-ear (wired) headphones.
Is there an alternative to AKZ EDR or QKZ stuff?
EDRs are quite hard to find these days.
Maybe im' just searching in the wrong places.

I'm mostly listening to instrumental scores.

Priority: buds that don't break after a month.

...Or should I go for KZs?...

Harby, new member.

@Slater @B9Scrambler @chi-fi mel @oyobass thoughts appreciated

I'm still using my KZ ED9 after more than three years.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...yx4ocDUVtTV6v8NhUrAaAq1-EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Tonymac136]

+1 on the KZ ED9. Also worth considering Sony MH750 or 755 (research fakes though - there's plenty. I've got a pair of fake MH750 that actually sound fairly good, to go with several genuine pairs.) or NiceHCK EP10 (though these aren't as good as the Blon BL-01 they share a shell with - the Blons are virtually unobtainable now though, if you can buy on TaoBao there were some on there a while ago).

 

[SiggyFraud]

I'm still using my KZ ED9 after more than three years.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...yx4ocDUVtTV6v8NhUrAaAq1-EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I'm waiting for my second pair - that's how much I like the ED9. They turned out great for gaming, so I ordered another unit, this time with a mic.

 

[Tonymac136]

Oh also the KZ EDR1 is still obtainable and even cheaper. Probably the cheapest listenable IEM on the market.

 

[ironbrewer]

What would you guys recommend for under $200 ($250CAD), detail oriented/neutral but not lacking supportive bass? (I'm not a basshead but I like something to be there, you know?) I've been eyeing up the tin t4 (~$125 CAD) and moondrop starfield (~$150CAD) but I want to make sure there isn't anything else I should consider. (I know both are well under my budget and if they weren't both quite so over $100CAD I would just get them both)

I mainly listen to new jazz and alternative pop ? (Alternative pop being like twenty one pilots and Mumford and sons kind of thing)

Thanks!!

This is specifically the under $100 thread. You may want to ask that question in another thread. Maybe this one.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-discovery-thread.586909/page-3145#post-15603249

 

[peskypesky]

I'm waiting for my second pair - that's how I like the ED9. They turned out great for gaming, so I ordered another unit, this time with a mic.

Yes, I'm thinking of ordering one or two more pairs while they're still being made.

 

[Harby]

Welcome Harby, we’re glad you joined our community.

In thinking about your request, since you listen to instrumental scores I would recommend any the following:


QKZ VK4
KZ ED9 (use the dull brass filter)
KZ ATE
QKZ VK1
KZ ATR

They all have a pretty balanced signature that would be good for instrumental works. In the case of VK4 and VK1, they have a removable cable design, allowing you to replace the cable if it goes bad, or to upgrade the cable for a higher quality one.

Since you mentioned earphones going bad in 1 month, that is not typical if well cared for. I have earphones that are 10 years old and are like new.

I would strongly recommend using a storage case to keep the earphones in between uses. Carefully wind them up around your hand in a circular manner before storing them in the case. Don’t ball them up and jam them in your pocket. Don’t wind them in a tight figure 8 as this stresses the cord too much. Don’t expose them to daily heavy sweat/moisture, as they are not IPX rated. Carefully remove any cable tangles; don’t jerk on the cable. Also, order non-microphone versions of the earphone if you don’t require that functionality, as that will eliminate a known point of failure.

Finally, I would think about if you even need the isolation of an IEM. If you are just listening at home and don’t care about some sound leakage, you may want to consider an earbud instead of IEM. They have a lot more open and airy sound with larger soundstage that is ideal for instrumental music. They are also generally more affordable, much more so than IEMs. You can buy loads of nice buds for well under $10 dollars (such as the Vido or Snow Lotus and others).

Also take a look at the Koss KSC75, which you might like. They are $13 on Amazon, which is a few dollars over your budget, but well worth the extra cost. The KSC75 should be in every music lover’s collection.

Good luck, and let us know how you like whatever you end up choosing.

I think you're right about the storage.
My extension cord pulled the earbuds on the floor a few times.

Hm, good to know about the mic. Didn't realize it could affect.
It's unusual to find earbuds without the mic though.

Gotta get some for myself and ma family.

Thank you
@Slater @raccoon city @peskypesky @Tonymac136 @SiggyFraud

 

[JEHL]

In my experience anyway, I have yet to see any cable with proper strain reliefs fail at the relieved parts, they don't even need to be babied to last either. Which makes me wonder why strain reliefs on cables are kinda rare on cheap equipment (I'd seriously imagine makers save even a penny for not including them). So it probably goes without saying that we all should always get either headphones with removable cables or at the very least the cables have strain reliefs not just on the jack but on the headphones themselves.

I've also never seen a microphone with strain reliefs in either side either and if they have, it's a very stubby one. So does anyone still wonder why all the earbuds/IEMs I've had with microphone fail microphone side first?

Which makes me wonder how do you strain relief what doesn't come strain relieved from factory.