[dfkt]

Head-tapping and foot-banging is good. They are very dynamic and snappy.

 

[goodvibes]

Good news. How can you resist opening those up?

 

[dfkt]

Give it some time. Judging by the V-Moda Vibe build quality, they'll probably fall apart on their own.

 

[i2ehan]

Just received mine. Before I jump to conclusions, would my FiiO E7 or iPad 1 be an acceptable source? My Mother took my Clip+ with her overseas, so I have only the two aforementioned on hand.
 
EDIT: found my answer. 

 

[i2ehan]

Meanwhile, initial impressions out of my sister's iPhone 4S:
 
Fit/Comfort (5/5): nothing to complain about. They're as easily worn as they are removed, both straight cable and over the ear.
 
Accessories (4.5/5): The included tips have larger bores than any others I've experienced, including my HiFiMan biflanges and Ortofon silicones, both having rather large bores. The included case, similar to the circular Shure case, is quite nice and durable. The reason I deducted half a point is because I'd like to have seen a few more tips thrown in, notably of different variety.
 
Highs (4/5): out of the box, quite sibilant, albeit not exactly aggressive, nor intolerable. They're not laid-back, nor forward, but maintain good balance with respect to the overall presentation. They don't have the sparkle I'm used to, but apart from the sibilance, can't say I'm disappointed.
 
Mids (4.5/5) : warm, and slightly forward. Compared to the rest of the spectrum, the mids retain the best overall sense of detail and clarity. Needless to say, it's much too early to pass any final judgements, and I must admit, assuming they do open up with a good bit of burn-in, they certainly have potential.
 
Lows (5/5) : surprisingly powerful, controlled, with above average weight/impact. I mean it when I say they do pack quite an aggressive punch, with an abundance of both midbass and subbass. To be honest, I would go as far as to say they're quite bass-heavy. They don't seem to intrude into the mids however, and do maintain good control, while extending rather deep.
 
Presentation (4/5) : quite forward, slightly warm, overall balanced presentation, with a good bit of low end emphasis. Unfortunately, at this point in time, they're quite a ways behind in terms of overall clarity (go figure). On the other hand, they have above average overall transparency, and are, by all means, quite musical and enjoyable.
 
Overall (4/5) : As it stands, they certainly do have potential, but I'm quite disappointed to be honest. I expected much better overall resolution, detail, and clarity. My most favorite part would have to be their low end, and I'm willing to wait and see if they improve over time.
 
Now, off to the furnace they go... (as in burn-in time 

)
 
P.S. The above ratings reflect only my own opinion, with their price heavily taken into consideration. 

 
Update: I must admit, the bass can sound a tad muddy at times (though it doesn't happen too often), but all in all, it's quite a blast! Give the following track a listen, and you'll know exactly what I mean... 

 (for the impatient ones out there, the fun starts at around 1:05 

)

 

[pinoyman]

thanks for sharing.

 

[dfkt]

Battery benchmark results, regarding their claim that 8 Ohm saves battery life compared to other phones. Rockboxed Clip v1, looping a LAME -v0 encoded album.
 
08:23:18 - 60 Ohm KSC75
08:17:15 - 32 Ohm SE530
08:16:31 - 16 Ohm Vibe
08:20:32 - 8 Ohm C1
 
No relevant difference at all, all impedances give the same battery life at the same settings. I repeated the 8 Ohm test twice, nothing suspicious within a +/- 5 minute margin.
 

 

[i2ehan]

A few mental notes I wish to mention before I forget to. Since my last post within this thread, I've had the ClarityOnes in my ears (even as I'm writing this), and have come to discover a few noteworthy points I may have forgotten to mention earlier. First off, their soundstage is pleasantly wide, similar to what you'd find in many vented dynamics, with good extension at either extreme. Second, I can't stress enough how pleasantly warm, clear, and effortlessly they convey vocals. Their overall forward signature/presentation also convey's a thickness, which makes them all the more enjoyable IMO. In addition, timbre and transparency are certainly above average, considering their price range. Sibilance has surprisingly improved, and their bass continues to impress me, in that it reminds me of the SE535/e-Q5's tight low end at times, albeit with comparatively much more midbass emphasis. In fact, they're closer to the Monster in-ears in that regard. However, to my surprise, given their midbass emphasis, there is absolutely no sign of midrange bleed whatsoever. Microphonics are also nonexistent, especially when worn over the ear (me preferred way). The addition of an in-line mic is also a welcome one, and works quite well with even my HTC, through which to made and took a few calls just earlier today, without encountering any issues on either end.

Of course, it's not all gravy unfortunately. Imaging could be better, and at times, they may even sound congested, as if certain passages begin to sound clustered, and unable to distinctively make out; though it doesnt happen too often. Then there are a few other considerations, such as the lack of a chin slider, which I'd much rather have preferred when worn over the ear, since the cables tend to hang much too loose as is. There's also the concern for their cable, which I've read is susceptible to peeling, according to one commentator elsewhere in another review (forgot the exact link). Other than that, even after nearly half a days time spent with them, I'm beginning to thoroughly enjoy their musical presentation. I still can't come to terms with their price unfortunately, since in-ears such as the EX600, GR07, UE700, and FXT90 (among others) are much too close for comfort. I can certainly appreciate, however, the ClarityOne's being the preferred choice as far as preferences go, and do hope they gain the attention of those looking for a competent, and all the while enjoyable, musical exprience for well under $150. Needless to say, I've far too many hours left to put in however, so off I go...

 

[ri_toast]

following this closely, tks for the impressions. at first i thought, breakthrough? marketing breakthrough? good to see they have some important values
if i was marketing a breakout product i could send samples to at least five reviewers at headfi ( and others.....some that take the most beautiful pictures.) and sell thousands of units without any advertising.
nice job people!

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

Battery benchmark results, regarding their claim that 8 Ohm saves battery life compared to other phones. Rockboxed Clip v1, looping a LAME -v0 encoded album.
 
08:23:18 - 60 Ohm KSC75
08:17:15 - 32 Ohm SE530
08:16:31 - 16 Ohm Vibe
08:20:32 - 8 Ohm C1
 
No relevant difference at all, all impedances give the same battery life at the same settings. I repeated the 8 Ohm test twice, nothing suspicious within a +/- 5 minute margin.
 

Also as expected effeciency is the key, not impedance and it's relative as the same effeciency at a higher impedance should actually pull less current. Thanks for taking the time to test. When I see claims like these, it makes me wary of products. Nice to see they have overcome the marketing nonsense and actually made a good sounding phone.

 

 

[i2ehan]

Excluding all the marketing hype and farfetched claims, for their asking price, they're quite fun and musical. 

 

[i2ehan]

@dfkt: I was still encountering a good bit of sibilance every now and then, and so I decided to switch over to my T-400's. Wish I'd have done that earlier, because I played back the same track with both the stock tips and the T-400's, and the sibilance is borderline intolerable with the stock tips, while barely even noteworthy with the T-400's. On the other hand, the Comply's result in a slightly less transparent sound, and also ever so slightly compromise bass impact (as compared to the stock tips), which there's already an abundance of as is. If you happen to have a set of Comply foams on hand, give it a go. It made all the difference for me. The 's' sounds much more tamed and natural, and no longer retains the sharp edgy 'sss' to it. 

 

[james444]

Quote:

^ I'm offering a slightly used PFE 232 loaner in exchange for a listen to these.

 
Quote:

No way, the PFE just play music - these play square waves... SQUARE WAVES!

Well, in the end I managed to convince dfkt to accept my offer and had a listen to them yesterday. I must say the square waves' lower half sounded pretty good.

 
Joking aside, I pretty much concur with him about these phones. Their bass is excellent, extended, dynamic and controlled. Their mids are pretty good and pleasurable. Their highs are problematic, thin and sharp in an attempt to fake detail, which makes the upper half of the frequency range pretty harsh and unrefined. Just like too much upper bass on some other IEMs is prone to sound one-note and invade the midrange, the treble on this phones makes for one-note cymbals and affects female vocals. IMHO these could use some filters, I wonder what a tiny bit of foam or cotten swab would do to the sound.

 

[i2ehan]

Quote:

Well, in the end I managed to convince dfkt to accept my offer and had a listen to them yesterday. I must say the square waves' lower half sounded pretty good.

 
Joking aside, I pretty much concur with him about these phones. Their bass is excellent, extended, dynamic and controlled. Their mids are pretty good and pleasurable. Their highs are problematic, thin and sharp in an attempt to fake detail, which makes the upper half of the frequency range pretty harsh and unrefined. Just like too much upper bass on some other IEMs is prone to sound one-note and invade the midrange, the treble on this phones makes for one-note cymbals and affects female vocals. IMHO these could use some filters, I wonder what a tiny bit of foam or cotten swab would do to the sound.

 
Spot on. I'm experiencing the same from time to time. The Comply's do make a difference though, I promise you that much. Whether or not it's enough of a difference to declare them THAT much better is really up to the listener of course. With their price in mind, what do you make of them my friend?

 

[dfkt]

I tried some Comply T400 on the C1, but I don't like what they do to the sound (not to mention I don't like foamies in my ears anyways). However, I stuffed some cut out pieces of foam from earbuds into the C1's nozzles, and that sounded quite noticeably clearer than the Complys, while taming the treble ever so slightly - similar to what James444 stuffed into the HJE900. I'm using Super.Fi tips with them, by the way - the stock tips are a bit too thin for my taste.