[Napilopez]

Haha I was actually thinking the same XD. I need go find the foam mod link, and find some foam =P. I'm also pretty attached to purchases I like; I don't like having to replace them.

 

[james444]

^ x2, mine were without mesh from the start, or I lost it during my first tests while changing tips. Just cut a very small piece of low density foam (4-5mm square) from a earbud foam pad and stuff it very carefully and shallowly into the nozzle. Not only will this protect the driver, but also flatten out the frequency response nicely.

Edit: best foam I found was the white one from Apple buds. Try not to use too much foam or else they will sound congested.

 

[Napilopez]

Ahh this makes me feel much better, I will mod them soon as I find good foam then! ^_^

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gridlinked /img/forum/go_quote.gif The CK10 and particularly the HJE900's are a very tempting alternative to a pair of PFE's which I find too bright and analytical for my tastes. I favor a neutral but slightly warm sound, so I think the HJE900's might be just right. However, the CK10's are also a possibility but I'm concerned that they'll be just as bright and forward as the PFE's. I'm also considering the TF10's because they come highly recommended from a friend with whom I share a preference for neutral but warm sound signature. I also cant deny that the ability get the TF10's remolded and upgrade the cable is really really enticing (and still spend less money than I was originally going to on the PFE's and a Headstage Arrow 12HE).

Is your PFE too bright with the grey filters or the black ones? Because if it's too bright the the black filters then the CK10 is probably best avoided. To be fair it's not only the TF10 you can get remolded - any BA will work. I've considered remolding my CK10 but I'm concerned that customs will actually be less comfortable and more fragile - the Ck10 are just that good to begin with. Oh and if you like a less aggressive high end then stock HJE might not be a good idea either despite being warm. I think the MTP might actually be a better fit for you.

 

[Gridlinked]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljokerl /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is your PFE too bright with the grey filters or the black ones? Because if it's too bright the the black filters then the CK10 is probably best avoided. To be fair it's not only the TF10 you can get remolded - any BA will work. I've considered remolding my CK10 but I'm concerned that customs will actually be less comfortable and more fragile - the Ck10 are just that good to begin with. Oh and if you like a less aggressive high end then stock HJE might not be a good idea either despite being warm. I think the MTP might actually be a better fit for you.

I've admittedly only tried them with the grey filters since I find they have enough bass and more treble than I like already. I don't think adding additional bass and further emphasizing the treble is going to do me any good.

I may have to set aside my reservations towards Monster products and take a serious looks at the MTP. Thanks for the input.

 

[daouda]

@Napilopez : my way of doing the foam mod : i rather cut a rectangular shape off a very thin foam and then roll it into a cylinder that i stuff into the nozzle, it then expands and fits in uniformly and perfectly. With a square shape you cant have it fit into the nozzle the exact same way in both earpieces (it will fold in some random way differently each time you stuff it). Oh, and i put the foam pieces one above the other before cutting both at the same time with a cutter, to make sure im getting 2 rectangles of the same dimensions (dont want to risk any channel imbalance, although that might be imperceptible).

 

[rymd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Napilopez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ahh I am somewhat sad today as when I went to listen to my Pannies, I noticed the little filter grill thingy on the right earphone(well I guess there's no real right or left as the cables are detacheable =P) disappeared all of a sudden, so it seems I will need to get a replacement.

This seems to be a fairly serious problem.. The same thing happened to my right HJE900 filter. The glue wore off and the extremely thin filter detached, though I still managed to recover it by carefully pulling it out from the nozzle. I'm kind of disappointed as the filter detached only after a day, considering the supposed top of the line-ness too.. It hasn't really impacted the sound to my ears but I now listen to them without filters.

Whoever said the cubic zirconia casing changed colours was right.. I took the HJE900 outside on a sunny day with blue skies and it reflected a deep, dark blue. It was beautiful..

I've also started using the koss silicone tips on the HJE900, and have found that it significantly improves the sound. I dunno how to describe it but everything sounds more natural and open. It also kind of calms the treble to more listenable levels, as before there were some saxophone recordings that I just couldn't stand.

about the foam mod, would it be wise to use earbud foam covers as well?

 

[daouda]

^^If you're talking about the foam cushions that cover the earbuds, then its exactly what i use for foam mods with satisfying results (although not on HJE900 yet), and i beleive james advice the same thing as well (he mentionned white ibuds foams gave him the best results with the panasonics)

Even though its good news for me since im planning to take them off anyway, i have to agree that it is disappointing to see poorly secured filters on a top of the line product like this one where build quality is otherwise top-notch overall...

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gridlinked /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've admittedly only tried them with the grey filters since I find they have enough bass and more treble than I like already. I don't think adding additional bass and further emphasizing the treble is going to do me any good.

Grey filters sound brighter to my ears. I would at least give the black filters a try if I were you.

 

[Anouk]

Hello Joker,
Thanks for your excellent review threads (I have been reading up on them the last few days since I am looking for a new iem at the moment).
I have tried a lot of iems in the past two years and my favourite upto this point is the sennheiser ie8 because of its natural sound (to me at least) and its bass authority (I dont consider myself a basshead but i do listen to a lot of pop and rock). I also really liked its soundstage. Somehow iems with a more in-the-head sound are rather fatiguing to me after a while and I have to remove them. With the ie8 i did not have this typical iem feel and the sound was really out of the head. But, why i sold them was because they did not have enough treble for me and their midrange was just too laid back. I did not have anny fit issues if i wore them with the cable over the ear and running down the back.
The monster turbine pro gold is on the top of my short list followed by the hje900. Right now the monster is in the lead because i got from your review that they have a broader soundstage and can be inserted deeper intot he ear and give better isolation. I do worry though that they do not have enough trebble for me.
Greetings, Anouk,

 

[ljokerl]

^ Glad you're finding the reviews useful, Anouk.

I have not personally heard the IE8 so I cannot compare the MTP or any other IEM to them directly but I can say that I never found the MTP to be light on treble, just not aggressive/sparkly. The high-end response is definitely there and the MTP hits all of the notes, unlike the regular Turbines. It just isn't as forthcoming about it as the CK10, HJE900, H-D RE0, and some others. Personally I do prefer a more treble-heavy signature (hence my affinity of the CK10, RE0, and others) but saying that the MTP is unbalanced is a huge stretch. Hopefully someone who's heard both the IE8 and MTP can give you a more direct comparison, perhaps in one of the MTP threads.

 

[Napilopez]

Would just like to say that I bought some sony hybrids today(as my wallet get's lighter, the metaphorical one of J&R just gets heavier and heavier). I have to say I'm really enjoying them right now. They are giving me the best seal aside from the complies without the frustrating amount of treble attenuation. They do lighten the treble, but not so much I'm really losing on details. More importantly the remove pretty much all semblance of annoying sibilance for me. The soundstage is at least as good as with the regular tips, and they are superbly comfortable. The bass is also a good deal more present/precise, which makes me feel I never got a proper seal before beside the complies. I'm using the medium (second largest) tips.

My only worry is that they might kill treble too much after it burns in, but so far so good. I suspct the attenuation of the treble has to do with the way the cores have to be stretched over the nozzle, causing the opening to be smaller than it should. I may want to pull some more sharp highs for them on some recordings, so I'll see if theres a way for me to keep that opening more umm, open.

 

[Napilopez]

Bah, I just lost my original panny tips, but it's kinda satisfactory in a weird way that I don't need to continue ABing forever XD.

 

[Napilopez]

Sorry to triple post but oh, there goes my left filter on my HJE900 XD. At least it's one step less should I choose to do the foam mod =P

Seems like a bit of a durability oversight seeing as at least 3 people here have lost filters. Sound doesn't get hit negatively at all, but it would be nice if they, you know, stayed on. What if the filter got stuck in my ear canal instead? XD

Btw, these really aren't forgiving very forgiving to low quality sources, lol. I'm hearing distortion in slacker that I never explicitly spotted, but now it's very obvious in orchestrated tracks.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Napilopez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Btw, these really aren't forgiving very forgiving to low quality sources, lol. I'm hearing distortion in slacker that I never explicitly spotted, but now it's very obvious in orchestrated tracks.

Yes, I said this in another thread but didn't mention it in the review for some reason. I think it is due to the peakiness of the upper mids/treble that the flaws of the source material are accentuated.