[ClieOS]

Astrotec AM90 added.
 

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Warm+Sweet 24.    Astrotec AM90 (link)
Very similar to both A151 and SE-777, but with better soundstage. Very warm and fairly musical, with a full sounding mid and bass. Treble is clean, very well extended but smooth, capable of showing a good degree of fine detail yet it is not the highlight of the sound. Mid is warm and full, slightly forward with a sweet vocal. Bass is also warm and bigger than average body, but slightly slower than expected and do not have a very strong impact, not quite a bass monster and roll off at near 20Hz yet a very good performance (both quality and quantity wise) as far as BA based IEM is concerned. The main different between AM90 to SE-777 or A151 is soundstage, which is noticeably wider than the later two. Though the soundstage has been improved, overall it is still relatively minor. While I do prefer AM90 a bit more, it is still more or less on the same level as SE-777 and A151 as far as technical ability goes.
Pro: One of the best sounding Siren IEM. Build Quality. Accessories.
Con: None

 

[ClieOS]

RedGiant A00 Malleus and A03 Ossicle added
 

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Bass 6.    RedGiant A00 Malleus (link)
Warm, musical and bass dominance, but not bass driven.  Bass is the center of the presentation and often the first thing to ‘jump out of the picture’, but it is not a very aggressive type of bass. Rather, it is well bodied, rounded, and even a little smooth at time but not to the point of being slow. Mid sits much further away, smooth, relaxing and bland in a way. Treble has decent extension, but exhibits similar quality as the mid for being further away. Soundstage is very wide, probably due to the more laid back nature of the mid and treble. A00 reminds me most of DUNU Trident with the same sense of musicality and laid back nature in the presentation, except A00 has bigger soundstage, better texture with more bass quantity, plus a tiny bit more sparkly. Those who like Trident should find A00 a good upgrade for the same easy going flavor on presentation.
Pro: Build Quality, Price.
Con: Fit.
 

Warm+Sweet 9.    RedGiant A03 Ossicle (link)
On the stock single flange, A03 is relatively neutral in FR curve with a slightly brighter upper vocal while the bass is a little short on decay, and thus a lack of body and texture on the lower end. On the big-flanges, the emphasis is on bass quality and quantity, but at the cost of an overly smoothed out treble. With the single flange from Atomic Floyd (which isn’t sold separately but only comes with AF’s IEM), it achieves the best compromise between bass body and treble detail. But even with different eartips, A03 is still a warm and specious sounding IEM, though more specious on the bi-flanges than on the single flange. It has the same musicality as A00, but technically much tighter. The only real weakness of the whole presentation is in the mid. While the main vocal region over 1kHz is decently forwarded, it does sound a little thin and lacking texture at the same time. The smoking gun seems to be pointing at a slight dip in the lower mid region, around the 450-500Hz area to be precise. A 2-3dB of boosting in this area is all it takes to add back the texture and makes vocal beautiful again. Overall, A03 is one of the better sounding dual dynamic in the market and rival that of Radius DDM2 with a more balanced presentation. However, it does take a bit more effort to get the ideal sound out of it.
Pro: Build Quality, Price, Accessories.
Con: Fit.

 

[sdwlrd]

Hey ClieOS, I have Meelec A151, philips 3580 and a sony MH1c IEMs. I listen to pretty much every genre except for rap and classical. I like IEMs with lots of details, sub-bass and not too bright treble. Can you suggest an IEM under 200$? Already short-listed TDKs BA200, IE800 (waiting for your review), Vsonic GR07 and GR01.

 

[ClieOS]

BA200 won't have heaps of detail and IE800 is more about smoothness and mid, so GR07 and GR01 are your best bet. GR07 can do sub-bass very well, but the treble is slightly bright on loud volume. GR01 has a better balance overall, but it doesn't do sub-bass as well as GR07. Either one of the two will fit your need, you just need to pick the one that looks like a lesser compromise for you.

 

[sdwlrd]

Thanks for the reply, apart from the sub-bass which one has better detailing?

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ClieOS]

The level of detail really isn't that far different between the two. I'll say GR01 has a little more detail.

 

[sdwlrd]

The level of detail really isn't that far different between the two. I'll say GR01 has a little more detail.

Sorry I couldn't reply sooner, am having internet problems. Do you think it is worthwhile to get a GR07 considering I already have the MH1c? I am planning to get the lendmeyourears GR07 mkII offer.

 

[ClieOS]

The question whether you really need an extra IEM - but yes, I think it is worthwhile to get the GR07 since the two of them is different enough. Plus, I do regard GR07 to be technically better than MH1C.

 

[sdwlrd]

Do I really need another IEM? NO Is that going to stop me from getting one? NO Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to buy the GR07s today.

 

[shaiby]

Hi clieOs,
 
Great post.
 
i would like to ask
where would you place Ultimate ears UE 700 on your list
 
UE700- 80€
Sony mh1c-35€
Triplefi10-more than 250€
 
Thanks in advance
Shaiby

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

i would like to ask
where would you place Ultimate ears UE 700 on your list

 
This isn't the final rating since I have review it yet, but I think it is safe to say UE700 will be around the same general area as MH1C in my list in SQ.

 

[luisdent]

Quote:

 
This isn't the final rating since I have review it yet, but I think it is safe to say UE700 will be around the same general area as MH1C in my list in SQ.

Really?  Should I get the mh1c and save $60 or more, or is there any reason to go with the ue700?

 

[Johnny Jumper]

Do dual BA drivers make a difference?  I've been reading that balanced armatures tend to be light on bass and some manufacturers use two with one supposedly tuned for lower frequencies.  I was thinking about the BA200's for that reason.  Sounds good in theory but does this work in practice?
 
JJ

 

[Emospence]

How driveable are the TDK IE800s?

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Really?  Should I get the mh1c and save $60 or more, or is there any reason to go with the ue700?

That totally depends on your own preference. UE700 has better speed, crispier treble, more leaner and neutral FR. However, it lacks the musicality / fun factor of MH1C and doesn't have as much bass impact.
 
You should never buy any IEM because it is rated higher in a list though, read around of different review on both should give you a better idea on which suits you better.
 
Quote:

Do dual BA drivers make a difference?  I've been reading that balanced armatures tend to be light on bass and some manufacturers use two with one supposedly tuned for lower frequencies.  I was thinking about the BA200's for that reason.  Sounds good in theory but does this work in practice?
 
JJ

While I am not saying single BA is bad, dual driver certainly has some advantages over single BA - not on covering the whole frequency range (as single BA can do this) but on covering the whole frequency range well. However, it really depends on the design and type of dual BA in individual IEM. Not every dual BA setup are created equally. Taking BA200 for an example - the bass response is excellent, well bodied with good impact. But on B2, bass just doesn't have the kind of impact that will move listener.
 
 
Quote:

How driveable are the TDK IE800s?

It is 10 ohm @ 1kHz and 116dB. I won't say it is the easiest to drive but overall I don't find it as difficult as the 8 ohm XBA-4. Any decent source, such as Clip+, should do the job well enough.