AZ Greg
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
- Posts
- 41
- Likes
- 2
First off, allow me to bore you with some brief history just so you understand where I'm coming from!
About a year and a half ago I decided it was time to get some quality 'phones. Nothing crazy expensive, but a step up from stock and overpriced stuff that was selling on its brand. I was lucky enough to go with the Sennheiser PX100s first and they blew me away coming from the cheap stock stuff I had used before. Needless to say I got bit with the bug and sold them and started looking for more expensive headphones. After trying some models out I realized that was a bit too far for me and ended up going back to the PX100s. I was completely satisfied. For awhile at least... I started to get irritated with the "over the head" nature of regular headphones since I use them a lot when I'm active and when I'm laying down. Combined with the shape of my head, the "snugness" I wanted just wasn't there. This led me to the world of IEMs. Went through a number of them and came to the same conclusion every time. I hated the way they fit and they caused too much ear fatigue for me. Ready to give up, I stumbled onto information about the Yuin PK3s. Being that they were earphones I was hoping they'd be the middle-ground fit in terms of comfort that I was looking for while still sounding good. I ended up loving them. They were exactly what I was looking for. I even liked the sound signature I got out of them when connected to a little FiiO E5. Unfortunately, last year I got away from portable audio and sold all my gear. Well now I'm back!
I was planning on playing it safe and just ordering another pair of Yuin PK3s. But I figured I might as well do a little research since it has been a year and a half since I bought my last pair. One of my research stops was the PK3 appreciation thread on these forums. I was surprised to see that the last handful of posts were mostly people talking about dealing with defects and one person even mentioned something about Yuin changing something with the manufacturing of the product. Not sure how true that was or how accurate the defect complaints were (My PK3s performed well in the months I used them). But needless to say, that stuff scared me a little. Maybe someone can add some more to this?
But then I came across the Sennheiser MX 580s which have been receiving a lot of praise and seem to have surpassed the PK3s in that "best bang for your buck under $50 category" for earphones. I also wouldn't have to worry about durability as much since Sennheiser makes quality products, plus I'd have the warranty to fall back on. But I do have some questions, which is the reason this thread was made. Hopefully you guys can help me out with this stuff:
- As I mentioned before, fit/comfort is a big deal for me. I've seen some talk about the 580s being relatively large and even read that someone said they get tiring in your ears.
How are they compared to the PK3s? Unfortunately I can't remember exactly how well the PK3s fit my ear beyond that they were comfortable. I think I have the room to go with a little bit larger buds and still be comfortable. Anyone who can shed any light in this area would be really helpful!
- Anyone use them with a FiiO E5? How is the synergy?
- My primary use of these headphones will be for music/videos on my PC and portable media player. With 90% of that time being with videos. Do the MX 580s have good sound for all types of videos? If there is a specific sound signature that is better for this, of course. Keep in mind that I loved how my PK3s performed in this area, but I also loved the sound of the PX100s, in case it's a "brand sound" type of thing. I'm not going to pretend to be an audio expert, so as long as they don't have some glaring flaw that makes them perform poorly with videos then I should be fine.
- Anything else anyone wants to share on PK3s vs. MX 580s?
Thanks everyone!
Edit: One more question! How is the quality of the in-line volume adjuster? Literally the only 'phones I've used in the past with one have had one that is made of crappy material and feels like it's destined to break. Also, does it add enough bulk that it makes it uncomfortable to lay down and listen to music/watch videos with these earphones?
About a year and a half ago I decided it was time to get some quality 'phones. Nothing crazy expensive, but a step up from stock and overpriced stuff that was selling on its brand. I was lucky enough to go with the Sennheiser PX100s first and they blew me away coming from the cheap stock stuff I had used before. Needless to say I got bit with the bug and sold them and started looking for more expensive headphones. After trying some models out I realized that was a bit too far for me and ended up going back to the PX100s. I was completely satisfied. For awhile at least... I started to get irritated with the "over the head" nature of regular headphones since I use them a lot when I'm active and when I'm laying down. Combined with the shape of my head, the "snugness" I wanted just wasn't there. This led me to the world of IEMs. Went through a number of them and came to the same conclusion every time. I hated the way they fit and they caused too much ear fatigue for me. Ready to give up, I stumbled onto information about the Yuin PK3s. Being that they were earphones I was hoping they'd be the middle-ground fit in terms of comfort that I was looking for while still sounding good. I ended up loving them. They were exactly what I was looking for. I even liked the sound signature I got out of them when connected to a little FiiO E5. Unfortunately, last year I got away from portable audio and sold all my gear. Well now I'm back!
I was planning on playing it safe and just ordering another pair of Yuin PK3s. But I figured I might as well do a little research since it has been a year and a half since I bought my last pair. One of my research stops was the PK3 appreciation thread on these forums. I was surprised to see that the last handful of posts were mostly people talking about dealing with defects and one person even mentioned something about Yuin changing something with the manufacturing of the product. Not sure how true that was or how accurate the defect complaints were (My PK3s performed well in the months I used them). But needless to say, that stuff scared me a little. Maybe someone can add some more to this?
But then I came across the Sennheiser MX 580s which have been receiving a lot of praise and seem to have surpassed the PK3s in that "best bang for your buck under $50 category" for earphones. I also wouldn't have to worry about durability as much since Sennheiser makes quality products, plus I'd have the warranty to fall back on. But I do have some questions, which is the reason this thread was made. Hopefully you guys can help me out with this stuff:
- As I mentioned before, fit/comfort is a big deal for me. I've seen some talk about the 580s being relatively large and even read that someone said they get tiring in your ears.
How are they compared to the PK3s? Unfortunately I can't remember exactly how well the PK3s fit my ear beyond that they were comfortable. I think I have the room to go with a little bit larger buds and still be comfortable. Anyone who can shed any light in this area would be really helpful!- Anyone use them with a FiiO E5? How is the synergy?
- My primary use of these headphones will be for music/videos on my PC and portable media player. With 90% of that time being with videos. Do the MX 580s have good sound for all types of videos? If there is a specific sound signature that is better for this, of course. Keep in mind that I loved how my PK3s performed in this area, but I also loved the sound of the PX100s, in case it's a "brand sound" type of thing. I'm not going to pretend to be an audio expert, so as long as they don't have some glaring flaw that makes them perform poorly with videos then I should be fine.
- Anything else anyone wants to share on PK3s vs. MX 580s?
Thanks everyone!
Edit: One more question! How is the quality of the in-line volume adjuster? Literally the only 'phones I've used in the past with one have had one that is made of crappy material and feels like it's destined to break. Also, does it add enough bulk that it makes it uncomfortable to lay down and listen to music/watch videos with these earphones?
