[marlonmarabe]

Quote:

so the 980's are still king?
 
i'm considering getting back into the top end earbud game.
 
sounds like waiting for your hisound living review may be the way to go.. any idea when it will arrive?
 
thanks!

w/out a doubt!
 

 

[swbf2cheater]

Quote:

so the 980's are still king?
 
i'm considering getting back into the top end earbud game.
 
sounds like waiting for your hisound living review may be the way to go.. any idea when it will arrive?
 
thanks!

Yes, still king and the most user friendly with the most usability. Nothing I am aware of is as well rounded and that can be used virtually in any genre and still sound great.  The MX980 has excellent positional accuracy that rivals the AD700 for gaming qualities.  You can pinpoint sounds with great accuracy, nothing else I have reviewed is capable of even moderate levels of positional accuracy.  It retains some warmth but also a sense of dryness with a very large and wide stage.   So yes, still the King in my opinion.  A little birdie told me the new hisound bud will take the crown in every quality category.
 
I've posted the Living review a while back.  My review thread is complete for the time being and I don't see anything in the foreseeable future except the new gear from Hisound and another company that has asked me to remain silent about  
 
 

 

[Br777]

so when and where will this new hisound bud be available?  the ol' googler isnt helping much on this one

 

[pancakeplease]

where can i buy the hisound audio pros? Doesnt seem to be online or on amazon or ebay..

 

[swbf2cheater]

 
Quote:

where can i buy the hisound audio pros? Doesnt seem to be online or on amazon or ebay..

 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hisoundaudio-PAA-1PRO-Professional-HiFi-Grade-Earphones-/290630211106?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item43aae91622#ht_3063wt_1031
 

 

[horizon21]

Today I finally received my PAA-1's. I must admit that they surpassed my expectations. Since they were absent in the product database, I took the liberty of adding them. I even wrote a short review for the curious. Thanks, swbf2cheater, for the recommendation!

 

[Overkill Red]

Hey,
 
Sorry if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find any comparisons.
How's the size of the MX980 compared to the Piano Forte?
I've considered upgrading from the latter to the former, but I'm not sure if it'll be uncomfortable.
The Pianos fit perfectly in my ears and I don't feel any pain wearing them, fortunately,
Thanks!
 
tT3rd

 

[swbf2cheater]

You enjoy bass anemic sound?  I don't think I've ever recommended the Fortes to anyone in the past and certainly do not want to recommend them to anyone.  The mx980 is a dryer, more lush and spacious sound with many more applications of use including gaming, movies and musical needs.  The only other set I would call well rounded would be the Hisound Live, they sound great everywhere.  
 
Please SKIP the Piano Forte and try to get the Hisound Pro or save up for a Live.  I cannot and will not recommend the Final Audio buds.  You will not regret it.  The difference between the Forte and the Hisound buds are fairly obvious upon first listen.  The forte is almost totally lacking bass and feels lopsided due to large mids and potent highs.  Thats just my opinion, if you want that type of sound, REALLY SAVE UP for the Hisound Living, because its the same setup as the Forte:  Bass anemic, large unrivaled soundstage, amazing mids and highs, extremely well built.  But, if the FA buds are what you want, then go for it and I wish you the best, don't let me stand in the way of what you think you might enjoy, your ears know best, I am just some schmo on the internet ha!
 
-mike

 

[Overkill Red]

Quote:

You enjoy bass anemic sound?  I don't think I've ever recommended the Fortes to anyone in the past and certainly do not want to recommend them to anyone.  The mx980 is a dryer, more lush and spacious sound with many more applications of use including gaming, movies and musical needs.  The only other set I would call well rounded would be the Hisound Live, they sound great everywhere.  
 
Please SKIP the Piano Forte and try to get the Hisound Pro or save up for a Live.  I cannot and will not recommend the Final Audio buds.  You will not regret it.  The difference between the Forte and the Hisound buds are fairly obvious upon first listen.  The forte is almost totally lacking bass and feels lopsided due to large mids and potent highs.  Thats just my opinion, if you want that type of sound, REALLY SAVE UP for the Hisound Living, because its the same setup as the Forte:  Bass anemic, large unrivaled soundstage, amazing mids and highs, extremely well built.  But, if the FA buds are what you want, then go for it and I wish you the best, don't let me stand in the way of what you think you might enjoy, your ears know best, I am just some schmo on the internet ha!
 
-mike

 
Thanks for your reply!
I got the Fortes as a gift, and although I agree that it really isn't very good, it has a nice natural presentation that I really like with a few songs (that don't require much bass).
As such, I've been wanting to upgrade my earbuds to the Living/Live/MX980/PAA-01s for awhile now, and your thead is only making things worse , not that I'm complaining! 

The first thing I'm trying to figure out before I think any further is: physically, how much bigger/smaller are the 4 alternatives compared to the Fortes? One of my top priority is comfort as I'll be wearing the buds for at least 2 hours at a time and I don't want any discomfort.
 
Thanks!
tT3rd

 

[swbf2cheater]

Quote:

Quote:

You enjoy bass anemic sound?  I don't think I've ever recommended the Fortes to anyone in the past and certainly do not want to recommend them to anyone.  The mx980 is a dryer, more lush and spacious sound with many more applications of use including gaming, movies and musical needs.  The only other set I would call well rounded would be the Hisound Live, they sound great everywhere.  
 
Please SKIP the Piano Forte and try to get the Hisound Pro or save up for a Live.  I cannot and will not recommend the Final Audio buds.  You will not regret it.  The difference between the Forte and the Hisound buds are fairly obvious upon first listen.  The forte is almost totally lacking bass and feels lopsided due to large mids and potent highs.  Thats just my opinion, if you want that type of sound, REALLY SAVE UP for the Hisound Living, because its the same setup as the Forte:  Bass anemic, large unrivaled soundstage, amazing mids and highs, extremely well built.  But, if the FA buds are what you want, then go for it and I wish you the best, don't let me stand in the way of what you think you might enjoy, your ears know best, I am just some schmo on the internet ha!
 
-mike

 
Thanks for your reply!
I got the Fortes as a gift, and although I agree that it really isn't very good, it has a nice natural presentation that I really like with a few songs (that don't require much bass).
As such, I've been wanting to upgrade my earbuds to the Living/Live/MX980/PAA-01s for awhile now, and your thead is only making things worse , not that I'm complaining! 

The first thing I'm trying to figure out before I think any further is: physically, how much bigger/smaller are the 4 alternatives compared to the Fortes? One of my top priority is comfort as I'll be wearing the buds for at least 2 hours at a time and I don't want any discomfort.
 
Thanks!
tT3rd

 
IMO, the Fortes hard plastic housing was not comfortable.  Its hybrid design and style makes it stick in your ear canal which can easily cause pain over time, where as typical earbud design hooks onto your ear.  In the case of earbuds, its better to have a thin housing with a large diameter face plate, sets like the CM700 and the Hisound Live and Living have this type of design, its very comfortable and can offer a snug fit.  The MX980 on the other hand is super thick in the housing and also large in diameter, I was not ever able to get a good fit with it and it did cause distress.  It has an odd shape to it, much like an oblong and rounded funnel that starts off thin at the back end and gets fatter in the area closest to your inner ear.  The hisound buds are more flat on both sides, thinner all around.  The biggest problem with the 980 is that there is not enough hooking space.  There is a nice gap on the Live and Living between the stem of the earbuds and the driving housing, which allows for a better fit in my opinion, it simply hooks onto your ear and hangs nicely.  The MX980 doesnt.  There isn't any space between its stem and the housing, this forces you to push them as far as possible into your ear...the downside for people like me is that its just too thick and pops right out sometimes due to some shallow ear space.  
 
The hisound buds do not have that problem.  They are actually designed for anyone.  Sennheiser told me they designed the MX980 to fit only the majority of the market, which to me means taller people or anyone who does not have slightly shallow ears.  ( I've had literally 200+ users on Head Fi complain about their ears being like mine, kind of shallow and that the MX980 pops right out because of its fat housing.  This actually got so annoying, I eventually contacted Sennheiser and tried to inform them about the distress its causing.)
 
I applied to their design team months ago after speaking to that person at Sennheiser.  Who knows, maybe they will hire me so I can design some practical stuff for everyone

 

[Overkill Red]

Quote:

 
I applied to their design team months ago after speaking to that person at Sennheiser.  Who knows, maybe they will hire me so I can design some practical stuff for everyone

 
That sounds fun
So I'm over 6 feet tall, and I'm guessing that means tall for Sennheiser unless its German tall...
Thanks a lot for your answers, right now its between the MX980s, the Lives and the new Hisound earbuds which I might wait for
 
tT3rd

 

[Br777]

to me, the only way to own the mx980's was to get the OMX 980's  this is the version with ear clips.. the prices is a major deterrant, but the ear clips were very comfortable (better than any other clip style earphones i've ever owned), and if it wasnt for the clips, i never would have been able to keep the buds in my ears. not even close.   
 
so is it the hisound Living, which as i understand has not come out yet, that is looking to trump the 980's?
any idea when they come out?
 
thanks

 

[neato]

How's the durability and fit on the Paa 1 Pro? My gym earbuds broke, so I'm looking at these to replace them.

 

[kanuka]

the housing themselves are pretty sturdy, very thick. the cable very soft and flexible but a bit thin. the plug is straight and thin too (like the UE700 and TF10)

 

[FlyingDutchMan]

I have a similar 'problem' as tT3rd. I have been reading the reviews and other posts on this forum for ideas for my next earbud. I own the shure E3C however I want to move to earbuds so I can hear what is going on around me.
Via all the post I narrowed my choise down to the MX980 and the Blox M2C. I was ready to go with the Blox (worried about the discomfort of the MX980) until I read the review of the HiSoundaudio PAA-1 pro (and another earbud comming up from HiSoundaudio)
Now I am more leaning on getting an more classic designed earbud like the Blox or PAA-1 pro for normal day use. And get the MX980 or another good earbud that HSA might put out for more serious listing (although I don't fancy the design of the live and living as I don't like the design of the MX980, can they just design a top of the line earbud in a normal housing like yuin does but then one that does not require an amp? Please no bling, just a good sounding earbud <-- sorry for going slight off topic).
 
So my first question is how do the Blox and PAA-1 Pro compare? Does the PAA-1 pro sound bass heavy like the iBeats? (which for me is way too much bass) or is it more balanced?
The second question, is there enough difference between the Blox (or PAA-1 Pro) to warant the additional purchase of a MX980 or HSA Live/living(?).
 
Thanks for all the good info on this forum and keep up the good work.