Earbuds Round-Up
Jun 2, 2020 at 1:19 AM Post #48,136 of 74,617
Good evening all,

Probably no one is asking for this, but I'm gonna post it anyways.

As you may or may not know, the Edifier H180 is a beast of an earbud, and I mean that wholeheartedly. I just spent the entire day listening to them while working, and don't want to part with them for bed - they are that good.

They have the technicalities and the overall signature is slightly dry but very coherent. The only critique I have is that the bass quality is not as tight/articulate as I would like it (though quantity is near-perfect), and the existence of a treble peak in the 7.5k range.

Through experimental listening, I have identified where the treble peak is, and therefore have "solved" the second issue I have with the earbuds.

How to do this? You will need to learn to use a parametric eq. I know, this is not convenient for those who like earbuds for portable use, but even as a desktop setup, it rivals some of my headphones in tone with its wide and deep staging.

Okay, so on with the fix: What you will need to do is put one band around the 7600-7650 range to get rid of the treble peak. I find the settings in the image are quite appropriate for me, with a very slight intolerance to sibilance. As a note, most 10-band eq's on mobile devices have an 8k band, which is pretty damned close to reaching the effects of a parametric eq, but the last 20% of the improvement should be used with parametric, not fixed band.
1591074987829.png

With this eq fix, you are looking at an earbud I would place solidly at $100. It's current price on Amazon is around $10, and even cheaper on aliexpress.

If you don't mind using eq, you really can't go wrong with the H180. At the very least, give it a try!
 
Jun 2, 2020 at 2:05 PM Post #48,137 of 74,617
Well I respect the views of everyone regarding the non detachable cables in gear > $50 USD, but for me, it is not only an issue of longevity (as I had a few midfi sets die on me at the cable).

Some of us wanna use balanced connections, some of us prefer different cables for haptic/ergonomic/feel, some of us like different cables to change the sound signature (if u ain't a cable skeptic).
Yeah, balanced cables should be even more important for earbuds than iems since they seem to require more power.
 
Jun 2, 2020 at 11:47 PM Post #48,139 of 74,617
If you don't mind using eq, you really can't go wrong with the H180. At the very least, give it a try!

I was actually wondering about them because they are readily available on amazon. Have you had a chance to try the H190? I'm wondering if they are upgraded in any way from the H180. I might pick up a pair since there is no way I'm ordering from Aliexpress right now, I need my earbuds pronto! ;p
 
Jun 2, 2020 at 11:57 PM Post #48,140 of 74,617
Didn't have the muffled or veiled sound you can get with some warmer tunings

Again, thank you. That's my only issue with the JVC, which is always my sleeping bud, and I like it for that because it's very nice at low volumes--but it sounds too "thick." I'm not sure muffled is the term I'd use, but it's close enough :relaxed:
 
Jun 3, 2020 at 12:11 AM Post #48,141 of 74,617
I was actually wondering about them because they are readily available on amazon. Have you had a chance to try the H190? I'm wondering if they are upgraded in any way from the H180. I might pick up a pair since there is no way I'm ordering from Aliexpress right now, I need my earbuds pronto! ;p
That's very interesting, I didn't know that there was an H190. However, I am content with H180 for now, because any change to the tuning (other than an improvement) would ruin the signature for me. But if there's a good price with Prime shipment, I will consider it :).
 
Jun 3, 2020 at 12:28 AM Post #48,142 of 74,617
Well I respect the views of everyone regarding the non detachable cables in gear > $50 USD, but for me, it is not only an issue of longevity (as I had a few midfi sets die on me at the cable).

Some of us wanna use balanced connections, some of us prefer different cables for haptic/ergonomic/feel, some of us like different cables to change the sound signature (if u ain't a cable skeptic).

AND some of us want to be able to use a bluetooth cable to make them wireless. The list of benefits for detachable cables is much longer than the only pro to non-detachable (being lighter). My Shozy BKs are starting to short out in one of the ears--I had a buddy engineer fix it, but its not perfect. Would be nice if I could just replace an MMCX cable instead of trash $160.
 
Jun 3, 2020 at 12:33 AM Post #48,143 of 74,617
I’m not an earbud aficionado, b/c I’ve never been able to get a good fit. So, I’ll follow this thread to learn!
If you are interested, start first with a cheap PK shell earbud from aliexpress and make sure you put thin foams on it. Other than my kids, I haven't had one person that did not like the fit of the PK shells. They are the most comfortable of the shells. The one disadvantage of PK shells is that there are less variety of earbuds on offer with this specific shell.
 
Jun 3, 2020 at 12:38 AM Post #48,144 of 74,617
I did not have a standard version, because I read the review and they talked about the lack of lows (bass). I was glad when I heard that there will be a version where the bass is present.

I really like my RW9's. The RW-1000 Bass Pro Version is going on my "how will I resist" list!

Would you consider these earbuds? Growing up, these type of phones were what I always used and really liked. They had a lot of bass (“Megabass”). I was upset when they essentially went away, until IEMs came about.

95EA2757-FFC3-438E-9F91-93EEAF076BC9.jpeg

I had similar Sony's. I actually still have them! I'll have to dig them out. I took them for granted at the time, but they were quite good.
 
Jun 3, 2020 at 5:13 AM Post #48,145 of 74,617
I really like my RW9's. The RW-1000 Bass Pro Version is going on my "how will I resist" list!

The RW-1000 Bass Pro sounds more neutral and has a little bit less bass than RW9
 
Jun 3, 2020 at 9:13 AM Post #48,148 of 74,617
I was actually wondering about them because they are readily available on amazon. Have you had a chance to try the H190? I'm wondering if they are upgraded in any way from the H180. I might pick up a pair since there is no way I'm ordering from Aliexpress right now, I need my earbuds pronto! ;p

I have both. I prefer H180 which are a great earbud. Not 100$ great as some claim tho. My Toneking TO600 (around 100$ i guess) are much better. It feels a little strange to say they are much better..., because H180 are indeed great 😊
You can't go wrong with H180 if you prefer warmer sound, I bet most people like the comfort of them too. And they are available with mic if you would prefer that.
 
Jun 3, 2020 at 10:36 AM Post #48,149 of 74,617
I am relieved to see this thread up and running again. This has been the thread that I check first for for a long time now. Also it was a favorite of my husband @HungryPanda who, as many of you know, was taken by Covid 19 on April 15th after we had both been fighting it for 10 days. I hope that over the coming years people will still find and appreciate his comments in here... and maybe mine too... and quite a few photos. Please never forget him. He gave a lot of himself here.

This is one of the best threads on headfi and has a long history.
 

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