[el-bo]

Take into account that the official site does not apply VAT in the shown prices. They even don't charge it when making the order, so you have to be prepared to anything from the nice boys of ADT.

Thanks! Very useful information, as I'd definitely rather front-load my extras

 

[el-bo]

@el-bo

Check out the Yincrow RW-100 if you want that type of shell. It is at least decent (although I do take the Yincrow X6 over it).

Thanks!

Actually, I used to listen to earpods for hours a day, but I had silicone sleeves covering them. Now, without the sleeves, I find the earpods to be very uncomfortable. That makes me wary about trying others of a similar shape.

 

[el-bo]

From all that you are saying, I really don't think that true earbuds will be what you are looking for. The Earpods are a semi-closed (or open depending on how you look at it) design. If you are saying that the quantity of bass is not enough on those then you will not be able to get near that with flat-head earbuds. Quality of bass is more on the lines of what you will find with earbuds.

It is the design that enables them to have bass that rivals or even goes further than some IEMs. Since they have a tube that shoots the sound into your ear, it will not be that way with a flathead earbud. Another solution though might be to get some cheap buds and try a pad that comes to a tube (making them like the Earpods, which they DO sell on Aliexpress). The problem with this is that noone can say how good/bad those buds sound that way, because nobody really buys and listens to them in that way, and that sort of thing changes the entire sound profile.

You almost need to see if you can borrow some earbuds to see what I am talking about. The bass is all there, but it isn't near as big as even the Earpods offer.

Thanks!

Quite surprised by your answer. I really thought that some of these flat-heads could definitely top the earpods, and that it was just that the majority of enthusiasts preferred a different tuning. And actually, after reading your comment, I did go back and spend more time with the earpods. The bass is definitely there, but only seems to really show if a track is demanding it..which I find quite interesting. More than that, If I rotate the buds forward/downward a little, the bass does increase pretty significantly, but of course it comes a the expense of the rest of the frequencies.

The suggestion to use pads that end in a tube is interesting, but I can't imagine the effects of funnelling all that openness through a small being good for anything but the bass

I seem to be in between a rock and a hard place. Either i need earbuds with more bass and isolation than is possible, or iems that have less bass, more balance and less isolation.

It's definitely a shame that I can't borrow to test, or that Amazon don't have a large range in stock. I can see the only way that this is going to work out is if I buy a handful, hoping that at least one of them works, then selling on those that don't. But I don't quite have the funds for that, at the moment. Soon, perhaps.

 

[el-bo]

Good call! I believe that is really going to be the only way to get the amount of bass he is looking for from a bud(esc) design?!

Thanks! As I said to @RikudouGoku, the shape unfortunately is the source of some discomfort in my ears

 

[el-bo]

Nah.
Snow Lotus (s300 drivers) and Seahf F150C have a lot of good bass, but Snow Lotus is warm whilst F150C is V-shaped.
Even HE150 is a bass cannon (good quality).

Thanks!

Putting aside my wariness about driving higher stuff un-amped, I am curious about your "bass cannon" comment. It seem at odds with the idea that earbuds are not capable of much bass

 

[Xinlisupreme]

WOW! Now that I am looking at pictures of those, they actually look a lot like the (monstrosities that are) Maria II, at least in overall shape/size.

I have found some hooks that work great with the Maria II, and I suspect with the ST20(pro) also. The hook part is changeable and comes in all different sizes (one of which work well and is big enough to fit the Maria II perfectly). It fits nicely between the shell, and the part that goes into your concha.

Yes it’s 16.1mm, same as Maria II

 

[el-bo]

@el-bo needs more than bass. He needs to hear separation, clarity, timbre, reverb, compression, clicks, pops, distortions, etc… assuming he really wants to do this. Vidos or X6 can give you the big picture in a comfortable fashion, but they’re not really capable of the finer things. If he doesn’t want to EQ or use an amp, as far as I know his only real choice is the Tingo as far as I‘ve heard and measured.

Indeed! And unfortunately, i'm coming to the conclusion that want I'm after would cost hundreds in the iem world, and is not available in the earbud world.

I am curious still, though. At some point I'm going to have to order a handful to try. And AliEx is keen to give me a $4 voucher, one delivery cost for the whole package, and a pair of VE Monks for about 3 euros. Unfortunately, they don't seem to stock the Tingo's

Alternatively, a start a long quest for cheap, reference-quality iems, that isolate well, are comfortable and that don't blow excessive amounts of bass up (in this case, down) the wazoo!

Or maybe I just get some Koss KSC75's

 

[el-bo]

Would like to thank everybody for their help. I'm sure it's been a little irritating.

Will be stepping back from the internet for a little while. But I may go ahead with my idea of buying a few key recommendations, and hope to recoup some losses if it all goes 'South'.

I'll come back and report on my findings.

Thanks again

 

[samandhi]

Thanks!

Quite surprised by your answer. I really thought that some of these flat-heads could definitely top the earpods, and that it was just that the majority of enthusiasts preferred a different tuning. And actually, after reading your comment, I did go back and spend more time with the earpods. The bass is definitely there, but only seems to really show if a track is demanding it..which I find quite interesting. More than that, If I rotate the buds forward/downward a little, the bass does increase pretty significantly, but of course it comes a the expense of the rest of the frequencies.

The suggestion to use pads that end in a tube is interesting, but I can't imagine the effects of funnelling all that openness through a small being good for anything but the bass

I seem to be in between a rock and a hard place. Either i need earbuds with more bass and isolation than is possible, or iems that have less bass, more balance and less isolation.

It's definitely a shame that I can't borrow to test, or that Amazon don't have a large range in stock. I can see the only way that this is going to work out is if I buy a handful, hoping that at least one of them works, then selling on those that don't. But I don't quite have the funds for that, at the moment. Soon, perhaps.

There ARE a few that you CAN EQ some really large amounts of bass (for earbuds) into them, but those are the ones using the better drivers in them, and cost more than your budget would allow. Though, I might have to second the notion of the Smabat M2S Pro for the budget you have.

Mabye it IS fitment that is the problem with the Eearpods then for you. I remember when they first came out people were modding them by putting tape over the bass hole on the side to reduce the bass on them because it became fatiguing after time. That tightened them up and made them sound less... cheap. hehe

Alternatively, a start a long quest for cheap, reference-quality iems, that isolate well, are comfortable and that don't blow excessive amounts of bass up (in this case, down) the wazoo!

If you are willing to go the IEM route, I don't think it would be near as long of a quest IMO. While not perfect, the CCA CRA ($20 in the US, cheaper elsewhere) can compete with $100-$200 IEMs. They DO have boosted bass, but it is very tastefully done, and not muddy, nor does it bleed into the mids. It is a slight V signature overall. You SHOULD be able to get those on Amazon (which means you can return them). Oh, and you can order them with a mic if you want (it is a 2 pin replaceable cable).

 

[Xinlisupreme]

ST20 sounds very well but it’s big, maybe Rose Maria II 14.8mm should fit better in my ears…
It’s a pity because I really like ST20 out of the box

 

[Xinlisupreme]

WOW! Now that I am looking at pictures of those, they actually look a lot like the (monstrosities that are) Maria II, at least in overall shape/size.

I have found some hooks that work great with the Maria II, and I suspect with the ST20(pro) also. The hook part is changeable and comes in all different sizes (one of which work well and is big enough to fit the Maria II perfectly). It fits nicely between the shell, and the part that goes into your concha.

Never seen before.. where can I buy them?
I’ll skip RW2000 because shoul be big as ST20 and even thicker…

 

[feverfive]

After spending some months now with earbuds (something I had never done previously), the Qian39 are **by far** the best fitting for my ears.

I've already sold my smbat ST20 and have my Penon BS1 listed in Classifieds with the intention of next buying RW3000. I simply don't want to have even a small "collection" of buds on my hands, hahahaha. I don't have a set budget for this segment of the hobby and am just playing it by ear, so to speak.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Qian39

How is its tuning?

 

[samandhi]

ST20 sounds very well but it’s big, maybe Rose Maria II 14.8mm should fit better in my ears…
It’s a pity because I really like ST20 out of the box

The great thing about the Maria II is that you can order either the smaller sized ones or the bigger sized ones to fit your ear better. From what I have read they sound exactly the same (using the same drivers).

Never seen before.. where can I buy them?
I’ll skip RW2000 because shoul be big as ST20 and even thicker…

Maybe tomorrow I will put up a link for you. I got them off of amazon. I cannot put up the link today because my Amazon account was hacked this weekend, so until I stop the bleeding, and they reverse the charges made to my accounts, it is locked.

Anyhow, they were very cheap, and come with sizes that would fit the Maria II all the way down to the Chaconne.

Spoiler: Chaconne With Fin

The RW2000 aren't near the size of the Maria II. They are actually smaller than the Smabat ST10S. About the size of the M2S Pro IMO.

 

[samandhi]

The great thing about the Maria II is that you can order either the smaller sized ones or the bigger sized ones to fit your ear better. From what I have read they sound exactly the same (using the same drivers).

Maybe tomorrow I will put up a link for you. I got them off of amazon. I cannot put up the link today because my Amazon account was hacked this weekend, so until I stop the bleeding, and they reverse the charges made to my accounts, it is locked.

Anyhow, they were very cheap, and come with sizes that would fit the Maria II all the way down to the Chaconne.

Spoiler: Chaconne With Fin

The RW2000 aren't near the size of the Maria II. They are actually smaller than the Smabat ST10S. About the size of the M2S Pro IMO.

Or you could go with something like these (I had to snip the ends because they were a bit long for my ears).

Spoiler