Earbuds Round-Up

[mt877]

Thank you for your impressions!
I did compare the graph to your graph of the artiste Nightinggale.
I am aware that you did not do any comparison to any other bud. It is probably a good practice to not do so, but "learn" the tuning of an earbud and do full brain burn in and judge a bud on its own merits...
You write "the bass region may appear lower in the graph than actually perceived". Do you feel the bass to be linear up to a certain point and having subbass rolloff as usual in a bud, or do you think the U-shaped bass tube actually has a benefit here? Because this is what their product description suggests...
I simply cannot help but realize that the bass rolloff looks very similar (basically identical) to your measurement of your Artiste Nightingale. -4db from 200 to 100HZ and -4db more from 100 to 80HZ.
In the treble at 8k both are at -4db relative to 1khz.
While the shape of the pinna gain is different in both buds and I don't expect them to sound alike, from the graphs I would deduct that they have a similar tonal balance.
Is that in case true or am I reading the graph wrong/the graph doesn't tell the whole story because of the different fit of the buds in the measurement rig?
Also: How does the fit with the stock cable work for you? Apparently it is heavy and stiff...
Lots of questions for the new year. Sorry.
Love the look of this bud and might be interested in trying it out - but if the bass tube is nothing but a gimmick and we end up with usual earbud bass but have bad fit because of it (the stem including cable looks loooong, evokes bad memories of RY4S Mmcx pro),
Then I'd definitely stay away...

The sub-bass is light, yet the total overall bass is very good. Since I don't have other buds that use a "Aiwa" type bass tube system I don't know exactly what to expect. From what I've read about the ES-P3 buds is that the Ucotech CEO, Mr. Shin was on the team for designing the Aiwa V55 earbuds, so that at least lends some credibility to the design of the ES-P3's. I think the bass tube system definitely has an impact on the bass, maybe not on quantity, but definitely on the quality.

The reason I said "the bass region may appear lower in the graph than actually perceived" is based on the official FR graph of the FiiO FF3 which is one of the bassiest earbuds around. I'm not saying that my measurement rig is even close to FiiO's professional measurement rig, just that the bass region measurement has some similarities.

The ES-P3 bass is different (fuller bass) then the Artiste bass even though there may be some similarity in their graphs. I guess that is why FR graphs can't be totally relied on to tell the whole story of how (in our case) earbuds will sound.

Published FF3 FR graph:

Edit: Here's the FF3 FR measurement I made with my rig for comparison against the official FF3 FR graph. The graphs are definitely not the same due to equipment and measurement differences, though there are general similarities which in my opinion are close enough. I think it would be hard to tell what the earbuds would really sound like from just looking at either of the graphs. Unfortunately the only way to know how they sound is to try the buds for yourself.

The cable is thicker and heavier than other cables that I have. As noted in reviews, when sitting still the cable doesn't affect the fit of the earbuds. When walking around the cable weight can cause the buds to shift position and change the sound. I think Ucotech is very aware of this situation, hence they provided rings with hooks to stabilize the earbuds. The buds fit in my ears pretty well, but do occasionally slip when moving around. My trick to fix that is to rotate the buds at the MMCX connector to position the buds in such a way that when I put them in my ears the rear portion of the earbud twists inward toward the concha and help lock the front portion of the buds into the intertragic notch. I find that earbuds will slip out of my ears if the rear portion is rotating outward away from my concha due to cable twist.

Hope that helps.

 

[mt877]

Happy New Year to yourself! And to the earbud-roundup that!

Does anyone know the mm whole to make a donut foam out of? I'm gonna get a set of punches and I just wanna make sure the right one is there. Just by eyeing some it looks around a 7mm hole.

I got donuts from Trig Rain and most are way off center. And the nicehck ones look to be perfect but I'm cheap and those are like $10 for a bag. So I thought I'd just make my own.

The hole is usually the same size as the hole used for putting on the foams.

 

[sofastreamer]

Huh, weird, I saw ES-P3 on HifiCat a few days ago...

But @mt877's method of contacting the manufacturer is the best by the sound of it. But if you're getting ES-P2, maybe no need to get another set from Ucotech

Lots of options if you want a different supplier

i got the p2 a while ago and its my main headphone ever since. of cause i have to hear the next iteration

 

[sofastreamer]

After a few more days of listening to tunes with the ES-P3's, I've finally have some thoughts about these buds.

First the overall sound (to my ears) is pretty well balanced. While sub-bass may be a little light, there is some sub-bass presence and ear-felt rumble in tracks which feature bass or drums, like Brandon Lanes's "Bassinyaface" (Jazz), Eric Valentine's "Tis so Sweet (For Wayman Tisdale)" (Jazz), Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick" (Rock). Bass is articulate and tight, enhancing the mid-range to add some musical fullness, so to speak. The tuning of the ear gain region (1k to 5k) is done well, so the upper mids and treble sound as expected. The high end is airy, yet not shouty. You might say there's a slight roll off, but that's not absolute either.

Last but not least, here's my FR measurement of the ES-P3 buds. The graph is an average of 2 left side and 2 right side measurements with the supplied full foams. As you probably already know, flat head earbuds can typically measure like open back headphones, so the bass region may appear lower in the graph than actually perceived when you listen to the earbuds.



I did not make any comparisons to other earbuds. Do I think they are worthy to be in one's collection, yes I do. Just because I like how they sound doesn't mean someone else will like them as well, so YMMV is all I can say.

thank you for the impressions and specially the measurements!

 

[ttorbic]

Happy New Year to yourself! And to the earbud-roundup that!

Does anyone know the mm whole to make a donut foam out of? I'm gonna get a set of punches and I just wanna make sure the right one is there. Just by eyeing some it looks around a 7mm hole.

I got donuts from Trig Rain and most are way off center. And the nicehck ones look to be perfect but I'm cheap and those are like $10 for a bag. So I thought I'd just make my own.

I'll measure mine once I'm back home. Btw, you can definitely customise the donut hole size to tweak the sound profile! TGXEar provides donuts with really small holes, circa 3 mm, for example, that's different to the "market standard" of more like 6-7 mm (all estimates as I haven't measured them yet).

 

[ttorbic]

i got the p2 a while ago and its my mein headphone ever since. of cause i have to hear the next iteration

Haha ok! If you do get the ES-P3, let us know your impressions

 

[droenald]

i got the p2 a while ago and its my main headphone ever since. of cause i have to hear the next iteration

Be sure to leave us a little impressions post and comparison between P2 and P3

 

[droenald]

The sub-bass is light, yet the total overall bass is very good. Since I don't have other buds that use a "Aiwa" type bass tube system I don't know exactly what to expect. From what I've read about the ES-P3 buds is that the Ucotech CEO, Mr. Shin was on the team for designing the Aiwa V55 earbuds, so that at least lends some credibility to the design of the ES-P3's. I think the bass tube system definitely has an impact on the bass, maybe not on quantity, but definitely on the quality.

Thank you for taking the time to explain a bit further! Happy to hear the bass is of really high quality. As I am not listening to a lot to electronic music I mostly don't need the subbass. However I still want to have a more or less full representation of a bassdrum sound. So any (even stronger) rolloff below 80Hz is acceptable to me, which is why I am usually ok with earbuds.
I will definitely put the ES-P3 on my shortlist. The heavy cable is a bit of a bummer but I have a few lighter mmcx cables around that I could substitute for the original cable.
I am still in the exploration phase of the more expensive earbuds... Having bought 2 sets from DiY makers and the Temperament DBX as expensive sets I can't help but feel that the engineering force and resources of a company might actually be beneficial as opposed to a one person business, which is why I am eyeing the ES-P3 now.
Maybe I just chose the wrong buds for my preferences from those DIYers...That beeing said I did like the personal contact, customization options and paying a single person for building an earbud over the impersonal buying experience you have when buying over Aliexpress or some shop.

I have the VE SMG on order, to see what a high end VE bud can achieve - will report back.
Next up: Possibly Ucotech! I hope somebody else will buy them and give us some more impressions before I'll take the plunge.

Do you mind me asking some more questions?
You make it clear that this is a high quality warm balanced sounding bud and a worthy addition to the stable of any earbud afficionado.
How do you like/love it, how is your personal bias? Can it replace or dethrone some or one of your other higher end buds and take its place potentially relegating some other earbud to a dark corner in some drawer? (I think I remember you owning RW-2000, RW-3000, RW-4000, DB1, Fiio FF3, FF5)
What is the strongest point pro ES-P3, and what ist its biggest flaw (if there is any ) in your opinion?
I realize this has gotten really long and I am asking quite a lot - sorry for that!
Please don't feel obliged to answer, you have given a lot of valuable info already!

 

[rokushoo]

I recently picked up a couple colors of Rit DyeMore synthetic dye to try on some diy builds. I'm really pleased with the results.

 

[h8uthemost]

The hole is usually the same size as the hole used for putting on the foams.

Yeah I guess you're right about that now that I take a better look at the donuts that I have. Thanks

I'll measure mine once I'm back home. Btw, you can definitely customise the donut hole size to tweak the sound profile! TGXEar provides donuts with really small holes, circa 3 mm, for example, that's different to the "market standard" of more like 6-7 mm (all estimates as I haven't measured them yet).

I haven't even thought about making different holes. I'll get a wide set of punches and a ton of foams and see what I can find up with. This may be the cheapest mod to get the best out of your buds!

 

[mt877]

Thank you for taking the time to explain a bit further! Happy to hear the bass is of really high quality. As I am not listening to a lot to electronic music I mostly don't need the subbass. However I still want to have a more or less full representation of a bassdrum sound. So any (even stronger) rolloff below 80Hz is acceptable to me, which is why I am usually ok with earbuds.
I will definitely put the ES-P3 on my shortlist. The heavy cable is a bit of a bummer but I have a few lighter mmcx cables around that I could substitute for the original cable.
I am still in the exploration phase of the more expensive earbuds... Having bought 2 sets from DiY makers and the Temperament DBX as expensive sets I can't help but feel that the engineering force and resources of a company might actually be beneficial as opposed to a one person business, which is why I am eyeing the ES-P3 now.
Maybe I just chose the wrong buds for my preferences from those DIYers...That beeing said I did like the personal contact, customization options and paying a single person for building an earbud over the impersonal buying experience you have when buying over Aliexpress or some shop.

I have the VE SMG on order, to see what a high end VE bud can achieve - will report back.
Next up: Possibly Ucotech! I hope somebody else will buy them and give us some more impressions before I'll take the plunge.

Do you mind me asking some more questions?
You make it clear that this is a high quality warm balanced sounding bud and a worthy addition to the stable of any earbud afficionado.
How do you like/love it, how is your personal bias? Can it replace or dethrone some or one of your other higher end buds and take its place potentially relegating some other earbud to a dark corner in some drawer? (I think I remember you owning RW-2000, RW-3000, RW-4000, DB1, Fiio FF3, FF5)
What is the strongest point pro ES-P3, and what ist its biggest flaw (if there is any ) in your opinion?
I realize this has gotten really long and I am asking quite a lot - sorry for that!
Please don't feel obliged to answer, you have given a lot of valuable info already!

Nice, I hope the VE SMG suit your listening prefs. I'm sure you've done some research or read some reviews before making your buying decision.

The one thing that strikes me about the ES-P3 is how easy it is to listen to music for hours without any fatigue (Pro). Since these buds are 165Ω with 100dB/mW sensitivity, they require a little extra driving power to bring out the best in them. As an example, with my Shanling M3X I need to switch to balanced output high gain (4 Volt) to drive them properly (potential Con). The heavy cable could be a problem, but I'm ok with the cable. I tend to stick with the manufacturer selected cable as I figure they must have selected the specific cable for a good reason (audio quailty).

The ES-P3 buds don't dethrone my other higher end buds, rather they just add variety with a different sound signature. I've probably mentioned somewhere in this big thread that I'm partial to the sound of the Yincrow RW-3000 and RW-4000 buds. Other earbuds that I like are the FiiO EM5 and FF3 as well as some of my DIY builds. If I were to choose one earbud that would sit in a dark drawer compared to the ES-P3 from the ones you listed, it would have to be the DB1. After A/B listening with ES-P3 and DB1, I find the DB1 to have an over emphasized midrange and sounds unnatural to me. Having said that, if I just listen to the DB1 and let my hearing / brain adjust to their sound signature, they sound fine.

 

[droenald]

Nice, I hope the VE SMG suit your listening prefs. I'm sure you've done some research or read some reviews before making your buying decision.

Yes, I did. There was quite some hype about it in the Flathead Sanctuary Discord... Apparently it is a very good allrounder that does everything very very good and nothing wrong. There is apparently also nothing it does really excel at, so no "best of class" in a specific region either (like imaging, treble quality....) I am pretty hyped to get them soon. Also the first bud in PK shell format for me. I will report back when I've had some time with it.

The one thing that strikes me about the ES-P3 is how easy it is to listen to music for hours without any fatigue (Pro). Since these buds are 165Ω with 100dB/mW sensitivity, they require a little extra driving power to bring out the best in them. As an example, with my Shanling M3X I need to switch to balanced output high gain (4 Volt) to drive them properly (potential Con). The heavy cable could be a problem, but I'm ok with the cable. I tend to stick with the manufacturer selected cable as I figure they must have selected the specific cable for a good reason (audio quailty).

The ES-P3 buds don't dethrone my other higher end buds, rather they just add variety with a different sound signature. I've probably mentioned somewhere in this big thread that I'm partial to the sound of the Yincrow RW-3000 and RW-4000 buds. Other earbuds that I like are the FiiO EM5 and FF3 as well as some of my DIY builds. If I were to choose one earbud that would sit in a dark drawer compared to the ES-P3 from the ones you listed, it would have to be the DB1. After A/B listening with ES-P3 and DB1, I find the DB1 to have an over emphasized midrange and sounds unnatural to me. Having said that, if I just listen to the DB1 and let my hearing / brain adjust to their sound signature, they sound fine.

Thank you for the further explanation. The fact that you stated a pro, but no cons for the ES-P3 makes me itchy to pull the trigger... I'll hold back from getting them though for the time beeing. This hobby is getting exponentially more expensive - I cannot go on spending north of 200€ for a new set of earbuds each month but this seems to become an addiction very quick.
@h8uthemost : Do you remember how some of us said it would probably make more sense for you to buy a totl set instead of buying more budget sets and trying a lot of them, because you might be happy with the totl set and in the end it would be better than owning 6 or 7 budget sets, as those would all be nothing but sidegrades?
Well - I don't believe in that any more!
The problem is still that you will want to sample other earbuds, your curiosity will get the best of you and you will buy something new. The problem then is that you will have raised the stakes by a factor of 10! 200 instead of 20€ per set. If you don't like some peculiarity in the tuning of an expensive earbud set buyers remorse is pretty bad.
Also: tonally I'd still say I prefer the EB2S over GAS3 or Serratus2, despite of its shortcomings, so it is possible to be absolutely happy with the sound you are getting without having to spend big bucks!

 

[magicscreen]

The problem is still that you will want to sample other earbuds, your curiosity will get the best of you and you will buy something new. The problem then is that you will have raised the stakes by a factor of 10! 200 instead of 20€ per set. If you don't like some peculiarity in the tuning of an expensive earbud set buyers remorse is pretty bad.

This is why I only buy max $6 flathead earbuds.

 

[droenald]

This is why I only buy max $6 flathead earbuds.

In your case you'd raise the stakes by a factor of 33!
I suggest to stay in this price bracket and not move up if you want/need to monitor your expenses closely.
You will probably not be able to unhear what you heard in a better earbud and will never be able to go back. It happened to me.

 

[DAndrew]

Hey Guys! Back to earbuds after a few years, what are the go-to buds now?