[jant71]

They are $69 everywhere, ebay, Sonix, AudioAdvisor, Amazon, etc. That is the usual price = )

 

[golov17]

http://penonaudio.com/Hifiman-ES100?search=hifiman%20es100 $62

 

[jant71]

There you go!! Penon has slashed the price $7 and we have a sale price But are they still worth buying as it seems people still like some cheaper stuff better like the BE3, E100, Asura, DIY Dual and MR Z and others.
 
Never saw myself grabbing a pair as they seemed to be the Hifiman special with some technical ability but not much staying power(for fun/engagement)  like it seems some of the BLOX and VE have. I would probably gotten bored of their sound.

 

[golov17]

I can not decide. Buy or not

 

[Mad Max]

Any additional impressions versus Yuins? (G2A, PK2, & OK2)
No one has compared them to Portapro, PX100, PX200, Soundmagic P30, Beyer DTX501, or something?
 
Edit: got an ES100.  I must say, the fidelity is impressive... out of my Stepdance amp.  Kind of in-your-face, rather colored, and lacking some control without the Stepdance, practically sounds like a different and lower quality earphone.  Cold-sounding but much more transparent and with better separation with the Stepdance.  Now to compare with DTX501, PX200, PMX100, and ATH-ES88.
I love the blue of its look.
 
Edit2: Oh man, ES100 almost fully wins out on sound quality, and even though its soundstage is tiny, it is deeper and much more precise then these other (ultra-)portable on-ears.  Bass is where it falls short, but that's unavoidable with earbuds as far as I know, and not that bad either as it gets to 30Hz with amping.  Bass is only modestly boosted, I think, sounds pretty close to being accurate in amount.  It improves a bit more out of my desktop gear, dang.  Very balanced sound except for the upper mids boost I'm getting that makes it sound somewhat cold.
Love the ES100.
 
Definitely recommend ES100 to anyone wanting an earphone with good fidelity that doesn't go inside of your ear canals.  I think Hifiman hit a good note here, haha.
 
Edit 3: 8 months later, this headphone's transformation between the amped and unamped sound is still jarring.  Crystalline, very analytical, precise, cold, and relatively balanced sound out of my desktop or portable amps, but straight out of my J3, Sony E434, or cellphone, it sounds far more colored, flabby, and upfront.  Not even my 250-ohm Beyers, DT770 and T90, behave this way.
Anyway, I'm still blown away at how good it sounds for so cheap.  Anyone on the fence for this amp, definitely give it a shot with at least a Fiio E12, I suppose.  Or a Meier Quickstep if possible, haha.
Some fiddling with the fit for best sound will be required, slight learning curve there.  Sounds best without foam covers for me.

 

[Frederick Wang]

  Any additional impressions versus Yuins? (G2A, PK2, & OK2)
No one has compared them to Portapro, PX100, PX200, Soundmagic P30, Beyer DTX501, or something?
 
Edit: got an ES100.  I must say, the fidelity is impressive... out of my Stepdance amp.  Kind of in-your-face, rather colored, and lacking some control without the Stepdance, practically sounds like a different and lower quality earphone.  Cold-sounding but much more transparent and with better separation with the Stepdance.  Now to compare with DTX501, PX200, PMX100, and ATH-ES88.
I love the blue of its look.
 
Edit2: Oh man, ES100 almost fully wins out on sound quality, and even though its soundstage is tiny, it is deeper and much more precise then these other (ultra-)portable on-ears.  Bass is where it falls short, but that's unavoidable with earbuds as far as I know, and not that bad either as it gets to 30Hz with amping.  Bass is only modestly boosted, I think, sounds pretty close to being accurate in amount.  It improves a bit more out of my desktop gear, dang.  Very balanced sound except for the upper mids boost I'm getting that makes it sound somewhat cold.
Love the ES100.
 
Definitely recommend ES100 to anyone wanting an earphone with good fidelity that doesn't go inside of your ear canals.  I think Hifiman hit a good note here, haha.
 
Edit 3: 8 months later, this headphone's transformation between the amped and unamped sound is still jarring.  Crystalline, very analytical, precise, cold, and relatively balanced sound out of my desktop or portable amps, but straight out of my J3, Sony E434, or cellphone, it sounds far more colored, flabby, and upfront.  Not even my 250-ohm Beyers, DT770 and T90, behave this way.
Anyway, I'm still blown away at how good it sounds for so cheap.  Anyone on the fence for this amp, definitely give it a shot with at least a Fiio E12, I suppose.  Or a Meier Quickstep if possible, haha.
Some fiddling with the fit for best sound will be required, slight learning curve there.  Sounds best without foam covers for me.

I still have a stepdance that I planed to sell, maybe I should hold if oover until I get my ES100 

 

[macdonjh]

Obviously, I'm late to this party, but here is my take on the ES100s, which I just got a week or so ago:

1. Disclaimers: I am not affiliated with HIFIMAN, other than being a general fan of the products I’ve purchased from them. I purchased my pair of ES100 at retail from Amazon.
2. Introduction: My goodness, it’s been a long time since I’ve done this. I’ve been in audio for a long time, but inactive for a long time, too. My home rig has been static for more than ten years while my kids have been growing up. I’ve had headphones and an amplifier in the bedroom for years, but didn’t listen much until recently. I’ve been resisting portable audio. But last year I bought an Astell & Kern Jr. and some Westone W3 universal IEMs. I’ve enjoyed having decent sound on demand without having to kick family members out of the family room. So, here we go.

3. Design: The HIFIMAN ES100 is a single dynamic driver ear bud. You can see the driver behind the screen if you use a bright light, which is kind of cool.
4. Packaging: I know it’s shallow and silly, but one of the cool things about portable audio is packaging. I think the companies taking part in this market place are taking their cues from Apple. The boxes are cool, I’ve found myself saving the packaging even though I don't sell gear often, it’s just too good the simply throw away.
5. What’s in the Box? Lots of foam packaging, the ES100 ear buds, a very brief owners’ manual, a cable management stick, a zippered clamshell case, and a card with some bar codes for directing your smart phone somewhere on the internet.

6. RTFM (Read the Fascinating Manual) There is a warning not to use the cord to remove your ear buds from your ears. For my fat fingers, there’s not much else to grab onto. I’ll have to be extra careful.
7. Physic(al)s
Connector: 3.5mm molded right-angle TRS
Cable: everything is contained in a single jacket, since I didn’t cut my new headphones apart, I can’t comment about what goes on inside. No memory wire. I wish the cable had a slider. I like to keep the wire over my ears and a slider would help keep a bit of tension on the cable to keep these buds secure.
Cable connector: tiny, molded, permanent attachment to the ear bud. Exotic wires need not apply.
Tips, etc.: Nothing else in the box, no foamies or other rubber surrounds.

8. Fit, Comfort, and Isolation The bodies of the ES100 fit in my ear just fine. I’ve worn them for a couple of hours at most, but with that I didn’t experience any discomfort. With an ear bud, isolation is nearly nil, of course.
9. What I listened to: Astell & Kern Jr., straight, no external amp. Typical volume setting for me is 50/75. With my Westone W3, typical volume setting is 30/75.
19. Pink Floyd, Shine on You Crazy Diamond II: ES100: The guitars just sing and wail. The electric piano also has good presence. Vocals are up-front and clear; good articulation and no sibilance. The bass is there, and deep enough, but without impact or solidity. Highs sound similarly down in the mix. Cymbals are there, but distant. Westone W3 has much better integration between the bass and the rest of the music. Having that seal really allows the bass to bloom into a full foundation for the rest of the song.
11. The Band, Chest Fever: ES100: The organ at the beginning of this song (one of my favorite solos in rock) was well portrayed, but a little thin. The electric bass was MIA. Vocals are clear and forward. The piano tinkles well and is fun to listen to. W3: I could hear the basso-continuo of the Hammond B-3 better. Electric bass was not a big presence, but a distinct rumble under the lead instruments. Vocals are clear, but recessed compared to the ES100. The piano tinkle is still there, cymbals are clear, but a little recessed.
12. Aerosmith, Sweet Emotion: ES100 the triangle near the end, right before the ending guitar solo was a high-point of the treble.
13. Doc Powell, B.B.: ES100: This track has really simple scoring: electric guitar, snare drum, bass and piano. It’s not often that more than two instruments play simultaneously. So here, with only two or three or four parts to keep track of, the ES100 did well. Nothing was buried or pushed way back to the rear of the soundstage. Westone W3: still better integration than with the ES100, but the advantage of the IEM over the ear bud was not as great this time.
14. Soundstage: I have to admit, I don’t pay that much attention to sound stage with headphones. If I want to hear a soundstage I kick my kids out of the family room and fire up my stereo.
15. Highs Extended enough, but recessed compared to the midrange
16. Mids: the ES100 strength. Clear and open and well balanced. Vocals are a bit forward and easy to hear.
17. Lows: extended, but down in level. I’ll blame the lack of a seal like an IEM has.
18. Gestalt, Zeitgeist, Fahrvergnugen (and other German words meaning “the whole enchilada”): For listening to basic rock and pop while doing other things, I like the ES100. However, it’s not great for acoustic jazz or classical, even for casual listening. There is just too much missing at the frequency extremes, and too much gets lost when the going gets tough.
19. Conclusion Since I already have the W3 and HE-500, I won’t be using the ES100 for any critical listening, or even “dedicated” listening. However, that’s not why I bought them. I bought them to listen to while I pay bills in front of a TV show that my kids are interested in, but I’m not. I bought them so I could listen to music while I exercise so I don’t have to hear my feet thud every time they hit the ground. For these uses, the ES100 lack of isolation is a good thing, and the “back in the mix” presentation of the lows and highs isn’t a distraction.

 

[IEMstrong]

Nice, thanks for the review

 

[golov17]

@macdonjh
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/

 

[macdonjh]

golov17, I saw that: one of the reasons I bought the ES-100 instead of a different ear bud.