[wanger]

I've had a pair of these iems for about two months, gotta agree with everything that's been said so far about em; and for my needs they're practically perfect. Recently I've been noticing that sometimes the left bud's driver seems to.. crackle? I'm not sure if that's the exact word but it sounds pretty much like what happens when you go swimming and after you get out the water in your ears break surface tension and gushes out, that popping sound. I switched the left and right cables around and it started happening with my right ear so I'm pretty sure it's a cable issue. Seem to happen more when I'm moving about, does anybody have any idea what's going on here and whether I can remedy it myself?

 

[daouda]

If its a cable issue i guess you should probably change the cable, if you cant find the original panasonic cable easily it has been said by several users here that the sleek-audio cables fit perfectly, and also have some welcome additional length. I dont have them yet by the way and youre having me concerned about the cable quality!

 

[james444]

^^ IME the Panas are prone to a bit of diaphragm flex/crackle. I'm not 100% sure that this is what you mean, but you can easily check if you can hear the same noise when putting them in or taking them out. If so, this has nothing to do with the cable and is not harmful, just inconvenient.

If you happen to hear driver crackle on the move it's normally a sign that your phones are not seated securely and can move in your ears. In that case I'd try larger or different tips or/and wearing the cord over the ears.

 

[shinobi00]

It's the plastic that protects the driver. Do be careful when you do the foam mod.
just pack the foam/cotton down in there good should get rid of most of it.

 

[wanger]

Okay thanks everyone, I'll try the foam mod when I get back to my dorms later today. Kinda weird that the problem would switch sides when I switched the cable around though, but I'll let you all know how it goes sometime this afternoon.

daouda the cables are actually very sturdy and the ends are all terminated very nicely, if it really is the cable then mine's probably just a dud cause really they are quite nice.

 

[rymd]

How much do these benefit from amping?
Someone mentioned that a fuze alone wouldn't drive them to full potential, though I notice its only 26 ohms.. hmm, is this true?
and.. anyone mind measuring the length of the barrel? or maybe taking a size comparison pic with say.. the RE0?

 

[iponderous]

Just latched on to this thread. I've seen the comparisons between the HJE900 and the FX500. These phones appear to share some sonic similarities. I couldn't handle the FX500. I can remember being very impressed initially with its crystalline presentation. It had great clarity and was very detailed. However, I found its highs ear-piercingly sharp, the mids recessed and the bass too deep. I suppose it had the classic U shaped sound signature but it was just too dry, austere and fatiguing for these ears. I much prefer the IE8's presentation even though it doesn't have the clarity of the FX500. Does the HJE900 present music similarly to the FX500?

 

[shinobi00]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rymd /img/forum/go_quote.gif How much do these benefit from amping? Someone mentioned that a fuze alone wouldn't drive them to full potential, though I notice its only 26 ohms.. hmm, is this true? and.. anyone mind measuring the length of the barrel? or maybe taking a size comparison pic with say.. the RE0?

No it isn't true. I changed that next post. The fuze is fine, your just missing out on some warmness the Cowon/Sony/Samsung/ Players bring into the fray. It helps this headphone sound a bit better. Amping helps if you want better bass. I only have a fiio, but it responds well to it. I'd like to see a couple reports myself about better amps. Wanted to buy one, but I will wait until I here from others.

 

[james444]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iponderous /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just latched on to this thread. I've seen the comparisons between the HJE900 and the FX500. These phones appear to share some sonic similarities. I couldn't handle the FX500. I can remember being very impressed initially with its crystalline presentation. It had great clarity and was very detailed. However, I found its highs ear-piercingly sharp, the mids recessed and the bass too deep. I suppose it had the classic U shaped sound signature but it was just too dry, austere and fatiguing for these ears. I much prefer the IE8's presentation even though it doesn't have the clarity of the FX500. Does the HJE900 present music similarly to the FX500?

IMO the HJE900 are closer to the IE8 than the fx500 in sound signature. They even have an upper bass hump, though markedly less than the IE8. Out of the box the highs are maybe closer to the fx500 (but less harsh), after the foam mod they are closer to the IE8's. However, I wonder whether the Panas would be sufficiently different from the IE8 and TF10 to be of interest to you.

 

[iponderous]

I don't know james444. I've just made a significant headphone purchase this evening, so any thoughts of new earphones have just been put on the back burner for a while.

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iponderous /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know james444. I've just made a significant headphone purchase this evening, so any thoughts of new earphones have just been put on the back burner for a while.

ooh what you order?

 

[james444]

^^ Am I right to presume that your headphone purchase, though significant, was not Final?

 

[KramitDfrog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by james444 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO the HJE900 are closer to the IE8 than the fx500 in sound signature. They even have an upper bass hump, though markedly less than the IE8. Out of the box the highs are maybe closer to the fx500 (but less harsh), after the foam mod they are closer to the IE8's. However, I wonder whether the Panas would be sufficiently different from the IE8 and TF10 to be of interest to you.

The more you say james, the more I have to own the HJE900.

Sounds like exactly what I'm after - I'm trying to wait until joker's review, just to get a 'reference' opinion, but I'm thinking of just dropping the cash today after reading comments like that!

EDIT: I totally caved. One HJE900, on the way. Dammit James.

 

[james444]

^ Congrats, I hope they will live up to your expectations! If you like a dynamic sound signature yet still value a rather balanced presentation, I'm pretty confident you'll love them.

 

[tstarn06]

Had a pair of the Pannys show up at my door today, bound for France (Daouda will be getting them). So I didn't buy them, but got to try them.

Right out of the box, and not unexpectedly, I found the treble somewhat harsh (A/B'd them with the MTP Gold, which wasn't close at the time to my ears), but they obviously bring excellent detail and serious bass to the party, though that may or not be an advantage, depending on your listening preferences.

Also, since I managed to snag the MTP Gold for $118, I won't be buying the Pannys any time soon (I do really like the Monsters, much more than I did the original MTs), but even with only 5-6 hours of play time, the Panasonics are starting to calm down a little already. Also, to me they sound better with the T400 Complys than with their OEM tips or the Sony hybrids. I would expect the foamies to result in too much bass, but not so. And it also seems to have a calming effect on the treble and mids, without causing any veil.

I am going to leave them on the burn-in machine (desktop PC) overnight, and check in on them again tomorrow, redo the A/B with the MTPG and CK10, my two primary IEMs. I believe they can change, because I really detested the Klipsch S4s out of the box, but at about 100 hours, their sibilance came to a screeching halt, pardon the pun.

No need to comment on build quality etc., because they are very slick looking and obviously strong, and who doesn't like a replaceable cable?