[jgarshon]

Thanks for sharing these recommendations. I'm thinking of picking up an "affordable" set (under $100) for "fun" listening. Be great to have a set that offers tons of bass + detail and wide soundstage but that seems like a tall order.

 

[Chessblitzer2017]

Oh cmon bruh save up another benjamin and buy used

 

[Chessblitzer2017]

Used R1 is your safest bet.

 

[jgarshon]

so $200 for a used set would check all those boxes?

 

[Tr1ppy]

Hi guys I recently purchased the Futuresonics G10 over a month ago so I've had some time to burn them in and listen extensively. Had to purchase them from US as they're not available from the UK.
All I can say is WOW! The sound signature is right up my street; the sub-bass is amazing, it rumbles hard and extends very low. The mid bass is slightly lighter but still has decent impact.
The rest of the sound signature is well controlled and smooth; this is something I was really after as I'm very sensitive to treble, especially in the 5k-8k region. Thats not to say these are dark, the treble still shines but it is laid back.
I love the fit of them too, quite light and easy to insert and take out again (the thumb indentations are a great idea!). I use them with Klipsch Ovals as the supplied double flanges irritate my ears after a while. The sound sig is still the same with the Ovals.

Been driving them from my Sony Z5c smartphone into the Fiio E18 DAC and then into the G10s. They scale well with the E18 and sound nice and powerful

I'm sure there are other options which hit harder and rumble a bit more too (like the XB90 or even the R1) but I'm not sure if I would agree with the level of treble on those sets.

 

[tekwrx]

My all time favorite IEMs, the MDR-XB90EX, died today I went to listen to them today and there is no output from the left side. I don't know what happened, none of the wires feel loose or anything. I didn't drop them or abuse them. Is there anyway to repair them you think? I really want another pair, but the prices have tripled recently. If I can't repair them, what IEMs have a similar sound on a budget (~$100)

 

[Raketen]

My all time favorite IEMs, the MDR-XB90EX, died today I went to listen to them today and there is no output from the left side. I don't know what happened, none of the wires feel loose or anything. I didn't drop them or abuse them. Is there anyway to repair them you think? I really want another pair, but the prices have tripled recently. If I can't repair them, what IEMs have a similar sound on a budget (~$100)

Did you try on another source? Did you try another headphone with your source?
If it's just a plug issue, that's a pretty simple affordable repair most electronic repair places could do.
If you have access to a multimeter, you can check resistance between the tip-sleeve and ring-sleeve- if one side doesn't have continutiy there's a fair chance it's in the plug- at that point you could try cutting the plug and check the wires themselves.

If the plug is not the issue- I have seen pictures of cable replacement modified xb90 so that might be repairable if you can find someone to do it, though probably be going past your new IEM budget at that point), or just a driver failure (probably not possible to fix or prohibitively expensive).

Also a longshot, but if you're in an area where they were officially released (most of us had to import) might try Sony support - then again this is a company that sells even some of their high end products with only 90 day warranty so...

 

[tekwrx]

Thanks @Raketen. Yeah, I tried a few different sources. No luck. I can check the resistance with my meter tomorrow and see. I'm leaning towards it being a driver failure though. The only thing I think that may have happened is I connected them to my FiiO BTR3 amp while a bass heavy song was playing at full volume (I plug my cars AUX input into the BT3R while in the car and usually have the volume all the way up for that, but when I plug in the XB90's I usually have to have it a few clicks down in volume. I may have plugged them back in while getting out of the car quickly and not thinking. That's the only thing I can think of in the last 2 days that may have been an issue since they last worked)

I may just grab a set of Sony XB50's from Best Buy for $30 to hold me over for a while, but I'm sure they'll be a disappointment after using the XB90's for the last few years...

 

[Kingston12]

My all time favorite IEMs, the MDR-XB90EX, died today I went to listen to them today and there is no output from the left side. I don't know what happened, none of the wires feel loose or anything. I didn't drop them or abuse them. Is there anyway to repair them you think? I really want another pair, but the prices have tripled recently. If I can't repair them, what IEMs have a similar sound on a budget (~$100)

Mine just went last week. Absolutely fine on Monday, picked them up on Tuesday and the right side was silent. I fiddled with them a bit and got a feint sound from that side, but can't get it any better than that.

I had actually moved on to some other sets as my main earphones, but I still used the XB90 at work. I am a bit disappointed, as I always took good care of them and they had actually had very little use. It is the first set I have ever had fail like that.

I am looking for another cheaper pair to leave in the office. I already have the Sony N3 (better sound than the XB90, but not quite the extension), and IMR R1 (much better at everything, but much more expensive!), but I don't want to leave them at work because of the prices.

Current favourites are the MDR650EX which I can get for £30 here in the UK, or the XB50 which is £25.

 

[Tr1ppy]

Sorry to hear about your XB90, hope you get them sorted. They're a set I've always wanted to try even though I probably wont like the treble.

 

[Tr1ppy]

What are peoples thoughts on wireless basshead IEMs? I'm looking for a pair for running and gym use so would need to be wireless via bluetooth etc and ideally sweat-proof. Not bothered about completely wireless, independent earbuds, infact I'd rather have the wire attaching the two earbuds together as I'm always afraid I'll lose one lol!

At the moment I've got my eye on the sony xb50bs and xb80bs, anyone able to shed any light on them?

 

[Kingston12]

What are peoples thoughts on wireless basshead IEMs? I'm looking for a pair for running and gym use so would need to be wireless via bluetooth etc and ideally sweat-proof. Not bothered about completely wireless, independent earbuds, infact I'd rather have the wire attaching the two earbuds together as I'm always afraid I'll lose one lol!

At the moment I've got my eye on the sony xb50bs and xb80bs, anyone able to shed any light on them?

I''d be interested in this as well, as I've not found anything that is both wireless and has a good amount of bass.

My solution so far has been a Radsone ES100, which means I can use any wired earphones connected to it rather than directly to my phone or DAP. It works quite well for my use, but it probably wouldn't lend itself to gym use.

 

[talan7]

My all time favorite IEMs, the MDR-XB90EX, died today I went to listen to them today and there is no output from the left side. I don't know what happened, none of the wires feel loose or anything. I didn't drop them or abuse them. Is there anyway to repair them you think? I really want another pair, but the prices have tripled recently. If I can't repair them, what IEMs have a similar sound on a budget (~$100)

I have a like new pair I could sell you for $175. PM me if interested

 

[harpo1]

I have a like new pair I could sell you for $175. PM me if interested

This isn't the classifieds. Nice to see you taking advantage of a fellow Head-Fi member. Damn shame.

 

[talan7]

This isn't the classifieds. Nice to see you taking advantage of a fellow Head-Fi member. Damn shame.

I don’t think I was taking advantage of anyone.