Hello guys!
I'd like a bit of help if you all please, I'm currently searching for a replacement for my old and broken Sony MDR-EX500, which to me sounded very much like haven must sound, lots of power, oceanic and very defined bass and sub-bass, natural sounding, detailed mids and trebble, absolutely no hissing and sibilance, easily driveable by phones and mp3 players and sounding quite right without amping. I'm not an audiphile of any kind, but I know how I like my sound, and those earphones were just perfect, except of course the stupid cable Sony insists on using.
My main use is running/cycling/commuting and long trips; and long nights as secondary use (those last ones, amped, I'll use my full sized Yamaha or Scott).
After about a week of reading and researching here and everywhere, I found the task to be overwhelming, there's just too many similar options now, varying in minute details and 3 or 4 BAs in each case, I miss those days (about 15 years ago) when I could just enter the Sony shop and grab the 2nd or 3rd most expensive ones and be confident they'd sound terrific. I should have bought the MDR-EX800 back then, or at least a second MDR-EX500 for backup, alas, I didn't.
About 10 years ago I bought some Sony with I think 4 BA and had to sell them immediately (I got them on an incredible discount and sold them higher), because I didn't like them at all, the sound was so digital, so hissing, the trebles were too much, and while the bass was punchy and out-of-my-head, it also sounded artificial compared to the single DD of the MDR-EX500, even my lesser EX71 and EX85 sounded better (less bodied, less bass, of course, but still better sounding) . Maybe BAs have evolved in a good way? I gather that much from the reviews, but I honestly don't know as I haven't had any other experience with those types.
So, I managed to narrow my search a bit to the FiiO FD1 and FH1s, leaning towards the FD1 because if there's something *most* agree on, is that FD1 has more bass, which is puzzling to me because they have a smaller driver (still I'm a bit worried, because my Sony had a 13.5mm driver, which also is larger than the FD1).
The thing is, there is just about an equal number of completely opposed and interchangeable reviews of those two IEMs from FiiO, so I'm really unsure about what to really expect. Who to trust?
I've also narrowed my search and included the KZ ZS10Pro (did I get the model right? Man, they're worst than BMW cars!) which would be perhaps a best fit to my needs because I gather they sound better (than the FD1) unamped, and having a more pronounced V-shape they also sound better with meagre sources (I'll use a couple of the small iPods, and my phone, mostly).
Those three somewhat fit my third world budget, I really won't be spending much more than that.
So, if I could ask for advice from you guys, particularly if you had experience with both the FD1 and the ZS10Pro, I would thank you very much!
Thanks for reading and in advance for your comments!
I'd like a bit of help if you all please, I'm currently searching for a replacement for my old and broken Sony MDR-EX500, which to me sounded very much like haven must sound, lots of power, oceanic and very defined bass and sub-bass, natural sounding, detailed mids and trebble, absolutely no hissing and sibilance, easily driveable by phones and mp3 players and sounding quite right without amping. I'm not an audiphile of any kind, but I know how I like my sound, and those earphones were just perfect, except of course the stupid cable Sony insists on using.
My main use is running/cycling/commuting and long trips; and long nights as secondary use (those last ones, amped, I'll use my full sized Yamaha or Scott).
After about a week of reading and researching here and everywhere, I found the task to be overwhelming, there's just too many similar options now, varying in minute details and 3 or 4 BAs in each case, I miss those days (about 15 years ago) when I could just enter the Sony shop and grab the 2nd or 3rd most expensive ones and be confident they'd sound terrific. I should have bought the MDR-EX800 back then, or at least a second MDR-EX500 for backup, alas, I didn't.
About 10 years ago I bought some Sony with I think 4 BA and had to sell them immediately (I got them on an incredible discount and sold them higher), because I didn't like them at all, the sound was so digital, so hissing, the trebles were too much, and while the bass was punchy and out-of-my-head, it also sounded artificial compared to the single DD of the MDR-EX500, even my lesser EX71 and EX85 sounded better (less bodied, less bass, of course, but still better sounding) . Maybe BAs have evolved in a good way? I gather that much from the reviews, but I honestly don't know as I haven't had any other experience with those types.
So, I managed to narrow my search a bit to the FiiO FD1 and FH1s, leaning towards the FD1 because if there's something *most* agree on, is that FD1 has more bass, which is puzzling to me because they have a smaller driver (still I'm a bit worried, because my Sony had a 13.5mm driver, which also is larger than the FD1).
The thing is, there is just about an equal number of completely opposed and interchangeable reviews of those two IEMs from FiiO, so I'm really unsure about what to really expect. Who to trust?
I've also narrowed my search and included the KZ ZS10Pro (did I get the model right? Man, they're worst than BMW cars!) which would be perhaps a best fit to my needs because I gather they sound better (than the FD1) unamped, and having a more pronounced V-shape they also sound better with meagre sources (I'll use a couple of the small iPods, and my phone, mostly).
Those three somewhat fit my third world budget, I really won't be spending much more than that.
So, if I could ask for advice from you guys, particularly if you had experience with both the FD1 and the ZS10Pro, I would thank you very much!
Thanks for reading and in advance for your comments!
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