Help! Problem with Phonak 112 sound.

[jesses]

First off, hello to the head-fi community This is my first post.
 
I owned the Shure E3C's a few years ago and they were tremendous to my ears. I had only had the apple ear buds prior to that!
 
Eventually, they broke (2 diff. pairs) and I had a much tighter budget, so I bought the next remodel of the E2C's (I can't remember which they were exactly, but the 2's) and was very disappointed and I barely listened to them.
 
A couple years later and I need IEMs. I did a bunch of research, and despite liking the review of the Klipsch Custom 3, I wasn't ready to deal with the pain in the butt cables, and went with the Phonak 112, with a lovely discount code, shipped with a 2 day delivery, for 139 dollars. I was so excited.
 
However, when I received them, they didn't sound THAT great. The sound just wasn't that clear and the bass was pretty weak. I don't really listen to rock or anything with a lot of base. It's mostly a lot of vocals, jazz etc. 
 
Later that night, I was listening to two different songs, Stereo 10, by Beach House and Thanksgiving, by George Winston. Both of these songs aren't that heavy. The first is a heavily synthed piano piece song with female vocals and a pretty quiet, but driving beat. I wasn't impressed.
 
Then, when I put on George Winston (only piano) I noticed when I turned it up a little (I was connected to my macbook, with the EQ off) there was a slight crackle when he hit a high note. 
 
Could I really have been testing them that much? This is a quiet piano piece and frankly it wasn't that clear with either set of filters.
 
So is this a bunch of hype or do I have a bad pair?
 
Earphone solutions has sent me another pair and I'm sending my current pair back. 
 
I'm so bummed!

 

[ClieOS]

E3c has a classic Shure house sound, warm and full, good mid but roll off at both end. PFE on the other hand is on the cold side, a bit lean while analytical. If you are expecting something similar to Shure, then PFE is probably not for you. However, PFE is most definitely more detail than E3c, so my assumption is you probably have a bad seal. You should try all the different eartips in the package and see if you can get a better seal.

 

[99tollap]

I've owned the 112's for 4 months now and had nothing but problems.
 
The first pair died after about 2 weeks.  I sent them back to the company I bought them from, who in turn sent them back to Phonak.  Took Phonak 5 weeks to replace them because someone at the company was on holiday.
 
Anyway got them back, and 3 weeks later the left earphone has died.  So, so pissed off.  I've sent them back to Phonak and will expect a full refund.
 
 
The sound quality in the second pair however, did sound better than the first for some reason.  Better clarity, especially in the bass.  I'd say Phonak just have some poor quality control issues...

 

[jesses]

What would you suggest for a similar sound then? I don't want analytical. I want something to enjoy, not think about

 

[ClieOS]

For under $100 with a warm'ish and smooth sound, I have two recommendations that is similar to E3c, but better. First is the often overlook (in the forum at least) Fischer Audio SBA-01 ($85 or so). It has a very similar sound to Shure, but better extended on both ends. Second is the Creative In-Ear2 (about $100), also warm, slightly less full but more transparent, clean and better detail than SBA-01

 

[jesses]

Thanks
 
I can probably go to around the same price ($135 or so) as Phonak.

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

For under $100 with a warm'ish and smooth sound, I have two recommendations that is similar to E3c, but better. First is the often overlook (in the forum at least) Fischer Audio SBA-01 ($85 or so). It has a very similar sound to Shure, but better extended on both ends. Second is the Creative In-Ear2 (about $100), also warm, slightly less full but more transparent, clean and better detail than
 

 That creative looks to be another vented BA for dynamic type warmth genre. Looks like a good deal for what most people want from an IEM at $85. I just read 2 other eviews besides yours. One said edgy top and the other said dull. Your's seemed to think it good but could have perhaps had more sparkle to offset the full bass. Is that about right?

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

For under $100 with a warm'ish and smooth sound, I have two recommendations that is similar to E3c, but better. First is the often overlook (in the forum at least) Fischer Audio SBA-01 ($85 or so). It has a very similar sound to Shure, but better extended on both ends. Second is the Creative In-Ear2 (about $100), also warm, slightly less full but more transparent, clean and better detail than
 

 That creative looks to be another vented BA for dynamic type warmth genre. Looks like a good deal for what most people want from an IEM at $85. I just read 2 other eviews besides yours. One said edgy top and the other said dull. Your's seemed to think it good but could have perhaps had more sparkle to offset the full bass. Is that about right?

Yes, something like that.