[BucketInABucket]

Torn between the Periodic Audio Beryllium and the Massdrop Plus (will be buying one second-hand off here for the people that inevitably change their mind once receiving it). I'll be using it with a Revamp Acoustics Nuansa P1/Shozy Alien+ (maybe on the latter). Other recommendations are also appreciated! I don't mind waiting and I don't mind recommendations in other price ranges as long as it's not too much more expensive.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Oriveti new primacy is my go to recommendation for under $300 usually.

What kind of sound signature do you prefer?

 

[Wiljen]

Well if you want to save a few bucks and still get a great iem, it would be hard to go wrong with the Brainwavz b400 and the Fiio F9 Pro and you could just about buy both in your 300 budget and have a neutral and a U shape to work with.

 

[BucketInABucket]

Oriveti new primacy is my go to recommendation for under $300 usually.

What kind of sound signature do you prefer?

Basically anything is fine with me as long as it's relatively natural. I did have a look at the Oriveti but dropped it off my list due to fitment concerns. I can get it for $258.89 (£190.98 from http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/) shipped to Hong Kong so if they aren't that bad then I might just go for those instead.

Well if you want to save a few bucks and still get a great iem, it would be hard to go wrong with the Brainwavz b400 and the Fiio F9 Pro and you could just about buy both in your 300 budget and have a neutral and a U shape to work with.

How do the B400 compare to the other options? I'm very open to getting the B400 if they compare favourably.

EDIT: Also looking at the Cardas A8 30th AE.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Basically anything is fine with me as long as it's relatively natural. I did have a look at the Oriveti but dropped it off my list due to fitment concerns. I can get it for $258.89 (£190.98 from http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/) shipped to Hong Kong so if they aren't that bad then I might just go for those instead.


How do the B400 compare to the other options? I'm very open to getting the B400 if they compare favourably.

EDIT: Also looking at the Cardas A8 30th AE.

Fitment issues?

They fit incredibly well in my opinion, along with many other reviewers... but yeah the New Primacy are fairly flat sounding

 

[BucketInABucket]

Fitment issues?

They fit incredibly well in my opinion, along with many other reviewers... but yeah the New Primacy are fairly flat sounding

Mainly cable routing issues actually. I saw a review (headfonia I believe) mention that the angle between the housing and cable is too large.

I should mention that if I go for the Beryllium, I'll go for the blemished $200 version.

 

[Wiljen]

My only worry in recommending the b400 compared to the others in your list is that the b400 is an all BA arrangement vs a Dynamic driver in the PA Beryllium. I would expect the low end extension to be better from the PA but without having had it in hand this is a generalization at best. I really like the b400 for its neutrality and its speed of attack and decay but it does lack the extension (particularly on the low end) that a good dynamic provides. The F9 Pro gives the b400 a run for its money in detail retrieval but is a very different signature. The F9Pro does have that bass slam that a dynamic provides and has a mild U signature which provides a bit of warmth in the mids in an otherwise bright signature. I just got through spending a week with the F9 Pro and can easily say that it is head and shoulders above the F9 (which I own and hated due to the treble spike) and gives my AKG n40 a good run for its money at less than half the price of the n40. Overall, if you want balance it is hard to beat the b400. If you want a bit more slam and fun without losing much of any detail retrieval, go for the F9 Pro. Both could have been priced $100 higher than they are and nobody would be saying they underperform at that price point.

 

[BucketInABucket]

My only worry in recommending the b400 compared to the others in your list is that the b400 is an all BA arrangement vs a Dynamic driver in the PA Beryllium. I would expect the low end extension to be better from the PA but without having had it in hand this is a generalization at best. I really like the b400 for its neutrality and its speed of attack and decay but it does lack the extension (particularly on the low end) that a good dynamic provides. The F9 Pro gives the b400 a run for its money in detail retrieval but is a very different signature. The F9 does have that bass slam that a dynamic provides and has a mild U signature which provides a bit of warmth in the mids in an otherwise bright signature. I just got through spending a week with the F9 Pro and can easily say that it is head and shoulders above the F9 (which I own and hated due to the treble spike) and gives my AKG n40 a good run for its money at less than half the price of the n40. Overall, if you want balance it is hard to beat the b400. If you want a bit more slam and fun without losing much of any detail retrieval, go for the F9 Pro. Both could have been priced $100 higher than they are and nobody would be saying they underperform at that price point.

The F9 Pro (still) has a treble spike, it's just shifted upwards and is less prominent. I hate treble spikes and it's a big no-no for me no matter how good the rest of the FR is.

Will strike the B400 off my list too then as I like dynamic driver low-end too much to give it up.

Should note that I'm coming from a Campfire Audio Lyra II which I sold cause I couldn't justify how expensive it was.

 

[Wiljen]

You might listen to the F9 Pro if you get the chance before writing it off. I am not good with treble spikes either and hated the F9 for exactly that reason. The F9 Pro moves it up the spectrum into a much less notable range and it is not as pronounced either. While I agree that it would be even better if no such spike existed, it is not nearly as much of an issue as the previous version which I found absolutely un-listenable.

 

[BucketInABucket]

You might listen to the F9 Pro if you get the chance before writing it off. I am not good with treble spikes either and hated the F9 for exactly that reason. The F9 Pro moves it up the spectrum into a much less notable range and it is not as pronounced either. While I agree that it would be even better if no such spike existed, it is not nearly as much of an issue as the previous version which I found absolutely un-listenable.

I will if I get a chance to audition it in real life. It's not something I would blind-buy, though.

 

[Wiljen]

Completely understand as I was really wary and did the review tour as I felt like I got burned a bit on the original.

 

[BucketInABucket]

Right, so now it's basically between the Massdrop Plus, Oriveti New Primacy and Periodic Audio Beryllium with the Primacy being the most expensive. Hmm what to go for...

 

[470221]

FLC 8S, RHA CL1

 

[datranz]

200.00 for the pa be is a really good deal, you can do a lot worse. It’s my go to item. But if you want any hybrids, flc8s for 3 bills is my next recommendation. Be is more natural and precise, it’s hard to explain, while flc8s is more lively.

 

[BucketInABucket]

Think I've narrowed it down to either the BE or the Oriveti New Primacy.