IEM that can pick up most details
May 16, 2010 at 12:09 AM Post #17 of 36
Hey Sonic, could it be possible we have same tastes?  It seems that you are answering all my thread questions.  I see that my interests are heading toward the the same gear that you have now minus the HiFiMan.  
 
May 16, 2010 at 12:51 AM Post #19 of 36
May 16, 2010 at 1:07 AM Post #20 of 36


Quote:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/wiki/basic-guide-to-in-ear-canalphones
 


Just as I thought. The custom mold may not fit your ears properly after a few years since your ears' form may change after a few years as you age. All you need to do is have your ears remold. The drivers should be reusable.
 
May 16, 2010 at 2:10 AM Post #21 of 36
Quote:
Just as I thought. The custom mold may not fit your ears properly after a few years since your ears' form may change after a few years as you age. All you need to do is have your ears remold. The drivers should be reusable.


Have you seen picture of the drivers as they are molded?  I don't think they can be remolded.
 
May 16, 2010 at 2:16 AM Post #22 of 36
Quote:
Quote:

Have you seen picture of the drivers as they are molded?  I don't think they can be remolded.
 
I think those posting in this thread would beg to differ.
 
 
May 16, 2010 at 2:30 AM Post #23 of 36
Joker, have you had any moldings done or thought about doing one?  If so, who have you or would want to yours done with if you want to save some bucks?
 
May 16, 2010 at 3:00 AM Post #25 of 36
Quote:
Joker, have you had any moldings done or thought about doing one?  If so, who have you or would want to yours done with if you want to save some bucks?
 
I originally bought my TF10s to have them remolded (either by Fischer or, more likely, Unique Melody) but was surprised to find that I like the CK10 more (TF10s were still $400 back then and I paid about 1/3 of that for CK10s). I considered having the CK10s remolded but figured that there was no guarantee that I would get better comfort or isolation in return and I would definitely lose out on the build quality.
 
 
May 17, 2010 at 12:20 AM Post #26 of 36
What I am really looking for is something that can detect very small nuances such as flaws in the recording.  I want that much detail.  I want the details upfront, I don't want to search for it.  I know that RE0 is already a very sensitive headphone, would ck10 be that much of an improvement?  
 
May 17, 2010 at 3:30 AM Post #27 of 36
The RE0 isn't even close to the CK10.  What the RE0 is good edge to notes, but that's it.  It lacks dynamic breadth and articulation of note.  You get some subtle hints, but that's it.  I feel too many mistake that edge as detail, but really the detail comes from the build up and decay of a note, the articulation/texture/etc.  The more informative earphones have a well articulated note and good dynamic breadth so you get the textures within the note rather than just the note alone and get the dynamic energy that goes along with that note but in subtlety and explosiveness that conveys emotion.  On a grand scale, I could call the RE0 crap in these regards as bad as that sounds.  Yes, there is some subtlety to these sounds, but they simply are not well developed.  RE0's benefit is more in that it doesn't cost a lot, offers a good amount of detail, smooth frequency response, and good extension on both ends.  Beyond this, the RE0 doesn't really offer anything else.  It's an earphone that doesn't do all that much wrong, but it also doesn't do a number of things too.
 
For what you're looking for, at least in terms of an IEM, the UM3X and CK10 are the two best universal options I've personally used.  The UM3X has more dynamic breadth than the CK10 and a more robust low end.  The CK10 has a more articulate and detailed top end.  Both convey a lot of the little sounds in between that get lost via many earphones.    The UM3X is probably the better "tool," but the CK10 has a more life-like sound is the better reproducer of music from an enjoyment sense.  The UM3X can come across a bit artificial and less blended across the frequency spectrum.  I would prefer the CK10 for listening to music, but the UM3X might be the better tool.
 
Outside of an IEM, I have found the OK1 bud to be remarkably good in terms of conveying a direct and highly textured sound.  There isn't much else I've used that can convey the same level instrumental information and emotion in music.  It isn't the most highly detailed device though versus some of these BA earphones, but it has more texture within the note versus the CK10 or UM3X.  It won't show you the same razor sharp details and tiny sounds, but it does show more information in the attack and decay of the note.  The way I keep describing the OK1 is It is almost like dreaming what you hear because it so transparent and almost radiates from your mind.  As far as life like sound, I haven't found another earphone to match it.  The CK10 comes very close though, so I do hold the CK10 in high regards and for a comparator in the IEM form the most like the Ok1 I've used.
 
May 17, 2010 at 3:33 AM Post #28 of 36
The most detailed IEM I've heard is the CK10. It can slightly edge out the JH-13 on detail retrieval (extensive A/B comparisons) and also the ER4p. As an all around IEM though, it gets smoked by the JH-13. Detail isn't everything, just one component of the whole package.
 
I can't really think of any $200+ IEMs I've had the opportunity to listen to that lacked detail enough to be considered a drawback. IEMs by their nature are detailled. I can think of a couple (CK-10 and ER4p) that made some otherwise enjoyable material less enjoyable by shining a spotlight on flaws that other phones would allow you to ignore. Impact light and detail heavy phones will do that. .  
 
May 17, 2010 at 3:42 AM Post #29 of 36


 
Quote:
 
 
For what you're looking for, at least in terms of an IEM, the UM3X and CK10 are the two best universal options I've personally used.  The UM3X has more dynamic breadth than the CK10 and a more robust low end.  The CK10 has a more articulate and detailed top end.  Both convey a lot of the little sounds in between that get lost via many earphones.    The UM3X is probably the better "tool," but the CK10 has a more life-like sound is the better reproducer of music from an enjoyment sense.  The UM3X can come across a bit artificial and less blended across the frequency spectrum.  I would prefer the CK10 for listening to music, but the UM3X might be the better tool.
 
 



um3x detailed?they are far from being the most detailed,they are slightly better than ie8 interms of detail but there is nothing to write home about.
To the OP,the most detailed iem i have heard is ck10.it is actually as detailed as k701,so this should say something..
 
May 17, 2010 at 4:53 AM Post #30 of 36
Depends on what you mean by detailed.  I can't say I know what you're looking for from the music when you say this.  The UM3X will show you information in music that you will not hear in the CK10 or basically any other earphone out there.  What does that mean?  Ask yourself why this information is missing or at least presented in an underemphasized way.  The IE8 is a quite a bit different.  It's a bit smoothed over in details and dynamic breadth.  If it carried less energy, I would almost call it laid back.  Higher treble is smoothed over enough to be considered slightly muddy.  The K701 isn't much like the CK10 either.  My bro owns a pair, and I've listened to them on several occasions.  I can't say the K701 has truly impressed me though.  It's a good headphone certainly.  I just don't see it as an amazing product as much as it's touted.  I'm sure it spanks something like the HD650 in terms of detail reveal, but it isn't even close to some of the BA IEM offerings like the CK10.
 
I have heard two earphones that are pretty sensitive to the source/player/music quality.  These are the UM3X and the RE252.  Pretty much everything else I've used will contently play less than ideal music quality through a less than ideal source device.  Both the UM3X and RE252 will sound terrible with poor inputs.
 

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