[davidcotton]

My only "high end" earphone previously was the Sennheiser IE8 which I lost a couple of years ago. I decided to get back into the hobby by buying the Sennheiser IE80 on eBay for 90$ but after reading just how many fakes were being circulated, I got paranoid. That's why I decided to also purchase the IMR R1 to compare the two and that way I'll know for sure if the IE80's are fake or not. The IMR R1 came first (yesterday) and I'm absolutely blown away by the sound quality. It's in a completely different league than the IE8's. It made me remember why I got into this hobby in the first place. Now I'm afraid even if the IE80's arrive and is real, I'll think they are fake. What have I go myself into

There is a reason why "welcome to headfi, sorry about your wallet" is the unofficial official welcome you know Of course there's nothing stopping you deleting your account here and save yourself time and money but hey where's the fun in that?

 

[JohnRS]

My only "high end" earphone previously was the Sennheiser IE8 which I lost a couple of years ago. I decided to get back into the hobby by buying the Sennheiser IE80 on eBay for 90$ but after reading just how many fakes were being circulated, I got paranoid. That's why I decided to also purchase the IMR R1 to compare the two and that way I'll know for sure if the IE80's are fake or not. The IMR R1 came first (yesterday) and I'm absolutely blown away by the sound quality. It's in a completely different league than the IE8's. It made me remember why I got into this hobby in the first place. Now I'm afraid even if the IE80's arrive and is real, I'll think they are fake. What have I go myself into

I came from IE80's and the R1's are on another level. Completely on another level.

 

[geagle]

@davidcotton

 

[My Little Phony]

Bob is offering a balanced cable folks, but only if enough people sign up. I don't have a balanced output on my player.

http://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT05...=.8sjLgA-C7jwv19OIav2n3y8dtCKh9onkdKIQpCjfZgI

Oh i received this email too but did not click on the link. Had no idea how the cable i ordered will look like. Mine was shipped out yesterday. Will get it in the next couple of days. Looks nice

Buuuut.... i wonder what awaits on the non shown left side of the picture

 

[jmsalvador021]

Was about to inquire what others thought of that. I'm definitely interested! Never properly tried out balanced before. This would be a perfect way to dip my toes, paired with my ES100, before going whole hog importing a Nocturnal Audio hybrid cable.
What’s the improvement like with balanced on the IMR? @jmsalvador021 described some benefits. I’m also wondering about this precise cable and the choice of silver. I’ll e-mail Bob about it.

Going balanced will make your IMR R1+ES100 sound louder for sure. And maybe about 10% SQ upgrade. Based on what ive read around regarding cables:

Pure copper = adds warmth
SPC = improves mids
Pure silver = improves mids + treble extension

Even though the SQ upgrade is minimal, i personally think that bringing the best out of our IMR R1 is very well worth it. I dont plan to buy any more IEMs for this year because of this setup.

 

[Luhar]

Was about to inquire what others thought of that. I'm definitely interested! Never properly tried out balanced before. This would be a perfect way to dip my toes, paired with my ES100, before going whole hog importing a Nocturnal Audio hybrid cable.
What’s the improvement like with balanced on the IMR? @jmsalvador021 described some benefits. I’m also wondering about this precise cable and the choice of silver. I’ll e-mail Bob about it.

How does your ES100 pair up with the IMR? Good range? Sound?

 

[treefingers]

I took delivery yesterday of my 2.5mm Balanced Aliexpress cable for $15, I mainly purchased it as I'm not a fan of the thickness of the supplied cable however I do find the SQ had improved, I am using an ES100.

I am though still having real trouble fitting these things in my ear, at best its like they are only resting in my ears & not inserted, I am told by others there is hardly any sound leakage & they do sound great however I feel like I am missing something or maybe this is how they are supposed to fit? I have some spiral dots on the way as I got curious with everything raving about them but I have always been a foam tip type of guy

This is the cable I got - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/***...058.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.34d14c4dqnuhAt

 

[monsieurfromag3]

I took delivery yesterday of my 2.5mm Balanced Aliexpress cable for $15, I mainly purchased it as I'm not a fan of the thickness of the supplied cable however I do find the SQ had improved, I am using an ES100.

I am though still having real trouble fitting these things in my ear, at best its like they are only resting in my ears & not inserted, I am told by others there is hardly any sound leakage & they do sound great however I feel like I am missing something or maybe this is how they are supposed to fit? I have some spiral dots on the way as I got curious with everything raving about them but I have always been a foam tip type of guy

This is the cable I got - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/***...058.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.34d14c4dqnuhAt

Personally I love the sound and fit using symbio hybrid foam/silicone tips, which only enable shallow insertion quite like you are describing.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

How does your ES100 pair up with the IMR? Good range? Sound?

You know what, I haven’t even tried them together yet. The IMR I only use at home for now, there’s so much detail I find them best suited to that environment. I also use relatively shallow insertion tips on them (Symbio W) so the isolation may not be the best for the street or busy places. The ES100 I only use outside. The range is very good. LDAC can be challenging and doesn’t really bring any benefit listening to Tidal 16/44 files; aptX HD is better for moving about, and there’s the option for AAC or aptX, technically enough for Tidal too, and quite forgiving when you forget you put your phone down elsewhere and start walking away in the gym
They should pair well and make for a pleasant listen but the ES100’s soft sound may not let the IMR R1 express the full extent of their incredible resolution. I’ll get back to you on that.

 

[Luhar]

You know what, I haven’t even tried them together yet. The IMR I only use at home for now, there’s so much detail I find them best suited to that environment. I also use relatively shallow insertion tips on them (Symbio W) so the isolation may not be the best for the street or busy places. The ES100 I only use outside. The range is very good. LDAC can be challenging and doesn’t really bring any benefit listening to Tidal 16/44 files; aptX HD is better for moving about, and there’s the option for AAC or aptX, technically enough for Tidal too, and quite forgiving when you forget you put your phone down elsewhere and start walking away in the gym
They should pair well and make for a pleasant listen but the ES100’s soft sound may not let the IMR R1 express the full extent of their incredible resolution. I’ll get back to you on that.

Thanks alot look forward to your thoughts
I understand what you're saying, even I assume that the ES100 will bottleneck the IMR.. however it'd be nice to know. I am trying to decide between the BTR3 and ES100. I hope to receive mine this week, w00t.

 

[Luhar]

I took delivery yesterday of my 2.5mm Balanced Aliexpress cable for $15, I mainly purchased it as I'm not a fan of the thickness of the supplied cable however I do find the SQ had improved, I am using an ES100.

I am though still having real trouble fitting these things in my ear, at best its like they are only resting in my ears & not inserted, I am told by others there is hardly any sound leakage & they do sound great however I feel like I am missing something or maybe this is how they are supposed to fit? I have some spiral dots on the way as I got curious with everything raving about them but I have always been a foam tip type of guy

This is the cable I got - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/***...058.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.34d14c4dqnuhAt

How do they sound balanced with that cable out of the ES100?

 

[treefingers]

How do they sound balanced with that cable out of the ES100?

Well like I say they sound great but I am just concerned with the fit. I hardly get any insertion & therefore little outside sound isolation. I am excited to thing what they may sound like once I do mange to get a good fit.

What other IEM's out there have a similar sound to the R1's? I imagine for the price the majority of us paid for B stock there isn't much in the price range

 

[Luhar]

Well like I say they sound great but I am just concerned with the fit. I hardly get any insertion & therefore little outside sound isolation. I am excited to thing what they may sound like once I do mange to get a good fit.

What other IEM's out there have a similar sound to the R1's? I imagine for the price the majority of us paid for B stock there isn't much in the price range

I also have oddly shaped canals and worried about the fit with stock tips, hoping for the best.

CA Lyra 2s were on massdrop for around that price range, don't know how they stack against each other but that's one that comes to mind.

I'm going to look into the cables you posted, how long did shipping take?

 

[treefingers]

Shipping took about 2 weeks To Aus

 

[Luhar]

The connection is secure and not loose in the slightest? I've read mixed things because the entry angle is weird apparently on the R1?