[quadmaniac]

Greetings fellow head-fi'ers. A couple of months back I discovered this forum, and boy, did it not disappoint! I was in the market for a budget-fi upgrade to my Sansa-Clip bundled earbuds. Since I live in Asia, I had to get it via a friend who was returning from US. So, after quite a few posts here, I decided on the following 2. I've put a mini review of each....

1. Koss KSC75
- the absolute budget-fi'ers delight. I was plainly *shocked* by the difference in SQ between the Clip earbuds and these. Although I didn't get the Radioshack deal, and bought for some $16, I really think, like most of you, that these rock! Excellent detail, and feels like someone placed a stereo speaker set in front of you. (Sorry but I'm really a newbie and haven't tried stuff like Er6i). The only thing I wish is that its form factor was different. Maybe I'll try the headband mod some day....

2. JVC HAFX33 Marshmallow
- all right, when I plugged this in first, I thought.. what utter crap SQ! Absolute tinny. Now, this was my first IEM. And THEN I tried to insert it the way it is meant to be.. I got a nice seal.. and then I thought... whoa - crazy bass! I'm still burning these in, and I think the mids and highs could clear up a bit. These are really comfortable though (after the initial unease of having things stuck in my ear). Again, I might try the Kramer mod after this someday.

So I'm really happy for both of these, and THANKS for helping me decide!

Now my question is... What next

?

Since I love the SQ of KSC75 and the comfort of the marshies, is there anything you could suggest for me?

I mostly listen to rock and pop, but also classical, techno etc.

 

[Aedion]

how much do you want to spend?

 

[quadmaniac]

Hmm.. upto $50 I suppose, for now..

 

[Shadowghost6]

Shure SCL4 at $80 is hard to beat for the price.

 

[quadmaniac]

Hmm... thanks Shadowghost, but that's way beyond what I can afford

Anything at < $50? Would I like Jays q-Jays? Or the NE7s ? (based on sound sig of ksc75)

 

[nsx_23]

How about saving hard for something top-shelve?

Seriously, it'll be worth it.

My progress went: Cheapo Sony knock-off > Shure E2C > UE SF5pro > Sennheiser IE8. You'll probably do yourself more justice going straight to the top by working hard and saving up.

 

[Zalithian]

If you like a lot of bass, go for the 7's.

 

[quadmaniac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsx_23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about saving hard for something top-shelve? Seriously, it'll be worth it.

True, and this IS my ultimate goal. I was just searching for some interim ones with the sound sig of KSC75 and the isolation of the FX33 Marshmallows.

Narrowing it down to - Ne7m, Zbuds, Jbuds-J2 - which is the clear winner? I'm getting confused by some posts claiming that ne7m beats the pants out of any other IEM in the price range, and some posts claiming the same about the zbuds!

 

[nsx_23]

I'm going to say save your money, and don't do the intermediate thing.

If you really wanted to, Soundmagic PL30 isn't too bad for a budget IEM.

 

[z50j]

well you got clip-on, in-ear...
full-sized or fold-able?
whats next?

hmm...
where exactly in asia, near me perhaps

 

[quadmaniac]

I'm in India, and the only 'audiophile' products available in my city are EP630s, some of which are fake!