[Silver]

Quote:

Thing is silver, from looking at your posts you just want some big name IEMs which is the reason your so obsessed with the Shure and Sonys. The shures are better yes but not enough to warrant another purchase. The TDKs may not have the big name in the world of audio but they are darn good IEMs and I think you should be happy with them. Also you want an iPod classic. That is not an ideal source either unless your planning on getting expensive portable amps. Your better of getting a Cowon J3 for the same price.
Also it matter what audio quality your using, FLAC, AAC or MP3?

 
I meant that if I were loaded USD400 was nothing to me I would get Shure 535s, I am now listening to my TDKs via iPhone and have no significant complaints. Getting 535 is unlikely for me but you know maybe I just like the Shure sound so much I think it is worth it. About Sony I listened to MDR-E888s and have had various Sony CD/MD walkmen in high school so it is like some sort of brand loyalty. Once again, I am kinda saying if I were rich I would get both 535s and XBA4s 

 About iPod Classic with my 30GB+ music collection I think huge storage space will be useful and save me from the pain of frequent adding and deleting songs. Indeed I told my my friends I should be absolutely done with buying audio equipments for a while so all those purchases should be quite unlikely...

 

[Silver]

I have got various sources for my listening including Sony D777 antique but of reputation discman. CD played by my D777 has the best quality no doubt but indeed I listen to mp3 of various bitrates from iPhone or Nexus more often. Once again I am well aware that it does not really justify the cost for me to try other phones. 

 

[Silver]

Latest update, my D777 discman skips too much and powers off often after almost 10 years of usage. I swapped to Sanza Clip+ as it can serve the same purpose of iPod Classic at much cheaper price with 32GB microSD. I apologize that maybe I didn't really explain why I feel itchy after getting BA200s. I listened to W3/UM3x/535 in local shops and prefer the more forward mid range of those than my BA200s. I think that with a more forward mid range I don't need to be constantly bothered with the notion that 'how come the vocal is so quiet despite turning up the volume quite high'. Listening to artists like Adele, I find that it is much more desirable to listen to vocal loud and clear. Indeed, I am curious if forward mid range only exists in those triple driver IEMs. I can guess that forward mid range is not for everybody but that is like the sound signature I kind of die for somehow.

 

[ayaflo]

the shure se 535 with eq settings to treble booster straight out of my ipod sounds marvellous ... 
the treble has more sparkle and minute details in music which surely sounds class in the flat eq setting, sounds a bit more well rounded with the treble booster eq. 
 
a lot more sparkle is also present way at the top for the type of music i listen ......
probably a cable upgrade will bring out more dynamics to this iem ... 

 

[ayaflo]

even  though i own this iem , i have been eyeing some of the bargain iems that you have listed in this thread ..
 
mainly the brainwavz b2 , hifiman re 272 and the er 4s ..
dont know which really to get .....but i believe somthing like the re 272 will please me way better than the other two as they scale up astoundingly with the right set up ..

 

[Young Spade]

Why are the Westone 2's not included in that list.

Out of the top tier headphones/IEMs I've owned over the years
Triple 10
Shure 535
ER4P
UM3X
K702s,

They are amazing, and are of the same caliber as the aforementioned phones.

No a/b testing; going from memory.

 

[Silver]

Quote:

Why are the Westone 2's not included in that list.
Out of the top tier headphones/IEMs I've owned over the years
Triple 10
Shure 535
ER4P
UM3X
K702s,
They are amazing, and are of the same caliber as the aforementioned phones.
No a/b testing; going from memory.

 
I have only begun to really read threads for several weeks. Not until lately do I read that some praise it for its value for money. Still, W2 is as if it is pricey enough ($250?) not to be considered as a bargain when GR07, FXT90, Brainwavz B2 and EPH-100 are at $150 price point. Of course one has to take into account the brand and convenient access to Westone itself costs $100. 

 

[eke2k6]

Price has little to do with the performance of the IEM. It has more to do with cost of components, the R&D costs that went into the product, and the amount of profit the company would like to make. 
 
Sometimes cheaper iems can sound better than far more expensive ones. For instance, the GR07 is objectively better than the SE535 in just about every way. It is also better than the IE80. Similarly, I'd put the RE262 up there with the likes of the W4. Just goes to show that price does not equal performance.

 

[Silver]

Quote:

Price has little to do with the performance of the IEM. It has more to do with cost of components, the R&D costs that went into the product, and the amount of profit the company would like to make. 
 
Sometimes cheaper iems can sound better than far more expensive ones. For instance, the GR07 is objectively better than the SE535 in just about every way. It is also better than the IE80. Similarly, I'd put the RE262 up there with the likes of the W4. Just goes to show that price does not equal performance.

 
I am curious about whether a pair of IEM can be objectively better than another. The thing about VSONIC GR-07 is that I have to order online without auditon...  
 
EDIT: I read that the mid range of GR-07 is not so forward. I will speculate that it will be similar to my BA-200s that cracking up volume but still find the vocal too quiet. I have been auditioning Westones that I begin to forget about my experience with 535s but I recall I find it definitely enjoyable to listen to Adele 21 with the Shures.

 

[glac1er]

I think at that level, sound quality difference is getting smaller and personal soundsig preference will weigh more heavily on which one you'll like. Rather than thinking in terms of price, try to get one that fits your music and preference best.
 
Comparing my GR07(bargain) and SM3v1(former top tier), which surprisingly have somewhat alike soundsig. The GR07 wins in bass tactile feel, coherency of frequency range, and slightly better sub-bass but the SM3v1 wins in high pureness, clarity and accuracy by far. Based on that, if I have to pick, I like the SM3v1 slightly more, but not enough to warrant its price jump over the GR07. I will probably sell the sm3v1 as a result. Also, I like both iems more than the se535, so it's not all about the price. 

 

[Silver]

Quote:

I think at that level, sound quality difference is getting smaller and personal soundsig preference will weigh more heavily on which one you'll like. Rather than thinking in terms of price, try to get one that fits your music and preference best.
 
Comparing my GR07(bargain) and SM3v1(former top tier), which surprisingly have somewhat alike soundsig. The GR07 wins in bass tactile feel, coherency of frequency range, and slightly better sub-bass but the SM3v1 wins in high pureness, clarity and accuracy by far. Based on that, if I have to pick, I like the SM3v1 slightly more, but not enough to warrant its price jump over the GR07. I will probably sell the sm3v1 as a result. Also, I like both iems more than the se535, so it's not all about the price. 

 
Yes maybe it is all up to personal taste. Just a btw my brief audition with UM3Xs I find the way the Westones separates instruments and vocals jarring. I listened to Placebo Sony to Say Goodbye with it. [size=medium]Starting at 1:00 of the song, I find the electric guitar riff behind the chorus 'before our innocence is lost you are always one of those blessed with lucky sevens' pretty jarring. It would be very natural to blend the vocal with guitar together but instead UM3x kinda separated those two tracks artificially. I wonder if UM3x's rendition of similar passage is why ljokerl describes UM3x as 'infographic but not photorealistic'. I am guessing that as a monitor for live performance purpose, UM3x tries very hard to separate instrument from vocal hence that sort of artificial feeling demonstrated in the chorus of the song.[/size]

 

[james444]

Quote:

I meant that if I were loaded USD400 was nothing to me I would get Shure 535s, I am now listening to my TDKs via iPhone and have no significant complaints.

 
IME there's no significant gain in technical ability when you move from capable dual-BAs like the BA200 to three or four driver BAs.
 
Quote:

I apologize that maybe I didn't really explain why I feel itchy after getting BA200s. I listened to W3/UM3x/535 in local shops and prefer the more forward mid range of those than my BA200s. I think that with a more forward mid range I don't need to be constantly bothered with the notion that 'how come the vocal is so quiet despite turning up the volume quite high'. Listening to artists like Adele, I find that it is much more desirable to listen to vocal loud and clear. Indeed, I am curious if forward mid range only exists in those triple driver IEMs. I can guess that forward mid range is not for everybody but that is like the sound signature I kind of die for somehow.

 
You can get mid-centric IEMs at any price point. Read ClieOS' comparison of mid-centric IEMs, or search Joker's review thread for mid-centric IEMs.
Btw, my personal recommendation goes to the Ortofon e-Q7.
 
Quote:

For instance, the GR07 is objectively better than the SE535 in just about every way. It is also better than the IE80.

 
Good to know that it's more than just your subjective impression.

 

[Inks]

If that's the case I wonder where the objective proof is...

 

[Silver]

Quote:

 
IME there's no significant gain in technical ability when you move from capable dual-BAs like the BA200 to three or four driver BAs.
 
 
You can get mid-centric IEMs at any price point. Read ClieOS' comparison of mid-centric IEMs, or search Joker's review thread for mid-centric IEMs.
Btw, my personal recommendation goes to the Ortofon e-Q7.
 
 
Good to know that it's more than just your subjective impression.

 
Another reason I kinda limit myself to major brand IEMs is that those are the only models that I can readily audition in HK. You can't return your goods here unless it is defective in HK. TDKs has too limited stock for audition but at such low price in HK it was a gamble that I was willing to take. I have been listening to SE215s since late April. I compared it with 535s back then but I was not tempted to upgrade. Indeed I was very happy with it until getting TDKs. Now SE215s sound too muddy to me that I try to give away or sell. It is also somewhat fatiguing that I only listened to my Shures on public transport. Unlike now I find TDKs so comfortable that I can listen for extended period at home. Indeed I am not sure if I listen to SE425/SE535 long enough (longer than the audition at shop lasting several minutes) will I still prefer the clarity and comfort of TDKs. As I posted above, I have issues with layering in UM3x it doesn't attract me that much. 

 

[Young Spade]

Quote:

[size=medium]It would be very natural to blend the vocal with guitar together but instead UM3x kinda separated those two tracks artificially. I wonder if UM3x's rendition of similar passage is why ljokerl describes UM3x as 'infographic but not photorealistic'. I am guessing that as a monitor for live performance purpose, UM3x tries very hard to separate instrument from vocal hence that sort of artificial feeling demonstrated in the chorus of the song.[/size]

 
I owned the UM3Xs two times for a total length of about a year, and I can definitely agree on the "artificial" music separation. It's designed to eparate music as it's a stage monitor, by nature, but this can create... not problems, but an interesting perspective in the music that isn't actually musical. 
 
I loved the instrument separation with them; by far it was the best I have ever heard, either amped or straight out of the HP jack, but the music seemed to be picked apart and wasn't coherent in any way, and I found myself analyzing the music rather than purely enjoying it. 
 
Amazing phones though.