[DecentLevi]

Hello guys, I'm really in need of a brief suggestion on IEMs please. I need some decent IEMs for working at a factory that are very isolating and clean sounding. The form factor I'm looking for would be long & narrow like the photos below, allowing for 'deep inseretion' for better isolation / ease of taking in/out. The sound signature I'm looking for is crisp, linear/transparent, and if possible at least somewhat detailed & sweet.
 
I've tried the ER4-P a good 10 years ago, but I must have not gotten the tips sorted out because I never seemed to get good sound out of them. I'm thinking to try their MK5 Isolator earphones - these look nice and affordable, but I don't know any trustable reviews. I've gotten a few of your suggestions before such as the Vsonic VC02 last year, only to discover the sound to be quite lacking in detail and have it fall apart.

 
 
@ljokerl or anyone please let me know which one are recommended like this. Thanks!...

 

[loomisjohnson]

  Hello guys, I'm really in need of a brief suggestion on IEMs please. I need some decent IEMs for working at a factory that are very isolating and clean sounding. The form factor I'm looking for would be long & narrow like the photos below, allowing for 'deep inseretion' for better isolation / ease of taking in/out. The sound signature I'm looking for is crisp, linear/transparent, and if possible at least somewhat detailed & sweet.
 
I've tried the ER4-P a good 10 years ago, but I must have not gotten the tips sorted out because I never seemed to get good sound out of them. I'm thinking to try their MK5 Isolator earphones - these look nice and affordable, but I don't know any trustable reviews. I've gotten a few of your suggestions before such as the Vsonic VC02 last year, only to discover the sound to be quite lacking in detail and have it fall apart.

 
 
@ljokerl or anyone please let me know which one are recommended like this. Thanks!...

klipsch x5, x10

 

[John Q Lin]

what do you guys think about the LZ A4 IEM on massdrop.com. compare to the Noble X and T20i.

I'm still a noob on IEMs. currently I have the RHA T20i as my go to IEM, and got the Noble X massdrop on the way.

What IEMs should I be looking into? any suggestion would be great.

Thanks.

 

[DecentLevi]

  klipsch x5, x10

Thanks, I ordered the Klipsch x5, and Spin Fit tips for hopefully better isolation than the included tips

 

[loomisjohnson]

 
Thanks, I ordered the Klipsch x5, and Spin Fit tips for hopefully better isolation than the included tips

great--let us know your impressions. personally, i've had good luck with comply-type foams, which seal well and attenuate the bass--the x5 actually have good lowend impact for a single ba

 

[DecentLevi]

Will do, however all of the Balanced Armature earphones I've tried before were too muddy / lifeless for my preferences so don't be surprised if I don't like it. Just thought I'd give the Klipsch X5 a chance anyway based on the reviews. Yeah I've been a Comply man for IEMs, but this time wanted to give a try to different type of aftermarket tips.

 

[Raketen]

Will do, however all of the Balanced Armature earphones I've tried before were too muddy / lifeless for my preferences so don't be surprised if I don't like it. Just thought I'd give the Klipsch X5 a chance anyway based on the reviews. Yeah I've been a Comply man for IEMs, but this time wanted to give a try to different type of aftermarket tips.

I think it is hard to beat Etymotic triple-flange tip IEMs for total isolation though, I used the ER6 at work for a long time. If you strugle with them perhaps you could try custom tips? Ety have a specific service for this but there are some companies like Snugs that can make for most IEM.

 

[EAPOCS]

How do the Titan 1 / Ex1 compare to the SoundMagic E80?

 

[DecentLevi]

@loomisjohnson and anyone
 
Incoming today were my Klipsch x5 earphones. Packaging was good, build quality of earphones are good, except the cable is so thin it leads me to believe better fidelity could be missing... and the ladder point would be my overall synopsis of the sound: something is undoubtedly lacking - in a massive way.
 
To start out with the positives, the voicing is OK and it's non-fatiguing. Other than that, as is my experience with all balanced armatur's, it's super muddy/swampy with an enormous void where the details should be, meaning that the mid-bass is very dominant, the treble both acutely recessed and rolled off early, the dynamics are lacking impact, and the speed is far slower than natural. These earbuds were not responsive to EQ'ing of the high frequencies above 4khz, therefore don't seem to have the capacity to reproduce high frequencies more than in a very nuance / passive way. The soundstage is at least if not below iPod earbuds, and the dynamics are definitely short of those free earbuds as well. Bass definition is sub-bar at best, hence my description as muddy/swampy, leaving you with no more than a very artificial sounding one-note bass response.
 
Testing was done with my FiiO X5 DAP using well mastered lossless songs of various genres that I'm very familiar with, in both H / L gain modes. I tried the provided double flange, and medium / large silicon tips and made sure to insert deepy for optimal seal / sound. Despite the above awful review, I will still give these a fair chance at work because the very dark and non-fatiguing sound may be suitable for long hours in a noisy environment. Overall though I would rate the usefulness of these earbuds to be not good enough for anything such as casual walks / commute or at home listening, but only OK for a noisy industrial type of setting. The free Samsung / iPhone earbuds have undoubdedly better details and dynamics, but at least these have better isolation.
 
I'd put the overall performance at around 5% as good as my $3k home hi-fi headphone rig, and would not classify these as "audiophile" earphones in any way. The closest sound signature these seem to resemble from a large headphone would be vaguely similar the Fischer Audio FA-003. Still however I'll give these a chance with my incoming Spinfit eartips. Needless to say, I'm closing the books on balanced armature drivers as this is the 3rd such B.A. earphone I've listened to which has had nearly identical results as low performers. Personally I would say balanced armetures is a flawed technology that is not suitable for sound reproduction - as far as I have heard at least.

 

[B9Scrambler]

DecentLevi If the Klipsche doesn't work out, and it sounds like it won't, return it and give the new Brainwavz B100 a good. They're far from lacking detail and extension (both ends).

 

[DecentLevi]

Thanks however my experience has been that most IEMs don't fit in my ears, with a possible exception of universal fit, and that was my main reason I was seeking a long straight form earphone

 

[Raketen]

.

 

[lordsinister]

Hello All and Happy New Year!
 
@ljokerl, @twister6, @Brooko and others - While most probably haven't listen to the Superlux HD668B, for anyone who has, are you able to list any IEM that can deliver the same level of sound and yes I know I'm comparing an IEM to a full can?  I paid $67 CDN for the HD668B and have falling in love with the overall sound but none of my recent IEMs (almost 5 times $) are able to match it's capabilities but hoping the LZ A4 or Trinity PM6 are able to.  The only IEM that comes a bit close is the Trinity Delta II with purple damped filters but lacks some of the excitement and details / textures.
 
Current IEMS:
Trinity Audio PM4, Delta I and II
Dunu DN2000 and Titan I
Teos Altone200 and H-150
Zero Audio DUOZA (ZH-DWX10)
 
Coming soon:
Trinity Audio PM6 and new Master
LZ A4
 
Anyways, just throwing this out there just in case you came across an IEM to blew you away in comparison on a full size can.
 
Many thanks.

 

[loomisjohnson]

  @loomisjohnson and anyone
 
Incoming today were my Klipsch x5 earphones. Packaging was good, build quality of earphones are good, except the cable is so thin it leads me to believe better fidelity could be missing... and the ladder point would be my overall synopsis of the sound: something is undoubtedly lacking - in a massive way.
 
To start out with the positives, the voicing is OK and it's non-fatiguing. Other than that, as is my experience with all balanced armatur's, it's super muddy/swampy with an enormous void where the details should be, meaning that the mid-bass is very dominant, the treble both acutely recessed and rolled off early, the dynamics are lacking impact, and the speed is far slower than natural. These earbuds were not responsive to EQ'ing of the high frequencies above 4khz, therefore don't seem to have the capacity to reproduce high frequencies more than in a very nuance / passive way. The soundstage is at least if not below iPod earbuds, and the dynamics are definitely short of those free earbuds as well. Bass definition is sub-bar at best, hence my description as muddy/swampy, leaving you with no more than a very artificial sounding one-note bass response.
 
Testing was done with my FiiO X5 DAP using well mastered lossless songs of various genres that I'm very familiar with, in both H / L gain modes. I tried the provided double flange, and medium / large silicon tips and made sure to insert deepy for optimal seal / sound. Despite the above awful review, I will still give these a fair chance at work because the very dark and non-fatiguing sound may be suitable for long hours in a noisy environment. Overall though I would rate the usefulness of these earbuds to be not good enough for anything such as casual walks / commute or at home listening, but only OK for a noisy industrial type of setting. The free Samsung / iPhone earbuds have undoubdedly better details and dynamics, but at least these have better isolation.
 
I'd put the overall performance at around 5% as good as my $3k home hi-fi headphone rig, and would not classify these as "audiophile" earphones in any way. The closest sound signature these seem to resemble from a large headphone would be vaguely similar the Fischer Audio FA-003. Still however I'll give these a chance with my incoming Spinfit eartips. Needless to say, I'm closing the books on balanced armature drivers as this is the 3rd such B.A. earphone I've listened to which has had nearly identical results as low performers. Personally I would say balanced armetures is a flawed technology that is not suitable for sound reproduction - as far as I have heard at least.

i'm sorry these didn't work out for you. after reading your impressions i pulled out my pair to refresh mine and while we all hear things differently, i just don't hear the swampy/muddy quality. they are warmish, but to my ears the bass is fairly etched and quick and they have good overall clarity. i agree the high end isn't very extended or enhanced--they're quite midrange focused--which could be the lack of dynamics you refer to.  correspondingly, they don't get strident or fatiguging. in any case, i hoe you can exchange them for something more to your liking.

 

[B9Scrambler]

  Thanks however my experience has been that most IEMs don't fit in my ears, with a possible exception of universal fit, and that was my main reason I was seeking a long straight form earphone

 
I understand, but the housings are quite compact and they have a very long, thin nozzle. They also weigh next to nothing. Ergonomics are pretty impressive in my experience. But, I get they don't fit within the form factor you're looking for. Still might be worth consideration anyway.