[vaxick]

Hey Joker, was looking over your buying guide as I'm trying to get a new set of IEM's before I travel and I'm a fan of the v shape sound signature (I'm a sucker for the fun sounding IEM's).  My favorite IEM of all time was the CKM500, I found it even more fun than the FXT90's, but that driver housing on the CKM500's was not designed for small ears at all leaving me in pain after 30+ minutes of use.
 
What would you recommend for someone who is a fan of the CKM500 sound?
 
Thanks.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Tyll is going to implement the curve but it will take him a while

Here is the RE400 with that compensation

Is there a different Olive-Welti curve for IEMs vs over-ears?

 

[Inks]

Nope

Is there a different Olive-Welti curve for IEMs vs over-ears?

Nope same application

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Nope
Nope same application

Ah, but the HRTF of the dummy head itself is different for different kinds of phones. *Smacks head*

 

[Inks]

The

Ah, but the HRTF of the dummy head itself is different for different kinds of phones. *Smacks head*

The HRTF is constant on the Head, but the interaction due to placement is tricky. It's why Rin and Tyll have to make different measurements and get an average for over the ears

 

[justblue]

Quote:

Tyll is going to implement the curve but it will take him a while

Here is the RE400 with that compensation

 
Nice, really balanced one. I put it on my wish list

 

[garcsa]

Hi all, 
I have some contact  problem with my RE400 jack plug. Sent an email just now, I'm waiting for Head-Directs answer.
Anybody same problem?
 

 

[FrequencyBlue]

I am using your thread to find and add some IEMs to http://www.head-fi.org/t/670395/the-new-v-shaped-club, will credit you as list builder
 
btw, do you think the FXT90s belong to entry-level or mid-fi IEMs?

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Hey Joker, was looking over your buying guide as I'm trying to get a new set of IEM's before I travel and I'm a fan of the v shape sound signature (I'm a sucker for the fun sounding IEM's).  My favorite IEM of all time was the CKM500, I found it even more fun than the FXT90's, but that driver housing on the CKM500's was not designed for small ears at all leaving me in pain after 30+ minutes of use.
 
What would you recommend for someone who is a fan of the CKM500 sound?
 
Thanks.

 
I honestly don't know of anything v-shaped, with as much mid-bass as the CKM500, that wouldn't also have larger (or equally large) housings. If the JVC FX500 was still in production that may have been an option (it's not as large as the FX700) but I think it's been discontinued. 

 

[justblue]

Joker, do you know the Brainwavz M4? What do you think of it? I was shure it was measured and ranked, though it's not apparently. Today it's on heavy sale at MP4Nation ($29 instead of $69), isn't it a bang for the buck?

 

[vaxick]

Quote:

 
I honestly don't know of anything v-shaped, with as much mid-bass as the CKM500, that wouldn't also have larger (or equally large) housings. If the JVC FX500 was still in production that may have been an option (it's not as large as the FX700) but I think it's been discontinued. 

Thanks, I see a few places where I can still get them so I'll have to check them out.  JVC's have always fit my ears perfectly.  The FXT90's were always a pleasure to wear, just always wished those had a bit more in the bass department.

 

[matt4109]

Hi Joker
 
Fantastic thread, thanks for posting all this. I got a pair of Vsonic GR02 Bass Editions recently and love them. But my right ear canal is apparently tiny and even the smallest tips provided by vsonic (which are quite small) are uncomfortable enough that I cant wear the headphones in more than a couple hours as my right ear canal becomes bruised from the tip. I've always used comply tips in the past as I've never before found silicone tips small enough to fit and stay in my ear. The smallest vsonic tip stays in my ear and I don't notice until its been in there for a while and the ear canal starts to bruise.Otherwise they are great. Do you have any recommendations on a pair on a pair with even smaller tips? 
 
I considered getting the astrotec am-90s or rock-it r-20s or etymotic mc5 but didn't know if I would be happy with the sound since they all have smaller frequency ranges listed. Honestly the bass in the gr02 BE is more heavy than I really need but I really like that it has such great extension. Budget would be up to $100ish I guess though I do tend to lose my headphones every 4 months or so which is why I was looking at cheaper sets. I also fly at least twice a week so decent isolation would be nice.
 
Again thanks for making this thread and for any advice you might have. It's an incredible resource.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Joker, do you know the Brainwavz M4? What do you think of it? I was shure it was measured and ranked, though it's not apparently. Today it's on heavy sale at MP4Nation ($29 instead of $69), isn't it a bang for the buck?

 
I skipped over the M4. From what I understand it was tuned for a more v-shaped sound than the older M1-M3 but I don't know how it actually performs. 
 
Quote:

Thanks, I see a few places where I can still get them so I'll have to check them out.  JVC's have always fit my ears perfectly.  The FXT90's were always a pleasure to wear, just always wished those had a bit more in the bass department.

 
Careful - there were fakes of the FX500 when it was still in production. Also, the FX500 has great capacity for bass but to match the mid-bass of the CKM500 you will still need to raise the mid-bass on the EQ. There are very few things out there with the mid-bass intensity of the CKM500 that are still on a similar SQ level. 
 
Quote:

Hi Joker
 
Fantastic thread, thanks for posting all this. I got a pair of Vsonic GR02 Bass Editions recently and love them. But my right ear canal is apparently tiny and even the smallest tips provided by vsonic (which are quite small) are uncomfortable enough that I cant wear the headphones in more than a couple hours as my right ear canal becomes bruised from the tip. I've always used comply tips in the past as I've never before found silicone tips small enough to fit and stay in my ear. The smallest vsonic tip stays in my ear and I don't notice until its been in there for a while and the ear canal starts to bruise.Otherwise they are great. Do you have any recommendations on a pair on a pair with even smaller tips? 
 
I considered getting the astrotec am-90s or rock-it r-20s or etymotic mc5 but didn't know if I would be happy with the sound since they all have smaller frequency ranges listed. Honestly the bass in the gr02 BE is more heavy than I really need but I really like that it has such great extension. Budget would be up to $100ish I guess though I do tend to lose my headphones every 4 months or so which is why I was looking at cheaper sets. I also fly at least twice a week so decent isolation would be nice.
 
Again thanks for making this thread and for any advice you might have. It's an incredible resource.

 
Why not get Complys for the GR02? Seems like that might be the cheapest solution with the most certain outcome unless you actually want something with less bass. 

 

[iRo-Fi]

Joker, what would be all-around upgrade from Meelec A151? A bit more bass and better soundstage would be good, but i don't really want to give anything in exchange. Several suggestions would be nice, no particular budget in mind.

 

[Jill]

Quote:

Hi Joker
 
Fantastic thread, thanks for posting all this. I got a pair of Vsonic GR02 Bass Editions recently and love them. But my right ear canal is apparently tiny and even the smallest tips provided by vsonic (which are quite small) are uncomfortable enough that I cant wear the headphones in more than a couple hours as my right ear canal becomes bruised from the tip. I've always used comply tips in the past as I've never before found silicone tips small enough to fit and stay in my ear. The smallest vsonic tip stays in my ear and I don't notice until its been in there for a while and the ear canal starts to bruise.Otherwise they are great. Do you have any recommendations on a pair on a pair with even smaller tips? 
 
I considered getting the astrotec am-90s or rock-it r-20s or etymotic mc5 but didn't know if I would be happy with the sound since they all have smaller frequency ranges listed. Honestly the bass in the gr02 BE is more heavy than I really need but I really like that it has such great extension. Budget would be up to $100ish I guess though I do tend to lose my headphones every 4 months or so which is why I was looking at cheaper sets. I also fly at least twice a week so decent isolation would be nice.
 
Again thanks for making this thread and for any advice you might have. It's an incredible resource.

I have really narrow ear canals too. The smallest tips I've found so far are the Jays silicones.  They come in xx-small, but can be hard to find.

If you are in the US or Canada, the only place I know that you can buy them is here: http://stereotypeaudio.com/our-brands/jays/jays-silicon-sleeve-xxs-black.html
http://stereotypeaudio.com/our-brands/jays/jays-silicon-sleeve-xxs-white.html

Maybe you can find them on eBay.  I know that someone posted other places you can get them if you're in Europe, but I don't remember where.

Reading reviews, several people have had luck with them using them on various Vsonic earphones, so I'm sure they will fit the GR02 nozzle. I've read that because the opening is very slightly wider than the Vsonics, they tend to slightly increase the treble emphasis in comparison.

I haven't actually ordered them yet, because the smallest Vsonic tips fit my ears, but just barely.  Although, I just bought another earphone, TDK BA200, and I'm considering buying them for that, as none of the stock tips are small enough.

Based on the measurements posted at the website above, the xxs Jays silicones appear to be just a bit smaller than the smallest Vsonics (8.8 mm versus 9-9.5 mm for the Vsonics). Here's a link to a review with pics of the different sizes of Jays silicone eartips. http://anythingbutipod.com/2007/10/jays-q-jays-review/