[Orel]

Hey Joker, the AKG K323XS look interesting. You think you would have a chance to try these?

 

[peter123]

Someone was looking for earloops the other day:

http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=380468243568

Don't know about the quality but the seller is good, I've used him many times.

 

[starfly]

  I doubt you'll find a direct comparison of such different IEMs - people tend to compare like with like. The EPH-100 is way bassier than the RE-400, warmer, less emphasized in the mirdrange, and less smooth and refined up top, IMO.
 
 

 
So I had already ordered the RE-400 and thought I'd return them, because from what I've been reading I figured the EPH-100 might be a bit closer to what I'm looking for than the RE-400. Just thought I'd miss out on the low end. So I sent an e-mail to the store owner and the guy calls me back within an hour and basically urges me to actually give them a listen and that I shouldn't worry about the return policy, that if I still don't like them after giving them a proper listening session I could still return them. Good guy!! He also told me to burn them in for 24 hours and try it with the included Comply tips. That's what I call great service!
 
So I haven't burnt them in yet for 24 hours, but they've been playing music for most of the day and I decided to give them a try just now (actually listening to them right now). So far I have to say that they sound better than I expected. The sound is a bit clinical compared to my SE530, but otherwise the bass has much more presence than I was expecting. It probably misses that last bit of sub-bass that the SE530 can offer, but the mids and highs are quite clear. Not completely sure yet if I like their somewhat forward presentation (especially the mids), it's a little bit too much in my face so far. But I like all the detail it retrieves though. Otherwise, I can tell it's a tiny driver, the SE530 just sounds a bit 'bigger', but I guess that was to be expected given that actual physical size difference.
 
So will burn them in more overnight and tomorrow during the day and will give them another spin tomorrow night. But so far, better than I was expecting. The EPH-100 is also on the way, but I probably won't be able to return those once I've tried them (from a different store) so I'm just gonna have to guess how they sound based on reviews of both IEMs.
 
So far I've tried them with the big double-flange tips included, those are most comfortable and give me a good seal. Oh, and also I sometimes get the illusion that I'm not getting a good seal with the sound thinning out, but then I check and they're still sealed properly. Does this have to do with the wider soundstage compared to the SE530, which basically places all the instruments farther away from each other giving the impression of thinner/emptier sound?

 

[5fteleven]

Hi Joker. A silly question, but out of the 309 iems do you find TDK EB900 as having the strongest bass? Also is koss spark plug (pathfinder) bassier?

 

[reihead]

Someone was looking for earloops the other day:

http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=380468243568

Don't know about the quality but the seller is good, I've used him many times.

 
I'm that person, but the link you provided doesn't work, takes me to the homepage.
 
Cheers

 

[peter123]

   
I'm that person, but the link you provided doesn't work, takes me to the homepage.
 
Cheers

Sorry about that, try this one instead
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/High-quality-Earloop-Earhook-for-Earphones-Earbuds-Shirt-Clip-/380468243568?pt=US_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item5895acac70

 

[reihead]

   
....
 
I can't seem to find any on ebay. Weird.
 
If I were you I'd post a classified here on head-fi - plenty of IEMs come with cable guides and I'm sure lots of people have spares. 
 
You can also get the ThinkSound: http://store.thinksound.com/product/active-ear-hook or V-Moda: http://v-moda.com/sport-earhooks/ guides. I prefer the fit of the Thinksound ones for comfort but I don't have them anymore to try with the VSonic cable. The V-Moda ones are more conventional in design and should fit pretty much any cable without issue.
 
As for an upgrade, earphones I found to be in same vein as the GR07 BE would be the Alclair Reference (though its bass is GR07 and not GR07BE level), Phonak PFE 232, and Ultrasone IQ with impedance adapter. 
 

 
Thanks joker, 
What about regardless of the same SS? What would be an upgrade?

 

[reihead]

  Sorry about that, try this one instead
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/High-quality-Earloop-Earhook-for-Earphones-Earbuds-Shirt-Clip-/380468243568?pt=US_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item5895acac70

 
Thanks, another member already pointed me to those. Seems the only option so far
Cheers

 

[peter123]

   
Thanks, another member already pointed me to those. Seems the only option so far
Cheers

 

[kova4a]

   
Thanks, another member already pointed me to those. Seems the only option so far
Cheers

Well, these are most likely the genuine Vsonic ones. I have like 6 pairs of vsonic earguides and the bigbargainonline ones seem to be exactly these. You can always order from China but you'll pay like 10 bucks for one pair and honestly the vsonic earguides are pretty sub-par and not worth paying that much. I'm 99% sure the ebay ones are the actual vsonic ones.

 

[EPICFAILXD]

Joker, do you think i should buy the Fischer DBA-02? I'm looking for an upgrade from my FXT90, and am looking for a balanced sound, so would it be an upgrade? If not, what would you recommend as an upgrade (max $200-250) Thanks

 

[johanchandy]

Joker, which one is more speaker like out of these two, re-400 or the gr07 BE? I wan't to get an Iem for portable use when I'm away from my modded q701's.

 

[modulor]

  Joker, which one is more speaker like out of these two, re-400 or the gr07 BE? I wan't to get an Iem for portable use when I'm away from my modded q701's.

Tricky question...I think it's harder to compare IEMs to speakers than full sized open headphones.  As far as soundstage goes, the GR07s will have a wider, further back presentation, so that may be more in line with your Q701 (from memory).  I feel like depth/height is presented a bit better in the RE-400 though.  Comparatively, it seems more equal in each component of soundstage (more spherical to give a visual) vs the GR07 which has more width than depth/height.

 

[starfly]

For any of you guys wondering what the differences are between the Yamaha EPH-100 and HiFiMAN RE-400, check out this thread where @modulor posts his impressions of both (and also a bit of the Vsonic GR07) when he had all of them and was able to test them.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/704091/hifiman-re-400-or-yamaha-eph-100

 

[johanchandy]

  For any of you guys wondering what the differences are between the Yamaha EPH-100 and HiFiMAN RE-400, check out this thread where @modulor posts his impressions of both (and also a bit of the Vsonic GR07) when he had all of them and was able to test them.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/704091/hifiman-re-400-or-yamaha-eph-100

 

  Tricky question...I think it's harder to compare IEMs to speakers than full sized open headphones.  As far as soundstage goes, the GR07s will have a wider, further back presentation, so that may be more in line with your Q701 (from memory).  I feel like depth/height is presented a bit better in the RE-400 though.  Comparatively, it seems more equal in each component of soundstage (more spherical to give a visual) vs the GR07 which has more width than depth/height.

@ Starfly- Thanks for that link, it was very helpful.
 
@ Modular- Thats an amazing write up! The sibilance you describe in the gr07 BE has me leaning towards the Re-400. Is the sub bass in the re-400 really that subdued? Also how well does the re-400 do vocals? Which is the more technical iem?