Multi-IEM Review - 352 IEMs compared (Pump Audio Earphones added 04/03/16 p. 1106)
Nov 1, 2014 at 1:12 PM Post #14,868 of 16,931
I'm talking about ambient noise that's not part of the music you're hearing. If you're trying to heard every bit of detail in a song, it'll only get in the way.

 
OK, I won't go on because I'll derail the thread, but hearing every last detail in a song should not be the ultimate aim, I don't think.  For me, I've never heard music sound as good as it has when it has travelled through the air into my ears from at least a few feet away. That means there is ambient sound mixed in with it by the time it hits my brain. So excuse my unscientific wording or even logic, but surely thats why open headphones sound better than closed and why even closed headphones sound better than IEMs?  Squeezing all the air out of the mix makes music sound different than it does either when heard it's live without speakers, live through speakers or recorded through speakers.
 
Or am I completely insane?
 
Nov 1, 2014 at 1:58 PM Post #14,870 of 16,931
No, you just have different tastes, and there's nothing wrong with that.


Spot on good sir. I'm lucky enough to be tolerant of most head/earphones types and enjoy the variety of noisemakers available. As long as it sounds good to me, I don't care what the music comes from.

My $3 J+- Wooden Ear buds are probably just flat out bad objectively, but I love em. The Sennheiser buds noted in my sig are awesome....completely different experience to iems, and that's a good thing. Variety is nice.
 
Nov 1, 2014 at 2:10 PM Post #14,871 of 16,931
Spot on good sir. I'm lucky enough to be tolerant of most head/earphones types and enjoy the variety of noisemakers available. As long as it sounds good to me, I don't care what the music comes from.

My $3 J+- Wooden Ear buds are probably just flat out bad objectively, but I love em. The Sennheiser buds noted in my sig are awesome....completely different experience to iems, and that's a good thing. Variety is nice.

Precisely, I'm more than willing to dough out money for an IEM that suits my preferred signature, but I also like to have some other headphones that doesn't necessarily match my tastes on hand just to be able to change things up and appreciate a different type of sound every now and then. 
 
Nov 1, 2014 at 4:22 PM Post #14,872 of 16,931
from your experience how reccessed the mids are compared to the ie800 ? or is the ie800 outright better ?

 
More recessed lower mids than with the IE800, but strong upper mids on the Lears. I do think the IE800 sounds better overall. BTW, I prefer the form factor of the Lears to some of the weird design choices on the IE 800. 
 
Nov 2, 2014 at 1:42 AM Post #14,873 of 16,931
More recessed lower mids than with the IE800, but strong upper mids on the Lears. I do think the IE800 sounds better overall. BTW, I prefer the form factor of the Lears to some of the weird design choices on the IE 800. 

thank you ljokerl, i will see if i can get an ordinary ready made lear 4 Bs and compared it to a loaner v6 stage or even the v6 (universal)
 
Nov 2, 2014 at 11:51 AM Post #14,874 of 16,931
Nobel 3 universal iems
A few months ago,I purchased a set of these. I haven't seen any reviews of these so I thought I'd give my impressions.
Over the last 3 years, I have purchased quite a few sets of iems - trying to find a sound signature I liked (rationalize my addiction to buying headphones!) Sets I own include: RHA 450i, Steelseries flux, Fidelio S2, RHA750i, Om Audio inearpeace.... Although I like most of these, I wanted an upgrade and was initially considering the SE535, ER4S, and even a few custom sets too. Joker's enormously helpful headphone list led me to the Noble website. I called their customer service number and told them what I was looking for (versatility, portability, fun sound, detail, etc.) My wallet then jumped out of my pocket - my order was placed on a Tuesday and I received them on Thursday. 
Inside the hard plastic box is the headphones, a large variety of tips, some rubber bands etc. I spent close to 2 weeks trying to figure out which tips worked best but wound up spending $10 at radio shack for some COMPLY S500 tips.
It doesn't take much to drive these headphones - a click or two above 50% on my iPhone or iPod is an ideal listening volume for me. I didn't burn them in. I just plugged them in and started listening.
Noble's website describes them as V-shaped. They probably are but its a much more subtle V than I am used to. The bass is powerful, controlled, deep - really deep! The mids are very apparent, natural, clear and refined. The highs are detailed, plenty of sizzle, rarely harsh - you hear it but don't notice it if that makes sense.... The soundstage is bigger than anything I have experienced - higher, lower and wider. I feel like I'm hearing the music rather than the song. To me, they have a voluptuous, muscular, yet gentle sound. everything seems to be happening while I listen but nothing is being the alpha or the distraction. I am extremely pleased with my investment.
 
Here's a sample of what I enjoyed road-testing on these:
"Live at Leeds" - The Who, "Ill Communication" - The Beastie Boys, "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks" - Brian Eno, "Panic in Babylon" - Lee "Scratch" Perry, "Kind of Blue" - Miles Davis, "Tchaikovsky: suites for orchestra 1-4" - USSR symphony orchestra conducted by Yevgeni Svetlanov, "Prairie Home Invasion" - Jello Biafra & Mojo Nixon, "Bursting Out" - Jethro Tull, "All things must pass" George Harrison, "Mr Love Pants" Ian Dury and the Blockheads....
Basically everything has sounded spectacular from an iPhone or iPod with no amp. 
 
Nov 4, 2014 at 4:30 AM Post #14,875 of 16,931
Hello can anyone recommend me an upgrade from sony xba-10? I'm looking for something with the same sound signature (sort of slightly mid centric but warmish kind of tone) but has better/huge/good soundstage and better overall sound quality. I also want the same ergonomic fit of that in the xba-10. Something like the zero audio carbo tenore or yamaha eph-100 or sony mh1c size which can be deeply inserted due to small housings. My budget is less than $130. Thanks!
 
Nov 4, 2014 at 4:49 AM Post #14,876 of 16,931
Hello can anyone recommend me an upgrade from sony xba-10? I'm looking for something with the same sound signature (sort of slightly mid centric but warmish kind of tone) but has better/huge/good soundstage and better overall sound quality. I also want the same ergonomic fit of that in the xba-10. Something like the zero audio carbo tenore or yamaha eph-100 or sony mh1c size which can be deeply inserted due to small housings. My budget is less than $130. Thanks!

 
   if you can do with out bass , re-400 is the one you should consider , or the HF-5 .
 
Nov 4, 2014 at 11:49 AM Post #14,877 of 16,931
Hi all,
i've talked about it before but still looking for a "solution"...so
i know it may sound whiny but i need advice :
i have a problem with earphones, cant find a good fit.
it's either i get annoyed by microphonics, or when wearing them around the
ear i hate how the cables rub/wrap on my neck.
for example, i love the Vsonic VSD1S, but when wearing them straight down
i hate the microphonics, and when around the ear, i hate the cable on my neck.
i was thinking, maybe if i get something like the VSD3S which is designed specifically
for over-the-ear wear, it would be better?
i think maybe if the y-splitter is further down the cable, maybe they wont wrap on my neck?
thanx
 
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:45 PM Post #14,878 of 16,931
  Hi all,
i've talked about it before but still looking for a "solution"...so
i know it may sound whiny but i need advice :
i have a problem with earphones, cant find a good fit.
it's either i get annoyed by microphonics, or when wearing them around the
ear i hate how the cables rub/wrap on my neck.
for example, i love the Vsonic VSD1S, but when wearing them straight down
i hate the microphonics, and when around the ear, i hate the cable on my neck.
i was thinking, maybe if i get something like the VSD3S which is designed specifically
for over-the-ear wear, it would be better?
i think maybe if the y-splitter is further down the cable, maybe they wont wrap on my neck?
thanx

 
   get comply whoomps for your vsd1s . it can help with microphonics , and use the cable clip .
   
       
 
Nov 4, 2014 at 3:49 PM Post #14,879 of 16,931
Joker, would you recommend the HiSoundAudio Crystal for electronic music? I currently own the HifiMan RE-400, however i find them to be a bit too neutral for my taste (also the lack of bass).
 
I prefer a warm sound signature and am after something that has a similar size to the re-400s (i find them very comfortable).
 
Would the crystals be a good match? 
 
Nov 4, 2014 at 11:05 PM Post #14,880 of 16,931
Hello can anyone recommend me an upgrade from sony xba-10? I'm looking for something with the same sound signature (sort of slightly mid centric but warmish kind of tone) but has better/huge/good soundstage and better overall sound quality. I also want the same ergonomic fit of that in the xba-10. Something like the zero audio carbo tenore or yamaha eph-100 or sony mh1c size which can be deeply inserted due to small housings. My budget is less than $130. Thanks!

 
I've only heard the XBA-1 (not XBA-10) and even that not at much length. Based on that, the EPH-100 and MH1C won't really have the same signature. Two that come to mind for the kind of sound you are describing are the UE600 (not sure if form factor will work for you and how much of an upgrade it is) and the RE-400 like suman suggested. The RE-400 doesn't have a very large soundstage but it's a superb earphone for warmish sound for the price (currently on sale for $79).
 
  Hi all,
i've talked about it before but still looking for a "solution"...so
i know it may sound whiny but i need advice :
i have a problem with earphones, cant find a good fit.
it's either i get annoyed by microphonics, or when wearing them around the
ear i hate how the cables rub/wrap on my neck.
for example, i love the Vsonic VSD1S, but when wearing them straight down
i hate the microphonics, and when around the ear, i hate the cable on my neck.
i was thinking, maybe if i get something like the VSD3S which is designed specifically
for over-the-ear wear, it would be better?
i think maybe if the y-splitter is further down the cable, maybe they wont wrap on my neck?
thanx

 
Doubt the VSD3S will resolve your problem. Have you tried the cable-behind-back wear style? It's what I use when I'm active and I find it to be the best at keeping cables out of my way. In that case it does help to have a native over-the-ear IEM, but not 100% necessary. See the rightmost image here for illustration: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ultimate-headphone-guide-articles-how-insert-ear-monitors 
 
  Joker, would you recommend the HiSoundAudio Crystal for electronic music? I currently own the HifiMan RE-400, however i find them to be a bit too neutral for my taste (also the lack of bass).
 
I prefer a warm sound signature and am after something that has a similar size to the re-400s (i find them very comfortable).
 
Would the crystals be a good match? 

 
Yep, Crystals will do it although you will give up some of the smoothness and refinement of the RE-400, especially in the treble. Bass is very nice on the Crystals, without being overbearing (good if you've always wanted to just raise the RE-400 bass a little, not good if you think the RE-400 has no bass at all). The Shure SE215 has a fairly similar sound to the Crystal but with even more bass and more laid-back treble. 
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top