[vlenbo]

   
Yeah I guess it wouldn't be a big issue for many if they are clearly labeled as such. Something to do on Facebook for major holidays I guess
 
 
Shouldn't take that long. My estimate is 2 weeks. 
 
 
Unfortunately I don't have them and I don't think they're coming from InnerFidelity, either. Audio-Technica really doesn't market these models outside of Japan. 

I truly hope they change that attitude. They kind of bother me and agitate me to the point where I want to slap them across the cheek for neglecting the market outside of Japan.

 

[ljokerl]

It's not unusual for companies to have region-specific products but in this particular case it's all the good stuff that seems to be Japan-exclusive 

 

[kloner]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 
 





 


 


 


That's a tough one... with its particular signature (deep bass, warm tone, minor midrange recession, and fairly smooth up top) AND better all-around performance there's nothing I can think of except some customs - the Westone ES5 and Heir 8.A come to mind - and even those tend to have a little less bass overall. If you're okay with taking a cut somewhere - for example in bass quantity - and not expect an all-around upgrade there are other options. The Sony XBA-H3, for instance - it doesn't really have a clarity advantage on the EPH-100 but is an upgrade soundstaging and treble quality. 


 


 


I tried the original (mk1) ASG-1 but the performance wasn't great. Never managed to get my hands on an updated version or the ASG-2. 


 


 


The Ostry KC06 that ZapX629 mentioned is what comes to mind for sound (but not necessarily build). It has a brighter, clearer signature than the warm and smooth A63, but has a similar midrange focus. Costs $55-60.


 


I compared them a little here: http://theheadphonelist.com/brief-impressions-vsonic-vsd3s-ostry-kc06-havi-b3-pro/ 


 


 


Unfortunately I haven't tried the Noble 4 universal but the custom one has a very different sound than the LUF-4 - very flat and smooth and relaxed. The LUF-4 has a more v-shaped signature with more aggressive bass and upper mids/treble. The GR07 actually falls between these two in sound signature so you're moving in different directions from it depending on which one you go with. 


 


Haven't tried any Fischer Amps products.


 

thanks joker for the respond, i can sacrifice some bass for the clarity and treble, thus the shure se535ltd or maybe the sony xba-A3 is a good upgrade?




 

 

[ljokerl]

   

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

   
 
   
   
   
  That's a tough one... with its particular signature (deep bass, warm tone, minor midrange recession, and fairly smooth up top) AND better all-around performance there's nothing I can think of except some customs - the Westone ES5 and Heir 8.A come to mind - and even those tend to have a little less bass overall. If you're okay with taking a cut somewhere - for example in bass quantity - and not expect an all-around upgrade there are other options. The Sony XBA-H3, for instance - it doesn't really have a clarity advantage on the EPH-100 but is an upgrade soundstaging and treble quality. 
   
   
  I tried the original (mk1) ASG-1 but the performance wasn't great. Never managed to get my hands on an updated version or the ASG-2. 
   
   
  The Ostry KC06 that ZapX629 mentioned is what comes to mind for sound (but not necessarily build). It has a brighter, clearer signature than the warm and smooth A63, but has a similar midrange focus. Costs $55-60.
   
  I compared them a little here: http://theheadphonelist.com/brief-impressions-vsonic-vsd3s-ostry-kc06-havi-b3-pro/ 
   
   
  Unfortunately I haven't tried the Noble 4 universal but the custom one has a very different sound than the LUF-4 - very flat and smooth and relaxed. The LUF-4 has a more v-shaped signature with more aggressive bass and upper mids/treble. The GR07 actually falls between these two in sound signature so you're moving in different directions from it depending on which one you go with. 
   
  Haven't tried any Fischer Amps products.
   

  thanks joker for the respond, i can sacrifice some bass for the clarity and treble, thus the shure se535ltd or maybe the sony xba-A3 is a good upgrade?

   

 
With the SE525 you're sacrificing a lot of bass - compared to an EPH-100 it's almost flat. Good earphone overall, just a radically different sound sig. 
 
Not sure how the XBA-A3 compares to the XBA-H3 - maybe there's a comparison out there somewhere. I do think the H3 is a good earphone so assuming the A3 is better and not worse it should be good as well. 

 

[rawrster]

   
I wouldn't mind giving some of them away on facebook or whatnot but that requires time I don't really have, plus I have some reservations about giving away "pre-owned" earphones (which all of mine are). Most sets I have are just set aside for future comparisons. 
 
 

 
I guess I'll do you a huge favor at an inconvenience to me and take them off your hands...
 
 
I'm curious but what do you think about the GR07 classic edition? I'm looking at getting a cheap iem for work that has a bit less isolation that your typical iem from Shure, Etymotic, etc. At$100 I was looking at those. Anything else to consider? I use the Brainwavz M2 but the cable coiling up and going all over the place is quite maddening.

 

[Hoplite]

Dont mean to push you Joker, but when is the review of in-ear momentum? Cant wait to see the scoresheet of it

 

[ljokerl]

   
I guess I'll do you a huge favor at an inconvenience to me and take them off your hands...
 
 
I'm curious but what do you think about the GR07 classic edition? I'm looking at getting a cheap iem for work that has a bit less isolation that your typical iem from Shure, Etymotic, etc. At$100 I was looking at those. Anything else to consider? I use the Brainwavz M2 but the cable coiling up and going all over the place is quite maddening.

 
It's a little different from my ~5-year old GR07 mkI but I can't say it's worse. Compared them here: http://theheadphonelist.com/brief-impressions-vsonic-gr07-classic-plus-warning/ . For $99 it's great if you like the VSonic sound. The VSonic VSD3S is great as well considering it's only $45 or so: http://theheadphonelist.com/brief-impressions-vsonic-vsd3s-ostry-kc06-havi-b3-pro/ . The Ostry KC06 mentioned there has great sound and mediocre isolation as well. 
 

  Dont mean to push you Joker, but when is the review of in-ear momentum? Cant wait to see the scoresheet of it

 
Sent it to InnerFidelity for measurements. Waiting to get it back to do the review

 

[suman134]

 
Sent it to InnerFidelity for measurements. Waiting to get it back to do the review

  
    would love this review , i am thinking of getting it .

 

[ljokerl]

    
    would love this review , i am thinking of getting it .

 
At first listen it sounded nice but not that nice. Then again, it's comfortable, not super expensive, and it does have the rare option of Android controls. Will see where the review takes me. 

 

[Inks]

TTPOD T1E seems to be something that should be on here, it's quite popular and seems to feature a unique diaphragm and controlled channel matching. Haven't listened to mine yet, but looks promising. 

 

[suman134]

   
At first listen it sounded nice but not that nice. Then again, it's comfortable, not super expensive, and it does have the rare option of Android controls. Will see where the review takes me. 

   Yeah , thats what i liked about it , android controls and not too expensive . i hope its close to vsd 1 .

 

[Shawn71]

At first listen it sounded nice but not that nice. Then again, it's comfortable, not super expensive, and it does have the rare option of Android controls. Will see where the review takes me. 

Elevated bass tho not a bass head boom....but like to see how its compared to original momentums tho.....

 

[lilboozy]

According to mike2410, the momentum in ears have comparable bass quantity to the ie8. How does that bass compare to the beats tour 2.0?

 

[LastBluejay]

Hi Joker - first time post-er long-time lurker here.  First I wanted to say a huge and sincere thanks for the amazing reviews and work you've done over the years.  Your recommendations have brought lots of listening enjoyment over the years and I really appreciate it.  Which brings me to my question - I've been slowly upgrading my IEMs over the years from the Meelectronics CW31 to the Meelec CC51p to the Sony MH1C and now I've been using the MDR-7550 for the past year and have really enjoyed it.  
 
I was curious if anything comes to your mind as an upgrade to the 7550s?
 
I *think* (although I'm not positive) that I enjoy warmer sounding earphones, but I think I'm basically looking for better imaging, soundstage, resolution, and clarity.  I'd say 50% of what I listen to is EDM but the rest varies from rock, pop, classical.  
 
I'd be interested to hear your suggestions - custom or non-custom.  Thanks again for all your help.

 

[ljokerl]

  TTPOD T1E seems to be something that should be on here, it's quite popular and seems to feature a unique diaphragm and controlled channel matching. Haven't listened to mine yet, but looks promising. 

 
Haven't tried it yet but it does look interesting. I remember thinking it was another version of the MOE SS01 / JVC FXT90 system when I first saw it but that doesn't seem to be the case. 
 

Elevated bass tho not a bass head boom....

 
This has been my impression so far as well.
 

  According to mike2410, the momentum in ears have comparable bass quantity to the ie8. How does that bass compare to the beats tour 2.0?

 
The Tour has more mid-bass than pretty much anything, which really affects the overall sound. The IE8 is nowhere near as bloated. 
 

  Hi Joker - first time post-er long-time lurker here.  First I wanted to say a huge and sincere thanks for the amazing reviews and work you've done over the years.  Your recommendations have brought lots of listening enjoyment over the years and I really appreciate it.  Which brings me to my question - I've been slowly upgrading my IEMs over the years from the Meelectronics CW31 to the Meelec CC51p to the Sony MH1C and now I've been using the MDR-7550 for the past year and have really enjoyed it.  
 
I was curious if anything comes to your mind as an upgrade to the 7550s?
 
I *think* (although I'm not positive) that I enjoy warmer sounding earphones, but I think I'm basically looking for better imaging, soundstage, resolution, and clarity.  I'd say 50% of what I listen to is EDM but the rest varies from rock, pop, classical.  
 
I'd be interested to hear your suggestions - custom or non-custom.  Thanks again for all your help.

 
Thanks, I appreciate that.
 
What comes to mind in the universal form factor is the InEar StageDiver 2: http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone_review/inear-stagediver-2-sd-2-review/ . I think there's a custom version of it also, but I've only tried the universal. The AudioFly AF180 is promising but I haven't spent enough time with it yet to be sure and it's definitely not as smooth as the 7550 or SD-2.
 
As for customs I have tried, as an upgrade you'd probably want at least a Custom Art Pro 330v2, and that's already $600-ish. Going up from there things get pretty expensive.