[Hero Kid]

x100 + 1 to whatever you say.

 

[rawrster]

You finally hit 100
 
Nice writeups on the um3x and coppers

 

[mark2410]

am surprised you ranked the coppers so highly,i found them more than a touch dissapointing

 

[JoeyRusso]

Mark, I'm almost convinced that the Copper's you heard were defective or damaged in some way..
 
Quote:

am surprised you ranked the coppers so highly,i found them more than a touch dissapointing

 

[Grimloki]

Congrats on 100 reviews! 
 
This is my favorite resource on head-fi.

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

Mark, I'm almost convinced that the Copper's you heard were defective or damaged in some way..
 

 

unfortunatly i dont think they were, i did speak to others about them at the time and we were hearing similar things.  they just seemed to be for more forgiving than i could be of its behaviour.  for example its inability to remain clear and detailed if too much was going on. 
 
i think what really was the key is that US reviewers have treated it as a US$200ish product and i treated it like a £200 one.  Here it costs more than the IE8 (quite a lot more) and the 8 just slaughtered it.   it was a shame i really thought i was going to like the coppers far more than i did

 

[Bennyboy71]

Now all you need is the SM3 to test, Mr Joker.

 

[asphyxiation]

Quote:

Now all you need is the SM3 to test, Mr Joker.

I second this!

 

[rawrster]

I doubt the Coppers that Mark had was defective. We all hear things differently which is why there's so many different opinions on the same product. I liked them a lot but I did treat them as a $200 product. If it was £200 or whatever price they go for there I might have had a different opinion on them but I'll never know since that's not a price I'd pay for them anyway.
 
I think someone should send joker the SM3 then if you want a review

 

[Grimloki]

Price doesn't change the way something sounds. It really shouldn't set expectations. 
 
I'm not aware of a single BA driver that costs more than $45 to buy one at a time... and thats from a reseller. I am guessing, but I imagine in quantities over 1000, the top Knowles BA driver costs no more than $10... and is probably closer to $1.
 
I am sure the profit margin on these is so very high, there is incredible flexibility in prices... don't judge based on price. Prices denoting value assumes intelligent, critical buyers.
 
Skullcandy. Bose. Beats. 
 

 

[Anaxilus]

Nice review on the Coppers.  Pretty much spot on w/ what I heard.  I'm glad you also hear that fuller, rounder note that I find appealing in so many dynamics.  Btw, are those the M9 'balance' biflanges on the Coppers?  If so, I suggest the M11s, they are a bit more resilient and offer a touch more control.  Not going to change much if anything in your review though.  Just a slightly better overall refinement IME.  Obviously I assume you also found the biflanges to offer the best overall performance? 

 

[rawrster]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mouser.com%2Faccess%2F%3Fpn%3D721-TWFK-30017-000&ei=bBNsTNz0LcP98AaFovXBDA&usg=AFQjCNEjh1wRr5gK7zyfr6Kt_GuleF5lrg
 
There you go. Over $50 for a single unit purchase for a BA driver.
 
Also why shouldn't price dictate expectations? A $400 product should have higher expectations than a $20 one. I definitely had higher expectations from my Coppers than I did my M9 or DBA-02.

 

[KSC35Matt]

Fantastic review, a real gem on the internet.
 
I'm looking at getting great SQ waterproof headphones (so I can run in the rain - I've got a waterproof player case) and really appreciated your H20 Audio Surge review.  The H20 website now has a new waterproof headphone which costs more, called the Surge Pro Mini.  I was wondering what the chances were of you adding it to your list?
 
http://www.h2oaudio.com/store/waterproof-headphones/surge-pro-balaced-armature-waterproof-headphones.html
 
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/h2o-audio-surge-sportwrap-surge-pro-waterproof-headphones/

 

[ljokerl]

 
Thanks, everyone. Glad this thread is handy. It really is a bit of a community effort, not just my own

.
 

Quote:

your review of the coppers pretty much reflects my thoughts on them, but while i've been enjoying them and I think they're great they don't offer anything special IME.  On the other hand your thoughts on the UM3X reflect mine regarding the Monster MDs that I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy no matter how much I tried. Going from your thoughts on the UM3X ,the MDs differ in just better treble sparkle that is only slightly below the coppers. But the the bass is probably not as controlled and the imaging wouldn't be up to par because it has a very blended sound with small soundstage. I'm surprised of the high rating in sq for the UM3X thought because it seemed you also had a hard time appreciating it's sound.

I really try not to judge the sound signature of an earphone subjectively. I can see others liking the UM3X but at the same time I clearly stated that I consider it be a boring earphone. Can't really fault it much on technical proficiency, though, and there are others who may find the CK10 or IE8 or one of the other more flavoured earphones bland and boring so who am I to judge. I try to write my reviews to give the reader a sense of how each headphone plays into my personal preferences but I try not to let it affect the numbers.


Quote:

am surprised you ranked the coppers so highly,i found them more than a touch dissapointing

Not a big fan of the Coppers either, but as stated above it is not in my capacity to judge the appeal of a sound signature. The Coppers do quite a few things right and they are cheaper for us while the high-end dynamic Sennheisers (both the IE7 and IE8) are pricier and there's just not a whole lot of other high-end dynamics out there.

Quote:

Nice review on the Coppers.  Pretty much spot on w/ what I heard.  I'm glad you also hear that fuller, rounder note that I find appealing in so many dynamics.  Btw, are those the M9 'balance' biflanges on the Coppers?  If so, I suggest the M11s, they are a bit more resilient and offer a touch more control.  Not going to change much if anything in your review though.  Just a slightly better overall refinement IME.  Obviously I assume you also found the biflanges to offer the best overall performance? 

 
Good eye. Yep, those are the new M9 tips. I snapped the pic while playing around with my fit kit as I don't really like those tips on the MTPC (but they look nicer than black ones). Sennheiser short bi-flanges work better IMHO as the Coppers are a bit long and heavy for full-size bi-flanges. And yeah, bi-flanges give the optimal insertion depth with the Coppers for my ears, same as with the Golds.


Quote:

Fantastic review, a real gem on the internet.
 
I'm looking at getting great SQ waterproof headphones (so I can run in the rain - I've got a waterproof player case) and really appreciated your H20 Audio Surge review.  The H20 website now has a new waterproof headphone which costs more, called the Surge Pro Mini.  I was wondering what the chances were of you adding it to your list?

Thanks, glad you found it useful. I really like the H2O surge and it has become my favorite workout IEM, a position previously occupied by the Meelec M6, Fischer Eterna, and Westone 1. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be hearing the mini anytime soon. According to the rep at H2O, the Armature-based mini was designed to give a more balanced overall sound (read: more treble) but I'm not sure how much. Truth be told, I think the signature of the dynamic-based Surge is just right for exercising as it makes vocals easier to hear and I've noticed that I get fatigued more quickly by treble while exercising.

 

[mark2410]

 
Quote:

Quote:

am surprised you ranked the coppers so highly,i found them more than a touch dissapointing

Not a big fan of the Coppers either, but as stated above it is not in my capacity to judge the appeal of a sound signature. The Coppers do quite a few things right and they are cheaper for us while the high-end dynamic Sennheisers (both the IE7 and IE8) are pricier and there's just not a whole lot of other high-end dynamics out there.

 

well what made me surprised was the coppers inability to retain clarity when thing got busy.  that isnt a preference issue that for me was just a failing