[giorgiocis]

hi ljokerl! i've enjoyed my yamaha eph-100 so far for almost one year and a half, soundwise they are amazing and i like the signature, but i have extremely narrow ear canals and i have already broken them twice (for constant readjustments i guess)...they weren't comfortable for my ear either so can you please suggest me a good comfortwise alternative in the same price range? i don't need the same level of bass of the yamaha, a warm not fatiguing sound is enough...what about GR07BE? and the philips s2? i have the philips x1, have you got the occasion of listening to them? if yes do they have the same sound signature? thank you very much for your work here and  at innerfidelity!  

 

[HeadHoncho]

Good question - I am not sure there is a way to really know. If I had to guess I'd say it's just the way that market evolved. You have to remember that the custom IEM market isn't very old and wasn't pioneered by the big audio brands with tons of experience on the headphone side of things (Sennheiser, AKG, etc). It was started by guys doing live sound in order to make the lives of musicians easier on stage. Also, I don't know if this had anything to do with it but Etymotic had already proven the accuracy of the balanced armature by that point with the ER4 launched sometime in the late 80s. Anyway, under different conditions it's conceivable that a lot of stage monitors would be dynamic - there's just no way to really know.



If you found the bass of the GR02 BE lacking you can pretty much forget about most Brainwavz, the Silver Bullet, the SE215, the MEElecs, and the Soundmagics. 

The CKM500 is a little bassier than the GR02 BE (mostly more emphasized in the mid-range region) and very good overall, especially for ~$60. The Brainwavz M5 has a lot of bass but is less similar to the BE than the CKM500 with its much more recessed treble. The Consonance is a slight downgrade from the GR02 IMO. 

I would go for the CKM500 - it's tough to beat for the price. You do need a good seal with it to feel that punch but it's there. Another option might be the HiSound Wooduo 2. Not sure how much it costs these days but that's the most bass I can think of with an overall sound signature close to the GR02 BE. Tons of deep bass on it - as much as with the FutureSonics Atrios - which is how it differs from the CKM500 (which emphasizes mid-bass more than sub-bass). 

Thanks for the advice joker! If I can ask something else now, how would you compare these 3, sound wise.

GR02 BE - 36$
MH1C - 35$ (I have a Sony Xperia)
HiSound Wooduo 2 - 129$ (I found a person who had ordered a HiSoundAudio DAP, and was selling the 3 complimentary ear phones he received with it. So I ordered the Wooduo 2 from him, just the IEM and no box/accessories, for something around 50$. Keeping my fingers crossed that its all genuine and working properly)

Also, considering the huge-actual-price difference, would you say the Wooduo 2 is about the same as the GR02 BE, but with enhanced bass, or is it better in other ways too?

 

[JonasG]

Hey Joker! Thanks a lot for the tons of reviews and content you've provided.
 
I've had some BeyerDynamic DTX 101 for two years, with which I've been happy, but the wire broke and I'm in need of new IEM's.
 
Through some research, I've found that in my price-range, people are very fond of the Shure SE215 and new Philips Fidelio S1. Which should I choose?
 
I'll be using them along with my iPod Touch 5'th Gen. when I'm transporting myself from A to B or otherwise outside, so isolation is important. I hear the SE215 have nice isolation while the S1 is lacking a little. Is that true? However, I have somewhat small ears and I've read that the SE215 might not fit properly. What do you think? And do you have any other IEM's which may be better?

 

[Liveartonline]

Quote:

Let's see how this one does first 

 

Oh man I am so gonna get a copy of this

 
I second that. Thanks for the link. I didn't know stuff like this existed. 

 

[Liveartonline]

Double Post.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

hi ljokerl! i've enjoyed my yamaha eph-100 so far for almost one year and a half, soundwise they are amazing and i like the signature, but i have extremely narrow ear canals and i have already broken them twice (for constant readjustments i guess)...they weren't comfortable for my ear either so can you please suggest me a good comfortwise alternative in the same price range? i don't need the same level of bass of the yamaha, a warm not fatiguing sound is enough...what about GR07BE? and the philips s2? i have the philips x1, have you got the occasion of listening to them? if yes do they have the same sound signature? thank you very much for your work here and  at innerfidelity!  

 
I think both the GR07BE and S2 have more potential for listening fatigue than the EPH-100 but at reasonable volumes neither should give you any trouble. Keep in mind that neither sounds as warm as the EPH-100 but if you're okay with a balanced sound with a bass bump, the GR07BE should be a good pick for tricky ear canals. The nozzles are small and nozzle angles are adjustable but, more importantly, the main housing is smaller compared to the S2 so you should have an easier time positioning the entire thing in your ear. 
 
Quote:

Thanks for the advice joker! If I can ask something else now, how would you compare these 3, sound wise.

GR02 BE - 36$
MH1C - 35$ (I have a Sony Xperia)
HiSound Wooduo 2 - 129$ (I found a person who had ordered a HiSoundAudio DAP, and was selling the 3 complimentary ear phones he received with it. So I ordered the Wooduo 2 from him, just the IEM and no box/accessories, for something around 50$. Keeping my fingers crossed that its all genuine and working properly)

Also, considering the huge-actual-price difference, would you say the Wooduo 2 is about the same as the GR02 BE, but with enhanced bass, or is it better in other ways too?

 
The Wooduo 2 has tons and tons of sub-bass. Other than that it's a little tighter than the GR02 in the mid-bass region and slightly clearer as well, but the retail price difference does not correspond to the gap in sound quality in this case. If you already bought the Wooduo it makes sense to try and see where you want to go from there. 
 
Quote:

Hey Joker! Thanks a lot for the tons of reviews and content you've provided.
 
I've had some BeyerDynamic DTX 101 for two years, with which I've been happy, but the wire broke and I'm in need of new IEM's.
 
Through some research, I've found that in my price-range, people are very fond of the Shure SE215 and new Philips Fidelio S1. Which should I choose?
 
I'll be using them along with my iPod Touch 5'th Gen. when I'm transporting myself from A to B or otherwise outside, so isolation is important. I hear the SE215 have nice isolation while the S1 is lacking a little. Is that true? However, I have somewhat small ears and I've read that the SE215 might not fit properly. What do you think? And do you have any other IEM's which may be better?

 
It's true that the SE215 has good isolation while the S1 is average in that respect. If isolation is most important I would go for the SE215 - it's not too likely that they won't fit. Otherwise you need to first decide whether you want th enhanced bass of the SE215 or the more balanced, clear, and accurate sound of the S1. The DTX 101 has quite a bit of bass so the SE215 will be closer to that in overall balance. Another option might be the HiSound Crystal, which has great isolation, a sound similar to the SE215 but with less bass emphasis, and a good fit for small ears. 

 

[ToneDeafNoob]

Oh no, OP skipped replying to my reply post . Does that mean he won't answer it or he will answer it later? If he isn't going to answer it, anyone else have any other recommendations?

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Oh no, OP skipped replying to my reply post . Does that mean he won't answer it or he will answer it later? If he isn't going to answer it, anyone else have any other recommendations?

 
Sorry, you posted as I was replying to something else.
 
Quote:

Hmm.. well overall I was very satisfied with the M1's. The only reason I'm buying a new one is that a few months ago the right one broke. So I don't actually remember too much of what it sounded like with both earphones on (I think that makes a difference since sound is distributed differently). From what I can remember and what I'm hearing now, I'm satisfied with the bass and low end but more "impact" or more of a "punch" would be nice. Not too much, but a little more would be nice. Also, I think my biggest disappointment in the sound of the M1's was the high's, it was all right but I definitely wanted more... "detail"? I think a bigger soundstage would have also been nice. I've also tried Sony MDR-ZX700 (the headphones, brand new ones my friend got so out of the box) and remember it sounded too "warm"/slightly boring for me. Sorry for my bad audio vocabulary haha, it's hard for me to describe what I want :/. Hope this helps in describing what I'm looking for.
 
Last note, I felt my biggest gripe with the M1's were the comfort of it, even with the smallest tips that the IEM came with I would have to take it off within an hour or so. So hopefully, a comfortable IEM would be ideal. So I guess if I were ranking what is important to me according to your graph it would be Sound = Comfort > Build = Isolation > Accessories > Microphone.

 
Sounds like a slightly v-shaped signature would be good for you but the comfort issue is troublesome because the M1 is so small and lightweight already. Maybe the UE500 - it's just as light as the M1 but also comes with some Comply tips and has a slightly angled housing. I know it's pretty cheap right now but its sound is competitive in the $50-80 range. Another option would be the Astrotec AM-800. Its housings are larger but they are designed to sit rather shallowly in the ear, which might work better for you. Again, v-shaped sound with stronger bass and treble compared to the M1. Another option - the CKM500. Personally, I find it to have too much mid-bass but it fits your other requirements and again is a shallow-fit earphone - the driver sits in the outer ear. 

 

[ToneDeafNoob]

Quote:

 
Sorry, you posted as I was replying to something else.
 
 
Sounds like a slightly v-shaped signature would be good for you but the comfort issue is troublesome because the M1 is so small and lightweight already. Maybe the UE500 - it's just as light as the M1 but also comes with some Comply tips and has a slightly angled housing. I know it's pretty cheap right now but its sound is competitive in the $50-80 range. Another option would be the Astrotec AM-800. Its housings are larger but they are designed to sit rather shallowly in the ear, which might work better for you. Again, v-shaped sound with stronger bass and treble compared to the M1. Another option - the CKM500. Personally, I find it to have too much mid-bass but it fits your other requirements and again is a shallow-fit earphone - the driver sits in the outer ear. 

Thanks a lot! I'll research all three of those and choose one of them. One question, what about the RockIt R-50's? According to your graph and review they seem mighty tempting...

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Thanks a lot! I'll research all three of those and choose one of them. One question, what about the RockIt R-50's? According to your graph and review they seem mighty tempting...

It's a somewhat analytical-sounding earphone, definitely doesn't sound fuller or more impactful than the M1. It's an option if you want to try something radically different but not necessarily the safe choice. 

 

[higbvuyb]

Quote:

Sony MH1C review below.

 
As always, nice review!
 
Have you tried these with the +10dB or so of bass equalized out ( Joe's example is similar to what I do)? That gives me a completely different sound and I'm interested in your opinion.

 

[FrequencyBlue]

He did state that he is not interested in EQing so dont bother

 

[papijoe08]

mh1c + 10db bass? 0_o
Too much bass everywhere.

 

[Zelda]

thanks for the  mh1c review. was waiting for it
 
how do you find those new hybrid tips?

 

[tman1]

My walkman and MEE A161s have disappeared. I now have a new Clip Zip with backup Koss in-ear phones and need to get a new primary pair. I've been away for awhile - has anything come along that can compete with or beat the A161 for under around $100 in terms of overall quality (sound quality, isolation, and build quality)? I listen to rock so something with a bit more punch would be nice, but I love the isolation and customer service of MEE. Any advice is appreciated.