Multiple Budget IEMs Reviewed - [22] Total - (Samsung Stock EHS44 Added)
May 27, 2012 at 2:18 PM Post #34 of 64
Nice reviews. You should add the JVC HA-FX40 and  Panasonic RP-HJE355 to your reviews. These  have amazing detail and clarity. The HJE355 has a warmer balance though, and appears to have better build quality than the HA-FX40. I'm not sure if I prefer the HA-FX40 or HJE355. I am glad I bought both.  For those who love bass, the Panasonic HJE450 and JVC HAFX101 seem worth buying. The HJE450 has nice bass slam but the bass still seems natural. It doesn't have as much clarity as the HJE355 or FX40 though.
 
May 29, 2012 at 7:14 PM Post #35 of 64
[17] DUNU Hawkeye DN-18
 
added. Very good looking headphones that sound quite alright!
 
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Great job GigaFi!  Very much appreciate your hard work!
 

 
Thanks!
 
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Nice reviews. You should add the JVC HA-FX40 and  Panasonic RP-HJE355 to your reviews. These  have amazing detail and clarity. The HJE355 has a warmer balance though, and appears to have better build quality than the HA-FX40. I'm not sure if I prefer the HA-FX40 or HJE355. I am glad I bought both.  For those who love bass, the Panasonic HJE450 and JVC HAFX101 seem worth buying. The HJE450 has nice bass slam but the bass still seems natural. It doesn't have as much clarity as the HJE355 or FX40 though.

 
Thanks! The Fx40 and FX101 is on my to get list, just have to get rid of/review some IEMs lying around first :wink:
 
May 30, 2012 at 12:06 AM Post #36 of 64
I'm surprised you added the Dunu Hawkeye. You did mention it was $60? That is above my definition of budget. I  usually call under $25 budget when it comes to IEMs, and perhaps $25-50 as mid priced, $50-100 premium priced, and over $100 as expensive.
 
For US headphone sales, 72% of sales in dollars were for headphones under $25, while 22% of the sales in dollars were for headphones $25-100. I guess they consider under $25 to be budget, and over $100 to be high end. What does this mean in units? Are units sold that are over $100 less than 2% of the total(or perhaps even less than 1%?) ? If 72% of dollar sales are for headphones under $25, does that mean more than 90% of the units sold are under $25(think about  those huge numbers sold that are $5-10).
 
http://articles.marketwatch.com/2012-02-24/industries/31094075_1_headphone-market-bob-marley-marley-family/2
 
May 30, 2012 at 12:21 AM Post #37 of 64
As I add more to the list, the price range will probably change. I guess it depends on what someone has as a "budget" but I make sure in every conclusion to note whether I think that specific IEM is worth the asking price.
 
That being said, a majority of the IEMs here will be below the $25 mark since those can be bought on a whim without/little regret 
wink.gif

 
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I'm surprised you added the Dunu Hawkeye. You did mention it was $60? That is above my definition of budget. I  usually call under $25 budget when it comes to IEMs, and perhaps $25-50 as mid priced, $50-100 premium priced, and over $100 as expensive.
 
For US headphone sales, 72% of sales in dollars were for headphones under $25, while 22% of the sales in dollars were for headphones $25-100. I guess they consider under $25 to be budget, and over $100 to be high end. What does this mean in units? Are units sold that are over $100 less than 2% of the total(or perhaps even less than 1%?) ? If 72% of dollar sales are for headphones under $25, does that mean more than 90% of the units sold are under $25(think about  those huge numbers sold that are $5-10).
 
http://articles.marketwatch.com/2012-02-24/industries/31094075_1_headphone-market-bob-marley-marley-family/2

 
Jun 7, 2012 at 1:47 AM Post #39 of 64
I think it should be noted my two pairs of CK700 do not suffer from driver flex described in the mini review, or have I read any comments from others in the main CK700 thread experiencing any,  One of my pairs the right side flexes a tiny bit, I need to force it to do so by applying pressure, which always pops back into place without needing to be reseated. I find the bass on these quite strong even coming from Hippo VB. They really thump deep with intense punch and lower sub bass. There were tracks the CK700 did better than my Monster Turbine and SHE3580 in the low end. I agree on the highs they can become slightly piercing at higher volumes, and the mids sound a little thin.

End of the day the CK700 are right up there in the budget category providing overly decent sound for the money.
 
Jun 7, 2012 at 12:12 PM Post #40 of 64
My own pair of white xkdun's does exhibit driver flex, but it's not terrible... about on par with the Xears TD-100-II, nowhere near as bad as those AWEI I have or the Xears PB120. I didn't mention it in the thread because I'm not too annoyed by it.  Those are non-vented dynamics, and all my non-vented pairs exhibit at least mild driver flex.  I mean, the air has nowhere to go, so it's not very surprising.  Heck, if I really jam them in there, my M1s and GR07 can flex in my right ear (I have to jam them in REALLY fast, but it does happen once in a while)
 
QC makes each pair more or less unique wrt to driver flex, I have couple more pairs (backups before stock dries up :) and one is slightly worse, one is better.  The best one has the metal ring around the jack unglued, which I'm sure is unrelated, but which I think is quite funny :)
 
Jun 7, 2012 at 4:32 PM Post #41 of 64
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I think it should be noted my two pairs of CK700 do not suffer from driver flex described in the mini review, or have I read any comments from others in the main CK700 thread experiencing any,  One of my pairs the right side flexes a tiny bit, I need to force it to do so by applying pressure, which always pops back into place without needing to be reseated. I find the bass on these quite strong even coming from Hippo VB. They really thump deep with intense punch and lower sub bass. There were tracks the CK700 did better than my Monster Turbine and SHE3580 in the low end. I agree on the highs they can become slightly piercing at higher volumes, and the mids sound a little thin.

End of the day the CK700 are right up there in the budget category providing overly decent sound for the money.

 
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My own pair of white xkdun's does exhibit driver flex, but it's not terrible... about on par with the Xears TD-100-II, nowhere near as bad as those AWEI I have or the Xears PB120. I didn't mention it in the thread because I'm not too annoyed by it.  Those are non-vented dynamics, and all my non-vented pairs exhibit at least mild driver flex.  I mean, the air has nowhere to go, so it's not very surprising.  Heck, if I really jam them in there, my M1s and GR07 can flex in my right ear (I have to jam them in REALLY fast, but it does happen once in a while)
 
QC makes each pair more or less unique wrt to driver flex, I have couple more pairs (backups before stock dries up :) and one is slightly worse, one is better.  The best one has the metal ring around the jack unglued, which I'm sure is unrelated, but which I think is quite funny :)

 
I made sure to check the orignal thread for other reports of the issue and sure enough, there were a couple.
 
With all the new budget finds, I think the bar has been raised for the sub $10 category so they aren't amazing but still good nonetheless.
 
Jun 8, 2012 at 1:39 PM Post #42 of 64
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I think it should be noted my two pairs of CK700 do not suffer from driver flex described in the mini review, or have I read any comments from others in the main CK700 thread experiencing any,  One of my pairs the right side flexes a tiny bit, I need to force it to do so by applying pressure, which always pops back into place without needing to be reseated. I find the bass on these quite strong even coming from Hippo VB. They really thump deep with intense punch and lower sub bass. There were tracks the CK700 did better than my Monster Turbine and SHE3580 in the low end. I agree on the highs they can become slightly piercing at higher volumes, and the mids sound a little thin.

End of the day the CK700 are right up there in the budget category providing overly decent sound for the money.

Agree with this completely. I do not have any driver flew on my pair. However, I do not doubt that with the cheap costs there are very likely some issues with QC so some pairs may suffer from the driver flex.
 

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