[Wolven]

G'day everyone, from Australia!
 
I've been searching for some good advice on the interwebs, stumbled across Head-fi quite a few times and decided to join the fray.
 
I need some help going into to the next step of my music appreciation journey.
 
My current setup (if you could call it that):
 
I've been running with an iPod classic (6th gen) 80GB powering a Etymotic HF5 for the past 3 years.
 
I've loved the combination so far but the HF5s are starting to getting frayed in sections of the cables and the iPod itself presents some archaic interface which I wish to move away from.
 
The HF5s provide brilliant noise isolation for when I listen on my laptop at work and have frankly made my dumb self realize that there was so much more to music when heard from the right equipment.
 
Here is the dilemma:
 
1. I believe it is time for my headphones to be replaced and I would like a bit more bass that what the HF5s or other Etymotic phones can offer. I still wish for an in-ear solution with great noise isolation. I've been thinking of the Shure 535s or Sennheiser equivalents (in that price range). What would you guys recommend? Am I off my head??
 
2. Also, my Samsung note 2 has reached its end of contract and I want to get a android smartphone to replace the note 2 and the iPod. I can't decide between the Xperia Z2, Galaxy S5 and the LG G3. HTC One M8 is out of the question because of its less than average photo quality in relative terms. Again, what would you guys recommend?
 
I don't intend to get a DAC or amplifier and would love to just have my smartphone and in ear headphones.
 
Are there better options out there with more synergy?
 
Kindly assist

 

[SteveHiFi]

Hello! The higher cost of earphones doesn't necessarily mean that you'll like them more of course - I'm guessing that you like the detail of the HF3s but would prefer more bass. It might be worth considering a dynamic driver rather than the BA as this leads to a warmer presentation - there may be a slight price to pay with details however.
 
If you're coming straight out of a phone, then there's a limit to what you can spend before you're wasting your money - the phone will be the weakest link in the audio chain. I'd say the HF3 cost is about right, but you might consider going up to the SE315 or down slightly to the SE215.
 
Alternatively, there are some excellent quality players out there you can consider, such as the Fiio X3.

 

[Wolven]

Hi Steve! Many thanks for sharing your knowledge. I had to read up on what BA and dynamic drivers were. There was a comprehensive thread debating the benefits of both.

Before proceeding, I forgot to mention that I listen to a bit of everything from Chopin to Louis Armstrong, from muse to jay z along with a fair bit of audio books and podcasts. So the details are as important to me as the bass... Along with low volume listening and great noise isolation.. I know, I'm not asking for much

Back on topic, I have read good things about this brand called Futuresonic atrio. Seems fairly cheap and are dynamic drivers. What are your thoughts on them?

The reason I usually stretch my budget is because most times you get what you pay for and I keep what I get for a very long time or until the equipment breaks down. I was only asking about smart phone options because the carrier upgrades them at no extra cost. If I decide to get a dedicated player in the future, I want the iems to be able to keep up with the better audio source.

Just for context, my other money sink is photography.

 

[Wolven]

Also found these to be quite interesing "Custom Art Music One"

 

[Champagne]

For Andriod phones, you can look at Vivo Xplay 3S and OPPO Find 7. I've read that they are pretty good.
 
For IEMs, from the reviews that I have read here at Head-Fi forum, Fitear F111, JH 13 PRO, Noble 4, Noble FR, Noble PR, Hidition NT-6 etc might be what you are looking for.
 
Read |joker|'s reviews at http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-316-iems-compared-tdk-ba200-added-05-26-14-p-914 to get a comprehensive idea.

 

[Tad-Bravo]

Be careful with your choice of phone, there are huge differences in built-in DAC and AMP depending on the phone.
 
Just a quick anecdote, when Samsung released the Galaxy S1, it had decent Japanese sourced audio chips, but then for the Galaxy S2, some bean counting engineer thought it would be smart to use cheaper Chinese stuff, the result is really crappy sound on the galaxy S2 and that was consequently fixed in the Galaxy S3 as they went back to the Japanese components.
 
You might wanna do a search online about your preferred device see if you can find threads of people complaining about audio quality.
 
My safe bet is Samsung galaxy S3, S4 or S5 for audio quality. (dunno about the note)

 

[Wolven]

For Andriod phones, you can look at Vivo Xplay 3S and OPPO Find 7. I've read that they are pretty good.

For IEMs, from the reviews that I have read here at Head-Fi forum, Fitear F111, JH 13 PRO, Noble 4, Noble FR, Noble PR, Hidition NT-6 etc might be what you are looking for.

Read |joker|'s reviews at http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-316-iems-compared-tdk-ba200-added-05-26-14-p-914 to get a comprehensive idea.

Thanks champagne! That was my starting point. The nobles seem quite expensive! I am leaning towards the custom art music one for now.

Be careful with your choice of phone, there are huge differences in built-in DAC and AMP depending on the phone.

Just a quick anecdote, when Samsung released the Galaxy S1, it had decent Japanese sourced audio chips, but then for the Galaxy S2, some bean counting engineer thought it would be smart to use cheaper Chinese stuff, the result is really crappy sound on the galaxy S2 and that was consequently fixed in the Galaxy S3 as they went back to the Japanese components.

You might wanna do a search online about your preferred device see if you can find threads of people complaining about audio quality.

My safe bet is Samsung galaxy S3, S4 or S5 for audio quality. (dunno about the note)

You are right Tad! I almost ended up with the galaxy s2 once. I have the Samsung note 2 now which is supposed to have a Wolfson DAC. I'm hoping that the s5 or Xperia z2 will be just as good. I'm leaning toward the Xperia because I want a change from Samsung and the Sony Xperia z2 also has a brilliant camera and a larger battery.

 

[Tad-Bravo]

You are right Tad! I almost ended up with the galaxy s2 once. I have the Samsung note 2 now which is supposed to have a Wolfson DAC. I'm hoping that the s5 or Xperia z2 will be just as good. I'm leaning toward the Xperia because I want a change from Samsung and the Sony Xperia z2 also has a brilliant camera and a larger battery.

 
I don't know about their current line up, but I used to own an xperia X10 back in the day when it was their flagship phone and it had a lousy DAC/AMP.
Better do your research because the noise level on a bad phone is terrible.

 

[Loquah]

Hi Wolven. Where in Australia are you?
 
I had a chance to briefly try the FIDUE A83 the other day and was really impressed. It might be another option to consider as a universal with good isolation and bass. They're not available just yet. but very soon I believe.
 
Are you an Android devotee or would you consider Windows Phone? I have a Nokia Lumia 920 and while the sound is not endgame quality, it is still very good (however I don't use lossless on my phone - not sure which lossless formats it can play) and the camera is exceptional.

 

[Tad-Bravo]

A dead give away when you play music on a bad phone is when you pause the music, the music stops but the noise keeps going for a second or two.

 

[Wolven]

   
I don't know about their current line up, but I used to own an xperia X10 back in the day when it was their flagship phone and it had a lousy DAC/AMP.
Better do your research because the noise level on a bad phone is terrible.

 

  A dead give away when you play music on a bad phone is when you pause the music, the music stops but the noise keeps going for a second or two.

 
Thanks again Tad. I'll take my earphones and plug it into the phones before I pick a phone. Thanks for the tips, I've heard that noise you mention. Its like a little hiss before complete silence.

 

[Wolven]

  Hi Wolven. Where in Australia are you?
 
I had a chance to briefly try the FIDUE A83 the other day and was really impressed. It might be another option to consider as a universal with good isolation and bass. They're not available just yet. but very soon I believe.
 
Are you an Android devotee or would you consider Windows Phone? I have a Nokia Lumia 920 and while the sound is not endgame quality, it is still very good (however I don't use lossless on my phone - not sure which lossless formats it can play) and the camera is exceptional.

Hi Loquah,
 
I'm in Sydney's North west suburbs.
 
Thanks for pointing out the FIDUE A83. I've actually done more reading and settled on the JVC FX850. The way it is described suits my preferences quite well.
 
As for the phone, I suppose you could call me an Android "devotee" A Windows Phone is probably not on the cards just yet.
 
I'm going to wait until August to see if any of the 'prime' Galaxy S5 or One M8 models show up along with the Xperia Z3.
 
For now, I'll be playing FLAC from an old iPhone 3GS using Onkyo HF player into the JVCs (when it arrives). Any thoughts about this setup for now?