[maverickronin]

I've had the PFE232s for a few weeks now and I'd like to thank i2ehan and tinyman392 for taking the time to answer my questions about them.  Now that I have 232s in my possession I've found the answers you gave be spot on and I'm enjoying the 232s a lot.
 
Thanks for the help guys!

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

I've had the PFE232s for a few weeks now and I'd like to thank i2ehan and tinyman392 for taking the time to answer my questions about them.  Now that I have 232s in my possession I've found the answers you gave be spot on and I'm enjoying the 232s a lot.
 
Thanks for the help guys!

Glad you're enjoying them.  They are great IEMs...  That are coming back my way as we speak.  I haven't been able to listen to them for about a week now   So sad   I'll live, they should be here next week  
 

 

[treal512]

I feel like a nut for considering these (price), but I'm in a position where I may be able to buy the PFE232.
 
Before I do so, I have a question regarding how they scale with volume. My current go to IEMs, the Westone 4, are more than adequate, but they lose some of their great sound when listening at lower volume levels. How do the PFE232 perform in that regard? I ask because I mostly listen to IEMs when I'm not at home and studying. What I'm hoping for is more resolution, clarity, and dynamics, at very low listening levels. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

I feel like a nut for considering these (price), but I'm in a position where I may be able to buy the PFE232.
 
Before I do so, I have a question regarding how they scale with volume. My current go to IEMs, the Westone 4, are more than adequate, but they lose some of their great sound when listening at lower volume levels. How do the PFE232 perform in that regard? I ask because I mostly listen to IEMs when I'm not at home and studying. What I'm hoping for is more resolution, clarity, and dynamics, at very low listening levels. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

The 232s are a lot softer than the W4s.  Clarity has never been a strong suite with the 232s, and the W4s just obliterated them at it at normal listening levels (~70 dB).  So at soft I feel the W4s will destroy even further.  Resolution and dynamics is where the 232s can play out and win though. 

 

[treal512]

So you are saying the Westone 4 retains more of it's desired sound signature at low listening volumes compared to the PFE232? Can anyone else give me their impressions of the PFE232 at low listening volumes?

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

So you are saying the Westone 4 retains more of it's desired sound signature at low listening volumes compared to the PFE232? Can anyone else give me their impressions of the PFE232 at low listening volumes?

It has a bit of a V shaped FR so the perception of its sound will change quite a bit depending on the volume.  At very low volumes it will sound pretty neutral and the bass and treble will stand out more as you turn the volume up so I guess it depends what kind of sound you're looking for.

 

[treal512]

Quote:

The 232s are a lot softer than the W4s.  Clarity has never been a strong suite with the 232s, and the W4s just obliterated them at it at normal listening levels (~70 dB).  So at soft I feel the W4s will destroy even further.  Resolution and dynamics is where the 232s can play out and win though. 

Just to clarify...
 
When you say, "So at soft I feel the W4s will destroy even further," do you mean at low listening volumes the W4 will exhibit more of its specific sound signature compared to the PFE232 or that the W4s sound quality in general is better?
 
Also, when you say, "Resolution and dynamics is where the 232s can play out and win though," do you mean at low listening volumes this is the only place where the PFE232 excels over the W4 or that it only excels here when it is playing at a normal or louder listening volume?
 
Maybe you can see where I am confused now. Whether or not the W4 might excel over the PFE232 (or vice versa) in certain sound signature/characteristic areas or not isn't really what I am asking. I am more trying to find out which headphone sounds better at low listening volumes since the majority of my listening takes place at very quiet volume levels. I hope that makes sense.

 

[tinyman392]

Statements were made for general.  I don't exactly know what soft is (soft is different for each person). 

 

[treal512]

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

I should clarify that, I don't exactly know what your soft is...  Soft is too lose of a term, and quite honestly, varies from person to person.  40-50 dB may be soft for some, while some may need to go lower to around 30 while others can call 60 soft. 

 

[treal512]

Oh, I see. A soft volume, I gotchya.
 
I'd still like to hear people's input on the PFE232 sound quality at low volumes, but since you've heard both W4 and PFE232, tinyman; Which sounds better at low volumes? That is to say, which has better sound quality, not necessarily the brand's specific strengths. Did you mean you prefer the W4 at low volumes when you said "So at soft I feel the W4s will destroy even further"?
 
I promise I am not trying to make this complicated, haha!

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Oh, I see. A soft volume, I gotchya.
 
I'd still like to hear people's input on the PFE232 sound quality at low volumes, but since you've heard both W4 and PFE232, tinyman; Which sounds better at low volumes? That is to say, which has better sound quality, not necessarily the brand's specific strengths. Did you mean you prefer the W4 at low volumes when you said "So at soft I feel the W4s will destroy even further"?
 
I promise I am not trying to make this complicated, haha!

You do have also remember I'm going from memory.  But I still felt that the W4s performed slightly better at lower volumes (lower volumes = anything lower than 50-60 dB).  I generally listen to around 70 dB (if this is your "soft volume", then let me know).  Both really did perform nicely at lower volumes.  It is generally more of a sound preference deal rather than a which one is better honestly.

 

[treal512]

Thanks, tinyman.
 
I may just try to ride out those strong suits of the PFE232 even though W4 clarity may be better.

 

[mrstrangeguy]

Has anybody compared these to the ck10s? Considering they seem to fare really well against other top tiers

 

[james444]

Quote:

Clarity has never been a strong suite with the 232s, and the W4s just obliterated them at it at normal listening levels (~70 dB).

 
Hmm, AFAIR the 232 sounded clearer than the W4 in mids and highs when I A/Bed them. I'd give the W4 an edge in bass clarity though.