[daniel521]

anyone?

 

[3nenbgumi]

^ I have used the PFE 232 on a plane for a couple of times before and I think the isolation is good enough to cancel out pretty much virtually any noises...even the worst nightmare on a flight, a.k.a crying babies. Engine's noise cannot be fully eliminated, however, but will be reduced to a level where you'd be "feeling" it rather than hearing it, provided that you have achieved a good seal. 

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Has anyone here tried using the PFE232 in a plane? If so, does it isolate well enough, or is the engine noise a problem? 

 
The PFE232 generally isn't the best isolating tool.  It does fine if you want to compare to all headphones (IEMs, over-ears, on-ears, etc), but for IEMs alone, it's lower on the scale.  For isolation, you may want to look elsewhere.  

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

^ I have used the PFE 232 on a plane for a couple of times before and I think the isolation is good enough to cancel out pretty much virtually any noises...even the worst nightmare on a flight, a.k.a crying babies. Engine's noise cannot be fully eliminated, however, but will be reduced to a level where you'd be "feeling" it rather than hearing it, provided that you have achieved a good seal. 

Thanks, this is helpful. I'm afraid the engine noise will be a bit distracting, but at least I can still enjoy the music if I end up getting the PFE232.
Quote:

 
The PFE232 generally isn't the best isolating tool.  It does fine if you want to compare to all headphones (IEMs, over-ears, on-ears, etc), but for IEMs alone, it's lower on the scale.  For isolation, you may want to look elsewhere.  

Would you say the 3.Ai is the best alternative to the PFE232 if I'm looking for a more isolating IEM?

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Thanks, this is helpful. I'm afraid the engine noise will be a bit distracting, but at least I can still enjoy the music if I end up getting the PFE232.
Would you say the 3.Ai is the best alternative to the PFE232 if I'm looking for a more isolating IEM?

 
If you're looking for a v-shaped signature, the 3.Ai would do fine.  SQ-wise, it is a little behind though.  If you could deal with the warm signature, the Westone W4 would do well, the W3 might also be a good alternative, although I haven't heard it.  

 

[Zalithian]

Quote:

 
If you're looking for a v-shaped signature, the 3.Ai would do fine.  SQ-wise, it is a little behind though.  If you could deal with the warm signature, the Westone W4 would do well, the W3 might also be a good alternative, although I haven't heard it.  

The W3 is definitely v-shaped and fun sounding with stock and other non-custom tips. It also offers good isolation, and can be purchased very cheap for the rest of today at earphone solutions. Unfortunately I can't say how it compares to the 232 as I've only heard the original PFE.

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

 
If you're looking for a v-shaped signature, the 3.Ai would do fine.  SQ-wise, it is a little behind though.  If you could deal with the warm signature, the Westone W4 would do well, the W3 might also be a good alternative, although I haven't heard it.  

Well, I'm not sure if I would want to sacrifice SQ for isolation, I guess I should just stick to the PFE232. I'm interested in the 4.Ai as well although it's not v-shaped.

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Well, I'm not sure if I would want to sacrifice SQ for isolation, I guess I should just stick to the PFE232. I'm interested in the 4.Ai as well although it's not v-shaped.

 
It's definitely not V-shaped, it's a warm signature..  4.Ai also sacrifices a bit of SQ for a slight gain in clarity.  

 

[daniel521]

Is the PFE232's isolation better than the Sennheiser IE80's isolation? If so, is it just a little better or a lot better? Sorry for asking so much about isolation, I'm a bit picky . I'm asking this because I've owned the IE60 which is the lower model of the IE80, so it's isolation is similar.

 

[3nenbgumi]

Quote:

Is the PFE232's isolation better than the Sennheiser IE80's isolation? If so, is it just a little better or a lot better? Sorry for asking so much about isolation, I'm a bit picky . I'm asking this because I've owned the IE60 which is the lower model of the IE80, so it's isolation is similar.

Definitely. I own both, so I'm quite certain it is.

 

[luisdent]

For what it's worth, I had a sibilance issue with the pfe232 that is resolved by a deeper insertion.  This isn't the standard fit they designed it for, however I can tell you that it helps a lot with isolation as well.  Basically, put them in as you normally would (try the silicone tips) and when it's sealed and proper pull up on your earlobe and push them in more until they almost sit in the entry to your ear completely.  This not only improved the sound for me, but I sleep with a window fan sitting on a chair at the end of our bed.  With them fit normal I see why people think they are only average, as I still hear the fan, although definitely reduce well in volume.  However, inserted deeper the fan noise is 98% eliminated.  Perhaps this won't work for everyone, but it does for me.  And as for rock music, the pfe232 rock.  Believe me.

 

[luisdent]

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^ I'll try the filters, good shout.
 
I'll check within the nozzle just in case....
 
And 232's with Pseries...reminds me of a mini handheld camera with a HUGE lens lol
 
  

comply says these aren't compatible, can i ask how you secure them or fit them?  those would be PERFECT for me.

 

[luisdent]

Quote:

 

Ok, thanks again for the loaner and kudos to you for getting a lot of things right (or almost so even though you had to go by memory.

 
So let's start with the best, treble is indeed insane on the 232 and out of all phones I've heard probably closest to the $1000+ FI-BA-SS, incredibly extended and resolving with lots of sparkle, but with less raw edge and aggressiveness. Compared to the W4 the highs are noticably more lively and a tad more refined but retain a similar low sibilance level, which shows that they've been very carefully tuned. In short, treble on the 232 is a masterpiece.
 
Moving down to the mids, these are neither laid back nor forward and I'd say it's a matter of personal taste whether one would consider the W4 or 232 more neutral. The W4 have a slight hint of warmth from their lower mids in comparison, but that's with my Olive tips and we all know how these tend to change their signature with tips, so it's hard to make an absolute assessment. Anyway, mids on the 232 are great quality and exactly there where I want them, very very nice.
 
For a nitpicker like me every IEM out there has inevitably some sort of shortcoming and for the 232 it's in a way the bass, or more precisely the bass in relation to treble. But let's take one thing at a time, bass per se has excellent punch, speed and precision. Compared to the W4 I'd say the Westones are a tad more linear whereas the 232 have a slight mid/upper bass emphasis, plus it's also a tiny bit harder to make out bass detail on the PFEs. Overall I prefer the W4's bass by a slight margin, just like I prefer the 232's treble by the same amount.
 
Now for the bass/treble relation, (to my ears) Phonak made some interesting tuning choice here, in that note weight isn't the same across the frequency range. The 232's lower range has a noticably lusher/thicker feel to it, whereas the highs are leaner and borderline thin. This makes cymbals and flutes sound extremely lively and airy and and bass and drums impressively full at the same time. Interestingly enough it doesn't spoil timbre when looking at individual instruments (since hardly any spans the entire frequency range), but poses a bit of an anomaly in my book when listening to classical orchestra. On Mahler's 2nd the final set starts with a drum explosion that makes you jump on the 232, whereas the subsequent horns sound a bit thin in comparison. Like I said, this is nitpicking and most likely not a problem for the majority of listeners, but well, that's how I hear it. Btw the FI-BA-SS are leaner across the whole frequency range and the W4 maybe slightly leaner in bass and thicker in treble, since they have more consistent note weight in my book.
 
Bottom line, the 232 are a definite upgrade from the 112 and without doubt top tier IEMs with possibly even the best highs out there, but overall not a clear upgrade to the W4.

Please note that these observations are provisional and may change as I'm becoming more acquainted with the 232s, make more comparisons and try different tips. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 
Going way back to your comparison, can i ask, compared to the westone 4, would you say the mid section of the pfe232 is thinner?  In other words, listening to an acoustic guitar in a pop song, would the guitar have more body or fullness in the mids on the w4 or is it similar on both?

 

[daniel521]

I received the PFE232 about two weeks ago, and I am enjoying them. However, I noticed a problem with it today. The two earphones (left and right) sound different. They were both the same filter, so I tried changing the filter multiple times, yet the left earphones still sounded different. It feels like the left earphone has less "vibration" and "rumble". This makes the right earphone seem louder in comparison, it feels like 70% of the sound is coming from the right instead of the sound being equally reproduced in both sides. I thought that maybe the right earphone was inserted more deeply than the left one, but that's not the case. I tested both in the same ear, and the right earphone is definitely louder and different. Does anyone know a possible solution this problem? 

 

[luisdent]

I received the PFE232 about two weeks ago, and I am enjoying them. However, I noticed a problem with it today. The two earphones (left and right) sound different. They were both the same filter, so I tried changing the filter multiple times, yet the left earphones still sounded different. It feels like the left earphone has less "vibration" and "rumble". This makes the right earphone seem louder in comparison, it feels like 70% of the sound is coming from the right instead of the sound being equally reproduced in both sides. I thought that maybe the right earphone was inserted more deeply than the left one, but that's not the case. I tested both in the same ear, and the right earphone is definitely louder and different. Does anyone know a possible solution this problem? 

Errr, if you test another device and are sure it's the earphones, I'd say have them replaced. Perhaps there is debri in one port or something behind the filter? Did you just "notice" the problem, or did it just "start"?