[shane55]

Friends…
 
Say the horror of horror occurs and I either misplace or accidentally destroy my DBA-02’s. Or, let’s just say they decide one day (of their own volition) to stop putting me in audio nirvana.

 

 
Then what? I’d want something that doesn’t take months to get (as these did), or cost me more money than Gates.
 
I can’t do customs…Universals only. And the earpiece must allow Comply P-Series tips (Westone, Shure, Ety., etc).
 
I really likes my brites! They need to be crystal clear (so no SM3  recommendations, please), but not harsh, relatively ‘neutral’ (like the DBA-02), but can deliver a bit of a punch. Slightly on the warm side of neutral is OK, but I have my UM2’s for that.
 
So, in essence, I would need to replace the DBA-02 with the DBA-02… but something more readily available and hopefully around the same price.
 
What say you?  

 
Cheers.
 
shane

 

[Redmetal1897]

How about the CK10's? They seem to be available from accessory jack who are reasonable with their delivery time from what I have read

 

[Redmetal1897]

Final audios may be worth a look as well, ordered from musica acoustics in Japan. I ordered my eq-5's from them and shipped from Japan to Toronto within a week

 

[shane55]

Yes. Great.
CK-10's are one of the few I've had in mind... AccessoryJack.com... also good to know about.
 
eq-5 over the eq-7 (another one on my 'possibles' list)?
 
Thanks.

 

[rawrster]

The e-Q7 might be a good choice although they do roll off a bit in the treble but isn't too bad. Their bass is definitely an improvement over the DBA-02 in both quality and extension. The texture on the bass is much better. You do need slightly large ears since the housing size of the e-Q7 is not small.
 
The CK10 may be hard to suggest as they do have a noticeable peak in the upper midrange so it's hard to say if you would like it or not. Although it may be much more similar to the DBA-02 than different the DBA-02 is the safer choice. 

 

[ericdeez]

Hi Shane
Have you seen the new Brainwavz dual balanced armature driver headphones?:
 
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=181159398572883&set=a.181159395239550.43052.171024442919712
 
They look mighty similar to the DBA-02 and most likely share the same TWFK driver as well. The sound should be similar to the DBA-02 however the sonic characteristics may be a little different depending on the filters/crossover tuning
They are expected to be out at the end of March earliest.
 
I am also looking for possible replacements for my DBA-02 just in case the unspeakable happens

 

[Redmetal1897]

From what I have read, and sort of alluding to rawster's post above, the eq-5 is slightly smoother than the eq-7. 
 
One important thing I noticed that differed among the eq-5 and the DBA is in terms of the presentation of the music. The eq-5 definitely has the ability to present the music in a 3d like fashion, but never as much as the DBA. Rather, my impression of the eq-5 is the music is always presented in a very 'live' sort of way, i.e. whenever I listen to these, I always get the same sort of impression I get when I have listened to live music. The DBA on the other hand, presents the music more around the head. You could say the eq-5 is 'flatter' in terms of stage than the DBA, thats not to say the imaging, depth, height etc is weak, it isn't in the least. But you will notice the difference when you listen to them both. Overall, I find the eq-5 more engaging as well. The DBA however picks up details better and more noticeably. 
Quote:

Yes. Great.
CK-10's are one of the few I've had in mind... AccessoryJack.com... also good to know about.
 
eq-5 over the eq-7 (another one on my 'possibles' list)?
 
Thanks.

 

[shane55]

Ok... great info. here so far.
 
eq-5... rawrster and Daanish. More bass, eh? And a slight roll-off in the trebble wouldn't be death... if it's slight. Easy to drive like the DBA's?
@ rawrster. No worries about the ear canals, they're pretty big, but tell me these take Comply P-series, or it's a no-go.
@ daanish. Interesting about the soundstage comparison. I've never really been one to have a soundstage make or break an IEM for me, unless it's obviously just extreme sonic artifacting. Which it doesn't sound like you'r implying.
 
ericdeez...Those Brainwavz look exactly like the DBA-02. Similar cost?
 
Thanks all.

 

[mywallethurts]

e-q5 over dba02 any day

 

[Inks]

You could always just get another pair if it all fails.
 
But before you resort to that...x2 on CK10s and EQ5s (heard all 3), but not sure about EQ7s from what I've read. Also, I'll be a tiny bit more lenient to recommend the EQ5s because of the lower price and because the sound signature is more accessible than that of the CK10s. 

 

[Redmetal1897]

Correct me if I'm wrong but by being easy to drive you mean the amount of power it would need from the player to sound loud, in other words the level of volume right? If that is what you are referring to, the eq-5's are very easy to drive(easier than the DBA). I usually dont have to go above 21-22 on my J3 whereas the DBA's need to be played at around 29-30 to sound similar in terms of loudness. 
 
As for the comply's, the eq-5's come with a pair of comply tips, from what I have seen the P series would be slightly longer so I would think that they should fit. I find getting a fit with the eq-5's to be very easy after I did James444's tip mod. 
 
I should also mention though (since I don't know what kind of music you listen to), the grainy mids can be a detriment when listening to certain metal songs. I think there is a spike in the upper mids which attenuates the harshness. So for metal I go to the DBA's. However for pretty much everything else I go to the eq-5's because they are more engaging (jazz, blues, pop etc). 
Quote:

Ok... great info. here so far.
 
eq-5... rawrster and Daanish. More bass, eh? And a slight roll-off in the trebble wouldn't be death... if it's slight. Easy to drive like the DBA's?
@ rawrster. No worries about the ear canals, they're pretty big, but tell me these take Comply P-series, or it's a no-go.
@ daanish. Interesting about the soundstage comparison. I've never really been one to have a soundstage make or break an IEM for me, unless it's obviously just extreme sonic artifacting. Which it doesn't sound like you'r implying.
 
ericdeez...Those Brainwavz look exactly like the DBA-02. Similar cost?
 
Thanks all.

 

[kostalex]

subscribed

 

[Redmetal1897]

Also shane, while there may be a roll off in the  eq-5, it isn't lacking in detail!

 

[Pianist]

I don't think e-Q5 has good soundstage - it is very upfront in its presentation and the sense of space it provides is very limited. In regards to detail, the $79 RE0 bests e-Q5 in this department. In fact, I think the $79 RE0 when amped properly bests the e-Q5 by a good margin in most aspects. I also think e-Q7 sounds better than e-Q5 with better depth to the sound, more character and power. I would recommend e-Q7 over e-Q5 any day for unamped use and I would recommend RE0 over both for amped use.
 
 

 

[shane55]

Quote:

Correct me if I'm wrong but by being easy to drive you mean the amount of power it would need from the player to sound loud, in other words the level of volume right? If that is what you are referring to, the eq-5's are very easy to drive(easier than the DBA). I usually dont have to go above 21-22 on my J3 whereas the DBA's need to be played at around 29-30 to sound similar in terms of loudness. 
 
As for the comply's, the eq-5's come with a pair of comply tips, from what I have seen the P series would be slightly longer so I would think that they should fit. I find getting a fit with the eq-5's to be very easy after I did James444's tip mod. 
 
I should also mention though (since I don't know what kind of music you listen to), the grainy mids can be a detriment when listening to certain metal songs. I think there is a spike in the upper mids which attenuates the harshness. So for metal I go to the DBA's. However for pretty much everything else I go to the eq-5's because they are more engaging (jazz, blues, pop etc). 

 
Yes, I was basically referring to sensitivity. I don't amp my portables. The DBA-02's are easily powered by my iPods.
As for my music... mostly classical (early music, Tudor, Baroque, etc.) then Jazz, Bluegrass, Rock. In that order, but it's anything acoustic that I care most about (soundwise).


 
Quote:

You could always just get another pair if it all fails.
 
But before you resort to that...x2 on CK10s and EQ5s (heard all 3), but not sure about EQ7s from what I've read. Also, I'll be a tiny bit more lenient to recommend the EQ5s because of the lower price and because the sound signature is more accessible than that of the CK10s. 

Yeah, I could... but the point of this exercise is to discuss options that are more easily accessible.

But so far the concensus for the CK10 and EQ5 is interesting.
 
Cheers.