[rawrster]

I'm used to better earphones as well although I'm able to still enjoy them. I found them pretty impressive at the $80 I bought them for however. I don't see them leaving my possession for a couple weeks at least.

 

[webada]

So I finally picked up a pair after reading several threads here on the forum. The choices were MC5, S4 and the CZ. I went from Shure e2c to UE superfi 5 pro to Apple IEM. Having spent over $200 for the UE, to only have the cable gone bad (replacable) and the plastic housing cracked on me, I was not prepare to spend over $100 for another pair of IEM.

Just like everyone else has stated, these CZs are very well made. It puts earlier UE models to shame. I put my IEMs through daily commute of NYC subway. I have no doubt these will last me quite a while eventhough I was concerned about the 90 days warranty (mc5 has 2 yrs)

They sound great. I realized how much I miss the bass coming off the UE. This reminded me the first time I tried on a pair of Shure. This also made me realized the sound preferred is all personal and why many of the "pro" head-fiers here own so many pairs for different music/purpose. For me, I just need a pair with a decent sound isolation, good detail with some bass and strudy construction, for less than $100. These CZs fit the bill nicely.

I am tempted to return this to try out the MC5 ( I acutally waited for this ) but it's hard to let this one go.

I am still burning them in, got about 20hrs on them. but if I have to critique the sound at this point, I would say the bass do sound a bit murky or perhaps I am still adjusting coming from the BA of UE....

 

[rawrster]

The MC5 is very different than the HJE900. If you can't handle less bass than the HJE900 I wouldn't bother.

 

[Confispect]

 
Quote:

So I gave in and ordered the HJE900's - just could not resist all the blazing reviews. Got the package today and with high hopes plugged them in and ....... disappointment! "is this it?" I wondered - I expected more - much much more. I must admit these are my first set of decent iem's. My portable rig currently consists of ES7's with D2 and at home I enjoy my faithful Beyer 770's. This doesnt even come close - I find the sound tiny and hissy compared to what I have before. I'll give them some time ... maybe they'll open up but I doubt it. Does anyone here agree? what is the remedy? should I try some other iem's? what is close to the beyer's without breaking the bank - or maybe iem's is not my thing. but even the portable ES7's get cumbersome to carry around.

 
 
I feel the same, these sound...weak I keep hearing people say bass. But I listen to the phones and go what BASS. Like, really is this it?
 
 
EDIT: Burn in might be all that's needed but until then these are mediocre.
 
No bass (Maybe need better tips, using Phonak's)
Nice mids(Very nice I would search for another phone with these mids)
Highs(somewhat harsh but cool)
Soundstage/headstage (SMALL)
Instrument separation (GOOD)
Isolation (average)
 
So in closing the bass, needs to improve soundstage, need to grow and open, otherwise these are returned!

 

[deadhead12]

Edit: disregard this post.  I didn't see that the info I originally posted here was already posted in this thread one page back.

 

[Goosemama]

OK - what's J&R's return policy - do they take back used iem's?
 
these are going back (or being sold if i cant return them). These are not as bad as I initially thought but still i find them lacking. siblience can be EQued out but the soundstage is confined and mid's are not clear enough for my taste (some say that is their strong point - to each his own i guess). Now I am looking at DBA-02 - maybe thats what I am looking for. 

 

[straden]

I can't agree with you more. I find myself keep switching back to my se530 and re-listen to same song to hear the differences =)
But considering I paid 80 usd, I guess I shouldn't expect it to beat much higher priced ones.
I keep thinking of returning these to fund for custom IEM though.
I should really take a plunge and find the truth that there is no perfect IEM (or is there?)
 
Quote:

OK - what's J&R's return policy - do they take back used iem's?
 
these are going back (or being sold if i cant return them). These are not as bad as I initially thought but still i find them lacking. siblience can be EQued out but the soundstage is confined and mid's are not clear enough for my taste (some say that is their strong point - to each his own i guess). Now I am looking at DBA-02 - maybe thats what I am looking for. 

 

[straden]

I hear the mid bass ( that boomy, reverberating sound) or at least that's what I thought as mid bass.
soundstage is definitely very canned sounding compare to my other IEMs
 
Things I like and better than my other IEMs are  
1) boomy bass signature
2) build quality
3) easy to put on / off
 
all the other things, my other IEMs do better...
Quote:

 
 
No bass (Maybe need better tips, using Phonak's)
Nice mids(Very nice I would search for another phone with these mids)
Highs(somewhat harsh but cool)
Soundstage/headstage (SMALL)
Instrument separation (GOOD)
Isolation (average)
 
So in closing the bass, needs to improve soundstage, need to grow and open, otherwise these are returned!

 

[webada]

Quote:

OK - what's J&R's return policy - do they take back used iem's?
 

They don't, atleast not officially.   Read their fine prints on return policy and they say no returns on IEM due to sanitation reason.   However, I purchased them physically at J&R, when inquired about return policy, the sales slyly goes "ya if it hisses or got defects"
 
so just make sure you don't go "I'm returning because I didn't like the lack of details...etc"

 

[Napilopez]

Lol, it's kind of funny. I thought as more people bought these, there would be a greater consensus on what their sound is like, regardless of preferences. After all, that makes statistical sense. However, it seems the more people by these, the more diverging are impressions of its sound. Some people say the soundstage is too big, others say it's too small. People initially said these were bass monsters, now some are saying they sound tinny and lacking in bass(though for this case I think there really has to be something wrong). Mids are usually their weak point. Oh, audiophilia.

 

[rawrster]

I've yet to hear anyone say that the mids are a strong point here. They are recessed although adding some foam does bring it up a bit. I can't complain with my purchase of these even though they are probably last on my list of earphones in terms of preference. I have better earphones but I still enjoy these the times when I use them and with a regular length cable such as the SA6 cable it's even more enjoyable.
 
I still don't consider them bass monster in the same sense that I would consider a W3 or an Eterna. Those made just about every single earphone I've owned seem to have zero bass in comparison. The HJE900 does not do that so I don't consider them a bass monster but they do have a boosted mid bass. I can't complain much as it did not cost much and gives me a different sound signature than my usual earphones.

 

[webada]

LOL, couldn't agree more.
 
I'm really dumbfounded at folks saying it lack bass....  it was the first thing I notice when I put these on and turned on Grenade by Bruno Mars (which entirely sound too murky, sounds like the bass is way too confined)  then I switched to I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas....  really enjoyed the bass coming out of that one.
 
Perhaps the superfi 5 pro and the apple IEM had really conditioned the bass out of me....
 
For what is worth, its not the best sounding IEM the money can buy but its def. a soild IEM for $80.
 
Quote:

Lol, it's kind of funny. I thought as more people bought these, there would be a greater consensus on what their sound is like, regardless of preferences. After all, that makes statistical sense. However, it seems the more people by these, the more diverging are impressions of its sound. Some people say the soundstage is too big, others say it's too small. People initially said these were bass monsters, now some are saying they sound tinny and lacking in bass(though for this case I think there really has to be something wrong). Mids are usually their weak point. Oh, audiophilia.

 

[Goosemama]

Well - when you guys get us noobs excited what did ya expect? Of course the descriptions will be all over the place

anyways - I don't think they lack bass, initially I thought they were really tiny - but then someone suggested to change the tips and that took care of that - Still I don't like them for sound-stage and mids.

 

[Napilopez]

 
Quote:

/img/forum/go_quote.gif

I've yet to hear anyone say that the mids are a strong point here. They are recessed although adding some foam does bring it up a bit. I can't complain with my purchase of these even though they are probably last on my list of earphones in terms of preference. I have better earphones but I still enjoy these the times when I use them and with a regular length cable such as the SA6 cable it's even more enjoyable.
 
I still don't consider them bass monster in the same sense that I would consider a W3 or an Eterna. Those made just about every single earphone I've owned seem to have zero bass in comparison. The HJE900 does not do that so I don't consider them a bass monster but they do have a boosted mid bass. I can't complain much as it did not cost much and gives me a different sound signature than my usual earphones.

Confispect thought the mids were a strong point:
Quote:

 
I feel the same, these sound...weak I keep hearing people say bass. But I listen to the phones and go what BASS. Like, really is this it?
 
 
EDIT: Burn in might be all that's needed but until then these are mediocre.
 
No bass (Maybe need better tips, using Phonak's)
Nice mids(Very nice I would search for another phone with these mids)
Highs(somewhat harsh but cool)
Soundstage/headstage (SMALL)
Instrument separation (GOOD)
Isolation (average)
 
So in closing the bass, needs to improve soundstage, need to grow and open, otherwise these are returned!

I think their mids are clear, but a bit recessed. I actually think their frequency response as posted by DFKT summarizes them with remarkable accuracy as to how I hear them. I never considered them to be bass monsters either though, just impactful. I've heard bassier phones that don't have as much impact. These have slightly less bass than my huge full-size RX700s, but significantly more impact. Surprisingly, I also get a better out-of-head feeling from my HJE900s, despite the RX700s being full sized, though the latter aren't noted for their soundstage. In terms of frequency response, it's just a bit more presence than I would have optimally preferred in the mid bass, and a bit less in the sub-bass.

On another note, I bought a Sansa Clip+ 2 days ago, based off of some comments of yours I had red on them and further research. I am sincerely astounded at the clarity of this thing. Though not as powerful, their transparency might just surpass the desktop source I used(just a lab computer at my school, but it's the best sounding source I'd heard till now). I'm interested in how these would sound through the clip with an amp and impedance adapter. I wanna rockbox the Clip, but I need to wait till I have a computer of my own again. What advantages does Rockboxing have in terms of SQ?
 
 

 

[Napilopez]

Quote:

Well - when you guys get us noobs excited what did ya expect? Of course the descriptions will be all over the place

anyways - I don't think they lack bass, initially I thought they were really tiny - but then someone suggested to change the tips and that took care of that - Still I don't like them for sound-stage and mids.

Don't get me wrong, everyone will of course have different impressions, as is normal. It's just these seem a bit more particularly divisive than some other IEMs. As for soundstage, I personally think it's great. It's not the best width, but with a good source and good recordings, they provide a great out-of head feeling imo. They are alot more notable for depth than width. My full size RX700s and portable FC700As are, for example, both wider sounding than the HJE900s, as is natural seeing as they don't go in your ear. But because of the lack of resonance and depth, I have a more realistic soundstage with the pannies. I would certainly prefer something even larger, though.