[Geared4me]

I tried all of the supplied tips, plus some extras I already had, and ended up preferring JVC Spiral Dots.

 

[mochill]

I tried all of the supplied tips, plus some extras I already had, and ended up preferring JVC Spiral Dots.

Spiraldots definitely fit better than stock but I went back to stock for review purposes

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Just using the stock medium silicone tips. I turned off a setting on my S9 that I forgot was on and the sound cleaned up a good bit.

Now it's like... I get it. I have to stop myself from cranking the volume.

 

[Geared4me]

I have to stop myself from cranking the volume.

Right?! The sound is so clean and clear I often find myself listening at higher levels than normal. Not that I listen to music at crazy loud levels though.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I definitely am a loud music listener. I might try the spirals at some point, but the stock mediums work beautifully as it is. I'm incredibly impressed.

 

[mochill]

I definitely am a loud music listener. I might try the spirals at some point, but the stock mediums work beautifully as it is. I'm incredibly impressed.

Told you bro, now enjoy the extasy

 

[SomeGuyDude]

So it's only $40 for a recable with a quick turnaround, right?

 

[tarhana]

Just using the stock medium silicone tips. I turned off a setting on my S9 that I forgot was on and the sound cleaned up a good bit.

Now it's like... I get it. I have to stop myself from cranking the volume.

can you make a quick comparison with it03?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

The IT03's treble is more prominent thanks to being a hybrid but at the expense of coherency (kind of a natural thing with the two different designs). The IT03's bass potency is more in the subbass rather than the midbass, which is how the Be can strike the ear as more "boomy", though it's better textured. Mids go to the Be since it has less of a V-shape. Treble is down to taste between the two, smooth vs sparkling. Both are good on the soundstage front, which is really striking for the Be since it's a single driver.

Design-wise I would like to say the IT03 wins thanks to the removable cable but while I'm lamenting a mildly bent jack on my Be the IT03 has been having glue issues where the MMCX connector just falls right into the shell. The IT03's "custom universal" design can also be really picky with how well it sits in the ear. It's perfect on me, some say they can't get it to sit well. The Be's cable is just bad, though. It's bizarrely tangly and way more microphonic than it should be.

I can't really call a winner just yet since I'm only on day 2 of the Be, but I'll say that for someone who likes loud music both are damn good choices.

 

[AlwaysForward]

@SomeGuyDude curious to hear your thoughts on these vs the 1more Quad Driver when you’ve had a chance to form impressions. I’ve always felt you take a clean analytical approach to evaluating and describing what’s going on in cans.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

@SomeGuyDude curious to hear your thoughts on these vs the 1more Quad Driver when you’ve had a chance to form impressions. I’ve always felt you take a clean analytical approach to evaluating and describing what’s going on in cans.

Well thank ya!

The thing that jumps out is, similar to the IT03, the treble. The Quads treble is really brittle in comparison and can be kinda abrasive. Both have potent bass, but the Quads have mids that are more recessed. They're a great "fun" IEM and I think they've got an awesome sound, but it's more disjointed to my ears. Where the Be is "warm and bassy," the Quad is "v-shaped and bassy." The Be's soundstage is also considerably bigger. Things feel more spacious and that "coherency" aspect is far more present. The Quads end up sounding "muddled" on busy music, whereas the Be, even with really dirty goregrind metal production, are weirdly clear.

One area where the Quads totally whallop the Be is in the cable. It's not even close. The Quad cable is thick and sturdy feeling, has smartphone controls, and isn't microphonic. The Be cable seems like something you'd get on a pair of Skullcandy. It feels way too cheap compared to the earpieces themselves.

A pretty good comparison I can make is (oddly) the Audioquest Nighthawk. Both have a signature that seems too bassy at first (and BTW these are NOT Audeze-style warmth), but once your ears kinda calibrate to what's happening they sound more natural and lifelike than other items. Once you find the way to sit 'em in your ears, things all click into place. That's a bit of an issue, I'd say, because unlike something more deeply inserting like the Mee P1 or F9 Pro, these don't have an inherent depth and swapping tips around can make crazy differences. I found that using the silicone mediums and not pushing in too far made everything sound perfect.

EDIT: I should add, once again, the treble can seem hella veiled to some ears. There is a serious brain adjustment going on here, at least with the stock tips. I've got some spiral dots incoming though.

 

[Mastermind]

II's a bit late to add, but I own OLD Primacy and used to listen to them before buying BE. Primacy are really nice IEMs with smooth and slightly warm sound, but BE are far more superior in comparison, providing more natural and balanced sound with greater detail (despite being dynamic) and bass has better response. The major difference, however, is that BE have wider sound stage with better instrument imaging - sounds are perceived as being much "bigger", like in full-size headphones. BTW, cable in Primacy got broken in about 12 months of use;(

 

[HiFlight]

II's a bit late to add, but I own OLD Primacy and used to listen to them before buying BE. Primacy are really nice IEMs with smooth and slightly warm sound, but BE are far more superior in comparison, providing more natural and balanced sound with greater detail (despite being dynamic) and bass has better response. The major difference, however, is that BE have wider sound stage with better instrument imaging - sounds are perceived as being much "bigger", like in full-size headphones. BTW, cable in Primacy got broken in about 12 months of use;(

My experience also!

 

[jkjk123]

Has anyone compared the Periodic Audio BE to the Sony XBA-N3?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

BTW I've come to a weird conclusion. I think the Be is an IEM that's not really suited for mobile use.

I know that seems odd because on paper they're perfect. Easy to drive, compact, isolate, sound great. But it's the damn cable. It's crazy microphonic to the point that just walking making me hear "thumps" from the cable gently touching my chest, it somehow gets tangled in absolutely everything, and there's zero strain relief anywhere on it. Whenever I walk my dog I spend half my time repositioning and trying to get the cable away from my jacket zipper because it gets caught, I can hear it, and one pops out of my ear.

Feelin' a little frustrated with that.

EDIT: I will add that the spiral dots are a great tip upgrade. The bass is a touch less aggressive, which is helpful, and the wider bore seems to let them breathe more.

That said, I am still absolutely baffled by reviews I've seen from people suggesting they either had to EQ the bass up and treble down or that bass lovers would dislike these. I wonder if some people just could not get a seal because no matter what tip I've used, bass is incredibly prominent.